She glanced at Tiffany, the only one in the room whose expression bore true compassion.
She counted on that compassion to sway Christian’s thinking at some point down the line. At the moment, however, they’d reached a stalemate. Chelsie was angry with all three of the men and their damned rules. “I think all of you are being very selfish and shortsighted. Tonight I may have lost the battle, but you can be assured I will win the war. I hope one of you three comes to your senses and agrees to help me do this in a safe way. If not, I’ll find another. Meeting adjourned.” She stood then stalked off toward the conference room door.
As she turned the knob, she heard Tiffany say, “I think what she really meant to say, boys, is you’re all being stubborn assholes, and you can suck her dick.”
Chelsie smothered a laugh as she closed the door behind her. Tiffany was the epitome of crude, but in this instance, she couldn’t have said it better herself.
***
“Well, shit,” Asa muttered. He felt terrible he’d refused to vote in Chelsie’s favor, but the rules they had on this subject were in place for a reason. Moral vampires did not turn humans except for the two reasons they’d given her. This restraint was practiced by their species as a whole. It wasn’t just V clinic policy.
Tiffany snorted. “I’ll say, Asa. You really disappoint me. You too, Christian. Couldn’t any of you see how important this is to her? You could have at least told her you’d think about it.”
Noah huffed. “There is nothing to think about, Mrs. La Mond. Your sister simply isn’t a candidate for a turning. We have these rules in place for the welfare of our kind and humankind.”
“Whatever, Noah.” She waved a hand at him in a dismissive fashion. To Christian she said, “I’m going to hunt her down and get to the bottom of this because I have a feeling there’s something more driving her to do this.”
“Like what?” Christian asked.
She shook her head. “I don’t know, but I intend to find out.”
“That’s a good idea, darlin’. Believe me, this came as a shock to me and probably all of you. I had no idea she’d been thinking this way.”
“Yeah, neither did I,” Tiffany said as she pushed out of her chair. “This may take a while. I’ll see you at home.”
Once she was gone, Asa said, “She did make a good point about her practice—if you want to call it a practice. She doesn’t even have two dozen patients. I think we should listen to Tiffany and tell all new patients that Dr. Peebles is well qualified and the only one in our New Orleans practice currently seeing new patients.”
Asa wanted to help Chelsie any way he could. He liked and admired her a great deal. She was one of the most dedicated doctors he’d ever met, and she was beyond brilliant. He’d go so far to say she bordered on genius. Truth be told, he admired more than Chelsie’s smarts. Asa had a thing for Rubenesque women, and Chelsie was a rare beauty in that category. He’d sure love to see her in something more revealing than a lab coat.
Noah nodded. “I totally agree. It will take a load off each of us and hopefully solve one of her problems that has led her to pursue something so drastic.”
Asa noticed Christian rubbing his lower lip. “What are you thinking, Christian?”
“That we didn’t get the whole truth out of her. Remember, I’ve known her for thirteen years. Not once in all that time has she expressed a desire to become vampire. Interest and curiosity yes, but I always believed the reason had to do with her desire to practice vampire medicine. I could be wrong. Maybe she envies the few benefits we have over humans more than she’s ever let on.”
Noah said, “I think that may be exactly the case, which makes our decision the right one. I believe in God as I know each of you do. It pleased Him to create Dr. Peebles as a human, and we have no right to alter her species.”
Asa agreed with Noah, but Christian’s response to Noah brought them back full circle.
“You’re right, Noah, but if she’s determined to do this, and Tiffany agrees to donate, which I’m sure she will…well I don’t have to tell you the risks she’d face if she were to do it on her own. She’s my sister-in-law. I can’t stand back and watch her do something this dangerous. I’ll be left with no choice but to aid her through this. If the two of you are dead set against allowing her to do it here, I’ll conduct the procedure at my place—the mother’s retreat in the small hospital.”
“But you can’t conduct pre-testing there,” Asa pointed out.
“Then the CT and MRI will have to be done here.”
