Birth of the Vampire (The Vanderlind Realm) (19 page)

Uncle Kevin met me in the hallway as I was coming out of the bathroom. His hand was in a cast. I felt a pang of guilt for hurting him, but it quickly passed when he got right up in my face and growled, “I want you out of here tonight.”

I looked in his eyes, and I could tell he was angry. But there was another emotion that it took me a moment to recognize. It was fear. Bullies don’t like it when the tables are turned, and he wasn’t sure how to act.

“No,” I told him, refusing to back down even one inch. I fixed him with my eyes like I’d seen Dorian do. “I’m not leaving, and you have no problem with me staying here as long as I like. Do you understand me?”

“Yes,” he said, looking a little dazed.

I couldn’t believe he’d said yes. The crazy-eye thing had worked. “And I need a ride to the diner,” I added, trying not to lose concentration. “My shift starts in a couple of minutes.”

“Okay,” Uncle Kevin said, sounding almost amiable. “But I’m on a lot of painkillers right now, so maybe you should drive.”

After Kevin dropped me off, I hesitated outside of the diner. I wanted to go in but was having trouble making myself. Debbie must have seen me through the window because the next thing I knew she had thrown the door wide open and shouted, “Haley, get in here.”

When I walked in the door, Debbie wrapped her arms around me. “Oh, my God! Haley,” she gasped. “I’ve been worried sick about you.” Underneath the ghost of old cigarettes and some type of floral perfume, Debbie’s skin smelled wonderful.

“I’m fine,” I assured her, breaking our embrace as quickly as I could. My stomach was growling. “Wrecked my car though.”

“How’d you do that?” she asked, true concern written on her weathered face. “You’re a safe driver.”

“Texting,” I said by way of the simplest explanation.

“That’ll do it,’ she said with a nod.

“Listen,” I went on before she could ask me any more questions. I really needed to get into the back and suck the juice out of some meat. “I’m going to be taking some community college classes and trying to finish up at Tiburon early, so I’m going to be really busy during the day. But I need money to get my car fixed, so I’ll take as many late shifts as you’re willing to give me.”

“You’re kidding.” Debbie was surprised. Usually, nobody wanted to work the late shift because there were barely any customers.

“I’ll take every night of the week if you want,” I said. “I really need the cash, and I’m going to be super busy during the day.”

“Okay, great,” she said with a shrug. Then she gave me another hug. “I’m just so glad you’re all right.”

“Yeah,” I told her, doing my best to not start drooling. “Me, too.”

I made more tips that evening than I had at any other time working a shift at Darlene’s Diner. And if I was being honest, my service wasn’t that good. I was spending most of my time in the back sucking all the flavor out of the raw meat. At first, Dino gave me some hassle about the gray meat. He thought something had gone wrong with the refrigerator. But then I made my eyes all intense and explained that everything was fine. He should just cook the meat as usual and not worry about it. So that’s what he did.

Initially, a few of the diners were less than pleased with their dry, gray meat. But whenever anyone called me over to complain, I stared directly into their eyes and explained, “The meat isn’t dry. It’s delicious. In fact, it’s one of the best slices of meat you’ve ever had.” After a while, I began explaining to people about their meals as I set the plates down on the table. No one seemed to mind the gray meat once I’d given them a little talking to.

Then an idea occurred to me. When I brought a table their check, I would make the crazy eyes and say, “You’ve really enjoyed your meal, and I gave you excellent service. So you’ll probably want to show your appreciation with a generous tip.” And then people began tipping twenty-five or even thirty percent when they usually just gave me ten or fifteen.

If I sensed somebody was on a fixed income, I wouldn’t make eyes at them when I put down the bill. I wanted to get my car fixed, but I wasn’t willing to stoop to fleecing some grandmother who thought splurging on a meal at Darlene’s was a treat.

By a quarter to eleven, when the diner was about to shut for the night, I was up over a hundred dollars, and I’d sucked dry almost every piece of meat in the kitchen. But I was still hungry. Starving in fact. I knew I was going to spend most of my tip money at the all-night grocery store buying up the meats section.

