by Rowlyn, Rhys
“That sounds like her. When was that?” I can’t believe my luck. We’ve actually stumbled upon a clue.
The man taps his chin, wrinkling his brow. “Two nights ago.”
“Did anyone leave with her?” Great. If she’s taken anyone, I hope she hasn’t changed them, or their turn is going to take longer than Lucy’s did.
“Yeah, come to think of it, Rodney did, and I haven’t seen him since.” His eyes widen, and he bites his lower lip. “You don’t think something bad happened to him, do you?”
“I don’t know. You wouldn’t happen to have an address for him, would you?” I don’t want to alarm the guy too much, but I need him to be worried enough to give me the information I need.
“Nah, man, but that’s his girlfriend, and she was pissed he left with the other chick.” He nods in the direction of the girl Lucy is talking to.
I head their way.
“Thanks, girl, and I’m sorry he treated you like that.” Lucy turns and runs into my chest. “Oh, I didn’t know you were there. Hey, we need to go.”
I grab her upper arms to steady her, then try to walk past her. “But I need to get an address from that girl.”
“I’ve already got it, and if we hurry, maybe we can save Rodney from going feral.” Lucy loops my arm through hers and pulls me toward the door.
I nod toward Jean Pierre and Nyla, and they make their way toward the exit.
“I’ll call Giles and tell him to meet us at the apartment with blood,” I tell them once we’re at the bottom of the stairs. “If the poor bastard is changing, hopefully she hasn’t gotten him to kill. If we can distract her, she’ll lose control of him.” Jean Pierre has explained to me how she gets into new vampires’ heads, gaining control. I had never heard of such a thing, but it’s scary how easily she seems to do it.
Etienne
The girls lead the way, and we race to an apartment building only a few blocks from the bar. Muffled screams can be heard from inside.
“He’s still going through the change,” Jean Pierre says. “Let’s proceed with caution, but we need to get him away from Minerva, or she’ll get control of his mind before he has a chance.” Jean Pierre is looking for an entrance that won’t draw attention, but I know we don’t have time to waste.
I fly through the front entrance of the building and hear Jean Pierre yell out a curse. After racing up the stairs, I find the door to the apartment the screams are coming from. I burst through the door and spot Minerva beside the bed and an unconscious girl lying on the floor. I race over and knock her away from the girl, and Minerva growls at me, baring her fangs. Before I can do anything, a whirlwind races past me and knocks Minerva against the wall.
“You bitch! You awful bitch!” Lucy slams her fist into Minerva’s jaw, and I hear a crack.
Minerva narrows her eyes, backing away toward a window. I race to stop her, but she crashes through the glass to the outside and falls the three stories to the ground. Lucy and I run to look outside, and Minerva stands on wobbling legs, pointing up at us.
“Little girl, you’ll pay for taking my prize.” She races away, and I grab Lucy’s arm as she pushes glass out of the way, preparing to go after her.
Lucy tries to jerk away from me, but I don’t let go of her arm. “We need to chase her,” she says.
“We do, but we also need to take care of the girl and Rodney.” I tilt my head in the victim’s direction and point at the street as the others run by. “Jean Pierre and Nyla have already left to give chase, but we have medical knowledge and need to stay here.”
Lucy’s shoulders droop. She gives one last glance toward the window. “You’re right. Let me see to the girl, and you check on Rodney. How much longer do you think he has until he needs blood?”
“The screams have stopped and he’s resting quietly, so it shouldn’t be much longer.” I hand her the phone Phillipe gave me. I haven’t been using it, and although he tried to show me how, I have no clue how it works. “Can you call Giles and see where he is?”
Minerva has a rag stuffed in the man’s mouth, with tape holding it in. I rip the tape off and remove the rag. I hope Giles comes quickly because I don’t know how the man will wake up. I hope he doesn’t awaken feral because we have to take him down. I have no idea if Minerva was compelled to create him, but I’d be willing to bet she wasn’t and changing someone without compulsion can be tricky. It’s always a toss-up as to what you’ll get.
