Immortal Blood

by James M. Thompson

  “Is there a bar in this place?” the man named Jean Horla asked, looking around and licking his lips. “I need some antifreeze to keep my blood from freezing.”

  “Yeah,” Ashby answered, pointing to a corner where several bottles were set up on a sideboard. “I think there’re plenty of mixers in the refrigerator along with an icemaker.”

  While Horla fixed drinks all around, Ashby touched Morpheus on the arm and said, “Mr. Morpheus, I need to talk to you for a minute.”

  Morpheus frowned, as if he could read his mind. “Go ahead, John, we’re all friends here. We have no secrets from one another.”

  “Uh, I’ve changed my mind about helping you find Pike and his friends,” Ashby said, hesitantly, his eyes flicking to the others to see what their reaction to this news would be.

  “You what?” Morpheus almost shouted, his face darkening and turning almost black in his rage.

  “Yeah, uh, I think there might be a place for a vaccine . . .”

  Ashby got no farther in his explanation before Morpheus, faster than he thought possible, changed into his vampyre form and leapt at him, claws extended, talons glistening in the light of the fireplace.

  Before he could react, Ashby felt Morpheus’s claws sink deep into his neck and felt his feet lifted from the floor. He tried to change into his own vampyre form to defend himself, but with the blood cut off from his head, he found his body wouldn’t respond to his commands.

  As his feet dangled in midair, dancing a slight jig as if to music only he could hear, Ashby felt his consciousness fading and saw bursting points of light behind his eyelids.

  He barely heard a woman’s voice yelling, “Michael, stop that! You’re going to kill him!”

  “Kill him, hell,” Morpheus growled around his dripping fangs, “I’m going to rip his fucking head off and shit down his neck!”

  Suddenly, Morpheus’s claws relaxed their grip and Ashby, nearly unconscious, dropped like a rag doll to the floor as Marya pried Morpheus’s arms back.

  “You forget, Michael, this man is our only contact up here. Without him, we have no chance of finding Pike and the others,” she said, pushing him back away from Ashby’s limp body on the floor.

  “But, he said he wasn’t going to help us,” Morpheus said furiously, trying to push past her to get at Ashby.

  Marya held firm, showing surprising strength since she was still in her human form. “Don’t worry, Michael, I’ll take care of that. Remember, you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.”

  “Bah!” Morpheus said, slowly letting himself change back into human form and heading over to the bar for a drink.

  Marya bent and picked Ashby up as if he weighed only a few pounds and carried him in her arms like a baby into the nearest bedroom. As she entered, she smiled sweetly back over her shoulder and shut the door with her foot.

  “Fucking whore!” Christina muttered over her whiskey and water.

  Morpheus whirled on her, his fangs still bared though the rest of him was human. “If that’s what it takes to get to Pike and the others, then so be it!” he snarled, making Christina cringe and back into the arms of Theo Thantos, who hugged her protectively to him.

  The others stared into their drinks or out the window, wisely keeping their opinions to themselves.

  * * *

  Marya gently laid Ashby’s body on the bed and stepped back. Even though he was unconscious, his vampyre body had already started to heal itself. The deep lacerations and claw marks on his neck had stopped bleeding and were starting to close and knit together.

  Marya bent over him and removed his clothes. Her full, thick lips pursed in a silent whistle at the muscular hardness of his lean body. When she removed his pants and underwear, her eyes widened when she glanced at his groin. Maybe this little therapy session wasn’t going to be so bad after all, she told herself. In fact, if he were as good in bed as he looked lying on it, it would be downright fun.

  She slipped out of her clothes and lay next to him on the bed, mentally touching his mind with thoughts of desire and lust as she lightly ran her hands over his stomach and down to his loins.

  His penis stirred and thickened, moving slightly as his eyes opened and he stared at her, trying to remember where he was and what had happened to him.

  “Johnny, Johnny, Johnny,” she murmured, lowering her face to kiss him on the lips while her hand massaged him into full erection. “What am I going to do with you?” she asked in a low, seductive voice.

