42nd & Lex (35 page)

He heard Sarah gasp and his body tensed as
he waited for the scream that as sure to follow. Slowly, he opened his eyes;
maybe she had passed out. Her face was only inches from his, her brown eyes
wide. Her mouth drew into a slow, sultry smile as she closed the distance
between them. Sarah grabbed his face and pulled him in for a kiss. Mark’s brain
short-circuited. The numbness he’d felt for the last six months was gone. He felt
alive as her mouth pressed against his fangs.  

He wished he could will the cursed things
back into his head before they cut her mouth. Of course, the thought of her
blood only made them strain harder against his gums. “Holy shit, Sarah,” he
managed to say between her mad kisses.

“Oh Mark, it is true. It is,” she gasped. She
was back straddling his lap again and Mark could barely contain himself. “All
of it?”

“All of it,” he replied, holding her face
with his hands to stave her off a bit. “But Abri wasn’t lying, no one will
believe it.”

“How exactly does Abri know?” she asked,
resting her hands on his chest, which was heaving as he tried to take in enough
deep breaths to calm himself. 

“If you can get off me, I’ll tell you. I'm
really sorry, but I’m not exactly sure I can control myself much longer with
you…so close.”

“Sorry.” She moved back to the seat next to
him and pulled her dress back down over her knees. “Is this okay?”

Mark nodded and took a few more deep breaths
for good measure. “I hate to throw Abri under the bus again, but it’s not going
to make much sense if I don’t,” he began. “Abri’s new boyfriend is a vampire. A
real, full blooded one.”

“Does she know?”

“I'm sure. The asshole that turned me is
also trying to kidnap Abri. He’s obsessed with her. So her boyfriend, Lucan, is
trying to kill him to protect her. I just hope they’re not trying to kill me
too. A Halfling isn’t something anyone wants around exactly.”.”

“Oh Mark! I won’t let that happen. Abri
won’t let that happen.”

“I'm not so sure she’s a fan of mine either,”
he replied. “I sorta broke into Lucan’s apartment when she was there a few
weeks ago. It was before I figured out how to take care of myself, I was really
messed up in the head then. Serge, that’s the asshole, had talked about her so much
and then she turns up as your lawyer. I thought it was a good idea to find out who
she was and what all the hype was about. I didn’t mean to scare her and I
didn’t hurt her. In fact, her boyfriend took a few chunks out of me when he saw
me leaving. So, yeah, I doubt either of them like me very much.”

“I’ll talk to her. I mean I'm going to have
to tell her the divorce is off and she’s going to want to know why. I can’t
very well tell her I’ve had a change of heart without telling her I know what
you are. Especially since she knows, she’d wear herself out trying to talk me
out of it without actually telling me why.”

“Wait. Tell her the divorce is off. You mean
you still want to be together. Even knowing what I am now?” Mark asked, tears
forming in his eyes. “There isn’t a cure for this as far as I know.”

“Of course I do, I love you. I only wanted a
divorce because I thought were cheating on me or had become an alcoholic or
drug addict. I mean if Abri can date a vampire, why can’t I be married to a
half vampire?”

“Okay, but I think this may go beyond the
usual ‘for better or worse’ stuff.” Mark said, bracing for her to realize he
was right and change her mind. “I mean, I appreciate your logic on this, but it
might be pretty flawed.”

“If Abri’s with a vampire it can’t be that
bad. She’s a smart girl.”

There was so much Mark wanted to say. Mainly
that he didn’t know how bad what he was, was or what he could expect out of
this new existence. Serge hadn’t told him anything. “But I’m not really a
vampire, or at least I don’t think so. Serge the Asshole didn’t finish the job apparently,
and now I don’t know if it can be completed. Or if I want it completed, being a
real vampire might be worse than this. I wish you could convince Abri to get
Lucan O’Reilly to talk to me. I need some answers.”

She looked at him and smiled. “Whatever the
answer, we’ll get through it. It can’t be any worse than finding out that
vampires actually exist, right?”

She was taking this all so well that he
wasn’t sure she really understood what he was saying. “This isn’t some romance
novel love story crap, Sarah. I’ll never be the same again.” Mark paused,
waiting for her reaction. “I’ve been much worse than what you’re seeing right
now, much worse. Hell, I don’t even know how I’m holding it together right now
with you this close to me.”

