Blood of the Son (Book #1 in the Skye Morrison Vampire Series) (Skye Morrison Series)

by J. L. McCoy

  I stuck my tongue out at him and took the two glasses. I sauntered over to the side of the stage and patiently waited for the current song to end. After the last note I held up the two glasses over my head and let out a loud, sharp whistle. Jameson spotted me and smiled. He walked over to the edge of the stage and bent down.

  “Wha’cha got there, fine thing?” he said and smiled an amazing smile.

  “Dan’s sent you over a Car Bomb. Is there anything else I can get for you?” I asked, while looking up into his light green eyes and smiling back.

  “What pretty packaging it comes with,” he said, with a hint of an accent, as he looked me over, head to toe, and back.

  I did the same and was impressed by what I saw. Jameson was definitely choice and totally looked like Joseph Gordon-Levitt. He was slim, but muscular, had shoulder length, shiny brown hair, amazing light green eyes, and full, kissable lips. He appeared to be in his late 20s. He wore a plain black v-neck t-shirt that showed off some of his flawless pale skin, distressed Levi jeans, and Doc Marten Wingtip shoes. He definitely rang my bell, if you know what I mean.

  I felt my face flush hot and I gave him a flirtatious grin. “I could say the same for you,” I said. “I love your music.”

  “Thank you, love,” he smiled, leaning over and tucking a stray strand of hair behind my ear. “What’s your name?” he asked me. His accent was a little more noticeable now, but I had a hard time placing it. I knew he definitely wasn’t from Texas.

  “Skye,” I replied, biting the corner of my lip and smiling.

  “Skye,” he repeated, testing it out. “What a lovely name. I’m Jameson Doyle,” he said as he took my hand. “I hope to see you again soon, Skye. It has truly been my pleasure meeting you.”

  I blushed, but managed to keep my eyes locked on his. “Likewise, Jameson,” I replied, proud of myself for sounding strong and confident. Inside I was screaming like a teenager. I slowly let go of his cool hand and walked around the crowd and back to my tables. I caught Dan’s eye as I passed by the bar and winked at him. He winked back and gave me a thumbs up. I smiled. Dan had just made my night.

  I got back to work and busted ass until closing, still on an emotional high from my all too short visit with Jameson. Nothing could have spoiled my mood. Not even when some drunk junior spilled his drink all over my new heels. I was in a flirty mood and made great tips that night.

  I finished cashing out and headed back to Dan’s office. It was 2:30am and I was so ready to call it a night. As I strolled in I saw Dan sitting at his desk looking at Friday’s paper. I pulled out my bottle opener from my back pocket, walked over to my cubby and deposited it. I grabbed my messenger bag from my hook, slung it over my shoulder, and turned around to notice Dan looking at me.

  “What’s up, D.?” I asked. “Something wrong?”

  He ran his hand through his hair and held up the newspaper. “Skye, I found these classifieds in the bar stockroom. Only you and Nikki hang out in the stockroom.” He looked me in the eyes and for the first time and I noticed the hurt in them.

  Shit! Busted. He knew they weren’t for Nikki. I sighed and walked over to sit on the corner of his desk, facing him. “Look, D. It has nothing to do with you personally,” I explained softly, ashamed. “I was going to tell you soon. I just graduated, you know, and my loans are coming up. I owe so much money, it’s not even funny. Drop Kick’s just isn’t going to cut it, D.” I swallowed the lump in my throat and continued. “I’ve got to find something else for full time work, but I can still work here part time…if you’ll have me.”

  “If I’ll have you?” Dan asked, confused. He shook his head. “Are you kidding me, Skye?” He stood up and sat down next to me on the desk, looking into my eyes. “I love having you here. You are smart, funny, sexy, and the clientele love you. You hardly ever call in sick and you work your ass off. Not to mention that I happen to adore you, doll.” He patted my knee. “We’ve been good friends for four years. No matter where you work, Skye, you’re still my girl.”

