Page 33 of Blood Ties
“Who the hell was that and what family reunion was she talking about?”
I sighed. Not wanting to drag it out, I immediately answered his questions. “That was Jade. She just took me to meet my father.”
“Your father? But I thought…”
I cut him off with a shake of my head. “This whole thing was a set up. He wanted to know why I was looking for him.”
“So he had no answers,” he stated instead of asking. It seemed he had already come to terms with the notion.
“Not exactly,” I looked down at his chest picking at an imaginary piece of lint. “I think he might be able to help.” Grayson stilled my hands. Gripping my chin he forced me to look him in the eye.
“What?” He questioned almost afraid to believe his ears.
I let out a long breath. “We are going to meet him here tomorrow.” I held up the paper Damien had given me. Grayson took it and examined it. “He says we’ll have our answers then and our solution.”
Once in the car on the way home, my phone jingled, alerting me to a text.
Shawn:Be careful Gaby. I looked up Cave Lamia. It’s Latin for Beware of Vampires
Well that would have been nice to know earlier.
My stomach was twisted in knots the whole day leading up to our meeting with Damien. I was excited and nervous. Once dusk came, we’d hopefully have a solution to Grayson’s problems.
Regret still bombarded me when I thought about what I had taken from him and I’m sure it always would. I would never see immortality as a gift, because to me it wasn’t. He’d have to watch everyone around him grow old and die. Plus, if Damien’s solution turned him into a traditional vampire, it would be a cruel thing for Grayson to share his life with a day walker only to have to bare the constant reminder that he would never be able to share in that ability. I hoped Damien would come through, not just on the blood part, but also to allow Grayson to be a day walker like me.
Grayson chose to drive us that evening. John hadn’t noticed the difference in Grayson since his transition to vampirism. Why would he? He never saw Grayson drink blood or shy away from the sun, but to have John drive us to a vampire nest and wait for us there just seemed like we’d be playing with fire.
An hour before dusk we arrived at the address as Damien had requested. At first I thought we’d made a mistake and were in the wrong location. It was strange. It looked like we arrived at an office building. I risked a glance at Grayson and saw the same befuddled expression. Then I saw the sign, The Angelo Tower and figured we were in the right place. I’m not sure what we expected, but neither of us had been expecting that; perhaps something a bit more medieval or gothic for the nest of the first vampire. When we made our way inside my skepticism only rose. Sitting across the entrance was an information desk with one employee stationed behind it. The room smelled like a hospital which was odd. It was Saturday so it wasn’t unusual that an office building might seem empty and I began to wonder if Damien had somehow given us the wrong address. I was expecting an apartment or even a hotel, but an office building?
“Hello. Can I help you?” The woman behind the counter asked when neither Grayson nor I approached.
“Um…” I hesitated. “I’m not sure. I think we may be at the wrong place.”
“What’s the place you’re looking for?” She seemed awfully cheerful. I read her the address. “You’re in the right place. Who are you here to see?”
“Damien Malach?”
“Mr. Malach,” she looked down appearing to be reading something. “Ah yes. You must be Mr. Alexander and Ms. Carmichael. This way please.” She slid out from behind her desk. Bouncing as she walked, she led us to the elevator. She pressed the call button, the doors immediately opened and she ushered us inside. “You need a special code to get to the top floor,” she proclaimed punching some numbers into the key pad and pressing the button for the top floor before stepping off the elevator. “Enjoy the ride.” She waved us goodbye as the doors closed.
“Well, she was awfully chipper,” I mumbled.
“Any of this seem strange?” Grayson asked.
“What? You mean the office building, the antiseptic smell or the overly enthusiastic receptionist?”
“Well, when you list it all out there like that...”
The car opened to what appeared to be a vacant floor, but the moment the doors opened, I could feel power invading the small area where we stood. There were definitely vampires around. A lot of them. It crashed on me almost like a tidal wave. I braced myself against the railing that wrapped around the elevator car.
Recalling the entrance to the building I expected to be in an office area, but what we were met with was a penthouse. The floor plan opened into a huge sitting area, much too big for just my father and the few close lackeys that I was sure he kept around. A set of stairs rested in the corner of the room leading to the floor below.
“There’s no one here.” Grayson stated looking around.
“Oh, they’re here alright.”
The moment I shoved myself away from the wall, I began to feel like I was tethered to something. Placing one foot in front of the other, I left the car behind me and allowed myself to be pulled forward. I walked past the sitting area and the kitchen following a sporadic trail of doors.
“Gaby?” Grayson called for me, but I ignored him. I didn’t know where I was going. My body seemed pulled by a strong source. I felt it rippling through the air and across my skin. The part of me that was still mindful figured I was being pulled towards Damien, although I hadn’t recalled feeling the connection the night I met him, perhaps the alcohol and my hormones had dulled my perception. Grayson followed close behind me. I could hear him trying to gain my attention, but I could only focus on where the source was. I abruptly came to a stop in front of a closed door near the end of the hall. Turning to face it, I knew the source was behind it. I could feel the power pulling me, beckoning me in. I twisted the knob swinging the door open revealing a man standing alone in what appeared to be a bedroom.