Ignoring his warning she continued, “I’ll go
see Abri tomorrow ask for her help and Lucan’s. I'm sure there’s something they
can do. Until then…” she stood up, reaching for Mark’s hand. “I say we find some
other way to pass the time.”

Mark froze. He wasn’t sure if he could still
do that, if it was even advisable. What if he hurt Sarah? “I don’t know Sarah, I'm
not sure I can. I mean I haven’t tried to or anything—”

 “Mark, it will be fine. I know for a fact it won’t kill me, Abri’s
living proof of that.”

She had him there and from what he could tell,
being a full-blooded vampire couldn’t be any different from a Halfling in that
department. Serge had talked about being with women, humans and vampires, during
the few times they’d actually talked. Mark relented and took her hand. He’d
missed his wife so much and if things didn’t work out for them in the end, he
didn’t want to regret passing up one last time with her. She led him back
towards the bedrooms. “Which one?” she asked, standing between the two rooms. 

“This one.” It wasn’t actually the room he’d
been sleeping in, but Serge had taken it upon himself to sprawl across Mark’s
bed earlier and he wasn’t completely sure there wasn’t blood on the sheets. The
second room was still clean from the maid’s last visit.

Mark ushered Sarah into the room and then
excused himself to double, no, triple lock the door. Serge was probably pretty
well immobile, but Mark wasn’t taking any chances. He double-checked the locks
on the terrace as well. Sarah was already in bed when he made his way back, her
dress draped over the wing-backed chair in the corner. Mark’s fangs ran out again
at the sight of his wife in a matching pink bra and panty set. She liked to
match her undergarments, a habit he always enjoyed as well. 

“Come here,” she purred, sitting up on her
knees. “I’ve missed you so very much.”

Mark swallowed hard as he approached the
side of the bed. Deep breaths were helping him keep calm. He didn’t feel the
urge to attack her in a bloodlust/dinnertime kind of way, but there was
definitely an urge there. Like it had always been, but more intense. 

Sarah pulled him closer by his tie and
then loosened it, and flung it across the room. Her hands went down to his belt
and slowly undid it and his fly. His brain kicked into high gear, like he’d
just taken down an entire rump roast, and he shucked off his pants, boxers, and
all but ripped the buttons off his shirt. The last time they had been together
was before—Mark stopped the thought before it formed completely in his head. This
was not the time for such ruminations. Sarah laughed a throaty laugh as she
reached to unclasp her bra.

“Let me,” he commanded, kneeling on the bed
next to her.  

She let her hands drop and bared her chest
to him so that he could better reach the front clasp holding the flimsy lace in
place. Mark growled. He’d never been one for the kinky sexplay, but something
about his new nature urged him forward. He leaned down and used his fangs to
pop open the little wisp of fabric between her breasts. Sarah giggled as the straps
slid down her arms. 

“Naughty boy,” she whispered. “What else can
you do with those things?”

“I’m not sure,” he said honestly. He could
think of a few options but wasn’t sure they were a good idea or if she’d be
into them.

“Bite me,” she demanded, tilting her head to
the side, exposing her slender neck. Oh, well, I guess she was into them.

Now rationality should have taken over in
Mark’s brain but it didn’t. He should have seen all the reasons why that was a
bad idea, but he didn’t. He could actually hear the blood pulsing through her
veins, how it quickened as she looked into his eyes. His fangs grew longer and
pushed against his lips. The thought of blood had never seemed so enticing. 

“It’s okay,” she urged. “You won’t hurt me.”

Mark was glad Sarah had such confidence in
him but he was not as sure. “What if I can’t stop?”

“You can and you will.” She placed his hand
at her throat.

This was so wrong. So very, very wrong. Mark
tried to take a few more deep breaths but the smell of her filled his nose and
overrode whatever willpower he might have hoped to possess. He leaned in close,
opening his mouth just above her jugular. He took her in his arms, closing the
last few inches between them, her breasts touching his bare chest. His new nature
took over and he struck her neck with a force that caused her to let out a
little squeak.

“It’s okay, keep going,” she gasped. “This
is amazing; it doesn’t actually hurt at all.”

