Blood Rites (17 page)

"Oh, believe me, Jen, no one would ever
confuse you with being pure, virginity be damned," Sally shot back
at her sarcastically. "Out of curiosity, does Jacque know?"

"No and she doesn't need to know. What's the
big freaking deal, Sally? So I'm not as experienced as I let on.
What does it even matter?" Jen was getting irritated at her
friend's curiosity in her sex life, or lack thereof.

"It's not really that it's a big deal as much
as it's just, kind of disappointing," Sally said, sounding
deflated.

Jen looked at her through half-hooded eyes.
"Okay, so what I'm hearing you say," Jen started then paused,
shaking her head in disbelief."You're disappointed that I'm a
virgin? Did I misunderstand you? Is my hearing going bad or are you
just a dumbass?"

"Okay, let me
esplain
it like this,
Lucy."

"By all means, Ricky,
esplain
away,"
Jen responded dryly.

"So, you know how when you are a kid and you
see Disney World on T.V.?" Jen nodded her understanding as Sally
continued. "It's so amazing and bigger than life, they show you the
fireworks above the big beautiful castle that every little girl
dreams of living in, and you think 'wow, I want to go there'."

"Are you seriously comparing me to an
amusement park?"

Sally shushed her. "Wait for it."

Jen motioned for Sally to get on with it.

"Finally your day comes and your parents take
you to Disney World. You're going to see the beautiful castle
you've seen so many times on T.V. Only when you get there and walk
up to the big castle, you realize it's just a big castle-shaped
building with a hole going through the middle where people are
walking in and out." She blew out a deflating breath. "Even though
it was still a pretty awesome place, it was a little disappointing
that the castle wound up being a fake."

Jen just stood there staring at Sally. She
didn't really know what to say, she was truly baffled by the fact
that this news was having such a detrimental effect on her best
friend. "Sally, you do realize that you just compared the news of
my virginity to an amusement park castle right? Just want to be
clear on that."

Sally nodded, biting on her bottom lip.
"Yeah, now that you put it like that it's really kind of
disturbing," she said, closing her eyes and shaking her head. "I
guess I was just expecting you to be the one to tell me what it was
like, ya know? Kind of like how you were the first one of us to
shave your legs, and try tampons, and wax your bikini line," Sally
said wistfully.

"Well, the night's still young my sweet,
innocent flower. Who knows what could happen between now and
tomorrow morning?" Jen laughed at Sally's dubious look.

"Come on, Virginia, let's go get something to
eat." Sally darted out of Jen's reach, knowing she was going to try
and hit her at the sound of her new nickname.

"Sally," Jen growled out a warning, unable to
move quickly due to the annoying IV.

"Did you say something. Virginia?" Sally
continued to tease. darting here and there to stay out of Jen's
slapping hands.

Fane and Jacque looked up from the table when
they heard Sally's singing all through the cafeteria. She was
belting out at the top of her lungs Train's "Meet Virginia". A very
pissed off looking Jen was dragging her IV pole as quickly as she
could without falling, trying to catch up to her quarry. By the
time Sally had reached the table, she had tears streaming down her
face from laughing so hard. She leaned over the table, panting,
finishing her serenade. "Her confidence is tragic, but her
intuition magic, and the shape of her body, unusual, meet
Virginia!" Sally ended dramatically, arms in the air like Vanna
White indicating where Jen now stood. Much to Jen's chagrin the
entire cafeteria broke into applause.

Jen pasted on her most dazzling smile and
waved at everyone adoringly, but to Sally she muttered under her
breath, "This is war."

Sally bowed to her audience and then to the
table where all friends sat clapping as well. Decebel stood up and
walked over to Jen. It was obvious he was trying not to laugh, and
Jen was disappointed because she really wanted to know what he
looked like when he was cracking up, but it was at her expense so
she could stand the disappointment.

"Why don't I help you to your seat?"