  I was starting to tear up and tried to compose myself before he noticed. “Damn it, D., don’t get all sentimental on me.” I sniffed as I got up, set my bag on the floor, and sat down in his office chair facing him. “I don’t want to completely leave here, just cut my hours back to part-time so I can make room for another full-time.” I bent over and started taking off my cage heels as I continued. “I owe $70,000 and it’s seriously freaking me out. I’ve got to bring in more cash and then I can chill out a bit.” I took a deep breath as I slipped my heels into my bag and pulled out my black Converse sneakers. “Your support means everything to me, D. I appreciate our work relationship and your friendship…more than you know.” I pulled on my sneakers and got up and hugged him. “Call me this weekend?” I asked.

  “Of course” said Dan, with a big smile on his face. He cocked his hip and continued in a high falsetto. “Who else am I going to girl-talk with about my hot date tomorrow?”

  I laughed, playfully hit him on the upper arm, and turned to walk out. “You’re such a goober. Take care, hon. See you Monday. Oh, and, have fun on your date!”

  “Good luck on the job search, doll,” he replied as he walked out behind me and locked the office door.

  CHAPTER TWO

  Driving in my red 1988 Pontiac Fiero GT, I blasted some Misfits and sang along for the 15 minute trip home. It was a clear, warm night and I was enjoying having my windows down. I hit the button on the garage door opener as I turned into my driveway. I pulled into the one car garage and hit the button again to close it. I stepped out of the car and immediately heard my 2 year old miniature French Bulldog, Styvi Nix, barking up a storm. She has always been a vocal little thing; cute as a button, but very opinionated.

  I walked in and set my bag down on the small kitchen table. I turned around and picked up Styvi for a quick cuddle. “How was my super star today?” I said as I nuzzled her neck. She licked my cheek in response while her stubby tail wagged furiously. I set her down, walked over to the treat jar on the kitchen counter and removed a single treat. She stood on her hind legs and started jumping in excitement. I held up the treat and she immediately sat down. “That’s my good girl,” I said as I bent down to feed it to her. I gave her a quick pet and watched her trot over to her doggie door and go through it and into the large back yard that Nikki and I shared. (A few years ago we decided to tear down the fence that separated our yards. We went half on a nice patio set and had a big deck built to put it on. We liked to meet up there on our downtime to have a cold beer and catch up.)

  I yawned, headed into the living room toward the stairs that were located by the entry way.

  Casa Morrison is a modest 2 story, 2 bedroom, 2 and a half bath town home in North Central Austin. It is decorated in various pieces that I have collected over the last four years. I don’t have a certain style when it comes to my house. It’s all pretty eclectic. Some pieces of furniture are modern, such as my sleek black, low profile couch with matching love seat and my newly acquired 52 inch LED television. And, some pieces are perfectly retro, such as my authentic 1970s Pedro Friedeberg hand chair (inherited from Mom. Thanks Mom!), and my 1950s kidney shaped formica topped coffee table that I found at a local thrift store. My walls are decorated with an assortment if abstract paintings, various self-welded wrought iron pieces, and the occasional family/friend vacation portrait.

  I walked up the stairs and into my bedroom. I kicked off my shoes, quickly undressed, and stepped into the tub for a quick shower before bed. I was exhausted from the stresses of the day and couldn’t wait to hop into my comfortable canopy bed and drift off to sleep. I dried off, gave my hair a quick blow dry, grabbed a pair of boy shorts and a white tank top, and got dressed for bed.

  “Styvi Nix!” I called and let out a low whistle. I heard her bound up the stairs and into my room. She flew up the pet steps and into my arms. “You’re such a good girl, Styvi,” I said as I lifted up the covers to let her snuggle under. “Good night, Sweat
Pea.” I reached over and turned off the bed side lamp and snuggled into my pillow. I was asleep before I knew it.

  I awoke at noon and stumbled down stairs for my morning cup of tea. Skyvi Nix was at the bottom of the stairs curled up in her black skull doggie bed, softly snoring. I filled the kettle with water and put it on the stove to heat up. I walked over to the cabinet, selected a coffee mug, and sighed as I remembered the worries of yesterday. “I have to find a job,” I mumbled, running my fingers through my hair.

  I heard my BlackBerry chime and walked over to retrieve it from my messenger bag. I had received eight text messages since last night and began reading each of them. Three were from Mom asking if I was still planning on coming down for great aunt Anne’s 79th birthday bash next month. I smiled at her persistence. I text her back and told her that I wouldn’t miss it for the world. The next few were from my tenacious stalker/ex-boyfriend Jesse. I rolled my eyes and deleted the drivel. That boy was just plain thick in the head. The last and latest text message was from Nikki.

