BloodGifted (19 page)

Douglas appeared innocuous, but I kept an ear to every word that came out of
his mouth. His scent changed and the nice-surfer boy image slipped. Laura stood up to him, but when his fangs appeared and she struggled to escape his hold on her, I moved.

Even as I did so,
Jean and Jake bore down on them while Sam attempted to restrain Luc. I was at her side before any of the others and quietly took hold of the situation. I let slip a glimpse of my own beast and Douglas drew back when he saw his peril. He disappeared into the crowd—but not back to Maris’s group. Jean and Jake, with a nod to me, followed him out.

Laura flexed
her fingers. He’d hurt her, and the urge to kill him overwhelmed me and threatened to destroy a perfectly pleasant evening. I concentrated on massaging her hand to prevent any bruising, as there’s an unwritten code that personal grievances among the Brethren must be set aside for the period of the Ritual. No killings. Not even I could violate it. But who would know if Douglas disappeared and nothing remained of him but ash?

The rest of the night was, thankfully, uneventful. By four a
.m. Laura could barely keep her eyes open, and when she slowly lowered her head onto her arms over the back of her seat, it was time to go. I picked her up and carried her into the house.

Judith and Luc came as well
and directed me to her bedroom. It was one of the largest and most beautifully furnished in the house; originally her room before they made the heart-wrenching decision to place her with John’s family.

I laid her on the bed and, on impulse, kissed her soft cheek as Judith removed her shoes and pulled the covers
over her. I was about to leave when she stirred and opened her eyes.

‘Alec?’ she murmured sleepily.

‘Yes. Go back to sleep.’

I waited until her eyes
closed and her breathing evened before I left.

*
              *              *

Most of the guests
drifted off by the early morning, before the sun rose and Luc escorted the last few stragglers into waiting cars. Terens and Sam were meant to be on guard duty tonight, but with Laura here, they had the night off. Still, Sam mentioned they might swing past her flat and check things out before going hunting. Both were currently unattached and the occasional hunt kept their skills honed.

‘Double-dating
,’ Sam called it.

According to Terens, t
heir female prey enjoyed every minute of it. ‘We leave them satisfied and begging for more!’ he once boasted to me.

I
wandered up to the games room where the men had congregated after everyone left. It was located on the first level in the guest wing of the house, at the end of the corridor. Jake, Cal and Jean were at the billiards table and had just started to play when I entered. Each clutched a goblet of O positive in their hand.

‘How’s Lau
ra,’ Jake asked and he sunk a yellow ball. ‘It couldn’t have been easy for her—being told what she is and then having to go through the Ritual. It took a lot of courage to do that.’

‘I
t did,’ I agreed.

‘Does she know?’ Jean asked
as he chalked his graphite cue.

H
e was referring to Laura’s true parentage. ‘Not yet. That’s up to Luc.’ I made myself comfortable in one of the leather armchairs. 

‘Of course,’ he replied.

‘Jake, you and Jean followed that kid, Douglas. He didn’t return to Maris’s group, so where did he go?’

‘T
hey had a boat moored at the jetty and he scurried down there like a rat. One of his charming group joined him. Luc needs to know. That area’s not secure. What’s the use of having guards at the entrance gate when they can slip in harbour-side? Sam needs to get onto it.’

He was right
. I hadn’t thought of that. But on the other hand, not even Maris would risk doing something to one of the Bloodgifted here. The penalty for violating the sanctity of an Elder’s house was death.

I extended my senses
and heard the steady rhythm of Laura’s heart. Slow and steady, she was asleep and safe. ‘They won’t try anything here,’ I said.

‘No, not here, but Laura lives alone,’ he pointed out. ‘Even though she’s supposed to be untouchable, Maris won’t respect that.’

I let out a sigh. Laura was independent, but could I persuade her to stay here? Of course, I could always move in with her. That would go down well with Sommers. For a moment I enjoyed the mental picture knowing it wasn’t going to happen. I had to think of something and it looked more and more like that would be some sort of deal—once I made him aware of the danger Laura faced. As a police detective I was sure he’d be more than willing to provide her with protection.

Although t
he Games Room was completely sealed from sunlight we all could sense the dawn. Cal was the first to get drowsy. He laid down his cue, moved to the drinks cabinet and located a full bottle of Armagnac. Waving me goodbye with it, he headed out the door.

‘You actually going to drink all that?’ Jake called after him.

‘Why not?’

Jake shook his head, raised his eyes and laughed. ‘
What you need is a woman!’

‘Had one.’
His voice trailed from the corridor.

‘Recently? Listen, there’s this
really great place…’ Jake sunk his last red ball, dropped his cue on the felt tabletop and hurried after him.

