This Blood (8 page)

TEN

My chest was constricted. It felt like a small child was napping on my lungs. I opened my eyes slowly to find a pair of yellow slanted orbs staring down at me. They belonged to a beautiful black cat. He was content judging by the sound of the V8-engine in his chest. I sat up slowly, careful not to knock him off the bed. I wondered how he had gotten into the room. Looking at the door. I noticed it was cracked open slightly.

I slid out of bed, my feet freezing the moment they hit the ground. Shivering, I crossed the room.  I pushed the door closed again, but I didn’t hear it click. I could easily open it without twisting the handle.  That was something I would have to remedy, but first, I had some phone calls to make.

The house was larger than I thought it would be. My room opened to the hall and Lucian’s room was directly across, I knew that much. There were two other doors along the long corridor.  They were closed and I had to walk quickly past them to stifle my curiosity. 

At the end of the hall was a very large living room. It was super masculine, and woodsy. I inhaled deeply.  Leather and the smell of a wood fire burning made the room warm and inviting.   

At the other end of the room stood a set of double doors. I headed that way, hoping to find Lucian. I entered the kitchen, which was impressive. Long counters stretched halfway around the large space. They were covered in rich marble. A huge center island, complete with cooktops and a sink made me shiver with envy.  A lovely stainless steel stove occupied the closest wall, and at it, was the most gorgeous chef I have ever seen.

He turned, smiling at me as an amazing smell drifted my way.

“You’re awake,” he said with a cheerful voice, “I was hoping to serve you breakfast in bed.”

He flipped something in the pan and turned the fire off.

“You were, huh? Do you always give your guests the royal treatment?”  My stomach rumbled. I was starving. My poor body had only seen bad yogurt and two bags of popcorn in the last couple of days. This food would be a gift from heaven.

He grabbed two plates and arranged them on the island. He pulled some orange juice from the fridge and filled a pair of tall glasses. He then spooned the plates full with a veritable feast of cheese omelets, thick slices of bacon and beautiful pale chunks of cantaloupe.  

He finished filling the plates and looked at me. “I don’t normally have guests,” he said honestly, “but if I did, I think you would still be special. Please, have a seat, I hope you like it.”

I sat on one of the tall stools. The smell coming from the food was wonderful. I took a bite of the eggs; the gooey cheese stretched without breaking. It was better than I could have hoped. The bacon was crisp and the melon sweet, bursting with sugary juice.

I ate like I hadn’t eaten in a week, which in reality, I pretty much hadn’t, at least not like this. He watched me, a smile on his face. He seemed to enjoy watching me gorge myself. I smiled back, swallowing the last bite.

“That was delicious,” I said, wiping my mouth with the cloth napkin. “Thank you.”

“I’m glad you enjoyed it. It’s not everyday a man gets to see a woman truly eat like she should, not fussing over organic eggs or non-dairy cheese.”

He took the plates to the sink and rinsed them off, then placed them into the dishwasher. I chugged my juice and placed the glass beside his in the dishwasher. I was not going to be a poor guest. That thought made me pause. I turned to him, my hand on his arm. “Thank you,” I said. “I know it was very sudden, my popping into your bedroom last night. I’m very sorry that I didn’t knock, or call. I intruded on your privacy. I just want you to know that I appreciate everything you have done for me.”

He looked startled “You don’t have to thank me or apologize.” He shrugged, “I’m the one who invaded your life. I knew what was going to happen and I panicked. I had no idea you could handle yourself so well. In hindsight, you really didn’t need me at all.”  He frowned; he really believed that line of dung. God, he should get an A plus in broody.

“Lucian, if you hadn’t told me about the ring, I would never have gotten away from them in the first place. You helped me get away! If I hadn’t known I was able to use it, then Seth’s plans to exploit me would have succeeded. You were the reason they failed.”

He smiled then. “Thanks, Grace. That means a lot. I wanted so much to help you. I’m glad I could, however indirectly.” 

If that was all he was offering, I’d take it.  I remembered the phone calls I needed to make and changed the subject quickly.

