Drawing Blood (34 page)

“You were gone.”

Frowning, she pulled back. “You’ve seen me do it before. Was this different than the other day?”

“No, but last time we hadn’t mated. I knew you were my bloodmate, but we hadn’t consummated it yet.”

She looked at him, incredulous. “So it felt different to you this time because we’ve had sex?”

He laughed. “Kind of. In a way, your spirit wasn’t with me. Even if we are miles away from each other Holly, from now on, our souls are connected. When you went into this trance I couldn’t feel you anymore.”

“I don’t feel anything when I’m under. What did you feel?”

He was reluctant to tell her for fear of frightening her. Their relationship had become so intense in such a short period. He’d been prepared for it, but growing up human, Holly had no idea.

The truth won out.

“I felt a deep loss. For the first time in my life I knew the bitterness of loneliness.”

She touched his face. Her fingers ended up on his lips and she pulled his head towards hers. She kissed him sweetly.

“I’m sorry you felt that.”

“It was to be expected.” He frowned. “Just a taste of what I’d feel if I lost you.”

“You’re not going to lose me, Stryker. I can feel the link too. I am where I want to be. I want to learn more about my heritage…my people.” Her eyes filled with tears, “My origins have been kept a secret from me and I’d like to know why. Alison was here yesterday and gave me a lead on my mom’s college friend, Carrie Blue. Do you think we could find her?”

“I’ll get someone on it right away.” He rested both hands on her shoulders. “So, are you ready to take a look at your drawing?”

Surprised, Holly looked at him and smiled.

“I almost forgot about that.”

He reached a hand out and turned over the sketchbook.

* * * *

There was no blood this time. The drawing looked completely innocuous. A middle-aged, dark-haired woman sat on a loveseat looking at them. On the coffee table in front of her, there stood a teapot and three cups. The picture window behind revealed a suburban neighborhood. Stryker’s car was parked on the street in front of the house.

For Holly, this kind of drawing was very familiar. Until Irene O’Neill, all of her automatic drawings had been mundane like this one. She sighed, feeling relief that she hadn’t drawn another murder.

Stryker said, “I guess one of those tea cups is for me.” He pointed to his car.

Holly nodded. “Yeah, and the other one is probably mine. Is the woman familiar to you? Is she vampire?”

“I do not recognize her and I can’t tell if she’s vampire just from your drawing.”

She said, “I’ll bet this is Carrie Blue. We talked about her last night. She was fresh in my mind. We’re going to find her.”

“Perhaps.” He reached for his cell phone and punched a few numbers. Holly tuned out his voice and inspected her drawing more closely.

When he ended his phone conversation he said, “Do you see something?”

“Yes.” She pointed to the drawing. “See here. A U of T yearbook. I’m more sure than ever that this is Carrie Blue.”

“I’ve got someone searching for her. It shouldn’t take long if she’s not in the witness protection plan or on the lam.”

She smiled at him. “I have a good feeling about this.”

“I’m happy to hear that. Are you ready to hear about the tarot reading?”

Holly surprised even herself by shaking her head.

“I want Avery to be here when we discuss it. It doesn’t make sense to go over it twice and there’s no way Avery isn’t going to be interested in what the cards have to say.”

“Don’t forget we don’t know for sure that this reading applies to you,” he cautioned.

She shook her head. “No, but I think you were right when you said that the drawing came from my subconscious. It makes perfect sense that it’s meant for me. Do you know what it says?”

“No. The information was sent to me via computer. I had it printed out in triplicate.” He smiled. “I figured Avery would want one too. I haven’t read the report myself yet. I thought it best to be together when we did.”

 
“It’s still early. Avery probably won’t stop by for another hour or so.” She fervently wished she could just forget the world for a little longer, but time would not stand still for them. “I’ve got to call her. We found out that Arnie was taken to the hospital yesterday.” Holly told Stryker what she’d learned from Avery.

Stryker’s face paled with the information and Holly grew concerned by his reaction. “What is it? It’s horrible news, but why are you acting this way? You’ve never met Arnie. What did I say?”

He shook his head. “I think I know what’s happened to the boy. My God, it’s worse than I feared.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I can feel it in my gut. It fits. This community is too small for it to be a coincidence. Arnie must have been waiting for Candace. She didn’t show up because she was lying dead in
Lydia
’s mangled car at the foot of a cliff. They never got the chance to meet because a bloodstalker murdered her.”

“How can you be sure?” One look in Stryker’s eyes and she knew he was right. “But that’s horrible, oh those poor kids. This is so sad.” Holly paused before she spoke again. “But as tragic as this is, it doesn’t explain Arnie’s collapse, his seizure or the coma.”

