Blood Type (25 page)

“It’s not like that,” John said. “People give blood all the time at blood banks. It’s the same concept. I’ve got a refrigerator full of blood that I bought, and all of it was legally obtained. You even have to be seventeen years old, just like at a human blood bank.”

I closed my eyes, trying to digest what John was telling me. “You said that Josiah hangs out at The Marauder’s Cove in order to keep the Donors safe.”

“Yes.”

I remembered
people—
vampires—
coming and going through that dark curtain. “So there are people there who are,” I swallowed hard, “willingly giving their blood?”

John nodded. “Sometimes vampires want it fresh and direct from the source.
It naturally tastes better that way.
”

“Oh, God,” I said, placing a hand over my mouth.

“Other than the Donors, most of the patrons are not human at all. Sometimes humans do get in, like you did, but they leave with no desire to ever return. That many vampires in one place make humans uncomfortable for reasons they can’t even explain. They just know it’s not a place they ever want to return to again.”

“The Donors,” I said. “Aren’t you worried they’ll blab to the rest of the world about what goes on there? Aren’t you afraid the secret of your existence will get out?”

John smiled, revealing a set of gleaming
white,
and perfectly human-looking teeth. “That’s where I come in. Persuading humans to become Donors is what I do, but keeping them quiet is also part of the job. Take Jill, for instance.”

“She was a Donor?”

“She still is. You see, humans are especially susceptible to the power of suggestion, some more so than others.
I condition the Donors
to believe that
they are
simply doing a good deed by donating blood every eight weeks.”

I sat quiet for a moment, chewing my bottom lip. John didn’t ask what I was thinking or rush me to talk.
There was something
I had to know, but I couldn’t bear to look him in the face when I asked.

“If I was just a prospective Donor, was anything between us even real? Or were my feelings for you because you put the idea of us, together as a couple, in my head?”

John’s breath escaped in a rush as he seemed to belatedly realize the corner he’d back himself into. He sat down at once beside me and put his hands on my arms. “You have to understand I had a job to do, Blake. Even if—”

I shrugged free and turned to face him. “I broke up with Zach because of you, because I thought we had something!”

“We
did
have something. I mean, we do—”

“But all of it was a lie! You, you
tricked
me, John. How does that make what we had real?”

John’s mouth opened and closed in a silent entreaty as he struggled to find something to say. I turned away again, unable to watch him flounder for excuses.

“I wanted to be with you since the first time I saw you,” he finally admitted. “You got under my skin, Blake. In all the years I’ve been dealing with humans, I’ve never fallen in love with one before.”

I looked at him then, positive I’d misunderstood. “What did you say?” 

He closed the small space between us and cupped my face in his hands. “I love you, Blake. Don’t you see that? I could just as easily compel you to feel the same
way
for me, but I won’t. I refuse to.”

“Why not?”
I asked out of sheer curiosity.

He shook his head, smiling. “I could have compelled you
months
ago to let me change you, but I want it to be your choice. I want what’s between us to be real as much as you do. If we’re going to share a life together, and I hope to God we will, it can’t be based on a lie.” 

He pulled me against his chest in a crushing embrace and I buried my face against his shoulder. My eyes stung with unshed tears, and I gritted my teeth against the need to surrender.

“Will it hurt?” 

John stroked the back of my head.
“Being in love hurts sometimes.”

I closed my eyes. “
That’s not what I meant. W
ill it hurt when you change me?”

John tilted my face to meet his and I saw the hesitation in his eyes.
“Without a doubt.”
He must have seen the fear in my own because he asked then, “Are you sure you want to go through with this?”

I pulled back a little and wrapped my arms around my middle as I attempted to control the nervous shaking. “Josiah said I don’t have long. He said I’ll be lucky if I make it to the end of the month. If that’s true, I
have less than a week
. I don’t see how I have any other choice.”

“So then we do this,” John said.

“Yes.”

He took my hands in his. “It’ll only hurt for a minute, and then everything will be okay. You’ll be okay.”