Jean
lingered a while longer. ‘What if something were to happen to you? Who would be Laura’s guardian then?’

H
is question puzzled me. ‘Why ask?’

‘Just curious. Has
it ever happened?’

‘No.’

He stood there gazing at me, a rather curious expression on his face before walking past me and out the door. As I watched his retreating back there was no doubt in my mind now, he resented me. But was he a danger? I figuratively shook my head and dismissed the idea as far-fetched. After all, Jean was part of our intimate circle—family—but even in the closest of families rivalries exist.

A deep sense of unease stole over me
. I thought back over the last few months and noticed he’d become more withdrawn lately, keeping to himself and even disappearing for days without letting anyone know of his whereabouts. And lately, he’d taken to blocking his emotions when around us. Yet earlier this evening he had slipped. Anger emanated from him in waves when Luc reminded him I was Laura’s guardian.

The more I thought about it, the greater my unease. Jean would have to be confronted. As I considered when would be the best time, I realised it was daylight and Sam and Terens hadn’t returned.
I temporarily shunted my concerns regarding Jean aside and extended my senses to try and pick up those two.

Most B
rethren can pick out voices within a three mile radius. Mine extended to double that. Yet I couldn’t hear anything from them. Perhaps they were in the city, beyond my range, and had decided to sleep at one of the safe houses run by the Brethren. Many were staffed by human females who enjoyed servicing our kind. I was sure they’d turn up this evening.

The rest of the house was quiet, apart from the sound of t
hree distinct human heartbeats—John, Judith and Laura’s. Luc’s heart, like mine, beat once every ten minutes and he just joined me in the Games Room.

‘What are we going to do about Laura
?’ I asked.

‘
She’s stubborn. We can’t force her to stay here,’ he replied, picked up the black ball and tossed it around in his hands.

‘Like her father.’

He chuckled. ‘I liked the idea of you moving in with her.’

He’d been listening in.
‘Sommers might object.’
But, I’d enjoy that,
I thought.

‘Well then, perha
ps it is time to talk to him. He needs to know.’

‘You or me?’

‘I think it’d be best from me. I’ll speak to him when he comes for her tonight.’

‘Fine
.’

Since it was only about six a
.m. and I didn’t expect anyone to wake till at least eleven, I took Maris’s DNA sample—still in my jacket pocket—to the lab and see if it matched the read-out Sommers gave me.

Sunshine greeted me as I left the house, but not the drowsiness of the day
-sleep, nor the burning pain or blistered skin that every blood drinker fears. It was the gift of the
Ingenii
and
one that set me apart from my kind. Any other vampire would have lost their hand after just a few minutes of exposure. Sunlight was death.

I
got into my car and drove to Rozelle, to the Munro Research Laboratories, and the small private hospital attached to the facility just off Victoria Road. Several gum trees lined the entrance partially obscuring the sign. I made a mental note to get their branches trimmed as I drove around the block and entered the “Staff Only” parking area.

Phil, the lead technician a
rrived at the same time. A tall, gangly man in his mid-forties, he’d given up trying to maintain the few stray hairs that clung to his scalp and shaved it all off. His bald pate shone in the morning sun as he greeted me at the entrance.

‘Morning bos
s. Good evening, was it?’ A big grin lit up his face.

I’d forgotten I was still in the
tux I’d worn last night to the Ritual—minus the jacket and bow tie, which I’d left behind at Luc’s. ‘Excellent evening. Glad it’s over though.’

‘Yeah. I don’t like
those dress-up things. Gimme jeans and T-shirt any day.’

I couldn’t help but agree.
They were my sentiments exactly. ‘Phil, I’ve got an extra job for you,’ I said as we entered the building.

I rarely made such requests and he gave me a quizzical look. ‘Sure. What is it?’

I lifted the plastic bag containing the cocktail glass, from which Maris had drunk, out of my jacket pocket and handed it to him. ‘I need the DNA on this glass analysed. Fax the results to me ASAP.’ I dug my wallet out, scribbled down Luc’s fax number on my notepad and tore off the sheet. ‘At this number.’

He took it
and nodded. ‘It’ll take at least seventy-two hours, assuming this is a good sample,’ he replied and held it up.

‘It is.’

‘Skin, saliva… the whole works?’

‘Whatever you can get. And while you’re at it, text me the results of the LD#5 sample will you?’

‘On it,’ he said and disappeared through the sliding steel doors into the main lab area.

I returned
to my car and drove back to Luc’s. Along the way I stopped at a newsagent and bought the morning papers. For the next few hours I scoured every page and hoped I wouldn’t find any news about murdered children. I expected Luc’s warning to be taken seriously.

