Blood Dreams

by Mlyn Hurn

  It didn’t surprise AnnaBelle that Claudia was able to draw Iain away, saying she wanted to discuss something that had come up in a class of hers during the previous week. Turning away, AnnaBelle walked over to the hors d’oeuvres table, and picked up something that looked interesting.

  “Try this green one over here.”

  AnnaBelle looked across the table towards the speaker and saw an attractive man, smiling and pointing to what appeared to be some kind of seaweed sushi. She smiled as she picked one of them up. “Did you taste one already?”

  “Would it make a difference if I said no?”

  AnnaBelle popped the delicious treat into her mouth, chewing it slowly and savoring the taste. She knew the man was watching her, waiting for her reaction. She smiled. “If you haven’t tried it, you should.” She held her hand out towards him, introducing herself. “I’m AnnaBelle Blue.”

  The blond-haired, blue-eyed man took her hand eagerly. “Nice to meet you, AnnaBelle. I’m Rowdy Jasper. You have to be someone’s guest tonight because you aren’t dusty enough to belong to the history department.”

  AnnaBelle shook her head. “And you look too tan to be on the East Coast with Christmas looming.”

  Rowdy walked around the table, standing less than a foot away from her. “You’ve caught me. I’m from California, and I miss my sunlight and getting tanned. Now I visit the tanning places.”

  “Nothing wrong with that,” AnnaBelle replied, moving down and putting more distance between them. “I’m guessing you are around thirty, right?”

  Rowdy grinned and nodded his head.

  “In about ten years, if you keep tanning, you’ll have skin fit to make leather suitcases.”

  Rowdy’s head jerked back, his surprise obvious at AnnaBelle’s blunt honesty. “I’ll bet you don’t do the club scene.”

  AnnaBelle shook her head. “I’ve always been too busy to waste my time on such things. In fact, I think the only club I’ve ever set foot in is called Hell Fire.”

  “Wow! You don’t believe in starting in the beginner’s section!”

  AnnaBelle shook her head, even though she wasn’t completely sure what he meant. “What do you teach?” she asked, reaching across the table for something piled high.

  “I teach mostly American history, considered by many to be the most boring subject in high school. What did you think of it?”

  AnnaBelle finished chewing and sipped her soda. “I didn’t go to high school. I was home schooled.”

  Rowdy picked up a cracker topped with cheese. “College?”

  AnnaBelle shook her head. “No, although I have always been studying something or other. My work is pretty absorbing.” She put another foot between them, moving towards the sweet items on the table.

  “What do you do that is so absorbing, and yet required no formal education?”

  Taking a bite of cake, AnnaBelle glanced around, looking for Iain. Swallowing, she looked back at Rowdy. “If you’re trying to pick me up, you are wasting your time.”

  Rowdy looked surprised at her words, but AnnaBelle could see he was still not quite ready to admit defeat. “I’m just making casual conversation. Now why don’t you tell me what kind of job you have that consumes so much time?”

  Deciding that moving away from the table might help dissuade this persistent man she told him politely, “My feet are killing me. I’m going to find a seat somewhere quiet. Nice meeting you.”

  AnnaBelle had to wander through two rooms before she found an empty seat. Unfortunately, it was a loveseat, but AnnaBelle sat down anyway. She wasn’t used to wearing high heels, and wished she could put her sneakers on right now.

  “You forgot to bring food.”

  AnnaBelle looked up just as Rowdy sat beside her. She scooted over, but she was still crowded. She saw that he had brought a plate piled with food and he reached towards her, setting the plate on her lap. “Uhm, thank you,” she murmured, turning and setting her soda on the small end table.

  “I think they are making these things smaller, don’t you?” Rowdy asked and then lifted his arm to rest along the back of the sofa. “There, that seems a little better.” He then reached towards her lap and picked up one of the tidbits. Without asking, Rowdy held it up to AnnaBelle’s mouth for a bite. Stunned, she opened and took a small bite. It didn’t surprise her when Rowdy finished the morsel. “Hmm, now that was tasty. Want another?”

