This Blood (3 page)

Jumping in my car, I prayed it would start. “Oh, thank heaven,” I sighed, and pulled out of the drive.

The First Baptist Church sits on a small hill about two miles from my house. Although beautiful by day with its gleaming white walls a reminder of everything good and pure, at night, it was a very different story. The church loomed like a menacing temple of doom.  Then again, it
was
a church, which should have led me to believe that everything was going to be okay. Somehow though, I knew I was deluding myself with that one.  I whispered a quick prayer and marched up the steps.

The door to the church swung open on well oiled hinges. Stepping inside, I was instantly enveloped in darkness. Well crap! I should have figured that would happen. I didn’t bring a flashlight, which in hindsight was pretty stupid.  I sighed and mentally kicked myself for not calling the police first.  I decided that, rather than groping around in the darkness, I would just wait outside. Screw him. If he wanted to speak to me, he could damn well come outside. There, at least, I could see my hand in front of my face!

I turned to go, but before I could take a step I heard my name.

“Miss Allen, is that you?”

I turned back around to see a candle bobbing towards me. It paused for a moment at a small dark blob, which I could only assume was a table. Presumably, my serial killer didn’t like the dark anymore than I did. I watched warily as the room began to fill with dim light. It was a spooky glow, casting strange shadows on the walls. Okay, this was
not
an improvement.

I took a step back, instinctively readying myself for a full genital attack when a masculine face came slowly into view. I was...
confused
. I was expecting a scholarly type, some nerd with weak wrists and too many allergies or something.  What I got, was…well…
not
. He spoke again, but it was lost on me. I was too preoccupied with his striking face. Holy cow! As far as men went, well, let’s just say that the last few hours had been hell on my hormones. Then, a thought occurred to me which caused my heart to skip a beat. If he were Lucian, I had a serious problem! Not only would my puny boots have little effect on him, but he could probably pick me up and shake me like a chicken.

I let my eyes roam his impressive body, merely to assess him for the possible presence of weapons,
Honest
.

My eyes swept from his sharp jawline to the solid V of his torso. His arms were thick and corded with muscle. His long legs were enveloped in dark jeans that fit him like a glove. His skin looked like velvet gold; but then, that could have been the candlelight
.
The white, button-down shirt he wore was stretched nicely across his powerful chest, with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows in a casual and sexy way. A small cross attached to a thin gold chain graced his masculine neck.

“Miss Allen?” I finally heard him say.

“Hmm?” I sighed in a daze, “I mean, yeah?…Yes, I’m Grace Allen,” I managed. “Are you Lucian?”

His eyes took in my obviously flustered state and an arrogant smile spread across his full mouth. His dark eyes raked me from head to toe and back again, forcing me to fold my arms across my chest in defiance.

“Well, are you Lucian or not?” I snapped. I was hoping he wasn’t because I still thought that Lucian was a couple beers short of a six pack, and this guy was just finger-lickin’ good.

“Yes,” he said, a smile still plastered on his smug face. “I‘m Lucian.”

Ugh. Well, you can’t win ‘em all.

“Well,” I said, “I’m here now, so where the hell is Ann?  You said it was urgent.” I placed my hands on my hips and took a step closer. “Now tell me, so I can take Ann and get the hell out of here!”

His smile disappeared, replaced by a look of confusion.

“Miss Allen,” he said calmly, as though he were speaking to a toddler. “I never said I had your friend. If you’ll remember, I said,
very clearly
that I only asked her about you, and she was very helpful.” 

Then it dawned on me. Ann was so accommodating to this guy because he was a freaking god! She has few weaknesses and men were number two on her short list,
second only to designer shoes
. I felt a rush of relief. Ann wasn’t a hostage! She was probably staying with Jared. Nice and warm between his safe cop sheets.

I smiled a
not so
friendly smile at my new bud and growled through clenched teeth. “Why am I here? And it had better be good.” 