“Yes, it does Holly. It explains it all, why Candace felt compelled to ignore her mother’s rules and take her car and why Arnie’s so ill.” Stryker’s eyes burned into Holly’s. “Candace and Arnie were bloodmates. Even though they never met in person, their connection is still unbelievably strong. Now that Candace is gone, Arnie may not survive. He’ll need help.” He grabbed his cell phone. “I’m going to call our doctors and get them over to the hospital. You call Stephen and have him meet them at Arnie’s room. Avery’s going to have to persuade Arnie’s mother to put him under Stephen’s care. There’s still time to save him.”

Chapter 26

They’d managed to get Stephen involved in Arnie’s case and they fervently hoped he’d be able to help him but for now that was all they could do. Wait and hope.

The three of them sat around Holly’s kitchen table, each with a folder in front of them. The room was quiet except for the hum of the dishwasher.

Holly tapped a finger on the page she’d just finished reading.

“I guess the tarot card reading was meant for me,” she said.

Avery and Stryker nodded silently.

“Do you know the person who interpreted the cards?”

Stryker nodded again and said, “Very well. Lisel Dupree has vampire blood and is very gifted. When it comes to divination, she’s the best.”

“So according to this Lisel you know
very well
…currently I’m facing a decision in my love life.” She looked at Stryker then down at the page. “I guess that fits.”

“She’s also right when she mentions your parents,” Avery ventured.

“You can say that again.” Holly said.

The report stated that Holly’s love life was or would be influenced by her parents’ relationship. So far that was true.

“Do you think she is referring to my mother when she writes that I have to accept the faults of others and face my fears and inhibitions?”

Stryker shrugged. “I think we’ve covered off the inhibitions thing. Don’t you?” He took her hand and smiled wickedly.

“Ahem.” Avery waved a hand in front of his face. “Third party here. Over-sharing. When I want to know details I’ll get them from Holly behind your back.”

They laughed, breaking a bit of the tension in the room.

Holly got back to the matter at hand.

“I mean, perhaps I’m supposed to accept the fact that my mother was not Helene Seaton but an unknown vampire.”

“Maybe.” Stryker put a hand on her shoulder and squeezed. “But it just might mean that you are not responsible for the actions of your parents and have to look inside yourself to discover who you really are.”

“So, according to Lisel Dupree, there are life-altering secrets in my life that have yet to reveal themselves. It’s my choice to let them defeat me or to rise above them. Oh, and I have a vast yet unfulfilled potential. Pretty vague.”

“She had to work with what I gave her,” Stryker said. “All she had was the seven card layout. I’m sure Lisel would be much more specific if she met you in person. She’s at least confirmed that the reading was for you and not the murderer.”

“Yeah.” Holly picked up the page. “I hardly think the killer is concerned with ‘the magical side to the human spirit which never gives up on a better world.’”

Avery laughed. “Or, ‘the struggle for courage and self-discipline to achieve a moral victory.’”

“Morality has no place in the life of a bloodstalker.” Stryker’s lips thinned. “They are single-minded, bloodthirsty and relentless.”

Avery shot him a glance and said, “Yeah, Dracula, we get it.”

He looked a little regretful. “Sorry. I just can’t emphasize enough the danger they present.”

They stared at each other silently. Finally, something in Stryker’s eyes made Avery nod. Holly changed the subject by pushing a sheet of paper between them.

“I drew this last night.”

Avery looked down at the paper.

“Now this is more like the automatic drawings you usually do.” Lamely, she said, “Pretty china pattern on the tea cups.”

“I’m sure that’s the friend Alison mentioned to me. Carrie Blue. Arnie must have worked all night. He confirms Stryker’s dossier on my mother. Apparently the people who put this information together knew what they were doing. Carrie Blue was my mother’s roommate in college.”

“Roommates can get pretty close,” Avery said with hope in her eyes.

Stryker took out his Blackberry and pushed some buttons. “I requested the information last night. Here it is. Carrie Blue’s address.”

Holly leaned over to see. “Do you have a phone number for her?”

“Yes.” Stryker started dialing.

Holly and Avery exchanged a look. Holly had trouble controlling the beat of her heart.

It took him only moments to make the arrangements. Stryker and Holly had an appointment with Carrie Blue. She lived just outside of
Toronto
in the town of
Markham
. It would take them a good two hours to get there, so they left almost immediately.

* * * *

“That looks more like a witch’s house than anything I’ve ever seen,” Holly whispered looking up at Carrie Blue’s old Victorian.

Stryker laughed. “I wonder if she gets many trick or treaters.”

Somehow it comforted her to hear Stryker’s voice make a casual observation. So much of their conversation lately had been filled with significance.

Holly laughed. “Maybe houses like this get even more ghosts and goblins at Halloween. It’s so fitting for the occasion.”

“Right you are.” He put an arm around her and they walked up the stairs to the front door.

She answered almost before the doorbell stopped chiming. Tall and slim, Carrie Blue stood staring at Holly and Stryker. She suited the house. Dressed in a long flowing skirt and peasant top, she lifted a hand to put a chunk of dark, fiery red hair behind her ear.