“Okay, so I told you I grew up knowing about vampires. After releasing Talon and going our separate ways, I started seeing them a lot of different places. You know like bookstores and grocery stores and stuff. I knew what they were, but they were just living their lives. You know? Like regular people. And they are. I’ve met quite a few vampires, and they’re just like you and me.”
Aislinn started to shake her head and protest, but Joelle stopped her. “No, you promised to listen. So there are different kinds of vampires. The regular citizens can’t drink human blood so they drink this synthetic stuff that was developed especially for them. They eat regular food too, but have to drink the blood. They have fangs, but they’re not really impressive. They’re stronger than humans and live longer, but other than that, they’re pretty much like us. The other kinds of vampire are called Ancients. When they’re born, they have some kind of genetic anomaly or something. Anyway, they are just like the first vampires. They are bigger and stronger and faster. They can’t stand any sunlight, and they drink human blood.”
“So one of those killed my roommate?” Aislinn interrupted.
“No, see, there are some regular vamps that think if they drink human blood they’ll become Ancients. Since they can’t process the blood, it not only slowly kills them, but drives them crazy.”
“You think it was a regular vampire who killed my roommate,” Aislinn said.
“Yes, and came after you tonight. We just found out about a blood cult in this area not too long ago. Whoever is leading it has convinced people to drink human blood. These vamps are scary strong, but totally wacko. Oh, and they stink.”
“The man tonight, he smelled like bad meat.”
“That’s it,” Joelle said with a nod. “Like I said, they can’t process the blood so it poisons them. But it’s like they don’t even know it or maybe they don’t care. Talon says that to a regular vamp, human blood is a highly addictive drug.”
“How do you know all this?”
“We work for an organization called the Paranormal Investigative Agency. Our job is to police the paranormal community. The Hunters, like Talon and Charon, are like the big guns. They go after the biggest, scariest stuff. Think of them like…special forces.” Joelle smiled as Aislinn nodded in understanding. “When regular agents can’t handle stuff, they call in the Hunters.”
“The Hunters are Ancients, aren’t they?” Aislinn asked. “They’re vampires.”
Joelle nodded. “Yes, they are.”
Aislinn wrapped her arms around herself and looked away from the woman who watched her so sympathetically. She didn’t want sympathy. She wasn’t sick, and she wasn’t crazy. But the things that had scared her so badly as a child were vampires, and now, she was apparently surrounded by them. The man she’d spent the last six months with training, trusting, was a vampire. Hell, the woman could be one, too, and she was locked in a room with her.
“I’m not,” the woman said to her.
“What?” Aislinn asked, attempting a smile.
“A vampire. I’m human just like you.” Joelle pulled her legs up on the bed to sit cross-legged. “But I guess we’re special, too. So when a vampire gives you an order, can you ignore it?”
Aislinn almost smiled at the switch in conversation. “When a who does what?”
“If a vampire says like ‘come here; you’, can you blow it off?”
She nodded. “Yeah, in fact, one of them tonight acted like I was just going to trot right over to him.”
“Yeah, some of them are dumb like that. For some reason, we aren’t susceptible to vampire suggestion. That’s initially why Kenshin approached me to be in the PIA. Well, that and the whole Talon thing. He’ll probably ask you, too.”
“What if I don’t want to join?” Aislinn asked.
Joelle shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess you won’t, but hell, what do you have to lose? I mean vampires are after you, and from experience, I can tell you this place is the safest. Also, what do you have to go to? Not to be mean or anything, but we know what’s out there, and obviously, no one believed you.” She climbed off the bed. “Look, I’ve thrown a whole hell of a lot at you. I’m going to go get you something to eat, and then you can rest. If you need anything, just let me know. And, Aislinn, you don’t have to be afraid.”
