Blood Type (22 page)

We made our way
to the game
and Ian picked up a racket, giving it an expert twirl in his hand. “Did you know the game of Badminton dates back to eighteenth-century India?”

John sighed. “Here we go.”

“It evolved from two children’s games: battledore and shuttlecock.”

Olivia giggled, and I shot her a look.
What?
she
mouthed, shrugging her shoulders.

“This,” Ian said, holding up his racket, “is a modern day battledore. And this is a shuttlecock.”

“I thought it was called a birdie,” Olivia said, giggling again.

“Pull your mind out of the gutter,” I muttered under my breath.

“They’re the same thing,” Ian said. “Now—”

“Are you going to give us the entire history of Badminton,” John said, “or are we going to play?”

“Badminton,” Ian continued, ignoring John’s interruption, “got its name when it was first played at Badminton House, which was the Duke of Beaufort’s estate in Gloucestershire. Now, the game hasn’t been without controversy. The
British
—”

John gave a dramatic yawn.
“Boring.”

“Yeah, we usually just whack the birdie back and forth over the net,” Olivia said.

Ian’s shoulders slumped and he heaved a dramatic sigh.
“Such an unrefined lot.”
He glanced at Olivia, a hint of a smile on his face. “Well, all right.
I’m up for a good whacking if you are
, my dear.
”

After working up a good sweat, Olivia suggested going for a swim. Almost no one swam at my parents’ parties, too concerned with preserving their perfect images, so we had the entire pool to ourselves. I jumped into the shallow end without even giving
my fear of water
a second thought
.

“I can’t remember the last time I saw you in this pool,” my dad said, peering down at me from the edge.

“It was when I was five and you tossed me in. Remember?”

Dad screwed his face in incredulity. “Surely I didn’t do that. Not to my own daughter.”

“You did! Anyway, John taught me to swim.”

“Really?”
Dad said, giving John
a
look of newfound appreciation.

“It was just one lesson,” he said.

“Well, I’m impressed,” my mom said, coming up behind my dad and resting a hand on his shoulder. “Bill’s been trying to get Blake in the pool for years now. I guess all it took was a cute
boy
to do the trick.”

I narrowed my eyes at my mother
,
to which my dad said, “I think we’re embarrassing her. Come on. Let’s leave them alone.”

We played “chicken” next, with me on John’s shoulders and Olivia on Ian’s. I managed to knock Olivia off twice before she finally got me. I went underwater, and when I opened my eyes
,
I
came
face to face with Ian. He surprised me with a kiss on the lips before breaking out in laughter, the air escaping in large bubbles that burst when they reached the surface. I pushed him away, laughing too, and swam up for air. John
had seen the whole thing and
wasn’t amused.

As Olivia and I were changing out of our wet clothes an hour later in the downstairs bathroom she said, “Ian’s really cute.”

I toweled my hair dry and combed my fingers through it. “He’s very cute, but I’d stay away from him.”

“Why?”

I stepped into my dress and turned to let Olivia zip up the back. “I
don’t
totally trust him.”

“This doesn’t have anything to do with the whole vampire dream, does it?”

“No,” I said in all seriousness. “I don’t think John completely trusts Ian, either. There’s something . . . I don’t know . . . a little
off about their relationship. I haven’t quite figured out the two of them yet. And anyway, he’s too old for you.”

“He’s not that much older.”

“
Twenty-one or twenty-two?
I’m sure your mother would beg to differ.”

Olivia shrugged as she applied her lip gloss. “It’s okay to have fun in the meantime, right?”

“I guess, but—”

“And fun is all I’m having, so don’t worry about me.” She capped her gloss and yanked open the door, running
right
into Andrew Larsen on her way out.

“Hello,” he said, seeming as startled as she. He wrapped a hand around her arm to steady her.

“Uh, hi,” Olivia said uncertainly, her eyes darting to me.

Andrew smiled
and flashed
a set of gleaming teeth. “You must be one of Blake’s friends.”