“And after that?”

“We’ll figure out the rest.” 

I gave a silent nod of the head, and John’s eyes flicked to the pillow. I swallowed hard as a ripple of fear surged through my body, making me shake and shiver as I thought about what I was about to do.

“It’ll be okay,” he whispered as I lay down.

He brushed aside my hair and gently stroked the line of my jaw with the tip of his index finger. Then he bent his mouth to my neck, and I squeezed my eyes shut tight as his teeth pressed against my skin. I dug my nails into the cushion of the couch, bracing against imminent pain. Then I screamed for all I was worth, and at once John’s hand clamped down hard over my mouth, muffling the noise. 

“It won’t do any good if the neighbors think I’m killing you,” he said. “And besides, I haven’t even done anything yet.”

“I’m sorry. I’m just really nervous.”

“I’ll be as gentle as possible,” he said, and bent down again.

I pushed him away. “How gentle can you be when you’re biting a chunk out of someone’s neck?”

“You’re right,” he said. “Maybe I should just do it quickly.”

I scooted a few inches away from him. “Have you even done this before? I mean, I know you haven’t changed anyone, but maybe you’ve had a lapse in judgment, or something
, and have at least
bitten
another human
?”

A high blush
c
rept up John’s cheeks, and I couldn’t help
my nervous laughter
. “You’re like a, a
virgin
,” I said. “Not that there’s anything wrong with that,” I added in a rush. “I’m a virgin, too.” I put a hand to my face.
“Oh, God.
I should just shut up.”

“
Shh
,” he said. He forcibly removed my hand from my face and kissed my forehead.
“No, I’ve never done this before, and
, well,
I—”

Just then there was a pounding at the door, and we both jerked in surprise, as though we’d been metaphorically caught with our pants downs. John scrambled to his feet. “Uh, wait here.”

I didn’t, though. I got up and followed him to the door, and my breath caught in my chest when I saw who was
waiting
on the other side. 

“Josiah. Nice to see you again,” I said, like a complete idiot. He gave the barest hint of a smile in response, but something told me he wasn’t here on a social visit.

He pointed a gloved finger at John. “You and I need to talk.”

October 27

John held the door wide
open
for Josiah
and made a sweeping
gesture with his hand.
But his voice shook when he spoke, betraying his anxiety.
“Would you like to come in?”

Josiah
made no immediate move to enter. Instead, he turned to me. “Go home.”

I took a step closer to John and linked my fingers with his. “Why should I?”

Josiah
’s eyes
lighted on
our joined hands
.
“Because I said so.”

“I don’t think Mr. Larsen would appreciate you interfering with
me doing my job
,” John said. His fingers tightened around mine.

The corner of Josiah’s mouth pulled up.
“And I don’t think Mr. Larsen, or the vampire community at large, would appreciate spoiled goods
.
” 

“He already knows about Blake,” John said. “And besides, she’s just one of
the
many
p
otential Donors I’m working with at th
e
moment.
He hardly has time to be concerned about one girl
when I’ve got a handful more coming his way
.
”

“And does Mr. Larsen know who attacked her?” Josiah said, at the same time I
turned to him and
asked, “There are others?”

“That’s not important right now,” John said
to me
under his breath
as he stroked the back of my hand with his thumb
. To Josiah, he said, “With regards to Blake, Mr. Larsen didn’t
as
k
for
specifics. He said it’s not his job to uphold the law and told me to deal with the problem in whichever way I saw fit.”

“Then you should have dealt with the problem when you had the chance, Mr. Kelly, because what you have now is an even bigger
difficulty
than some half-dead girl. She’s worthless to our kind now. I suggest you end it.”

My stomach clenched.
“End what?”

Josiah rolled his eyes.
“Your life, of course.”

“My
life
?
No! I-I rescind my complaint! I didn’t—”

“Be quiet,” John hissed under his breath. He stepped in front of me,
never letting go of my hand
.

