Cast in Blood (Morgan Blackstone Vampires Book 1) (25 page)

“Pumpkin time?”
 

“If you haven’t fed by the time the sun rises in,” Morgan paused, her eyes part way closed, “about an hour, you will die.”

“What?” Die? I thought this vampire thing was supposed to make it more difficult to kill me. I’ve gone longer than this between meals and haven’t fallen over dead,
he thought, with a frown, as he felt his heartbeat kick back into high gear.

“Your blood is strong, but you won’t be able to heal the damage the change has done, without human blood. It’s like a starving human. Your body will, in essence, cannibalize itself.”

“How long does that last?” he asked, but when he saw the incredulous look on the vampire’s face, he shook his head. “I mean having to feed every day, because I know for a fact that Elizabeth didn’t have to.”

“We don’t have time for many more questions,” she answered, shaking her head.
If he keeps this up he’s going to run out of time and I may have to resort to drastic measures. I don’t want to force feed him, but I swear to Goddess that I will
. “But to answer this one, no one can say for certain. Because you were fed Marcus’s blood, my guess would be not too long.”

“How can a donor sustain that level of feedings? Won’t they get anemic?”

“Yes. That’s why during this period, it’s best that you hunt with an elder vampire. They can help you find people who deserve death, or you can hunt with an elder and have one night stands,” Morgan answered and glanced at her watch, reminding Eric that they were pressed for time.

“So the partner is to help keep me from losing control?”
Is this normal? Maybe I should ask Morgan. Damn her perfume is nice. What is wrong with me? Why can’t I focus?

“Yes, but also because they can make the humans you feed from remember a different version of the night.”

“So, there’s no way I can let this man live?” His eyes drifted to the bound man.
 

“I’m sorry, not that I know of. It’s not something I’ve experienced, and if there is someone, they won’t get here in time. When we’re feeding we have to let the beast loose.”

“I’m not sure I can do this.” Eric sighed and covered his face with his hands.

“You can. If you want, I can cut him. If you think, it will help your conscience.” Morgan’s voice had gone soft, comforting.
 

“No.” Eric sighed, and shook his head, releasing his death grip on the cross.
“If I’m going to survive for more than a few more hours,
” his eyes went back to the body on the floor. It helped if he thought about him like a body, something already dead.
“I’ve got to do this.”
He stood and took a few steps toward the man. Annabelle looked up and smiled.

“He’s out cold. He’ll never know what happened.” The small woman’s voice filled the room with an air of authority.

“Why this guy? I mean; he doesn’t look like someone I’d nail as a suspect.”

“As you age, you’ll develop a sense that allows you to see into the hearts of humans,” Annabelle explained. “At first, it will be feelings, like a heightened sense of intuition that is uncanny in its accuracy. As you age, and your powers evolve, you might hear thoughts.”

“Will I be able to hear other vampires?” Eric asked, as he watched Annabelle bare the man’s throat. His eyes were drawn to the blue vein that pulsed, steady and even. The thundering of the man’s heart filled his ears. Eric closed his eyes and looked away, but it didn’t help. If anything, it made the situation worse, as the rust–like scent rushed to the forefront of his consciousness. Some part deep inside of him wanted blood, demanding the life giving fluid.

“No, and you won’t be able to hear any other not–quite human beings. Don’t ask why. I haven’t met anyone who can explain it, and it’s not like we can run tests,” Morgan said.

“What did he do?” He growled through gritted teeth, as the beast strained every ounce of self–control Eric possessed. The tips of his fangs bit into the inside of his lower lip, the sharp pain helping to bring him back to his senses.
Is this what it’s always going to be like?
he thought, with an internal groan.

“He liked to take what he wanted from women.” Annabelle traced the vein with one perfectly manicured fingernail. “Whether or not they were willing. Hell, he didn’t even care if they were awake.”

“What do I do?” Eric asked, feeling fear sink its claws into the base of his skull. Strands of ice slithered through his nervous system.
 

