Sucking Bites (San Francisco Vampires Series #3) (26 page)

“You know it would be easier if you wouldn’t admit to being tempted.”

“I’m just being honest,” he grins.

Helena throws up her hands at him and Aidan laughs.

Andrew makes us coffee and the normalness of the ritual calms me down along with copious amounts of hand sanitizer. We tell him and Liam all about the Queen and her home. Andrew wants details from about what she wore to the royal decor. It is time to cook something for Liam to eat again. He looks better.

Sebastian still hasn’t returned.

I leave to get ready for work. Instead of designer, I go with fashion statement in a tee shirt that says ‘Never trust a vampire—they suck!’ and mules. Hannah bought me the tee when we’d gone shopping in Berkeley once. Aidan stops me on the way out.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

“To work.” I don’t like his tone. I’ve had enough bossy males today. “I’m going to catch the bus.”

“I don’t think so. I’ll take you. You have a tendency to get into trouble on your own.”

“That’s entirely unfair, and you sound like Sebastian.” He winces. “Besides we don’t have any rogue witches or vampires running around. No problems. I should be just fine,” I argue.

“Even so, at the risk of coming across like a domineering arrogant ass, I’ll escort you to work.”

I can tell he isn’t going to budge. His body temperature goes up when he gets emotional and he is quite adamant at the moment. The heat feels good. I wait in the library until it is time to leave. There’s a nice fire taking the chill from the damp foggy night. I get as close to the blaze as safety allows. After all, I can’t stand in front of Aidan rubbing my hands together like I’m in front of a campfire. Helena gives me nervous looks. I know she’s upset about my fight with Sebastian. I am too, but if he isn’t here to talk about it, there is nothing I can do. Before long, Aidan holds out his hand to me, and I take it. We wave goodbye and are gone.

We land in a doorway across the street from work. He asks if he can go in with me again. I know it amuses him and it’s reassuring having a big bad jinni close by, so I say yes. I key code us in and head to the coffee machine. I need a map to find my way to my desk. I swear they reconfigure the cubicles every week. After I’ve sterilized everything, I put on my headphones. My little red light goes on, and I push the button, I glance at the time and it’s five after ten.

“Suicide Hotline, this is Lilith, how can I help you?”

“I think my girlfriend is having an affair and all I want to do is hurt her or hurt myself, I can’t decide.”

“What’s your name?”

“Sam.”

“Sam, why do you want to hurt anyone? Why not just walk away?”

“She humiliated me. It’s driving me crazy. I just can’t get it out of my head. I keep seeing them together. Over and over again. It’s my best friend. I think they’ve been together in my house, in my bed.”

“That’s a difficult situation, Sam. It must hurt a lot.”

“It hurts so much I feel like I’ve been stabbed.”

“Where are you right now, Sam?”

“At my house, waiting for my girlfriend to get home from work.”

“What’s your address, Sam?”

“Why do you need my address? I thought this was anonymous?”

“It is, I need it for demographic statistics—if it’s a problem…,” I lie, willing to say anything to get the info.

This man is a danger to himself and to others. He needs to be stopped before his girlfriend gets home.

“This is bullshit!” I wait silently. “Not my last name.”

“Sure, Sam.”

“It’s 6739 Chelsea in SF.”

“Okay, hold on a second while I put that in the computer.”

I quickly type an email to my supervisor with the information pertaining to the phone call and that it is an emergency. She will call 911. I see the light flick on, she is listening.

“Sam, do you have anything in the house that you can hurt yourself or your girlfriend with?”

“I’ve got a gun.”

I know my supervisor will relay this to the police as well. They need to know what they are walking into.

“Is it loaded, Sam?”

“Yes,” his voice cracks. He’s starting to break down.

“Can you unload the gun for me, Sam?” My voice is as gentle as I can make it.

“No, I need it.”

“Sam, what is it going to solve if you hurt yourself or your girlfriend? It will cause you more pain. It won’t change what happened. Let’s talk about another course of action you could take.”

