Moonlight Calls (Demon's Call Series Book 1) (23 page)

*****

The next day, I
woke groggy and confused.  The vampire blood coursing through my veins had
obviously worn off and I was left feeling like something was missing.  I
shuddered at the thought.  What was wrong with me?  I reminded myself that I
was lucky my little brush with death hadn’t left me sleeping in a wooden box
and drinking blood.  Although Ailis had explained to me at length that there was
more than one simple blood exchange required in order to turn someone, and that
it was a complicated process.  I had still spent the last couple of days
expecting to sprout a new set of teeth.

Pushing the
covers aside, I sat up and stuffed my feet into my fuzzy slippers.  I shuffled
out to the kitchen to get a drink, finding that Ailis was still in her room. 
Apparently, she was feeling the stress of the last couple of days as well. 
Vampires didn’t sleep, but she had been spending more time lately in the deep
meditative state that they found restful.  I stretched and shuffled into the
bathroom.  Turning on the shower, I spared a brief moment’s thought for
Christian’s massive shower with the bench and the multiple jets.

I pushed away
the memory of our first night together.  He had finally left last night.  He
went home to get clean clothes and catch up with his pack.  I missed him
already, but I was actually glad for the space.  It was all too much, too
fast.  He had been with us for several days and I was going crazy with the
continued presence of
both
my supernatural protectors in the same
house. 

  Christian and
Ailis were basically running my life, a fact that I whole-heartedly
appreciated- for the time being.  But I knew this pattern was going to get old
pretty soon.  Not to mention that both of them technically worked for the
enemy, no matter how grudgingly.  What had I gotten myself into?

My little
dilemma didn’t seem to bother either of them.  Aside from the stress-induced
incident in the kitchen, neither one of them seemed inclined to act on the
animosity that typically existed between their species.  Christian had stated
flat out that he loved me, had claimed me as his mate (another issue that I was
resolutely ignoring), and yet he didn’t bat an eye when Ailis made a play for
my blood.  I found that a little odd, considering Argenou’s little speech. 
Apparently Christian thought I was a big girl and able to make my own
decisions.  Besides, he had a pack to run and all.

Ailis didn’t
seem bothered by it either.  She had heard Christian’s declaration toward me,
but it didn’t seem to faze her.  Apparently, I could share blood with her on
occasion and still look elsewhere for my sexual needs.  They both seemed
content to let me sort it out myself.  However neither one was shy about their
intentions.  They seemed to forget that I had human sensibilities.  They were
not going to make this easy on me.

I stuck my hand
under the water and judged it just shy of too hot.  Perfect.  I slipped my
nightgown off over my head and stepped into the shower.  My vamp tutor would be
here this evening.  Ailis was planning to guard me while he was here. 
Christian wasn’t coming back until tomorrow, when it would be his turn to play
guardian.  What with one thing and another, it seemed like a century had passed
since Ailis and I were alone.  I had so many questions for her, but there was
just never a good time to bring it up.  Questions like exactly how much control
Argenou had over her, how loyal she was to him, and how much danger she posed
to me simply by being who she was.

I was startled
out of my thoughts by a soft tapping at the bathroom door.  “What’s up?”  I
called cheerily.  I was determined that I wouldn’t think about the shitfest my
life was becoming until tonight’s little escapade played out.

“It’s just me,”
Ailis said hesitantly.  “I left my toothbrush in there.  Can I come in?”  I
couldn’t help but laugh.  After everything that had happened in the past week,
she felt she had to knock when I was in the shower?  Yep.  Sounds like my life.

“Help yourself,”
I called, still shaking my head.

Ailis let
herself in and brushed her teeth.  I smiled to myself, wondering if she had a
special toothbrush for her fangs.  When she was done, she leaned against the
sink and made idle chit-chat.

“Do you have any
plans for today?”

