Page 34 of Blood Ties
The muscles on his back rippled as he tugged a t-shirt over his head covering the hint of two parallel scars on his shoulder blades. Before he even spun to face us I knew it wasn’t Damien. The man before me was much more muscular and had blonde hair instead of Damien’s black. I focused on the draw I felt, sure I had somehow misread the pull tugging at me even now, but it was definitely coming from this room. I clung to the door frame to prevent me from walking farther in the room. The stranger’s green eyes locked on me, seeming unfazed by my invasion. It was almost as if he expected me. We stood fixed in place, staring at one another quizzically. I could feel my heart pounding, trying to punch its way out of my chest and knew that he was the source I was feeling, although I didn’t know why. He was certainly attractive with his hard, chiseled features. My eyes trailed down his body noticing the definition that even his shirt couldn’t hide. I thought I heard a hint of a chuckle come from him drawing my eyes back to his face when I realized I was gawking at him.
“You’re not Damien, are you?” Grayson’s voice broke the connection. The stranger turned his head in Grayson’s direction, and I snapped my eyes away. I shook my head clearing the spell that had overcome me.
“No, sorry,” he risked a glance at me and my gaze met his briefly. There was a hint of disappointment in his face; almost like he was sad that the moment had passed. Then he returned his attention to Grayson. “Damien isn’t on this floor. He’s on the one below. The elevator doesn’t stop there, for safety reasons,” he stated, as if that should explain it all. “Go back the way you came. Take the stairs and his is the last door on the right.”
“Thanks,” Grayson held his hand out to me. “Gaby,” he beckoned. I placed my palm in his. The moment his skin touched mine, my head cleared. I turned to the stranger who was intently watching us leave. Once we were a good distance away, Grayson asked, “Why’d you take us there and why didn’t you knock? Did you get confused as to where Damien told you to go?”
“No,” I cut off Grayson’s onslaught of questions. “I thought Damien was there. It was my mistake.” Even I didn’t believe that. I didn’t know why I had felt the draw to the stranger we just met, but I had. It was different than the power I felt coming off of supernaturals, although I was pretty sure he was one, even though I didn’t know what he was.
“I don’t understand.”
“Neither do I,” I mumbled under my breath. I tried convincing myself that the draw I felt to him must have been because he was so powerful, even though deep down there was something erotic that caused me to flush whenever I thought about the pull.
Following the stranger’s direction led us to stand before a door. Grayson stepped forward rapping his knuckles against it. I was sure he didn’t want me barging in on another half-dressed stranger.
The door swung open revealing Jade wearing something that would barely register as a dress.
“Well if it isn’t Bella and Edward.”
“I’m sorry?” Grayson seemed perplexed. I rolled my eyes wondering how theTwilightphenomena had completely bypassed my worldly fiancé, but not the ancient vampire before us.
“Never mind,” Jade mimicked my eye roll. “Come on in. His holiness is expecting you.” She walked away not waiting to see if we’d follow.
Damien sat behind a chrome desk. His head bent, focused on a phone call he was having. The room was uniquely modern, but set up strange. With how large the rest of the place had appeared, this room was fairly small. It was no bigger than our master bathroom. There was room for Damien’s desk and a small couch that sat to the right of it. It didn’t make sense. I let my eyes wander over the room. I looked behind me and saw a floor length curtain pulled across the entire width of the small room. It was similar to that of a stage curtain that was pulled closed at the end of a play. I couldn’t help but wonder if it was there for aesthetic purpose, but I doubted it. It only made sense that it was separating this room from something else; perhaps something Damien wanted to keep hidden, but close by for his own purposes.
Damien stood after ending his call making his way around his desk. He didn’t have to walk far before standing in front of us.
“Gabriella,” he pulled me into a tight hug. It felt awkward, but I hugged him back. He was, after all, my father and was hopefully helping Grayson. “And this must be your mate, Mr. Alexander.” He held his hand out to Grayson.
“Please, call me Grayson,” Grayson answered shaking Damien’s hand.
“Of course. We will, after all, be family soon. Yes?” Damien’s eyes fell to my engagement ring.
“Yes,” Grayson agreed, stunned, but didn’t let it fluster him.
“I do not wish to waste your time with small talk. I hope there will be plenty of that at a later time.” He paused, waiting for us to agree. Both Grayson and I nodded. I was still resentful to Damien for abandoning me, but what he was doing for Grayson was a great first step in mending that fence. I had always wanted to know my father and now fate was giving me a chance. Who was I to snuff it?
“You must please forgive my people for deceiving you with the false meeting,” he spoke to Grayson. “I was eager to meet my daughter and,” Damien circled Grayson like a predator stalks its prey. Damien leaned in close to Grayson. It almost looked like he smelled him. “Her new mate.” Damien turned to face me. “Human when you mated him by the smell of it.” I stared stunned for a moment that he had actually smelled Grayson and he was also correct before slowly nodded. Ancients seemed to have no sense of personal boundaries. “Ah!” he added like that was a piece to the riddle he was trying to solve. “I can’t imagine that your mother nor Anton were too happy with that.”
Obviously! Anton went into a psychotic rage and because of the damage he inflicted of Grayson when he kidnapped him, I was forced to convert him, but something must have gone wrong, I wanted to blurt out. Instead, I simple answered, “No, they weren’t.”
Damien slowly smiled at me, almost like he was reading my unspoken words. “Nothing went wrong, Gabriella. It is because you are from me that he is able to walk in the sun or have your immunities. It is not a bad thing.” I looked over at Jade nervously. I wasn’t used to discussing this with people I didn’t know. I knew I needed my father’s help, but who’s to say Jade wouldn’t take this information and spread it or come after us. She was propped up on the couch looking like a queen waiting for a servant to pop a grape in her mouth while another fanned her. Damien followed my gaze. “Do not worry about Jade. If anything she can help.”
Help? How could another vampire help?
“What are the problems you are having with his transition?”
I was beginning to think this was getting us nowhere. All this time spent tracking him down and he didn’t even know what the issues were, yet he said he’d seen it before. “His thirst, his lack of ability to tolerate human blood and I worry that with his increased thirst, that his immunities are fading.” I looked hesitantly to Grayson who was watching me with uncertainty on his face. “He has to feed from me more frequently and take more each time.” We had never acknowledged this to each other, but he didn’t seem alarmed that I knew.
“Well,” Damien sighed as he crossed the room back to his desk and taking the seat behind it. “The thirst for his sire’s blood is not surprising. I’m sure you know the laws and know why this is prohibited for a reason. What did you expect when you turned a witch or in his case a warlock?”
I stood there stunned to silence. Damien’s words didn’t make sense. Grayson wasn’t a warlock. He had no alters or spell books. He wore no medallions. He had always presented himself a 100% human. I lived with him for months now. If he were a warlock, I was sure I would have noticed it.
I turned hesitantly to stare at Grayson, realizing he hadn’t uttered a single protest to Damien’s allegations. “Grayson?” He didn’t turn towards me. His eyes stayed focused on the ground. “It’s not true,” I declared to Damien. He put his head down, waiting for me to come to my own realization.
“Can it be fixed?” Grayson questioned ignoring me pursuit for his contradiction of Damien’s claim.
“Yes,” Damien stated. “You just need a witch to cast a spell. It just so happens I have one in my pocket,” he smiled with a signaling glance at Jade, who stood and exited the room quickly.
