“I’ll be on my way soon, Dr. Mahoney.”
“Thank you Dr. Duplant. I’m relieved you’re
coming. I’m looking forward to meeting you.”
The line disconnected. I exhaled deeply,
wondering how Tristan was going to organize my trip. Who would go
with me? Would he sneak Liv onto the helicopter? He couldn’t openly
go, it would be too obvious. Well, I sighed, I would let him worry
about that part.
I looked through the window and saw Ahmed in
the parking lot. My colleague appeared to be heading home. “Not so
fast, Ahmed,” I whispered, eyes fixed on his back. “We haven’t
finished yet. I need you back.”
As if he’d heard me, he turned, lifted his
head and gave me an inquiring look.
What’s going on?
his
expression asked. I waved him back, simultaneously making a call.
As I spoke, I could see him start to walk faster and faster,
entering the hospital almost at a run.
Tristan came to my office half an hour later.
“Everything’s okay, Astrid,” he said, looking pleased with himself.
“You and Demmir may go.”
“Who’s coming with me?” I didn’t think it was
necessary for anyone to escort me, but I knew better than to try to
tell that to Tristan.
“Everything’s under control. You’ll be
safe.”
Which probably meant Liv had already been
smuggled onto the helicopter, and neither Demmir nor the pilot
would know about our secret passenger.
“I have to talk to Jack,” I said and reached
for my phone.
“I’ve spoken with him already. He knows you
are going.”
“And he’s okay with that? What did you tell
him? How come he’s not already here, giving you grief about my
safety?”
“I assured him you would be safe.”
I phoned him anyway. “Tristan told you what
happened.”
“Yes. You’ll be fine, don’t worry.” His voice
was calm. How strange, I thought.
“Make something we can reheat. I don’t know
when I’ll be back. Those surgeries often last for hours.”
“It’s okay, baby.”
“Why don’t you look for that suit for
tomorrow? If you want us to go. It’s really not that
important.”
“Of course we will go. Don’t worry about me,
baby. I’ll see you soon.”
“Bye, Jack.” I hung up and stared bemused at
the phone. “I’ve known him for a whole week now, and yet he still
puzzles me.” I smirked and looked at Tristan for an answer. He just
scratched his head and smiled, but didn’t offer any explanation
regarding Jack’s cool reaction.
“Give me a call me as soon as you’re done. If
you aren’t too tired, come to our place tonight,” he said.
“Leave my steak rare this time,” I said. “The
change is near.”
My phone buzzed. The Emergency Transportation
Department informed me that the helicopter was ready.
I knocked on Ahmed’s door, and soon both of
us were on our way to the small helipad. The helicopter door was
open, the blades rotating slowly. Ahmed got in first.
I stopped in the middle of my step as the
familiar scent reached my nostrils. Of course, who else did I
expect to go with me? It was logical.
“Welcome aboard, Dr. Duplant, Dr. Demmir. I’m
Jack Canagan, your pilot. I’ll take you to Stanford and back.”
THEY FLEW back almost ten hours later. It had
been a long, complex surgery. All five metacarpal bones and most of
the phalanx had been broken, but luckily had not shattered. It
would take some time to heal, but eventually all the functions of
the hand would be restored.
“Dr. Duplant, if you want, you may take the
seat beside me.” Astrid heard Jack’s soft voice as if he whispered
the words right into her ear. She glanced toward her colleague. He
seemed to be asleep.
Astrid unbuckled her seat belt and moved to
the co-pilot seat. Her outstretched hand touched Jack’s upper arm
and the warm stream rushed through her, instantly sweeping the
tiredness away.
“What have you been doing all these long
hours?” Astrid said, her fingers still gripping Jack’s firm
muscle.
“Reading a book. Waiting for you to finish.
Thinking about you...” Without taking his eyes from the invisible
route in front of the helicopter, he leaned forward and kissed
Astrid’s cheek. “I missed you.”
Astrid pressed her head against his arm and
breathed him in deeply.
“How was it?” Jack said.
“She’ll be fine. I waited until she woke up
from the anesthesia. Dr. Demmir was fantastic, as always. There was
a lot of damage, but she’ll recover completely. She’s only seven,
Jack. Her bones are so delicate... She told me that her name,
Kissakawa, means ‘sparkling snow’. And about her best friend Max,
from school. She asked her mother to phone him to come to see her.
