Crave (21 page)
Authors: Karen E. Taylor
His eyes fluttered open and fastened on me. “I had no idea it would be like that,” he said, his voice breathless and raspy.
“The hell you didn't, Sam. You brought me up here for this very reason.”
“It's true,” he said, sitting up and rubbing a hand over his neck, “that I wanted to see what it was like. If not to feed, then to be fed on. But I hadn't expected . . .”
“What hadn't you expected? You didn't think you'd like it? But I told you you would.”
“No, you said you could make me like it, make me think I wanted you to feed. That's not what happened.”
“No,” I agreed, checking his pulse again, “that is not what happened. And what happened can never happen again.”
“You're angry, aren't you? Why? You were only doing what you needed to do to survive. You were helping me with an important research question: Why do vampires not accomplish anything in their long life spans? And now I know. Or I think I do. That kind of experience can only lead to the desire for more. I would imagine after years, it would become overwhelming.”
“Yes. Isn't that what I said? You could have just believed me.”
He smiled up at me. “Don't be mad, Deirdre. I'm a doctor, after all. And a very curious one at that, or I wouldn't have become a psychiatrist.”
I smiled back at him in spite of my anger. “And curiosity killed the cat. You're lucky you didn't find some other vampire to do your research with. A response like yours could get you drained completely dry.”
The doorbell rang and he got up from the couch to answer it. “It's probably the pizza,” he said, checking through the peephole. “Yep, dinner time for Sam, now.” He opened the door, took the pizza from the delivery boy and held it out to me. “Hold this for me, Deirdre, while I pay.”
I walked over, took the box from him and set it on the kitchen counter. Then I opened up the refrigerator and removed two more beers. “Think fast,” I called and tossed a can to him as he was closing the door.
“Hey!” He spun around, caught it and laughed. “Don't shake up the beer.”
I went into the living room and curled back up into my chair, studying his movements through lidded eyes. His movements were quick and not at all sluggish, which is what I would have expected. He came in and sat on the couch again, the pizza box in one hand and the beer in his other. He set the beer on the end table and pulled a piece of pizza from the box. “You're sure you don't mind if I eat in front of you?”
“Eat your pizza, Sam. Believe me, I'm not hungry.”
Chapter 24
I
watched him devour the entire pizza. He made no apology for his voracious appetite and for once I didn't mind. He had, after all, spent the entire day at my side, watching over me. He had brought me back to his apartment and fed me, as if he knew what I needed more than I did.
watched him devour the entire pizza. He made no apology for his voracious appetite and for once I didn't mind. He had, after all, spent the entire day at my side, watching over me. He had brought me back to his apartment and fed me, as if he knew what I needed more than I did.
And his supposition was right. I no longer felt dull and sluggish. His vibrancy and life was now flowing through my veins, and I was renewed, reborn. I sipped on my beer and smiled indulgently at him as he wolfed down the last piece.
“Good?” I asked him at last, as he wiped away the tomato sauce that clung to his lips. He crumpled the napkin and put it into the empty box.
“It was wonderful. And I was starved. I mean I was hungry before, but afterwards . . .” He rolled his eyes and I laughed again. “I mean you want to talk about a gigantic case of the munchies, that one had to take the cake.”
“Or the pie.”
He groaned. “That was a very bad joke, Deirdre.”
“Sorry, I'm not feeling particularly witty right now.”
“What are you feeling?”
I could almost hear his shrink mode kick in and it annoyed me. “What's this all about, Sam? Feed the vampire, then analyze her? Pin her down on your charts for manic depression?”
“No, I just wanted to know how you felt. You seemed upset before we got here. I was curious to know if the feeding helped. Obviously not. I'm sorry I asked.”
My anger disappeared as fast as it came. “No, I'm sorry, Sam. You didn't deserve that remark. I'm feeling better. Less anxious and more relaxed. Better able to cope with what's happening. How did you know?”
“That you needed to be fed?”
I nodded.
“I didn't, not really. But you were so pale and so tired, I figured it couldn't hurt. And guess what?” He rubbed his neck again where I had bit him. “It didn't hurt either one of us.”
“Not physically, no. But I worry about the friendship and the professional relationship we had.”
“We still have them. I gave you something you needed when you needed it. It didn't cost me much and was very pleasurable for me to give. Where's the harm in that?”
