Black Blood (10 page)

Chapter Thirteen

Ponte Vedra Beach,
Florida – 2011 AD

Gemma’s lissome
body entered the house in stealth mode. Pressing the light on her
watch, she glanced at the time and winced. It could be worse.
Closing the internal door, she tiptoed over the marble floor and
headed for the staircase.

“You’re
late.”

Gemma placed
her hand on the banister with a sigh. Turning on her heel, she
faced her mother’s stone cold expression. The petite woman was
standing in her silk dressing gown, her arms folded and her left
eyebrow peaked. Gemma hated it when her eyebrow did that… it always
meant trouble.

“Get in here.”
Penelope flicked her head towards the well-lit dining room.

Gemma resisted
the urge to flee up the stairs and followed her mother into the
carpeted room off the kitchen. Pulling out one of the heavy wooden
chairs, she slumped onto the cream padding and let her hand rest on
the table.

Her mother
elegantly slid the chair at the head of the table from its place
and floated into her seat, resting her hands on the table and
linking her fingers.

The silence
that followed was suffocating. Gemma forced her leg to remain
still, but lost the battle moments later when it began to bob with
agitation.

“I’m only
thirty minutes late.” She shifted in her seat, moving forward to
rest her elbows against the polished wood. “It’s not like you had
to call out the National Guard or anything.”

Her mother
didn’t rise to her daughter’s tone.

“So what did
you do tonight?”

Gemma turned
away with a huff.

“I had dinner
at Harrison’s house then we went to the movies with Rosie and one
of her friends, then Harrison and I went to the beach.”

“To do
what?”

“To hang out,
Mom! To talk, to kiss a little, to enjoy each other’s company.
What’s the big deal?” Gemma rose from her seat, too agitated to
sit. “This is ridiculous! I’m sick of coming home to this every
time I go out. I’m hardly ever late, but it doesn’t seem to make
any difference!”

“Gemma, the
original deal was one date a weekend. You should be grateful we’re
letting you have a few extra over the summer.”

Gemma held in
her sigh.

“
You are
walking on very dangerous ground, young lady.”

“
Why?”
She spun to face her mother. “Why is Harrison so
dangerous
? He
loves me, he makes me happy, he takes care of me. Why do you keep
trying to ruin this for us?”

“Because it
can’t go anywhere! You know the rules. You two are breaking up
after high school.”

Gemma shook her
head with a scoff. “We all know that’s not going to happen, Mom!
You want the truth? I love Harrison and I’m staying with him.
Nothing you say or do can change that.”

Her mother’s
eyes turned black, making Gemma’s insides flinch. She forced her
gaze to remain steady.

“Your father
will not be happy about that.”

The statement
was uttered with a soft sweetness that had Gemma’s stomach coiling
into a tight knot.

“It’s my
life.”

Unable to
stand the pulse vibrating from her controlled mother, she turned
and headed up the stairs. Closing her bedroom door behind her, she
leaned against the wood and took a moment to rein in her galloping
heart. Breathing in through her nostrils, she tried to erase the
dark anger of her mother’s expression, but found her mind flashing
back to it like an old film reel replaying the same
scene.

It took an age
to capture sleep that night and when she did her mind was a blur of
over crossing images… Harrison’s liquid smile, her mother’s steely
expression and the calm eyes of a man who claimed to be her
father.

She woke the
next morning feeling sluggish. Her brain felt swollen and tender
and her eyes were gritty. Glancing at her watch, she let out a
groan and flicked back the covers. She was going to be late for
work.

Racing through
a shower, she got dressed in record time and flew down the stairs.
The kitchen counter was filled with Dom eating a mammoth bowl of
muesli and Ruby nibbling on a banana. Gemma wrinkled her nose as
she shoved past them and reached for a granola bar.

“Heard you were
late last night.” Ruby’s eyes gleamed.

Gemma shot her
a silent warning.

“No it’s good!”
Her sister’s eyes swelled with innocence. “It takes the heat off
me.”

