William's Blood

by S S Bazinet

  Michael noticed Arel’s eyes. They sparkled brightly. He had also adopted a discreet smile that he was barely able to contain.

  Arel, are you listening to me? I don’t think leaving the world would be very wise at this point. You’re just learning how to live again.

  I’m listening, Michael. But I have to confess that my mind is so clear. Do you think that’s strange? I’ve always been nervous when I’ve been in dangerous situations.

  As soon as Arel announced his feeling of ease, Michael felt his own senses jump.

  Arel, you told me that I’m your advisor. So take my advice. Abandon your plan. I’ll make sure that you get away safely.

  Arel returned a silent laugh.

  Calm down, Michael. You’re being overly dramatic. It’s your turn to have a little faith. Anyway, I’m in the pub, and I see the guy I’m looking for.

  Michael waited as Arel took a seat and ordered a drink. A short time later a group of people got up to leave. The man named Rolphe got up too.

  Arel, this Rolphe person is on his way out the door.

  I know. I saw him try to blend in with some other patrons. How foolish of him. First of all, he’s a giant. Secondly, his energy is pulsing out so powerfully that I thought my circuits would overload as he passed by me.

  Michael readied himself.

  I think it would be better if I join you physically. Just stay put, and we’ll decide on how you should handle the situation together, okay?

  Arel stood up.

  We don’t have time for that, Michael. Besides, I need to talk to this guy alone.

  Before Michael had a chance to assess Arel’s rash decision to leave, Arel was out of his seat and swiftly heading for the door. His eyes were glowing brightly as if he was suddenly overcome by fever. That’s when Michael knew Arel was being propelled forward by a need that eclipsed his conscious wishes.

  Arel! Stop!

  If Arel heard Michael, he didn’t heed Michael’s command. Instead, he exited the tavern and stood for a moment on the street. Michael knew it was a mistake. He had to act quickly. Using a powerful blast of energy, he slammed Arel’s body sideways. It was the best Michael could do under the circumstances, but he knew that his timing was slightly off. As Arel’s body took flight, the sound of gunfire shattered the quiet. After Arel landed on the sidewalk, he lay stunned and unmoving. There was a small hole in the arm of his jacket. It was located between his shoulder and elbow. Within moments, blood began to saturate Arel’s clothing.

  * * * * *

  Rolphe aimed at his target’s heart and fired. It was an easy shot, but something went wrong. The man he was aiming at moved just before Rolphe’s bullet did its job. It was a dramatic type of movement that the man didn’t initiate. Another force was involved. Another unseen power hurled the man out of death’s path. It was a phenomenon that Rolphe would have to contemplate at a later date.

  Dammit, I think I only wounded him.

  Rolphe quickly raised his gun and took aim a second time, holding back long enough to steady himself. With his victim immobilized on the ground, Rolphe decided on a head shot. His finger was on the trigger when his gun flew out of his hand. Rolphe gasped in shock and disbelief. What was he dealing with? He’d seen a lot in his time, but he’d never witnessed an invisible force moving people and objects around. And the power that was being employed was impressive. Rolphe’s gun arced heavenward and then landed in some bushes in the park across the street.

  Mon Dieu, this man is truly a different and unique kind of creature.

  Numbed by the spectacle he’d just observed, Rolphe couldn’t move. Only his mind was racing, trying to come up with an explanation. As he stood peering out of the shadows, his thoughts were interrupted. He heard himself being summoned.

  “Come here!” The hoarse demand came from the wounded man. The man had regained some measure of himself and was looking in Rolphe’s direction.

  Rolphe still couldn’t move. He could only stare at his victim and note that the man’s golden eyes were glowing even brighter than before. The starlit orbs were so mesmerizing that Rolphe gazed back with a gaping mouth.

  The man called out a second time. “Come over here and help me!”