“You need to let go,” Morgan whispered, her voice low and sultry, as she knelt at his side.

“What Morgan means,” Annabelle said, “is that you need to stop trying to control your instincts. There is a new side to you, one that can hear his heart beating, the blood pounding in his veins.” As she spoke, her voice shifted from businesslike to something akin to a storyteller. Eric knew she was speaking from experience. “I suggest you close your eyes and take a deep breath.” The words sounded more like an order than a suggestion.
 

“How on earth is that going to help?” he snapped.
 

“It’ll help you get out of your own way,” Morgan answered, drawing his attention to her. She was the picture of serenity. “You’re a vampire now. Physiologically your body knows what to do. You just have to get out of your own way.”
 

“So, if I close my eyes, I’ll stop thinking so much?” Eric’s brow furrowed, and he felt his fangs throb in time with the human’s heart.

“Yes,” Morgan answered, glancing at her watch again. A dark shadow had passed over her expression for an instant before she was able to get her features under control again.

“You have a bad poker face.” He shook his head. “We’re out of time, aren’t we?” He felt his stomach sink, nausea rolling over him in relentless waves.

“Damned close. Maybe five to ten minutes,” Morgan answered, knowing that he could feel the pull of the sun, but wouldn’t know what it meant yet.
Another lesson for another night
, she thought,
this is just about living beyond the sunrise
. “You are of Marcus’s blood so maybe there’s a little extra time but...” She let the rest of the sentence hang, unfinished.

“All right then.” Eric closed his eyes, and let the sounds of the night fill his ears. He expected to hear cars, and the hum of the city where he’d spent his entire life.
It has changed since the hurricane a few years ago but is still soothing.
That wasn’t what he heard. The only sounds filling his ears were several heartbeats. They bounced in his ears like pinballs that sent his own heart racing.
 

“Take a deep breath and relax,” Morgan encouraged.

Eric nodded and inhaled, long and slow, letting his lungs fill. The scent hit him in an instant, flooding his awareness with information he couldn’t process. His fangs throbbed in time with a steady rhythmic heart.
That’s gotta be the human. How the hell do I know that? No, I don’t have the time to think about this too much
.

“Stop thinking, just let instinct take over,” Morgan whispered, as if she knew what was happening.
 

“Instinct?”
What does she mean by that? I’ve never fed before. I’ve got no idea how.

“Yes. You’re a vampire now, so you have our instincts. Trust in them. Listen to the heart.” Her voice shifted to a lower register. “Hear it beating, pulsing with life–sustaining blood.” The soft lilting style of her Irish accent took on a hypnotic quality, as she spoke.
 

Eric was aware of movement to his left, and a new scent filled his nostrils. It was the pungent odor that his mind identified in an instant; blood. He tried to open his eyes, but a pair of hands clamped over them from behind, and the scent of honeysuckle and apple blossoms drifted up to greet him.

“Don’t fight it,” Annabelle coaxed, her lips tickling the flesh behind his left ear.

As if I could
. Eric thought, just before something deep inside hijacked his ability to think. His fangs continued to throb in time with the rapid beat of the human’s heart. His mind a blank slate, he pulled free from Annabelle’s grip, feeling her fingernails scrape along the sides of his face.
 

A low growl emanated from deep in his chest, and his eyes found the shallow cut on the man’s throat,
too damned shallow
. Something inside him snarled in frustration. He could see the throbbing pulse in the man’s neck, enticing. A chuckle bubbled up from Eric, and he struck, faster than the human eye could follow, but the only human in the room didn’t care anymore.

Morgan took a few steps back and leaned against Eric’s casket. Exhaustion settled over her like a heavy, suffocating cloak, and she rubbed her eyes with the heels of her palms. She slowed her breathing to the point where a human’s lungs would have been burning with the need to exhale, before she let it out. She could still hear the soft sounds of Eric feeding. She remembered what that first feeding had been like for her.
 

