Bloodgifted

by Tima Maria Lacoba

  After exposing my left shoulder and neck, Maris too, resumed her place in the crescent, but the foul impression she left behind wrapped itself around me like a shroud.

  ‘Alec,’ I barely breathed.

  ‘Don’t show fear,’ he whispered. ‘Remember what I told you.’

  His voice had an instant comforting effect. He moved to stand behind me once again and one hand encircled my waist, drawing me close to his body while his other hand gently lifted my chin and angled my head back onto his shoulder.

  Okay, here it comes.

  I heard his quick intake of breath and felt his heart beat strongly against my back. Mine beat just as hard. I whispered so low I may have been simply mouthing the words, but I knew he would hear. ‘Will it hurt?’

  ‘Just a sting.’ His voice was thick. ‘I’ll make it as quick and painless as possible. Think of something to distract you,’ he whispered back.

  Close my eyes and think of Australia, perhaps? I gritted my teeth and hoped it would be over soon.

  I felt his cool lips on my naked shoulder as he made his slow, sensual way along my collarbone towards my neck. Was this part of the Ritual or was he deliberately trying to distract me? If it was the latter, then it was certainly working!

  Then it came—the sharp sting as his fangs penetrated my skin. I let out a faint, brief scream. My back arched which threw my head more deeply into the hard muscle of his shoulder. I clutched at his arm, Alec’s grip tightened, and the hand, which cupped my chin and jaw, held like a vice.

  I was now locked in his powerful embrace and an odd sense of reality settled over me. He was feeding from my body—my blood was being drawn out as he sucked and swallowed and once or twice he shuddered. Then quite strangely, a sense of contentment flooded through me and my breathing evened.

  He kept drinking in larger and larger gulps and my sense of peace increased until I floated in nothingness. Then the dizziness hit me—and panic. He was taking too much.

  ‘Alec, stop!’ I whispered. ‘Please!’

  My dizziness increased and I tugged at his arm in desperation just as his body tensed, his fangs withdrew and his tongue gently licked the wound.

  It was over.

  Then unexpectedly, he turned my head toward him, placed his mouth hard on mine and deftly parted my lips. I tasted my blood on his tongue and as his kiss deepened a new sensation flooded through me which erased all others—excitement.

  Unbidden, my tongue rose to meet his and, almost feverishly, I kissed him back. I forgot the watching guests, my father and my aunt, even Matt. There was only Alec. He filled my senses and, that moment, he was the only thing that mattered. I didn’t want the kiss to end and then, to my embarrassment, my body began to tremble.

  My eyes opened as his mouth lifted from mine and I looked straight into a dark purple whorl as Alec stared down at me, his breathing as ragged as my own. It was Marcus Antonius’s voice that jolted us both into awareness.

  ‘Magni Investigo. Great Ones, investigate,’ he’d commanded.

  Alec still held me and supported me as my legs went weak and threatened to give way. I was vaguely aware of the glint of light on golden silk as the Elders surrounded us and, one by one, placed their fingers on the puncture wound on my neck.

  Each nodded to Marcus in confirmation.

  ‘Vidistis. You have seen. First Blood has been taken,’ he’d declared. ‘Approbo Princeps Alexandrius Monrovius. Acclaim Alexander Munro as Princeps.’

  The seated crowd rose and clapped.

  ‘Are you all right?’ Alec whispered anxiously into my ear.

  ‘Y-e–s.’

  ‘You’re trembling.’

  ‘Mmmm.’ I couldn’t speak as my body shook from a combination of shock and loss of blood.

  ‘Here, drink this,’ Luc said. He’d come to my side with a glass of brandy as Marcus Antonius and the Elders went to greet the gathering crowd at the foot of the stairs. Alec scooped me up and carried me to a seat in a quiet corner of the pavilion. I tried to sip the brandy, but my body shook so much he had to place his hands over mine to guide it to my lips.

  The fiery liquid flowed down my throat and warmed my body. But another sort of fire shot through me at the touch of his hands on mine.

  ‘Another one,’ Alec ordered.

  For once I didn’t mind being told what to do and I took another, larger gulp this time. The heat of the alcohol mingled with that other new sensation within me.