“I don’t have my phone. Can I use yours?  I have to work tonight, but under the circumstances, I think that may be a bad idea.”  I tried to calm my voice as another thought hit me. “I also want to touch base with Ann. I left her a panicked message the night you called me and I haven’t heard from her since.”

“You can use the phone in the living room,” he said, “I’ll just finish straightening up in here and give you some privacy.”

“Thanks, and afterwards, maybe we can have that long talk? I really need some answers.”

 I entered his living room and after a moment I found the phone sitting on a small desk in the corner. The small swivel stool squeaked as I sat and dialed Ann’s number. Crap, I got her voicemail, again. I heaved a sigh of frustration and hung up.

I dialed my boss next. The burly overweight man was in his late fifties. He owned The Edge and occasionally took over if someone was sick.

“Norris,” a gravely voice said after several rings.

“Mr. Norris? This is Grace. I’m really sorry, but I won’t be coming in tonight.” I held my breath, waiting for the outburst.

“Really?” He was slurring;
fantastic,
I thought.  “You break your leg?” His voice was thick and slow. “If you can still walk, then you best be comin’ in.” He sounded like he’d been drinking for hours. How he ran a business was totally beyond me. “Sorry Mr. Norris, I can’t. I’ll give Debbie a call and let her know, so, okay, bye!”  I knew he was pissed, so I hung up in a hurry. “That went well,” I muttered. I pressed the talk button again to call Debbie. After leaving a message on her cell, I dialed Ann again, with no luck. My worry increased. I put my head in my hands in thought.

Just as I looked up, Lucian came into the room.  He was wiping his hands off on a small dish towel.

“You okay?” he asked, “Did you get a hold of your boss?” He walked toward me, a look of concern knitting his brows together.

“I did; he wasn’t too happy. But what I’m worried about is Ann; she didn’t answer her phone, again. I haven’t heard from her in a few days. She always visits the bar. She didn’t come in the day Seth grabbed me. That’s not normal. We usually speak at least a few times a day.”

“When was the last time you spoke to her?”  He sat on the sofa across from me. He sounded worried. I thought about that as my head began to pound.

“The last time I saw her? Well, it was the night I met you actually,” I stated brusquely. “In fact, now that I think about it,
you
were the last person to see her.”

His flinch told me that the hint was not lost on him. But his voice remained concerned. “I did speak to her, but only briefly. She said she was meeting someone at her place. She was in a hurry. She seemed anxious when we spoke. That may be why I got so much out of her. She acted impatient, like she wanted to end our talk as quickly as she could.”

I leaned forward in my chair, pursing my lips in consideration; I raked my eyes over him, giving him an exaggerated once-over. “Lucian,” I said, my tone matter-of-fact, “I really don’t think Ann would have tried to get away from you. If anything, she would have tried to bring you home with her.” I smirked a little. She really would have. This guy was not someone you threw back. If you were lucky to get a little nibble, you needed to reel in as fast as you could, and Ann was
very
good at fishing. Poor Jared, he would have been tossed on the back burner for Lucian. I knew she wouldn’t, no
couldn’t
have passed him up.

“I am not unaware of my appeal to women,” he said, confidently. “I have been sought after and chased by more than I could ever remember. But I can assure you, your friend was not interested. Perhaps she met someone even more appealing?”

“Ridiculous! Who could be more…” I froze mid-sentence. I knew of only one man who could give Lucian the Mega Stud a run for his money.

Damn it!

“Seth!” I jumped up. “Seth made a date with her!” I spun, balling my fists. “Don’t you see? He was trying to get to me! It had to be him, that
asshole
!” I was breathing rapidly. What had he done with her? “We need to get to her house. Can you drive me?”  I didn’t think popping into her living room would be the brightest idea. What if I was wrong and I zapped us into a room full of people? Or worse, zapped us into her bedroom during… Ugh, that wouldn’t be
too
hard to explain.

We would leave immediately. I ran to the bedroom while Lucian grabbed his jacket. I was pulling my hair free from the braid and brushing my teeth at the same time. I yanked the nightgown over my head and threw it on the end of the bed. I turned to the mirror, and in seconds, I was dressed. I conjured clothes for myself without even thinking!  Without a second glance, I grabbed a rubber band and rushed out of the room.   

