Sucking Bites (San Francisco Vampires Series #3) (19 page)

“I haven’t watched a movie in a long time,” I say. “What do you have?”

“Anything you want, love.”

“Let’s watch a comedy. I’m not up for anything else.”

“Your wish is my command,” Aidan says mockingly. I smirk.

We all settle on his couch to watch a movie that’s still in the theaters. It’s a great distraction. I forget the real reason we’re here. Aidan summons wine for us. But when the movie is over reality lifts its doggy head. We avoid the subject weighing most on our minds. Soon it’s dark, time to feed.

Aidan summons something alluring, though I notice it’s not as provocative as the last time. Once again our strategy is for me to act as bait. This time Aidan won’t let me out of his sight.

Dark, promising shop fronts are common in Chinatown, so I pick one at random. Sebastian stands behind me. Aidan and Hannah observe from across the street in another doorway. A young man approaches me. He looks like he plans to pay for a little fun. I snatch him and pass him to Sebastian. We’ve planned it this way so Sebastian’s safe to watch me. They might have to pop me to Aidan’s if my bloodlust starts. I have to admit, listening to Sebastian feed is difficult. Much more difficult than usual. My fangs come out and I start to salivate. My stomach tightens and I have a strong urge to tear the man away from Sebastian. I keep a grip on myself knowing that I will be next.

Soon after, another man finds me. I have my handi-wipe ready, I grab him and have him wiped and bitten before he knows what hit him. Garlic—ick, the downside of hunting in Chinatown or Little Italy.

“Yuck! Garlic!”

“I know, Cherie. Mine too.”

“At least we know I’m still okay. Hopefully it will only be a serious problem for the three days of the moon phase. I’m tired of worrying. I’m still hungry. I don’t know if I can handle more garlic though.”

“You shouldn’t be hungry, ma petite,” he says with a frown.

“I know, but I am, I’m famished. I quit feeding out of habit. I wasn’t paying attention to my hunger. I also couldn’t stomach the garlic.”

“Let’s get you some more dinner. It won’t hurt you.” He steps back into the shadows.

We wait. This time a woman walks by a little too closely. She doesn’t see me and I pounce. She yelps, but I am on her with my fangs out and no handi-wipes. I bite savagely and drink hard. I am still drinking when Sebastian and Aidan pull me off her. I growl at them.

“Easy, Lily. Easy, you are taking too much, ma petite.” Sebastian says gently. He has me in a tight grip. Aidan pries the woman from my bite.

“But I want her! I need more! Sebastian, let me go,” I hiss.

“I think you have had enough, darling. Hannah, hurry. Aidan, let’s go.”

They grab me and we transmanifest into Aidan’s flat. I pace like a caged animal. I’m
so
hungry.

“Look at her eyes,” Hannah whispers.

I run to a mirror. My pupils are large and silver, eclipsing the irises.

Sebastian calls Julian and asks about Liam. They have put Liam into the wine cellar. He is barely able to carry on a conversation.

“Bast, what’s wrong with my eyes? Why am I so hungry?”

“I think we can count on this being a phase of your change. I don’t know what we can do about the hunger, Cherie. You would have drained that woman, if we hadn’t pulled you off her.”

“We do know we can pull her off, though,” Aidan says. “I hate seeing her hungry.” Even in my “state” I stare at Aidan. Is this the vamp hating djinn I’ve come to love and trust?

“We could take her down to the docks. Easy pickings down there,” Hannah offers.

“Yes. Please. Anywhere. I’m hungry. Just don’t let me kill anyone.”

Aidan takes my hand, Sebastian takes the other. Hannah links up on Sebastian’s other hand. We pop to the docks. It’s dark and foggy. The waves gently wash into the pier and breathe in the smell and it overwhelms me—boats and fish and warm bloods covered in sweat and grease. My friends back into the fog a bit and I walk over to some of the men. One of them hits on me. I lure him into the fog. Within seconds Aidan and Sebastian flank me as I start to feed on him. It seems like I barely start before they are pulling me off of him.

“I need more,” I say hoarsely.