  He smiled and said, his voice croaking through his lacerated neck, “What you’re already doing feels pretty damn good.”

  She threw back her head and laughed. This man was not only gorgeous, he had a sense of humor. That was good, for Marya liked a man with a finely developed sense of humor. So many of her kind, Morpheus especially, lacked that particular trait entirely.

  “Johnny, this is nothing compared with what we could have together,” she whispered, lowering her head to his groin and licking him up and down sensuously.

  Ashby’s hips moved against her and he groaned deep in his throat, his hands moving to cup and fondle her breasts as his penis throbbed and jumped under her expert touch.

  “What . . . what do you mean?” he gasped, almost unable to talk the feeling was so intense.

  She removed her mouth from him and snuggled up against him, letting her breasts flatten against his chest. “John, you naughty boy, you told Morpheus you had decided not to help us after all, so how can we be friends if you don’t want to help us do what we came to do?”

  He shook his head and with more willpower than he thought he possessed, he pushed her away from him so he could think. “But, Marya, what you’re doing is wrong.”

  Marya sat up in bed and arched her back, thrusting her firm, high breasts out as she fluffed her hair with both hands. “Johnny, what can be wrong about protecting our race against the insidiousness of Pike’s vaccine? Don’t you feel a loyalty to the rest of your people, and don’t you think the existence of such a vaccine would eventually destroy all of us?”

  “But, Marya, why not give our people a choice?” he argued, blinking his eyes as if that would help clear his head.

  “Because it would lead to our deaths, all of us,” she argued back, letting her hand fall once again to his lower stomach, where she moved it in slow circles, coming ever closer to his penis, which seemed to jump toward her hand.

  “You don’t want me to die, do you, Johnny?” she asked, pushing at him with her formidable mind as she worked on his body with her hands.

  His eyes dulled as she pushed harder at his mind, forcing him to love her and believe what she was telling him was the truth. “No, I don’t,” he murmured, moving on the bed until he could take her in his arms.

  “Then, you’ll help us find Pike and the others?” she asked, gasping as his hand went between her legs and up into her wetness.

  “Yes,” he rasped, moving his fingers in and out as she stroked his erection, “I’ll do anything you say, Marya, only hold me!”

  She slid on top of him and let her body slide down onto his penis until he was buried in her. “Oh, Johnny, I’m so glad to hear that,” she said, surprised that she was telling the truth. This mountain man was getting to her, and she wanted him as much as he wanted her.

  When his hands cupped her breasts and he thrust himself up into her again and again, she groaned and lowered her head, presenting her neck to his waiting lips. “Drink of me, Johnny, it’ll help you heal,” she managed to say before the first throes of her orgasm caused her to clamp her jaws shut to keep from screaming in delight.

  Forty-three

  After the men were in their bedrooms, trying to get to sleep without the girls next to them, Pike opened a closet and took out five white coats with matching pants.

  “What are those?” TJ asked, stepping over to squeeze the down-filled fabric.

  “Actually, they’re snowmobile suits,” Pike said, “made by Po-larTech. They’re the latest things i
n cold weather technology, and they’re guaranteed to keep you toasty warm to fifty below zero. I thought they might be nice to use when we’re making our patrols and the weather is freezing. Plus, the white colors will blend in with the snow, making us all but invisible.”

  Sam nodded her approval. “You’ve certainly thought of everything, Elijah.”

  He grimaced. “Probably not, there’s always something overlooked, but the trouble is, you don’t know what it is until you need it and don’t have it.”

  As the three of them shrugged into their snowmobile suits, TJ asked, “What’s the plan of action for tonight?”

  Pike zipped up the front of his white coat. “I thought tonight I’d walk both of you around the perimeter of the place and get you familiar with the landscape so that when you’re out there alone on patrol you’ll kinda know what to expect.”

