Chapter 28

I laughed jovially as Byron told me a story of him and his friend fishing. The older gentlemana name was Gray, and he had been a good family firned of years. He had discussed stocks with me until Byron had come to save me from conversation. My eyes float over to where Nick stood. He was in a group of men and looked a little pale, and I could see from here his jaw muscle working.

When I had returned from the slums, Nick had tried to ask about it, but I had been silent. Longsworth's words echoing in my ear. Pureblood. JR had said the same. But I couldn't understand. My little sip of his blood shouldn't have had such a lasting effect on my own. It should have started to fade, but Longsworth's reaction had told me it had seemed to intensify. It made no sense.

Suddenly Kit comes up and says, 'Mom said to stop hogging Nina.'

He chuckles and pushes me towards Kit saying, 'Go, you need to meet more cousins. I think Myrissa will be inside with a few of them.'

I nod and glance once again at Nick, who's eyes were lasered on me as I follow Kit inside. This felt too simple, to familiar. How long had it been since I felt so human? Too long. Myrissa was talking to two woman who bore a striking resemblance to me, one with similar eyes, another with my own natural blonde hair and high cheekbones. They were both smaller in frame and stopped talking when I entered. They we're slack jawed as Kit says, 'I present to you Mrs. Nina Simmons from England, distant cousins to us all.'

Myrissa laughs as she puts down the spoon from a mixing bowl full of fruit and says, 'Kelly, Linda, Lori, this is the family member I mentioned.'

I knew all of these women. They we're cousins, and one sister of Byron. It felt so strange as I smile and say softly, 'Its a pleasure to meet you all.'

'Well, all get up, she is English just like to told me over the phone,' Linda says, her Tennessee accent betraying her.

I laugh and say, 'Of course.'

We had been at the party for over four hours. The day had been cloudy and Myrsissa grumbles, 'Sure wish it had been sunny for this, but I guess this will have to do.'

I smile, knowing Nick had had something to do with the weather and say, 'At least it isn't cold.'

Kit was staring and I ask, 'Yes?'

'Every time I see you, I swear I'm looking at a model.'

I give a faint smile, knowing why. Most vampire had to be beautiful to hunt humanity. Lori says, 'You got that right girly. So how long are you...'

Just then Nick steps in and all the womens eyebrows raised as he says, holding up the phone, 'Just got a call from Jerry. Seems are schedule has been moved up. We have to leave tonight.'

I frown, but nod, looking at Myrssia with a sheepish grin, 'I'm so sorry, but it looks like we going to have to cut this shorter than I would have liked.'

'Jerry says he can't find the documents in his office that weed to close the deal.'

My eyes widen and I frown, 'But he said he would have them mailed to me last week.'

'He said he had, but thinks he might have mixed them up.'

I brush my hands through my hair and look over at Myrissa, Byron had just come in with a tray and asks, 'Everything alright.'

'Yes and no. My PA seems to have lost some important documents we need to close my brokerage deal. Nick had just informed me. They we're coded thankfully, but even with that it won't help us much. That means we will need to leave early and catch our private plane back to New York City to check our records room.'

'Oh no, I'm so sorry to hear that,' Myrissa says with worry.

'Its alright, more irritating than anything. Thankfully we copy all documents, though we need the originals for their signatures.'

Nick looked at me and I hear the whisper in my mind, 'This isn't working.'

I glare at him, sigh and say, 'I'm so sorry, I was looking forward to tonight.'

I look outside at all the neighbors and extended family outside and in this room. My heart ached knowing I could never truly be apart of it. The last few evenings had been nice to get to know Byron, Myrissa, and their children. But I was a Phantom, disappearing and reappearing in time. Just then Myrissa makes a shooting, awe sound. I look at her and ask, 'Are you ok?'

'You know what. There was another letter sent to me by you that didn't make any sense. It only said to keep it till a woman with blonde hair arrived. It had pages of code on it. Do you remember Byron?'

'Yes! Let me get it, it might be what your looking for,' he says and quickly disappears from the kitchen.

Slamming the door shut to my car I wave to my distant family and they wave back from the porch. Night had set in some time ago, the party having quieted down as I pull out and return to the hotel. Nick was unusally silent beside me as I follow the black asphalt back to our temporary home, saying, 'The ruse worked.'

He Huff's, and I see how irritated he is. The documents sat between us. It would be my lifeline after all of this. When I finally disappeared from this his world. He stayed silent, but I could feel the pressure on the car. Something was bothering him, but I couldn't guess what it was.

