Crimson Groves (33 page)

“Abby, who’s that guy he put in the bathroom?” Lily started to get up from the bed.

“No! Please. Lie back. Relax.” I walked over to her and placed my hands on her face. “I know it hasn’t been long enough, but I need blood. Do you think you could handle me taking just a little from you?”

“I think so. But what’s going on?” She placed her hands on top of mine. “Abby, I’m scared.”

“I don’t know how long Bronx will be gone, but there’s so much I need to figure out while he his. I’ll explain everything to you later. I think that vampire in the bathroom can fill in some of the missing blanks, and then if I can just get Tyler to wake up, he’ll hopefully fill in the rest. I’m going to get you out of here.”

“Okay. I trust you.” Lily turned her head sideways, exposing her neck, then leaned back into the pillows waiting for my bite.

25

Answers

AFTER TAKING JUST HALF of the blood I needed from Lily, I quickly stood up and headed for the bathroom, led by a burning curiosity. There were so many questions and so little time to get their answers. I was also worried about Brian’s condition; part of that was my own selfishness, the other part, actual concern. I glanced back at Tyler. He was hurt pretty bad, but he’d be okay for now. There wasn’t really anything I could do for him at the moment anyway. His blood was way too tempting, and there was way too much of it. It was best to keep a safe distance for now. Why did I even care? Who freaking knows!

Brian was in the bathtub, chains draped around him, blood stains on his face and clothes. His head was propped up against the tiled wall, and his knees were bent so he’d fit within the small space. I sat down on the bench next to the tub. “Brian, can you hear me? Brian?” I reached over and gently nudged him. His head tilted slightly in my direction. His eyes were sealed shut by blood—thick, dried, crusty. I frantically pulled at the chains, hoping to get them off, but my efforts were useless. Whatever “infused magic” kept him from breaking free, also made it impossible for me to break him out. “Brian. Please. Wake. Up.” I shook harder, more aggressive and rapidly. Nothing.
Damn it! What am I going to do? Blood. He needs blood!

My fangs plunged out. I lifted my wrist to my mouth. I wasn’t even thinking with my mind. I was acting on pure instinct. The skin ripped away from my wrist, quick and precise. Blood trickled down my arm like crimson syrup. I slapped my wrist to Brian’s face, pressing hard into his lips.
This has to work! I know this will work!
He didn’t move. I waited impatiently, counting the seconds in my head. Tingles crawled on my skin, followed by a cool sensation. The healing process had already begun! Crap! I didn’t think that would happen so quickly. I wouldn’t have enough energy to go through that again without getting more blood from Lily. And that was not an option right now.
Damn it!

“Drink, Brian! Drink now!” My voice was desperate, panicked. The tension was so thick you could cut it with a knife. I swallowed hard.

There was a little suction on my wrist—delicate, slow. Brian’s lips opened wider, his teeth grazing my skin. Then his fangs ripped into me and he sucked harder, more violently. I laughed, tears streaming down my face. He grabbed my wrist, pulled it closer to his mouth, sucking, slurping, and gulping. I let him take my blood until I couldn’t afford to lose another drop. In a bloody whir, my arm was hanging at my side. Brian scrambled around, arms flapping, body jerking. “Can you hear me?” I asked. “Are you okay?”

It took him a minute to relax, the rush of my blood bringing life back inside him. He heaved and opened his eyes, little crusties of blood left behind. “Hi, Baby Vampire,” he mumbled, voice soft and weak.

“Look, we don’t have much time,” I said, voice anxious. “What do you know about me? Why does Bronx want to kill you for it?”

Brian closed his eyes, as if trying to think of what to say, and then blinked a few times, slowly. He let out a deep, empty sigh. “I do know you.” He tried to sit up straight, but his body wasn’t strong enough to hold it so he slumped back down. Using a teensy weensy bit of my advanced strength, I reached forward, pulled him into a better sitting position, and then leaned his back against the wall. “I did not know who this Bronx person was until he sabotaged my club and kidnapped me,” Brian said. “I did not even know why I was here until I saw you.”

“What? What are you talking about? Why would I be the reason you’d be here if you weren’t working for Bronx?” I nervously twirled strands of my hair, my eyes focused sharply on Brian.

“Conrad called me the other day and told me about this crazy vampire that tried to kill him. He barely escaped—”

“Who the hell is Conrad?” I demanded. “And what does he have to do with any of this?”

“Conrad told me that he called and tried to warn you before you were transformed. That’s when he was attacked.”

“Wait, what did you say? Conrad tried to warn me? Conrad who? D-d-do you mean…?”

With his weak, raspy voice, Brian told me the unthinkable. “Conrad Tate.”

Conrad Tate, my infamous father. My mouth gaped open, completely dumbstruck. That’s why my father called me? He knew about Bronx?
Abigail, you’re in danger. He’s coming to find you. Somehow, I’m not sure how, but he figured it out. He knows how special you are. You can’t let him find you.
My father knew Bronx was coming for me? He knew that I was special. Did that mean he knew of the powers I’d obtain once becoming a vampire? Was that the reason he left me, because he knew this all along?

Cutting into my thoughts I heard Brian talking. “But Conrad was in Texas when he called me, and there was no way to connect me to him—”

“Texas?” I exclaimed. That was why Lily asked me if I was in Texas.

That part made perfect sense. Once I’d escaped Bronx and took off with Tyler, I’d have nowhere to go, no one to trust. So Bronx must’ve thought I’d try to find my father. He could’ve easily gotten help from an Enforcer, or the Head Council themselves, to track down my father’s whereabouts. But none of that explained how my father knew about me, or how he knew that Bronx was after me, or what his involvement in all of this was. All that time Bronx held me prisoner, he’d never once mentioned my father. Tyler never said anything about him either. The answers were on the tip of my tongue, but I couldn’t spit them out yet. I needed to talk to Tyler.