Giles enters with a large bag slung over his shoulder, and André and Fleur follow. “No need. I’m right here. I take it you stopped Minerva and this is our victim?”
“Yes, and there is a girl over here.” Lucy feels her neck for a pulse and then lifts her up. The girl moans but doesn’t awaken. “We need to get her to a hospital.”
“Hey, why don’t we take care of that, and you guys stay here? Lucy, do you drive?” Fleur asks.
Lucy nods. “Of course, what did you drive here?”
“The van. Fleur can show you where it is.” Giles pulls the keys from his pocket and tosses them to Fleur.
“We’ll call after she’s delivered to the emergency room and come back to pick y’all up.” Fleur slings one of the girl’s arms over her shoulder, and Lucy takes the other. The height difference makes it look extremely awkward, so André grabs the girl in his arms and, with a huff, walks out of the apartment.
“Hey, André, why don’t you carry the girl down for us?” Lucy yells at his receding back, and we all laugh, including André.
I wait until the ladies are gone and turn toward Giles. “Do you think he’ll be feral?”
“I don’t know. I doubt very seriously she was compelled to make him, or if she was in his mind yet at all. Who knows, he may be strong enough to go through the change and not lose his mind. I guess time will tell.” Giles runs his hands through his hair. “I hope the poor guy doesn’t need to be put down, but damn, I’m not looking forward to training a young vampire, and for some reason, I believe this will fall on me.”
I grip his shoulder, giving it a squeeze, and grin at him. “Aw come on, Giles, you’ll make a good papa.”
Giles snorts, moving to the bed and looking Rodney over. “Shut up and help me sit this guy up.”
Rodney’s eyes open, and he looks around wildly. Giles and I each grab a shoulder and sit him up. Giles takes a bag of blood, and I tug on the guy’s jaw until he opens and we can push it onto his fangs. His gaze darts from me to Giles, but he doesn’t fight us. I’m hoping that’s a good sign. We should know once we get some blood in him.
“Hey, mate, I’m Giles, and this is Etienne. We’re here to help you. I would imagine you’ve gotten to meet our friend Minerva.” Rodney’s eyes widen at Giles’s mention of Minerva. “Don’t worry, she’s gone, and we promise if you’re sane, we won’t hurt you. We’re only here to help.”
“I’m going to remove the empty bag from your mouth and replace it with another. Can you open your mouth?” I pull the bag from his mouth when he opens, and I replace it with a full one. “Do you think he’ll need another?”
Giles shrugs his shoulders. “The girls have all required three bags, except for Lucy, who only needed two. He’s a bit larger, so he may need more.”
“Wfaff izz dat?” Rodney mumbles.
I take the bag from his mouth, raising my brows. “What did you say?”
“What is that?” His eyes glance from the bag to me and back again.
“Oh, it’s blood,” Giles informs him.
“Blood?!” Rodney scoots back until he reaches the headboard, staring at us with a wide gaze. “Why are you giving me blood? And using my mouth to do it?”
I shake my head at the man. He obviously knows what a vampire is. “Don’t you go to a vampire bar?”
“Yeah, but that’s not real.” He laughs nervously, looking from Giles to me. “I mean, I only did that to impress a girl. Matter of fact, last night I was going to break up with her. She was too weird, and I couldn’t get into that. Blood makes me
nauseated Even the drinks that looked like blood had me turning green.”
Giles bursts out laughing, and I bite my lip to keep from doing the same. Oh merde, this man is in for a treat. At least we don’t have to worry about him being feral.
He laughs with us but quickly sobers. “Why are you laughing?”
“Do you still feel hungry?” I watch him fidget in the bed, his brow furrowing.
“Actually, I do. Do you think we could get Chinese? There’s a takeout place around the corner.” He points over his shoulder with his thumb.
“Open your mouth.” I command, and Rodney backs away from me, shaking his head. “Come on, you have to eat.”
“That’s blood. I’m not putting that in my mouth.” He jumps off the bed and backs into a corner. “What isth wrongth wifh you? Why am I talkin wifh a wisp?”