  The girls turned and walked toward the door, until Pike scolded, “Uh-uh ladies. What’s rule number one?”

  TJ snapped her fingers. “Our weapons.”

  “Yep, always keep them by your side,” Pike advised, picking up their katanas and handing one to each of the girls. The swords were in long scabbards with attached slings so they could be worn over the shoulder for immediate access in case of attack. He took one of the machetes for his personal use.

  “Okay, off we go,” Pike said, leading the way out the door.

  As they moved out into the frigid night air, there was a light snow falling, but very little wind.

  “I can’t believe these suits,” Sam said. “I’m not even chilly.”

  “Wait until you slog through a quarter mile of knee-deep snow,” Pike said, grinning. “You’ll actually work up a sweat in these suits no matter how cold it is outside.”

  He led them across the property, pointing out landmarks such as extra-large trees, irregularly shaped boulders, and even a small dry stream that bordered the acreage the house was on. He picked a path that would keep them clear of the explosive booby traps and out of range of the motion-sensor lights so their movements wouldn’t cause the lights to come on, giving away their positions.

  It took them about forty-five minutes to walk the perimeter, their progress slow because of the deep snow carpeting the ground and the necessity to weave in and out of the thick forest. When they got back to the cabin, they were all indeed sweating as Pike had said they would be.

  He shucked off his coat and over-pants and went into the kitchen and turned on the coffeepot, which he’d prepared before they left.

  While the coffee brewed, he sat on the couch across from the girls. “A few more suggestions. I know we’re all doctors and we’re supposed to know this stuff, but it never hurts to remind you of a few things. When you’re exposed to cold for long periods, or extreme cold for short periods, your body combats the stress by burning up carbohydrates at an incredible rate.” He pointed to a small table next to the front door. On it were piled dozens of candy bars of various brands. “So, three things when you leave to make a patrol: first, your weapon; second prewarm yourself with a hot liquid like coffee or tea and carry a thermos of it with you at all times; and third take a few candy bars and eat them as you move around. If you do all that, the weather shouldn’t be a problem for us.”

  “I love it,” Sam said, grinning, “eating candy without guilt.”

  “What if we see something suspicious?” TJ asked. “Do we engage or just run back to the cabin yelling for help?”

  Pike slapped his forehead, a rueful expression on his face. “See, I told you I would forget something.” He went to the closet and took out two small handheld devices that resembled rather large cell phones. “These are the latest things in extreme hiking,” he said, holding them up. “They both have GPS receivers so you cannot get lost, and they also incorporate a two-way radio as well as a signal you can activate in case you’re incapacitated or hurt and the other receiver will lead the rescuers right to you.”

  “So, when we go out, we make sure someone in the cabin has the other one and has it turned on, right?” Sam said, taking one of the radios from Pike and examining it.

  “Right,” he said. “And if you come upon someone who is too close for you to talk into the radio without being heard, you can just depress the key three times and wait and press it three more times, the international signal of distress. Go on, try it,” he suggested.

  Sam pressed her key three times and the radio Pike was holding spewed forth three short bursts of static, clearly audible to all in the room. “See,” he said, “If we hear that, we’ll know you’re in trouble and there are hostiles close by.”

  He got up and went into the kitchen, returning after a moment with three jugs of steaming coffee on a tray. “As soon as we’re through with the coffee, we’ll start our individual patrols, going out one at a time while the other two keep watch here around the cabin.”

  * * *

  Thirty minutes later, Sam was out on patrol and Pike and TJ were left alone in the living room. He tried to keep his eyes off her, not wanting to make her uncomfortable with the situation, but he couldn’t help himself. His eyes seemed to move to her and lock on her like radar in spite of his best efforts to concentrate on something else.

  After a few minutes of this, TJ noticed his discomfiture and shook her head, smiling at him. She got up from her position on the couch across the room and moved to sit next to him, placing her hand on his thigh as she turned sideways and looked up at him.

  “Elijah, there is absolutely no reason for you to be so uncomfortable in my presence. I won’t bite, you know.”

