by John Conroe
I asked her what that meant.
“Well, vampires get stronger and faster with age. We tend to develop new abilities as we get older. I’m only twenty-three, like you, but I’m stronger and faster than most vampires. Maybe like a six hundred-year-old.”
That shut me up for a while. I decided to change into sweats and a tee shirt. When I came out of the bathroom, Tanya was holding my discarded hoodie in both hands, sniffing it.
“Careful, any clothes you find on the floor might have a serious stink to them.”
“No, it smells of you,” she said.
“Tanya, are you cold?” I asked.
“I don’t really feel the cold…wait...if I am cold, I can wear the sweatshirt?” she guessed.
“Yup, or you can wear it even if you’re not cold,” I suggested.
She smiled and sort of wriggled and was suddenly wearing the NYPD hoodie. It was huge on her and it just made her look even cuter. I smiled at her, then covered a yawn.
Instantly she was adamant about me sleeping, thinking of my work tomorrow.
“Tanya, tomorrow is a shift change for me. I was on seven to three’s last week. Tomorrow starts three to eleven’s. So I don’t have to go in early. And I do need to get used to staying up later.” Of course that resulted in a new round of questions about my shifts and what I actually did. “So, you just walk around the City? With your partner? Who is your partner? “ I explained about eight person squads, run by a sergeant and rotating partners for us rookies. I thought that I was partnered with Bernice Hughes for the week. “Is she pretty?”
“What does that have to do with anything?” I asked.
She frowned. “That means she’s pretty.”
“Actually, she’s not. But I still don’t see why that matters?”
She changed the subject.
“When will you get home?”
“Oh, usually eleven-thirty to twelve or so.”
“May I come by?” Her voice was quiet as she asked.
“Sure. It always takes me some time to settle down after a shift. If you’re especially bored I’ll show you pictures on my laptop.”
Apparently, she was bored right then, ‘cause she slipped off the futon and snagged my laptop from the little table by the kitchen. So we looked at pictures of the farm, the woods, the Search & Rescue guys, my town, Gramps, lots of tracks (I collect animal tracks with both photos and plaster casts), and eventually, my parents and brother. She asked a ton of questions, of course, from things like “What was your mother like?” to “how many kids in your high school?” She must have been really bored but she kept at it gamely, right up until I fell asleep.
Chapter 7
I woke abruptly the next morning, my mouth metallic and my pillows scented with lilac and jasmine. Starving again, I whipped up scrambled eggs and toast with half pot of home brewed Dunkin’ Donuts coffee. While eating, I fired off a quick email to Gramps to keep him in the loop.
Hi Gramps,
Just a quick note. Took out daytime Hlbrn yesterday and cleaned house in neighborhood. Switching to evenings this week. Miss the farm. Anything new up there? Can't wait to get up there at Thanksgiving, which was approved by my Sergeant. Not much else to report.
Chris
After sending it, I cleaned up and then headed to the gym. It was heavy weight day and I spent all morning kicking my own butt. I broke through four personal bests for bench press, squat, dead lift and clean and press. Lunch was a seafood sub and soup that I grabbed on the way home. I spent the afternoon cleaning up my uniform and gear (not going overboard or I'd stand out as a rookie) and researching Galina Demidova.
There were bits and pieces from twenty years back or so, but not much. The last ten years, however, provided a much greater amount and variety of articles. Building dedications and construction projects were most common, with a fair amount of charitable donations mentioned. Only two photos showed up, both from charity balls from ten years back. Actually, it was for the same charity, The American Red Cross. How's that for ironic? That article mentioned the private blood bank and research into synthetic blood, which her company was funding. Her backstory was very sparse, but from what I could glean she was reputed to be single, had one daughter, publicity shy in the extreme and possessing a scary sharp business mind. No mention of scary sharp teeth.
Gramps emailed back while I was Googling.
