Black Blood (7 page)

Clearing his
throat, he leaned over the table with an outstretched hand.

“Harrison
Granger.”

The man’s large
white teeth appeared as he responded in kind. “Gabriel Hunter, but
you can just call me Gabe.” He leaned back in his seat and moved
his gaze to study Gemma.

She twitched
under his perusal. Her leg began to bob erratically. Harrison
placed a gentle hand on it.

“
Okay, so
let’s get this over with. What do you want? Why are you following
me? How do you know about Harrison? Are you stalking his family
too? Because if you hurt them…”

She leaned
forward with her threat, but it trailed to nothing as the man
raised his hands in surrender.

“
I know
about Harrison and his family because you spend so much time with
them, but I’m not
stalking
them…
or you. I just want to make sure you’re okay.”

“What?
Why?”

His eyes swam
with emotion as he leaned forward and placed his elbows on his
knees. Rubbing his hand over the back of his neck, he took his time
to begin.

“I’ve been
watching you for a few years now. I know what you are and I know
about your family. I don’t want to hurt you, but there’s some
things you need to know…”

“Look you’re
wrong about the pure one thing, okay.” Gemma’s shoulders twitched.
“I’m not Decimus. I’m not going to betray my family, so you can
just forget about telling me to break up with Harrison.”

Her chin jutted
out in defiance. She grabbed Harrison’s hand and stared at Gabe.
His eyes narrowed with mild confusion, but his voice remained
calm.

“What are you
talking about?”

Harrison
watched her rebellion deflate with the question.

“I…”

“Harrison is
the first person in the last four years that’s really made you
happy. I don’t want you to break up with him. I’m just here to
caution you.”

Harrison’s head
bobbed. Gabe was a good man. He could sense it. He looked to Gemma
and gave her a reassuring smile, but she didn’t notice.

“What has
Decimus got to do with this anyway? I called you a pure one,
because that’s what you are,” Gabe said.

“I can’t be.”
Gemma shook her head with a small smile. “My dad’s mother was a
normal human, I know that for sure. And Mom’s parents were both
only half time spirits… I think. That’s why they’re so anal about
us ending up with our kind… so we don’t weaken the race any more
than it already has been. My parents aren’t pure ones, so I can’t
be either.”

“
Your
parents
are
pure ones,”
the man’s voice was thick with emotion. “Penelope and Alistair
aren’t who you think they are.”

“Wait a second,
what exactly is a pure one?” Harrison had to interrupt, how else
was he going to follow the conversation?

“
A pure
one is a descendent of the
electus
. Their line has never been broken throughout history, no
inter-marriage with humans. Their blood is pure.”

“And you…
you’re saying, Gemma,” Harrison pointed a thumb at his girlfriend,
“is one of those?”

The man nodded,
fixing his gaze on her.

Her head was
shaking as she glanced to the floor. “I don’t know what you’re
talking about.”

“Are you sure
about that?”

Her eyes flew
up, a little crazy with tension. “Don’t do that!”

He cut off her
imminent outburst by calmly continuing, “I don’t trust Alistair and
Penelope and neither should you. I want you to find out what
they’re up to.”

“I’m not
finding out anything for you. My parents are good people. They’re
not up to anything. You don’t even know them!”

“I know they
murdered my wife and stole my only child.” His voice was an eerily
calm contrast to the information bomb that just exploded in their
faces.

Harrison felt
his heart stop at the man’s statement.

Murder? Stole…
what? Is he implying that Gemma is his…?

“You’ve got the
wrong girl,” Gemma’s voice shook. Her face was pale and the
birthmark on her collarbone was pulsing like a strobe light.
“You’re wrong.”

The man’s eyes
tightened as he studied her. Tipping his head to the side, he
caught her erratic gaze and held it. “Then why do you believe
me?”

Harrison
flinched as Gemma jumped from her seat. Her body was rigid as she
stood over the man and pointed a finger at his nose.

“
I
am
not
your
daughter!”