On top of that I wondered how to pr
otect Laura from rogue vampires and, most importantly, how to seduce her before the day was out. If I didn’t there was a good chance Sommers would persuade her to marry him and the curse would continue—and with it my servitude.

Chapter 14

Breakfast

LAURA

The persistent buzzing of my mobile phone woke me. I reached out, grabbed it from the bedside table and switched it off. What time was it? I opened one eye and checked my watch—eleven a.m. I had no idea what time I got to bed last night—or was it early this morning?—and I didn’t feel like getting up yet. Images from the Ritual mingled with my dreams and Alec dominated each one.

I conscientiously struggled to bring Matt’s face to mind and decided to ring him, only to find he’d left me a message.

Hi Babe, tried to ring, your phone was off. Pick u up t/nite @8. Loved Sat nite & LOVE YOU.
There was a smiley attached.

I
smiled at the memory of Saturday night, put the phone down, then sat there wondering what to do first—shower, go exploring or have breakfast? If the house was anything like my room it was going to be a major expedition. It was then I realised I was still wore my silver-blue evening gown.

Whoever
had placed me in this room hadn’t bothered to remove my dress. Maybe just as well, as an image—or was it a dream?—of Alec laying me down on the bed, popped into my head. I wasn’t sure whether I should be excited by that thought or discomforted. But whichever, that man had a disturbing effect on me.

Well
I wasn’t going to think of that now. On the bedside table lay a note:

‘
Look in the closet.’

Attached was a map of the house with directions to the kitchen. I re
cognised Alec’s handwriting.

I shook my head and smiled. He was considerate as well as charming and I wanted to see him again.

The room was enormous. I’d slept very comfortably in an amazing four-poster, canopied bed that could have accommodated at least three people. It was covered in drapery printed with rosebuds and flowery garlands. Dark stained floors and beams gave the bedroom an old-worldly, even Tudor look. A solid chest sat at the foot of the bed while cotton rugs, in the same rosebud print as the drapes, covered the floors.

I decided
to look for the closet mentioned in the note. Slipping out of the huge bed I wandered over to one of two other closed doors in the room—the one nearest my bed. It opened to reveal the biggest walk-in wardrobe I’d ever seen, with more clothes, shoes, handbags and assorted accessories than any woman could ever use.

I felt like Alice in Wonderland!

I selected a pair of l
oose-fitting, cream silk shorts and a simple cotton blouse. There was even a matching pair of cream ankle-laced wedge-heeled sandals. I slipped them on and they fitted perfectly.

Leaving
the closet with my new clothes, I lay them on the bed and went to the other closed door adjacent to the windows. Peering in, I found my bathroom.

At least the same size as the room I’d slept in, the bathroom had an Edwardian look.
A fine, pale salmon flowery print wallpaper covered the walls and matching pie-frill edged, cotton curtains hung over the large box-window at the far end. In the centre of the room, like a regal queen, sat a luxurious two-stepped marble bath with its own shelf displaying a set of Vogue magazines, a little china bowl of pot-pourri and a wicker basket brimming with various goodies—bath bombs, coloured glass jars filled with bubble-bath and deliciously scented miniature soaps, shampoo and conditioner. There were even gold-plated tap fittings.

The other end of the room contained a ceramic-lidded toilet and a glass-enclosed shower, while the nearby vanity boasted a marble washbasin, two thick white towels and a bathrobe hung next to the door.

I gasped at the opulence and a long, decadent soak just beckoned.

After lying there for nearly half an hour, covered in bubb
les, my stomach began to rumble reminding me it was time for breakfast.

I climbed out of the tub
and walked over to grab one of the towels, leaving a frothy trail on the bathroom floor behind me. After getting dressed, I checked my hair and decided to let it hang long, straight and wet down my back. It would dry soon enough as the day promised to be another hot one.

With
Alec’s map in hand, I stepped into the corridor.

Portraits lined the length of the walls,
so I stopped to look at them. All showed images of men, painted at different times and in various styles. As I checked the plaques beneath each, and the dates at which they were painted, I realised these were my ancestors—
Ingenii
all.

It was a gallery of Dantonville
s.

The closer I got to the stairs, the more recent the portraits until I
stood before one I recognised—my grandfather, Owen Dantonville. Next to him hung a youthful picture of my aunt Judy. She’d been beautiful and in many ways still was. Her rich dark copper hair, like mine, contrasted vividly with her lavender eyes.

The space next to her was empty. I guessed that
’s where my portrait would go one day.

I headed down the stairs,
following the directions on the map, and found the kitchen. It alone could have swallowed up my entire unit—it was the size of an industrial lab. I wondered why a vampire would need such a huge modern eatery?

