Enduring Service

by Regina Morris

  Sulie held her head up defiantly. Her family matters were personal.

  Trudy shrugged. “I thought you burned to death with your parents all those years ago. You really should have died in that fire. That was the original plan. But I guess it’s for the best that you survived.”

  Sulie’s head spun around, and she stared at Trudy. “Original plan?”

  “Water under the bridge, my pet.”

  A thunderous thud sounded as Sulie’s body hit the gate full on. The only thing she managed to accomplish was to hurt her shoulder and back in the process. “You bitch!”

  Trudy’s eyes widened by the assault and she took a step back. “You have always been a feisty little thing.”

  Sulie thought back to the night of her parents’ deaths. A house fire. They had submerged themselves into the human culture and had done whatever they could to appear human, including light a fire in the hearth at night for warmth. Sulie had stayed with Raymond to help take care of Sterling, who was only a few months old. When she returned home the next morning, she had discovered the loss of her parents and home. If Sterling had not taken with a fever that night, she too would have been lost in the fire. Sulie could feel the bile building in her throat. Her hands balled into fists, her whole body tensed, and she needed answers. “What do you want from me?”

  “Personally, I want your expertise in growing my business.” The woman took another sip from the mug and smacked her lips as she finished her drink. “My, so refreshing.”

  Sulie inhaled deeply. The blood smelled strong. The type was A+ and, something else. The aroma hung in the air longer than normal coppery blood did. She noticed the thickness of the blood as the woman wiped a drop from the corner of her lip. Her eyes widened as recognition set in. “Cord blood.”

  “Yes. Cord blood is the essence of youth, strength, and vitality. And you’re going to help me get more.” Trudy waved her hands over her body in a Vanna White manner. “It’s better than anything else and humans have babies every day. Their precious cord blood is just thrown away when it provides so much. Sometimes I look at a pregnant woman and I salivate.”

  If the confession was meant to shock her, Sulie didn’t give her the satisfaction. It also explained the new vendor the hospital picked up on storing cord blood. She knew the pamphlet had seemed suspicious.

  “You are only one piece of the puzzle, my dear.” A smug expression appeared on the woman’s face. “Medical insurance policies will be changing very soon and we’ll need doctors on our side.”

  A lump settled in Sulie’s throat. “What else?” Sulie asked. When Trudy remained silent, Sulie stressed her point. “You said you wanted me to build your business, but you needed me for many reasons. What do the others in your family want?”

  A cold sneer appeared on Trudy’s face, making Sulie feel a shiver down her spine.

  “We want your family bloodline.”

  Sulie’s breath caught. “What?”

  “You will marry into my family so your family’s capability for having abilities can be passed onto my bloodline.”

  Sulie knew not all vampires had abilities. Abilities ran in families and it was through the Verheiratet Schlange that abilities were fully disclosed. The potential of mind control was carefully monitored. Sulie had not considered that her placement on the list would cause such a commotion. Fishing for more information, Sulie said nonchalantly, “And, your family, of course, was not blessed.”

  “No. We weren’t. We need your mind control abilities since vampires don’t volunteer their cord blood and we can’t compel them to give it to us. Of course, we can just take it if we happen to know when a vampire is giving birth, especially once new medical policies are passed. That is where you come in.”

  Sulie’s schedule was always filled with vampire women seeking her services during their pregnancies. She pieced the plan together. “Vampire cord blood contains enzymes missing from human cord blood. Enzymes that prevent our children from developing blood diseases, but also would allow quicker regeneration in vampires.”

  Trudy licked her lips. “It’s super charged blood. You’ve never had anything like it.”

  “And, you need my connections.”

  Trudy grinned. “Exactly. You’re well known around certain circles and that is valuable information we could use. You also know more medically about the storage of blood. We need help streamlining our operations and information on how to expand them.”

  In her dreams! This chick was traveling through fantasy land without a passport. Sulie stood defiantly in front of Trudy. “I’ll never agree to help you, let alone marry into your family.”

  An eyebrow rose and hid under Trudy’s blonde hair. “We’ll see, Sulie dear.” She looked down into her empty mug. “We’ll see how agreeable you are after a few days when your body is shriveled by age and you’re begging me for blood.”

  “That will never happen.”

  “Then you’ll die.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  At Camp David, Mason questioned each staff member and found nothing amiss. Many of the humans had been on staff since the first day of the president’s tenure, and with the many trips to Camp David, Mason had known them well. Each human seemed genuine in their household duties and loyalty to the president. After hours of questioning them, and compelling each to believe him to be the president and to ignore any other unroutine issues in the house, Mason walked slowly back to the master bedroom suite — which now stood vacant due to the demolition specialist’s orders, their tools, and their safety barricades.

  Standing in the midst of chaos, Mason stared at the broken pieces of the now dismantled bedroom and quietly shook his head. A cyclone couldn’t have destroyed the room better. The headboard had been ripped from the frame, the mattress shredded, and the carpet torn in half. Every drawer had been pulled from its cabinet, the contents of which had been carefully scrutinized. Even the connecting bath had been gutted, the room’s plumbing and fixtures laying on the floor.