  Alec removed his jacket and placed it around my shoulders while I sipped the rest of the brandy.

  ‘Laura!’ I heard my dad’s voice at the same time as I saw him push his way past the Elders and bound up the stairs towards me. The next instant he enveloped in a bear hug.

  Alec stepped back.

  ‘Let’s see what he’s done to you.’ My dad’s face looked stricken as he stared at the puncture marks on my neck.

  ‘Dad, don’t please.’ I gathered my hair and used it to cover that side of my neck from his and other prying eyes. I’d been prodded like a piece of meat enough.

  ‘Baby, you’re shaking,’ he observed and pulled Alec’s jacket closer around my shoulders.

  ‘I’ll be okay, Dad. The brandy’s helping.’

  ‘My baby girl.’ The emotion in his voice was raw and for the first time in my life, I saw tears well up in his eyes.

  I heard a low growl from Luc. Dad angled his head to look up at him and for a brief moment their gazes locked. Dad’s body trembled slightly, not from fear but anger. I could see it on his face when he turned back to me.

  Luc remained standing there, watching us, his own expression threatening. I didn’t have time to think about it as Dad spoke to me.

  ‘Those animals!’ He choked. ‘When you screamed, Judith had to restrain me from running up there and ripping him off you!’

  ‘Oh, Dad.’ I hugged him to me. ‘Why didn’t you tell me about this?’

  He pulled back and shook his head. ‘How, Laura? I’ve been dreading this day since you were a baby, hoping, somehow, it would never come.’ Sorrow punctuated his every word. ‘How could I tell you, prepare you for something like…this!’ A combination of anger, disgust and pain crossed his face and I began to understand a little of the burden he have must have carried all these years.

  ‘How’s Mum?’

  He couldn’t answer as his face crumbled. I hugged him again as a thick lump welled up in my own throat. My parents had kept this a secret all these years and the fact that she wasn’t here tonight spoke volumes. She simply wouldn’t have had the mental strength to deal with it. My dad was always the strong one, like his sister.

  Over his shoulder I glanced up at my aunt. She’d followed my father up the steps and now stood hand-in-hand with Luc. They looked concerned and… something else I couldn’t quite put my finger on.

  ‘Laura, you’re our little girl,’ my dad quietly said in my ear. ‘No matter what happens, you’ll always be our little girl.’

  I pulled back and looked at him. It was such an odd thing to say.

  ‘I know.’ I patted his shoulder. ‘But I’m a big girl now—I’ve just come-of-age!’ I tried to make it sound trivial in order to comfort him. Then to reassure him, I said, ‘I’ll be okay. Aunt Judy was, and so will I.’ I kissed his wrinkled cheek and whispered, ‘Please, don’t worry about me.’

  ‘Now, that’s not possible,’ he said.

  Music began to play and caterers, balancing trays of food in their hands, mingled through the crowd.

  For the humans, I thought.

  Chairs were being cleared and a space created for dancing. At the far end of the roped-off area tabled seating had been prepared, and some small groups were already converging to claim a spot. Others had taken to the dance floor and were moving to the strains of the Moonlight Serenade.

  On impulse, I glanced at the bandleader. Alec had mentioned him in the car during the drive here. No, it couldn’t be, I thought. Yet, he bore a striking resemblance to the 1940s band leader, Glenn
Miller. But then, who knows? It would certainly explain his sudden disappearance before the end of the war.

  Alec approached and I smiled up at him. My trembling had ceased and I was hungry. ‘Feeling better?’ he asked.

  ‘Much.’

  He looked at my dad. ‘Do you mind if I take Laura and give her something to eat, John?’

  My dad’s expression wasn’t exactly friendly, but I knew Alec understood.

  ‘I’m okay, Dad,’ I said and squeezed his arm.

  ‘All right,’ he said with a sigh, and rose and left my side.

  I felt warmer and started to remove Alec’s jacket from around my shoulders.

  ‘No. Leave it on for now, Laura. I want to be sure you’re over the shock,’ he said.

  ‘Is this Dr Munro speaking?’ I teased.

