The Meridian Gamble (52 page)

“It’s your fault that I want this!”
I’m practically screaming, but I can’t rein in the drama. “It’s your fault that
I feel this desire. The least you could do is give me one more taste.”

He sits across from me, just inches
away, looking as handsome as ever, beautiful even. He’s wearing a white shirt
and pants, and it’s hard to keep myself from touching him. I long to erase the
distance between us, to feel his lips against my skin. But not just his lips. I
want to enjoy the sensation of his fangs piercing my flesh, and the pleasure
they’ll send coursing through my body, as his venom transforms me, reducing me
to my essence, a single nerve of erotic energy that’s his to play like the
string of a guitar.

Maybe because he denies me, my mind
is able to pull itself away from Roland for a few moments, and I slowly become
aware of the room that surrounds us, his chamber in ancient Egypt. But it
doesn’t make sense, because he’s dressed in modern clothing, not the garb of
that time. But the scene quickly shifts, and we’re suddenly outside, surrounded
by green. We’re resting on an expanse of grass that’s maybe in Central Park, or
my parents’ home in London. And his good looks are even more impressive in the
sunlight.

The natural setting makes me think
back to another place that I once shared, a cottage on a hill, perhaps. It all
seems so familiar, like a word on the tip of my tongue, but I can’t quite
remember it. And I don’t care, because I’m here with my one true love, and
that’s all that matters.

“So does this mean that you’ve
forgiven me for what I’ve done?”

“It means I’ll consider it,” I say,
as my mouth curves into a playful grin. And a delicious bargain comes to mind.
“If you give me what I want.”

And Roland smiles.

“All right. But, only this once.”

He doesn’t bite me, though. He
kisses me. Roland brushes my hair aside, and runs his lips along my neck, as
low groans rise from within me. And I know he wants to do it, despite his
protestations. I know he wants to drink my blood. His tongue gently touches my
skin, licking me right where he would bury his fangs. And I remember it now.
It’s the same way my old boyfriend Adam kissed me when he first showed up on
the roof of my apartment building, so long ago.

But Adam isn’t
my old boyfriend, he’s my Adam, the one I truly love, in the now. And the
realization comes too late, as I feel the shock of Roland’s teeth piercing my
skin, and I scream out in pain.

The dream startles me, rousing me
from my slumber. But I wake slowly, and thankfully, I don’t cry out in the real
world. Or at least I don’t think I do. And I look around through tiny slits
that are filled with blurry tears, wondering what strange new place I’ve found
myself in.

It’s a hospital room, or at least
something that looks like one. The furniture and walls are all white, and
there’s an I.V. drip feeding into my arm. They’ve even got a little TV clamped
to the wall, near the ceiling. And Adam and Marion are at the foot of the bed,
arguing over me. I realize it must be some sort of recovery room in the vampire
tower.

I close my eyes, hoping they
haven’t noticed I’m awake. I’m still confused over what’s happened, and by my
erotic dreams about Roland. I need a few moments to gather my thoughts, so I
try to listen in on what they’re saying.

“He tried to kill her.”

“But he didn’t. In fact, he was the
one who saved her.”

“There should be consequences.”

“Roland will be banished from this
house for a very long time.”

“Roland wants nothing to do with
this house. That’s hardly a punishment.”

“And what would you have me do?
Meridian is not your Chosen One. Not in the true sense of the words.”

“She should be. She would be, if my
ban was lifted. This should settle the score.”

“Unfortunately, it settles nothing.
You broke one of our most sacred laws, and it will take more than this to
correct it.”

“It will take you to correct it.
You are our leader, Marion. You can pardon me.”

“No, I cannot. I cannot ignore the
rules. If there are no rules, then there are no consequences, and everything
will be chaos.”

“Then maybe chaos would be a better
place to live.”

I get a bit nervous, as their
discussion becomes more heated, and wonder if they’re going to attack each
other. But they stop talking, and after a few moments, I can almost feel the
sensation of eyes resting on me.

How stupid. I should have known
they would see past my ruse. If there’s one thing the vampires must be good at
by now, it’s sensing the condition of their prey.

Slowly, I allow my lids to flutter
open, so I can see them again.

