Ancient Blood: Infernal

by Kate Hill

  “No. It’s not safe.” Matthew glanced anxiously around the office. The smell of a security guard drifted closer. He had to hide.

  “All right. You call me back in fifteen minutes.”

  “Ten.”

  “Fine. Ten.”

  Matthew hung up quickly and returned to the roof until the guard passed the top floor. He glanced at his watch and hurried back to the dark office, dialing Brett’s number again.

  “The soonest flight I could book is the day after tomorrow. Provided there are no delays, I’ll meet you on Friday,” Brett told him, and gave him the address of the hotel where he’d be staying.

  “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome. Be careful, Matthew.”

  Matthew hung up and hurried back to his room, where Sage awaited him.

  When he entered, Sage smiled. “You’re back.”

  “I said I would be.” Matthew locked the door behind him and sighed.

  Sage approached. “Matthew, I’m hungry.”

  “I know.” Me too. “Come on. I’ll give you some blood.”

  He fed Sage from a new cut in his opposite wrist. Without hybrid blood, his wounds healed slowly. His own hunger approached a dangerously high level, and he could scarcely count the days before Brett arrived.

  Matthew fell asleep on the bed while Sage gulped blood. He didn’t rise until the next evening when he jerked awake, glancing at his watch.

  “God,” he muttered. Never in his life had he slept so long.

  Jumping out of bed, a wave of dizziness struck him.

  Sage looked up from where he sat on the opposite bed, reading his books.

  “Are you okay, Matthew?”

  “Yes. I’m fine.” Matthew walked to the bathroom, where he brushed his teeth and showered without so much as looking in the mirror. As he stepped from beneath the lukewarm water—it was next to impossible to get hot in the building—his vision cleared. He reached for a comb to untangle his unruly curls.

  “Oh shit.” Matthew’s chest tightened as he glanced in the moisture-streaked mirror. The hair at his temples had turned gray—not much, simple silvery wings, but it unsettled him. He’d stopped aging ten years ago! It must be a result of providing the Original with so much blood while being unable to feed himself. The rest of him, other than tired circles under his eyes, hadn’t changed at all.

  Thank goodness Brett would be coming in a few days. He had connections that didn’t belong to the Network. He’d be able to feed Sage without making anyone suffer and offer him a comfortable home with a good education. Though Brett could be an annoying joker, he was intelligent and a decent person, far better suited than Matthew at the moment to raise Sage. And with Brett came Mercedes, Matthew and Adam’s biological mother. Though a wild vampiress, she loved children and was good with them. She’d often said how much she missed raising Adam and Matthew and that she’d like another child. Maybe she’d help with Sage.

  Matthew dressed, wishing he was home with Dulcie. At that moment, he’d have loved to bury himself in her embrace. He wished he could hear her voice, tell her how much he loved her and how sorry he was for leaving so abruptly. He wondered what she was doing. Had she given up looking for him yet? He didn’t blame her if she had.

  * * * * *

  “Okay, gorgeous. Today is the day we talk to that little puke. No more ‘Dr. Ashford isn’t in’, ‘Dr. Ashford is unavailable’, ‘Dr. Ashford is doing his goddamn toenails’. We’re going to bust in there and get whatever information we can from the son of a bitch,” Vincent bellowed over the crashing highway wind.

  Dulcie sighed, glancing skyward as she grasped Vincent’s belt, her knees gripping the seat of his motorcycle from where she sat behind him. The muscular, bearded Immaculate had moved into her house a little over a week ago. Together they’d joined Adam in searching New England for any sign of Matthew. Though they’d been to Jay’s center several times, Ashford had managed to avoid them. This time, however, they were determined to get answers.

  “You know, I don’t like the bullshit that the Network warned him whenever we were visiting that center,” Vincent continued. “They treat this guy like he has more power than God. I thought Adam was supposed to be in charge, the big banana and all that.”

  “He’s the leader, but his power is limited.” Dulcie replied. “They have all sorts of checks and balances in the Network, like the government.”

  “Yeah, yeah, yeah. I’ve been working for them for about eight years now, and I still think a lot of what they do and say is—”

  “Bullshit?” Dulcie completed.