  It was good to see his dazzling smile again. ‘Absolutely.’ He placed his arm around my waist helped me up and led me to one of the food-laden tables. ‘Eat,’ he ordered.

  ‘Stop being so bossy,’ I said while taking a bite from a delicious salmon canapé.

  He took a plate and chose a bit of everything on offer. Finding two available chairs, he sat me down in one and placed the laden dish in front of me.

  ‘Are you expecting me to eat all that?’

  ‘I intend to enjoy dancing with you the rest of the evening.’

  He loosened his bow tie and undid the top buttons of his shirt. When we first met, he’d done the same thing and I realised then he was not a man for formal wear. Straddling the other chair, he rested his arms on the back and gazed at me.

  ‘And you’re just going to watch?’ I said.

  ‘That’s right. To make sure you eat.’

  There was no arguing with him and besides, he was right. The food did help and soon my strength returned. As for my response to his unexpected kiss, I simply dismissed it as a natural reaction to being bitten by a vampire. After all, Aunt Judy said this would happen.

  It must be normal—I think.

  Chapter 11

  Friends and Other Creatures

  ALEC

  It was done. The worst part of the evening was over and now she could relax and enjoy the rest of the night and, hopefully, forget about her attachment to that human. If only for tonight, I wanted to forget what Luc wanted me to do.

  Her courage impressed me. She’d been through a traumatic experience, yet here she was smiling up at me and enjoying the evening as if this was just another formal event. She could have refused to come, taken the first plane out of here even though they could have found her and dragged her through the Ritual against her will.

  The colour returned to her cheeks as she ate. I’d nearly taken too much. The blood lust hit the moment I experienced that first, incredible taste. It was more potent than anything I ever imagined. My body felt on fire after the first sip—burning, strength growing and filling me with unquenchable energy. I wanted to roar with the sheer magnitude of it. Only her voice prevented me from losing control.

  If I’d kept going, would the Elders have been able to stop me in time? Laura could have been the shortest-lived Ingenii in Brethren history. No more Ingenii, no more curse; the end of the Dantonville Legacy. So simple. So, why didn’t I do it? Was it because she was Luc’s little girl and, in spite of his dubious dealings, I liked him? Possibly, but that wasn’t all. It had something to do with Laura herself—she intrigued, even fascinated me and I wanted to find out why.

  ‘Alec!’ Jake waved me over to join him and the other men.

  He’d recently arrived back in the country after a few months’ absence checking out a growing threat to the Principate in Eastern Europe. I intended to speak with him later on. Like Terens, Jake, or Justinus as he was originally known, had been one of the Roman legionaries in Marcus Antonius’s patrol. He’d also been a physician and so understood the struggle I experienced as I underwent the change from human to vampire.

  Over the centuries, he’d shown himself to be a skilled diplomat and Luc often sent him to quell serious disputes among the Brethren anywhere in the world. When not employed in that capacity he, like Sam, Terens and Cal, are part of the Ingenii’s security. For the last fifty years they’ve been an unseen nocturnal guard around Judith and Laura.

  Sam and Terens had been on duty tonight and I greeted them briefly as I collected Laura for the Coming-of-Age Ritual. Their car had followed us as we made our way to Luc’s.

  I waved back and said I’d join them later. They were my brothers, more so than any I could have had in reality. They all regard Laura as their surrogate niece and tonight, as every other night since she was born, they’re her protectors.

  Not one of them has any idea what Luc ordered me to do.

  Chapter 12

  Vampire Ball

  LAURA

  The early summer sunset melted into a clear, starry night. Fairy lights had been draped around the pavilion and woven through the branches of the trees near the water’s edge. They glittered and danced in unison with the twinkling lights of the city on the gently undulating harbour waters. It was magical.

  The band struck up the Charleston and one of the Brethren came and asked me to dance. I wondered if he had lived through the nineteen twenties, as he danced particularly well. His name was Russell, a good-looking man with a jovial smile. Luckily, the Charleston was one of my favourite dances.

  Russell knew how to tell a joke and I found myself laughing at his silly punch lines. I wanted to ask him how he became a blood drinker, but unsure of vampire etiquette I said nothing. When the music finished he held onto to me for the next one, but I wasn’t ready for a body-hugging tango.