The ride was quiet, the silence and his power slowly increasing as we got closer to the hotel. When I got out of the car the poor vale looked like he was about to pee himself as Nick took my elbow and guided me inside. I glance at him and see his set jaw, smelling his faint pheremones that I could tell told people to stay clear. We make it back to my room and he shuts the door behind him. He let's out a few Huff's as if he is trying to compose himself. I move towards the lamp by my bedside when I hear him silky voice murmur, 'I'm getting hungry.'

Freezing, I look back, seeing only half his body in the light coming from the moon. Slowly I stand, bow seeing a flash of his pupils in the faint light as I say, 'Please be patient, tomorrow we will be in...'

'If you do not find me blood, I will hunt... tonight.'

I felt a chill, his pheremones growing stronger, the blanket of his power engulfing me once again. It had been days since he had and now I remembered what he truly was. He was probably early without blood, maybe having it like regular meals in a humans world. Ow he was experiencing the hunger I knew daily, or was his more powerful. It seemed the more powerful a vampire was the greater the thirst. I felt myself pale and say, 'Nick you can't do that.'

'Wouldn't it be a shame if I went to someone you loved and drained them dry,' His voice had taken on a hard edge, one I was terrified of.

My instincts told me to run, feeling myself shiver slightly as I step towards him saying, 'Drink my blood.'

A sharp mocking laugh came from the darkness and I see a flash of his fangs as he growls in his demonic voice, 'Don't make me laugh. Your blood is only good for so long, and even if I drained you, my hunger wouldn't be satisfied, but maybe your PA.'

I knew why he laughed. Vampires could share blood from one another to boost themselves when human blood was scarce but if it was continued over time our blood would become so tainted it could make us insane. What made this worse was knowing how close I was to my families decendents and I knew how Purebloods were, they didn't hunt and leave behind living humans. If they fed, they killed their prey.

I felt myself breathing speed up and my heart bear harder, fear for the ones I love starting to course through my veins as I quickly say, 'Give me two hours.'

'Why should I?'

'I will get you your blood, just give me a little time.'

The silence was deafening as I quickly add, 'There is a hospital close by and I can get blood there without being noticed, please.'

'Alright, Nina, two hours,' he says slowly, opening the door. His face illuminated by the hall light and I see his eyes, his iris turning a swirling mix of blue and blood red, and his pupils now slits as he continues, a drop of sweat sliding down his temple, 'If you aren't, I will hunt whomever I choose.'

With that he disappears and I sit quickly on my chair, his power seeming to cut off, leaving me off kilter once again. I too a moment to regain my composure then grab my phone. Pulling on a pair of black slacks ks and blue button down, I hear on my speaker, 'Hello?..'

Jerry's sleepy voice was gravelly and I say quickly, 'Be at the front entrance in ten minutes.'

I hang up and pull my hair back into a pony tail, check myself in the mirror, and quickly leave the room. Two hours and the clock had started. Nick wasn't someone I wanted to mess with, if he was going to ask me to jump, I'd ask how high, especially to keep my remaining human family alive.

Jerry yawns beside me, still looking a bit disheveled. Though he had been trying to acclimate to the vampiric night schedule he had a long way to go. He looks over at me and asks, 'What are we doing?'

I unlock my car and say, 'Going to get some blood.'

Jerry stops dead and stares at me wide eyes. I sigh and say, 'Get in, I'll explain.'

He does without question as I pull out and head for the closest general hospital. He finally asks, 'So... Blood, where are we going for it?'

'The hospital.'

He frowns and asks, 'Why the hospital?'

'When a person does, they drain off the blood, some is sent to the CDC and the rest is either donated within 24 hours or tossed the following day.'

'Ok, again why?'

I glance over at him before saying, 'Nick is getting hungry.'

Jerry pales before asking, 'But... I thought you said.'

Letting out a hagard sigh, I explain, 'Most vampire can go for about two weeks without feeding, but the stronger the vampire, theore blood they need to survive. Purebloods need blood often and seeing as Nick has gone almost a week without , he is likely feeling extreme hunger.'

I hadn't thought about it this way myself. In fact my hunger had been minimal this week, which I had found strange, but not unusual. Now I understood why Nick looked so pale at the party. He was literally neck deep in prey and unable to touch anyone. It surprised me how well he had done, but self-control only lasted so long. Jerry asks, 'So we are going to just waltz in and just take the blood?'