“Yeah.”

He raised a brow. “
And d
o you have a name?”

Her eyes darted to me again. “Olivia.”

“Olivia. What a lovely name. Like . . . a fine wine
that
lingers
on the
palate
.”

Olivia’s eyes widened and she made a face like she didn’t know whether to laugh or vomit.
“
O-
kay
.”

“Are you having a nice time, Mr. Larsen,” I said, noticing that he’d yet to remove his hand from Olivia’s arm. His eyes raked
over Olivia, settling on the twin hills of cleavage peeking from the neckline of her v-neck. She grabbed the fabric and pulled it up an inch.

“Andrew,” he said. “And I’m having a wonderful time.” He leaned forward then and sniffed. He didn’t even try to be inconspicuous about it.
“Such a shame
.
”

Olivia’s jaw dropped and she tried yanking her arm free, but Andrew’s grip tightened. “Can you please take your hand—
”

“Do you mind?” Ian interrupted, popping up unexpectedly next to Olivia’s side. “She’s with me.”

“Is she
?
” Andrew’s nostrils flared as he sized-up Ian. “I don’t think we’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting.”

“Take a hike, Grandpa,” Olivia said before Ian had a chance to respond.

“Grandpa?”
Andrew looked from Olivia to Ian, and then back again. He laughed, but without feeling. “I do believe my feelings have been hurt.”

“What’s going on,” John said, locking eyes with Andrew.

“I was just saying hello to Miss Ehlert and her lovely friend,” Andrew said. “I’ll be going now.
Be sure
to take very good care of her. Miss Ehlert, I mean.” He patted John on the shoulder and walked away.

Olivia shuddered and rubbed her arm where Andrew’s fingers had been only moments before. “Okay.
Ew
. That was
totally
gross.”

“I told you,” I said. “
What a
perv
.”

“Oh, he’s a lot more than that,” Ian said.

I looked at him. “What do you mean?”

He opened his mouth to say something and then
saw
the look on John’s face. “Nothin
g
,” he said.
“Nothin
g
at all.”

October 27

John stormed off to the kitchen without another word, leaving me standing alone in the foyer.
A
nger radiated from him like a searing heat
,
and I had the sinking feeling
that
his
anger was directed at me.
Ian
was
on the run again,
thanks to me, and
I’d likely put John in a lot of danger. If Josiah found out he’d been harboring a fugitive . . .
I didn’t
even
want to think about it.

I had half a mind to walk out the door and never look back—my hand
gripped
the doorknob—but I couldn’t leave John alone to clean up the mess I had had a hand in creating.

I sighed and dug my cell from the inside pocket of my bag and then called home. “I’m at John’s,” I said, when Mom answered the phone.

“
And
how is John?” Mom wanted to know. “Tell him Daddy and I say hi and that we miss seeing him. Invite him over for dinner, won’t you? We’re having grilled salmon and asparagus.”

It’s like the past two months hadn’t even happened.
“Tonight’s not good
.
He’s
sort of busy
.”

Mom clucked her tongue. “That’s too bad. Well, then soon.” There came a wistful sigh over the phone.
“Oh, Blake.
I’m so glad you’ve decided to give John another chance. He’s such a nice young man. I don’t know why you ever broke up with him.”

My throat tightened and I had an inexplicable urge to burst into tears. I held the phone away from my mouth as I took a deep, shuddering breath.

When I was certain my quivering voice wouldn’t betray my emotions, I put the phone back in place and said, “We weren’t really dating in the first place, Mom. He was just someone I hung out with a few times.”

“I know you liked him, Blake, so don’t try to hide it. I’m not sure what happened between you two, but I hope you’re able to patch things up with him.” When I didn’t answer she added. “Okay then. Don’t stay out too late. I don’t want you getting overtired.”

“I’ll be fine, Mom. Don’t worry about me.”

