Greater Vampires

by Trudie Collins

  “Only when I know they are going to be stubborn.”

  It was late-afternoon before the others made it back from the wine bar. Gabriel and Jonathon were so drunk they needed help getting up the stairs. JD took one look at them and told them both to go straight to bed.

  “What happened?” JD asked Katie as soon as she had dumped her husband in their room. She didn’t help him undress. If he couldn’t manage on his own he would have to sleep in his clothes.

  “They started with wine and ended up bonding over a bottle of tequila. Neither of them ate anything so it went straight to their heads. The rest of us were finding it too amusing to suggest they slow down.”

  “I’m tempted to make them both attend the morning training session,” JD said.

  “JD!” Linda said in horror. “You can’t do that.”

  “I’m Jonathon’s trainer. I can make him do anything I want.” He saw his father frowning at him and relented. “But I won’t. I think he deserves to be let off this time. And I’m not brave enough to even make the suggestion to Gabriel that he has to train. Luke I knew would react okay when I made him do it. Gabriel is another matter.”

  Shawn choked on the coffee he was drinking. “You made a greater vampire train at 5am? You’re a braver man than I am.”

  “I’d better give Anna a call,” Sarah said and left the room.

  Anna answered on the second ring. She and Luke were on their way home so they had switched their phones back on. Their time alone together had done Anna a lot of good and she was now able to put what she did with Gabriel out of her mind.

  Sarah quickly explained why she was calling then had to wait for Anna to stop laughing before she could tell her what had happened at the hearing.

  Anna put the phone on speaker and Luke had to pull over before he crashed the car when he heard how drunk Gabriel was.

  “Do you want us to come and get him?” Luke asked.

  “No. Don’t worry about it. He can sleep it off here in one of the spare rooms. It’s the least we can do after the help he gave us. I doubt he will make it to work tomorrow though.”

  “I think he’s entitled to another sick day,” Anna said.

  “Thanks Anna. See you in the morning.”

  “Don’t hang up yet,” Luke called out before Sarah hit the button to end the call. “I should warn you about something. Gabriel doesn’t get drunk very often, but when he does, he craves blood as soon as he wakes up. You may want JD to escort him from the house before he sees any of the humans living there, just to be on the safe side.”

  “Don’t worry. After what he did for us today, I’m sure someone here will volunteer to supply him with a little blood.”

  When Sarah ended the call, Luke looked at Anna. “I’m tempted to go over there just to see how bad a state he’s in. Maybe take some photos, that sort of thing. He’s going to have one hell of a hangover when he wakes up.”

  “You’re not going to be sympathetic, are you?”

  “Of course not. He wouldn’t be if it was me.”

  ————————————-∞————————————-

  A few hours later, Gabriel was woken by someone gently stroking his face. He knew who it was and didn’t bother to open his eyes when he spoke.

  “I’m not going to invite you into bed with me Katie. I made a promise to Jonathon.”

  “That’s not why I’m here,” she said.

  He opened his eyes and instantly regretted it as the light in the room caused pain to shoot through his head. He rolled onto his back and somehow managed to sit up. His head was throbbing and his mouth felt dry. He looked down at himself. He was lying on top of the bed, fully clothed. Someone had removed his shoes.

  “Would you care to elaborate?” he asked when he looked at Katie.

  “Jonathon made it down to dinner, managed to eat without throwing up, then crawled back into bed. We decided you would prefer to sleep than eat. Luke, however, warned us that you would need blood.”

  She held out her arm to him, exposing her wrist.

  “I’m not sure that’s a good idea,” Gabriel said.

  “I trust you,” Katie said. “Just promise me you won’t put any venom in me.”

  “I promise,” he said, took hold of her hand and sank his fangs into her before she could change her mind.

  As it always did whenever he drank blood, a sense of euphoria filled him. He forgot about the pain in his head; all he could think about was how good the red liquid tasted.

  He didn’t take much, just enough to stave off the craving until the following evening, when he could go out and find someone else’s blood to take.

  “Thank you,” he said when he pulled his mouth away from her arm. “I needed that.”

  “I would say my pleasure, but we both know I would be lying.”

  She slid off the bed and just before she reached the door, Gabriel called out to her. “Katie. Make sure you tell Jonathon.”

  She smiled at his concern. “I will. Now go back to sleep. Anna already knows you won’t be making it into the office tomorrow.”

  ————————————-∞————————————-

  The door creaked as Katie opened it. She paused before entering the room, looking down the corridor to make sure the noise hadn’t woken anyone.

  Gabriel waited until he heard the door close before switching the lamp on beside his bed.

  “Katie,” he said in surprise, managing at the last moment to turn his volume down. “What are you doing here?”

  “What you usually do. Taking what I want.” She walked forward and stopped next to the bed. She was wearing just her dressing gown and when she undid the belt and let it slip to the floor, she revealed her naked body.

  Gabriel swallowed, unable to take his eyes off her. “We can’t do this,” he said so quietly Katie could only just hear him. “I told your husband that I would not make a move on you and I do not go back on my word.”