After the door closed behind Joelle, Aislinn almost burst out laughing. She held it in, though, because if she started, she didn’t think she could stop. Afraid? Joelle didn’t want her to be afraid? Aislinn wished she was just afraid. Right now, she thought she was nearing overwhelmingly terrified. She closed her eyes as the entire situation overwhelmed her. A vampire had attacked her…bitten her…opened her wrist to the bone. And yet, she was alive, with only scars to show she’d been assaulted. How? Joelle had never answered the question. Did she know? Aislinn bet she did, but then, why wouldn’t she tell her if she knew?
The door opened, but instead of Joelle, Charon walked in carrying a tray.
Vampire
. The thought screamed through Aislinn’s mind. He paused and studied her.
Attractive
, was the next flitting thought, and she almost rolled her eyes. Well, hell, was she afraid of him or impressed? Couldn’t she be both?
“I won’t hurt you,” he said, interrupting the argument in her mind. “If I wanted to, I could have done it long before now.”
“Wow, that makes me feel so much better,” she said, without thinking.
“And there’s the smartass I’ve grown to know.”
With the one comment, she realized that being afraid of him was ridiculous. She knew him, and he’d never hurt her. In fact, he’d only helped her. Besides, she hated being afraid. She’d been afraid for most of her life and refused to allow it to happen again.
“What did you do to me?” She held her healing wrist out to him. “I don’t remember a lot, but I know he used me as a chew bone.”
He put the tray down across her legs and lifted the lid. Steak met her eyes and nose. Saliva gathered in her mouth, and she thought she’d start drooling. Damn, she couldn’t remember the last time she’d had something other than hospital food. Without a moment’s hesitation, she picked up her silverware and dug in.
She ate quietly for a few moments, enjoying the novelty of a real meal. But she still wanted her question answered. She held up her arm between bites. “Well?”
Charon sat in a chair near the bed. His hard chiseled features were still as his nearly black eyes tracked her movements. “I stopped the bleeding.”
She snorted indelicately. “I figured that out. How?”
“My saliva has properties that stop bleeding. Because I’m an Ancient, it works much more quickly and efficiently.”
The fork she was bringing to her mouth froze as she watched him. “You drank my blood.”
“It was the only way I could stop the bleeding,” he said matter-of-factly. “I didn’t realize it would heal you the way it has. We usually just stitch ourselves up.”
“I’m not sure what to say.” She shook her head. “Thank you.” She meant it, too, but the idea that the man…vampire across from her had drunk her blood still freaked her out.
“But,” he prompted.
“Don’t do it again,” she said. “I don’t…I can’t…just don’t. Promise me.”
He nodded slowly, “I promise.”
She went back to eating. The silence dragged on, and she found it uncomfortable, which wasn’t their usual M.O. Maybe it was the whole vampire thing, or perhaps, it was finally being able to see one another in the light. Either way she couldn’t stand it.
“So now what?” She asked.
I pin you to the bed and lick your naked body.
Charon blinked at the thought. What the fuck was the deal? He had no idea where these errant thoughts came from, nor did he want them. It wasn’t like he was hard up or anything. He could understand how Irish would turn him on if he was desperate, but he wasn’t. He wasn’t a slut like Grimm, but he had women he saw. And yet there was something about this one apparently. Maybe it was the connection they’d developed over the last couple months? That wasn’t it, since he’d been alone with her and often intimately connected as he trained her. He’d never had the urge to get her naked, but now, it was like a constant thought. Blood, he thought, it has to be that. Maybe he needed to feed. That had to be it. He’d just call one of the donors and get it done.
“Can you hear me?” she said, interrupting his thoughts.
“How can I not, Irish, with you yapping constantly?”
She made the face she always did when he pissed her off, and he couldn’t help but smile. He didn’t want to lose the easy relationship he’d developed with her. She knew nothing of Ancients or Hunters so never treated him like a bomb ready to go off. Though the paranormal community appreciated what his kind did, they were scared of them and rightly so. None of them were exactly approachable or friendly, and, come to think of it, they didn’t want to be that way.
