He felt his anger rise again, but quickly squelched it. To expend unnecessary energy on an emotion that could be of no help to him was foolhardy. In his weakened state he needed every resource he could muster to aid in his recovery.
He let his thoughts drift as his body prepared for its eventual descent into the deep, dark world of the undead. Fragments of the battle scene floated in and out of his waning consciousness, soon to be replaced by images of Thea tending to his wound and hovering over him.
His heart gave its last thump before it shut down for his curative sleep. And on that last beat he whispered his thanks again to the woman whose touch still lingered on his flesh.
AFTER SHE LEFT Jerome, Dottie stayed awake until five in the morning. When she finally fell asleep, she slept fitfully, tossing and turning, in and out of dreams.
All the dreams were of Jerome. Jerome laughing while he drank his special drink and she sipped tea; Jerome voicing his anger at her when she refused to heed his bidding; and Jerome seducing her, his disparate blue and gray eyes boring straight into her soul, his mouth at her neck, his lips seeking and searching.
She came awake with a start, eyes wide open, her fingertips at her neck. Would she ever stop doing that?
Jerome’s face rose up in her mind’s eye just as it had in her dreams. How was he? she wondered. Was he healing as he should? When she saw him this evening would things be strained between them now that she had witnessed his vulnerability?
Too restless to stay in bed even a few extra minutes, Dottie hurried into the shower, anxious to start the day with the idea that had just come to her.
She dressed quickly and went in search of Ella. She found her in the kitchen. Before she could ask the question uppermost in her mind, Ella offered to fix breakfast for her. Already at the refrigerator, Dottie took out the carton of orange juice and reached into the cabinet for a glass. “Thanks, but I’ll just have juice this morning.”
Just then, Dennis, Ella’s husband, came in from outside, a bouquet of fresh cut flowers in his hand. He held them out to his wife with a nod of recognition in Dottie’s direction.
She waited until Ella had taken the glass vase from the windowsill, filled it with water and arranged the flowers with as much care as if they were to be the centerpiece on a formal dining room table. After a swallow of juice, Dottie asked the question that had sent her looking for the housekeeper.
“Is there a shopping center nearby, maybe within a mile or so?”
Ella nodded. “There’s one just about a mile away. I can never remember its name, Northside, Northway, something like that.” She turned to her husband who had fixed himself a cup of coffee and sat drinking it at the kitchen table. He shrugged and lifted a shoulder.
Dottie turned back to Ella. The shopping center’s name wasn’t important, but its location was. She swallowed the last of the juice, the next question on her tongue when Ella, who had started unloading the dishwasher, spoke up. “I can take you there after lunch if you like.”
Dottie swallowed the last of the juice, rinsed the empty glass and set it in the sink. “That’s really not necessary. I’m sure I can find it on my own. Besides, I haven’t tried out my new running shoes yet.” She lifted her foot and smiled. No room for argument there. The shoe was pristine.
Ella closed the dishwasher and looked intently at Dottie. “I really don’t think you should go out alone. Mister Jerome wouldn’t like it.” She looked for reassurance at Dennis who still sat at the kitchen table.
“She’s right,” Dennis agreed. “You should let Ella take you.”
Dottie shook her head. “I really need the exercise. I’ve hardly moved during the five days I’ve been here.”
“But suppose you . . . suppose the sleeping sickness comes over you while you’re out there alone?”
Dottie knew Ella’s concern was legitimate and she hated giving the woman any additional worries, but this was something she had to do. If she didn’t work off some of this restless energy she would go crazy.
“I’ll be fine, Ella. I’ve never fallen asleep yet while I was on my feet.”
She sounded more confident than she felt. It had been twenty-four hours since her last attack, the longest she’d gone between attacks so far. That was what Dr. Stephens had predicted. But he’d also cautioned her that it was likely she would continue with sporadic attacks for some time, even after she was, for all intents and purposes, cured.
She gave Ella an apologetic, but determined look as she held up her cell phone. “I promise if I get even the tiniest hint that something is wrong, I’ll call you. You’ll be able to get to me fast since I won’t be far away.”
Ella looked again at her husband, and when he remained silent, she proceeded to give Dottie directions. “You’ll see all the shops to your left,” she said, after she finished, quickly adding, “I wish you’d reconsider and let me take you. We can leave now and I’ll fix lunch when we get back.”
But Dottie was already at the kitchen door. She had it open, ready to walk out, when she remembered the other thing she wanted to mention.
“I saw Jerome last night. He was injured in a fight.”
The couple nodded in unison. “Mister Jerome can take care of himself,” Dennis said. “I’m sure by tonight he’ll be good as new.”
Their nonchalant acceptance of their boss’s injury took Dottie aback, and it was on the tip of her tongue to suggest perhaps they should check on him. She said nothing more, however, as she closed the door behind her. Their reaction or lack thereof, was certainly not what she had expected. But then, what could be reasonably expected of two people living in a house with a vampire?
She deliberately pushed her concern about Jerome to the back of her mind and concentrated for the next few minutes on limbering up for her jog to the shopping center. When she finally started out she felt more relaxed than she had in weeks.