Instead of jogging over to the grocery store like some kind of freak, I asked a nice couple who was leaving the diner on the late side to wait around for me and then drive me to the store. Once I gave them my steely-eyed look, they were amenable. It wasn’t like I made them wait all night or anything. They were only delayed by about twenty minutes.

They let me out right in front of the store. I started heading in but then thought I might as well ask them to stick around to drive me back home. As I turned around, I caught a glimpse of their beat-up Chevy Malibu peeling out of the parking lot. It seemed a little rude, but I figured I could just as easily put the crazy eyes on somebody else for a ride home.

As I turned back to head into the store, there was Dorian right in front of me. He was so close that I actually bumped into his chest. It was like he just fell out of the sky or something. “I have something for you,” he said, reaching into the breast pocket of his leather jacket.

“No, thanks,” I said, immediately skirting around him. Whatever he had to give me, I was pretty sure I didn’t want it. I decided to hustle into the store and just hang out there until he got bored and went away. But I stopped dead in my tracks when I caught a whiff of a very enticing odor. I spun back around and noticed that Dorian had just uncorked a flask. “What is that?” I gasped, hurrying back to him. Whatever he had smelled so good I was practically drooling.

Dorian took a sip from the flask before telling me, “Blood.” He extended the silver bottle my way. “Would you like some?”

“No,” I told him, feeling both repulsed and compelled. “I don’t …” And before I knew what I was doing, I’d snatched the flask from his hands and was gulping from its mouth. My brain said, “Don’t! It’s blood!” but my body said, “Yes, yes, yes!” I felt like every cell in my body was craving the red liquid.

“Slow down,” Dorian told me. “Try to pace yourself.”

I tried to do what he suggested, but it was almost impossible. I was so hungry, and the blood tasted so good.

When the bottle was dry, I felt my body protest. I wanted more, but at least I wasn’t on the verge of killing a stray dog to drain it.

Dorian stood observing me, his hands clasped behind his back. His hair was cut short and standing up in spikes and whorls. “You cut your hair,” I said while trying to milk the last drop out of the flask. Even just a single drop on my tongue was ecstasy.

“It’ll grow back,” he said with a casual shrug.

“Are you a vampire?” It was a question that I definitely needed to ask, and I figured I might as well get to the point.

“Yes,” he said simply.

And then I had to ask him, “Am I?”

Chapter 30

Dorian

Upon rising from my tomb that evening, I found that I was quite hungry. It shouldn’t have come as a surprise. It had taken a large quantity of my own blood to turn Haley. Much good that it did me.

I had to decide if I was going to continue with my bohemian ways and find some woodland creature to quell my bloodlust. Or would I charm some hapless human into handing over her precious liquid, like a snake hypnotizing a small, furry rabbit before it strikes? Haley’s friend Erika immediately leapt to my mind. But that would have been crossing a line that I hadn’t crossed in quite a long time. And I was hoping to keep it that way.

There was always the option to head to the castle. I knew my family kept the refrigerator well stocked. That would mean admitting to my foolish indiscretion with Haley, of course. But I would have to make a confession to my weakness at some point, and it really didn’t matter if I told them the truth before or after Haley’s demise. I wasn’t looking forward to the ribbing I would take from Jessie or the snide remarks that Daniel would sling my way. But such was death.

I let myself in through the patio entrance that faced out onto the Tiburon River. I didn’t want to have a fuss made with servants answering the door and calling my aunt to come greet me. As it was, I just slipped into the kitchen and helped myself from the icebox. I have never grown used to just pulling open a door to display a refrigeration unit packed with bags of blood of every type. The sight still made me tingle all over.

As I was filling my belly, Jessie’s giant servant came into the kitchen. I had no idea where Jessie found the man, but he was really more like two men, one stacked on top of the other. If stumbling across me pilfering the icebox startled him, he didn’t show it. “Good evening, Mr. Wanderlind,” he said with his slightly Russian way of speaking.