I don’t know if it was my beast, or the way it usually is, but I couldn’t fight it, even if I’d wanted to. The seductive, hypotonic beat of the heart, the pull of the blood,
yeah, there was no way I was resisting that. How did he do it? Does this kid have an iron will? Is he not meant to be one of us, and that’s why he was able to fight it? Goddess, I wish Nicholas were here so I could talk to him about it. I wonder how things are going with Marcus.
A decision made; Morgan nodded, and pushed away from the casket. She crossed to Annabelle and knelt beside the other vampire.
 

“Do you think you can manage to get him back into the casket once he’s done?” she asked, feeling somewhat envious. There were no satin lined caskets when she’d been changed.
No
, she thought, as anger welled up inside her.
I got to wake in a grave in a wooden box. I had to claw my way out of the earth, while the hunger drove me mad.
 

“I think I can manage,” Annabelle answered, breaking Morgan out of her memories. “Worse come to worst, I can wait until he falls unconscious again.”

“Great. Call if you need any help with him.”

“I will.”
 

“Thanks,” Morgan said, as she walked out of the safe room, making certain the heavy door was closed before she started upstairs. Once her feet hit the tiled kitchen floor, Morgan fished her phone out of her pocket. She dialed Nicholas’s number as she crossed into the living room, hoping he would answer.

“Hello love.” His voice came over the line, beleaguered, but it still had the power to make Morgan’s blood tingle.

“Hey love, how are things going with Marcus?” She passed through the living room and into the foyer, heading to the stairs.

“I’ll be damned lucky if I can get him to come in today before noon.” His voice was a mix of frustration and affection. In the background, Morgan could hear voices and music.

I’d bet everything I own they’re in a bar.
“He’s on a tear?”

“Yeah, he had a good buzz going by eight in the morning, and it’s just gone downhill from there,” Nicholas sighed. In her mind’s eye, Morgan could see her husband shaking his head in frustration. “This thing with Eric has brought up all kinds of shit, most of it has to do with Sarah.”

“Shit, I’m sorry.” Morgan sighed, shaking her head, though she knew he couldn’t see her.

“Please tell me you’re calling with better news.” There was a note of desperation in his voice as he spoke.
 

“If you think a newborn vampire coming within minutes of pumpkining before he gave into the beast, then yeah I’ve got better news.” She tried for a tone of levity, but it fell flat.

“Minutes?” His voice was a low growl, and Morgan regretted her split second decision to be straightforward.

“Yeah, about five to ten, by my count.”

“How is he?”
 

“He was feeding when I left,” Morgan answered. “He’s with Annabelle right now, but I think he’ll be just fine. His biggest problem is feeding until he can control his thirst.” She walked into her office, and closed the door, feeling a weight lift from her.

“He’s worried about taking lives?” Nicholas asked, his voice oozing wisdom.

“And the possibility of doing so,” she sighed.

“Give him a break. It’s been centuries since you mentored Charles and Christophe.”

“What do you mean by that?” Morgan snapped, her temper flaring without warning. “Sorry love, but I am exhausted.” She sank into the chair behind her desk and leaned back into it.

“Had you killed before you were turned?” Nicholas asked his tone leading her to believe he knew what he was talking about.

“Yeah. I’d been in battle,” she replied, even though she was certain Nicholas knew the answer.
He’s leading me somewhere.

“So had I, Charles, Christophe and Marcus. It’s very possible that Eric has never had to kill someone.” Nicholas’s voice was patient, as though he was teaching a lesson.

“But he’s a cop, in New Orleans.”

“He’s a detective. It’s not completely outside the realm of possibility that he never had to take a life. After all, if I’m not mistaken, they’re trained to fire their weapons only when absolutely necessary. It’s possible that he’s never had to.”
 

“So he’s fighting with the morality of taking a life for the first time, while knowing that if he doesn’t, it will mean his death.” Morgan nodded.
We were all born in more difficult times. Death was a friend, something to be accepted and held close. Yeah, as a cop, Eric would see death on a regular basis, but he wouldn’t be the one to cause it.