Hi Chris,
Daytime Hlbrn is concerning. Any idea of goal? Farm is good, harvest in although the old John Deere (the 8450) is on its way out. I'll be shopping soon. Let me know on the Daytimer? Can't wait to see you at Tkgiving. Oh, Benningtons are selling. He’ll give us first shot. $600k for 600 acres. What do you think?
Love,
Gramps
I knew he would get concerned about the Hellbourne that attacked Tatiana, but I was hoping he'd let it slide. I didn't want to lie to him, and I had already omitted the whole vampire thing. I wouldn't answer him immediately, and I needed to get ready and head to work. Although the sale of the farm and land next to ours was a no brainer – land was almost always a good investment.
I elected to drive to the Precinct, as it's a good distance from my apartment and getting off at close to midnight, I wouldn't feel like walking, especially at the thought that Tatiana might be around to see me. The light of day brought a whole truckload of self doubt regarding the vampire girl. Did she really like me? Was I just an interesting experiment? Was I just caught in some artificial vampire attraction, drawn like a minnow to the snapping turtle's wiggly tongue? She was the first girl of any species that already had a demon-kind bulls eye on her back, freeing me from worrying they might use her against me. I didn't arrive at any answers, but I did arrive at work, parking my bright Tonka-toy yellow Nissan Xterra in a rare open spot near the Precinct house. After checking in with the Desk Officer, I headed to the muster room and hooked up with my squad.
“Yo, Gordon! What happened to you Friday night? I looked up and you were gone. I was gonna hook you up with one of the girls, but I hadda let Pella in on the deal.” Henderson said, as I came up on the group.
“As if he had a chance with me there!” Pella rebutted.
Henderson snorted. “Hell, Pella from what that blonde said the next morning, your chance was shot after your seventh drink! Whiskey dick!”
Pella scowled as the others laughed and I tried to slide by without answering. Luckily, Sergeant Scazoli stomped up and started shouting out assignments.
I was paired with Bernice as I suspected. Not a real hard prediction, as either Pella or I was usually with her and the Sarge, being the only rookies in the squad. Bernice Hughes was black, short, wide and tough. She took no crap from anyone and could swear to make a sailor blush. She also mentored young rookies like a mama grizzly. Bernice could take charge of any situation and solve it with nothing but her mouth. She never drew her gun and rarely needed backup; instead, understanding the root cause of the problem and dealing from there. Hardened street criminals would submit without a fight if Bernice was involved, simply because they respected her. I learned early on to stay back and observe, learning more in a shift than I did in the whole six months of Academy Police Science or Behavior classes. Most of the job in foot patrol is just talking to people. Handling complaints, solving problems, offering suggestions, gathering information. This last was important, as the Muster Room lecture had been all about a new designer drug, N'Hance or Hance for short. It was reputed to provide the user with sharper senses and increased reflexes, the stories hinting at a secret military origin. The main side effect was a fairly common PCP- like rage that usually ended in injury to all involved. So Bernice and I were handling the normal stuff and keeping our ears open for any Hance-related intelligence. The only excitement during the shift was a mugger who grabbed a pocketbook without noticing two cops behind him. He was pretty quick, but I was on my game and caught him within a hundred feet of the victim. I collared him in an alley between a pizza shop and a locksmith, taking him down
in a righteous tackle that would have made my old coach proud. I cuffed him while Bernice called a squad car and we sent the perp in to get booked, then worked our way back to the Precinct to fill out the paperwork. As soon as we checked in, the Duty Officer told me to see the Lieutenant in his office. I had never been near Lieutenant Tredont's office or Deputy Inspector Pelossi's office for that matter. DI Pelossi ran the Precinct, but he would generally be home at ten-thirty at night.
The blinds were open on the glass walls of Tredont's office and I could see the back of a brown haired woman sitting across from him. Tredont, himself, was sitting almost at attention, a highly unusual position for a veteran officer. I knocked on the door and he waved me in, relief flashing across his face. Tredont was in his late thirties, a tall rawboned kind of guy with the beginnings of a paunch. He stood up as I announced myself.