It wasn’t until she had rounded the first corner that she began to feel uneasy. Despite not wanting to give in to any unreasonable fear, she cast a worried glance over her shoulder. Nothing out of the ordinary. No hulking figure hiding behind a tree or a shrub. She mentally rebuked herself for giving in to paranoia.
What was she expecting to see? A vampire behind every bush? Vampires didn’t roam during daylight hours. And none of the vampires here had anything against her, even if they knew of her existence. The only vampire she truly feared was Zurik. And Julian had taken care of him in New Orleans.
Determinedly, she continued forward, breathing in rhythm with her jogging pace, welcoming the light breeze that cooled her quickly heating skin. The temperature was in the mid-sixties, average for this time of year according to the news that morning.
She checked her watch. Only a few minutes had elapsed since she’d started out. Not bad, considering she hadn’t jogged since before Hurricane Katrina. She shuddered. Just the slightest memory of that damned storm caused her mind and body to tense. She consciously pushed the horrible memories to the back of her mind and forged ahead.
The closer she got to the area Ella had described for her, the more pronounced the changes became in the neighborhood. The size of the houses grew smaller, and there was less greenery and more activity on the street. The final block before the shopping center was populated by several smaller businesses. A health food store, an animal groomer, an art-framing shop.
Gradually, she slowed her jog until she was walking at a fast clip. Swiping the back of her hand across her brow she stopped before the window display of a sporting goods store. She fished in the back pocket of her pants for the twenty dollar bill she’d put there before she started out and went inside the store. A few minutes later she slipped the newly purchased sweatband over her forehead.
She spent the next few minutes checking out the various lines of athletic clothing on the display racks. All name brands. She checked a few
price tags. Reasonable. Tomorrow she’d bring her credit card with her and buy a couple of jogging outfits to replace the slacks and old t-shirt she wore now. She was thankful that Simone had salvaged them along with a few of her other clothes and personal belongings from her apartment in New Orleans, but the outfit she had thrown together this morning had seen better days. Replacements were definitely in order.
Outside again she considered walking up the street to the smoothie shop but changed her mind after only a few steps. She hadn’t planned on staying out too long her first morning back jogging. If she drank a smoothie she wouldn’t be able to start back right away for fear of upsetting her stomach. The enticing drink would have to wait for another day.
After taking a deep breath she started back in the direction of Jerome’s house. Jerome. She wondered how he was. And if Ella and her husband had checked on him despite their seemingly lack of concern for his safety. She decided to worry about Jerome later and focused on synchronizing her breathing with her stride. In no time at all she was jogging at a decent pace.
A block into the trip home she felt it again. The uneasy feeling that she was being watched. She slowed her pace to a walk, stopped, then knelt in a half-body turn and pretended to tie a shoelace. Surreptitiously she looked behind her. Nothing out of the ordinary. The only people on the sidewalk were a young mother and her toddler busy scooping up dead leaves and letting them fall back to the ground.
She straightened slowly and continued at a slightly faster pace than before. She was anxious to get home. Home. Jerome’s impressive two-story house was home to her now. And would be for as long as she was here. How long would that be? If she went another day without an attack maybe she could really begin to count the days until she could return to Mobile. Her heart contracted. She so missed her daughter. She would call her this afternoon, as soon as she was sure Casey was home from school.
A block from the house that sat majestically on a grass covered hill, Dottie once again felt the sense of being watched. Only this time the feeling was much stronger than before. Her breathing accelerated, more from the sense of foreboding than from the physical exertion. She reached for the cell phone in the pocket with the money left over from the twenty she had used for the sweatband.
She sprinted the last hundred yards to the back of Jerome’s house. She hadn’t felt this fearful since she left New Orleans. Chancing another quick glance over her shoulder she knocked as hard as she could on the kitchen door. She waited impatiently, heart pounding, for Ella to answer. Perhaps she should ask Jerome for a key of her own. No. Absolutely not. He’d probably be furious with her for going out alone after he’d warned her not to.
She practically fell into Ella’s arms when the door opened. With a hasty explanation about needing to use the bathroom, she fled past Ella and into her bedroom. Once the door was closed behind her, the fear began to subside.
In a few minutes her heart beat slowed to normal and she began to think clearer. Her recent decision not to mention her suspicions to Jerome were reinforced. It made no sense to give him reason to worry about something for which she had no proof.
Now that she was inside and able to reflect calmly on the last few minutes she reminded herself that she felt pretty good considering the workout she had finished. In the health department she was definitely improving. If tomorrow was as good as today, she would soon be thanking Jerome for his kindness and heading home to Mobile.
Chapter Eight
DOTTIE CHECKED her watch for the tenth time in as many minutes. Jerome was late. Usually by this time of night he would be in the living room fixing himself a Double B and engaging her in conversation.
Where was he? Was his injury as serious as she’d first suspected? Or was he deliberately avoiding her to demonstrate he had not forgotten—nor forgiven—her intrusion into his privacy?