Oh, God, the damn dog could’ve killed her if it’d aimed for her
throat. The mother threw herself on it. She ended up with some
serious muscle damage… They’ll both be fine.”
Jack planted another kiss, this time on her
temple. “Are you tired?”
“I should be, but my adrenaline’s still
running high. I’m so happy everything went smoothly.”
I am
happy, period
, she thought and smiled, listening to the already
familiar sound of Jack’s heart that echoed in her ear.
Happy to
have you.
“YOUR STEAK, Princess. Rare, as requested,”
Tristan said and placed the plate in front of Astrid. “Ours will
need a few minutes more.”
They sat in the Blakes’ dining room. It was
almost midnight. Under normal circumstances and among more ordinary
people it would be too late for a visit, but around the table sat
four friends with different sleeping and eating habits.
Werewolves’ metabolisms required little
sleep. Jack could go days and days without taking even a nap.
Astrid needed more because her wizard part asked for that, and she
had occasional periods of sleeping spells before her monthly
change. But usually her body was happy with just a few hours of
rest.
Tristan and Liv also didn’t need more than
that. Like most of their kind, these two Tel-Urughs functioned
perfectly well during daylight. Sunlight didn’t bother them much.
Tristan had a condition that could be described as a mild form of
photophobia—sensitivity to light—but nothing that sunglasses and
light colored clothes couldn’t control. Livia, who was much older
and therefore better adapted to human conditions, wasn’t affected
by daylight at all.
As for Livia’s age, nobody knew how old she
was, with the possible exception of her husband. From time to time,
she would offhandedly mention names well-known from history books:
her dear friend Catherine de Medici, King Baldwin of Jerusalem, who
hadn’t allowed her to cure him of leprosy, her close friend Gaius
Julius Caesar. Astrid had rarely heard her talking about the time
before Caesar’s Rome, but suspected Liv had existed long before she
had helped her friend with the extensive reforms of Roman society
and government. Once Astrid had asked Tristan about that, but he
just smiled and shrugged. “In her own way, Liv is a bit
self-conscious about her age, I suppose,” he’d said. “Besides,
every woman is entitled to her little secrets.”
Similar to wizards, Tel-Urugh also
camouflaged their true identity by adopting common human habits.
Tristan had been particularly scrupulous about it, resorting to
their extraordinary abilities only when it was necessary. As a
result, the Blakes were well adjusted to the human day-night
rhythm, taking their short sleeping time in the wee hours of the
night.
By their nature, however, vampires were
nocturnal creatures. For centuries and centuries, and for obvious
reasons, their most important activity, feeding, had been during
the night, and the burst of energy that followed made them anything
but sleepy.
Puncturing human arteries and drinking blood
not only kept them alive and vigorous, but had a great effect on
vampires’ libidos as well. “It’s similar to reading Louisa Burton’s
Hidden Grotto
novels, only better,” Livia had once said to
Astrid, laughing.
Humans didn’t suffer through the procedure,
of course, unless they were unfortunate enough to come across a
rogue. Induced into a dreamlike state, humans normally didn’t
remember the experience on the conscious level. To them it seemed
like the most beautiful, often erotic dream. There was no physical
damage and they didn’t turn into vampires, at least not through
feeding.
A human could become a vampire or a werewolf,
but that occurred only sporadically and when there was deliberate
intention. As human blood was essential to vampires’ very
existence, turning them into vampires would be neither practical
nor ethical, as Liv had once explained. There was another reason to
leave humans unchanged—reproduction. Tel-Urugh babies, although
similar to every other species’ offspring until they reach
adulthood, were very, very rare, partly because procreation among
Tel-Urugh was extremely difficult and partly because many chose not
to have children. Some of them did, though, and it always occurred
more easily if one partner was half-blood or, even better, of
another race. Humans had proved to be the best mating partners for
Tel-Urughs.