'Pretty much.'

'Praytel how?'

I smile and murmur, 'You'll see.'

We park in the visitors section and step inside. The acrid smell of antiseptic, the sweet smell of death, and the fowl smell of death hit me all at once. I let out a huff and Jerry asks, 'What's wrong?'

'Soeey, just a lot of smells all at once,' I say as I walk towards the elevator.

Jerry follows as the doors open. A doctor was stepping out and I quickly glean from his mind where I need to go. Punching in the sublevel, Jerry asks, 'Where are we going?'

'Lockers.'

'Why?'

I just give him a 'you'll see' glance as the doors open. He follows me, hishead down and furtive. I whisper, 'Be natural.'

He whispers harshly through his teeth, 'How can I went I know why we are here?!'

I give him a small smile as I step into a room. Lockers sat in rows as I walk over to them. The room was empty of people except us two as I check the lockers. Jerry glances at the door nervously and asks, 'Nina!?!'

I hand him a white coat and he just stares at it then says deadpan, 'Adradi? Do I look Indian to you?'

I chuckle and hand him the one I was planning on using. He gives me a nod and says, 'Smith, simple and annonymous. Can you imagine going home and saying John Smith was your doctor.'

I chuckle and say, 'Better then Joe Black.'

'Sorry to break it to you Nina, but you are Joe Black.'

This sobered me, but I know what he said was true and chuckle myself at the thought. Pulling on the jacket, I toss a stethoscope towards him. He catches it with ease and his brown eyes look at me quizically as I hook another pair around my neck. He follows suit and we leave the locker room. As we walk along my nose burns with the smell of fresh blood and Jerry asks, 'Where are we going?'

'Admissions.'

'Ok, why?'

'I need charts,' I murmur as the elevator we had wondered into opens to the ER. It was breathing with life and chaos. The nickel smell of blood so strong it almost knocks me back. my stomach growls and Jerry looks at me worriedly.

Before he can ask what is clearly on his mind I shake my head and walk purposefully up to the general admissions desk. Everyone was so busy that no one questioned to freshly pressed and well dressed doctors. Picking up a chart, I flip through a chart. It was for a gunshot victim and I ask and attending nurse, 'Carol, where are the DOA's charts?'

The woman who was bustling around, taking calls, and heading off scared and loud patients gives me a quick glance, and then hands me a stack of files before turning back to deal with a man yelling about his daughter.

Jeery whispers, 'How did you know her name?'

'I gleaned it from her mind.'

'Huh?'

I shuffle through the charts, finding a few promising ones as I say quickly, 'Most vampires cab read surface thoughts, such as ones name and age from humans. These are deeply ingrained and no matter how a human will try we phantom can read them.'

Jerry just gives me a raised brow just as Carol turns back to me and asks with a sigh, 'So Dr. Adradi, what do you need with DOA's?'

I give her a quick glance, before returning to the file, noticing a look of skepticism ob her face as I say, 'We have reason to believe one of them may be carrying a virus thay the CDC deams dangrous.'

Carol looked shocked and says worried, 'Should I call dispatch and tell them to reroute all EMS to another hospital?'

'No, like I said, it is suspected, but I will need to take samples of all the DOA's for testing to see if its true.'

Carol nods, looking at her hands and then a bottle of hand sanitizer. Sge lools vack and says, 'Should I...'

But before she could say more, I let some of my pheremones slowly come through and i watch as her eyes glaze over as I say softly, 'Thank yoy Carol, but everything is fine. Return to your job at hand.'

She moves slowly at first, turning away, and gping back to ger computer. Jerry notices how she is acting and asks, 'What did you do?'

Picking up the files, i walk away from GA and head towards thw elevator once again as I say, 'Glamoured her.'

'Glamoured?'

'Yes. I made it so she won't rememeber our conversation and will go about her work as if we were never there.'

Jerry looked shocked and then I watch his eyes narrow, suspicion evident on his face as he asks, 'Have you ever done that to me?'

'No.'

'You aren't lying are you?'

I give him a sideways lool before saying as we step into the elevator, away from the smell of my food and churning stomach as I say dully, 'You never have questioned my humanity, thus I had no need.'

Jerry huffs, crossing his arms before saying in annoyance, 'Well its not like you made it seem like you were a blood thirsty vampire, the whole daylight things helped too.

I chuckles as I press the button for sub-floor two, the morgue.