Autumn Moon (5 page)

“My assistant. The one I sent away because she couldn’t keep her eyes off you.”

His mouth slid into a smile. “Ah. You were jealous, hey?”

"I was no such thing.
” She inhaled deeply and brushed her hands over her shirt as if straightening it.

He chuckled. “It’s okay. I didn’t fancy leaving you with Yi this morning.”

“With Yi? He’s only friend.” She waved her hand in dismissal. 

“He wants more.” There was no mistaking the low growl in his throat.

Her eyebrows lifted. “Now who sounds jealous?
”

He rolled his beautiful eyes that spoke of honesty, not treachery of the chiang-shih.

“You haven’t killed anyone.” She meant it as a statement, but he answered anyway.

“No. I haven’t. And I’d like to keep it that way.”

She placed her hand on his arm. It was cool to the touch, but an electrical charge sifted through her, warming her from the inside out. A protective feeling she didn’t care to dwell on set her actions in motion. She’d help him anyway she could. “I’ll look through my uncle’s books. We’ll work to find the cure, but until then … hmm… May I ask how you tame the blood lust?”

He looked embarrassed as he turned away not meeting her gaze. “Pig’s blood.”

“Good, let’s keep it that way. Take a seat. I want to try something.”

“Excuse me.
” He looked at her with suspicion.

She waved to the cushioned foldout chair. “I have an idea. I think it will help you.”

He eyed her for a blink of second before he decided to trust her. He plopped himself down, stretching his long legs in front of him. She opened her pack that was on the table, exposing the needles she would need to use. Sitting down, Jairec was eye level with her, but she ignored his intent gaze. She needed a steady hand and his heated gaze made her nervous. She brushed away the wisps of hair on the side of head, exposing his ear.

He jerked away. “What are you doing?” He looked at her tools then her. “I’m not a voodoo doll. Don’t think you’re poking me with those.”

She shook her head. “I’m trying to help. Now stop being a baby and sit still. It won’t hurt.” She forced herself not to smile. A big tough vamp and he was afraid of needles. “Well?”

He didn’t exactly relax but he leaned his head to the side, exposing the ear. She placed two small needles behind the upper portion of the lobe. “Now that wasn’t so bad.
”

“You’re just going to leave them?”

“Yes. I don’t know if it will work on a chiang-shih since I’ve never treated one, but on a human, it helps to curve the appetite for an addiction.”

“You hope I won’t crave blood.”

“That’s the point of this experiment.
”

He nodded and stood. “Let’s hope it works.”

“Meet me at the shop later tonight after the festivities die down. We’ll take a look at my uncle’s book.” She turned away but he grabbed her hand.

“Thank you.
”

“I told you, don’t thank me yet. We still have a long haul and in the end I may still have to …” She pursed her lips together, not wanting to voice what might have to be done, but it seemed he already knew.

“End my existence? Aye, I know.” His gaze wavered over her as if memorizing her features. “I trust you, Autumn. No matter what you have to do, I know it will be the best decision.” He leaned down and brushed his lips against her cheek before turning around and disappearing within the crowd.

The man could be so cryptic and sexy all in one—not bad for being dead.

Chapter Nine

Autumn arrived back at the shop a little after four. She put her supplies from the booth on the counter before she went upstairs to her apartment and put the bag she picked up at the butchers in the refrigerator. The day had been profitable with the streets crowded with tourists. Her booth was busy, but she kept checking her watch wishing the time would go by faster.

She headed for the bathroom to wash her face. She always felt refreshed when she did that. She needed a clear mind if she was going to weed through her uncle’s notes. After she changed into a pair of jeans and her comfy
Bon Jov
i T-shirt, she headed back downstairs to the store and into the back room where her uncle liked to work. She hadn’t the heart to clean it out after he died and now she was glad she hadn’t. The wood shelves were lined with jars filled with herbs. He kept the journal in the workbench’s top drawer. It was locked, but she had keys. She hoped one of them opened the drawer.

“Did you find anything?”

Autumn jumped at the sound of his voice and the keys slipped from her grip, clattering to the floor. “Do you mind not sneaking up on a girl, Jairec?”

He bent down to retrieve the keys. He handed them to her. “Sorry. I guess I’m quiet on my feet.”

“Yeah.” She turned toward the drawer and tried the different keys, but none of them worked. “How’d you get in here anyway? I locked the doors.”

“I have my ways.”

She looked at him, her brows furrowing. “Supernatural?”

“It’s a Boston special.” His shoulders lifted in a shrug.

“Boston …what?”

“My brother, Tristan showed me how to pick a lock. He pegged the name.”

“Nice brother,” she said sarcastically.”

“Yeah. He was always getting into trouble.”

“Is it just you and your brother then?”

“No. My mum lives in Ireland, Adara in County Donegal to be exact. She runs a shop selling the famed Donegal wool. My da is in Boston. My parents split up when Tristan and I were just little kids. Mum went back home with us, and Da stayed in the States. When Tristan turned fifteen my mum had enough of his shenanigans and felt I wasn’t far behind in causing her grief. She shipped us to our da deciding we needed a firm hand. Tristan rebelled. He was in trouble more than not which didn’t sit well with our da, who was the chief of police.”

“I would say not. And you? Were you a troublemaker, too?”

“Not unless my brother dragged me into the foray of his mess.” He shrugged.

“So you were a good boy—sometimes.
”

“You could say that I suppose.
”

She looked at him and he grinned.