  “Sorry Cupcake…can’t make it later. Had to make a last minute appt. for 6pm. Some guy wants me to start a custom back piece. Sah-weet! Can’t pass this up! J Call u later, k? xoxo”

  I was a bit bummed that we couldn’t hang out later, but I was delighted that she was tattooing again. Art was Nikki’s life. It soothed her wild ways, she once told me. I was happy that she was expressing herself and sharing her talent with others. She was an incredible artist and a mind-blowing tattooist. I couldn’t wait to get another piece done by her.

  I text her back.

  “No worries, girl! Have an awesome day! J TTYL.”

  The kettle slowly crescendoed and I walked over and took it off the burner. I cut the stove off, walked over to the cupboard and retrieved a bag of my favorite mint tea. I dropped it into my cup and filled it full of water. I bent over the mug and took a deep breath in. I loved the smell of mint tea.

  I pulled out the book I was currently reading from my messenger bag, prepared to pick up where I left off while I slowly enjoyed my first cup of tea, and noticed that I forgotten to grab the classifieds off of Dan’s desk last night. “Crap,” I said, under my breath. I didn’t want to have to buy another paper just for the classifieds, so I decided that my first stop today would be Drop Kick Dan’s so I could get the one from yesterday. I quickly drank my tea and went upstairs to wash my face, brush my teeth, and put on my makeup. I decided that since I was going to be downtown, I might as well walk around, visit a few of my favorite Thrift stores, and do some window shopping. It had been a while since I had a completely free day and I was looking forward to it.

  I exited my bathroom and walked over to the big walk-in closet. I decided to be comfortable today and chose a vintage Led Zeppelin concert t-shirt, low-rise ripped skinny jeans, and my white Doc Marten boots. I got dressed, walked back in the bathroom to grab my lip gloss and stopped in front of the mirror to fix my eyeliner.

  I had always been told that I was pretty, but I was never the kind of person who really believed it. I was slim, but curvaceous and perky in all the right places. I stood right at 5 feet 7 inches tall, had waist length naturally red hair, and light hazel-green eyes. I liked body art and sported several ear piercings and a few strategically placed tattoos.

  I grabbed my lip gloss, gave it a quick back and forth swipe over my full lips and was ready to go. I walked downstairs, fed Styvi Nix, grabbed my keys, cell phone, and my messenger bag from the kitchen table, and walked out the door going to the garage. I hopped into my car and headed out. I found a good Sublime song on the radio and jammed out on the short drive downtown to Drop Kick’s.

  I walked into Dan’s office at around 1:30pm. He looked up from his paperwork and was surprised when he saw it was me. “Hey doll face! What are you doing here on your day off?” he asked.

  “Hey, handsome,” I replied. “I forgot to grab the classifieds from you yesterday before I left. Do you still have them?” I asked

  “I’ll do you one better. I’ve got today’s paper,” he answered as he started rummaging through all the junk on his desk. “Ah, here it is,” he said and handed me today’s job ads.

  “Thanks a heap, D.,” I said and gave him a happy high-five.

  “Any time, Skye. So, what are your plans for today?”

  I told him about my shopping plans and we chatted for a few minutes more. I excused myself when our newest bar back, Roger, came in and requested access to the bar stockroom. I saluted Dan and Roger as I walked out the back door.

  It was a gorgeous, sunny, late May day and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. I walked a few blocks west to Shifty’s Thrifty Threads and searched through the racks for vintage band t-shirts. One Billy Idol, Rebel Yell t-shirt later, I was leaving a very happy girl.

  I walked 2 blocks north and spotted a new club under construction. Four men were carefully hoisting up a huge red neon sign that read “The Mausoleum”. That sounded pretty cool and I told myself that I’d have to be sure to come back when it opens up and check it out. Maybe I’d drag Nikki with me.