“No harm, I'm just not used to looking at it in those terms, I guess. Taking a willing victim is a lot more,” and I felt myself blushing, “well, intimate than picking one from off the streets. It feels different.”
“Well, if it makes you uncomfortable we won't make a habit out of it, okay?”
“Fine.”
He rose from the couch and gathered up the pizza box and the empty beer cans. “Be right back,” he said, “don't go away.”
He put the garbage into the can in the kitchen, then disappeared down the hallway. A few minutes later he came back, his hand fingering his neck still.
“Does that hurt?” I asked with concern. “If it does, it shouldn't.”
“No, I was just looking at it in the mirror. Doesn't even make that much of a hickey. I'm betting that all traces of it will disappear in a day or two. You want another beer?”
I gestured to my full glass. “I don't need one right now, but thank you.”
He glanced at the clock hanging on the kitchen wall. “And I have to go back to work in a couple of hours, so I'd better switch to something a little softer.”
He went to the refrigerator and pulled out a can of ginger ale. “This is better.”
Then he settled back in on the couch. “So,” his voice was now professional, even the way he sat seemed different, “what do you think about the Larry Martin situation now?”
“I understand a little better now how he manages these murders, but that won't help us stop him, or even catch him. And it doesn't help at all with the powers he's developed. He's still capable of slipping into a room without anyone knowing he's there.”
“Have you ever known a vampire who got paralyzed from drinking wine?”
I thought for a minute and smiled. “I never have. I've never even gotten drunk. Neither has anyone else I've ever come into contact with.”
“Then Larry must be drugging these people. What sort of tolerance do you have for drugs?”
“Drugs? About the same as alcohol, I think. I haven't experimented that much with illegal drugs. Once, when I was attending night school at Berkeley I did drop some acid. It was a disappointment. I was hoping it would be an escape.”
“And?”
I shook my head and gave a half smile. “Nothing. It had no effect other than the amusement I got from watching the antics of the other people. Marijuana is the same.”
“How about prescription drugs?”
“What would I need prescription drugs for? I'm never sick.”
“I would assume the same is true of over-the-counter items: aspirin, ibuprofen, cold medicines?”
“I don't need them so I've never taken them.”
He leaned forward on the couch eagerly. “What's it like?”
“What's what like?” His question confused me. “I told you I don't take any of those, so I wouldn't know.”
“No, what's it like to never be sick, to never have a headache, to never have a cold?”
I thought for a second. “I can't answer that one either, Sam. Because I don't remember feeling any differently.”
“But you must have been sick sometime before you became a vampire.”
I laughed at his choice of words.
“Was that funny?” He seemed offended.
“No,” I lied and he raised an eyebrow. “Well, yes. It was the way you said âbecame a vampire.' Like it was an occupational choice I'd made somewhere along the line or I woke up one day and said âI think I'd like to become a vampire now.' ”
“Sorry. I didn't mean it that way.”
“I know. Having a full stomach makes me giddy, I suppose. To answer your question, yes, I must have been sick before, but I don't have memories of it. Other than my pregnancy. I do remember that.”
“Pregnancy cannot really be considered a sickness.”
I laughed again, this time harder. “Spoken like a true man.”
He blushed and I reached across to where he sat and patted his hand gently. “I was only teasing you. And yes, you're right about that one, too. But I remember that particular health occurrence very clearly. Is this leading somewhere?”
“I'm only trying to get some sort of feel for a vampire's makeup. If Larry is drugging his victims, it might help to determine what kind of drug he's using. For no other reason than that there might be an antidote. If he can't kill, he becomes less of a threat.”
“That's true, Sam. I hadn't thought of it that way.”
“What if we were to try a little experiment?”
I looked at him and smiled. “Another experiment? I would have thought that you'd have had enough research tonight.”
“Funny lady. But I'm serious. Not tonight, though, since I have to be at work soon. But during the day, maybe. I could block off the room we were in today, administer different drugs to you and we could monitor their effects.”
“How long would this take? It sounds like a long-term deal to me. Remember, I have only nine days left. And there are others who have even less.”
“I have a theory that would probably cut back on the time actually needed. Whatever Larry's using, it would make sense that it's a drug that he's had firsthand experience with. I could get his records from his other institutional stays and see what he'd been prescribed over the years.”