There were
several refrigerators and a massive stove that would have warmed the heart of any chef. Modern laminate workbenches and ceiling to floor shelf units were stocked with crockery and the latest cooking gadgets. The floor was covered in spotless cream tiles, and rustic baskets—containing various dried herbs and flowers—were scattered among a variety of breakfast stools and high-backed steel chairs. I’d noticed that most of the furnishings in the house were either glass, metal or stone. There was very little timber to be seen, except for the ceiling beams in my room and the heavily lacquered doors throughout.

Made sense,
I thought. Last thing a vampire needs around the house is the very material that could kill him.

Alec sat
at the large polished-stone table holding the morning newspaper. His  cup of black coffee smelled good. He looked up as I came in.

‘Morning.’ H
e smiled.

‘Morning to you too.’

‘Slept well?’

‘Very well thanks, although I don’t remem
ber my head hitting the pillow let alone how I got there.’

‘You were almost asleep on your feet when I carried you up.’

‘You carried me?’ So it hadn’t been a dream.

‘You look really cute when you’re asleep,’ he said with a mischievous smile.

‘Um… thank you for the map,’ I said, trying not to react to his comment.

‘You’re welcome. I thought you might need it t
o find your way around.’

‘It’d be fun to
explore.’

‘
I approve of your outfit,’ he said as he looked me up and down.

I glanced down at my shorts and
realised how short they were. Self-consciously I tugged down at the hem.

‘
What’s to eat?’ I asked in an effort to change the subject, but regretted it almost immediately as his smile broadened and he gazed at me as if I were on the menu. I made a mental note to remember not to mention the word, food and myself in the same sentence!

He waved his arm at the expanse of the kitchen.
‘You name it, Luc’s got it!’

Alec rose from the
table, rummaged through the cupboard directly behind him and pulled out several different cereal boxes, two French sticks, butter, strawberry jam and laid them on the table. Opening another cupboard he took out a bowl, sandwich plate and coffee mug. Finally, he strode over to one of the refrigerators, extracted a carton of milk and a glass container of fresh fruit and added them to the rest after which he sat back down and picked up his mug of coffee.

I shook my head in amazement. ‘You
know your way around. Who eats all this?’

‘The household staff
and Luc often has Brethren guests who bring their
donsangs
with them.’

That made sense. ‘Household staff? I haven’t seen anyone.’

‘They catered and cleaned up early this morning. Luc gave them the rest of the day off.’

I nodded in understanding
.

‘It’s on the stove,’ he said.
He must have noticed the way I inhaled the delicious scent of his coffee

‘Do they
know what he is?’ I asked as I poured myself a mug full.

‘Oh yes,’ he said nonchalantly. ‘He pays very well and some of them like to donate blood to visiting guests.’

‘Hummmph, learn something every day!’ I closed my eyes and sipped the delicious brew. He chuckled and I opened them to see him grinning at me.

‘Did I say something funny?’

‘Laura, you amaze me. Less than a few days ago you knew nothing of our existence and now, you’re almost blasé about it.’

‘I don’t know about blasé, but
as of last night I’m accepting. Are you hungry?’ I asked, although I didn’t really know why. Maybe just curiosity as I remember him telling me he could go for a couple of days without feeding.

‘I ate last night.
But if you’re offering?’ The way he looked at me, with that half-smile, made my toes curl and images of his mouth on my throat sent a delicious ripple through me. I quickly squashed it as his smile grew and he held out his hand.

I walked toward him wonder
ing how this was going to work and as I placed my hand in his, he pulled me onto his lap. I gasped as it was not what I expected. Alec seemed to take no notice as he wrapped one hand firmly around my waist and with the other took hold of my right wrist and gently drew it to his mouth. I felt a quick sting as his fangs pierced my skin and into my vein.

At least this time I knew what to expect.
He seemed human as I gazed at his bent head, yet here he was drinking my blood. It was surreal.

Not knowing exactly
what to do with my other hand—hold onto the back of the chair? Drape it around his wide shoulders? Was that too intimate?—I let it hover indecisively above his head till I gave in to the urge and stroked his thick black hair. It was like touching a raven’s wing—soft and silky.

When he stopped feeding, he licked the wound and kissed the inside of my wrist. ‘Thank y
ou,’ he said almost drunkenly and looked into my eyes.

T
hat other urge, the one I was warned about and experienced the previous night, surfaced and I had no will to fight. He leaned toward me, his lips so close. I lifted my chin… To my great relief, Luc and my aunt Judy entered the kitchen.

Their appearance snapped me back to my senses.
Ours was only supposed to be a platonic relationship, for both our mutual benefits. How could I face Matt if I allowed myself to develop feelings for Alec?

I leapt off hi
s lap like someone had shot me in the backside and ran out of there.