Darlings of Darkness: A Vampire Anthology Part 134

"Blick, stop!"

"You will not die," the voice said. I felt someone holding my hand.

Then as I saw a few sunrays s.h.i.+ne over the ocean, the face of the person loomed before me. I could clearly see that it was indeed Blick.

He took his hand in mine, the one he had kissed. He pulled my hand outward, pointing my hand backwards toward me. "You must wake up," he commanded.

When he hit me with my hand, I screamed again and fell to the ground.

Chapter 10.

Angel Blood "Aaahhh!" I yelled, extending my fangs when I came to.

"You wanna to wake up or you want me to continue hitting you?" Michael snapped.

"You do and I'll bite your neck off, d.i.c.k! I'm not a punching bag!" I exclaimed.

He stomped across the kitchen.

"Rayea!" Blick scolded me. "He's only trying to help. We're running out of time!"

"Let me in on the plan then, guys," I said, reaching to rub my jaw. "Great, I'm tied up again? What the fuuu...heck?" I said for Blick's benefit.

"You're not making this very easy on us," Michael said.

"Easy on you?!" My voice broke in a high screech. The dream I'd just had of Blick hitting me shook me more than the plows Michael was administering to me.

Impatiently, Michael slammed a few wooden drawers looking for something. "Where are the knives?"

"Top left by the stove," Blick directed.

"Chasing you around the living room isn't exactly fun. You meet J in less than four hours. So yes, you are back in the chair. And yes, you can bat those pretty eyes at me all you want, if you think it'll help, but you're gonna drink angel blood p.r.o.nto!"

The voice inside my head hissed, "Yesss!"

"You ready?" Michael asked Blick.

Blick nodded an affirmative, s.h.i.+fted into his h.e.l.lhound form, and took a position behind me.

Finally having a moment of clarity and understanding that Michael wanted me to drink from him, I balked at the invitation. I ignored the hunger l.u.s.t building again and started formulating a plan of my own. Retracting my fangs, I glared up at his seven foot stature. Why were all these angels so tall? I thought.

"I don't want her harmed. This may not work. We shouldn't push her. We could stall a few more days," Blick said to Michael.

"This has to work. You saw the reports! We don't have a few more days. You know that!" Michael replied.

"I thought I was meeting G?" I asked.

"You're meeting G later. J is the pre-meeting," Michael said.

Since Blick was towering over me, I glanced up to see his black furry chin. Did you just speak as a h.e.l.lhound? I sent the thought to him.

He looked down at me with his gleaming puppy dog eyes I had long missed and said aloud, "Yes, Rayea. And you don't have to do this."

"Listen, both of you," Michael began.

"Can we talk about this?" I interrupted and set my sights on Michael.

He returned my gaze for several minutes, and then started laughing. "The hypnotizing stuff doesn't work on us, Vampire."

"So you can Jedi mind trick me, but I can't do the same to you?"

"Something like that," he retaliated.

"You know, for an angel, you really are an a.s.shole," I responded.

He doubled over with laughter.

Step back, Blick! I sent the thought to him as I summoned my pyrokinetic powers again. This time, flames ignited around me and engulfed me and the chair. As I vaporized and materialized behind Michael next to the stove, I smelled singed fur lingering in the air. Hopefully I didn't scorch Blick too much.

"I won't drink from you," I said in defiance, rummaging through an open drawer.

Michael whirled around. "Oh yes, you will. You have to be ready for this meeting. Whether you like me or not is beside the point."

"Pre-meeting," I corrected him. Inching towards the refrigerator, I said, "I just need to hydrate."

His hand came down over mine possessively. "I think you've had enough holy water."

Hiding the knife behind my back, I spun Michael around, slamming him face first into the island in the center of the kitchen. Delicately, I placed the knife at the side of his neck. "I've been drinking holy water, Blick?! Seriously?!"

"For all we know, it's kept you alive," he shrugged, seeming relatively unharmed, except for maybe his pride.

"Did I hurt you?" I asked him.

"I'll live," Blick said.

"What are you?" Michael interrupted.

Blick addressed Michael. "I told you. She's a different type of vampire."

"Now let's listen to my plan," I announced, not realizing I was pressing myself hard against Michael's thighs. I glanced down at Michael in his precarious situation, and then Blick.

Both mumbled, "Fine," in agreement.

After gulping down three gla.s.ses of a red smoothie mixture that contained Michael's blood and other essentials Blick insisted on adding, I felt somewhat better. We had convened in the kitchen for an old fas.h.i.+oned blood transfusion exercise. I couldn't bare the thought of sinking my fangs into Michael's neck, so I had suggested our cutting his wrist instead, and draining some of his blood into one of Blick's blenders.

