CHAPTER THREE

Steve sat at the table, playing around with the glass Russell had left behind. The aged blood had actually thickened in that short time. Steve tried to dissolve a tablet in the liquid, but it remained floating at the top. Even worse, it contaminated the blood with its awful cherry taste and smell. With nothing better to do, Steve continued to drop tablets into the glass.

Unexpectedly, Russell came storming back in. Steve would have jumped, but his achy joints did not allow him such a luxury.

"You're back?" Steve said instead and blinked in surprise.

"I had to smuggle this in like it was a nuclear weapon," Russell groaned as he whipped out a case of Tru Blood from beneath his jacket.

Steve looked at the bottles. They were the cheap, plastic kind made with PVC, but otherwise underwhelming. So he asked, "Why?"

Russell considered that very carefully. Then he answered slowly, "There's a reason we blew up the largest Tru Blood factory in the world. If only I could remember why that was."

Steve found it hard to swallow. "Oh, right."

Russell twisted off the cap. "It's not as tacky as human blood. Without authentic red blood cells and plasma, the capsules should go down smoothly."

Steve just stared as Russell handed him the bottle. He hoped it wasn't the hep D that made him lightheaded. This had to have been what Russell meant when he said he wouldn't force-feed him. It initially sounded as like insult, but he should have known it was just the ancient vampire's way of saying he would search for other alternatives. It was one of those fleeting moments when Russell was entirely lovable.

"Now!" Russell commanded

"R-right," Steve stammered when he realized he had been lost in thought. But he smiled again as Russell placed several capsules in his hand. He was completely enthralled.

"What's so funny?"

"Nothing!" Steve answered quickly. "The hep D has me delirious. Please ignore me."

Russell didn't look convinced, but Steve didn't care. He just wanted to savor the dizzying sense of joy that soared through him. He popped the capsules into his mouth and followed with a healthy gulp of Tru Blood…

Ick.

Instantly, Russell's powerful hand clamped around Steve's mouth before he had the chance to spit the Tru Blood back out. He struggled under Russell's hold, but eventually swallowed the dreadful mouthful just so he could be set free.

"You promised you wouldn't force-feed me!" Steve shrieked and choked accusingly.

"Oh, I promised no such thing," Russell dismissed casually and patted Steve's back a bit too roughly as he choked the rest of the synthetic blood down. "And there is a difference between assistance and force."

Steve shrugged him off and shuddered. That was one of the rare times when he didn't want Russell's attention. The awful, synthetic aftertaste was heavy on his tongue.

Steve gagged again. "I can't believe there are vampires who willingly drink that! I forgot Tru Blood tastes so nasty."

"Well, you'll just have to reacquaint yourself with the unnatural zest of Japanese pharmaceuticals." Russell shook a single bottle of vitamins with another one of his disturbing smiles. "At least 5 times a night."

Steve's face dropped. "What? But the label says twice? I'm sure it does!"

"That's for humans." Russell then began collecting the bottles and hiding them deep within the walk-in closet. He threw a couple of suit jackets over it for good measure. "And you will be discreet, Steven. Don't mention hep D to anyone."

"Why not?"

"The guards know better than to procure sick livestock, which means someone infected that human after he was kenneled." Then he added dangerously, "and no one weakens a vampire unless they intend to kill him."

Steve quickly remembered what Salome had said. They were supposed to look out for unusual behavior. "Maybe we ought to tell the others—"

"Open your eyes, Steven," Russell said evenly. "We've already begun turning against each other one by one. Even before now, vampires killed those with weakened blood. Don't trust anyone."

Steve's eyes pulled away and he just studied the Tru Blood left in front of him. The sense of belonging he was looking for seemed further away than ever.

"Just think what Salome would say," Russell continued on when Steve had no response. "She'd probably quote some nonsense from the Book. 'He who walks in the house of Lilith with tainted blood shall be slaughtered and poured upon the earth so that he will forever be beneath us,' or something equally overstated."

Steve's finger slowly played with a floating tablet in the blood glass and bit his lip. He responded softly, "Roman interpreted tainted blood as doubt. Everyone has their own way of reading things."

"And I suppose no one takes their literal interpretations too seriously around here…" Russell grumbled scornfully to himself.

Steve suddenly stopped playing with the tablet. He was unsettled by the rough edge in Russell's voice. Obviously, the older vampire won that argument, so Steve absentmindedly hugged himself and sunk lower into his chair.

"I know I'm all sick and whatnot," Steve started. "But this is temporary, isn't it? I mean, I should be all fixed up in a month?"

"But who knows how fast we'll operate," Russell answered in his customary gruff tone. "Once we enslave all of mankind, who do you think the Authority will be after next?"

Hopefully not the new face of the AVL, Steve thought, even if he was a bit weakened and inexperienced. But then he realized that with world domination, his position would soon become obsolete. He was adopted by the Authority to reassure the American people, but now the Authority wanted fear and anarchy. He was about to lose his entire audience.

Steve stared sadly at the ground, but he soon felt Russell's hand in his hair and he looked up. From the tightness of his jaw and the merciless line of his mouth, Steve could tell that Russell was serious. However, the hand combing his hair was remarkably calm.

"No one can get near you," Russell promised determinedly. "You have my protection and guidance if you choose to accept it."

Steve straightened in his chair. That was very nearly the dedication he was looking for. "Okay!"

Russell exhaled slowly in relief. He knew Steve would be forever safe under his watchful eye. So, he tugged briefly at the younger vampire's hair before he stroked it back into place.

It was charmingly possessive and Steve was momentarily reassured. He could go through all eternity feeling Russell's fingertips brush against him.

"But I know you are capable of discretion, Reverend Newlin," Russell added as he tapped Steve's nose to remind him about tactfulness.

Steven blinked. He had felt overcome only a moment ago, but now he wondered if Russell's last statement was supposed to be some sort of subtle allusion to their relationship, and not about his current ailment.

That seemed like a probable case since he and Russell had been low key. They had to be after all, since Russell's excavation was supposed to be a secret to the outside world. Unfortunately, any more discretion would complicate any chance of forming a meaningful, romantic relationship…