I turned off the
taps and stuck an arm out of the shower, gesturing for a towel.  “Other than
pretending tonight is movie night?  Nope.  No plans.”  I had tried to convince
Ailis and Christian that I didn’t need outside help, that they could teach me
all I needed to know.  They had both flatly refused, stating that they were too
biased to be ruthless enough
.  Ruthless enough.
  I was trying not to think
about that.  Ailis laughed softly from the other side of the curtain.  A big
blue bath towel appeared in my hand and I retreated back into the shower to dry
off and wrap up.

I stepped out
and Ailis handed me my robe, taking a step backward toward the door.  I felt
her power lap over me like a cool night breeze and a flutter of desire rippled
in my stomach like butterfly wings.  I sighed to myself.  My roommate was
hungry.

I slipped my
robe on and shimmied out of the towel.  “Just a minute, okay?”  I said
distractedly, rummaging around for a hairbrush.

She crossed her
arms and gave me a look.  “I can take care of myself, you know,” she said in an
irritated voice.  Then why was she in here?

I shrugged,
ignoring her hissy fit.  I came up with a brush and dragged it through my thick
hair a few times before twisting the whole mass into a messy ponytail.  “I’m
well aware.”  I said calmly.  “I’m just trying to be useful.  You and Christian
are helping me so much, and all I can do is just sit around taking up space.” 
I gritted my teeth and gave her a brilliant smile.  I felt like a female lead
in one of those old black and white movies where the only thing a woman seems
to be capable of doing is sitting around sighing and waiting for someone to
rescue her.  Don’t get me wrong- I’m not a badass, and I take help when I need
it, but I just felt so… weak.

Ailis was
watching me silently, like a scientist studying a completely new species.  “Uh…
is this going to make you and Christian into mortal enemies again?”

She shrugged. 
“As if I care what a werewolf thinks.”

Seeing my narrow
look, she relaxed.  “I believe his exact words were: ‘I do not care if you
satiate your hunger with my mate, but in return, you will protect her with your
life.’”

Her mimicry of
Christian’s accent and formal speech was dead on and I snorted in laughter. 
“Okay, yeah, that sounds like him.”

Ailis stepped
close and I tilted my head in invitation.  I shivered as her mouth lingered
over the now almost non-existent scars she had left on my neck.  She pressed
closer, pinning me against the vanity as she sank her teeth into my flesh.

I gasped in pain
and pleasure as I felt the fire lance through me.  She held me firmly to her as
she drew at my neck, and I sighed as waves of pleasure pulsed through me.  She
had been tentative and tender before.  Now she was more aggressive, letting me
feel her need.  I slipped my arms around her neck and closed my eyes, riding
the waves of ecstasy that she was pumping into my veins, as she took my blood. 
Her silky hair brushed my shoulder.  Each time she pulled on me, little ripples
of pleasure followed, making me feel calm and relaxed.  The perfect predator at
work.

 She lifted her
head for a moment and leaned forward to embrace me, softly murmuring in my ear
with that rich alto that told me she was utterly lost in her vampire self. 
“You taste like fire,” she sighed deeply.  “I wish I could keep you all to
myself.”  Her words lit a note of panic under the vampire-induced calm.  She
bit me again, before I could comment.  The tension inside me crested for a
moment as she dug in deeper with her teeth and I wrapped my arms around her
reflexively, steadying myself with a little moan.

There was a
thump in the living room.  Ailis withdrew her teeth from my skin.  Her eyes
were pure, shimmering silver and her sharp teeth glinted as she spoke. 
“There’s someone out there.”  She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself,
but she kept a firm grasp on me.  Interrupting a dangerous animal when they’re
feeding is a bad idea- Animal Planet 101. 

Amanda breezed
by the door, then stopped and returned.  She stared for a minute, then
retreated, blushing.  “I’m so sorry!  Oh my God.  I swear I knocked…I’ll be in
the living room.”

I glanced into
Ailis’s face.  She was under control again, and she looked completely human as
she shook with silent laughter.  She stepped back and rubbed the back of her
hand across her mouth.  Great.  Amanda pops in and finds me in what must look
like a passionate embrace with my roommate…my female roommate…in the bathroom. 
I rolled my eyes and snatched up my clothes.  Ailis continued to laugh as I
shimmied into my jeans and pulled on a camisole and t-shirt.  I glared at her. 
“Ha.  Ha.”  I said sarcastically.  “Aren’t you supposed to have, like, super
senses or something?”

