Bound by Blood (Vampire Romance)

by Tara Manderino

  Lisa looked at her father, then at Alex. “I don’t know where to start.” How could she explain her world had been turned upside down and she had been exposed to things she never credited existing?

  “Tell me why you need this additional information so desperately. That might be good. We’ll work back from there.”

  “Do you have it?” Alex asked.

  Her father glowered at him, but nodded his head when Alex said nothing more. Alex wore that same implacable look she had seen before, she noticed, which meant he was willing to give her father a few minutes to digest the information but no more.

  How should she start? She certainly couldn’t say there was a group of vampires…

  As if sensing her indecision, Alex cleared his throat and rested his hand on her shoulder. The action did not go unnoticed by her father. She ignored his look but didn’t shrug it away. His touch helped steady her. It also meant he would take the lead, for which she appreciated.

  “There is a group that has the Cardinal’s Ruby,” Alex stated.

  Her father stared hard at him for a moment then settled back in his chair. “That cannot be. That ruby has not been seen in over three hundred years.”

  Alex gave him a wry smile. “It’s true.” His tone brooked no argument.

  And Lisa knew why the stone hadn’t been seen; Alex had been wearing it.

  “You seem sure.”

  “Positive. So now that we know the ruby exists, I need to know the alignment of those planets, and when it will be.”

  Her father ran his hand over her face. “You need to know? I’m not sure how the police play a role in this.”

  “They’re -- the people who have the ruby -- are after the child I watch,” Lisa interrupted before Alex had a chance to say anything more. “I’m nanny to a little girl, Sandy. I told you a bit about her on the phone. She was kidnapped and that’s how I got to know Detective Aguilar.”

  “They wanted the child because of the ruby?”

  “Yes.” Alex squeezed her shoulder indicating she should be silent.

  “Why would they want this child? That doesn’t make sense. The only way the ruby could work…” He didn’t finish the sentence, but started another. “The reason it didn’t matter that the ruby was missing was because it was virtually harmless. Nothing can come of it.”

  “Unless the planets are in alignment,” Lisa said.

  Her father waved that away. “More than that. The tale is that the ruby holds tremendous power because it was given to a powerful alchemist centuries ago.”

  “An alchemist?” She looked at her father, then Alex. He did not seem at all surprised. Were they talking about the same thing?

  “He could have used his work for evil as many of his colleagues did. In fact, he did for a short while. Then he claimed he had a vision telling him if he corrected his ways, he would be granted long life, great riches, and so on. You know how these stories go. At any rate, he did as the vision requested, and indeed, all the promises came to pass.”

  Lisa shrugged. “Sounds good, but I don’t understand the power of this ruby yet.”

  “I haven’t finished. The ruby was a sign of his riches. The vision returned and asked him to give it up, and he did. As a result, he was blessed many times over. Years later, when he was a much older man, the ruby was returned to him. There was no vision, no explanation, just the ruby. What he had learned this time was when he had the ruby with him magical things happened.”

  “I thought he was alchemist anyway.”

  “I should say miraculous things happened,” her father said. “Suddenly, people were coming to him, those who were lame, or deaf or blind. He cured them all. As soon as he finished his treatment, they would kiss his ruby stone and they were cured.”

  Lisa scoffed. “That’s ridiculous.”

  “Perhaps,” her father said, “but I’m just relaying the tale to you. You did ask.”

  “How did it become the Cardinal’s Ruby then? He wasn’t a cardinal, was he?”

  “No, he wasn’t, however, once he realized the ruby held incredible powers, he had it set in a ring so it could be with him always. On his deathbed, he passed it down to his son. Although his son didn’t care much for jewels, he guarded it until his son was old enough to receive it. His son eventually became a cardinal. Even before then, he was able to perform many of the same miracles as his grandfather.”

  “Ah, the Cardinal’s Ruby,” she stated.

  Her father smiled at her. “Rather. But what happened, as the cardinal wore it, it became apparent that he could perform even greater miracles than his grandfather. Not always, but there were certain times of the year when the stone was said to positively glow with an inner fire. Aside from great things, terrible things also happened.”

  So how had Alex obtained the ruby?

  “When the Cardinal died, no one ever saw the ruby again. That’s why we’re so sure it’s a myth.”

  Should she say something?

  “The ring is mine,” Alex declared, earning him a second sharp look from her father, then a dry chuckle.

  “Hardly likely.”

  “But true, never the less,” Alex declared.

  “The cardinal had a brother, to whom he bequeathed the ring. Eventually it came to me.”

  Her father studied him again. “I never heard anything to that effect.”

  “I hadn’t imagined that you would.”

  “So it’s been in your family for the past, what, two hundred and fifty years or so?”

  “Give or take.”

  When they heard her mother’s voice calling them, her father suggested they have something warm to drink and then discuss the matter later if need be.

  “Dad, we really need the book.”

  He didn’t answer, but nodded and walked to the door. Lisa wanted to cry. Why couldn’t he just give it to them?

  “In good time, Lisa,” Alex said in her ear as she stood.

  She was too impatient by far. How could Alex be so calm after he and Louis, and even Philip, impressed upon her the dire consequences of not getting back in time.