Giles grabs his arm and leads him to a mirror on the door across the room. “Mate, look in the mirror and open your mouth. That’s your fangs wanting the blood.” Giles slams another bag on Rodney’s fangs.
The bag is emptied quickly, but Rodney is gagging. “Dude, what’s wrong with you? Hey, my lisp is gone.”
“Yeah, your body needed another bag. Besides, it’s not like you are actually tasting it. Your fangs do all the work.” Giles grins at him, slapping his back.
Rodney turns to the side in front of the mirror. “Hey, when did I bulk up? And damn, my face is clear. I look good.” Rodney leans closer to the mirror, opening his mouth. “Fangs. Seriously, I have fangs?”
“Yes, they are fangs. Rodney, you’re really a vampire.” Giles puts his arm around Rodney’s shoulders and grins at him in the mirror. “That woman you left the bar with wasn’t a good person, and she changed you against your will. I’m sorry this happened, but it seems as if you’ve gone through the change very well, and we’re here to help you.”
“Okay, let’s be for real. Who put y’all up to this? I mean, the fangs are a nice touch, but come on.” Rodney shrugs Giles’s arm off his shoulders and turns to face him. He straightens to his full height and bows out his chest, glaring from me to Giles. “What’s going on? Is this some kind of joke? There is no such thing as a vampire, so what the hell, man?”
“I do apologize, but yes, vampires do exist, and you are one.” I take a deep breath in. I’m trying to be patient and remember I was once in his shoes.
“Well, turn me back. I don’t want to be one.” Rodney waves his hands in front of him. “I can’t stand the sight of blood, for Christ’s sake.”
Giles runs his hand through his hair, causing it to stand on end. “Crikey, he’s as bad as Chi. This is all we need, another hysterical man.”
“Hey, guys, what did we miss?” Lucy bursts into the room, her gaze darting from me to Giles and then to Rodney. “Is he going to be all right, or are we going to have to cut off his head?”
“Cut off my head?! Why would you do that?” Rodney screeches at us.
I pinch the bridge of my nose, closing my eyes for a second. “No, Rodney, we’re not cutting off your head.”
“Who are they?” Rodney nods in the direction of the others.
“This is Lucy, Fleur, and André, and they’re here to help.”
“Help! What do you mean help?” Rodney throws his hands in the air and paces in front of us. “You people want me to eat blood and be some kind of monster.”
Fleur giggles. “Man, he’s a bit high-strung. Kind of reminds me of Chi.”
“That’s what I said. At least he’s not feral, but if he doesn’t calm down, I might be wishing he were.” Giles clenches and unclenches his fists, taking a step toward Rodney. Rodney’s eyes widen, and he moves behind me.
Lucy puts a hand on Giles’s chest, holding him in place. “Stop it, Giles. Hey, Rodney, I’m Lucy, and I only recently became a vampire. I know it’s all strange, but we will help you through it.”
“Can you just turn me back?” Rodney asks pleadingly, putting his hands together in front of him as if he’s praying.
“Sorry, but it doesn’t work like that. I’m afraid the change is permanent.” Lucy places her hands over his, shaking her head gently.
“Do I have to drink blood? I really don’t like blood.” Rodney wrinkles his nose, and his body shudders. “What are my options?”
“You can either drink blood or die.” Giles rolls his eyes, clearly getting tired of all the questions.
“What? I don’t want to die.” The man is back to screeching, and we all shush him. I hope the neighbors aren’t listening to our conversation. If so, we may have some explaining to do.
“It’s not that big of a deal, and you don’t have to look at it,” Fleur says. “Your fangs will do all the work. All you have to do is push the bag up against them, and they suck it out. You can close your eyes or have one of us help you until you get the hang of it.” Fleur takes a bag out of the cooler and approaches him slowly.
Lucy holds his arm, rubbing it, but she keeps her hand on his back, holding him in place. “Now, open your mouth and close your eyes.”
Rodney gives her a skeptical look but does as she asked. Fleur slips the blood into his mouth, and his fangs do their job.
Fleur removes it when it’s empty. “How do you feel? Are you still hungry?”