In spite of the great physical pleasure
associated with one-on-one feeding, the Blakes, as well as many
other modern-day Tel-Urughs, opted for less satisfying yet handier
‘bottled food’ for their bi-weekly intake of blood. Tristan
particularly opposed feeding from humans. He called it “a barbarous
practice that should be prohibited by law”, primarily because, in
the majority of cases, humans were not willing participants.
Luckily, vampires needed only a small amount
of blood. A few ounces were sufficient to sustain them between
feedings. In the meantime, protein-rich food did just fine. Tristan
and Liv had their favorite food and their dislikes, same as
everybody else. Livia loved Italian cuisine and enjoyed fine
Central European cakes and pastries. Tristan, with his refined
taste, preferred French cooking above any other.
That evening, however, T-bone steak was a
perfect solution. Astrid sat beside Jack. Their bodies touched as
much as table manners allowed. She smiled to herself, remembering
how she had insisted on being seated away from him the last time
they sat there. Their hands met discretely yet frequently. Under
the table Jack’s leg brushed over hers every once in a while,
sending warm ripples throughout their bodies.
It was a wise idea
not to go home immediately
, Astrid thought,
because I’m not
sure how our night would end up...
Astrid could sense the latent presence of her
wolf, not only under her skin and in her blood, but with her
conscious mind as well. She was trying to come out, answering
Jack’s physical presence, but she seemed willing to retreat
whenever Astrid pushed her back. “I love him too,” she murmured as
she followed Liv into the kitchen to help her with dessert. “You
must not be impatient, you have to help me, remember?”
“Who’s impatient, darling?” Livia said.
“My wolf. She’s been trying to come out since
Jack came. That’s okay, I can understand that, but I don’t want her
to complicate things even more... Oh, Liv, listen to me. You’ve
just caught me talking to myself.” She uttered a dry laugh. “Two
Astrids in one body. Crazy, huh?”
Livia came close and hugged her gently. “It
will be fine, soon. You’ve never wanted me to tell you about when
you change. Astrid, your wolf is smart and beautiful. She knows
what she’s doing.”
“She’s reacting to Jack.”
“And you don’t? You just let her take all the
blame. Astrid, your wolf is just more natural in expressing her
needs. But those are your needs as well, she wants what you
want.”
“Nicely put, Liv.” Jack’s voice came from the
dining room, followed by Jack himself. He hugged Astrid from
behind.
“Great! Now I’m a hypocrite.” Astrid
smirked.
“Of course not,” Livia said, “but you two
have been spending too much time in each other’s overwhelming
company, so your common sense has been compromised by your
emotions. I’m taking you out for lunch tomorrow and then we’re
going to look for nice dresses for the party. And we won’t talk
about Jack or Tristan at all.”
“What am I going to do?” Jack said and
instinctively tightened his grip around Astrid.
“Go with Tristan, you need a suit, too. You
two have a boys’ afternoon out.”
A THIN purple line glowed in the eastern sky
as Astrid and Jack walked the short distance to her house.
“How did you end up in that cockpit?” she
asked.
Jack smiled. “Tristan phoned to tell me you
had to go, and I told him I’d go with you. I left the
technicalities to him. I think he hired me on the spot. I signed
some papers.”
Dear Tristan, ever so practical and
resourceful. “What did he tell our pilots?”
“I have no idea.”
THEY PARTED after a gentle kiss in the
hallway. Keeping in mind Liv’s words that her wolf wouldn’t do
anything against Astrid’s will, she convinced both of her parts
that a good night’s sleep was what they needed. In the soft, warm
darkness of her room, Astrid pulled the confiscated jacket over her
and, inhaling the traces of Jack’s scent, entertained herself with
the list of questions she was going to ask Liv tomorrow regarding
the owner of the jacket.
I MIGHT have looked sizzling hot to Jack, who
was—albeit partly involuntarily—in love with me. I would never
describe myself that way, but I was happy that he did. By my own
standards, however, the sexiest woman alive was sitting across from
me: Livia Blake.
Liv was simply breathtakingly beautiful head
to toe. Her perfect appearance combined her sophisticated, noble
look and incredible sexual appeal. Her beauty was absolute,
regardless of the era, fashion or style. She was a contemporary
Queen Nefertiti—the
idea
of feminine beauty itself. Now that
I thought of it, Liv did resemble the famous Egyptian queen.