  “It is so good to see you, sweetie,” her mother said while she poured Lisa’s tea, then some for Alex. Lisa looked under half lowered lids to see what he would do with it. To her surprise he took a sip, then raised a sardonic brow in her direction. She felt herself blush then turned away.

  “It’s great to see you too, Mom.” What else could she say? She had a ton of questions, but nothing to prompt asking them now.

  Her mother reached out a hand and patted hers. “We wanted you to come home, but you left so suddenly…”

  Left? As if she had done so voluntarily. “No, I didn’t leave, Mom. You asked me to leave.”

  Her mother bit her lip and turned her face away from her.

  “There were reasons,” her father said, looking between her and Alex, as if unsure if he was aware of the circumstances.

  “Alex knows about my sordid past,” she said. She might have said more, but Alex reached his arm across her chair, his arm a hairsbreadth away from her shoulder. Very comforting, though she suspected he meant it more as a warning. They didn’t have the book yet.

  Lisa waved her hand in the air. “It doesn’t matter. It’s in the past. What I need now has nothing to do with that.”

  “I just want to be sure you’re not in something else over your head,” her father said, “and I very much fear you are. This is about as serious as it gets.”

  She struggled not to scoff at that. If he only knew how involved she was! “This is not the same, Dad. Alex can vouch for that.”

  “And this Philip. How does he fit in with all of this?”

  “He’s a friend of mine,” Alex said calmly. “He and another friend discovered the book we needed was in England. I believe you would like Monsignor Philip Lassiter very much; he’s a scholar also.”

  “Lassiter! I just read some of his works.” He looked at Lisa, “You didn’t tell me he was the same person. I can no
t believe I spoke to him and never asked about some of this theories.”

  “Frankly, if we wrap this up favorably, you may be able to do exactly that,” Alex said. “In fact, I will arrange it.”

  “Is this one of those authors of those dreary texts you are always reading?” her mother asked.

  Lisa hid a smile behind her hand. Her mother truly had not changed except for perhaps a few more gray hairs. “I suspect so, Mom.”

  Since they were finished, Lisa suggested she help her mother clean up, letting Alex and her father retire to the study. She ignored Alex’ penetrating look before he left the room. She wasn’t sure if it was a warning or not.

  “A very interesting man,” her mother said to her as they did the dishes. “Where did you meet him?”

  Quickly, Lisa again outlined the events of the kidnapping and Alex’s role as an officer.

  “But why is here now? You two appear to be in a rush. You didn’t even bring anything for an overnight stay.” She looked at her daughter sharply. “How involved are you with him? Is this going to be a repeat of Travis?”

  Lisa twisted her lips. “I assure you it’s not at all the same.” And that was putting it mildly. Alex was far from a boy, she had no fear of being pregnant, especially by Alex, even if he were interested in her. No it wasn’t at all the same, even if her feelings were involved.

  Chapter 24

  Once in the study, her father held the book, letting the weight settle in his hand before handing it over to Alex.

  Alex let the weight settle in his own hand before flipping it open and quickly scanning the pages.

  “Those are written in Latin,” her father said.

  “I can see that,” said Alex.

  “Do you need me to translate?” The offer was given hesitantly.

  Realizing that the man was actually just offering services, Alex assured him he was fine and could read the text perfectly. “I want to be certain all of the information is here before I leave.”

  “You’re taking the book?” He frowned at that.

  “I must.”

  “It’s valuable,” her father protested.

  It was Alex’s turn to frown. He placed his finger in the book to hold his page then closed it, still holding it spine down with one hand. “I am aware of that. But since your daughter is with me, I did not think it mattered. Does it?”

  The vicar looked uncomfortable, but didn’t assure Alex either way.

  Alex looked at him, laid the book on the table then stripped off his watch, handing it to her father. “Will it suffice as collateral?”

  The other man instinctively reached for it, his eyes widening as he looked at the Rolex Submariner with its limited blue face. “How do I know it’s genuine?” He let the gold band slide over his palm. “I mean, I doubt a detective could afford such an item.”

  “You’re right, a detective could not, but I can. It’s genuine.”

  “I hate to ask, I mean, but the book is valuable. I want to be sure nothing will happen to it.”

  “Oh, I understand perfectly well. I also understand that you are taking more care of this than you daughter years ago.” He had promised Lisa he wouldn’t physically harm her father, but he had said nothing about verbal exchanges.

  The other man bristled. “You don’t understand the situation. I cannot imagine what Lisa told you, but I assure there was more to the story.”

  Alex shook his head. “Somehow I doubt it.” He had more than enough years to study human nature. He hefted the book in his hand again. “I’ll take care of this. Actually,” Alex tilted his head to the side and gave him a tight smile, “You’ll be betting your life on it.”

  “What do you mean?” There was no disguising the puzzlement in his voice.

  “You’ve read this and others. You warned Lisa to stay out of it; surely you realize all that can go wrong if the perpetrators are not stopped.”

  “They would need the ruby and I know there is a particular incantation that is needed. Those are at least two of the items. Besides, I’m not sure how many people are really involved in this.”