Marion walks over and sits on the
edge of the bed, resting her hand on mine. She’s wearing another great suit,
beige with black piping, and she looks like she just came from a business
meeting. It’s touching that she would take time out of her busy schedule to
check in on me, and suddenly, I remember my friend from the past once more, and
I’m overcome by emotion. I’m about to cry, probably because of my weakened
state.

Adam is standing next to her,
looking at me with concern, and perhaps a bit more. I immediately wonder if he
knows how Roland’s bite has affected me, which he must. He’s a vampire, after
all. I wonder if he’s jealous, and I’m afraid to think about Roland at all, for
fear that he will read it on my face.

“I’m so sorry this happened to you,
Meri,” Marion says.

And I suddenly realize how I can
overcome this desire that Roland has put in me. I can conquer it the same way
that Caroline did, through anger over what he’s done.

“So much for being safe in this
place,” I tell Marion, sarcastically.

Her lip trembles just a bit, and
she looks away, upset. I’m sure it annoys her to have a chink in her armor, to
have been made a liar in her own kingdom. Or who knows, maybe she really does
care about me.

“Are you at least feeling better?”

“Well, I’m not dead. I guess I feel
better than that.”

“You know, you’re lucky for this to
have happened here, where we have plenty of blood on hand to replenish you,”
Marion says. “It made all the difference in the world.”

Marion’s trying to seem upbeat, and
I’m sure my being saved by the vampire technicians seems like a good thing to
someone who views humans as nothing more than cattle to be milked, but her
words sound ghoulish to my ears. And I know on a gut level that it was all part
of Roland’s plan, why he felt so safe draining me in the tower.

I turn my head just a bit, and feel
a horrible pain in my neck where he ripped it apart. And I quickly rethink the
idea of trying to move my head. But I also realize that Marion is still sitting
at the edge of the bed, expectantly. And she’s not going to leave until she
gets something more.

“Meridian, Roland didn’t kill you.
Do you know why?”

“You’d have to ask Roland that,” I
shoot back.

“And I will, when he resurfaces,”
she says, patiently. “But he’s … fallen off the radar, I believe is how you say
it. So for now, I’m asking you.”

“She’s tired, Marion. Let her
rest.”

But Roland did do me one favor,
from amidst his torture. He told me what to say, and I realize it might be
better for me to do it now, while I’m weak. Maybe I’ll sound more convincing to
Marion in this condition.

“He called me a cow,” I say,
sounding wounded. “He said I was an animal, and that he didn’t want my essence
lingering around him forever.”

Marion turns to Adam, and exchanges
a glance. I’m not sure if they’re communicating telepathically, but I’m certain
she understands the significance of what I’m saying.

And a tear comes to my eye.

I’m not one to sob, and I’m
surprised by my sudden acting ability. I look away, as if I’m upset with the
insult, but I realize that it does hurt me on some level, what Roland has done.
It feels like a betrayal, from the man who loved me in a past life. And it’s all
so confusing, that he’s mixed it up with the lust his venom has filled me with.

“He’s an animal. Roland should be
put down,” Adam hisses, enraged.

“Do not say these things, Adam.
They upset me,” Marion says. “Roland is very smart. He has only drank of her,
nothing more. And though it was cruel, he hasn’t actually committed a sin.”

“She’s right, Adam,” I say, full of
mock desperation. “He got what he wanted, and I don’t think he’ll do it again.
Let it go, so maybe we can be happy now.”

Adam says nothing, and glowers,
still seeming enraged. It’s believable, I’m sure because he’s more than just a
bit angry. But I’m also surprised, because I suspect that he knows exactly what
Roland was trying to do. On some level, I feel like Adam knew this would
happen. And it makes me angry, to think that he might have gone along with a
scheme that brought me to the brink of death.

But I wonder what his endgame is,
and how many moves he’s thinking ahead. I wonder if maybe he isn’t worried
about Roland’s bite and the effect it has on me, because he knows the hold will
be broken when he turns me into a vampire some day.

“I’m going to leave you to get your
rest,” Marion says, standing up. “Let me know if there’s anything you need, at
all.”

“Thank you, Marion.”