As a group, they were loners forced together by circumstance. But it had been good to go and train Irish. She’d treated him with respect because of his abilities, but was never afraid to dish shit out to him. He liked that about her.
“So?” she demanded. “What happens now?”
“I gag you to make you stop talking.”
“Blah, blah,” she said, rolling her eyes. “If you’d answer the question, then I’d quit asking. Oh, and my name is Aislinn.”
“I know you’re name, Irish. As for what now, that’s probably up to you. I’m sure Kenshin will come and offer you a job. He did with Joelle, and if he wanted her, he’ll want you. At least you can fight. All Joelle seems to do is talk.” Okay, she fucked Talon, but he doubted that was a part of her job description. If it was, he imagined she’d get glowing reviews since Talon was forever after her.
“I lost my weapon.”
“We’ll make you another. One that’s stronger since you won’t have to take it apart.”
“How did you know I took it apart?”
“Just like I knew you had red hair and freckles. The dark means nothing to me, so I can see everything. Since you won’t have to store the weapon, we can make it stronger.”
She nodded. “Good. I want to fight. I don’t want to sit around. I can’t sit around. What about the hospital?”
“What about it?”
“They’ll know I’m missing. Won’t someone come looking? And what about the mess that was left? Oh, and the creatures, what about those?”
He shook his head. He didn’t know anyone who talked this much or asked this many questions. Fuck, his head was ready to explode. “The PIA sent in a team to clean up so there’s no mess. We’ll still patrol the place because obviously, there’s a need. As for someone looking for you, if we don’t want you found, you won’t be.”
She sat quietly, probably mulling over everything he’d just said so she could come up with more questions. The silence gave him the opportunity to study her. She looked way better than she had when he’d carried her in. Especially since she was wearing his shirt. It was huge on her, but it looked right. She should be wearing his clothing, just as she should be in his bed. Naked, in his bed, preferably, but he’d take whatever he could get. He pulled the thoughts up short. It didn’t matter what she was wearing or, if she was wearing anything at all under the shirt. She was injured. She was still pale, which made the freckles stand out more prominently, but her eyes were a bright blue. When he’d first found her, those same eyes had been dull and nearly lifeless. Anger rose up in him, and he wished he could have taken his time killing the fucker who’d hurt her. He deserved so much more pain for what he’d done to her.
“I don’t think anyone will miss me.” She didn’t look at him as she spoke, but kept her gaze focused on the napkin she folded and placed on the tray.
“Their loss.”
“I doubt my parents will think that. I’m an embarrassment.”
“Join the club. Mine couldn’t get away from me fast enough.” Shit, had he really said that aloud? He didn’t tell anyone about his early life. He was sure Kenshin knew; the man knew everything. But Charon had never told anyone else. He didn’t see the reason, and it wasn’t as if the Hunters were a sharing group. Every one of them had a painful story, so what was the use of wallowing in it? Better to put it aside and do the job.
“Mine dumped me in the hospital. They couldn’t handle having a crazy daughter so they decided to hide me.” She looked around the room. “This is the first time I’ve been out of that place in nearly ten years.”
“You’re not crazy.”
“No, I’m not. I thought I was in the beginning, but I was young.” She shrugged. “Now, I know better. I want you to continue to train me. I want to fight.”
“I was planning on it. If you’re going to go out in the field, you’ll need to learn more. You’ll need to train harder.” Charon would ensure she wasn’t defenseless or vulnerable again. If she was going out, not only would he train her, but he’d go with her. Something deep inside wanted to roar, but he held it back. He wasn’t sure what the hell was going on, but he wasn’t going to let it rule him. He was not going to fucking lose his mind and have to be put down like a rabid dog. He knew it had happened in the past. That’s why people freaked out when a child was born with the Ancient gene. Eventually, they lost it and had to be executed. There was really no other choice. Ancients were dangerous at the best of times, but if they were let off the chain, it could become disastrous.