“Ms. Parker has had a change of heart after learning of the true mission. Haven’t you, darling?”
Darling? I withheld a snort. It was as if we were BFF’s now. I guess we would be, if my blood was a match. Like he needed the money.
Raquel swabbed and pricked my finger before I knew what was happening. She put the droplet of blood on a card and handed it to Mr. Cruor. She and Katie watched him intently.
He studied the sample for a moment, then smiled. “This looks promising.”
He nodded to Raquel, who wove a rubber tourniquet around my bicep. Then, she plunged the needle into my arm, and I winced. Why did giving blood have to hurt?
“What does ‘promising’ mean. Am I a match?”
Mr. Cruor didn’t lift his eyes from the card. Instead, he stared at it like it was a winning lottery ticket. “We’ll know shortly.”
I glanced down at my blood pouring through the rubber tubing. Lightheadedness and nausea swept over me. “How much do you need?”
“Enough for the test,” Raquel said softly.
I leaned backward into the leather chair and tried to relax. The minutes ticked on and soon, exhaustion overwhelmed me. Somewhere in the background, I could hear Katie giggling, but I couldn’t open my eyes.
“I knew you’d cooperate eventually,” a man’s voice said, but I couldn’t tell if I’d imagined it or if Mr. Cruor had actually whispered in my ear.
Either way, I didn’t care. Warm and happy, I floated away on a dreamy cloud.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
An incessant knocking woke me from my slumber. I pried my eyes open to yell at the source, but I wasn’t in my room. My eyes took a moment to adjust to the moonlight pouring in from the huge plate glass window.
Engulfed in a mountain of pillows, I yawned and sat up. Where was I and how did I get here? My clothing from earlier lay folded neatly on a wing back chair next to the four-poster bed, and on my person was a grey knit T-shirt and yoga pants. Neither of which were mine.
The knocking started up again.
“Julia!” a guy whisper yelled. “Open the window.”
I looked over. Phil’s head barely cleared the bottom of the windowsill.
I slid out from under the soft sheets and padded across the room barefoot toward him. “What are you doing?”
“What am I doing? What are you doing?” Anger creased his forehead. “You promised you wouldn’t come here.”
I reached for the lock on the window and pulled, but the thing wouldn’t budge. Grabbing my aching head, I sat down on the bench seat.
“What’s going on?” I asked.
“You’ve been here all day and you haven’t answered any of my texts.”
I felt my pockets for a phone that wasn’t there. Soreness pulsed through my arm, and I studied the bend at the elbow. A bandage with a happy face covered the source of my pain. Sucking in a breath, memories of the blood draw returned.
“What time is it?” I croaked out.
“It’s after ten!”
I pressed my fingertips into my temple and looked out the window. Beyond Phil was the manicured yard, and then the road. All was quiet. How could that be? My parents had to have called the cops by now.
“Let me in.” Phil stood on a small ledge and we were at least two stories up. I yanked on the lock once again. It finally budged, but the window only opened a crack.
“Let me get my stuff. I’ll meet you at the door.”
Phil’s eyes bulged. “No, Julia. Open the window.”
The fact he used my real name scared me. What did he know that I didn’t? I scrambled around in a total daze, picking up my clothes. Why had I passed out for so long? Had Mr. Cruor called my parents to come and get me?
“Okay. I think I’ve got everything.”
I sat down to put on my shoes when I heard a small yelp. Swiveling around, I looked for Phil, hoping he hadn’t slipped and fallen. To my shock and horror, Phil’s body hovered beyond the window, just like before when he could fly. My breath locked in my throat as a logical explanation tried to calm my mind. Nothing would come. This didn’t make sense, and the precious air surrounding me refused to fill my lungs.
“Let go of me, you son of a bitch!” Phil yelled. He was whipping his arms around, trying to get ahold of the person who held him up, the person I couldn’t see.
“Now, now.” Mr. Cruor finally came into view. “This will only hurt a pinch.”
Falling to my knees, I watched as Cain sank his teeth into Phil’s neck. Phil yelled out in pain, then quickly slouched in Cain’s arms.