“Oh, God,” says Hannah. “She’s going to burst.”

“No, I think her metabolism is speeding up. She’s starving for fuel,” Aidan says.

“Another feeding and she will have had enough to have drained a human,” Sebastian figures. “One more, Cherie, and you will have had enough, I think.”

This time Hannah lures a donor to me. Sebastian wipes him down while I get ready to bite. He barely gets his hands out of the way. The blood tastes sooo good. It runs down my chin and I lick it off his neck, sucking for all it is worth. Unsurprisingly, I feel Aidan and Sebastian start to pull me off of him. Relinquishing my quarry is easier because my hunger is waning. Blood spatters the front of my clothes. I’m a mess.

“You look absolutely wild, Lily,” Aidan says.

“Let’s get you out of here,” Hannah says.

They take hold of me and we pop back to Aidan’s flat. The blood excites Hannah and Sebastian—they get restless. Time for me to clean up. After a quick shower, shampoo and fangster brush, I join them. I can tell they have been talking about me.

“Well, I feel a little less vamped out,” I say.

They seem to relax.

“I was beginning to wonder if we were going to have to hunt all night,” Sebastian says as he runs a hand through his unruly chocolate curls.

“I was going to suggest some hippie blood. Nothing like a good buzz to mellow you out,” Hannah says, not an unexpected suggestion coming from the Ganga Girl.

“Your eyes are still bright silver, love. What other changes are you feeling?” Aidan asks. He peers into my eyes, feeling my forehead, checking my pulse.

“I’m feeling a lot calmer. I was just really, really hungry.” I look from one concerned face to another. “It isn’t a full moon until tomorrow night…” I stop. I can’t put my fear into words.

Sebastian’s eyes meet mine. “I need to call Julian and let him know what is going on. I’ll get an update on Liam too,” he says. He has his cell out and calls Julian before he disappears into the bedroom to have the conversation.

“It’s almost dawn. I guess we will know soon if you can sleep or not,” Aidan says. He touches my face with his hand. Aidan the djinn, who has been in existence since the beginning of time, cares for a bloodsucker enough to watch a feeding frenzy.

“It will be okay, Aidan,” I say and I mean it. “I don’t know why, but I am feeling more confident of that now.”

“It must be all the blood. When’s the last time you fed like that?”

“Not since I was a new vampire and didn’t know any better. We just don’t need that much blood as we get older.”

“You’re flushed. You have color in your cheeks. It is very becoming,” he whispers.

“Hey now, no mushy stuff on my watch,” Hannah says.

We both start laughing.

“Hannah, you are looking scrumptious tonight too. I don’t tell you often enough. I’m sorry,” Aidan says.

“That’s better, Aidan. I’ll bask in your praises,” she says.

“Aidan, what can you whip up for Hannah’s room?” I ask.

“Let’s see.”

He starts waving his hands around theatrically and in the corner of the new room, a twin size wrought iron bed appears with a silken spread and lots of pillows. He adds an elegant screen in front of it for privacy while she sleeps.

“Oh, Aidan, it’s perfect!” Hannah says. “You have to promise to watch over me when Lily wakes up, since she will be awake two hours before I am. Please,” she says as we walk back into the living room. “I wish age mattered and I would wake up earlier. It sucks!”

“Of course, dear. I will save you from the big bad wolf,” he says.

I throw pillows from the couch at him, which he promptly throws back at me. Sebastian walks in right then, of course.

“I take it you are feeling better, Cherie?”

“Yes, Aidan is making fun of me. He set up a beautiful sleeping arrangement for Hannah.”

“Excellent. I can read and check in with Julian while you are sleeping. What are you going to do, Aidan?”

“I thought I would read for a while and then maybe interest you in a game of chess? It has been a long time since I had someone to play with.”

“That would be agreeable. Lily doesn’t play and Julian always wins so it will be nice to pit my skills against a new opponent.”

I smile to myself. It is an unexpected gift that they would try to get along like this. It’s a good omen. We have three days to make it through.  Hannah and I change into our bed clothes. Me into a night gown and robe, Hannah into pajama pants and a tee shirt. I kiss Aidan goodnight on the cheek to thank him for his hospitality and help and because I love his sweet and generous spirit.