“I feel okay but still a little hungry. I guess that means we have to do this again.” Sighing deeply, he closes his eyes and opens his mouth.
“That’s a good boy.” Fleur pushes another bag against his mouth.
“This should be the last one he’ll need. He had two bags before you arrived.” Giles picks up the empty bags and puts them back in the cooler. “Wouldn’t want to leave evidence behind of our feeding. So what happened with the girl? Is she going to be okay?”
“She should be fine. She woke up right before we made it to the hospital, so I compelled her to go into the hospital and say she had been attacked but couldn’t remember who did it.” André crosses his arms over his chest. “Can’t have her telling people about vampires, now can we?” He raises his brows, smirking.
Rodney laughs nervously, his gaze darting from one of us to the next. “Those freaks at the club will be hunting y’all down.”
“Remember, you were one of those freaks. Now, do you want to take some clothes?” Giles slaps his back, grinning at him. “If you do, let’s get on it. I’m surprised no one has reported the window being broken.”
“This is a rough building. Crap happens all the time here. Nobody calls the cops.” Rodney grabs a bag from the closet and shoves clothes in it.
Lucy narrows her eyes on him. “Why do you live here? Are you shady, Rodney?”
“No, I keep my head down and don’t get involved in anything.” He shakes his head in denial. “What can I say? It’s cheap.”
Rodney finishes his packing, and we leave the building. He doesn’t say much until we get to the van.
Rodney digs in his heels and stops walking. “Where are you taking me, and do I want to go with you?”
“You don’t have much choice. We’re going to our house, and you need to learn how to take care of yourself so you don’t hurt anyone.” Lucy motions for him to get in the van. “You can trust us. We’re not going to hurt you.”
“I guess you’re right. I don’t have much choice.” He gets in the van, and the rest of us follow.
Giles bumps my shoulder as he passes, looking heavenward, and I laugh. My old famille was interesting, but this modern-day one is proving to be one adventure after another. At least life won’t get boring.
Lucy
I look around and realize I am at the beach where I first was with Etienne. Ah, so I’m dreaming. I walk down to the waves to scrunch my toes in the sand and lift my face to the sun. Closing my eyes, I feel the warmth on my face as a breeze blows my hair. I smell the salt in the air. These dreams are so real.
Since I’ve met Etienne, we’ve had a dream every night, and it’s getting frustrating that he only shows his desire while we’re asleep. He has kept his distanc
e during the nights, but I catch him watching me with so much heat in his gaze, I almost melt.
I’ve been getting to know him and find I really like him. He’s funny and caring, but his respectful attitude needs to end. I’m finally ready to see if the fantasy is as good in real life as it is in our dreams, but he has still been holding back.
I feel his arms encircle my waist, and I lean my head to the side. He kisses my neck, and I get lost in the moment but then straighten my spine and step away from him.
“Mon trésor, what is wrong?” His arms drop to his sides, and he furrows his brow.
“I want to wake up. We are sleeping together, and I’m ready to be together for real.”
“Ah, but are you sure?”
“Yes, I’m very sure. You don’t even touch me while we’re awake.” Pacing in front of him, I throw my hands in the air. “Do you even want the real me?”
“But of course. How could you think I don’t?” He steps in front of me, gripping my upper arms.
“Why don’t you try anything while we’re awake?” I place my hands on his chest, lifting my chin and meeting his gaze. “You’ve only kissed me once.”
“I wanted to give you time. You said you were unsure if you wanted a mate. You are more open in our dreams, and I’m trying to woo you into wanting me all the time.” He touches my forehead with his, and I feel all melty inside.
“I know that, but us being together physically has nothing to do with us being together as mates.” I wrinkle my forehead. I think I just confused myself.
“Lucy, it has everything to do with it. If I make love to you, you are mine, and I’m never letting you go.” He takes my face between his palms and kisses me gently.
“What if I’m beginning to not want you to let me go?”
Etienne is slowly breaking down my walls and finding my heart. The fears I’ve held onto for years are becoming a distant memory with his care and patience. Over the past few weeks, he’s proven he plans on sticking around, and our bond is steadily becoming stronger.