She leaves, and Adam moves closer,
sitting at the edge of the bed where she was. And if I’m annoyed with him, it
all goes away, seeing the pain in his eyes over my bedridden state.

“I’m sorry I wasn’t here to protect
you.”

“It’s all right,” I say. “You did
what you had to do. And I survived.”

And he leans over and kisses me,
filling me with an excitement that’s far different than what my thoughts of
Roland cause. Adam has a magic of his own, and the taste of his lips helps to
push thoughts of Roland from my brain.

I’m not sure how much we can
discuss in this room, if he’s cleared it of bugs, like his chamber. So I decide
to keep the conversation general for now.

“I want to go home, Adam. I want to
leave this place. Is the building still on lockdown?”

“No, it’s not. The Luminos got into
the Florida tower, but they didn’t get far. Though we’re still not sure how
they got past our first level of security.”

“So I can leave?”

“Theoretically. But I don’t think
it’s a good idea at the moment. You’ve gone through a great ordeal.”

“Oh, come on, Adam. You’re not
doctors, you’re vampires. You can do whatever you want. Can’t you at least
transfer me to my own bed, somehow?”

“Give it one more night, Meridian.
For me,” he says. “Roland could still be out there. If you have to face him
again, you should at least be at your full strength.”

And I realize he might be right.
Roland is hardly going to disappear, now that he knows who I am. And the last
thing I want to do is see him again in this condition. I need to get a grip on
myself.

And I realize that I still feel
weak. I’m ready to fall back to sleep again, even though I just woke up. I look
to the I.V. drip and wonder if it has a sedative in it, since the vampires love
to manipulate. At least they cared enough to pump some of their victims’ blood
into me, maybe Luminos blood, even if they’ve only revived me so they could
knock me out again.

“All right,” I say. “But will you
at least stay with me until I fall asleep?”

Adam laughs.

“Trust me, I’m not leaving your
side,” Adam says. “I know you’ve suffered a great deal, but we’re going to get
through all this. And we’ll do it together.”

And just hearing his words fills me
with hope, no matter how grim the circumstances may be. I smile, and give his
hand a gentle squeeze.

There’s
definitely something in this I.V. drip, because it’s unusual for me to be alone
in a bed with Adam and not want to lunge at him, or at least grovel for a bit.
And though I want to stare at his beauty for a long while, it’s not long before
my head starts to bob. No matter how much I try to struggle against it, I pass
out again.

The next morning, Adam is still in
the room, as promised. He’s sitting in an overstuffed chair in the corner,
staring at me. It’s just a bit creepy, but it’s Adam, so once again, I’m filled
with a rush of conflicting emotions.

I wonder if he’s slept there,
standing sentinel at my side as he said he would, although technically, I’ve
never seen him sleep. But I’m fairly certain he’s left at some point during my
slumber, because a leather satchel rests on the table at the end of the bed. I
sit up and examine it, and find the usual array of fresh clothes and undies,
along with my other things. And I smile.

“Does this mean I’m sprung?”

“I’ll escort you home myself, if
you like.”

“That sounds great. Let me just
freshen up.”

I stand on creaky legs, and take a
tentative step. And Adam comes to my side, putting his hand on my shoulder. We
go to a little bathroom inside the room, and I stop him at the door. As much as
the idea of him helping appeals to me, I’m just not feeling up for it.

“I think I’d better handle it from
here.”

And he steps aside, like a
gentleman.

I shut the door, not closing it
completely. I don’t want to totally shut Adam out, give him the cold shoulder.
But I stand in front of the mirror over the sink, and gently peel off the
bandages from my neck. The wounds beneath are ghastly, and the skin along my
throat is badly bruised. There are two bright red dots where Roland’s fangs
sunk into me, but the skin itself has sealed over, and you’d think the attack
happened several days ago. In fact, it seems to be healing the fastest where
his teeth made their puncture marks, and I wonder if the bite itself has some
kind of restorative properties.

I look out through the small crack
I’ve left in the open door, and I can see Adam sitting in his chair. And he’s
watching me with a loving gaze, and a bit of a smile. And I get the feeling
he’s drinking in this new form that his beloved Caroline and Saga have found
home in. And I can’t say I’m upset by the idea of him watching me.