  She smiled at him, pulled back the covers and slipped into the bed beside him. “You’re not making a move on me. I’m making a move on you. There’s a big difference.”

  She put her arms around his neck and kissed him. He did nothing to stop her.

  ————————————-∞————————————-

  Jonathon gently shook Katie awake. Her tossing and turning had woken him and she was breathing heavily. Her eyes shot open and she sat up. She took some deep breaths to try to control her racing heart then relaxed back down on the bed.

  “What were you dreaming about?” he asked. Nearly a week had passed since the hearing and life was slowly returning to normal. Katie had told Jonathon about giving Gabriel her blood and he had understood her reasons.

  Katie refused to look at him when she said, “Nothing.”

  In the lamplight, Jonathon could clearly see her face turning red. That told him all he needed to know. “It was one of those dreams was it?” He grinned at her. “Should I ask why you are having sex dreams about Gabriel?”

  The colour drained from her face. “I wasn’t dreaming about Gabriel,” she lied.

  His grin widened. “You called out his name in your sleep.”

  Something close to panic crossed her face. “I swear to God Jonathon I don’t—” Katie started to say, but Jonathon placed his finger over her lips, silencing her.

  “It’s okay. You can’t control your dreams. I know you don’t want Gabriel, and even if you did you wouldn’t do anything about it. I also know that right now you are turned on and I intend to take advantage of it, only this time it will be my name you call out.”

  He kissed her and all thoughts of Gabriel left her mind.

  ————————————-∞————————————-

  “You look tired,” JD said to Katie as she entered the arena the next morning.

  Jonathon couldn’t resist teasing her. “She wore herself out in her sleep.”

  “Jonathon,�
�� Katie said in a warning tone, but he ignored her.

  “She had a sex dream about Gabriel last night.”

  “Jonathon,” she said again, this time in shock. She couldn’t believe he had said that in front of everyone.

  His grin was more than she could take. She balled up her fist and punched him in the stomach, making him exhale sharply.

  “Katie,” JD said, trying to sound angry but not managing it as he failed to contain his laughter. “That was not called for. You chose to marry him, you have to deal with the consequences. But in your own time, not mine. You two, opposite ends of the arena. Now. You can sort out your problems after the training session.”

  JD worked them all harder than normal and they all knew that Jonathon and Katie were to blame.

  “Can we borrow the arena this evening?” Craig asked when the session had ended. JD knew why he was asking. Whenever a hunter did anything to annoy the others, they used the arena to practice group attacks on the offending party. This time JD wasn’t sure if Craig was blaming Jonathon or Katie, but suspected it might be both.

  “Of course you can. What time?”

  Craig looked at Jonathon. “Are you free at six thirty?” He wanted to say no, but he would only be postponing the inevitable. He nodded his head. “Katie?”

  Katie glared at Jonathon, then said she was. “Scott, Jane,” Craig continued. “I presume you two want to join us.”

  “Definitely,” Scott said and Jane agreed.

  Craig looked at Sarah, but she shook her head. “I’m staying out of this one. While I plan to keep training and hunting for a while longer, I do not intend to take any unnecessary risks.” She ignored the look JD gave her. They had not discussed her giving up hunting since he told her she had to, but the argument would have to happen soon.

  “Get out of here everyone,” JD said. “And please don’t break anything this evening. We may get called out on a hunt and I need everyone fit and able to fight.”

  Katie didn’t speak to Jonathon as they went to their room and she turned her back on him when he joined her in the shower.

  When he slipped his arms around her, she didn’t pull away. He kissed her neck then whispered in her ear. “I can give him a call and organise a threesome if you want.”

  She elbowed him in the ribs, making him back away, gasping in pain.

  “This isn’t funny,” she said.

  He grinned at her once more, still holding his left side. “Yes it is.”

  “I hate you.”

  He cautiously approached her, turned her around and put his arms around her once more. “No you don’t,” he said and kissed her. She didn’t push him away.

  When Katie and Jonathon eventually made it down to breakfast, the topic of conversation was Katie’s dream about Gabriel.

  “Care to share the details?” Jane asked.

  “No I don’t and if anyone mentions this to him, you are dead meat.”

  “Alright,” Scott said. “I’ll just tell Luke instead, next time he comes here.”

  Katie looked like she was about to explode so JD intervened. “Nobody will mention anything to anyone,” he said. Technically he couldn’t order any of them to keep quiet as it didn’t affect his role as their trainer in any way, but he didn’t think that would occur to any of them. Sarah maybe, but she would do as he asked anyway.

  “Jonathon should not have said anything,” JD continued, “and I’ll be having a few words with him after breakfast.”

  Jonathon said nothing for the rest of the meal. Being summoned to JD’s office was never a pleasant experience.

  “What have I actually done wrong?” he asked a short while later as he walked up to JD’s desk.

  “Nothing,” JD said. “Take a seat.”

  Jonathon did as instructed. “I’m your older brother,” JD said. “I just want to know that you’re alright. If you’re concerned about Katie having dreams about another man, you can talk to me about it.”