  Mason heard the approaching footsteps and recognized the slight hint of the man’s cologne, even before Liam entered the room.

  “The device they found in the bed is nothing more than a recording unit scheduled to replay under a specific set of circumstances.”

  Mason’s eyebrow rose. “What circumstances?”

  Liam leaned against the destroyed door jamb. “The overhead light needed to be off, the weight on the bed under 220 lbs, meaning the president slept alone in the bed, and there was a timer to replay a recorded message from 3:00 am to 5:00 am every night.”

  “Only a recording?”

  Shaking his head, Liam continued, “A hypnotic repetitive message. Something about medical practices and the support of collecting more blood. Warehousing blood so to speak, from newborn babies to volunteers, as well as standard medical practices to collect blood during routine medical physicals.” Liam rolled his hands, “and it continued and continued.”

  “Sounds like the entire recording focused on blood.”

  Liam took a deep breath and squinted his eyes at Mason. “Your name is Mason, right?” When Mason nodded, Liam added, “Seems like a lot of blood. Do you… people… require a lot? I mean, I’m assuming the perpetrator to be one of your kind.”

  And here was the second matter Mason needed to deal with. Liam knew too much. Mason broke his presidential facade and spoke honestly with the man. “Son, if your fishin’ for some answers,” he began in his southern dialect, “I’m sorry, but this dog just won’t hunt.”

  Liam took a deep breath and stood his ground. “I know the president isn’t one… but I know you are. You don’t have to bother denying it.”

  Mason sized up the human. “Then I do believe you and I need to have ourselves a talk.”

  He crossed the floor and gazed deep into the human’s eyes, but Liam looked away.

  “I’ll tell you what I know. But if you try to do any of your mind games on me, I’ll warn you now. I have a stake in my pocket.”


  Mason stepped back, knowing full well he could overtake the human at any time. “What gave me away?”

  Liam scanned down the hallway. The staff seemed busy performing their tasks and the other agents kept guard on the house and grounds. He stepped into the room and closed the door the best he could, leaving it ajar on its hinges. “It wasn’t you. At least not right away. I first suspected the lady doctor who keeps tabs on the president’s health.”

  “Sulie?”

  Liam shrugged. “I don’t know her name, but her face is unforgettable. She’s a total ten and someone who caught my eye when I began working for the president. Ten years have passed since my first day on the job. She looks the same age as when I first laid eyes on her.”

  Nodding, Mason understood. Sulie always kept to her base Jahrling age if possible. She always remained in the background doing medical exams on the president and not much more. But even with the limited human exposure, someone was bound to notice.

  “And then there was you.”

  Mason glanced up at Liam. “What about me?”

  “The last two trips to Camp David, you didn’t eat. I kept tabs on you afterwards, even photographing you with a special camera to detect heat signatures. You don’t give off body heat.”

  Mason felt a nagging pain in his gut. If he had to guess, he would say the telltale sign had been his nose putty or even his colored contacts. He could have sworn he had been careful during his time with the humans, but well, he couldn’t give off body heat. He also couldn’t eat any food. And there was only so much pushing the food around on the plate to make it appear as if you ate some of it that he could do. With a hand brushing through his white hair, and a sigh escaping his mouth, Mason asked, “Anyone but you know?”

  “Know about your kind? And that you work for the president?” Liam shook his head and let out a wry chuckle. “No. I didn’t want to lose my job and end up in the looney bin.”

  Mason knew what he had to do. The man had become a liability, a threat to their very existence. He had to compel the man to forget everything he knew about vampires. He took a step closer to the human, thinking he should just quickly get the memory wipe over with. But, how far back did the wipe need to be?

  “Besides,” Liam said, his voice a little softer. “I also know about vampires for another reason.”

  It was the first time Liam had used the word vampire. A chill ran down Mason’s spine. He had never told any human his true nature, and for an outsider to confirm him as such… it made him nervous. Mason realized Liam had paused in his explanation, so he pressed him to continue with a raised eyebrow.

  “I guess telling you is not the same as outing someone, but I feel I might be betraying his trust.”

  “Whose trust?” Mason pressed.

  “This is off the record. And I’m only telling you this because I don’t want my mind messed with and be forced to forget him,” Liam stressed, taking a breath and letting it out slowly. “My younger brother is one of your kind.”

  Mason’s eyes widened as he took in the information. Liam gave off no predatorial presence. In fact, Mason had seen the man eat human food a few times. “So you’re human,” Mason gathered, “and your mother took a vampire to her bed.”

  Liam shot a glance over to Mason. “They had a relationship, which lasted for years. But not a very good one. Over time, I noticed my mother doing things out of character. I realized the vampire was controlling her.”

  Letting out a sigh, Mason understood that many human/vampire relationships worked in such a way. The vampire forcing the human to do whatever he or she wanted. Not a great way to live, especially if children were involved.

  He looked over at the human he had known for years. He would never have guessed he had known about vampires all this time. A vampire existed in his family. “Your mother’s no longer with him?”

