The Way You Bite(37)

This was the power of Lexan’s blood. The logical jump to half werewolf didn’t seem as ridiculous as it’d sounded when he suggested it a half hour ago. Ingesting wolf blood hadn’t resulted in a fatal allergic reaction. Oh my God. She’d ingested the most toxic substance on earth without reaction. Her feelings of not belonging when around vamps made sense, but, crap, she really wasn’t a vampire. This must be why she couldn’t do superspeed moves and why she never seemed to develop a tolerance for the sun as most did as they aged.

A mix. Half vampire and half werewolf. The implications were awful. Vampires despised mixes and targeted them for death as abominations. She wasn’t sure what wolves did to them. What did it really mean to be a mix? As a vampire, she belonged. Even if she didn’t buy into Dominic’s ideals, she knew her place in the world. She knew her people, her longevity, her diet, and her weaknesses.

She was alone with no one to ask for advice. A future of hiding and running sounded pretty bleak.

She stared at the stars sparkling in the sky. Now what?

A mud-splattered Jeep pulled over to the side of the road beside her. She could barely find the strength to move to the driver’s window.

A twenty-something guy smiled at her. Young, enthusiastic. Of course, like all young humans, his mind filled with sex. In her current mood, he better not try anything. She’d bite, and not in a nice way, not that she planned to drink from him. She could hurt him, though.

She smiled, allowing vampiric charm to overwhelm him. Usually, she kept the allure in check around humans, especially at work. Right now, with her lethargy worsening, she needed a lift.

“Need a ride?” he asked.

“I need to get to downtown.” She forced a wider smile.

“Sure. Hop in. The Jeep’s a mess, but if you don’t mind…” He threw some items off the passenger seat into the back to make space.

“Thanks.” She slid in.

He held out his hand. “I’m Tony.”

She clasped his hand briefly. “Good to meet you. I’m…” Give him a fake name. “Cindy.”

“You don’t look like a Cindy.”

She didn’t reply, uncaring what he thought.

“Where to, Cindy?”

“Seventh Street. Drop me anywhere.”

“That’s a pretty big street.”

“I’ll be fine.” Her head hit the headrest. She needed sleep and a place to avoid daylight. Dawn loomed on the horizon.

She sensed the driver’s gaze on her. “Are you sick? I can drop you at one of the hospitals downtown.”

She shook her head, which caused her stomach to lurch. “I went for a run and overdid it. Marathon training.” She managed a smile for him.

He glanced at her jeans, not buying the lie.

Minutes later they were in downtown. “Here is fine.” She pointed to the curb.

He pulled over. As she opened the door, he grabbed her wrist. His mind filled with lustful images, and then his thoughts detoured into vile.

Too tired to mask her inner being, she dropped her charming veneer and smiled full-fang.

He froze. A trembling set into his entire body.

She yanked her wrist free, not guilty at his terror. This jerk planned something disgusting in an alley. Something, had she been a human, she may not have been able to fight in her weakened state. “Sometimes monsters are the ones you least expect.”

He continued to tremble.

She whispered, “Leave. Or I might feel inclined to hurt you.”

The car peeled away. She shouldn’t have revealed herself, but how else did urban legends start? She merged with the shadows in the alley where the driver planned his evil. Now where to go?

Her apartment? Squad vamps would be watching. If not them, then Ambrose’s guys. However, she needed new clothes and her passport. She could get scrubs at the clinic and regroup from there.

She walked the many blocks to the veterinary hospital and circled the building three times, sticking to the shadows. Casting a mental net, she searched for vamps or wolves. Nothing after two passes.

She marched to the front door, locked after hours. The receptionist buzzed her in. The twenty-something part-time receptionist smiled. “I thought you took the night off, Dr. Scarpa.”

“I forgot something.”

“You look different. I mean, it’s good. You look like you got a tan or something.”

“I just worked out.” Vee flashed a smile. With an air of authority, she headed to the office she shared with three other vets.

Her options for a next step were limited. Few friends were safe to phone. Roman’s allegiance was to his king. He could only go so far to help her. She trusted only a handful of vamps. Trace was too entrenched with Dominic. If he found out she was half wolf, she wasn’t sure what he’d do after he freaked out. She used the office phone to call her aunt, who answered on the second ring.

“Hi, Carol. It’s Vee.”

“Where have you been? I left you at least ten voicemail messages. You’re okay?”

“Right now I’m fine.”

“Thank, God. Hsu-Li phoned me a few hours ago acting all concerned that you’d disappeared. That slimy bastard doesn’t give two shits about you. What’s going on?”

“I’m in a bit of a situation. I missed a mandatory meeting with Dominic. Did he tell you he wants me to start the treatment?”