This Blood (7 page)

I knew in that instant what I had to do…
Run away
!

I couldn’t stay another second in the same room with him. No way was I that strong. In one quick movement, I turned, grabbed for the doorknob, twisted it, and flew down the hall.

My bare feet sank into the lush carpet as I moved. I was running full out but the hall seemed to go on forever. Then, unexpectedly it spilled into a massive white room. I spun around, frantically looking for a door or a window. I couldn’t see a single one. It seemed the only way out was the way I came and that was
not
an option.  

I ran to the center of the room. It held several solid, stark white couches. Huge paintings of abstract naked people hung on the walls. It was like standing inside an expensively decorated marshmallow. Running deeper into the room, my eyes surveyed the furniture. My gaze fell on a shape and I froze. I was not alone.

Lounging on an overstuffed sofa, like a contented kitty cat, was a petite woman. Her short blond hair made her look like a little pixie. However, judging from the look on her face, she was an angry little pixie. She shot off the couch and stalked towards me on high heels. They sank into the carpet with each step. She should have been stumbling, but she moved gracefully. She wore too much white in the form of a denim skirt that could fit a toddler, and a shirt of torn mesh with a white tank top underneath. Her clothing was a little too eighties for my taste, but who was I to judge? 

“And where are you off to,
human
?” she sneered. Her top lip curled to reveal her tiny pointed teeth. This had to be Chloe, the little twit that was having such a hissy-fit about me earlier.

“Did Seth tire of you so soon?” she simpered.

My eyes followed her as she circled me like an immature shark. She looked fragile, but I knew better. The energy coming off this little brat was setting off lots of alarm bells. I knew better than to underestimate anyone.

“You smell of him,” she said, bringing her head in close to sniff me. “But he did not take you.” She stood back, regarding me. The look on her face was so insulting, as though examining me for signs of disease “Are you so unappetizing?”

Unappetizing
? Me? How dare she! I left him, thank you very much. I folded my arms under my breasts and conjured my most haughty tone. “He let me go, not that it’s any of your damn business,” I said, as she began to circle me again. I was a little worried, though; he didn’t come running after me. Maybe because he knew there was no way out. Or, maybe he needed a minute to settle himself. Lord knows, my hormones were still high on lust. I tried to look superior, and glared at my newest nemesis.

“Perhaps I should have a taste, and judge for myself.” She stopped circling and started to reach for me.

Now I was getting royally pissed. If I refused to donate blood to Seth, I sure as hell wasn’t donating any to Tinker Bell. I shot my hand out and grabbed her by the neck. Her eyes went wide; her surprise was kind of cute. I knew I had about a second, so I concentrated on the ring. I wished she would leave, rather than feel forced to launch her at the walls. I knew she could probably bench press my Nova, but still, she was so petite. Bloodying her up might make me feel guilty.

I was astounded to see her eyes glaze over, no one was home. She stood there like a lifeless doll. It was freaky and I quickly dropped my hand, wiping it off on my slip as if the feeling were a solid thing.  The moment I let her go, she turned and marched quickly to the other end of the large room. She stopped and lifted a delicate hand, then pushed on the wall. A sunken door slid out toward her. She pulled it open and quickly stepped through.

My jaw was hanging open. It was amazing. With just a thought, she did exactly what I wanted her to do! I had better find out what else I was capable of, and what I wasn’t! No good to be unpleasantly surprised when it really mattered.

I stood in shock for what felt like forever. My brain was set to stupid apparently, because I should have run for the door immediately. When I finally moved, I had to stop abruptly. Angry shouts were approaching fast. Damn it! It sounded as if several people were quickly heading my direction. Oh great! She must have woken from her little daze and assembled an ass-kicking party. I really didn’t want to find out. I had to disappear fast, but, sadly, my time ran out and the door was thrown open.

I was right, it was my new best friend and she was fuming! The two men with her were gorgeous.
Naturally
, who wanted to spend eternity with the homely? They were obviously twins, with auburn hair that hung in messy waves past their shoulders. They approached me at a frightening clip. I stood my ground; what else could I do? I closed my eyes and braced myself for the attack.

It never came.