An hour passed. Dottie grew anxious. Almost two hours after she took her usual chair close to the reading lamp, she sensed Jerome’s presence—or was it just her imagination? She lowered the book to her lap and looked toward the doorway. Her heart gave an unexpected flutter. Jerome had indeed finally appeared.
Nodding her way, Jerome crossed to the bar. “Good evening.”
She acknowledged him with a slight nod of her own. “How are you feeling?”
Jerome spun around, a wide grin on his face. He spread his feet and lifted both arms Atlas style. “I’m fit as a fiddle. Sharp as a tack. Strong as a bull.” His grin slid into a sardonic smile. “Disappointed?”
His sarcasm stung. It had obviously been a mistake to make even an oblique reference to last night’s incident. Deciding he was either testing her ability to stand up to him or goading her into an adversarial position to provoke an argument, she smiled. “Disappointed? Of course not. Why would I be?”
He let her question slide and began preparing his drink. An awkward silence stretched between them. Drink in hand, he looked her way. “And how was your day?”
The question caught her off guard. “Fine. My day was fine.” Had he noticed the brief hesitation before she answered? Or the slight tremor in her voice that reflected just the tiniest bit of guilt she felt about leaving the house?
Jerome raised the glass to his lips and drained it, watching her over the rim as he drank. She grew uneasy. Something was not quite right.
He set the empty glass on the bar and eyed her for a long few seconds. “Well, aren’t you going to ask me why I took so long to come in here tonight?”
She looked steadily at him. “Why would I ask you such a thing? This is your home. You can do as you please.”
As if she had indeed asked the question of him, Jerome said, “First, I met with Ella and Dennis, as I usually do when their day is ending and mine is just beginning. After they told me what you’d done today I didn’t dare seek you out until I had my anger under control.”
Fighting back embarrassment because she had ignored his cautionary warning, but angry because he was chastising her like a child, she jumped up, tossing the book on the chair. “I wasn’t aware my every move would be reported to you.”
“Not every move, just those that defy common sense and fly directly in the face of my commands.”
“Your commands?” She was seething, her heart pounding, her ears roaring. How dare he? Just because . . . No! she shouted silently to the instantly familiar brush against her mind.
“No,” she repeated, this time aloud. “You will speak to me out loud.” She squared her shoulders and stood defiantly in place. “I am profoundly grateful for your kindness and hospitality, and for the care and concern your employees have shown me, but I am not a child and I refuse to be treated like one.”
Jerome’s icy stare and rigid stance might have frightened her if she were not so angry herself. Slowly, his frame relaxed and his eyes lost some of their coldness, but the set of his jaw remained firm. “If you don’t want to be treated like a child, then don’t act like one. Can’t you at least appreciate when someone is trying to protect you?”
“Protect me? From what? I thought the reason I came to San Francisco, aside from the medical care you’ve secured for me, was because I would be safe here.”
Jerome crossed the room and stood in front of her, all traces of his former hostility gone. He put his hands on her shoulders. “You are still not completely out of danger.”
Her stomach knotted. “Wh-what do you mean?”
“I didn’t say anything earlier, but I’ve known for a couple of days that Zurik may have followed you here.”
“Are you sure?” she asked, sounding very much like the child she swore she wasn’t.”
“No, I’m not absolutely certain. Two of my men think they saw him, but as yet his appearance is unconfirmed.”
“But I thought Julian had . . . had taken care of him.”
“Evidently the blow wasn’t fatal and the bas
tard got away. These are the first reports we’ve heard that he may have surfaced again.”
When he saw her grow pale, he slipped an arm around her waist. He felt the tremble that ran through her body. “Why?” she managed, her eyes brimming with unshed tears. “Why can’t he leave me alone? What does he want from me?”
“It isn’t you he wants. It’s Julian. And by extension, me and our brother, Jonah. Because of the Whitcombe Legacy we are a threat to every bloodsucking vampire on the face of the earth. He, and others like him, will stop at nothing to get to us.”
Her bottom lip began to quiver. He wanted to wrap his arms around her and vow to protect her no matter what the cost. But this was no time for sentimental weakness on his part. He set her away from him.
If he had to choose between tough love and risking her displeasure with him, or treating her gently and winning her over, he didn’t have to think twice. If she hated him, even just a little, it would serve in her best interest. As things stood now, he could do her just as much harm as Zurik.
MAYBE A CUP OF tea would help her.
I think maybe it would.
When Jerome smiled, Dottie couldn’t hold her own smile back. She had let his mind touch hers without any resistance. She hadn’t forgotten his heavy-handedness or the depth of the anger he had directed her way, but deep down she understood the reason for that anger.
She had been sent to him for protection. He felt responsible for her. Like it or not, she owed him the courtesy of respecting his wishes when those wishes were concerned with her safety. She should do her best to mend fences between them.
Her smile turned inward. Her last few thoughts had remained private because she had instinctively closed the connection between her mind and Jerome’s as easily as she had allowed it to open. She fought to keep her smile from touching her lips. Under different circumstances, this opening and closing of minds might be an enjoyable game.
The Vampire Jerome Page 8