“Officer Gordon, sir!” I reported at attention. The civilian turned to look at me and my quick glance told me it was Galina. “Ah, Gordon, Ms. Demidova was just telling me how you helped her daughter Friday night. Trouble with a drunk, was it?” He was nervous and completely in her thrall. “Yes sir,” I answered. I had a suspicion he was holding his gut in.
“Oh it was much more than that. If Officer Gordon hadn't intervened, I don't know what that awful man would have done to my little Tatiana,” Galina gushed. Yeah, right. Good one.
If she had seen him in time, 'little Tatiana' could have thrown him through a wall or dropped a car on him or something. I controlled my reflexive snort.
“Anyway, good job Gordon! This will go in your service jacket and Ms. Demidova has graciously donated ten thousand dollars to the Widows and Children's fund!” the Lieutenant continued, holding up a check.
“That's wonderful, sir!” I tried for the right degree of enthusiasm, but didn't quite get there. Tredont gave me a level look, which was broken when Galina spoke up. “Lieutenant Tredont, do you think Chris could walk me to my car? I'm not sure I could find my way out on my own.”
I had to control a second snort. Hell, she could probably smell her way out, if her predator's mind hadn't kept a perfect map of the route.
“Of course, Ms. Demidova. Gordon, see Ms. Demidova out and to her car.”
“Yes, Sir!”
I held the door for her and followed as she swept out. She correctly chose the route without my guidance. She was wearing a snug gray sweater dress that was classy and sexy at the same time. Her perfume was floral, undoubtedly expensive and not overdone. No one was up on this floor and she got right down to business.
“Just so we're clear on this, as much as I appreciate your help in protecting Tatiana, do not for a moment think that entitles you to anything else,” she said. “Tatiana may feel a small amount of ...gratitude at the moment, but I guarantee you that will change. Do not delude yourself into believing otherwise. Stay away from her. If you have difficulty remembering this, I can have someone explain it to your grandfather. St. Lawrence County is not so far away.”
My feet stopped on their own, my mind flooded with rage, fear, despair and doubt. She stopped and looked back at me with a smirk, waiting to see if I was stupid enough to attack her. Almost. My fight brain wondered if my trick at pulling demons out of a body would pull a vampire's soul free before she could kill me. Shaking, I pulled back from the red rage that threatened to control me and continued on without talking, walking her past the Front Desk, ignoring the stares of my fellow officers, and out to her limo where Vadim was holding the car door open. I couldn't say a word, my jaw clenched so tight that my teeth should have shattered. The car absorbed Galina like sponge and with one last dead eyed look, Vadim joined her, and the big limo powered off into the dark.
Chapter 8
The rest of the shift went by in a fog of anger and self doubt. I knew what she was doing, but the problem was, she was probably right. Tanya's interest was most likely fleeting at best. I headed to my car, deep in thought, unlocking it with my keyfob as I approached it. I slid in and slammed the door, which sounded like both front doors closing and became aware of someone sitting next to me.
“Jeeze, Northern, you look like someone shot your puppy,” Lidya said, in greeting.
I stared ahead, clenching my jaw and finally said, “You can tell Galina, 'I got the message!' Your reinforcement isn't needed.”
“What? Whoa there. You talked to Galina? When?” She was puzzled.
I sighed. “A couple of hours ago. You two need to communicate better. She already warned me off.”
“She did what? She didn't? Oh, the old hag is really scared!”
I studied her expression, trying to ferret out if she was acting or not.
“Okay Chris, take it from the top. Tell me everything she said,” Lydia didn't appear to be lying, but who knew how good an actress she was. I noted that she had never used my name before. I decided it didn't hurt to play along, giving her the rundown of my meeting with the Lieutenant and Galina and our private conversation. She processed that for a moment, then turned to me, her green eyes bright with sudden understanding. “You believe her, don't you? I mean about Tanya?”