She shrugged. 
“I was a little bit distracted.”

“Now what am I
gonna tell her?”  I whined.  Ailis turned to leave and I followed her out. 
Amanda was sitting on the couch.  My roommate grinned and gave her a cheery
wave as she passed, heading out the door.  “See you after work,” she said, her
voice still carrying the fizz of laughter.

I watched Ailis
go, and then reluctantly turned to face Amanda.  I scrambled to make up some
excuse.  “It’s not what it looks like,” I said, grimacing at how weak that
sounded.

My friend just
nodded.  “Panic attack again?”  She asked, concerned.  Yep, that’s why she’s my
friend.  Of course, she believed me and thought Ailis had just been comforting
me.  What other explanation was there?

“Yeah.”  Now I
was lying to my only normal friend.  Shades of gray.

Amanda
compressed her lips.  “I’m glad you have someone with you now.  I hate to think
of you having an episode with no one there to talk you down.”  Right.  I
definitely couldn’t be alone right now.  Just not for the reasons she thought. 

Amanda delivered
the latest bit of hospital gossip and we planned to go out for drinks in a few
days.  After she left, I sank onto the couch and stared at the wall.

What had I been
thinking, letting Ailis bite me again?  How should I know if I had really
wanted that, or if I was under some sort of compulsion?  Ailis knew that I had
serious fears that she would put me under sway, but that hadn’t even crossed my
mind.  She and Christian said I was more strongly affected by their powers than
a typical human.  Maybe that’s why I hadn’t even been able to react when Ailis
basically admitted she wanted to bind me.

 The strange
thing was, when I didn’t analyze it and I just gave in to the sensations,
sharing my blood with her in such an intimate way seemed completely natural. 
And it made me feel amazing.  Even now, I felt energy humming through my body. 
Like a vampire contact high. 

I shuddered,
wondering just what exactly I was becoming.  I was dancing dangerously around
the edge of insanity by becoming Ailis’s blood partner.  For all I knew, she
could be influencing my thoughts right now.

The morning
passed in a daze.  Ailis made no mention of our sharing blood, and I let it
go.  I was too busy worrying about my upcoming training session.

I knew very
little about my vampire tutor.  Ailis apparently knew him well and had filled
me in on the basics.  His name was Dominic.  He had been a favorite of a
certain English Queen.  Apparently she had a thing for human lovers, getting
off on the power rush.  She also had a tendency to use them horribly.  She had
apparently like this Dominic so much she decided to turn him.  After her
beheading (one way to make sure, though you should probably burn the parts too,
just in case), King Henry had reluctantly taken Dominic into his confidence,
and he had gone on to serve the king in, “delicate matters.”  This of course
meant that he investigated anything having to do with the “occult”, much of
which was just the dealings of the supernatural creatures that roamed the
kingdom.   Ailis assured me that if anyone in the vampire society knew about
sensitives and magic, it would be Dominic.  She had warned me firmly though, to
tread lightly.

“You can trust
him not to lie to you.  He will help us as much as he can,” She had said
earnestly, “but he works for Argenou,” she sighed.  “And he really doesn’t care
for women very much, as a rule.”  She gave me a wry look.

“He is the most
even and controlled vampire I have ever seen, so you should be very safe with
him.”  She paused and gave me a look.  “But you would test the patience of a
saint.”  I grimaced and she wagged a finger at me in warning.

“If you piss him
off, the instincts that kick in will purely predatory.  He’s not as forgiving
as I am.  And you really want him on your side.”

Apparently her
majesty the royal blood fiend had been beyond the usual vampire depravities,
and Dominic had been her favorite.  Ailis suspected he was the one who let the
king in on her little extracurricular activities, leading to her beheading.  I
was beginning to learn things that I really didn’t want to know about vampire
culture.