Her smile was
sunshine and Gemma felt her lips quirk in response as she unwrapped
her food.

“I gotta go.”
She kissed each of the twins before heading out the door.

“See ya,
Gemmalicious!”

Her smile grew
as she heard the name floating after her. She really did love those
two… and her parents. In spite of the growing rift between them,
they were her flesh and blood.

Yes! Your
flesh and blood!

Gemma gave
herself a severe warning as she shoved the helmet on her head. Her
parents were just looking out for her welfare. They hadn’t been
expecting Harrison to come along and it was taking them time to
adjust, but they would. They loved her. They wanted her to be
happy. It was better that they knew the truth now than be facing
this argument at graduation.

Gliding her
bike down the driveway, she pulled onto the road and headed for the
highway. By the time St Augustine appeared, Gemma had convinced
herself that when she donned her graduation gown, her parents would
be inviting Harrison to dinner and welcoming him with open arms,
knowing that he made their little girl happy.

They love me
enough to do that. THEY DO!

Chapter Fourteen

St Augustine, Florida
– 2011 AD

Harrison sat in
the booth facing Gabe. The man hadn’t hesitated to meet him when
Harrison had called the night before. They now sat in a small diner
on the outskirts of town talking over two plates of scrambled egg
and sausage.

“So what do you
think?” Harrison spooned in a mouthful of hash brown and
waited.

Gabe curled his
fingers around a mug of coffee and sat back in his seat. Taking a
slow sip, he looked back at Harrison with a nod.

“It’s
plausible.” He took another sip. “Hell, kid, you’re probably
right.”

His face grew
hard.

“
I know.”
Harrison felt the same. “So they can’t keep doing it, right? I
mean, the older they get the more they must be zapping her
strength?”

“Yeah.” Gabe
leaned forward onto the table. “She is getting stronger though.
Once she’s 18, it’ll be a little easier for her.”

“But they’ll be
older! They’re using more and more of her strength. The fact they
took her for an observation trip is just proof they can’t travel
without her anymore. Dom and Ruby must have just been a cover.”

“Probably. I
wonder if the twins need her? They must be only… an eighth time
spirit? There’s a chance they would be drawing from her too, just
not as much. But that will obviously change as they get older.”

Harrison
dropped his fork and ran a hand through his hair.

“How can they
do this to her? They must know! Do you think that’s why they stole
her?”

Harrison had
been completely won over to the Gabe side the second he saw the man
waiting for him in the diner. His instincts had been confirmed as
he’d watched a red birthmark pulse to life on Gabe’s collarbone the
moment Harrison’s theory tumbled from his lips. This man was
Gemma’s father and unlike Alistair he wanted what was best for his
daughter.

“Most likely.”
Gabe’s face washed with pain, but he flicked it away with a shake
of his head. “I need to find out how he’s doing it. How can he
control her without physically touching her?” He took another sip
of coffee, his mind deep in thought.

“
I’ll
keep an eye on her as best I can and see if I can figure it out,
but she’s pretty touchy on the subject.”

A sad smile
brushed his face. “Doesn’t like me much, does she?”

“You threw her
a pretty wicked curve ball.”

“I know. I’m
just glad you’re around to help her.”

Harrison shook
his head.

“I haven’t been
that much help. She wants to pretend you don’t exist, so we’ve been
circling the subject like it’s some kind of burning bush. I haven’t
wanted to raise it with her. She’s pretty cut up at the thought of
what her parents might be.”

“I guess that’s
fair. She needed to know, though.”

“Totally.”
Harrison swallowed another mouthful of egg with a nod. “But how do
I win her over without pushing her away?”

Gabe shrugged.
“You’ll think of something. Women like her can always be won over.
It just takes time and tact.”

Harrison’s eyes
lit with a smile. “You sound like you know what you’re talking
about.”

Gabe’s smile
made his face bunch with wrinkles. “She’s a lot like her mother.
You two remind me so much of Lena and me. You’re meant for each
other.”

“It must have
been hard to lose her.” Harrison stole the smile from Gabe’s
face.