He placed his hand on my shoulder and spoke close to my ear, “We are on consecrated ground.  I had to make sure you were safely inside and weren’t going to run out.”  His breath on my cheek sent a little thrill through my stomach. God I needed some major kryptonite around these guys. I couldn’t seem to stay focused. My involuntary celibacy for the past eight months was also a huge frustration. But I digress…

Lucian led me to a pew toward the back of the church. He left me sitting alone while he lit more candles. I watched him with more interest than I should have. I noticed how the fabric of his pants moved over his tight butt; how the muscled contours of his back were evident through the thin fabric of his shirt. His golden blond hair was shoulder length and fell in soft waves. It looked healthy and clean. I wondered what kind of shampoo he used.  Would he smell floral or woodsy?

Yep, I was losing it.

He came back and sat next to me, looking directly into my eyes. The brown depths spoke volumes at how serious he was. (At least he quit preening like a rooster).

Scooting closer, he said, “You’re in grave danger.”

“…Uh huh, you said that before.”
Too
bad he’s nuts,
I thought as I slid over a bit.

He spared me an irritated glance and continued. “Have you noticed anything or anyone strange in the last few days? And please concentrate, this is very important.”

I thought for a second. “Well, there was this guy who came into the bar tonight. He was a little scary.”
Scary how I wanted to jump his bones
, but I left that little detail out
.
“He asked about, well,
me
actually. I didn’t let him know who I was.  I felt that was safer. He had a sort of animal look about him that put me on my guard.” 

I was startled as Lucian abruptly grabbed me, his vise-like grip tightening around my upper arms “What did he look like, exactly?” he snarled.  

“Yo!” I shouted into his face, “blood flow problems, buddy. Let me go!” I wiggled a little, trying to loosen his grip. “I think we’ve established I’m not going to run away.”

He let go slowly, but the look he gave me was skeptical.  “Please, Grace, what did he look like?” he asked again, almost shaking. His forced calm was almost scarier than his outburst. I had a pretty good idea that he wouldn’t let up until I gave him the information he wanted. I thought about the beautiful man, and the memory of him tingled along my spine.

“He was tall. Over six feet, long black hair, and scary, pale eyes. Oh, and he said his name was Seth.”

His eyes became huge. “
Seth!
He told you his name?” Clearly, he was puzzled. “He told you his
name
?” he repeated.

“Yes, Lucian,” I said as condescending as I could. “Just like you, he told me his name.  Isn’t that what most civilized people do when meeting someone for the first time?”

He gave me a lopsided grin. “I’m just a little surprised that he would offer his name to his prey.”

“Well, He really didn’t know it was… Did you say
prey?”

“How could he not have known it was you?” He looked at me, ignoring my question. “You don’t exactly blend in. For one thing you’re pretty tall for a woman and I’m sure he received a full description of you. I did.” He smiled, “and it didn’t do you justice.”

I took a second to collect myself. His bizarre story laced with the subtle flirting was starting to give me a headache.  I tried not to focus on the compliment. After all, I was being flattered by a nut, but all I could do was stare with my mouth open. My mind was racing! Where was he getting this stuff? And most important of all, what in hell did he mean by
prey?

FOUR

The church felt like a sauna. I regretted wearing my sweatshirt and the fact that I didn’t have anything underneath. I wasn’t sure if the heat was coming from all the candles or my libido.  I was losing my grip here. I mean, I was in a church, at night, my life in possible mortal danger and all I could think about was my poor clothing selection. Honestly, I am not in the habit of being so unfocused. 

The man in front of me seemed to think otherwise.

“Grace, will you just listen? I am not crazy, nor have I been drinking.”

I knew he was stone sober, and that was what scared me. “Why are you so worried about me anyway?” I asked, truly puzzled. “You don’t even know me. What did Ann tell you?” I leaned closer, assessing his expression, “I don’t even remember seeing you there tonight!” I thought about that. I guess he could have been there. How the hell was I to know? I was too much of a mess to notice anyone but Seth.

He smiled. “I didn’t acquire all my knowledge of you from your friend. She was just a means to an end. I always believe in taking the shortest route to my goal.” His eyes held mine. The deep brown color was beautiful. Golden slashes broke up the darker brown of his irises. His lashes were much darker than his hair. His eyes were practically burning into me.

