Rylie Cruz 2 - How to Date a Vampire (7 page)

“Rylie Cruz from Get a Mate.” My voice
cracked despite the knowing that he wasn’t really going to rip my
head off.

“Well, if it isn’t my favorite werewolf. To
what do I owe this pleasure?”

“I wish I could say this was a pleasure
call, but I need a little help.”

“I’m your man. What seems to be the
problem?”

“My boyfriend and I got into a little
scuffle with some vampires. Anyway, my boyfriend was bitten.”

“Oh… I see.”

“Well, he’s acting weird. He still goes out
in the sun, but it bothers him a lot. And I think he daydreams
about blood. He wants it all the time. I never dreamt this would
happen, it was just a little bite, for heaven’s sake.”

“Uh-huh. He’s probably half-turned. I’ve
seen it before.”

He sounded so casual about it.

“That’s what I was afraid of.” I let out a
sigh. “So now the vampires are looking for him.”

“They probably want to finish him off.” A
slurping noise sounded from his end of the line. I did not want to
know what that was; I chose to think he was drinking coffee.

“I don’t like the sound of that,” I
said.

“They don’t like to leave a job undone.”

“I can't believe it would be such a big deal
to them. Why the hell would they care if they half-turned
someone?”

“Rylie, it’s no big deal. No offense. Your
man will be fine.”

“None taken, I guess.”

“I'm just saying it doesn't matter. It's not
like they killed him. I've heard of them half-turning people many
times.”

“I thought there was more to turning someone
than just a single bite. Isn't it much more complicated than
that?”

“No, only in the movies do they have to
almost kill someone before they are turned. But it is much easier
to turn some than others. Something about their blood makes it
easier. And before you ask, I don't know why exactly. I can try to
find out for you, though.”

“I really appreciate you helping me out
here, Samson.”

“No problem. I always did like you, Rylie.
You’re a cute little werewolf.”

I giggled. “Thanks.”

“I'll call you as soon as I find out any
answers for you. And be careful out there. If these guys are coming
around that often, it means there is something they need from this
Jack. I don't know what it could be, but it probably isn't
good.”

I think I let out an audible gulp. Too bad
he hadn’t offered any new advice. Didn’t the vampires have a clue
about how the whole ‘vampire thing’ worked? I’d learned more from
the freakin’ internet.

After hanging up, noise from Jack’s office
caught my attention, so I hurried out into the foyer. I’d hoped the
sound would have been Jack. He’d be with a client as any other
normal day and this whole mess would have been nothing more than a
nightmare.

Jack had recently hired a part-time
secretary, Mrs. Prestwood. She was a middle-aged woman with short
brown hair. The few times I’d seen her, she’d worn the same style
black slacks with a silk blouse. She hadn’t been particularly
chatty. When I peeked into his office, she was busy making coffee.
She looked thoroughly confused when she looked up and saw me.

“Is something wrong?” I asked.

She shook her head. “Mr. Chandler told me to
take the rest of the day off after I called his clients and
canceled the appointments for the rest of the day.”

I was pretty sure she’d picked up on his
strange behavior. How could she not? But she didn’t look too
thrilled to be talking to be about this, either. With her hands on
her hips and the shaking movement of her head, she looked as if she
trusted me as far as she could throw me.

The room seemed airless,
as if all the life had been sucked out of it. No pun intended. The
walls were a boring beige with plain white wooden blinds on the
windows. Jack needed me to give this place some color—though I
would discourage a blood red color on the walls.
A heap of files set on the desk and Mrs.
Prestwood moved in slow motion as she grabbed one from the top and
shoved it in the filing cabinet.
Framed
diplomas and certificates dotted the wall to my right and a
rendering of the French Quarter hung to my left. Leather-like
chairs lined the walls with a couple of small tables in front. A
couple of well-read magazines set on top.

“Where is Mr. Chandler now?” I peered around
the room, looking for more evidence of his blood craving. There
were no signs of blood, thank goodness.

“He had a client. He’s in with her now. I
canceled everyone after her.” She shook her head again. “He’s
acting strange. I think
he
might need a psychiatrist.”

As soon as she finished her sentence, the
door opened. A woman rushed out of Jack’s office.

She frowned when she looked at me and said,
“Figures. The shrink I get is crazier than me. He kept talking
about my neck. I gotta get out of here.”

Uh-oh. This was more serious than I had
thought, and I’d thought it was a disaster, but it was much worse
than that.

“See what I mean?” The secretary gestured
with a tilt of her head toward Jack’s office.

When he emerged from his office, I asked.
“How are you?”

His expression had the appearance of a man
who hadn’t eaten in a month.

He rubbed his head, then ran his hand
through his already rumpled hair. “I don’t know. I think I need to
go to bed.”

“Let me help you,” I said as I took him by
the arm. My stomach twisted into a knot when I saw the sad look in
his eyes.

“I’ll lock up,” Mrs. Prestwood said.

“Thank you. I’m sure he’ll be fine by
tomorrow.” Fine for a vampire, maybe.

I helped Jack up the stairs and waited as he
unlocked his apartment. I’d put him to bed, then cancel my
appointments for the day and spent the rest of my time finding
answers to Jack’s new problem. I couldn’t work under the
circumstances, anyway. This was priority number one. Jack couldn’t
go on like this forever. There had to be a way to make it
better.

Jack fumbled with his keys, then unlocked
his door and motioned for me to enter. “Ladies first.”

When he smiled, I could have sworn I saw
pointier teeth. Was it just my imagination? My parents always said
I had a vivid imagination. I walked through the door, almost afraid
to turn my back to him.

A faint smell of blood lingered in the air.
Where was the scent coming from? A spine danced down my spine at
the mere thought of what Jack was now involved in. This was the
first time Jack and I had been alone in his apartment. I wanted to
forget about this craziness and slip away to his bedroom. Spend the
day making love, talking, and munching on food. But that daydream
was ruined when I realized that the only food Jack probably wanted
was blood. We had so much to talk about, still so many things to
learn about each other. So many body parts to explore. Jack was
gorgeous… maybe even more so as a vampire. His eyes were a
brilliant icy shade of blue, but not just any ordinary blue. They
were the color of snow on a glacier. Despite the strange behavior,
I think the bite had made him even better looking, if that was even
possible.

“So your eyes aren’t as sensitive to the
light as earlier?” I asked.

“It’s better. Sorry I left your sunglasses
downstairs.”

“That’s okay. I can get them later.”

We walked into the room further. He may have
looked better, but I got the strange sensation that things weren’t
all that they seemed.

“Did you eat your breakfast? You know you’ve
got to eat something.” Okay, now I sounded like his mother.

“I didn’t really feel like it once we got
back. Did you eat your beignet?” His voice rose to a level that was
unwarranted for the question.

“Um, yeah. I ate some of it.” I looked
around the room, still sensing something wasn’t right, as if a
strange vibe or energy reverberated through the room.

“How about you come over tonight and we’ll
do something special. We’ll go out,” Jack said with an exaggerated
pep to his tone.

I raised a brow. Yes, he was definitely
acting strange, not that this was anything new since the
bite—strangeness run amok. I peeked into the kitchen and saw
packages of raw meat ripped open haphazardly. The counter was
bloody as if he’d slaughtered the animal right there on the
counter. Sick. I stepped toward the kitchen with Jack on my
heels.

“I don’t know what came over me. I can’t
quench the craving I have for blood. This isn’t a good sign, Rylie.
Sensitive to light. Drinking blood. I’m like an animal.”