  “Yeah. Cool. You know, you’re not bad.” Vincent turned the bike off the next exit. “It’s hard to believe you and Matthew are so tight. He’s like Mr. Perfection, male model, IQ off the scale, go-to-sleep-when-he-talks, by-the-book boy. But you’ve got… I mean, honey…wowwee.”

  “Think you can try to make a coherent sentence?” Dulcie scoffed. “And apparently Matthew isn’t as by-the-book as everyone seems to think.”

  “But you always knew that, didn’t ya?” Vincent glanced at her and winked.

  “Yes.”

  “Don’t worry. We’re going to find him.”

  Dulcie didn’t reply as Vincent parked in front of the center.

  “Vincent, this isn’t a space,” Dulcie told him.

  He shrugged. “The Network pays for my expenses, including parking tickets. Screw them. They have so much old money that one little ticket ain’t gonna kill them.”

  Dulcie shook her head as she and Vincent walked into the center.

  “Sir, may I help you?” called the front-desk clerk as Vincent and Dulcie headed for the elevator.

  “Nope,” Vincent called.

  “But, sir!”

  The elevator door slid shut before the clerk reached them. Matthew had often told Dulcie where Jay’s office was located. She and Vincent quickly made their way there.

  The clerk must have been told to warn Jay if either of them arrived at the center, because he awaited them outside the elevator.

  “Dulcie. I’m surprised to see you again. Any word on Matthew?”

  “We want to check this place out,” Vincent said. “We want you to take us to the eleventh floor.”

  “I suppose you’re Vincent?” Jay’s eyes swept contemptuously over Vincent, from his wavy black hair to the worn snakeskin pants covering his muscular legs. “I’m afraid the eleventh floor is off-limits. The Network has already searched it, and there are delicate experiments—”

  “Look here.” Vincent’s hand, covered in a crinkled brown fingerless glove, shot out and grasped Jay by the collar. “I don’t give a shit if you’ve got an MD or VD. I want a look around this place. I’m on official Network business. You understand that, don’t ya?”

  Jay’s eyes widened. His heartbeat quickened with fury and a touch of fear. Vincent was as powerful as he was crude.

  “I could have you shown out,” Jay snarled, then slipped into an easy smile. “But I won’t. The Network knows how loyal I am, and I’ll do anything to help find that disloyal murderer.”

  Dulcie couldn’t help growling.

  Jay tossed her a pleased look. “So much fire in those beautiful eyes. Matthew Winter had no idea how lucky he was, or else he never would have left you like this.”

  Vincent placed a hand on Dulcie’s shoulder before she lunged at Jay. “Let’s just get on with this.”

  Jay extended his hand for them to step back into the elevator and he took them to the eleventh floor.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Matthew’s heart pounded with apprehension as he and Sage stepped off the train and made their way to the hotel where Brett had agreed to meet them. He forced his incisors to remain sheathed and hoped the dark glasses hid the vampiric glow of his eyes. Between starvation and the anxiety of the past weeks, it was difficult for him to keep his nature buried. Though he trusted Brett, he wasn’t completely sure if his biological father would go against the Network and keep a secret
from Adam. Brett had been a part of Adam’s life while he was growing up, but after Matthew had been adopted, he hadn’t seen Brett until his twenty-ninth year. The father and son were opposites in every way. Brett had a humorous, slightly crude personality. Matthew didn’t know why Brett so often annoyed him, and perhaps he’d been a little hurt that both of his biological parents had given him up without leaving any clue about his vampiric nature. After all the arguments between him and Brett, he’d still had the audacity to call him. Matthew felt a little guilty about that, but he had no one else to turn to. He felt grateful for Brett’s help, providing it wasn’t part of a trap for Matthew set up by the Network.

  “This way.”

  Matthew spun, his heartbeat quickening at the sound of Brett’s voice.

  Brett was tall—not as tall as Matthew or Adam, but slightly over six feet. He wore his glossy black hair in a tail at his nape. Sleek muscles rippled beneath his black turtleneck and faded jeans. Unlike his sons, Brett’s eyes were pale blue, but both Adam and Matthew had inherited his straight, slightly snubbed nose.