Now I had a better idea what prey was.

I cleared my throat and nervously shifted on the hard pew. “Alright then, I’m ready to listen,” I said, my voice surprisingly normal. “Please, fire away.”

He sighed and stood up. Pacing the ground, he looked at me for a long time. He seemed to be gathering his thoughts, or maybe he was just as nervous as I was.

“Alright, Grace, what I have to tell you may sound crazy, but please keep an open mind. I’ll try to make it as short as I can.”

I only smiled and nodded.

“Okay then,” he looked away, taking a huge cleansing breath, then he began. “Many centuries ago, there lived an incredible race of beings called the Madea. Although they resembled humans in many ways, they were very different. They were impossibly powerful and, unfortunately for them, impossibly kind and trusting.  Humans discovered these beings, and, coveting their amazing powers, they used them and preyed upon their kindness.

“The Madea were tricked into abusing their powers. Men lured them with lies. The Madea believed they were helping the sick or producing bountiful crops, when in reality, they were granting selfish souls their hearts’ desires.”  

He paused, looking serious and commanding as he walked the floor. “Realizing mankind was abusing these great gifts,” he continued, “The entire population were forced into hiding. Man sought these creatures out with a wild avidity. Their evil hunger for power and wealth resulted in a brutal war. Pitching man against man in a wicked tug-of-war for the control of these creatures and thus, their power.  Not surprisingly, the fighting resulted in the destruction of their civilization and the Madea were virtually wiped from the face of the earth. The few who remained were captured and held against their will. Their own gentleness prevented them from striking out against their captors. Fearing the contagion of greed, the Madea vowed to destroy themselves. However, before doing so, they secretly formed their collective powers into a ring. The spells the ancient Madea placed on the ring kept it hidden away, until the soul of a Madea is reborn. Only then, would the ring reappear.

“Once this being, this
incarnation
, for lack of a better word, places the ring on their finger, they will be transformed into the physical form of a true Madea. This would virtually guarantee that their power could never fall into the wrong hands.” Lucian sat still as he finished. His face twisted into a look of resolve and panic. “That’s the shorter and much edited version of the tale; however, it should be enough for you to grasp your significance.”

I sat for a moment in silence.

“Well?” he asked soberly.

“Okay…” I began, rising slowly off the pew. “You believe all of that?  You actually think that it’s true? How could you possibly?  If this really happened wouldn’t there be some sort of record?  Wouldn’t there be some sort of documentation? Some kind of proof?”  My voice began to steadily rise, taking on the tone of a mad woman. “Oh, and a magical
ring?
Yeah,
that sounds disturbingly familiar!”

“Grace!” Lucian shouted.

“...Let me guess, you have a hobbit in your pocket?”

“Grace, would you stop being so damned sarcastic?” He stood up, glaring at me.

I continued in my half hysterical, half giddy tone, “Did they lose their precious?” I giggled, my voice sounding strange.

Lucian took a step toward me and I spun.

“I’m getting out of here,” I screeched and shot for the door. Clearing the pews like hurdles, my long legs made impressive progress. I got about eight feet from the door when I was suddenly hit by a truck.  Lucian had me in a bear hug and we both fell to the ground, hard. The air whooshed from my lungs on impact as his weight sealed me to the floor. My last conscious thought was…
Wow, he smells like sage,
then nothing
.

FIVE

I woke to the smell of coffee.

”Mmm, coffee.” I yawned and stretched like a cat. I felt pretty good. I must have slept more than my usual three hours. My eyes didn’t burn and the annoying gravel under my eyelids was blessedly absent. I squinted, opening my eyes slowly to test the light. It beamed brilliantly through a small stained glass window, painting a riot of colors all over the small room. “Stained-glass? Oh my God, the church!”  I rose too fast and made myself dizzy. I sat back down. Only then did I notice the soft cot under my butt. I looked around to see if I were alone. Of course not! Sitting on the floor looking broody was Lucian.

“Good morning.” I said, eyeing the two Styrofoam cups by his leg. “Coffee?”