Asa shook his head, which still reeled from Chelsie’s shocking revelation. He could sympathize with the points she had made, but he couldn’t believe that the girl he knew to be so level-headed and pragmatic would want to do something so radical. He wanted to see her practice thrive, but the way she wanted to go about achieving that goal seemed anything but level-headed and pragmatic. Asa didn’t know what to think. “You really believe she’s determined to do this at any cost, Christian?”
“I’d have to say yes from what I’ve heard tonight. I do know this about her: When she’s determined to do something, she’ll stop at nothing to get what she wants. I know she never makes rash decisions. If this has been on her mind for a while, I’d say she means to do it. I might be able to talk Tiffany out of donating her blood, but she has an entire family of vampires she can ask to be donors. If one of them agrees, looks like I’ll be her facilitator for the procedure whether I want to be or not.”
Noah cleared his throat. “It appears we’ve just been blackmailed, gentlemen.”
Asa started laughing. The girl was no dummy. She knew they would have no choice but to come to this conclusion if she stood her ground and tried to conduct the procedure without medical supervision. “I think you’re right, Noah. I think you’re dead-on right.”
Chapter 2
Chelsie had barely lowered herself into her office chair behind her desk when the door flew open. Tiffany strode in, slammed the door shut, then propped both fists on her hips.
“What the hell was all of that about?”
Tiffany’s anger didn’t move Chelsie that much. She was prepared. She’d avoided telling Tiffany she was planning to turn until today because she wanted her to see how serious she was about this choice. Involving all three of her partners in something this personal ought to make a mark with her sister. Christian too. “I don’t know what you mean.”
“You know damned good and well what I mean. Springing something this big on me in a meeting with your partners instead of coming to me and talking this thing out is bullshit. What’s going on with you, Chels? What’s the real reason you want to develop fangs?”
Chelsie hated keeping this issue from her sister, especially the real reason behind her decision. Normally she shared everything with Tiffany. They were more than mere sisters. They were BFFs. “I stated my reasons quite clearly, but if you want the real truth, fine. Here it is. I’ve envied you and our entire family for years. I’ve just rarely said anything.” This was very true. She did envy the vampire species and their many advantages over the human one.
Vampires were an enigma. At one point during their evolutionary process, they’d been a weaker species than humans, needing human blood to spark the regeneration of their own blood, yet dying off because of the difficulty of obtaining that necessary nutrition. Based on that need, over time they’d evolved into a sturdier species, with all the evolutionary assets necessary to hunt humans for their source of survival—blood. She’d never tire of studying them as long as she lived, which was why she’d chosen to practice medicine for them.
Tiffany walked across the room then plopped down in one of the two black leather arm chairs in front of Chelsie’s desk. “I think you’ve lost your mind if you want to know the truth. You’ve watched me, Mom, and our sister Dannie all struggle with our own turnings. It’s no picnic to wake up in the middle of the night with an unholy lust so vicious you break out in a cold sweat and begin to shake. And it’s a pain in the ass
to wear sunglasses every day of your life and fear them falling off your face for some reason. I have before, and trust me when I tell you, the agony of direct sunlight feels like someone jabbing ice picks in your eyeballs.”
Chelsie sighed because Tiffany was wearing her thin. “T.J., none of this is news to me. Yes, I’ve witnessed the difficulties each of you faced for nearly thirteen years now, and I know it’s been especially difficult for you this last year since your own turning.”
Tiffany’s turning fell into one of the two categories under which the V clinic would agree to the procedure. She’d been poisoned and on the brink of death when Christian made the decision to turn her. In the beginning, she’d been very ungrateful—furious, in fact—but had Christian not made that decision, she would have died and missed out on a wonderful life with him. That’s all Chelsie wanted. Just a wonderful life. In fact, it didn’t even have to be all that wonderful. She’d settle for ordinary as long as she was breathing.
“Then why, Chelsie, would you want to go through something like this when you know the difficulties you’ll face?”