I looked over his shoulder at Josiah
, ignoring John’s warning to keep quiet
. “I made a mistake!
I was mad and I wanted to get back at Ian for what he did to me. But it really doesn’t matter now because John is going to change me. I’m
not
a liability to your kind. I promise!”

Josiah took a deep breath, as though
John and I
were on the verge of exhausting his patience. “I exist to uphold the law. And as it happens, Mr. McAvoy
has broken
a very important one
. You came to me, and now I have no choice but to
see
to it
that justice is served
.” His eyes cut threateningly to John. “I suggest you tell me where he is
or I’ll go straight to—
”

“You won’t find him here,” John
interrupted
, raising his chin to Josiah. “He left nearly an hour ago.”

Josiah
smirked
. “I’m no fool, Mr. Kelly. The other Watchers have been notified
. Word is out. We will find him with or without your help. But for your own good, I suggest you expedite the search and tell us where he went.
”

I laid a hand on John’s back and felt a tremor pass through his body. He glanced at me over his shoulder, and for the first time I saw true fear in his eyes.

“What are you going to do to him?” he said
as he turned back
to Josiah.

“That’s none of your concern.”

“Tell me!”

Josiah tilted his head to the side as a slow smile spread across his face. “I’m nearly two hundred years old, Mr. Kelly. You’re
good, but your
mind games won’t work on me
, or any vampire for that matter
.
You should know that.
” H
e focused on me then
. “
Go
home
. I’m taking him
with me.”

My stomach
tightened
again.
“What do you want with John?”

“
He
knowingly housed a criminal. Had he a mind to do the right thing, he would have turned Mr. McAvoy over to my custody the moment he set foot in town.
It’s my understanding that
there are others looking for him.”

“But, but—”

Josiah grabbed John’s arm and yanked him forward
, out of my grasp.
“But nothing.
”
 

I grabbed John’s other arm and yanked back, though I was no
match for
Josiah’s
vampire strength
. “He’s not going anywhere with you!”

Josiah bent forward until we were
standing at
eye level
.
“I assure you he most certainly is.”

“It’ll be okay,” John whispered in my ear. 

My
eyes
never left
Josiah, and I didn’t miss the look of amusement that crossed his face at John’s empty assurance. An air of suppressed hilarity hung about him, and the corner of his mouth lifted. I didn’t believe for one minute that everything would be okay.

I held even tighter to his arm. “No, John. Please don’t go with him.
You can’t.
”

“I don’t
ha
ve a choice, Blake.”

“That’s right,” Josiah said. “You don’t.”

My fingers slipped out of John’s
and m
y heart
raced
in my chest as Josiah towed
him
down the front steps
like a criminal
.
All that was missing
were
the handcuffs.
“What’s going to happen to him?” I called after them, but Josiah acted as though he didn’t hear. “Tell me where you’re taking him!”

John tried to turn back to say something, but Josiah jerked him forward, causing him to stumble. I ran down the steps after them and watched helplessly as Josiah shoved John into the
backseat of an idling vehicle.
The car
started to pull away before the door had even
fully
closed
.

I jumped and waved my hands over my head screaming,
“Wait!
Come back!
Please!
”

As the car rounded the corner, John managed to get the window down and stick his head out.  “Find Andrew!”
he yelled at me before a pair of unseen hands pulled him back inside.

Patty, the receptionist at Kinsey Real Estate, looked up when I barged in
to the small waiting area. “Blake,” she said, obviously surprised to see me. “You know your mother’s not working today, right?” Her eyes cut to my neck
where my tattoo
blazed in brilliant red.
“
Oh my goodness!
Is that blood, dear? Are you
bleeding
?”

I flipped up the collar of my coat and pulled my hair around my neck. “No. It’s just um, it’s just um nothing. Is Mr. Larsen here?”

Patty’s mouth turned down as her brow puckered with apparent confusion. But before she could respond, Andrew appeared from around the corner.