I shrugged, then nodded. Her face softened in sympathy for a moment, then hardened into a fiercer expression. “Alright, listen up. Class is in session. Welcome to Tatiana 101. Here are the facts of life. You drive, I'll talk.”
I started the Xterra and pulled into traffic as she began to speak.
“Vampires are not flighty as a rule. Our emotions, likes, dislikes and habits run longer and stronger than they do in humans. They have to, because we live so much longer. When we make up our minds on something, it usually stays that way, etched into stone. Tanya is no exception, if anything she's even more rock solid in her ways. And we don't take forever to make up our minds. It can happen faster than you can blink.”
She paused to make sure I was up to speed. I nodded, and she continued.
“Tanya hasn't spoken for fifteen years. Not one word! And she has not fed from a living being in that entire time! Until you reached into her chest and touched her heart! You had every opportunity to kill her to save yourself and you didn't! Her first word in fifteen years was 'nyet'.” She paused.
I must be a double moron, because I decided to correct her.
“Actually, her first word was 'swallow,' ” I said.
Her palm slapped the dashboard like a gunshot, making me jump despite myself. “I knew it! She gave you her blood! Hah!” She was really excited now. “Don't tell anyone else that! And don't even think about it near Nika!”
“Why?”
“Because, my slow to understand friend, no one...NO ONE has ever tasted Tanya's blood. no one but you! That proves it! Absolutely proves it!”
“I'm not following any of this.” I admitted.
“Vampire blood, when shared with a human, does a lot of things. If the vampire has taken blood from the human, then shares their own, it creates a bond. The human also gets improved health, better senses, faster reflexes, greater strength and other stuff. Depending on how much blood is taken, it usually wears off anywhere from several hours to several days, unless more blood is shared. Tanya, as the only born vampire..the only Full Blood, has probably the most potent blood of any vampire, even the Elders. It has been guarded, her whole life, like gold, better than gold. And she chose to share it with you. She’s never given it to anyone.”
That explained the extensive cleanup efforts and burned clothing. It also explained why I had recovered so quickly without a transfusion. And probably why I had broken so many personal weight lifting records today.
“How much did she give you?”
“Just what she wiped onto her finger. Maybe a couple of CC's?” I answered.
She looked at me blankly.
“What? I watched the tape of your fight with the demon yesterday. You moved a lot faster than most humans, but that amount of blood should not have affected you so much. Hmm…I wonder?” She tapped one long black fingernail against her bottom ruby lip in thought
.
“It's like you two were made for each other.....” she mused. “Anyway, back to my original point. Tanya has Chosen you. You’re it! She's not going to change her mind....ever.”
We were at a stoplight and I was so overwhelmed by the conversation that she had to remind me to drive.
“What does that mean...chose me?”
She sighed. “Tanya has decided that you are her life mate. Her beloved. You are hers, now and forever.”
“What? You can’t choose a lifemate after knowing someone for twenty minutes! That’s crazy!”
“No, Chris, that’s vampire. And I know Tanya, probably better than even her mother.”
“I knew you weren't a waitress, but what exactly is your role?”
“Galina made me..Turned me if you will. But fifteen years ago, she gave me to Tanya. So I am hers. I used to be more a keeper, but now that you woke her up, I'm her assistant, her confidant, sister, friend and all around right hand.”
“Galina gave you to Tatiana?”
“Chris, you have to understand, vampires belong to their sires, the ones who turned them. The vampire world is all about relationships, covens and families. There are very few unaffiliated vampires in existence. We simply don't thrive or survive without support systems and networks. Living for centuries is not bearable without close connections with fellow beings. Not to mention being caught alone by our enemies. Tanya is of her own line, due to her unique nature. Galina gave me to her to give her that anchor that we all need.”