“I know what I’ll be up against. I’ve studied every book Asa provided me during my internship here at the V clinic on vampire physiology, turnings… you name it. I know the intricate workings of the vampire body better than you do. I’m fully aware of every risk, of every disadvantage there is to life as a vampire. I’m ready to take on all the risks and disadvantages in order to glean the advantages.”
“Fine. I’m sure you have thought this all out to an exact science, but you still haven’t answered my main question. Why haven’t you shared this bombshell with me or Mom? We’ve always talked about big life issues with one another. It hurts my feelings that you’ve left me out of the loop on something this big.”
“Hurting your feelings was not my intention, but I knew you would’ve tried to change my mind like you’re doing now. I don’t understand why you’re so opposed. You’ve come to terms with being vampire.”
“That’s different. I had no choice. I’d be worm food right now if Christian hadn’t turned me.”
Chelsie knew how she felt. In a few months, she would be worm food, too, unless she got this procedure done pronto. “Tiffany, I’m doing this with or without the partners’ help. The only thing left for us to talk about is whether or not you’ll be my donor.”
Tiffany snorted and gave her a sour look. “Why me?”
Chelsie grinned. “Who else? Do you think I want Dannie or Mom to be able to read my mind? I’m not exactly fond of the idea that you’ll be able to dip into my mind once we’re blood bonded, but the one thing I can count on with you is discretion.” That was true—to a point. Thank God Tiffany didn’t have the ability to push into her mind right now. Dying was all Chelsie ever thought about these days.
“So will you do it?” Chelsie asked, worried now because Tiffany had grown suddenly quiet.
“How soon are you thinking about doing this?”
“Monday.”
“Monday? Are you nuts? That’s three days from now, and you haven’t told a soul about this yet. You’ve got to give the family time to come to grips with this. And in case you forgot, your partners all shot you down. How do you plan to do this by yourself if they won’t let you use the V clinic to conduct the procedure? I’m not about to give you my blood then stand back and chew my nails waiting to see if you live or die.”
“You won’t have to as long as you tell Christian you’ve agreed to give me your blood. Christian won’t allow us to do this by ourselves. He’ll either help me or convince Asa and Noah to let the procedure be done here.”
Tiffany’s mouth popped open, then a sage little grin inched across her face. “You’re sneaky as hell.”
Chelsie returned a smile in kind. “I can be, but I’d rather think of it as being fully prepared for a battle by having all flanks covered.”
“True that, but what if I say no?”
Chelsie had this argument covered, too, or at least she hoped she did. “Would you say yes if I told you I was dying?”
Tiffany’s amber eyes sparked with irritation. “Of course, but that’s obviously not the case.”
“It is the case. If I remain human, you will watch me die. It may be forty or fifty years from now, but you will watch me die. And when you do, you’ll remember this conversation and that I asked you to spare my life.”
“You’re being devious as hell, Chels, which isn’t like you.”
“Desperate times call for desperate measures.”
“Shit. You’re dead serious about this, and there’s nothing I’m going to be able to say or do to talk you out of this, is there?”
“Not a chance. So will you help me or not?”
Tiffany braced a palm on her forehead and closed her eyes for a few seconds. Finally, she huffed and said, “Okay, I’ll do it, but not three days from now. I’ll agree to do it in a month, as long as Christian agrees to help. I want you to tell the family and listen to their side of things. Most importantly, after you hear them out, I want you to use the time to decide if you’re making the right decision.”
“Damn it, Tiffany. I won’t wait a month.” She only had a handful of them left.
“Why not? That’s not such a long time.”
It was when you only had four to ten months to live, Chelsie thought. Her symptoms were getting worse. In a month, she might not be able to hide them any longer. “Two weeks. Please, T.J. I’m ready, and time isn’t going to change my mind.”
“God you’re stubborn. You promise you’re telling me everything about why you’re bound and determined to do this?”