  A wry chuckle escaped Liam’s mouth. “No. Either he grew tired of a one–way relationship, found someone he liked better, or maybe,” he stressed the word, “maybe he loved her enough to let her go. He came around again when my brother got really sick.” Liam pointed to his mouth. “Once his fangs began to come in and human food became difficult to eat, his father came back and helped him through his transition.” Liam cleared his throat. “Not exactly the fatherly type, but he came back and helped when he was needed. I guess he deserves some credit for his effort, even if he left soon afterward.”

  Mason could see the picture in his head. The brother was a half–breed, and certain complications existed during their transition. Overall, the boy was lucky to have survived the change. “Are you and your brother close?”

  A smile crossed his lips, and Mason nearly felt the love the human had for his brother. “Very close. He actually plays on my rugby team. Needless to say, we have a winning season.”

  Compelling a man to forget about vampires, when he’s exposed to them from different areas, wasn’t going to work. Liam knew a great deal about vampires, but it was his family history. He was entitled, and Mason decided not to compel the human to forget about their existence.

  Mason walked back to the pile of rubble on the floor, kicking some of the debris out of his way. “This device being left by a vampire makes sense, although I’m not sure when.”

  “I went through the house records. A lightening storm hit about six months ago. The weather affected the electricity in the house and a service team came to fix the damages. I think the perpetrator made his way into the house with the rest of the contractors.”

  Mason thought back upon the president’s itinerary over the last several months, and nodded. “That storm was brewin’ during the president’s trip to France. I remember we got a report on the storm while overseas. But by the time we got back in the United States, this home was already patched up.”

  “Unless one of your team members was here, the agents on duty who allowed the contractors in could have been compelled to not notice vampire workman.”

  Mason thought about specific details of the trip. “I went with the president. Most of my team did. The weather took us off guard and only humans remained here at Camp David.” Letting out a sigh, Mason realized how short handed the team really was.

  “So,” Liam said, “it is possible that a vampire made his way in. Unfortunately, the security cameras were offline. We don’t have a visual record of who entered the house.”

  Picking up a piece of the bed, Mason thought about the president’s amorous nature among women. The man always had company when he vacationed here at Camp David, and surely this trip wasn’t going to be different. “What is the president’s schedule while on vacation this time around?”

  Liam glanced down at the bed and Mason figured he picked up on what he was truly asking. “His current lady friend planned to join him tonight. A private car is scheduled to pick her up and drive her here.” He studied his watch. “She’s scheduled to be picked up this evening since the trip is only about an hour and a half by car. She was scheduled to be here about 8:00 pm. Of course, we’ve modified her travel plans because of what has happened.”

  Mason had met the woman several times. She was human and wouldn’t be able to find two neurons in her head to rub together. His shoulders sank. There had to be someone else. “It’s not her. What else had the president planned to do?”

  “Only meetings with a personal fitness trainer. The first workout is scheduled for this afternoon.”

  “A trainer?”

  Liam nodded yes.

  “Someone new?”

  Liam took a cleansing breath and seemed deep in thought. “The president’s entire fitness routine is all rather new. I don’t recognize the name of this trainer so he may be a new person. This is definitely the first time the president’s been at Camp David since he’s been on this health kick.”

  “I’ll bet the trainer is a vampire coming to pay the president a special visit.” Mason bit his lip. “Although, if this trainer is a vampire who is coming to compel him, why the need for the hypnoti
c device we found in the bed?”

  “Plan B.”

  Mason looked up at Liam.

  “It’s one thing to get past security and place an item inside the house while the president is not here. It’s totally different when you have more than double the staff and Secret Service running around.”

  Having two plans made sense to Mason. The scary part was a vampire planned to meet with the president. Of course, the president will remain safe in a different location.

  Mason snapped his fingers and his eyes lit up as he smiled over to Liam. In his best Bostonian accent, he said, “The president will keep the appointment.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Two days had passed since Sulie’s kidnapping and Dixon felt more anxious with each passing day. He sat at the table in the conference room at Fang Manor with Raymond, Alex, Sterling and Ben. His fingers nervously thumped on the table until he noticed the group staring at him.

  The room was usually reserved for Colony team meetings as well as when Raymond would need to conduct Vampire Council business. The door always remained locked for the privacy of Council business, but for the last two days, the room remained open to every member of the Colony.

  Dixon shifted in his seat from side to side as Raymond began the meeting. “I’ve contacted the other Coven Masters of the Council. I have had no luck finding the midwife, so either she is a rogue, her family is not listed, or perhaps she has higher clearance than I do. All I know is that I can’t access her records. I’ve made calls to the European Council in case she isn’t an American, but have not heard back.”

  Dixon picked up the remote on the table and powered on the large screen which took up most of the interior wall. “Ben and I did some research on cord blood, as well as the company listed on the flier Raymond found in Sulie’s hospital jacket.”

  The information appeared on the screen. “We doubt the company is real. To start with, the name Blasus is a word in Welsh. Care to guess what the word means?” When no one appeared to be in the mood to guess, Dixon continued. “The name translates as ’delicious’.”