“Well, I don't know. It seems like a long shot to me.”
“Yeah, I agree, it is a long shot. But what have you got to lose?”
I studied his face for a minute. “I lose nothing if we succeed. But if we fail, I'll have spent the last nine days of my life in a futile endeavor.” I got up from the couch. “I'll mention it to Mitch and the rest of the Cadre. If they decide it's worth the risk, I'll consider it.”
“That's all I can ask. Thank you.”
“What do you get out of it, Sam?”
“Me?” He got up from the couch and put his suit coat back on. “I get to experiment on a real live vampire. It's the medical opportunity of my lifetime.”
“But you won't be able to publish the results.”
“Knowledge for its own sake is still a valuable thing. Come on, lady,” he put his arm around my shoulder in a friendly gesture, “I'll give you a ride home.”
Â
Mitch was waiting for me at the back door to the Imperial. Sam pulled over and got out. “Told you I'd have her back safe and sound. And right on time.”
“Thanks, Sam,” Mitch called. I stepped out of the car and right into Mitch's arms. He kissed me like I'd been away for years and I returned the kisses gladly. I had missed him, and hadn't realized how much until I saw him again.
He held me out at arm's length and looked down at me. “You look great. Less frazzled than when you left and definitely better rested. So what happened? Sam told me on the phone that he thought he'd found out something that might help us. Something about how you were tuned in to Jean when she died?”
“Give me a minute to catch my breath, love. Oh, God, how I missed you.”
He laughed down at me. “I missed you, too. But I didn't worry about you; somehow I knew you were okay.” He kissed the tip of my nose and hugged me to him again. “But what on earth do you have in your pocket?”
“Oh, I almost forgot.” I reached in and pulled out the mini tape recorder. “Sam recorded what I saw this morning. It's a very convincing session.”
He took it from me and smiled. “Wonderful. I'm sure it will come in handy. Thanks.” He kissed me one more time, then put an arm around my waist and we went inside.
When we got back to our room I noticed several things missing. I looked at Mitch. “Where are the flowers? And the coffins? I was just getting used to those.”
“I had the coffins put into storage. Quite honestly every time I looked at them I got the shakes. This has been a bad enough nightmare without having to look at a constant reminder of impending mortality every day and night.”
“Yes, that's how I felt, too. Thank you. But what about the flowers?”
“I had them moved into the council room. Some of the leaders didn't believe my story of how a rose would disappear with each death. They're each going to take turns sitting with them, âjust to see what happens.' ” He barked out a laugh. “Damn bloody fools, they'll sit around debating what to do until they're all just heaps of ashes. And it would serve them right.”
“I take it you've been having a difficult time convincing them of the dangers.”
“Difficult doesn't even come close to describing it, Deirdre. But I want you to tell me everything that happened while you were gone. And what has Sam discovered?”
I stretched out on top of the bed. “Why don't we start at the most important thing first? Larry has discovered some sort of drug that can paralyze a vampire.”
“A drug? But how is that possible? I thought we were immune to the effects of drugs and alcohol.”
“Apparently so did everyone else, except for Larry. Sam thinks, or hopes, that he is using a drug that he'd once been prescribed during one of his many institutional stays. Something that he might have had already and discovered its effect on himself by accident.”
Mitch thought for a minute. “That makes a lot of sense, but how will Sam know what drug it is? I've seen Martin's record, he's been in and out of those places since his middle-teens. The list of drugs he's taken over the years has got to be fairly impressive. How does he plan on narrowing it down?”
I sat up and scrunched back into the headboard, bending my knees and hugging them to my chest. “He hopes to experiment on a willing guinea pig.”
“No,” Mitch said emphatically. “I won't allow him to experiment on you.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Excuse me? You won't allow it? I see that being appointed the leader of the Cadre, even temporarily, has gone to your head. I will most certainly consider your opinion in this, but in the end the final decision will be mine. I trust Sam not to hurt me.”
He had the good sense to hang his head just a bit. “I didn't mean to come across so authoritative, Deirdre. But the thought of you putting yourself into danger for this organization really bothers me. These are the same people who would have willingly locked you away . . .”
“Yes, Mitch, we've been through all of that over and over again. And I have to admit that I feel the same way at times. My fondest dream right now is to get this all taken care of and move far beyond the reach of the Cadre forever.”
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