Chapter 31
Beth had retreated from him as fast as she could. He knew it would happen; even expecting it much sooner than New York. But for Mick, seeing Josef in love -- caring about a human -- although what had happened to Sarah was tragic -- actually gave him more hope than he had ever had before. Obviously she had only seen the negative, and she had gone back to Josh.
Beth had seemed to so blase in telling him to go find a vampire wife. He hated being a vampire. Why would he want another vampire wife? No, he wanted Beth. Had always wanted her. First to protect her, and now that she was a full grown woman, he knew he had fallen in love.
Wrestling with his feelings, how could he ask for her love in return knowing he was still the monster, a vampire? Nothing would ever change that unless he could find something in Coraline's blood to give him a clue.
Beth had a friend at BioNalysis; she would meet him there at 10 in the morning. It wasn't like her not to show so he went to her apartment. She answered in nothing under Josh's t-shirt, looking all flustered. He could smell the sex and it wrenched at him. Then he heard she was in danger; marked for death from a case Josh was prosecuting.
He and Josh wanted the same thing: Beth's safety. But protecting her wasn't that easy. They were shot at and she was barely missed. Worst, she let Josh comfort her. This Tejada was getting on his nerves but hearing her tell Josh she loved him hurt the most.
What was left of Coraline's blood vial was gone, too. Damn, and nothing had come from the lab tests other than it was as pure as a child's. And that it was extremely rare. He had always suspected Coraline's motives in kidnapping Beth. Why her in particular? Now he knew. Their blood matched. He would have to think on that, later, for Tejada had escalated the terrorizing -- his men had kidnapped Josh. No doubt they would have tortured him and sent his body back as a warning. But instead, he and Beth had been able to track the car and found him alive; unharmed. Mick angrily reflected that he should have taken the time to make sure both of those thugs were out of commission; instead six bullets got pumped into Josh's body.
God knows, he put aside his jealousy and tried to save the man who was his rival. The sun was beating down on him, sapping his energy, yet he kept it up. His hands were seeped in Josh's blood and he rigidly tamped down his hunger; still he kept trying until he felt Josh's lifeblood pulse for the last time.
That was when she asked him to do the one thing he had never willingly done ever before. "Turn him, he'll live" she insisted.
"That's not living, Beth."
He would not, could not do what had been done to him. Had Josh -- or himself -- been given the choice, Mick knew they both would have chosen death.
Beth was inconsolable. He left her alone and went to get vengeance; extracting it from Tejada's jugular helped ease the pain.
Finally, he tried one last time to explain. And she asked the one thing he could not answer.
For although he told her he would have done the same thing, his unbeating heart said another thing entirely.
