Blood and Sand (25 page)

“Your scent changes when you get upset. And I can smell your tears. Are you afraid?” He turned, carefully walking over to her. “We are almost out. I can smell the fresh air now.”

“No.” She cleared her throat. “Just… thinking.”

He frowned, as if he could guess what had been on her mind. “Oh.”

“Can vampires have kids?” She flushed immediately, cursing internally for blurting that out.

Baojia’s mouth had dropped open a little. “No. We can sire other vampires, but we can’t… it’s not possible to—”

“Oh.” She nodded and looked at the candle. “Okay. I was just curious.”
 

“You want children.” It wasn’t a question.

The flush she’d been trying to control came back. “Not right now. It’s kind of a ‘someday’ thing. You know, someday I want kids. Not now. I mean, I work too much. And I travel a lot. So kids now would be… And I’m single, so—”

“No, you’re not.” He had stepped closer, and his voice dropped to a low growl. “Whatever this is… you are not single. You’re not unattached as far as I’m concerned.”

Her back straightened instinctually. “And what about you?”

“You think I would pursue someone else while I am with you?” His frown grew fiercer. “Is that what you think of me?”

“No!” She was making a mess of this. And really, they needed to get out of this stinking cave. The air was getting practically claustrophobic. “I just… Are you going to bite other people? I mean… It feels really good and if you—”

“I will feed from donated blood if you insist, though it would make me weaker. I don’t need to drink very often, only a couple of times a week, depending on my physical activity. It would be too much to take from only you, and I would not want to see you weak. And yes, bloodlust and physical lust often go hand in hand, but not exclusively.”

Natalie decided that her face was just going to stay a weird tomato red for the rest of her life. But, on the bright side, Baojia could only see her at night, so that was good. She’d just have to stay in dimly lit rooms when they were together. He stepped closer. She could see his lean musculature covered with sand and dust. He was mouthwatering. He was beautiful. And he would always be that way.
 

“Natalie,” he asked, “is that acceptable?”

“Yeah.” She nodded, crossing her arms and still holding the dripping candle. “I mean… I guess that was a stupid question.”

“No, it wasn’t.” He tucked that irritating lock of hair behind her ear again. “These are good questions.” He was smiling, his fangs peeking from the corners of his mouth. She could barely see him in the candlelight, but he was smiling, so she smiled, too.
 

“We should probably get out of here.”

“Mmmhmm.” He stood there, his hand soft on her neck as his fingers traced the edge of her jaw. “The sooner we get out of here, the sooner I can kill Brigid and Beatrice for bringing you out here and leaving you in the middle of a fight.”

“Ugh!” She shoved his hand away. “You can’t kill them.”

He rolled his eyes and walked back to the pile of rocks. “I’m thinking about it.” He tossed them over his shoulder at vampire speed, careful not to aim any in her direction.

“It would create an international vampire incident. Or something.”

“Everybody hates me anyway. Not much would change.”

“Not everyone hates you.”

“Close. Close to everyone. I think Isadora still likes me, which must piss my father off.”

“Dez and Matt like you. Beatrice and Gio like you.” She kept going, even when he snorted. “And I like you. A lot.”

In a blink, he was back in front of her, bending down to capture her lips. “Do you?” he murmured with a smile. “You like me a lot? Only a lot?”

She tried to roll her eyes, but it was hard to be annoyed when he was doing that thing with his tongue and his hands… “I like you… the most, George.”

“Good.” Baojia stepped forward, snugging his hips against hers and running his hands down her back to squeeze her waist. “Am I your favorite vampire?”

“Eh…” She tried to play it cool, but the memory of his bite from the night before assaulted her. “You’re probably my favorite.”

“Probably?” His hands. And his arms. Natalie bit his lower lip and his arms tightened around her.
 

“I might need more convincing.” She broke away and took a deep breath. “And a shower. And an actual bed. So…”

He stepped back. “Out of the cave.”

“Out of the cave.”

She watched him walk away, and it took more than a little self-control to let him. But within minutes, Natalie was glad she had because the rush of cool night air filled the cramped tunnel and before she knew it, Baojia was reaching a hand down to pull her up. They walked back toward the casino, hand in hand. He led, making sure to steer her around any brush or rocks that might trip her up or scratch at her; his eyes constantly swept their surroundings.

“Baojia.” She tugged at his hand to get his attention.

“Yes?”

Natalie kissed him. A sweet press of her lips to his with her hands reaching up to frame his smooth cheeks. “Thank you for rescuing me.”

He smiled. “Again.”

“Wow.” Her hands dropped. “You really had to go there, huh?”

“Second time, Natalie. This is the second time you’ve put yourself in danger.”

She started walking again and muttered, “And it won’t be the last.”

“I heard that.”

“Of course you did.”

He didn’t kill Brigid and Beatrice, but he didn’t talk to them either. Both vampires were waiting at the back of the casino, near where Tio had shown up and scared Natalie after they’d first run off. Both were covered in sand and dust. Natalie had a feeling she’d gotten the better end of day accommodations.

“Tenzin?” she asked, remembering that Baojia had said the wind vampire had flown him down to the desert.

Brigid said, “Already took off. Wouldn’t take either of us with her.”

Baojia tucked her under his arm and started walking toward the Camaro, holding his hand out in silent request for the keys.

“So, he’s a
silent
angry type, eh?” Brigid asked.
 

“Apparently,” Beatrice said, following after him. “Listen, we were right behind you. She was supposed to stay at the casino and shock anyone who—”

Baojia spun around, holding up a hand. “Don’t speak. Don’t speak right now.”