Brian watched me silently.

“What else do you know?” I asked.

“I don’t know.”

“So Bronx wants to kill you because you know my father?”

“Yes. Bronx and Conrad have been at war ever since the discovery.”

“What discovery?” I scooted closer, my face almost touching Brian’s.

He hesitated, voice thin with fear. “Your powers, Baby Vampire. Your amazing powers.”

“But I was powerless when my father called me! How did he know?”

“I don’t know! I swear! I swear on my life he never told me anything else.”

He was telling the truth. I wouldn’t get anything else out of him. I was running out of time to keep trying anyway. I got up—fast. I looked down at Brian. “Is there a way to help heal a human?”

“Are you talking about the human working with that monster?” Brian looked at me, eyes crazy, widened, fearful.

I shrugged. “Yes. Please. I don’t expect you to understand, but if there’s a way to help him
...
”

“Baby Vampire, all you have to do is feed him some of your blood. But I must warn you that as long as your blood flows through him, he will possess your advanced strength.”

“For how long?”

“A few days, at least that. Maybe more. Before you give him any of your blood, you better be sure you can trust him.” He rotated his head to the side, turning away from me.

The burning question of the night: Could I trust Tyler? If I gave Tyler my super strength, would he at least be honest with me? There were no guarantees on that, but I was certain that Bronx would kill Tyler once he returned. Which was why I couldn’t leave him in his current beaten and mangled condition, whether he told me the truth or not. At least he could use my advanced senses to get out of here (why the hell did I care about that?) and hopefully take Lily with him. He would do that for me, wouldn’t he? After all, he did owe me. It was worth a try and time was almost out. Could someone please shoot me and get it over with?

“Brian, I’ll be back in a minute! Thank you!”

“I hope you know what you’re doing,” he mumbled.

“I hope so too.” In a swish of movement, I was standing over Tyler. His body was still, quiet, lifeless. His suit was ragged and torn, and there were dark stains on his shirt. The light silver comforter was covered in his blood. His blood. The sight of it alone made my mouth water like crazy. But I had got to fight it. Had to be strong. I couldn’t afford to have him passed out for hours. I needed his help. And he needed mine. I hoped he wouldn’t prove me to be a stupid fool (again) once I gave it to him.

My nerves hustled around like traffic at rush hour. I closed my eyes tightly and bit down into my wrist.

26

Twist of Fate

TYLER’S BEAUTIFUL GREEN EYES stared back at me. Relieved, I pulled my wrist away. “What did you do to me?” he asked, sitting up. “I feel different.”

“You should. I gave you some of my blood.” My voice was a little cocky, arrogant.

“You what?” In a flash he was standing a few feet away from me. He gasped. “Holy crap! How did I do that?”

“I hope you don’t prove to me I made the wrong choice in helping you.” I stood up and took a careful step toward him. My head tilted to the right.

“I can move as fast as you! Your blood is doing that to me?”

“Yes. By drinking my blood your body was able to heal quickly, but it also gave you my advanced senses for a few days.”

He took a deep, long breath, then released it very slowly. I could tell he was adjusting to the new senses as they bombarded him. Senses so strong, no human could ever understand. “This is crazy!” He flapped his hands up and down. “I feel weightless!”

I put my hands on my hips and smirked. “Well you kinda are weightless.”

A smile stretched across his face like he’d just won a million dollars. Then, in the blink of an eye, he was across the room near the closet. He dropped to the ground and started doing pushups. “I can’t believe you never gave me your blood before. This is so awesome!” After several long moments he stopped, stood back up, and looked at me.

Lily shifted around on the bed. I needed to press Tyler for information and get him to take Lily out of here. Fast. “Tyler, there’s no time for fun and games.” My voice was firm, urgent. “We don’t have a lot of time. Bronx will be back soon.”

He chuckled. “So? What can he do to me? I can take him
now.
”

I took a few human steps toward him. “Not if he gains control of your mind!”

He stared at me, eyes wide, almost hypnotizing. “His mind control won’t work on me.”

“His…what? What did you say?” I knew exactly what he’d said, but I couldn’t believe my ears. The weight of it smacked me across the face so hard, leaving me speechless. Emotional walls shot up around me, hoping to conceal my torn feelings.

“I’m really, really sorry. For everything.” He shrugged, looked down at the floor. “I wanted to tell you everything from the beginning, but I couldn’t. Bronx would’ve killed me; hell, I bet he already wants to considering how many times I kissed you and how close we got. That was never part of the plan—HIS PLAN. Abby, I had to help him. I didn’t have a choice. I never meant to fall in love with you. I never wanted to lie to you. I swear it. You’ve got to know in your heart that I’m telling you the truth.”

Anger pushed to the surface of my body—fuming, hot, intense. It was followed closely by nausea. My knees buckled, and I hit the floor with a loud
thump.
In a flash, Tyler was there, pulling me into his lap. “Are you okay?”

I couldn’t answer right away. Dizziness flooded my head as if I were a surfer trapped under a wave. The room around me started warping like it had a pulse of its own. I remembered this had happened to me back at the pub, when Stone tried using his gift on me. “The necklace,” I said, voice strained. “Get it off!” I grabbed it, yanking as hard as I could. It didn’t budge.

Tyler helped me pull at it, but he got as far as I did: nowhere. “Abby, I want to get it off, but only he can. I’m so sorry.” He scooped me up in his arms and carried me over to the bed, sliding me down next to Lily.

Then, I started thinking about my father. I needed to know if Tyler knew anything about him, or that fight I’d heard when I spoke to him. “What do you know about my father?”