  Rolphe’s paralyzed limbs slowly came back to life. He resisted moving out of the dark alley, but his legs began stumbling forward on their own. Some compelling force was making him close the distance between himself and the man he’d been hunting. With every step, he felt like he was moving towards some inescapable fate. He should have heeded Chessa’s warning, but it was too late to think about that now. His heart was jumping about wildly in his chest, letting him know that the tables had been turned, and he was in danger. It was a sensation he remembered when he was a young, unseasoned soldier who was going into battle. Only this time, he felt defenseless. On this field of battle, the man who was calling to him had all the power.

  * * * * *

  William woke up with a start from an evening nap. “Arel! What the hell are you doing?” He shouted out the question in a panicky voice. He’d just had a nightmare that left him gasping for breath. As he rubbed the sleep from his eyes, he tried to understand why he felt so shaken by a dream. He was still trying to calm himself when he heard a soft knock at his door.

  “William, are you okay?” Annabel asked. “Has something happened?”

  William quickly got out of bed and went to the door. When he opened it, Annabel looked up at him with bright, inquiring eyes.

  “Sorry about the yelling,” he said as he began to come back to himself.

  “William, what’s wrong? Are you sick again?”

  “No, it’s not that. I had a nightmare.”

  Annabel reached out and put her hand on his chest. “Dreams can be scary,” she said in a quiet, comforting tone.

  Annabel’s touch made William flinch. He wasn’t used to anyone making his heart flutter with excitement, but that’s the effect that Annabel had on him.

  Annabel started to pull away. “I’m sorry if I overstepped myself.”

  William grabbed her hand before she could retrieve it and held it to his chest again. How could this woman affect him so deeply? He’d been touched by countless women throughout the years, but none of them could do what Annabel did with the simple gesture. “You didn’t do anything wrong,” he said quietly. “I’m just a little jumpy after the dream I had.”

  He realized how much he enjoyed the connection he had with her. Not only did his body come alive, but emotional barriers dissolved into a feeling of bliss. Did Annabel share his feelings? She had kept her distance ever since his return from Chicago. At first, he thought it might be what he needed too. If he had some juvenile crush on her, he wanted to banish it. He told himself that Annabel was wise in distancing herself. Now, he wasn’t sure about his feelings. Could he be falling in love?

  Annabel put her other hand over his. “You’re so pale. Maybe you should tell me about the dream.”

  “Dream? Oh yes, I almost forgot.” William scowled and slipped his hand out from between both of hers. Stepping back, he let his mind return to the nightmare he’d had. Its sharp details made his scowl fade into an expression of concern. “Arel was sprawled out on a sidewalk. He’d been shot.”

  “That is a frightening nightmare.”

  William hesitated as his mind reached out to the man he’d vowed to forget. When he communed with Arel’s mind, all he felt was pain. “Oh hell, Annabel, I don’t think it’s just a dream. That idiot has done something stupid again. I’m sure of it.”

  * * * * *

  Arel lay on the cold, wet sidewalk, trying to keep his focus on Rolphe as the hulking man walked towards him. Arel had called out to Rolphe, but his directive came from a deep, secreted place he hadn’t chosen to acknowledge. Now it was too late to change what was happening.

  Oh great, Michael was right. I do have a hidden agenda.

  The idea angered him, or at least he thought it did until he probed his feelings more thoroughly. There was s
omething he wasn’t addressing, an underlying feeling of smugness. When Rolphe dropped to his knees next to him, Arel’s first thought was that everything was working out perfectly. He silently stared at Rolphe with a sense of triumph. It was followed by a question.

  Why am I feeling like this?

  Arel didn’t have time to find any answers. Rolphe was asking his on question.

  “Who are you?”

  “My name is Arel.”

  Arel had sensed Rolphe’s spirit many times, but to actually study the man who made William a vampire was strangely fascinating. Rolphe was a throwback to a different era. He was dressed like a man of the times, but his features and his bearing were more like something out of a Tolstoy novel. He wore an expression that was a mixture of sadness overlaid by complete obedience to whatever ruthless duty he was assigned. For a moment, Arel felt sorry for the man. The moment quickly passed. “Help me up,” he ordered.

  Rolphe hesitated. “Maybe you should lie still. You’re hurt.”