  “Come on.” Brett beckoned to them.

  Matthew, Sage clinging to his hand, followed him to the elevator.

  “Don’t worry about the clerks at the front desk,” Brett said on the ride up. “I’ve wiped their minds of any memory of you or the boy.”

  “Thank you so much for doing this. I know I had no business calling you.”

  “How many times have I told you, you’re my blood? I might not have raised you, but I do care for you, Matthew.” Brett glanced at him. “You don’t look well.”

  “I’ve been better.”

  “I’m glad you came to me.” Brett hesitantly embraced Matthew.

  Matthew gripped the hybrid, surprised at how good it felt to be with someone he could trust again.

  Brett glanced at Sage and offered his hand. “Nice to finally meet you, young man.”

  “Thank you, sir.”

  Brett smiled. “Very nice.”

  The elevator dragged to a stop. Brett led the way to a room at the end of the hall. As soon as he opened the door, a tall, muscular vampiress with long black hair and an exotically beautiful face leapt into Matthew’s arms.

  “We’ve been so worried about you!” She kissed his cheek.

  “Mercedes.” Matthew squeezed his biological mother. “Thank you so much for coming.”

  Mercedes waved off his thanks as she gazed at the boy. “This is Sage?”

  Matthew introduced Mercedes to the Original. The vampiress took one of the books from Sage’s hand. “Why don’t we go onto the balcony and you can show me how well you read? I’m sure Brett and Matthew have a lot to talk about.”

  Sage followed Mercedes through sliding glass doors onto the porch behind the breakfast table, while Brett offered Matthew a chair. Matthew sat, removing his glasses and running a hand through his hair.

  “You really don’t look good,” Brett observed. “You need blood.”

  “I haven’t been able to get any. Sage requires a lot of blood. He could probably drain me, if not now, then soon. He’s growing quickly.”

  “That is not the same child Adam and Mara described from the video at the trial.”

  “That’s because I haven’t been treating him like an animal. Jay is evil. I don’t give a damn what the Network says.”

  “He has a lot of connections, but Adam doesn’t trust him. He’s placed guards on your mortal family, Dulcie and Nancy.”

  “You know about Nancy?”

  “Adam’s your twin. If anyone can catch up with you, Matthew, it will be him. You know that.”

  “Why can’t he just leave it alone?” Matthew whispered.

  “He can’t do that. He’s the First Father. Why don’t you just turn yourself over to him? The Network will have to listen to reason after seeing Sage.”

  “No! Sage has been through hell and I will not risk that damn Jury sending him back to Jay.”

  “They’re not going to—”

  “You know how stubborn those old vampires can be.”

  “Seeing as how I am one, I think I understand.”

  “But you’re reasonable. Jay is in such a clique with so many members of The Jury that no one’s going to get through to them. Sage needs time away from this mess. He deserves better than he’s gotten and better than I can give right now.”

  “What are you going to do, Matthew? You’ve been accused of murder. The Network wants you. You have to try to prove your innocence or else they’ll never stop chasing you.”

  “It’s not just me and Sage. I’ve been to his private lab. There’s so much going on there. I don’t believe for one second that Sage was the only victim. Jay wants me out of the picture. He wants me dead because I’ve disrupted his plans and I know what he’s really like. I have to disappear, Brett. You know it, and I know it.”

  “Where will you go?”

  “I don’t know, and if I did, I wouldn’t tell you. Will you protect Sage?”

  “Mercedes and I will do our best. We’ll take him back to Spain with us right away.”

  “Thank you.” Matthew sighed. “I need more clothes.”

  “I’ll go for you.”

  “Good. You know what to get. Things I’d never usually buy.”

  “What’s your size again?”

  “You mean off the rack?”

  Brett slapped a hand to his forehead. “Madre de Dios.”

  “I’m only joking.” Matthew offered a slight smile. “How is Dulcie?”

  “Worried.”

  “But Adam has someone protecting her?”

  “Vincent.”