“No!” I cried, crawling forward on all fours. “Please stop!”
“Or you’ll what?” Cain let the red liquid dribble down his chin. “You’ll save him?” He laughed evilly. “This is your doing and you know it.”
“What do you mean?” I pressed my hands against the glass, wishing I could break it and pull Phil inside.
“It’s always been a battle for blood. Your blood.”
“You said it was a cure for cancer.”
“Did I?” The side of Cain’s lip quirked upward. “I said it was a cure, but you filled in the parts you wanted to believe.”
“Nicholas said—”
“Yes, Nicholas. Too bad I need him. I need all of you.”
Then in horror, I watched Cain’s hands release Phil. His body fell downward and he landed on the grass with a soft thud and lay lifeless.
“No!” I screamed, watching on as if in slow motion.
“Julia.” My shoulders shook. “Wake up.”
I sucked in the icy air and opened my eyes. Raquel looked down at me with concern. Beyond her, Mr. Cruor, Katie, and Dr. V. watched. We were still in the blood donating room.
“What happened?” I sat up and looked at my arm. A bandage with the same happy face covered the spot where the needle once was. A shiver ran down my spine.
“You fell asleep,” she said. “Are you alright?”
Alright? Hell, no! My heart wouldn’t slow. I couldn’t stop the nightmare from spilling over into my reality. They were bad, very bad.
“Now that you’re awake, we can give you the verdict.” Mr. Cruor placed his hand on Dr. V’s shoulder.
“Verdict?” I said hoarsely. Swallowing, I tried to moisten my throat.
“Yes.” Mr. Cruor pressed his brows together. “Don’t look so frightened. It is great news.”
“Yes, Ms. Parker.” Dr V. stepped forward, and I slid away to the other side of the chair. “We’ve discovered, you indeed are a match,” he said triumphantly. “This is a cause for much celebration.”
I blinked at them in shock. I was a match?
“And I will be the first to receive treatment,” Mr. Cruor added.
“Treatment?” I choked out.
“Yes. I am sick.” Mr. Cruor took a seat on an opposite leather chair and motioned to Raquel. She took out a syringe filled with red liquid. “I thought you’d want to see what your blood can do.”
“No,” I said feebly. “I don’t agree to this.”
“What do you mean?” Mr. Cruor frowned.
“I didn’t sign anything. You can’t take my blood unwillingly.”
“Jules!” Katie barked from the back of the room. “Geez, already. The man is sick.”
“Oh, you can’t stop now. Not when we’re so close.” Raquel continued to prep Dr. Cruor’s arm.
“No. You tricked me. Stop!”
With an evil gleam in her eye, she plunged the needle into his arm anyway. Mr. Cruor sucked in the air between his teeth, then relaxed. I gripped onto the chair as his eyes fell shut. Within moments, color filled his cheeks. Then he sighed loud and long.
“Ahhhh… I can feel it working.”
“Can you, Brother?” Dr. V. moved in closer.
“What does it feel like?” Katie asked, her voice sounded almost jealous.
“Delicious.” Mr. Cruor’s eyes fluttered again as he moaned in pleasure.
Dr. V. turned toward me and eyed me hungr
ily. “That is very good.”
I slid off the chair and stepped backward toward the opposite door. If Mr. Cruor grew fangs, or if either of them lunged at me to get my blood directly by biting me, I’d be out of the room in a heartbeat.
“All done for now.” Raquel pulled out the needle and bandaged Mr. Cruor’s arm.
I wondered what she meant by that. Did he need more treatments?
“You are a life saver, Ms. Parker,” Mr. Cruor said. “I will never forget that.”
“Great.” I breathed. “I’m ready to go now.”
“So soon?” Dr. V. interrupted.
“Yeah, homework… you know.”
Dr. V. leaned forward. “I don’t think you understand. Your magical blood not only is going to cure my brother, it’s going to cure us all.” His eyes narrowed. “Too bad there’s only one of you.”
“What does that mean?” I squeaked out.
He smiled. “We can only take so much at a time… you need some to live on, of course.” He laughed maniacally.