  Arel grabbed hold of Rolphe’s arm and tried to pull himself upright. That’s when he realized that his own arm was in bad shape. Pain fired through his flesh and made him grit his teeth. Finally, he managed some control. “Let’s get out of here before we’re noticed.”

  Rolphe gave their surroundings a furtive once over. “You’re right,” he said as he helped Arel to his feet.

  Arel pointed across the street to a little park that was poorly lit. “We can talk in private over there.”

  Rolphe looped an arm around Arel’s waist and practically carried him to the appointed area. Once they were hidden in the shadows of a large, overgrown hedge, he looked at Arel for further instructions.

  Arel felt like he was dazed and bewildered, but another part of his mind remained sharp and totally capable of making decisions. “I need to sit down,” he stated in a stern voice.

  Rolphe didn’t hesitate. He immediately ferried Arel another ten feet and deposited him on a bench. His brows were furrowed when he looked at Arel’s bloody hand. A steady stream of blood was trickling down from his wound. “How bad is it?” he asked.

  Arel looked away when he felt himself getting nauseous. “I don’t know how bad it is. I’ve never been shot before.”

  Rolphe let out a small laugh. “Don’t worry, I have. In fact, I’ve cared for many a wounded comrade.” He began to remove Arel’s jacket. “Let’s get this off so we can stop the bleeding.”

  Arel tuned into Rolphe’s thoughts. The man was very confused and didn’t understand why he was helping the person he wanted dead. Arel was confused himself. What was going on? He had discarded the plan he’d had in the hotel, and he didn’t have a new one. He was just observing what was going on and trying to deal with the pain he was in.

  “You’re lucky, I think,” Rolphe said as he checked out Arel’s arm. “The bullet went through without hitting bone.”

  Arel’s curiosity was caught up by Rolphe’s attitude. The man sounded genuine in his concern. When he glanced at Arel, his green eyes were almost fatherly. In that moment, it was hard to believe that the man was a predator, a vampire, a person who had a virus that turned him into a creature of the night. Yet Arel had judged this fellow human and labeled him evil.

  Just like I judged William. And I know how that turned out. Now I’m making the same mistake with Rolphe.

  Why hadn’t he listened to Michael? Why was he always letting a baser part of himself have its way? He could have avoided getting shot. He could have met Rolphe in a different setting if he’d really tried. As he argued with himself about his rashness, he wasn’t watching Rolphe. In fact, when he finally brought his attention back to what the man was doing, he had an acute moment of panic. Rolphe clearly had two distinct personalities. One seemed like the compassionate, fatherly type. The other part of him was unfeeling and bloodthirsty. Arel knew it was true because Rolphe was staring at Arel’s bloodied arm like a starving man stared at a steak dinner. The man hadn’t slain him with a bullet, but the vampire giant was capable of killing Arel by draining him dry. Arel clenched his jaw as he thought about his choices. Should he use his power to fight back? He could do it. He’d demonstrated that fact repeatedly with William.

  Or maybe I should let him finish me off. Then I can finally find some peace and join Michael’s side.

  Arel realized how tired he was of making mistakes and suffering the consequences afterwards. When he considered making another blunder, he didn’t have the strength to endure the aftermath. He’d had his revenge with William and had to face a mountain load of guilt as William wasted away. Did he want to do the same with Rolphe? Deep down, he knew that’s exactly what his own shadow side wanted. Or he could rise above that old pattern and forge a new one. There was a third option. He could leave it up to Rolphe. He could give Rolphe the facts and let him be the one who made the decision and faced the consequences. If Arel died, it was on Rolphe’s head.

  “You don’t want to do this, Rolphe,” he insisted. “I’m warning you, if you take my blood, you’ll pay the price. And it’s a very heavy price indeed. It could mean your life.”