“You know you have only to ask for something and it is yours, Lilith,” he says.

He bends and kisses my mouth chastely. I squeeze his hand and turn toward the bedroom.

Sebastian lies on the bed in pajama pants and nothing else. My iPad is lying off to the side. He opens his arms and I climb in and fold into him. I feel at home with him there, even in this bed, now with Bast. He sighs, tightens his arms around me, and kisses the top of my head.

“I don’t know what tomorrow may hold, but I’m glad you will be by my side,” I whisper.

“I shall never leave you.”

I fall asleep with Sebastian kissing me.

I knew exactly when Lilith fell asleep. Hannah also is sleeping. I hear Sebastian get up and dress. He finds me in the living room and I can tell he wants to talk.

“She’s sleeping. I thought this would be a good time to let you know what Julian said,” Sebastian says as he finishes buttoning his shirt.

“How is Liam doing?” I ask, ignoring that he was skin against skin with my Lilith.

“He’s still pacing and starting to have a difficult time with the confinement. I think they are going to need us to trade with them. Lily, so far, is having an easier time of it than Liam. What do you think?”

“I think we should trade places with them, at least while she sleeps. I know Julian wants to observe her, so we could trade out for that too. She seems to be handling it fairly well so far, apart from the hunger,” I say. I see Sebastian feels the same way.

“Yes, I have to say that scared me at first. She’s never growled or hissed at me before. In fact I’ve never heard her growl. I wonder if she will be hungry like that tonight.”

“I don’t know. If that is all that she has to deal with, it’s a small price to pay compared to what it could be,” I say imagining what Liam is going through.

“Exactly what I’m thinking. Julian also had some disturbing news. Celine was lurking around the manse. She keeps her distance, but makes sure that everyone can see her all the same. She seems to have backup with her. A woman and one of the goons,” Sebastian snarls the last bit about Celine. At least we are in complete agreement about her.

“The bitch! At least we know that Lilith is safe. She won’t find her here. Still, we have an obligation to Liam too. What are we going to do about Celine?”

“I don’t know. We can’t just kill her. She’s the Queen’s own,” Sebastian says, exasperated.

“Maybe Julian, Helena or I can glamour her and convince her they are no threat?” I suggest sitting down on the couch.

“That might work. I would rather she come to that conclusion on her own. It would be a more permanent solution. Can you take me to the manse now? Maybe we can give Helena and Julian and Andrew a bit of a break for a while.”

“Sounds good. These girls won’t go anywhere in the few seconds I can transfer everyone. Why don’t you call Julian and tell them to be ready.”

Sebastian calls, and I check on Lilith and Hannah. They are dead to the world. By the time I’m done, Sebastian is off the phone.

“Julian says they welcome a break. The change has taken hold of Liam and he is beyond all reason. Andrew is in a tither. He may end up having to stay here as well, Julian says.”

“The more the merrier.” I sigh. “We have to make sure Lilith is okay first.”

“Yes, let’s go.”

I take Sebastian’s hand and we leave my flat to go to the manse. The second we land in the kitchen I know Liam is experiencing something far different from Lilith. He growls and scratches at the door. He howls between pacing the perimeter of the wine cellar.

Helena can’t hide the relief on her face when we pop in. Andrew is beside himself. He’s sitting on the other side of the door in tears.

Julian finds us. “We have to hurry. I suggest Sebastian stay here while you take all three of us at once. Liam is secure, so you should be safe, Sebastian.”

Sebastian nods.

I gather them up and take them to my flat. Summoning movies for them to watch and some wine and food for Andrew, I leave them to sort it out and pop myself back to the manse. Sebastian makes tea while Liam howls. He smells fresh blood —Sebastian—though fresh is a relative term when talking about a vampire—and it is driving him crazy. It is going to be a long three days.

I have an idea.

“Sebastian, do you remember when I put Lilith in that trance to keep her from feeling the pain while we cleaned her wounds?”