Jen grabbed Sally's hand. "That would be
nice, thank you, Decebel." She drug Sally behind her as she
followed Decebel to the seats he indicated. As he was pushing Jen's
chair in behind her while she sat down, Decebel leaned forward and
whispered in her ear. Jen's body went rigid. Sally looked at them
curiously, then looked at Jacque to see if she was seeing this.
Jacque shrugged her shoulders in an 'I have no clue what's up'
manner. Sally watched as Jen tilted her head up to look at Decebel.
She batted her eyes sweetly and smiled a very sensual smile. Sally
noticed Decebel's eyes begin to glow. "Hey, Fane," Jen raised her
voice about the noise in the room.

"Yes, Jen?"

"Didn't you say something about your kind
healing fast?" She asked him, never taking her eyes off of Decebel.
It was then that Sally noticef Jen had placed her hand around
Decebel's wrist of the hand that he was propping himself up on the
table with. It looked like a flirtatious gesture unless you were
seeing it from Sally's view and could see that Jen's other hand was
wrapped around the butter knife next to her plate.

Fane cleared his voice, unsure of where Jen
was going with this. "Yes, that is correct, we do heal a lot faster
than-" Before Fane could finish what he was saying, Jen
interrupted.

"Okay thanks, that's all I needed."

Jen moved faster than Sally had ever seen her
move, but it was like everything was happening in slow motion. Jen
raised the knife as her grip around Decebel's hand tightened. At
the same time, Sally and Jacque yelled, "Decebel, run!" Decebel
realized what was happening and moved quicker than the eye could
see grabbing Jen's wrist before the knife could make contact with
his flesh.

To Decebel's credit, he didn't give any
indication that a knife had just nearly been stabbed into his hand.
His golden eyes were glowing and Sally thought she could see flames
in them. "Jen, you might want to, um, go sit by Jacque, or
ru-ru-run. I'm just saying," Sally stuttered.

Jen's gaze never wavered from Decebel's. The
whole table sat frozen, waiting for his reaction. Decebel slowly
pulled the knife from her hand, he smiled slowly, showing Jen that
his canines had lengthened. "You're running out of checks,
Jennifer."

"Depends on whose checkbook you're looking
at, now doesn't it, Decebel?" Jen matched his cold sarcasm.

Before they could continue their sparring,
Dr. Steele walked up to Vasile and asked to speak with him in
private, so naturally the whole table got up and followed them.

They ended up back once again in the family
waiting area. Jacque was beginning to think that no other families
came to this floor because they were the only ones ever using this
room.

"Vasile, when I said privately, I meant just
you," Dr. Steele told him.

"I understand, Dr. Steele, but everyone in
this room will know what you have told me in a matter of
hours."

"More like minutes," Sally added.

"Good call," Jen said, going to bump fists
with Sally. But she stopped just short, remembering that she was
supposed to be mad at her. Sally just rolled her eyes.

"Fine," Dr. Steele said, giving up on trying
to persuade him otherwise. "I got Jennifer's blood results
back."

The whole room seemed to hold their breath.
Jen stepped forward slowly, forgetting about the IV attached to
her, and had Sally not caught it, would have fallen on Jen's head.
Jen never even noticed.

"What were my results?" Jen asked
apprehensively.

Sally and Jacque both stepped up on either
side of Jen in a show of silent support.

"Jennifer, do you know anything about your
genealogy?" Dr. Steele asked her.

Jen just looked at her blankly. Sally nudged
her. "Jen, she wants to know if you know about your ancestors?"
Still no answer.

This time Jacque tried. "Jen? Your lineage,
descent, forebears, pedigree-"

"I got it, Jacque," Jen cut her off.

"If you mean, do I know of any non-human
blood in my family, then the answer is no," she told Dr.
Steele.

"I'm not sure if it is a were-gene or not.
Since Jacque is not full blooded I need more of her blood to
compare it to Jennifer's. I will come by her room later tonight to
get her after the lab techs have gone home. I don't want anyone to
ask questions."

Chapter 19

"Um, Sally?
" Jacque said absently as they sat
on the bed in the hospital room she had been sleeping in.

"Yep."

"While Jen is taking a shower, why don't you
tell me exactly what happened between you two."

"What makes you think something happened?"
Sally asked, sounding utterly guilty.

"Really Sally? You were singing at the top of
your lungs 'Meet Virginia' with Jen chasing you, IV pole and all."
Jacque lifted an eyebrow at her. "You still want to go with that
answer?"