“I thought I heard my name,” he said, his eyes raking over me with a critical gaze. His nose wrinkled, as though he smelled something disgusting.

I lifted my chin. “Mr. Larsen,
can
we talk?”

Andrew smiled and turned his gaze on Patty. “It’s past lunch
time.
Go on and take
your break now
.
I can see to any clients that come in.”

The wrinkle in Patty’s brow deepened as she looked from Andrew to me and back again. “But I don’t think . . . I mean, I’m sure Mrs. Kinsley-Ehlert . . . What I’m trying to say is . . .” Her voice trailed off as she struggled to get out exactly what was on her mind
;
that it
probably
wasn’t a good idea for a grown man and teenage girl to be alone together
with no one else around
.

Andrew gave her a knowing smile. “Blake is quite safe with me, Patricia. Isn’t that right?”

I tore my eyes from Patty’s concerned expression to see that Andrew was waiting expectantly for my corroboration. “Oh. Yeah.
It’s
okay, Patty. I just need to talk to Mr. Larsen about, um, about—”

“Apartments,” Andrew supplied. “As you know, Blake will be eighteen
soon
. She would like to move out, but her parents are obviously not in favor of that decision, her being so young and all. Blake has asked for my discretion as we try to sort this out, and now I’m asking for yours.”

“Oh,” Patty said, puffing up at being in on the secret. “I see. Mum’s the word then.”

She locked her lips with an imaginary key and put it in her pocket. She patted it for safe-keeping and gave us a closed-mouth smile, a conspiratorial twinkle in her eyes. Then she
logged off the computer, grabbed her coat and purse, and slipped out of the building without another word.

Andrew bolted the door behind her and turned to face me. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

“I know what you are,” I
blurted out
.

Andrew leaned back against Patty’s desk and clasped his hands in front of him. “Oh? And what is that?”

“Don’t play games with me,” I said, knowing full well that he knew what I meant.

The smug smile fell from Andrew’s lips and he wrinkled his nose again. “You reek, by the way.”

I ignored the comment and instead asked, “Do you know a man named Josiah Butler?”

Andrew snorted. “I’d hardly call him a man.”

“So you know him?”

“Of course I know him.”

“Then maybe you’d be interested to know he’s got John.”

Andrew
stiffened
. “John Kelly? What’s he done to attract th
e
attention of the most
experienced
Watcher in town?”

My shoulders slumped and I sat down heavily in a nearby chair. “Everything is such a mess
.
And it’s all because of me!”

“Don’t flatter yourself. You’re only human,” he said, with not a little condescension. 

I met his eyes. “The vampire who attacked me—Ian McAvoy—he’s John’s
m
aker
, or whatever you all call them.”

“Go on,” he said, his eyes narrowing.

I clenched my hands in my lap. “Well I, uh, I sort of told Josiah about Ian. And then I told Ian that I told Josiah, so he ran off. And then Josiah came to John’s house looking for Ian, but Ian wasn’t there, so he hauled John off because he said John was harboring a
fugitive,
or some nonsense like that, and then John told me to come find you.”

Andrew closed his eyes and held up his hand. “Let me get this straight. John was keeping the vampire who attacked you under his
own
roof?”

“You didn’t know?”

Andrew opened his eyes. “I knew that a vampire had attacked you, of course, but I had no idea
who
had committed the crime. When John told me that you were no longer a prospective Donor, I thought it a great shame.” He smiled at me then. “You
’ve
always
been
a particular favorite of mine. You had a very . . .
unique
scent.
More potent than the others
; something I’ve never come across before in all my years
.
We could have fetched a great price for you.
”

I
curled my lip at him
. “Gee, thanks.”

“However,” Andrew went on, “the unlawful biting of Donors does happen from time to time.
Ingrates like this Ian McAvoy think they are above the law. They say they can’t help it, but they can.
All it takes is a bit of willpower.
” He shrugged. “I told John to deal with the problem as he saw fit.”

“Meaning that you thought, or hoped, he would kill me.”