“Of course.” More lies. She hated them, but until the procedure was scheduled, this secret had to remain hers. She would have to tell Tiffany, Christian, and the rest of her family shortly beforehand. Having a CT scan done was standard for any turning. It would, of course, reveal her tumor. But by that point everyone would understand that a turning would save her life.
“Fine. I still think you’re hiding something.”
“Like what?” Chelsie snapped, exasperated with her meddlesome sister.
“Is this decision in any way related to a certain good-looking doctor of the vampire persuasion?” She flashed a big, sassy grin.
Chelsie felt her face flush with heat—from embarrassment partly but also anger. She’d foolishly confided in Tiffany about her crush on Asa one night after a couple of beers, and she hadn’t let up on the issue since. “Don’t be ridiculous. What logic would there be in turning for Asa? Whether I’m human or vampire is irrelevant.”
“I know that, but I bet if you were vampire it would get you a second look from him and maybe a third or fourth.”
“Not likely, T.J. He doesn’t even know I exist. At least not the way you’re referring.”
“How do you know that? Have you ever asked him out for a cup of coffee? Maybe if he got to know the real you, he’d be intrigued. Does he even know about the band? If not, he should. I bet he’d be mesmerized by Chelsie the Singer’s magic. You’re amazing, and you know it.”
“Mesmerized? Please. Give me a break.” Chelsie pushed her thick glasses farther up her nose and pursed her lips at Tiffany. “No, he doesn’t know about Twisted Dixie, and I see no reason to tell him. Asa is my mentor, partner now, and colleague. We’re friendly, but not friendly friendly.”
“So? Maybe you could change that if you were to put a little effort into it.”
“Who says I want to change it?” At one time, Chelsie might have put effort into getting to know the hot Dr. Asa Bradley a bit better, but not now. Her plate was full, and it was a rancid one to stomach. Romance was not on her radar. Surviving a terminal brain tumor while going about life as if nothing was wrong was all she had time to deal with presently.
“I know you have a huge crush on him, Chels. You told me so a couple of months back when you talked to me about him.”
“What women wouldn’t be attracted to Dr. Bradley? He’s gorgeous, and like
most vampires, he’s tall and built like a Grecian god. I’m built like a Grecian hippo. He’d never look twice at me, so there’s no point in setting my sights on the guy. Besides, I’m not looking for a fling. Vampires, as you well know, are wired to hunt for their life mate. So a fling is all I could even hope for.”
“Geez, Chels, when are you going to grow some self-esteem? You aren’t fat. You’re very busty and full-figured. So what? Did it ever occur to you that some men like that? As far as life mates go, you know as well as I do that a human is just as likely to be a life mate to a vampire as another vampire is. Look at me and Christian. I thought that way, too, for years—that there could never be anything between us because I wasn’t a vampire at the time. Where did that get me? Years of missing out on love.”
“But sparks haven’t arced between Asa and me the way they did between you and Christian. It’s a one-sided attraction, I assure you. I wish I’d never told you about my crush on Asa. You’ve been like a dog with a bone about it ever since. Right now, I have so much on my plate between the V clinic, the band, and hopefully soon my turning, there’s no room in my life for romance.”
“Not even Chad? You told me he wants to fire things up with you again.”
“Chad? Are you kidding me? Good God no. I’d sooner date a snake.” Chad was the lead male vocalist in their band, Twisted Dixie. She was the female lead. Once—a lifetime ago—she’d been in love with Chad Raker, but no longer. He was a player, a cheat, and a liar, and time had not lessened those innate, disgusting qualities.
Tiffany’s suspicions had merit though, regarding her and Chad. Chad was working overtime to rekindle those old feelings that had sparked between the two kids in their teens. Not because he wanted her, but because he needed her to make the band a success. Chad had been her first love, but her feelings for him now were merely friendly. Her life mate, whether human or vampire, would be a loyal man. She would always care about Chad, but facts were facts. Chad was a man-whore, and Chelsie had had her fill of his wandering eye long ago.
Deadly Secrets (Forever and a Night Book 3) Page 2