  “I know, TJ,” he almost stammered, feeling like a shy schoolboy sitting next to the prom queen. “It’s just that I still love you, and I don’t want to cause any trouble between you and Shooter by inadvertently showing it too much.”

  Her eyes softened and she reached up and caressed his cheek with her hand. “I know you do, Elijah, and I love you, too, and I guess I always will. After all, you made me what I am today, for good or bad, and in doing that you formed a bond between us that will never be broken. It’s just that I love Shooter, too, in a different way, but no less strong for that.”

  She dropped her hand back to his thigh, accidentally brushing against the erection her touch had caused.

  He cleared his throat and looked away, moving his leg away from her hand.

  “Elijah,” she said softly, a flush on her cheeks, “there’s not need for false modesty between us. We know every inch of each other’s body and we’ve made love dozens of times, and I see no need for either of us to be ashamed of that or to try and forget it.”

  As she spoke, she moved her hand back to his lap and covered his penis with it, gently kneading the hard flesh. “Don’t get me wrong,” she whispered, light from the fireplace dancing in her eyes, “I’m not trying to seduce you or to be coy, but ever since we met again, I’ve longed to touch you like this. When we’re apart, even though I love Shooter as much as any woman can, I still feel an emptiness like something in me is incomplete.”

  Pike turned toward her, unable to keep from pressing his pelvis against her hand as she massaged him. He slipped his hand up under her sweater, forcing his fingers under her bra and cupping her breast in his palm. Just as he was leaning down to taste her sweet lips, they heard Sam at the front door.

  Quickly moving apart and rearranging their clothes, they watched as she came through the door, stamping snow off her boots on the mat.

  She glanced at them, and then she did a double take, her eyes sparkling. “Oh, did I interrupt anything?” she asked, a slight smile curling her lips.

  “Uh, no. Of course not,” Pike said, blushing furiously.

  “Oh, good. Is there coffee ready?” she asked, moving toward the kitchen, pointedly not looking at the bulge in Pike’s trousers and the flush on TJ’s cheeks.

  Sam was as close to TJ as any sister, and their minds seemed to be linked together ever since her conversion the previous year, so she knew exactly what she’d walked in
on.

  She smiled to herself as she prepared a cup of coffee, thinking it was sweet that TJ was still bonded with Pike, even though she knew TJ’s love for Shooter was deep and sincere.

  She leaned back against the counter in the kitchen, drinking her coffee as she considered this. Vampyres were rarely monogamous, even if they were happily committed to their mates—it was just not a part of their makeup. Sex to the vampyre race, while often an integral part of feeding, was also considered a way of showing affection and jealousy was rare among the breed.

  Sam even, God help her, still felt occasional twinges of desire for Morpheus, the man who’d transformed her and intended her to be his mate. If he hadn’t been so clearly and completely evil, Sam was unsure whether she would’ve been able to betray him and help try to kill him.

  Good for you, TJ, she thought, take your pleasure with Elijah if you want and I won’t think the less of you, but please be careful not to hurt Shooter. He’s a sweet guy and as a Normal, won’t understand the slightly skewed way we vampyres look at such dalliances.

  TJ, in the next room, glanced at Elijah and kissed him quickly on the cheek, being fully aware of what Sam was thinking and agreeing completely with her.

  When Sam reentered the living room, Pike hesitated for a moment, and then he said, “Sit down, Sam. There’s something I need to discuss with both you and TJ without the men present.”

  Sam’s eyes went to TJ and they both shrugged, thinking it was going to be something about what had just happened between he and TJ.

  “While doing research on the vaccine we’ve all been using,” he began, looking at his hands clasped together in his lap rather than at the two of them, “I’ve done extensive tests on my own blood cells, both to see if there is some way to improve the vaccine and to make sure there are no untoward side-effects.”

  The girls watched him, wondering just why he was bringing this up at this particular time, with their enemies so close at hand.