  “Vincent!”

  “Calm down. He’s sticking to her like a burr on a dog’s rear end.”

  Matthew glared. “That’s what I’m afraid of.”

  “Don’t worry. Dulcie is fine, other than being sick with worry.”

  Matthew’s stomach twisted. “I didn’t want to hurt her.”

  “Did you honestly think you wouldn’t? Your entire family is concerned for you. Not only that, the Network has been pressuring Adam for sending protection for the people closest to you. They said it’s a waste, but he’s arguing that they should cover all grounds, just in case Jay isn’t what he appears to be. They don’t like what he’s implying about Jay, but you know how stubborn Adam is.”

  “Thank God,” Matthew said. “I don’t want to cause all these problems for Adam.”

  “Then turn yourself in.”

  “If I do that, they’ll want to know where Sage is. Eventually, they’ll force me to tell them. You know how powerful their mind control is and how telepathically deficient I am.” Matthew didn’t mention how much stronger his magical spells were becoming. Still, he couldn’t hold off the Network’s questioning forever, even with his magic. And Sage needed time to grow away from Jay’s lab.

  “You really care for this child.”

  “You saw him. He’s intelligent, kind. He’s a beautiful child and he’s been horribly mistreated. The Network could have done something about it, but for some reason no one wants to upset Jay. If they can’t see the corruption in their own system, then how can I possibly hope to convince them of my innocence without hard evidence?”

  “You’re going to try to find this evidence while you’re in hiding?”

  “I don’t know what I’m going to do. I just need some time.”

  “All right. Mercedes and I will protect Sage and give you time. I don’t like lying to Adam and I don’t like what this is doing to him. I just want you to know that.”

  “Neither do I, but Adam and I are both grown men. Sage is a child.”

  “I know.” Brett rested a hand on Matthew’s shoulder. “I also agree with what you’ve done.”

  “You do?”

  “Yes. I’ll give you some of my blood. Then try to get some rest while I get your supplies.”

  Matthew pointed to his temples. “Look at my hair.”

  Brett couldn’t help chuckling. “It’s
from feeding Sage without taking nourishment yourself. It’s also permanent.”

  Matthew shrugged. “The Network has always scoffed at my age. Maybe this will help with my credibility.”

  “Sure, if you weren’t born thirty-eight years ago,” Brett said as he walked to the sink and sliced his palm. He bled into a mug and brought it to Matthew, who drank the blood quickly.

  “I’ll get you more later,” Brett told him. “Right now I’m going out.”

  As Brett left, Matthew walked to the glass doors leading to the porch and watched Sage and Mercedes reading together. Again, she reminded him of Dulcie. Mercedes had generous curves, a strong, supple body, and she dressed to complement it. She wore snug black pants and a fitted red sweater. Her dark hair was braided down her back, and high boots adorned her feet. Matthew knew she had a temper as fierce as her love. He’d often been told he’d inherited his quick temper from her.

  He stepped into the bathroom and took a long, hot shower. Even that slight bit of blood from Brett had restored him somewhat. He felt less tired and more able to face whatever came next. At least he knew Sage would be cared for. He only wished he could see Dulcie again, tell her how much he loved her and how sorry he was.

  He stepped out of the shower and dried off, dressing in jeans and a plaid shirt. Barefoot, he lay on one of the beds and stared up at the ceiling. It felt good to be in a clean room again, where roaches didn’t run across the walls and the place didn’t reek of mold and cigarette smoke.

  The key turned in the door and Brett stepped inside, followed by Dulcie.

  Matthew stood, his gaze fixed on his wife, his heart pounding. Never in his life had he seen anything more beautiful. Dulcie wore a simple red dress, her hair loose down her back. He heard her heartbeat and inhaled her scent.

  “No one knows she’s here,” Brett told him. “I figured you owed her this much.”

  “Matthew!” Dulcie took a step forward. He crossed the room in two long strides and pulled her into a tight embrace.

  Dulcie clung to Matthew’s neck as he lifted her in his arms. She promised herself she wouldn’t cry when she saw him, but now that they were together, she couldn’t help herself.