Beatrice’s eyes popped open and she bared her teeth. “Oh no. You don’t get to talk to me like that. Natalie knew what she was doing coming down here. And she’s not some weak-kneed little—”

“She’s human,” he growled through gritted teeth. She could see his fangs low in his mouth as he shoved her behind his body and stepped forward in an aggressive stance. “Has it been so long that you have forgotten how vulnerable she is? You risked her needlessly, Beatrice. You call yourself her friend, but she could have died.” He paused a moment, trying to keep control. “I cannot stress to you how unacceptable it is to put her in harm’s way.”

Natalie wanted to speak up, but she was afraid her voice would come out as a squeak. Barely restrained violence was pouring off him. She looked around Baojia’s body to see something shift in Beatrice’s face. The other vampire’s stance shifted and she stepped back, glancing at Natalie with a softer expression. “You’re right. I’m sorry.” She held up her hands. “Brigid’s sorry, too.”

“Hey!” The tiny brunette piped up. “I’ll speak for—”

“We both got excited about a fight and we were thinking about taking these guys down,” Beatrice said, glaring at Brigid, “and we didn’t think about her.”

“Apologize to your friend,” he said.

“Baojia.” Natalie shoved at his back, finally speaking up. “That’s enough. She apologized. I’m fine. The bad guys are dead—” She looked to Brigid. “The bad guys are dead, right?”

Brigid nodded. “Ashes. And I hope you didn’t get any of that vampire’s blood on you, Baojia. We’re not sure if Elixir can spread vampire to vampire, but no use taking chances.”

“I didn’t.” She could see his shoulders start to relax. “They were all elixired? How many of them?”

“Five.” Brigid started walking toward the car, all business. Natalie was relieved that someone still seemed immune to all the vampire posturing that was flying around. “Which makes them harder to kill. The humans they’d been feeding on were already dead. Three humans. Tio was just joining the crowd with the other. She didn’t smell drugged, so she must have just been a snack.”

Natalie’s stomach churned. They were talking about human beings like they were food. She could feel Baojia tighten a firm arm around her to steady her as she crossed the parking lot.

“The truck?” she asked. “Any sign of the truck?”

Brigid shook her head. “Must have gone wherever it went during the day today.”

“We’ll head back tonight,” he said, “but I want to come down here and speak to Tulio again.”

Beatrice said, “Big silent earth vampire who came for the girls’ bodies? He said he was a friend of yours, but we kept our distance.”

“That’s smart. He’s very strong and he knows this desert better than anyone. I want to know where these girls are coming from, and I have a feeling he might have discovered more.”

They got to the car and Baojia slipped into the driver’s seat. He started the car and reached for Natalie’s hand. “Sleep if you can. We’ll be back in LA within a few hours.”

She wanted to talk more. About the girls. About the vampires who had been killed. But the fight and the restless day were finally catching up to her, and Natalie felt her eyes slip closed.

When she woke, she was in yet another room she didn’t recognize. But at least this one smelled familiar.

Baojia.

She was carefully tucked into a large king-sized bed in a room with no windows. A door to the side was open to a lit room she assumed was the bathroom. Her duffel bag was on the dresser, and a plate of food was on a small table in the corner, along with a note. She stood up, rubbing her eyes so she could read it.

Sleep as long as you wish. I’ll be in the library until dawn. The code for the room is your birthday.

She blinked. Apparently, someone had moved her in. Or he didn’t trust her out of his sight. It might have been a little of both. She took a long drink of water and began to pick at the fruit and cheese on the plate before her. After a few minutes, she realized she wanted company more than food, so she left the room and walked down the hall. It led to a staircase going up, and Natalie realized the hallway full of vampire rooms was just below where she’d been staying. Well, that was convenient; she knew where everything was. Heading toward the library, the house was almost eerily silent until she got near the second floor.

“—suspicious of your own family.”

“You are not my family any longer.”

“Do you think because you and Father fight I no longer consider you a brother?”

Hi="1 nos sister. Baojia had a vampire sister, and they were arguing. Natalie didn’t go any closer, but she couldn’t manage to tear herself away.

“I don’t want to put you in an awkward position. But I cannot deny I am worried about Ernesto. He tied my hands. I couldn’t protect him. I couldn’t protect you or Rory. I was stuck in San Diego doing nothing while my sire and his territory were being threatened. I had no choice.”

“You made the choice. You chose that woman and the humans over us. If you had stayed—”

His voice was clipped and impatient. “If I had stayed, he would have kept ignoring it and then I would have lived with the guilt of knowing something was going wrong and not being able to do anything about it, Paula! How can you not see that? And how can Rory ignore this? He must know what’s going on.”

“It is a human problem, Baojia. A serial killer like the one in Juarez. It is for the human police to investigate. Not our problem. Not
your
problem.”

“We found a girl who had come directly from Ivan’s bar. Do you think that is coincidence? Natalie was attacked by one of Ivan’s thugs last night. Is that a coincidence?”

“Natalie? Is that the reporter’s name?”

She shrank against the wall.

“This is not about her.”

“This is completely about her. Take your amusement,
hermanito
, but why do you abandon your family for this human? She is here today and a memory in fifty years. We are your
family
. Go to Father. Ask forgiveness.”

“It will not happen.” His voice broke. “And it does not matter if she is human. I have sworn my protection over her. She is under my personal aegis. Do not think to attack her or send someone who might. Attacking her is the same as attacking me.” The soft voice grew hard. “And will be dealt with in the same manner. Do you understand?”

The other vampire’s voice was acid. “I understand you have lost your reason. I only hope you come to your senses before this has gone too far.”

She heard footsteps approaching and darted into a coat closet she’d just passed. She heard the steps slow, then speed up, a low female voice muttering in Spanish about what, she couldn’t understand. A second set of feet approached and the door creaked open.