She struggled
to get past the coffee table and ended up kicking the furniture
aside in order to make room. Her ponytail flew over her shoulder as
she rounded one more time to stare at the man with welling
eyes.

“Stay away from
me!”

The bustle of
the café disappeared as patrons watched her storm through the door,
wiping at her face. Harrison rose to follow her, but paused to look
back at the man. He wanted a few more answers and just hoped Gemma
wouldn’t do anything irrational while he took the time to get
them.

“If she is your
daughter and she was stolen, why did you take so long to come for
her?”

The man let out
a sigh as pain flickered over his features. His voice shook before
he managed to rein it in.

“It took me
twelve years to find her. By then she’d already traveled once and
bonded with her family. I needed to wait until she was at a point
in her life where she’d listen.” The man scrubbed his face with a
tired hand. “You are the first person to ever make Gemma break the
rules. I thought she might be more open to what I had to say now
that you’re around.”

“And what do
you have to say?”

“That she’s
running out of time.”

Harrison’s legs
turned to Jell-O and he fell to the couch.

“What do you
mean? Is she… is she going to die?”

Gabe didn’t
deny it, but didn’t nod either. Harrison tried to slow his
heartbeat in order to hear what the man had to say. If Gemma was in
some kind of trouble he needed to know about it. He needed to stop
it.

“When Gemma
turns eighteen she’s going to be the strongest she’ll ever be. Over
the next four years she’ll be the most perfect form of time spirit…
but then her abilities will begin to fade.”

“To fade? What
do you mean?”

“Time spirits
can’t travel forever. The older they get, the weaker their power
becomes… and if you stop traveling for a time, you lose it
altogether.”

Harrison saw
the wave of regret wash over Gabe’s face.

“Is that what
happened to you?”

The man cleared
his throat with a nod. “If I’d known…” He raised his hands and let
them drop.

“So, why is
Gemma’s strength a danger?”

Gabe’s eyes
cleared. “If I know Alistair and Penelope, they’re going to use her
strength to their advantage. I don’t know how, but I know that it’s
going to hurt my daughter… I can’t let that happen.”

Harrison didn’t
hesitate to believe him. Something about the idea rang true. He
just hoped he could convince Gemma. It would not be an easy pill
for her to swallow.

“What can we do
to stop them?”

“Well, for one,
it would be good to know what they’re planning. I need to talk to
her, get details about her trips.”

“I’ll work on
it.” Harrison licked his lips. “What else?”

“If she can
learn to control the travel on her own, she might just have a
chance.”

“Wait a sec,
she’s capable of controlling it?” Harrison leaned forward.

“With a lot
practice and a little know how… yeah, she is.”

Harrison felt
the smile spreading over his face. “I gotta find her.”

He jumped from
his seat, eager to start winning his girlfriend over to the Gabe
side.

“
Tread
cautiously, Harrison. This is a lot for her to take in. She’s going
to need some time.”

“I will.”

He felt his
insides settling as he studied the man.

“You know, she
has your smile.”

“Yeah,” the man
grinned, “she does.”

Chapter Nine

Ponte Vedra Beach,
Florida – 2011 AD

Gemma’s ears
were roaring as she raced down the sidewalk towards her bike. She
had been expecting to hear her name called by Harrison, but he
didn’t seem to be following her. She pushed the agitation aside as
she swung her leg over the seat and reached for her helmet.

My parents are
not murderers!

Her hands shook
as she wrestled with the strap on her helmet.

That idiot
doesn’t know what he’s talking about. Penelope and Alistair Hart
are my birth parents. They are. THEY ARE!

She screamed
the idea into her brain, fighting off the niggling doubt that had
dug its talons into the back of her mind. Her parents were good
people. Their intentions were always selfless; they wouldn’t steal
someone’s baby. They had always loved her as if she were their
own.

Which you
are!

Glancing
down the street, she noticed no sign of her boyfriend. Furious at
him, she kicked up her bike stand and gunned the engine. She didn’t
want to take him where she was going anyway.