I opened one eye, then the other, discovering they had passed me by.  What the hell happened? I looked down and found my answer.  My body was missing. Incredible! I had to disappear and just like that, I did! But, my luck was sure to run out soon, no good to tempting fate.  It was time to take my transparent ass out the door as quickly as possible.

My body was shaking with nerves as I quietly ran out of the room. The marble floor was cold under my bare feet. I turned my head, listening for any signs of life. Satisfied that it was safe, I tiptoed to the large double doors and pulled one open. It was heavy and moved silently. I eased out shutting it quietly behind me.

The air was cold, damn, what I wouldn’t give for warmer clothes! Before I could finish the thought, I was instantly warmer. Snug, brown leather boots appeared on my frozen feet. Butter soft, brown leather leggings and a cream colored sweater wrapped me in warmth. I was reeling, this was crazy!

I wondered for a split second where the clothes came from, but decided to worry about that later. I had no idea where I was or how I was supposed to get home. I also knew that someone inside would eventually grow a brain and rush outside to look for me. No longer invisible, I had to act fast.

I made my way to the driveway, which was huge. The pale concrete meandered in an elegant pattern. It led beyond my sight past tall trees and enormous boulders. My shoes made little sound as I hurried along its length toward the cover of trees. I was almost sick with nerves. It was dark out, making the trek much more frightening.

I was halfway to the trees when a tingle started at the nape of my neck. I stopped. Slowly, I turned to see Seth exiting the house at a run. He still looked yummy, beyond yummy, but I was no longer twitterpated. I looked at him, smiled, and hollered as loud as I could, “Lucian’s house!” I caught the look of rage on his face only a second before I popped into Lucian’s bedroom.

NINE

“Holy shit!”

Lucian scrambled, white covers went flying in all directions as he jumped to stand on top of his bed. “Where the hell did you come from?”  His chest was heaving rapid breaths. He was startled and deliciously disheveled.

I really scared him. I would have liked to feel bad about that, but I was too busy admiring his pajamas, or
the lack thereof
. Golden skin assaulted my eyes, and it struck me - the contrast between the two new men in my life. Lucian was as golden and good as Seth was dangerous and dark.

“Sorry, Lucian,” I stammered, heat rising to my cheeks as I tried to focus on his face. “But I just had a very disturbing run-in with our friendly neighborhood vampire.”

He jumped off the bed and grabbed me in his arms. “My God Grace, are you alright?” He squeezed me, his warm body heat soaking through my clothing. “How did you get away? Did he hurt you?” he asked.  He was running his hands all over my face and neck. I was touched at his concern. But I still had to bat his hands away.

“Stop, stop! I’m fine. See?” I showed him my left hand, now resplendent with my new prize.

“The ring? You got the ring!  How?”  He grabbed my hand, as if he didn’t believe it was real. “This is incredible, better than I could have hoped for. You got it back!”

I pulled my hand from his grasp. I was glad to see he was so relieved; it made me feel better to see how much he cared. “It’s a long story,” I said, “one I don’t really want to get into now.” I smiled at him. He looked so happy.

“Why did you come here?
How
did you get here?” His brows drew together in bewilderment. “Does the ring answer to you?”

“Yes, it does” I said soberly. “I need to know what I am capable of, Lucian. I need to know my limits.” 

He sat on the edge of the bed, looking down. It seemed to take him a moment to realize he had nothing on below the waist. He yanked the sheet from the bed, and artfully wrapped it around himself. He stood, continuing our conversation without missing a beat.  “I can tell you what I know, Grace, but for now, how about you just get some sleep?”

I was instantly tired. I had no idea how long my little adventure lasted, or the duration that I was knocked out for, but my body wanted sleep. A bed sounded great. I looked around, making sure I hadn’t conjured one by mistake. This was really going to take some getting used to.  “That sounds great, where do you want me?”  I asked, suppressing a yawn.

His brows rose and a cocky smirk curved his lips.

I shook my head and said, “Sorry, Lucian, but I’ve had enough sexual innuendo for one evening. Can you save the flirting ‘til tomorrow? I promise I’ll be flattered and everything, I’m just too tired tonight.”

He looked angry all of a sudden.  He turned toward me, “What do you mean you’ve had enough sexual innuendo? he asked, eyes narrowing, “Did Seth…?”  

I refused to let him finish. “No, don’t worry. I’m okay, it’s okay. Just go to bed. I’ll talk to you about it tomorrow. Now, does this place have a guest room or do you get the couch?”