  * * * * *

  As Rolphe stared at the blood that trickled from Arel’s wounded arm, he felt a desire that went beyond any he’d ever known. It was a hunger that lived in his soul and one that he connected with when he painted. Yet, he’d given up on satisfying that needy part of himself, until now. Something new and satisfying had presented itself in the form of a man, a man with golden eyes. But Rolphe knew that he wasn’t simply looking at a man. No, Rolphe was acquainted with the world of men, and this person who called himself Arel, wasn’t like them. A special creature lay before Rolphe, one that was both beautiful and terrifying. Beautiful because Rolphe could see all that was holy and blessed beaming out from the being’s eyes. Terrifying because there was also a hidden darkness that lived in the man’s body. Between the two parts of the creature, lay the most sacred feature of all, the being’s heart. It was heavily shielded, but Rolphe could feel its power. And it was speaking to Rolphe now. Instead of the moon, the sun reached out to him, asking Rolphe to be open to new possibilities. Just as some wizards could transform base metals into gold, this being’s heart could transform lives.

  Rolphe paused, trying to clear his head, trying to understand what he was dealing with.

  Am I truly hearing a special creature’s heart?

  Or was it the man himself who was speaking to Rolphe? If so, Rolphe tried to focus on what was being said. As he did, the words, “You’ll pay the price” were clear. Yet, Rolphe knew he’d pay any price to drink this man’s blood, to take the substance into his own body and feel his own heart lift again. It had been a cold, lifeless thing for so long. If he had to pay the price to change that, so be it.

  At first, he tried to be reverent about taking the man’s blood, but in the end, he let himself go. After all that he’d lost, his need for something to heal his wretchedness was overwhelming. He became an animal who couldn’t live with famine any longer, not when a feast was waiting to satisfy his emptiness. He attacked Arel’s arm, not biting it, but sucking it like a child at the tit, the way William had sucked his blood. At first, he couldn’t even appreciate the taste. He simply had to swallow up as much of the stuff as he could manage. In the background, he could feel the man struggling against his appetite, but he didn’t care about anything but filling himself.

  * * * * *

  As soon as William realized that his dream wasn’t just a dream, he forgot about his feelings for Annabel. Arel was dying. It was a cold, hard fact that he found acutely upsetting. But why was he having that reaction? Why was he suddenly enraged by the fact that Arel was exiting the world. Shouldn’t he be celebrating?

  “That bastard, Arel! He’s always sticking his nose in other people’s business,” he cursed aloud.

  His shout made Annabel jump back a little. “What do you mean?” she asked.

  William stumbled over to his bed and sat down. “I mean he’s in real trou
ble.”

  “I’m so sorry to hear that, but I know the two of you have a problem with each other.”

  William glanced up and sneered. “Of course I have a problem with Arel. I have a problem with vicious attack dogs too.”

  “Is that how you see Arel? I thought he tried his best to help you when you were suffering.”

  “Yes, that’s the worst problem with Arel. When a person is at his lowest, Arel has a way of making that person need him.”

  Annabel came over and took his hand. She placed it over her heart this time. “It takes a long time for people to be strong enough to have faith in themselves. Along the way, they need others to help them keep that faith growing.”

  “I’ve always had faith in myself until I got mixed up with Arel again.”

  “I’m talking about a different kind of faith.”

  “Dammit Annabel, I don’t have time for this discussion. I need to think.”

  “Of course you do.” Annabel let go of him and turned to the door. “If you need anything, I’ll be in my room.”

  William watched as Annabel closed the door behind her. He could still feel her heart beating under his hand. It was a strong, giving vessel. For a moment, just the thought of what it would be like to explore that part of her filled him with desire. He pushed the feeling aside reluctantly and brought his attention back to Arel. As soon as he did, he remembered his own death and his brief shot at heaven. He remembered Arel appearing next to him and forcing him to return to earth. Usually, the memory brought up his vulnerability and rage. This time he didn’t feel either emotion. A lot had happened since then. Raphael had helped him in Chicago. William was able to clear away a lot of unwanted baggage. After that, he didn’t feel helpless when he thought of Arel. In a very strange and unexplained way, he knew it was his turn to snatch someone from the jaws of death. “But how? Arel will be dead before I get to him.”

  Before he had a chance to ponder the problem further, Raphael appeared by the door. He smiled broadly. “There is a way, William, and I can show it to you.”

  * * * * *