  “More than enough. And they do have the ruby -- and the incantation,” Alex said.

  The vicar sat heavily in the desk chair. “I was afraid Lisa would get mixed up in some crazy group. There are too many out there, and an innocent person can be sucked into them all too quickly.”

  “Very true, but this is the real thing. Your daughter did not go looking for it, but she found it.” He held the book up with one hand, “and because of your teaching, she was able to recall you had this information. She was, and is, very aware of your habits.” He left the rest unsaid. Even if her father did not know hers. “Be assured if everything goes well, I will return the book to you.”

  “And if it doesn’t?”

  Alex’s smile was a mere twist of the lips. “Then I fear you may know soon enough.”

  “What else can I do to help?”

  “At this point, not much. I would tell you to keep Lisa here, to protect her as much as possible, but I fear that would not work. She will go as she pleases.”

  Leaving the room, Alex saw Lisa heading in his direction. He did not at all care for the pallor of her skin. It could have rivaled his. He grasped her arm as she made to walk past him.

  “Where are you going?”

  “I am finished here.” She looked at the book he held. “If you have what you need, may we leave?”

  He searched her face. “This is what you want? You don’t wish to stay longer? To visit more? You don’t know what the future will bring, Lisa. You may not again have this opportunity.”

  She gave him a sad smile that tugged at what should be his heart with its very pathos. “Do you have so little faith?” she indicated the book with her chin.

  He reached to touch her cheek, letting her head rest in the palm of his hand. “If I did not, I of all people would not be here.”

  “Let me say good-bye to my father. Can we leave now, or do you need to stay somewhere, or …feed or something?”

  “I have what I need on Louis’s plane.”

  ~*~

  Nodding, she walked to her father’s study and found him sitting at his desk, his head in his hands. When he looked up at her entrance, she was shocked to see how worried he looked, almost fearful. Had Alex told him what he was? A quick once over showed her no physical bruises.

  “Are you all right?”

  He nodded once then lowered his hands. “I’m fine. I just had a conversation with Alex. He suggested you stay here and let him return the book himself. It would be for your safety.”

  Her eyes widened. He hadn’t said that to her. “No, I’m going back to the States with him.”

  “He said you would say that too.” He stood and came around the desk, leaning against it, but very close to her, in arm’s reach. “Are you certain? You will be safer here, I’m sure of it. I was worried you might have been taken in by some cult, but Alex assured me, if that’s the word to use, you are very involved in the real thing – unwilling, but involved.”

  She nodded. What could she say? “It has been interesting.” And maybe someday she would tell her father the whole story. “You’ve helped us tremendously.”

  “Lisa, you’ll be careful, right? We would like to see you again.”

  This time her smile was genuine. “You will, Dad.”

  “Oh, before you leave.” He reached behind him on the desk and grabbed Alex’s watch. “Your detective left this.”

  Nodding her thanks, and not disputing Alex was hers, she took the watch and slipped it into her pocket. Giving him another quick hug, she left the room. Se panicked for a moment when she saw Alex was not where she had left him.

  “I’m here, Lisa,” she heard his voice from the shadows of the hall. He handed her the jacket she had arrived in.

  She hadn’t realized her mother had followed them to the door, and now looked out. “Didn’t you bring a car?”

  “Of course,” Alex lied to her. “
We have it parked down the block; didn’t want to raise any gossip and all that.”

  Smiling in understanding, her mother nodded and waved them on their way. “And remember what I said, Lisa,” she told her daughter as a parting shot.

  “And what did your mother tell you?” Alex asked a short time later as they were seated in the plane.

  “It doesn’t matter.”

  Alex stooped in front of her chair so that they were eye level, and grasped her hands. When she didn’t look at him, he cupped her cheek and turned her to face him.

  “I think it matters very much. I saw you when you left the kitchen and the only people there were you and your mother. So what did she say?”

  Lisa looked at him directly, then down. “It was silly. She told me to come and visit, but please don’t make the same mistake as last time. She looked him in the eye then and was surprised to see an almost anguished look in them. For her?

  “I assured her that wouldn’t happen, and that was pretty much it.”

  Alex let his thumb run over her lips. “I wish it could be very different for you, Lisa.”

  She blinked back the tears. “It really doesn’t matter. I’ve decided what I’m doing, and as long as I get cushy nanny positions like the one with Sandy, I’ll be fine.”

  Alex stood, but hadn’t released his touch on her face. “I would hardly call being dragged into the here-before-unknown as cushy.”

  “You know what I mean.”

  “Something else to consider,” he said. “If we don’t stop this, the rest simply won’t matter.”

  ~*~

  Once they were airborne, Alex could see Lisa was still restless. The visit to her parents had been profitable for their purposes, but on a personal level, he feared it had been too emotionally draining for her. As he had said, if this threat, no more than that-- impending doom, were not stopped the rest simply would not matter. If there was a satisfactory conclusion, he would see that she visited with her parents again, trying to resolve old issues. Standing, he made his way over to her seat and unbuckled her belt.

  “What are you doing?”

  Instead of answering, Alex scooped her up and sat in her seat with her firmly on his lap.