“Right.
”
She shook her head. She had a hunch he wasn’t all that innocent. “So what did you do back in Boston?”

“I worked on website designs, creating and programming. It’s a booming market right now.”

“Oh, I can imagine. I want to set up a website. I didn’t realize I could hire someone to put it together for me.” She tried the last key with no luck. “Shoot, none of these work.
”

“Let me try.
”

She waved her hand to the drawer. “Be my guest.
”

In a few seconds, he had the drawer open.

“How did— never mind I don’t need to know.” She rummaged through the drawer, finding the journal shoved to the back. She took the book out and opened it. She glanced at the entries and frowned. “These are more like incantations than formulas.” She flipped the page and stared at the drawing of a creature: longhaired, pointed incisors and long clawed hands. “Now this is what the chiang-shih should look like. It would give a person a warning they’re about to be attacked.” She glanced up, her gaze sweeping over him. “You’re too good-looking.”

“Thank you, I think.” He looked over her shoulder at the drawing. “The man or whatever he was who did this to me chanted something before he hit me over the head.”

She looked at him. “Do you remember what he said?” 

“No.” He ran his hand through his hair. “I was disoriented. He seemed determined to beat my brains in, but then maybe he had second thoughts. I don’t know.”

“But to what purpose? Why would he want to turn you into the living dead? Then leave you to figure out your new life?” 

“Do crazy people have to have a logical reason? Who knows maybe the bloke has a perverted mind and gets his jollies turning people into monsters.”

“If he was one of the chiang-shih, they eventually kill. There haven’t been any murders. I can’t see how he could have kept that quiet.
”

“I have a theory. Tourists and the homeless—they disappear and no one misses them for a while.”

“Then it would mean he hadn’t been doing this long. So where has he been hiding? You said you talk to the…”

“…Seer,” he finished for her.

“Yes. Frankly, I don’t understand why she sent you to me. What do I have to do with saving you?”

“I may be a vampire but no one gave me a how-to-be-one book. Your uncle must have known the chiang-shih existed. Doesn’t the journal prove that well enough?”

“I don’t know what the journal proves.” She looked at the book, her gaze landing on the hideous creature of legend. She swallowed back a lump in her throat. Would Jairec end up looking like this?

“Perhaps he knew of the chiang-shih, maybe other beings as well. He may have been keeping them at bay. You worked with him, didn’t you?”

“Yes.”

“Perhaps he showed you something that would help.”

“He taught me a lot, but nothing comes to mind that would help you.”

“I think you know more than you realize. Read the journal. Something will click. Something will prove you have the key after all.”

He had such hope that she could help him. She didn’t. It wouldn’t take her long to read the journal, but it could take months to decipher it. They only had until Sunday to figure it out. If they didn’t, it would be too late for Jairec.

She looked at him and frowned. He looked peeked. She wasn’t sure that was the right word, but his skin appeared paler than it did earlier. “How did my treatment work?” She pointed to his ear.

“I think it’s working. It took the edge off.”

“But not completely. You need to feed, don’t you?”

“You offering?” A teasing feral smile tilted his lips.

“Keep your fangs to yourself. I stopped by the butcher shop. Danny’s a friend from school. He gave me a good deal on the pig’s blood.”

“He wasn’t suspicious as to why you wanted it?”

“I said he’s a friend. Come on.” She headed out of the room and he followed.

“You keep strange friends.”

“We’re a close knit family here in Chinatown.”

“Hmm, similar to the way it is back home I imagine.
”

“In Boston?”

“No, I mean Adara.”

“You still call Ireland home?”

“It will always be a part of me. Though I can’t imagine living there anymore, but visiting is grand.
”

He followed her to where a flight of stairs was located in the back of the shop. The steps led to the apartment up above.

“This is where you live?” he asked.

“Makes it convenient.”

“You roll out of bed and start the day.”

She looked over her shoulder with a smile. “I like to shower and dress first.”

He grinned. “Of course. You smell nice by the way. Good enough to eat.”

“I’m not sure that’s a compliment, Fang Boy. I might construe your words as a threat.” She met his gaze and lifted her brows.

“Not a threat. You don’t have to fear me,” he added hastily.

“Hmm. Then you might want to do something about your glowing eyes.” She flipped on the lights as she went.

“Sorry. Comes with the whole I-am-dead persona.”

She went into her kitchen and flipped the light switch, illuminating the room with a warm glow. A nook with three ornate bar chairs separated the kitchen from the living room. Large pictures of Chinese calligraphy adorn the wall above the earth-tone couch
—
simple, clean and functional. To the left there was a short hall. Her bedroom stood at the end of the hall and to the right was the bathroom.

“Here you go.” She handed him a red coffee cup.

“Thank you.” He stared at the contents and grimaced.

“Pretend it’s home brewed coffee with a splash of cream.”

“I wish.
”

Her brows came together. “I’m curious. Can you drink or eat anything other than blood?”

“Not that I found. I ate the moon cakes I stole from you and threw up.”

“Don’t tell my grandmother. You’ll hurt her feelings.” She grabbed a pen and paper from her pencil holder that was next to her phone on the kitchen counter. She slid a bar seat out and sat down to read the journal.

“So it’s just you and your grandparents?” He leaned against the counter, facing her.

“Yes, my parents died when I was six.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. My parents were happy together. They loved each other and they weren’t afraid to show it. They may have had only seven years together, but they lived them loving each other.”

“That’s a rarity. What happened? How did they … I’m sorry, I shouldn’t be so nosey.”