“I need her to hurt as bad as I do.”

“Don’t you think leaving her will hurt her?”

“Yes.”

“You finding out about them will humiliate her. You don’t need to kill her. Let her live with that shame. Take the bullets out of the gun, Sam.” The line is silent. I can almost feel his indecision.

“I’ll take them out, but I’m holding on to them just in case.”

“Okay you hold on to them, but promise me you won’t use them.”

“No promises. I just don’t know.” He’s crying and shouting. The discussion is breaking down.

“You need help, Sam. You need someone to help you sort this out. You can’t hurt yourself. Think of all the people that would be sad if you were gone.”

I hear him sobbing.

“Sam, I’ve called the police to come and help you. I don’t want you to be surprised when they show up. Don’t shoot at them.”

“Why did you do that?!”

  I hear a knocking in the background and a shout at the door.

“They’re here. Oh man… oh man… what have you done?”

“Put the gun down Sam.”

“I need it!”

In the distance I hear the door being smashed open.

Then I hear the police yell. “Put your hands where we can see them, sir!”

Sam is sobbing in the background, yelling it’s all her fault and screaming profanities.

I hear, “I found the gun. He’s taken all the bullets out but one’s chambered.”

“Hello?” A woman’s on the line.

“Yes, mam, this is Lilith Goodwill with the San Francisco Suicide Prevention Hotline. We called the situation in.”

“Just in time it looks like. You saved this guy’s life and anyone else who might have walked in. We’ve got it handled from here.” She pauses. “You guys do good work, Lilith.”

“Thank you, mam.”

Janet, my favorite supervisor, is hovering at this point. I click off and take my headphones off.

“Good job, Lily. That could have been a tragic situation.”

“Thanks. I’m glad the police showed up when they did. He had one bullet still in the chamber.”

“Thank goodness we won’t have to read about it in the papers tomorrow.”

“Yeah, well here’s another call, I better get back to it.”

“Okay, really outstanding work.” Janet pats my back and turns to leave before she turns back and asks, “How are you doing? You look well.”

“I’m fine. Thanks.”

“Did the police find out who mugged you?”

“No, but the guy ran away after he did it. I don’t have a lot of hope of them finding him.”

She pats me on the back again and walks away. Janet’s one of the good guys. A veteran of fifteen years—totally committed to helping people in crisis. Not like some supervisors, I know, Meredith to be specific. Meredith’s passion is paper and sterile work environments, and I don’t mean germ free.

The rest of my shift is quiet. I make some referrals for counseling appointments. There are calls from some lonely people just needing to talk. When it is over, I walk out with my little “beetle” hitchhiker.

Aidan assumes his human aspect as I cross the street. He is all over me. He always gets that way after he watches me work.

“I
love
when you save lives. You were amazing tonight. You stayed so calm and focused.”

“It’s my job, Aidan.”

“Yes, but you are such a giving person. I love that about you. I just want to soak up your energy when you do good things. It is very seductive.”

He tries to kiss me but I turn away. Loyal to my husband to be. I wish Sebastian could see my restraint.

“Behave yourself. What if Sebastian decided to come pick me up or something?”

“He would have been here by now. Relax. Maybe we should go and surprise him at the club? That would serve him right.” Adrian’s trying to stir something up, but it is a great idea.

“Oh let’s do that. I hate when we fight. Can you glam me up a bit?”

“Absolutely, my love—though I hate encouraging the competition.”

Aidan waves his hand and I am in a dazzling sea green flapper style beaded dress. He does the same thing to himself and he is in a beautiful pinstripe Italian suit. We pop outside of the club and walk in on the tail end of a set of songs. The band is going into their last set and then the club will be closing. I see Sebastian’s car outside but he isn’t anywhere in sight. I head to his office.

Aidan is right behind me as we wind our way through the crowd. We go through the employee only entrance. Sebastian’s door is closed. I don’t knock because, after all, I’m his fiancée. Sebastian is kissing a woman. He has his hand up her dress. She has long black hair. Gabrielle! He whirls around, angry, until he sees my face and then he looks shocked. His response is nothing compared to mine.