  I stopped by the coffee house, Afterburner’s, and grabbed a large Skinny Mocha Macchiato and a Bran-Craisin muffin. I sat down outside at one of their small bistro style patio tables and pulled out today’s job classifieds. Discouragement set in after only 10 minutes. I wasn’t seeing any jobs that had to do with my major. There were plenty of secretarial jobs, though, and I circled a few of those to revisit later.

  I was enjoying the last few sips of my macchiato when I felt someone put their hand on my shoulder.

  CHAPTER THREE

  I turned around and almost choked to death. There stood Jesse Prescott, tenacious stalker/ex-boyfriend and asshole extraordinaire.

  “What the fuck, Jesse?!” I exclaimed, putting down my cup and grabbing a napkin to wipe my mouth.

  “I didn’t mean to scare you, Skye. I was across the street at The Oven getting a slice of pizza when I saw you sitting over here,” he said remorsefully as he held his hands out in a placating way.

  “Geez, Jesse.” I shook my head, annoyed. “What do you want? What more do we possibly have to say to each other?”

  He brushed his long, dirty-blond hair out of his brown eyes and rubbed his right temple. “Why won’t you return my calls or texts? Why do you keep ignoring me?” he asked, frustrated.

  “Because I have shit to say to you Prescott, that’s why!” I said trying to keep my voice low as the anger started to build. “It’s been 2 months since I caught you snogging that trashy tourist, …in MY bar no less! I said everything I had to say to you that night.”

  Jesse looked around and noticed that people were starting to stare. He pulled out the adjoining bistro chair and sat down.

  “What do you think you’re doing?” I asked incredulously.

  “Stop being such a bitch, Skye, and hear me out,” he whined.

  “Get bent, Jesse. The only word I want to hear come out of your mouth is ‘Goodbye’,” I said, tiring of this game. I grabbed my messenger bag and started packing up my things that were scattered on the table.

  Jesse grabbed my hand and brought it to his heart. “Please, Skye, just listen to me,” he pleaded, his eyes starting to tear up.

  I sighed and let him continue, against my better judgment.

  “I fucked up. I fucked up bad. I was drunk and mad at you for flirting with that loser Christoph. I picked up with that tourist to make you mad and I didn’t realize how far things were spiraling out of control until it was too late.”

  “God, Jesse. You’re such a dumb ass,” I said, yanking back my arm and crossing them over my chest. “Christoph is Nikki’s cousin’s gay neighbor and he happens to own Razor Salon,” I explained, exasperated. “He does Nikki’s hair and I was talking to him about making an appointment for me later that week.”

  “How in the hell did you expect me to know that?” he asked defensively.

  “You should know me better than that, Jesse. We’ve been together for a
lmost a year. Why would I suddenly start flirting with strange men while I’m at work…and with YOU there?” I asked, raising my voice. I shook my head at his absurdity and continued packing up my stuff. “That’s just asinine thinking, Jesse. You really ought to lay off the pot.”

  I closed up my messenger bag and was just about to get up when he suddenly dropped down on his knees and started begging.

  “Please take me back, Skye. I really love you and I don’t want lose you. I think you were the best thing that ever happened to me. You can’t just throw away what we have, damn it,” he cried, looking completely dejected. He gazed deep into my eyes and pleaded with me. “Please, Skye.”

  I looked around the small patio and noticed everyone staring. “Please get back in your chair, Jess,” I said quietly, completely embarrassed by the unwanted attention. He did as I asked and waited with baited breath for me to give him an answer.

  I ran my fingers through my hair and sighed. “Jesse, we had a good 10 months. You are sweet and funny and I had a great time with you…but we can’t continue our relationship,” I said softly.

  He started to speak but I held up my index finger and motioned for him to wait.

  “You don’t trust me, obviously,” I continued. “If you don’t trust me, you don’t know me. And, if you don’t know me after 10 months, you never will, Jesse.” I sighed. “I can’t have you accusing me of things I would never do while I was with you, and I sure as hell can’t have you using trashy floozies against me. It’s just not very mature, Jess.”

  He looked at me, shocked. “Not very mature?!” he repeated angrily, startling me.

  I shook my head and started getting up from my chair. “I can’t do this with you, Jesse. You asked me to talk to you and I did. You know how I feel now and you are just going to have to work through understanding those feelings on your own.” I sighed, grabbed my messenger bag and swung it over my shoulder.