  AnnaBelle shook her head. “No thanks. I’m really not hungry anymore, and we have dinner reservations for later.”

  “And who is we? Who should I hate and be jealous of for getting the pleasure of dining with the most beautiful woman at this boring party?”

  “Me, Rowdy. You either get up right now, or I’ll tell O’Brien who smuggled the mule into his office last year.”

  “Iain!” Rowdy spoke and jumped off the loveseat at the same time. Iain sat beside AnnaBelle and picked up one of the tidbits and popped it into his mouth.

  AnnaBelle watched Iain chew and stare at Rowdy.

  “Well, I better start mingling and make sure O’Brien sees me. Uhm, it was nice meeting you AnnaBelle…uhh…Miss Blue.”

  AnnaBelle turned as Rowdy practically ran away, tripping over his feet and almost taking an innocent bystander down with him. She was surprised to find that Iain was looking at her, but not smiling.

  “I was ambushed trying to find food,” AnnaBelle told him softly.

  “I have no doubt, sweetheart. Rowdy is quite the bachelor of the whole history department. I’m also sorry I left you alone for so long. Claudia kept asking me questions and I finally just had to be rude. What do you think of the party so far? Think you could stand to attend these things twice a semester?”

  AnnaBelle watched as Iain ate something else from the plate. She couldn’t believe what he had just said. It had been spoken softly, casually, as if the words were no different from any other. Of course, Iain still didn’t have all the information. Also, she didn’t have the slightest idea what to reply. There was no doubt, after the last days spent with Iain, that she could be happy living in his nice house with him, and doing wifely things. But did they have enough things in common?

  Chapter 20

  Several hours later AnnaBelle was sitting on the sofa as Iain came back in from putting the car away. She had considered going upstairs, but decided neutral ground would be the best place for finishing their discussion. There was no missing the surprise on Iain’s face to find her still downstairs.

  “Not tired?” he asked quietly.

  AnnaBelle shook her head and patted the sofa cushion beside her. Once Iain was seated, she took a deep breath. “I should have told you this when I first saw you on the front steps.”

  “I knew there was something else,” Iain replied quietly. “But I didn’t want to push you.”

  “I know, Iain. I knew tonight when you asked about going to the parties that before we go any further, you should know everything.” Annabelle looked away, her fists twisted together.

  “Just spit it out, sweetheart.”

  “I…uhm…I think I’m pregnant. It is possible that you did the job after all for Uncle Fauster.” AnnaBelle stopped abruptly. That wasn’t at all what she’d wanted to say! She’d opened her mouth and it had spilled out. Now she wasn’t sure she could face Iain, especially since she’d added that last bit. It had all been sorted out in her head, how she would tell Iain. Bringing Fauster into it was the last thing she had wanted to do. Dear Lord! Perhaps in her heart she blamed Iain as well.

  * * * * *

  Iain heard the two words repeating in his brain as he stared at AnnaBelle’s profile. “I’m pregnant…I’m pregnant…” Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he remembered the last part of what she’d said. As far as he was concerned, Fauster had changed his life when he’d sent AnnaBelle to attend his lecture. He also didn’t give a damn why Fauster sent her. AnnaBelle had come, he had seen her and that had been it. Even now he couldn’t say when it happened, but he had fallen in love
with AnnaBelle, and that was all that mattered.

  “To hell with Fauster and his damned plans!” He reached out and lightly touched her chin, turning her face to his. Wishing to hell he could read her thoughts, he went on. “AnnaBelle, I want to be with you, and the baby, if there is one. I have no doubts about that whatsoever. If you want, we’ll move away and start over. We’ll be two ordinary people. Fauster may have been instrumental in our meeting, but his plans have nothing to do with us.”

  AnnaBelle sniffled quietly. “We’d be the odd couple—the younger man with his older wife.”