"Okay, fine, you win. She's mad at me because
I was teasing her." Jacque waited for Sally to continue, she
didn't.

"She's mad because you were teasing her,
that's it, nothing else?" Sally shook her head and continued to
look guilty. "So if I go in there and start singing 'Meet Virginia'
she won't come out here and throttle you?" Jacque made as if to get
up off the bed and go towards the bathroom.

"WAIT! Ok, you win, Jen is mad because I was
teasing her because she'savirgin." Sally said the last part so fast
that Jacque nearly missed it, nearly.

"Jen's a what?" Jacque asked in complete
shock.

"Mother of pearl! Did you guys think I was a
slut and just hanging out with you two wall flowers in my spare
time, ya know, in between tricks and what not? Why is everyone so
surprised I'M A FREAKING VIRGIN? If you are so interested let me
just throw out my reason and you can swallow it or choke on it
okay?" She continued before they could answer. "I actually think
sex is supposed to be for that one special person, and not just
'hey I love you let's do it'. I mean the one you decide to take on
for life." Jen stood in the open bathroom door, wrapped in a
towel.

"Are you saying you're going to wait to have
sex until you're married?" Sally asked in complete shock.

"Geeze, Sally, is it really that hard to
fathom? I know I joke about it a lot. I like to joke about it to
see the shock on people's faces. But personally, my forever man is
the only one getting a piece of all this hotness."

Jacque had just developed a newfound respect
for her perverted friend. "Okay, three things. First, I'm totally
digging what you're saying. I get it and I think it's great.
Second, don't change. Because out of us three only you could get
away with the things you say and we desperately need the comic
relief. And last, I'm dying to point this out technically, Jen. You
couldn't be a freaking virgin, it's an oxymoron."

"Good one, Vern." Sally bumped Jacques
fist.

"I know, right?" Jacque smiled. "We learned
from the best, Sal."

"You two hussies better not forget it,
either," Jen growled at them.

"Are you done being mad at me?" Sally
asked.

Jen glared at her for a minute. "Yeah," she
said, waving her off. "I was having a really hard time staying mad
anyway. I have to give you serious props for the whole 'Meet
Virginia' bit, that was pure genius."

"I know." Sally dusted off each shoulder. "I
got mad skills, yo."

"Had I known you were singing that because
you had just found out about our perverted little friend's deep,
dark secret, I seriously would have peed on myself from laughing so
hard."

"So, Jen. You going to fess up to what
Decebel whispered in your ear that caused you to stab the poor
wolf?" Jacque asked her petulant friend.

"Where's Fane?" Jen asked, ignoring Jacque's
question.

"He's sitting on the other side of that door,
growling at anything and anyone that comes within a few feet of
it," Jacque said, nodding her head towards said door. "Now answer
the question, Jen."

Jen didn't answer right away, she wasn't sure
how to answer if she was being honest with herself which was a
practice that she liked to avoid because it usually lead to being
reasonable, and frankly, where was the fun in that? Sally and
Jacque waited patiently, not wanting to provoke Jen's as-of-late
testy temper.

"I don't really know what it means," Jen told
them.

"Well, if you tell us we might be able to
help you figure it out. You know we are good at figuring stuff out
and what not."

"Oh, yes. How could I forget the mighty Sally
and Jacque, super sleuthing divas," Jen said sarcastically.

"Hey, that has a ring to it," Jacque said
thoughtfully.

"Jacque, focus." Sally elbowed her.

"He said," Jen began, and much to her
amusement her two friends edged towards her, bodies leaning
forward, hanging on her every word."You two are like two monkeys
waiting for the tourist to throw you a banana peel."

"Jen, you do remember what monkeys like to
throw back at those tourists, don't you? Spill it now," Sally
growled.

"He dared me to give him a reason to kill
someone if the time came that he called me Virginia and it no
longer pertained to me." When Sally and Jacque didn't say anything,
Jen looked up at them and saw that they were both wide eyed with
their mouths hanging open. "Are you going to say something?"

Sally got up and began to pace the room,
chewing on her bottom lip and muttering under her breath. Jacque
continued to look dumbfounded.