"Do you think we could take a break?" Michael asked. He stood with us in the center of the kitchen at the marble island, grasping one of the corners for balance. His knuckles were white.

Blick laid the b.l.o.o.d.y knife down. "We've taken enough of his blood."

Quickly I retrieved a bar stool and rushed over to him.

He gripped the bottom of the green leather seat as Blick and I a.s.sisted him. Michael was very pale.

"You're right. I'm sorry. It'll be enough," I said.

"Help me get him to the couch, Rayea." Blick steadied Michael under his arms as they walked to the living room.

I wasn't exactly helping that much, so when I saw a droplet of blood land on the stone floor, I volunteered to be nursemaid. "Let me bandage your wrist," I said. I ran to the restroom on the other side of the living room to grab the first aid kit.

"Blick, how much time do we have," I yelled as I made my way towards the kitchen. I could tell I was somewhat winded, so I paused for a moment to catch my breath near the couch in the living room.

"He went to get J," Michael responded, studying me. He was resting on the couch.

Immediately, I knelt by him, opening the kit and dumping all the items on the stone floor in case I needed them. "Are you okay?"

"I'll gain my strength in a few minutes. What about you?"

"Do you think it'll leave a scar?" I asked, ignoring his inquiry.

I felt his eyes on me. Slowly he replied, "It might, but it won't be the first."

"That's cool that angels have accelerated healing. I'm sorry we had to keep cutting your wrist." I attempted to make small talk, ignoring his gaze as I worked on the dressing.

"We did have a faster route, but the vampire couldn't use her fangs. It'll be too icky if I bite you." His voice lifted into a high pitched squeal.

"I don't want killing an angel on my conscience. No thanks," I stated flatly.

"You won't kill me. Why do you think three twelve-ounce gla.s.ses will revive you? After all this time? Blick's a great guy, but he's not the brightest bulb in the chandelier."

"It was not his fault. He didn't know. Sometimes you don't see the most obvious thing in front of you," I rationalized.

"Did you want us to just keep slicing away on you until you fell over?"

"It was taking too long! You're still hungry, aren't you?" he demanded.

I didn't answer.

"We have to make sure. If you are, now is the time to say so. When J shows up, we can't have you going after him. He's pretty important to our network."

"I may not know all the team players here, but I know who G and J are. Father b.i.t.c.hed about them often enough. I promise to behave," I replied.

"How are you feeling really?" Michael asked, still studying me.

"Like a million bucks," I smiled, gritting my teeth. "You?"

"I'm fine now."

"How does it feel knowing you saved a vampire? Probably your first, right?"

"That reminds me. Let me bring up the blood transfusion to J, okay? It'll be better received if I tell him."

A sudden thin chill hung on the edge of Michael's words.

I shuddered and backed away from him. "I've gotten you in trouble, haven't I? I'm sorry. We shouldn't have. It was a stupid idea."

"No," he said. "You were losing consciousness. You wouldn't have lasted much longer. It was my decision to give you my blood. Mine alone."

"I'm immortal. I won't die." I avoided his penetrating gaze.

"There are things worse than physical death. When did you test this immortality theory?"

"Well I just thought..." I changed the subject. "Without blood, I'd turn into what exactly?"

"I don't think you want to find out, do you?"

"No, I guess not. Thank you by the way...for saving me."

"You're worth saving."

Michael's comment startled me, but I elected to leave it be. A wave of weakness. .h.i.t me. I sighed again. I couldn't figure everything out at once. Was I not immortal? Without blood, would I die? Was Father after me in my dreams? Good grief! "There. I'm done," I mumbled and placed his bandaged wrist on the couch. Leaning back on my elbows, I rested.

"You're deathly pale. You need more blood."

"I can't," I said, still avoiding his eyes. His tone aroused and infuriated me. I swallowed hard, trying not to reveal the hunger that suddenly took hold of me.

"Listen to the angel," the voice inside my head chided me.

Ugh, I thought. He was right. I wanted more. I needed more.

Suddenly I lashed out at Michael in frustration. "What do you know about it? Maybe that's all the blood I need? Who made you the expert on vampires? How many vampires have you met, hmmm?" I paused when I realized I had been sitting up on my knees, slamming unused items into the first aid kit over and over.

"You're figuring out everything by what you read on the internet, aren't you?"

I looked up at him, speechless. Then shrugged my shoulders.

Michael put his hand on my shoulder. "Sit beside me."

I gritted my teeth, forcing my fangs to stay hidden, and joined him on the couch. Nervously, I examined the mahogany wooden ceiling beams, refusing to make eye contact.