“Good evening, Viggo,” I replied. Then, because it was the polite thing to do, I added, “Happy belated Christmas.”

“Thank you,” said the man. “And the same back to you.”

“I hope my aunt wasn’t too upset that I missed the festivities,” I hedged. Maybe Viggo would have some information as to how large of an emerald I needed to buy. “Did Jessie’s little human enjoy herself on Christmas Eve?”

The giant shook his head. “Things were wary bad,” he said. “There vas trouble, and Miss Aurora had to leave.”

“Trouble?” I asked, caught a little by surprise. “What kind of trouble? No one tried to eat her, I presume.”

“It is not my place to say, Mr. Wanderlind,” was his reply. “I think it is better for you to speak to your family. But I am afraid they are all out of the house at this time.”

I knew getting involved with humans was a big mistake. Humans were meant to feed us and serve us. They weren’t meant for socializing with. And definitely not meant for falling in love with. Jessie’s young mate, however delightful she appeared to be, was a fragile creature that could become injured by a careless swipe of the hand. Jessie had no business bringing her into the castle. Or falling in love with her in the first place, for that matter.

I gave a sigh of consternation. I wasn’t above reproach when it came to tangling my life up with a human’s. Only Haley wasn’t a human anymore. She was immortal. She was a vampire. And however much I wanted to just wash my hands of the whole affair, she was my responsibility. I had to accept that.

“Do you happen to have a flask?” I asked the giant. “I have need of one, and I’m sure the family won’t mind.”

“I vill check the silver cupboard,” Viggo told me. He disappeared for a few moments. In his absence, I continued to fill my belly with O+.

When the giant returned, he came bearing three different flasks and asked for my preference. I chose the least ornate, which was also probably the most utilitarian. I did not approve of Bauhaus architecture, but sometimes all the extras of fancy scroll work and gems in a pavé setting just got in the way.

After thanking Viggo, I filled my container with blood and headed out the way I had come. I could have paused to shower and change my clothes, I supposed, but thinking about Aurora being in trouble suddenly made me very anxious for my own ward.

Finding my ward proved to be a bigger challenge. She’d left her house, and her half-uncle had no idea of her whereabouts. He did mention that she worked at a place called Darlene’s Diner in the center of town. I found it curious that a new vampire would continue with her waitressing job, but Haley wasn’t acting like an average young vampire.

Much to my consternation, once I found Darlene’s Diner, I was unable to enter the premises. There must have been an apartment or loft or something in the building, somewhere that a mortal called home. I could not enter, but I could see Haley clearly through the front window. She was wearing an apron and bringing people food. If anyone ever found out that my scion was a waitress in a diner, I would be laughed out of every party and shunned at every ball. Vampires were meant to rule mortals, not serve them Salisbury steak.

There was a barber shop across the street from the diner that had evening hours. I saw no reason to continue ignoring my appearance, so I concealed myself in a barber chair for a shave and a haircut. Yet all the while, I was able to keenly observe Haley through the glass. It was beyond me how she was restraining herself from feeding upon her patrons. She obviously was a vampire of uncommon self-control. But I also saw her eyes glimmer from time to time. I could not believe it, but she was actually using her influence over the guests in the diner. The idea stunned me. Whatever could she possibly want from them? But I couldn’t even fathom why she was working her mortal job in the first place.

I’d planned on accosting Haley once she was finished with her work. I knew she didn’t want anything to do with me, but I had to force her to listen for her own good. My plan was foiled when she left with a couple of mortals who were obviously under her spell. Was the stupid girl using her influence on any mortal she happened upon? I felt my anger and frustration quickly rising.

She had the couple drive her back to the twenty-four-hour grocery store. And she obviously had just climbed out of the car without giving the mortals any type of instructions on what to think or how to behave. I knew this to be the truth by the way the couple pulled away so quickly once Haley was out of the car. I descended to confront her just as she turned back to say something to the young couple, but they were already driving away.