I can’t move. I just stand there. Sebastian pushes her away, as if he hadn’t been introducing his tongue to her tonsils. She gives me a smile and puts her hands on Sebastian’s arm, claiming him. He puts his arm around her and she pouts.

“Sebastian, introduce me,” she says as if we hadn’t met only a few days ago.

My mouth goes dry. This is not some simple kiss. This is not a barmaid. I slowly take my ring off and hand it to him and walk out. Aidan scoops me into his arms and once we are clear of Sebastian’s door we are back at the manse. I stumble into my room. His room. Aidan remains downstairs. Helena streaks into the room and takes me in her arms. I stand like a little tin soldier. Then I let out a strangled cry and fall to my knees. Helena goes down with me, hanging on. I bend over in dry wretches with nothing to heave. I want to roar into vamp mode and remove that woman’s sneering head, but my body turns traitor and stays limp. I sob. Nothing makes sense. How could he hold me this morning, when he was so ecstatic over my agreement to go forward with the wedding? What was real? How could he? My mind flashes back to my father and his mistresses. My mother quietly sobbing in her room. Those memories put some steel in my spine. I will not be my mother. I don’t know what to do or where to go but I know I can’t stay in this room. I don’t want to run to Aidan’s either. I can’t run to Hannah’s because she’ll take me in but I don’t want anyone to know. I don’t want anyone to see me this way.

“Helena is the new suite ready enough for me to move into?”

“Yes. I was just putting finishing touches in there.” Her face looks uncertain.

Aidan paces behind me. His face serious, his forehead creased.

“Aidan, can you move my things into the new room and help me move my other stuff? I don’t want anything left here.”

“Of course, love. Are you sure that you don’t want to stay with me?”

“I don’t think that will solve anything. This is my home now. I’m not letting him run me out of my home too.” My voice full of resolve I don’t feel. “If anything I’ll go back to my condo. But I’ve finally had an offer on it, so I need to sort that out.”

I leave the emerald necklace on his side of the bed. Perhaps he can give it to his new girlfriend.

It has only taken us a few minutes thanks to Aidan’s help. I hear Sebastian’s car pull up and him enter the manse. I hear him go to our room. I hear him enter his closet and the sound of hangers moving. Helena leaves me and goes after him. Aidan holds me close to him. His warmth keeps the chill at bay.

“What have you done?” Helena accuses—I hear her through the open doors.

“Stay out of this, Helena,” Sebastian warns.

“What are you doing?” she asks.

“Packing, I’ll be with Gabrielle. Lily can go to Aidan. I know that’s where she wants to be anyway.”

I’d heard enough. I hold onto Aidan for dear life and sob into his chest. He runs his hands across my back and I feel the heat increase in him as his anger rises.

“Love, I’ll be right back,” he whispers gently to me.

“No! Don’t do anything to him, Aidan. Please,” I beg him.

“Why?” he asks harshly. “So he can just walk away like this.” His eyes glow.

“Please,” I whisper. “It’s not like we haven’t pushed him.”

He kisses my forehead. “But you’ve done nothing.”

I don’t change for bed. I don’t know who I can trust. Aidan is trying to take care of me, but I know he has ulterior motives too. I can’t help thinking of my father. My fear of relationships—of trusting. I can’t believe I finally committed to plan our wedding and settle down. My worst fears realized. It’s probably my fault for loving Aidan at the same time. I’m no better than my father. Finally, before dawn I tell Aidan about my dad and what he did to my mother. Aidan tightens his arms around me and never once lets go. I fall asleep like this.

Lilith falls asleep and I take a moment. A cleansing breath. Helena comes in to check on her.

“How is she?” Helena asks. Her anger is evident.

“Terrible. She’s not in a good place, Helena. I’m very worried about her. Did you know that her father had a mistress?”