Mark had tried drinking blood he stole from an
office blood drive a few months ago and it had had no effect on him, even the
blood in the raw meat did little to excite him. But Sarah’s blood ran over his
tongue like sweet wine and coated his throat. He swallowed and pulled more of
it into his mouth. She moaned into his ear, encouraging him to continue his
quest.

Mark came alive. More alive than he’d ever
been before becoming a Halfling or since. The room was instantly brighter,
clearer, sharper. The sounds and smells of the room amplified to the point
where he could hear the whir of the motor on the mini fridge and smell the bar
of soap in the shower. He felt connected to Sarah in a way he had never been before.
It was as if they were sharing the same life force. And, he guessed, in a way they
were.

Afraid of taking too much, he pulled back. Instinct
took over again and he licked the two puncture wounds on her neck, sealing them.
Two faint pink marks were all he left behind. So he was at least vampire enough
to do that successfully. Pride swelled in his chest.

“Holy shit, Sarah,” he said for at least the
second time tonight. “I think I’ve been going about this all wrong. I do need
blood. And maybe food too, I don’t know. But I’m never eating raw meat again.”

“Raw meat?” she asked, fingering the tender
marks on her neck.

“I’ll explain later,” he replied, pulling
her on top of him.

***

Sarah woke the next morning feeling as if
she’d spent a week at a spa. She’d never felt so refreshed and alive. They had
made love at least a half dozen times. She had asked Mark if she could taste
his blood but he had thought that was a bad idea and it probably was. She would
ask Abri about it later. For now, she would just lay here and bask in the
afterglow.

Mark was already in the bathroom showering
for work, singling along with a bad 80s tune on the radio. He felt like his
old, human self again. It felt like old times, pre-vampire times, pre-New York times.
He barely gave a passing thought to Serge recuperating only a few floors away. He
couldn’t wait to get to work and bang out the finishing touches on his project.
It meant leaving Sarah but she had a mission of her own today, convince Abri
Cole and, by extension, Lucan O’Reilly, to help them. 

“Hey Abri?” Max says, poking his head into
my office. “I have Sarah Ainsworth here to see you. No appointment. She looks
real excited about something.” Max’s expression is somewhere between worry and
exasperation like he’s sure whatever it is, it’s vampire related.

“Really? Send her in.” I put down the file
I’ve been reading all morning and clear my desk. 

Max shows Sarah to my office and shuts the
door. I can tell he wants to stay and listen but I don’t make the offer. I can
tell by the look on Sarah’s face that Max’s worry is probably well placed. So
much for an easy Friday.

“What’s up?” I ask innocently. “Did we have
an appointment and I forgot?”

“Ah, no. I just really wanted to say this to
you in person and it couldn’t wait.”

My heart skips and my stomach drops to my
feet. She’s talked to Mark. The voice in my head is screaming,
“Abort!
Abort! Abort!”
What the hell am I going to tell her? What could I tell her?
I need Lucan. “Um, what couldn’t wait?” I ask as if I don’t know what’s coming.

“I know you’re going to be mad, but I went
to see Mark about the letter. I needed to talk to him and find out if it was
true. And before you try and deny it, I know you know what I'm talking about.” Before
I can respond, there is a knock at my door. 

“Come in,” I call, glad to have a few second
to think about what to say.

It's Max again. This time he gives me a
tired, incredulous stare as he pushes the door the rest of the way open to let
Lucan into the room without introduction. He turns on his heel and stalks off
without a word.

“What are you doing here?” I ask, relieved. I
look to Sarah as if she might have had something to do with this. “I mean, I'm
so glad you’re here.”

I vacillate between introducing Sarah and
Lucan like neither would have any reason to know the other existed and just pushing
the detonator on the huge elephant-in-the-room V-bomb we all know is coming. Lucan
saves me by speaking first.

“I just came by to drop off the file you
left on the dining room table, but Max told me I needed to come to your office,
that Sarah was here,” he says, shutting the door. “Hello, Mrs. Ainsworth. I’m
Lucan O’Reilly. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, especially under the
circumstances.”

Well I guess we are going to skip the this is
my boyfriend/oldest childhood friend nice-to-meet-you’s and go straight for the
V-bomb. I picture a giant mushroom cloud torching the sky in my head. Lucan
gives me a peculiar look as he reaches his hand out to Sarah. Sarah gets up to
shake his hand. The look on her face is self-satisfactory like Lucan’s entrance
is all a part of her plan in coming here.