He smiled at me. “I really am glad to see that you’re safe.”  He led me out of his room to the room across the hall.

He pushed the door open to reveal a small bedroom. It was lovely. The old fashioned bed was piled with beautiful quilts. It looked soft and inviting. The simple side table was white with slender legs that curled at the bottom. A pretty, Victorian-style lamp stood on one side of the table and an old fashioned wind-up alarm clock sat beside it. A white hope chest was placed at the foot of the bed, adorned with a pretty cushion made of lacy fabric. It was sweet and very feminine.

 “Expecting someone?” I said with a smile.

“Yes …
you
.”  He smiled again.

I felt a blush. I knew he wanted me to stay with him to keep me safe, but I was still flattered that he had gone to so much trouble.

“This doesn’t belong to your sister or some other relative, does it?”  I asked.

He chuckled, “No, Grace. I have no living family; they passed many years ago. This room belongs to you alone.”

I felt warm as I stepped inside. Turning; I stood on tip-toe and placed a soft kiss on his cheek.

“Thank you, it’s perfect,” I whispered.

“I’m glad you approve,” He grazed soft knuckles across my cheek. “Sleep tight,” he said. I smiled at his back and shut the door.

The bed was as soft as it looked. I folded down the quilts and the crisp white cotton sheet and looked around the room. It was small. There were two doors on the far wall. I crossed the room to open them. The first was a closet. Inside were a couple of very sweet white dresses and three white cotton nightgowns with little cap sleeves. I took a nightgown off the hanger; it made me smile. It was so different from the slip of sin Seth had picked out for me. This one was as sweet as the room, almost virginal. The neckline was very modest with a tiny pink ribbon threaded around the collar. It ended in a small bow at the center. At the bottom was a little ruffle that would undoubtedly hit the floor.

The second door opened to a bathroom. Cream colored walls and a soft pink light greeted me. I set the nightgown on the sink and turned the shower on. The tub was deep and welcoming, but I just wanted to get clean.  

I opened the medicine cabinet and found a brand new toothbrush and a tube of toothpaste.
How considerate
, I thought as I continued exploring. I opened one of the drawers under the sink and found a brush still in the package, along with hair ties, bobby pins and no-tangle rubber bands. My curiosity was definitely piqued. I opened another drawer and found two books. One was about the joys of raising horses, and the other was a romance novel. The cupboard was brimming with goodies as well. I scanned the contents and had to stifle a laugh. Next to the extra toilet paper rolls and shampoo were feminine napkins! I guess he figured I’d be here for a while and wouldn’t have time to pack. Man, he was a dream. I’ve never had a man buy anything so personal for me without a huge struggle or a bribe.

The room was getting steamy. I stripped and stepped into the hot stream. My neck felt tense. I rolled my head around and massaged my shoulders a little. I shampooed my long hair and poured a few handfuls of conditioner onto my head and let it soak in while I washed my body. I rinsed and stepped out of the shower, dried off and pulled the brush from the drawer and the new toothbrush from the cabinet. I ripped the packages off and tossed them into the trash. I didn’t notice a hair dryer so I brushed my hair out and braided it so it wouldn’t tangle during the night.

Not surprisingly I forgot to get clean panties. I stepped from the steamy room with my cute little gown in hand and walked to the dresser. Sure enough, the first drawer held new panties. They smelled like fabric softener. He must have washed the newness out for me. Was he for real?  I was surprised they fit. They were white, covered my belly button and went up only slightly high on the sides. I was beginning to think that Lucian spent a little too much time in that church.

I usually slept in nothing but panties, but that was at home. In a man’s house, I was all for modesty. I pulled the matronly gown over my head. It hit me at the ankles. Turning to the full-length mirror, I examined my reflection. Yep, I looked as frumpy as I imagined I would. With no slippers on my feet and my miserable wet head, I was getting cold. I climbed into the bed and pulled the covers up to my chin. My wet head was very uncomfortable and it was a safe bet that it was going to chill me all night long. I really wanted to sleep. I mentally pouted. Then, remembering my wonderful new prize, I focused on my hair. Almost instantly, my head was warm and dry. Twisting the ring on my finger, I smiled to myself and drifted off to sleep.