I was pulling my hair up just as Lucian was getting his jacket on. I walked up behind him. “Ready?”

He jumped about a foot and whirled around. “Damn it, woman, don’t sneak up on people like that!” He stopped, looking puzzled, “You’re ready?” He looked shocked. “You were in there for just a few seconds.”

It was my turn to look shocked. “No kidding? It felt way longer.” A chill raced up my spine. I better learn more control. I was doing magic without even noticing it.

I grabbed his hand and pulled him toward the door. “Let’s move it.”

He grabbed his keys and we were out the front door. 

The morning sun was bright; it glinted off the white boulders surrounding his home. His yard was natural. The desert landscape virtually unspoiled.

We walked quickly to his garage. It was separate from the rest of the house and boasted two stories. There was a staircase on the outside that rose to the second floor. I wondered what he used the upper level for.

He walked ahead of me to punch his code into the keypad by the door. I stood off to the side and waited.  After only a moment, the large door hummed and slowly rolled up. I heard a few beeps and the sound of an engine purring to life, which made me instantly covetous. My Nova never sounded that good. And no wonder, I sighed, as Lucian pulled a newer looking Range Rover slowly out of his garage. I understood why; the four-wheel-drive was a must out here in the winter. After a moment, the door began its slow descent back down. I walked to the passenger side, Lucian jumped out again. Running to my side, he pulled the door open and grinned roguishly at me. I just laughed, he was entirely too good to be true. I could definitely get used to his chivalry. It was a nice change from the rude-ass men that seem to dominate the world these days. Women’s lib is great, but so are manners.

The interior of his car was clean and well taken care of. I scanned the CD collection in the console and was surprised to find all of them were audio books. My eyebrows lifted at once. The titles ranged from Steven King and Dean Koontz, to self-help and books on magic and witchcraft. Some titles I couldn’t read; they were in French, Italian and some other foreign language I couldn’t identify. I was totally blown away! He was one smart cookie.

Lucian got in, bringing with him the clean smell of desert and sage.  He put the car in gear and we began our journey.

“Do you have any music?” I said, holding up an audio book.

He laughed, reached into his coat pocket and handed me his MP3 player. I smiled. He had to have something worth listening to. I thumbed through the songs; he had a huge collection. “Oh, this is crazy,” I mumbled, overwhelmed. I thumbed it off, opting for silence. My nerves were clouding my thinking. I had been through so much these past few days; I was surprised I could still think at all. I was now an all powerful Madea, and didn’t have the foggiest idea what that meant. I was leaking magic and didn’t know how to control it, and I was on a vampire’s hit list. Not to mention, my best friend could be in mortal danger, and I had no idea what to do about it.

I had to think, but everything was happening so fast. I just prayed that Ann was okay. I kept picturing Seth charming her,
grrr…
the pig! Chasing Jared away and promising a night of mind-blowing sex. She would have jumped on that in half a heartbeat.  I was so stressed. Please let her be okay!

Sitting there, with Lucian at my side, I was still all alone with my thoughts. I wanted to believe that Ann was completely safe, that I was overreacting. But somehow, I knew I was grasping at straws. If Lucian knew she was my best friend, Seth had to know too. Which brought me to another question; who else was giving these men information? I needed some answers. The second I got a chance, I was sitting Lucian down.  He had some “splainin’ to do”.

After a few miles, my imagination started working overtime.  I was picturing the worst and my stomach spun into knots. I wanted to zap myself to her front door, but if I were wrong? Well, that would be bad. How would someone explain such a crazy entrance? I had to calm down and think of other things.

Lucian turned to me, a frown marring his striking features, “You look green. Do you want me to pull over?”

“No, I’m just concerned is all. Don’t worry, I won’t ruin the upholstery.” I gave him a weak smile and turned to the window as the city slowly came into view.

“Where does she live?” he asked

I gave him her address and directions to her house in south Reno. The drive seemed to take forever.

ELEVEN

Ann’s English Tudor sat on half an acre of well-manicured lawn. I ran across it. Bypassing the concrete path, I reached her door and rang the bell. Lucian followed at a walk. No one answered. I rang it again without any luck.