I found John
leaning against the counter
, head bowed,
with a glass of dark red liquid in his hand. I didn’t
have to ask to know what the glass
contained
.
He didn’t look up at me or meet my eyes as I entered the room, but at least he didn’t turn away. I went to the table and pulled out a chair, and then I sat down and folded my hands in my lap.

And waited.

August 11

My phone chimed
,
announc
ing
a
n incoming
text:
Thinking of you
.
Can’t wait to
s
ee you
.

I smiled to myself as I read John’s message. We’d made plans to catch a movie after he got off work in an hour, but I
had
decided to surprise him by being there
at his place
when he got home.

Forty-five minutes later I kissed my parents goodbye and told them I’d be home by curfew, and then I drove the few miles
down the hill
to John’s place.

Ian opened the door
with
sunken cheeks and
a deathly gray pallor to his skin.
I took an automatic step back, but he
reached out and snagged my arm, pulling me inside the house.

“Ian
. What—”
I flinched
at the ice-cold touch of his fingers.

His greasy hair stood on end
. His normally vibrant brown eyes
stared back at me,
bloodshot and half-
crazed
. He looked strung-out and exhausted, as though he’d had a really rough night.

“Partying too hard?” I said, hoping the sarcasm covered
the sudden anxiety forming a hard knot in the middle of my chest
.

“What are ye doing here?” His voice
cam
e
out
hoarse and ragged, and he coughed
hard
to clear his throat.

He seemed to realize how he must look, because he let go of my arm then and ran a hand through his hair
in a futile attempt
to smooth it down
. He tugged at the hem of his t-shirt, as though doing so might help his appearance
any
. It didn’t.

“John and I have plans
tonight
. I thought I’d come by and wait for him to get home. I wanted to surprise him.”

“
You talked to John
?” he said, a note of frenzy
in
his voice. “Did he say he’d be home soon? I’m going bat-shit crazy, and I’ve no
t
heard anythin
g
from him.”

I shifted from one foot to the other as I took in his ragged appearance more carefully.
S
omething was going on here, but I didn’t think it had anything to do with a night of
heavy
partying. Ian wasn’t at all well. His eyes grew wide, and they seemed to blaze in their sockets with a suppressed need. He took a step back and beckoned me
further inside the foyer
.

“What’s going on?” I said.

“I can’t—” But he didn’t say anything more.

I hung my purse on the peg hook, wondering what could be the matter. He looked even worse in
full light
.
His eyes had
sunk deep in his face and
were
smudged with shadow.
And i
nstead of a healthy pink, his lips were tinged blue. He looked on the brink of death.

“John will be home soon,” I said as I continued to examine him for any signs that he was about to croak. “I figured you and I could hang out in the meantime. Is that okay?”

Ian scrubbed his face with trembling hands, rasping the stubble under his fingertips. The cuticles of his nails were cracked and
had started to bleed
. “I have a terrible hunger
.
”

I fixed him with a narrow gaze as I reevaluated my previous assessment. Maybe he
was
coming off a high. “Is this like when people get the munchies after they smoke pot? Not that I’d know anything about that,” I added quickly.

“I
have no use for those
drugs, and that’s no
t
what I meant!” 

The joking smile fell at once from my face. Ian began pacing the floor in front of me and making a sort of high-pitched keening noise in the back of his throat. I reached out a cautious hand and touched his arm.
He was really freaking me out.
“Hey, are you okay?”

Ian
fell to his knees and buried his face in his hands, his fingers twisting and pulling his hair. “I’ll be better as soon as John gets back. Have ye any idea when that’ll be?”

I knew the sound of desperation when I heard it, and this was a desperate man. “You look like you have one foot in the grave.” I grabbed his hand, and his icy fingers closed at once around my wrist. “Come with me
,” I said
.
“
I’m taking you to Urgent Care.”

He let go and scrambled away from me until his back was
pressed
against the wall. He
panted heavily
. “No. I’m . . . tellin
g
you . . . I’ll be fine . . . as soon as John . . . gets home.
C-call him.
Tell him to hurry!”