The hospital
was buzzing with its usual traffic. Gemma squeezed into a park
outside the lab building and raced up the ramp. She forced a smile
and polite greeting to the receptionist as she signed in.

“How’s your
vacation going?”

It just turned
to total crap!

Gemma placed
the pen on the counter. “Totally great. What’s not to love about
the summer, right?”

The
receptionist grinned and was about to say more when the phone
started ringing. “Why don’t you head down on your own this time?
Leanne can buzz you into the lab when you get there.”

“
Thanks,
Michelle.”

Gemma placed
her hand on the large door handle and waited for Michelle to unlock
the door. It buzzed loudly and Gemma forced herself to walk as she
pulled it open.

Familiar with
the white, sterile surroundings, she shot down the corridor and
avoided bumping into two lab coats in heated discourse over
something to do with testing techniques. She waved at the intern
who greeted her as she strode up to the glass doors.

“Hey Leanne.”
She smiled. The slight blonde was the most enthusiastic scientist
her mother had ever met. She often raved about her around the
dinner table.

“Hey Gem.
Michelle just phoned. I’ll buzz you through.”

“Thanks.”

Another
loud buzz and the glass doors slid open. Bustling past a shelf load
of test tubes filled with various liquids, Gemma paid little
attention to the two scientists meticulously transferring fluids
from one vile to the next. Pipetting? Gemma had a vague feeling
that’s what it was called.

Standing on
tiptoes she looked past the workers quietly absorbed in their
various tasks and spotted her mother hunched over a pile of papers,
scanning the information then scribbling her signature at the
bottom.

“Hey Mom.”
Gemma sidled up to her workstation.

The pen lurched
on the page as her mother looked up with a smile.

“Well, this is
a nice surprise.” Her sleek body didn’t even look dorky in the
starchy lab coat. Setting her work aside, she gave Gemma a warm
hug.

“Sorry to
interrupt.” Gemma tried to keep her embrace casual and light.

“No big deal,
I’m just updating some paper work. What are you doing here? I
thought you had work today.”

Her mother
smoothed Gemma’s ponytail down over her shoulder.

“I do. I’m
heading down there soon. I just…”

“Is everything
okay, sweetie?” Her mother placed an arm around her shoulders and
guided her towards the exit. “You didn’t have a fight with Harrison
did you?”

Gemma rolled
her eyes. “No, Mom… and you don’t have to look so pleased about the
idea.”

Her mother
blushed with a smile.

“
Sorry.
” Penelope
dipped her head. “You just look a little… agitated?”

“Nope.” Gemma
shook her head. “I just, you know, thought I’d pop by and say hi
before heading to work. I didn’t see you this morning so…” Her
sentenced trailed to a stop as she nibbled on her lip.

“Gemma.” Her
mother’s head tilted with that knowing look.

Pulling her
gaze away from the floor, Gemma forced her eyes to meet her
mother’s, searching for any signs of deceit. All she could see was
concerned love.

Gemma felt the
relief build inside her as a wide smile crossed her face.

That Gabe guy
is full of it.

“I love you,
Mom.” She stopped and wrapped two strong arms around her mother’s
neck. All her fears from the morning dissipated as she listened to
her mother’s surprised laughter and felt the embrace returned.

Gabriel Hunter
was a liar with ulterior motives. She didn’t know what they were
and she didn’t care. All she needed to do now was make sure he
stayed away from the people she loved.

She stood tall.
“I better get to work.”

“Sweetie.” Her
mother looked confused. “Are you sure you’re okay? I’ve got time to
grab a drink if you need to talk.”

“No, that’s
okay. I don’t want to be late.”

Her mother
frowned and folded her arms.

“Really, I’m
fine. I’m great!” She beamed and placed a swift kiss on her
mother’s cheek before heading out the door.

By the time she
returned to her original park Harrison was pacing the sidewalk.

“Where have you
been?” He raised his hands as she brought the bike to a stop.

Gemma switched
off the engine, but kept her helmet on.

“I went to see
my mom.”