Mr. Cruor sat up. “But for now, you must eat well, sleep well, and my lawyers will be contacting your parents.” He snapped his fingers and Mimi appeared. “Ms. Parker will need full-time body guards and a strict regimented diet. We can move her into the west wing for now, and I can tutor her.”
“Wait, what?” I lifted my hands. “I’m not moving in here.”
Katie snorted. “Oh yes, you are… if anyone else gets ahold of you, who knows what they’ll do. Your blood on the black market will go for millions.”
“Billions,” Dr. V corrected. “We cannot take chances. Yes, this is necessary.”
I tried to speak, gasping for precious air. This is not what I wanted, not at all.
Raquel placed her hand on my shoulder and smiled. “Welcome to the family, Ms. Parker.”
I blinked at her in shock. Family? What did she mean by that?
Then it hit me. This changed everything.
Blood Wars - Volume Two
CHAPTER ONE
I blinked in dismay as I sat across from my parents in Mr. Cruor’s study. For the past thirty minutes, he and Mr. Cruor’s brother (otherwise known as Dr. V.), worked endlessly to convince my parents that I indeed had magical blood and could cure cancer.
Instead of getting it, they merely took turns staring at me or them with wide eyes. Only after the suggestion that my life was in jeopardy did things start to sink in. Maybe.
“I’m not sure I understand,” my mother stated again.
I sighed.
Dr. V. threw up his hands and stalked to the corner, angrily mumbling something under his breath in Ukrainian.
“Brother, why don’t you go get some air,” Mr. Cruor quickly said and shot him a look before he flashed his pearly whites at my parents.
Dr. V didn’t need another invitation. He stormed from the room and disappeared down the hall. I exhaled a little too loudly. It had been an incredibly long day, and I feared the Coke spilt on me from earlier had super-glued my jeans to my leg.
“You’ll have to excuse him. He’s spent the larger part of the last twenty years looking for this missing puzzle piece. He’s anxious to share it with the world.”
Puzzle piece? I wanted to jump up and ring his neck. I’m a living person who breathes the same stale air you do, not a freaking puzzle piece to be negotiated over! I thought, shooting him the meanest death glare ever.
“In a nutshell,” he continued, “because of this finding and its rarity, I think it’s safest for Julia to stay here at my home until we can arrange a more secure location.”
“Hell, no,” I said vehemently.
“Julia!” Mom scolded.
I slumped backward into the couch and folded my arms. “I’m staying with you.”
Mr. Cruor ignored my pleas and leaned in toward Dad. “Once people find out, I can’t predict what they’ll do. Many will be desperate to get their hands on her. She will need 24-hour protection, which I can provide here. Of course I’ll be her private tutor. My lawyers can draft up papers to incorporate.”
A gust of air blew past my lips as I watched Dad work his jaw while his eyes slighted. Was he actually considering this?
My mom shook her head. “Incorporate? Like a business?”
Dad suddenly stood, and I gazed up at him in shock. “I appreciate the offer, but my wife and I will figure out how we’re going to handle things with our daughter.”
Frozen in place, he finally had to pull on Mom’s hand to signal her to stand. I jumped out of my seat to join them, and withheld my desire to smirk at Mr. Cruor. He wasn’t dazzling anyone today.
I wanted out of this place before my nightmares came true. Besides, I hadn’t talked to Nicholas all day, let alone told him the news. More important, though, was all the strange coincidences of the look-a-like vampires from my prior life lurking around every corner. I needed teamwork to figure it all out.
Mr. Cruor stood and flashed a disarming smile. “I wouldn’t suggest otherwise.” He pulled something from his pocket. “And I’d be remiss to take my first treatment for free.”
“What’s this?” Dad reached for the paper and unfolded the check. His eyes widened. “Uh…” He and Mom blinked dumbfounded. Curious, I leaned over. Dad quickly folded it closed, but not before I spotted more zeroes than I’d ever seen in my life.
“Well,” Mr. Cruor bowed his head slightly, keeping his eyes tight on Dad, “let me know if this is sufficient, or if more is needed.”
“More?” Mom squeaked out.