“It nearly
killed me.”

“I nearly lost
Gem a couple of months back and I didn’t think I’d survive it.”

“
I
remember that day.” Gabe’s face clouded. “She ran past me looking
pale and scared. I tried to follow her, but she was too fast. I
went back to the mall to see if I could find out what happened to
you. I was just about to leave when she shot past me again and just
disappeared into the crowd. By the time I figured out she’d gone
down that side exit, all that was left was a torn shirt and smears
of blood all over the wall.” He shook his head. “That was a bad
day.”

Harrison pushed
his food aside. Gemma’s pale face still flashed through his mind
sometimes. The feel of her fragile body leaking life right there in
his arms… it sent a shudder down his spine.

“It did make me
sit up and act though. She fought hard to get you back, didn’t
she?”

Harrison
nodded.

“First time
she’s had the guts. I knew then she was ready to hear the truth. As
painful as that truth is.” Gabe rubbed a hand down his face.

“You’re doing
the right thing by telling her. Like you said, she’ll come around…
right?”

A dry smile
tugged at Gabe’s lips. “I’ve been watching her since she was
fourteen years old, you know. Before she met you, it was like she
was trapped inside this cage. You’ve unlocked the door, Harrison,
now we just need to help her out.”

Harrison felt
the hope rising in his chest. His indecision about whether or not
to tell Gemma about this meeting was pushed aside. He would face
her wrath, he would kiss her wounds and he would ultimately set her
free.

The Stingray
pulled to a stop beside the Ducati. Ignoring the nerves buzzing
within him, Harrison slid the cell phone linking Gemma to Gabe back
into her bag and sauntered around to the front of the garage.

The second
Gemma saw him her face lit with a stunning smile. It didn’t hide
the dark circles under her eyes though. This month was taking a
hefty toll on her.

I have to stop
this.

She dropped her
cleaning rag and raced around the car towards him. Her arms felt
warm and delicious around his neck.

“
Where
have you been? I thought
I
was
late for work.” The curious smile dropped from her face when she
noticed his expression. “What is it?”

He forced his
eyes to remain on hers. “I went to see Gabe.”

The soft curve
of her cheeks turned to stone, her eyes swimming with disbelief and
her mouth pinching into a harsh line. Without a word, she dropped
her arms and pushed past him, heading for her bike.

He followed in
close pursuit and jumped on behind her when she started the
engine.

“Get off my
bike.”

“I’m not going
anywhere until you hear me out.” He snaked his arms around her
waist.

She drove like
a Tasmanian devil as she tore out of the garage and wove through
the streets of St Augustine. By the time she swerved into Anastasia
National Park, Harrison’s heart was in his nostrils. He sniffed it
back down as she cut the engine.

Gemma jumped
off the bike and hurled her helmet towards their favorite climbing
tree. It smashed into a branch and landed in the sand with a dull
thud before toppling over the edge of the dune.

Harrison kept
his mouth shut. He could feel the heat pulsing from her as she
strode away from him. Slowly, he got off the bike and walked
towards her.

“How could you
do this to me?” She whirled on him with savage eyes, making him
jump back a pace.

“I had to. I’m
worried about you.”

“You told me I
could trust you!” she screamed before barrelling over the
dunes.

He tore after
her, grabbing her arm a few feet from the salty water and turning
her to face him. Her cheeks were already stained with tears and
he’d never seen her eyes so dark.

“I also told
you that everything I did was because I love you.” He kept his
voice even. “You do believe that, don’t you?”

“I don’t know
anymore.” She swallowed and tried to turn away, but he used his
other hand to force her around.

“
They’re
using you, Gemma. Gabe told me you lose the ability to travel as
you get older. They’re stealing your strength in order to keep
doing it. That’s why you’re so tired after each trip. They’re
sucking-”

“Stop it!” Her
hands felt like canon balls as she pushed him away from her. He
fell to the sand with a solid thud. Instant regret washed over her
face, but she didn’t reach down to help him up.