  Jonathon relaxed. “I’m fine. I know there’s nothing in it. I’ve had enough dreams about women in the past to know they don’t mean I actually want to sleep with them. I even had a dream about Sarah once.”

  He saw the look on JD’s face and quickly continued. “I knew it meant nothing, just like I know Katie’s dream about Gabriel means nothing. She’s still madly in love with me and I intend to make sure she stays that way.”

  “Okay. But you need to stop teasing her. We both know she can beat you in the arena.”

  “Like hell she can.”

  JD smiled at his brother. “Stop teasing her or we may get to find out. Now be careful tonight. It’s three against two so it should be a fairly even fight, as long as you and Katie work together. If you don’t it will be painful for both of you.”

  “I appreciate your concern, but Katie and I are fine. Now I need to go to work. Come and watch tonight if you want.”

  “I might well do that.”

  ————————————-∞————————————-

  Sarah and Natalie were both on the balcony watching the fight when JD walked in. The attackers weren’t taking it easy on Katie and Jonathon, but they were defending themselves well, working as a team. They were using Bo not swords, but damage could still be done.

  “We need to talk,” he said as he slipped his arms around Sarah.

  She knew he was thinking about her comment that morning about hunting. “No we don’t,” she said. “I know you’re right. My suits are getting tight. Silvia has had to let them out twice already. She said she will have to make new ones for me if I want to keep wearing them for much longer. I’m taking that as a sign it’s time for me to stop.”

  “Well that was easier than I was expecting.”

  “You’re not the only one to care about this baby. I can be reasonable when it’s right to do so.” She rolled her shoulders. “All of my muscles ache. What are the chances of you giving me a massage?”

  “I knew there would be an alternative reason for you not arguing with me. Come on. I’ll see what I can do.”

  As they left the balcony, they heard Jonathon swear as Scott managed to get past his defences.

  ————————————-∞————————————-

  The following Wednesday, JD was working late again, so he wasn’t around when the hunt alarm went off. Everyone was surprised when Sarah said she wouldn’t be joining them. They knew that JD wanted her to stop hunting, but had been expecting her to try to go on this hunt, seeing as he wasn’t around to prevent her.

  It was hard watching them leave without her, but she was doing the right thing.

  When JD got home, the house seemed deserted. He couldn’t find Sarah anywhere and he began to worry. She had phoned him to let him know that the others were going on a hunt. He had not answered, but the voicemail that she left told him that she wasn’t going with them.

  The empty spaces where the hunting cars were usually parked told JD that his team had not yet returned from their hunt and Natalie’s missing car reminded him that she said she was working late that evening. The cafe she worked at was holding some sort of special event and she had agreed to help out.

  Sarah’s car was there, but he couldn’t find her in any room he searched. He didn’t believe that she would lie to him about going on the hunt, but he had no idea where else she could be. He tried calling her, but there was no answer. He heard her phone ringing and found it in their bedroom.

  Eventually he knocked on the door of Doc and Silvia’s suite. “Do you have any idea where Sarah is?” he asked as soon as Silvia answered the door.

  She smiled at the concerned look on his face. “Yes. She’s in our bathroom. She wanted a bath and, seeing as it’s the only one in the house, I could hardly turn her away.” They had plans to convert one of the spare bedrooms into another bathroom, as they would need easy access to a bath when the baby arrived, but the work had yet to start.

  “Thank you,” JD said then turned around
and started to move away from the door.

  “Where are you going?” Silvia asked. “I’m sure she would love you to join her.”

  JD moved so fast to the bathroom he was almost running. He knocked on the door, received permission to enter and did so.

  Sarah was lying in the bath, her head on a pillow and her eyes closed. She looked so relaxed JD didn’t want to disturb her.

  “Get your clothes off,” she said, without opening her eyes.

  “Yes ma’am,” he said and quickly undressed. She moved forward so he could get in behind her, then she laid back against him.

  “Are you alright?” he asked as he caressed her arm.

  “As long as you don’t stop doing that I’ll be. I’m just a little tired. I think I need to cut down on my training.”

  “Do whatever you feel is best,” he said.

  They stayed in the bath until the water was almost cold. When they finally emerged from the bathroom, Doc told JD that he had received a call from the hunter council, asking JD to contact them.

  “Any idea what about?” JD asked.

  “Yes,” Doc said. “But I’m not going to tell you.”

  JD was muttering under his breath as he entered his office. As soon as he finished his conversation with Damon, he went in search of Sarah. He found her watching TV and asked her to join him in his office.

  “What did the council want?” she asked, knowing that was what JD wanted to talk to her about.

  “They want me to join the council,” he said.

  Sarah was both surprised and pleased. It was a greater honour than being given the chance to become a trainer and she had never heard of anyone so young being asked.

  “I said no,” JD said. “I have no interest in helping run the hunter society and it would take up too much of my time. I am a trainer and a very good one. I don’t want to have to give that up.”

  Sarah didn’t try to change his mind. It was his decision and she would support him whatever he chose to do. “Who do they plan to ask instead?”

  “I have made a suggestion,” JD said. “I’m not sure if they will take it up, but they have promised to call me when they decide.”

  “Can I ask who?”