  “We don’t know for sure. I don’t know why you didn’t experience the usual hunger, or have had to contend with the usual problems. There is no reason to assume that you aren’t a vampire. I tried to get more information out of Fauster the morning after you’d left, but he clammed up. I believe we will have a long life ahead of us.”

  “And if we do have a child, Iain? What will it be?”

  Iain took both of AnnaBelle’s shoulders in his hands, turning her so they were face to face. “The baby will be ours. We will love our child, protect him, or her, worry and do all the usual parenting activities. If something comes up, we’ll deal with it head on, together. Marry me, AnnaBelle.”

  The silence seemed too oppressive as he finished speaking. He couldn’t deny that he was nervous, almost scared that AnnaBelle might refuse and disappear once again. For a moment, he was tempted to make a telepathic link with AnnaBelle. It would be so easy for him to know what she was thinking, feeling at this important moment in their lives. Yet he also didn’t want to alarm her since he had never discussed these abilities with her yet.

  This also reminded him that there were several things he needed to tell her about his life, his past. Fauster had very reluctantly admitted that he had known Iain’s parents long before they met. There had been so many undercurrents the last time he spoke with the old vampire that his emotions had inhibited his abilities to read Fauster’s thoughts. Now he was wondering if there were truths about AnnaBelle and her past that she was unaware of as well.

  * * * * *

  AnnaBelle slowly lowered her gaze to look at her flat stomach. She slid one hand onto her belly, rubbing it in small circles. Everything Iain said made sense. They could make their own life together. He had conquered his blood thirst, and even though it was humbling to meet the vampire that accomplished sublimation of the need for blood and fed instead upon psychic energy, she wanted to be with him. It wasn’t modern, nor was it a feminist attitude, but she was ready to leave her previous life behind.

  “There is so much we don’t know about each other, Iain.” AnnaBelle spoke softly, not completely sure what to say or do.

  “I know, AnnaBelle.” Iain’s hand covered hers, resting atop her belly. “I swear on our child’s life that I will never do anything to consciously hurt you or the child. I have a lot of years, but I have no experience at relationships, being a husband, and to my knowledge, none as a parent.”

  AnnaBelle had to laugh at his jest despite the seriousness of the moment. They may not have had a lot of time together as measured by seconds on a clock, but the ones they had shared so far had been intense, and yet at times filled with humor. Her mother had told her many times that a man with the ability to laugh at himself and life was priceless. And if he was a hunk as well, grab him quick, her mother began adding as AnnaBelle got older.

  “I’ll marry you, Iain, and I guess we’ll learn about each other as time goes by.”

  Iain leaned forward and gently kissed AnnaBelle’s lips. “I love you, AnnaBelle Blue. No secret about you could change how I feel, and I know that we can be a family, and happy. Together we can break the mold and show that vampires really can be happy.” He paused for a moment, needing to put into words his doubts. “If you aren’t pregnant, that won’t change anything for me. I love you, darling. And I will still love you if we can’t have a baby.”

  AnnaBelle threw herself into Iain’s strong arms. She pressed her lips to the side of his neck and murmured quietly. “I love you too, Iain.” Pausing for a few seconds, AnnaBelle moved her mouth and lightly bit the skin over the large vein in his neck. After the quick nip, she licked the abused skin. A moment later she felt Iain’s fingers thread through the hair at the back of her head, tugging a little until she pulled back.

  Iain smiled at her, shaking his head. “Not quite the right spot, my love.”

  “Good thing I’ll have the professor around to teach me from now on!”

  Iain pulled AnnaBelle close and proceeded to give her a very interesting and quite detailed lesson right then and there on his living room sofa.

  The End

  Learn more about AnnaBelle and Iain, and Fauster’s plans in Blood Dreams II: Hunter’s Legacy.

  Also by Mlyn Hurn

  Family and Promises

  Family Secrets

  Ellora’s Cave Publishing, Inc.

  www.ellorascave.com