  Over his shoulder my eyes connected with Alec’s and I sent him a silent plea. He answered with an understanding grin, courteously cut in, and escorted me back to our table.

  ‘Is he always like that?’ I asked.

  ‘Oh yes, he loves parties and beautiful women.’ He looked down at me with a wide smile. ‘Owns a movie studio and is always on the lookout for fresh talent.’ He emphatically lifted one eyebrow.

  ‘Uh huh, okaaay. Well, he’s still a hoot. You know he tells some dirty jokes, but they’re actually very funny!’ I surprised myself, as I always avoid humour of that sort.

  ‘Laura, I didn’t know you liked dirty jokes!’ He looked shocked.

  ‘I do not!’ I said in my most indignant voice. ‘Alec Munro don’t you dare think…’

  His eyes sparkled with amusement and I realised he was thoroughly enjoying himself at my expense.

  ‘Laura,’ he tickled me under the chin. ‘It was too good to resist!’

  I sighed and smiled back. With the stress and anxiety of the Ritual past, the tension had visibly lifted from his shoulders. His eyes, a definite dark purple tonight, shone down at me. He looked even more heart-stoppingly gorgeous, if such a thing were possible.

  ‘You like him, don’t you?’ I asked, trying to keep my thoughts on a safer track.

  ‘He’s a friend. Flew over from the USA just to see you—and me of course.’

  ‘As in, on a plane, not… you know, on his own?’ I remembered reading somewhere that some vampires could fly.

  Alec laughed. ‘Yes, Laura, a regular commercial flight, although a privately chartered one. Actually—’ he glanced around ‘—there’s the pilot.’

  I followed the direction of his gaze to a young woman dressed in black satin pants and sable bustier with white lace collar and sleeves. Her curly collar-length hair bounced as she laughed, presumably at something the man beside her had just said. Something about her face seemed vaguely familiar, yet I couldn’t place it. I’d never met her before, of that I was sure.

  ‘Amelia runs her own chartered flight company. Flies us wherever we need to go,’ Alec said.

  Then it clicked. I’d seen her picture in a recent documentary on TV. ‘Amelia? As in Amelia Earhart, the American pilot who disappeared in the nineteen thirties? You mean she’s… um, one of you?’

  ‘That’s right. She
arranged her own disappearance to cover up the fact.’ He spoke so nonchalantly, I was still processing it when he pointed yet again. ‘Over there. Know who that is?’

  My eyes followed the direction he indicated. A tall, blonde man with flecks of silver in his hair was in an intense finger-wagging discussion with another man.

  I gasped. His was a face known to all Australians, for it had been plastered on every newspaper when he disappeared while spear-fishing at a local beach. Most people believed a shark had taken him since his body was never found. It was not every day a country lost its leader to a ravenous fish!

  I think my jaw dropped—yet again—as I stared at Harold Holt, Prime Minister of Australia in the nineteen-sixties.

  This was getting ridiculous. How many other famous people were actually vampires? I began to scan the faces around me in my own version of Spot-the-Celebrity and as I did so, my eyes returned to Maris’s group. Russell stood among them and he gazed back at me. My curiosity vanished as a nervous tingle ran the length of my spine.

  ‘Alec?’

  ‘Yes?’

  ‘I’m… sorry. Nothing.’ I dismissed the feeling. Russell had been fun. Maybe it was just my imagination.

  Alec looked at me and his smile faded. ‘What is it? Something’s worrying you.’

  ‘I’m just not used to being surrounded by vampires, I guess.’ I dropped my voice as well as my eyes.

  ‘Laura, my friends and I are watching out for you and nothing can happen here.’ He gently stroked the side of my face with his thumb. The nervous feeling passed and I smiled up at him.

  ‘Dance with me,’ he suggested and wrapped one arm closely around my waist as we moved to the strains of Stranger in the Night.

  How appropriate, I thought.

  We talked while we danced. Once or twice his eyes drifted over my head and scanned the crowd before coming back to me. He’d smile and lead me into another dance. Occasionally someone would cut in and Alec graciously bowed out. It appeared many wanted to meet me and asking for a dance was the most popular way.