“Like I said, things have completely changed as you know it, and for Julia’s sake, I hope you’re prepared for all that it entails.”
“Uh, yes,” Dad said.
Mr. Cruor pitched his right brow. “People you can trust.”
I instantly thought of Nicholas, my secret protector in my other life. He’d kept the vampires from hunting me down and killing me. And now he was mortal with zero extra human strength. The thought made me shiver.
Mom slid closer to Dad, and pulled me into the tight circle when a hulking broad shouldered man with a black T-shirt stretched over his rippling biceps cleared the doorway. I gasped, recognizing him immediately, and my legs almost gave way. He’d been the vampire who’d almost killed me and my father in LA prior to when my alter universe splintered—Slide. I studied his eyes, looking for a hint of recognition. He glanced at me with a smirk. Did he remember, too? I was finding it harder and harder to believe all these ex-vamps were faking and that we weren’t being set up.
Mr. Cruor inclined his hand to Slide. “Before you go, I’d like to offer the services of my personal bodyguard to accompany you home.”
Mom’s fingers dug into my shoulder.
“Thank you, Horace,” Dad interjected, “but that isn’t necessary.”
Mr. Cruor moved into our path, blocking the front door, then he stopped and turned dramatically, eyes lit with crazy intensity. “This is the greatest discovery of the century and people would do anything—ANYTHING to get their hands on a cure. Don’t you understand? It’s not a request.”
My mother’s fingernails began to pinch my skin as another shudder convulsed through me.
“Just until you figure out your own security,” he finished as if it were an afterthought.
Dad leaned toward Mr. Cruor. “You will swear your staff to secrecy; that is what you’ll do.”
Mr. Cruor held up his hands. “But of course.”
“Good.” Dad nodded and the four of us filed outside.
I did an eye roll. The worst person to keep a secret already knew, so that wasn’t happening. Katie most likely had told the entire student body by now, but I wasn’t going to tell that to Dad. If I wasn’t careful, my life would be over as I knew it.
Crap.
CHAPTER TWO
The moonlight swathed me in bluish light. Naturally, I walked ahead to my car and pulled out my keys. Slide followed, then stopped and eyed my car with disgust.
“This is your car?” he ask
ed.
“Yeah. Got a problem with it?” I unlocked my door and slid into the driver’s seat. Though I was trying to act cool, I couldn’t stop my hands from shaking. Fumbling with the key, I barely could get it into the ignition. I sucked in another tortured breath. Ahead of me, the red lights of my parents’ Pilot flashed and I waited for them to pull out. Why Slide watched me from the passenger window baffled me. Why wasn’t he getting into his own car?
When he didn’t move, I sneered back at him. “What?”
He tapped on the glass. “Unlock the door.”
“What?” I exclaimed. “No.”
“I’m riding with you.”
Dad’s body was momentarily lit up from my headlights as he walked from his car to mine and pulled open the door. “Give me the keys, Julia. You’re riding with Mom.”
“I can drive myself,” I argued.
“Wherever Julia goes, I go.” Slide crossed his arms and scowled.
Something so simple as leaving suddenly became a game of musical cars. Defiance rose inside me. I wasn’t going to give up my ability to drive myself, even if I was about to rise to celebrity status, whatever that meant. “I’m driving myself.”
“We can’t all fit in your car,” Dad explained.
I kind of chuckled at the thought of either of them trying to get into the backseat. The argument stopped when Dad leaned in and pulled the keys from the ignition. He walked around, unlocked and opened the passenger door, and flipped the seat down. “Get in the back, Donald.”
Donald? I smirked at his formal name.
“What?” Slide guffawed.
“I’m not letting you ride with Julia alone, so if you’re coming with us, you’ll have to get in the back.”
Slide gave a loud humph, then finally conceded.
Yeah, Dad!
I watched Slide wiggle his way into the back like a shark trying to fit into a sardine can, and tried not to giggle. Once his shirt hitched upward and the gun on his belt peeked out momentarily, my urge to laugh vanished. Reality hit once again.
I needed a bodyguard. What the heck?
Blood Wars: Book 4 (The Talisman Series) Page 8