I seriously thought Ian was about to have a seizure or die on me,
so with trembling hands I fumbled through my purse for my cell and texted
to John:
At your place. Ian’s
really
sick.
Hurry.

John’s
reply
, which I hadn’t been expecting,
came at once:
Get out of there!

I texted back:
Go to
the hospital?

“He promised he’d be back as soon . . .”
Ian’s
words trailed off and he turned away from me, holding his hand over his mouth as though he were about to be sick.

“Do you need an ambulance?” I said, anxiety making my heart skip and stutter. “Maybe I should call my parents. I don’t know what to do!”

“So hungry . . .”

My worry eased slightly at that. “Then let me make you
comfortable
on the couch. I can fix you a can of soup if you’re hungry. Come with me and—” I had taken his hand and was attempting to lead him into the next room, but he yanked free from my grasp.

“Dammit, Blake!
I need
ye
to go.
Now!”
He pushed me away, so hard that I stumbled back a few steps and nearly tripped over my own feet. “Please. If ye know what’s good for you, you’ll
go
!”

“You don’t have to be embarrassed, Ian. If you’re going to throw up, don’t hold back on my account. I mean, it’s not like I held back the last time I was here.”  I chuckled under my breath in an attempt to get him to relax
and actually
let me help.

“
Please
,” he
said,
his voice no more than a pleading whisper. “I don’t want to do this.
John will kill me . . .
”

I put my hand on his cheek.
“I’m not leaving you alone, so you might as well just—”

The attack
happened so quickly
I had no time to react. I
stood
on my feet one moment and
was flat on my back
the next, the breath escaping my lungs in one giant
whoosh
as my
shoulders
and head made contact with the hardwood floor. Ian straddled my waist, pinning my arms at my sides with the bone-crunching muscles of his thighs.
Tears sprang to my eyes as t
he bony
knobs
of his knees dug painfully into my biceps. Only one thought raced through my mind
.
I struggle
d against him
, trying with all my might to wiggle out from underneath hi
s body
.

“Get off me!” I screamed, desperate for the use of my hands and nails. 

I bucked and writhed beneath him, but that only seemed to excite him more. I felt the wanting ripple through his body, and he threw his head back and gave a strangled cry. 

“Please don’t,” I said, too scared to even cry. “I promise I’ll go, and I won’t tell anyone. Just . . . please don’t!”  

His
next attack came like the lightning-quick strike of a cobra, and at first I couldn’t understand the mind-numbing pain at the side of my neck. It felt like the point of a nail being driven into my flesh, and I screamed like I’d never screamed before. My right arm slipped free as Ian lowered his full weight onto me,
and I yanked his hair and head back with all the strength I could muster.

But then t
he edges of my vision began to blur and darken as my strength and resolve ebbed.
I stopped struggling as my entire body went numb, even though my mind was working in overdrive and I was fully aware
of
what was happening.
I closed my eyes, wanting nothing more than to quietly slip into an oblivious slumber. But then the weight on my chest was gone, a
nd a
thunderous explosion of noise and voices
rang
in my ears.

“What have you done?!”

“I’m sorry, John. I couldn’t help—”

“I knew I shouldn’t have let you
stay
here
!
I’m such an idiot! All you do is
create
one disaster after another wherever you go
!
”

“I couldn’t help it. I was weak and I needed—”

“I’m sick of hearing
your excuses
, Ian! Go. Get out of here, and let me see to her now.”

“You know what will happen, John. If ye care for her at all, and I know y
ou
do, you’ll let me end it now.”

“I said go!”

H
eavy footsteps retreat
ed
, followed by the slam of the front door
.
I felt a hand on my head and the whisper of my name.

“John
.
”
I lacked
the strength of voice or will to say anything more.

“
Shh
. Don’t
try
to talk.” John
bent to
my neck and
I felt
the flick of something warm and slippery against the spot where
once there had been only agon
izing pain
.
Then
John raised his head
and looked into my eyes
.

“
Now s
leep
,
” he commanded.