“You’re saying I'm vampire bait.”
“Hmmm, I suppose that's as good a name for it as any.”
It was one thing to hang out with Tatiana and Lydia, who I trusted, although I had known them both less than a week. But to know that I was going to be attracting every fanged being in the Big Apple was downright scary.
There was a quick knock on the door and Tatiana entered with Lydia on her heels before the doctor could answer.
“Is everything all right. Chris, why are you upset?” Tatiana asked.
“Well, I was just telling him about his ...attractiveness to our kind. Tatiana, did you sense his discomfort from outside?” Dr. Singh asked.
“Yes. I can usually tell what Chris is feeling and where he is.”
“Yeah Doc, she can locate our boy here from several miles away,” Lydia supplied.
“Fascinating. There is usually some form of donor/donee bond but it takes time to form.” He looked thoughtful as he mulled this new piece of information.
“So, the Doc told you about being vamp candy huh?” Lydia asked.
Tatiana's expression was rather stark as I answered. “Yeah, it's a little ...unnerving.”
“Well, the first thing we're going to do is put an off limits sign on you to keep away the rifraff.” Lydia said.
“An off limits sign huh?”
“Yeah, we'll mark you with Tanya's sign and that should keep the smart ones away.”
“Sounds like a cattle brand to me,” I replied, still out of sorts with the situation. Tatiana froze in place at these words, but Lydia shrugged them right off. “Think of it as a stallion brand if it makes you feel better. It’s just a little tattoo, see?” She turned her head and pulled her shirt away from her neck, revealing a small tattoo of three letters ‘TAD’.
“What is that? Some sorta vampire word or something?” I asked.
The girls looked at each other, then back to me.
“No, it’s her initials T.A.D.” Lydia shrugged.
“What’s the ‘A’ stand for?” I asked.
Tatiana answered. “Antonovna.”
“So that would mean your father’s name is Anton?” I guessed.
“Very good, Chris.” Tatiana was impressed.
“Well, the Internet knows all, ya know.”
We thanked the doctor and climbed back into the BMW. Lydia changed topics as soon as the car was in motion. “So, Chris what was this about werewolves today?” she asked.
So I spent the rest of the car ride explaining the Special Situations Squad job interview, the attack in Central Park and the red head werewolf mother and son.
“And you didn’t tell them about the woman being a were or about us?” Tatiana asked.
“No way. I don’t know anything about this Special Situation group. I don’t know if they know about you guys or about weres, and I’m supposed to ‘serve and protect’, so that’s what I did.”
It seemed pretty clear cut to me. I didn’t struggle with the ethics of it for a moment. Spending your life fighting Hellbourne tends to simplify your moral code a bit.
“You know, Chris, you seem to draw monsters like flies to honey. Do you have any idea who she was?” Lydia asked.
“Er..no.” I answered.
“Her name is Afina. She’s the mate of the Alpha of the City. And you saved her.”
“I didn’t save her. She saved herself and her son. I just gave her some food, water and a cell phone. I guessed that she would have a Pack or something to help her.”
“Well I spoke to my contact in the Pack, and she and her mate, Brock, are grateful to you. Things have been a little strained between our Coven and the Pack, and today’s events could have been a disaster. She smelled the vampire scent on you and she witnessed your wrestling match with the addict in the park. You may have just patched up a pretty good rift between us.”
“Dumb luck, really,” I answered.
“You seem to have an inordinate amount of that then,” Lydia replied with a grin.
“Dumb or luck?” I questioned, not sure if I had just received a shot.
“Yes,” was her reply. Yup, definitely a shot.
Tatiana asked me a question before I could fire anything back at Lydia. “Christian, are you going to work for Inspector Roma in the Special Squad?”
“I don’t know if they even want me yet. I’m supposed to meet him tomorrow morning, so I suspect he may have made up his mind by then.”
“You know, he’s been trying to meet with Galina for years now, but she blows him off every time. I think he suspects what we are. You need to be ready if he asks you to introduce him.” Lydia said.
“Well, that’s an easy one. I just tell him the truth. Galina hates me. That should take care of it.”
“Mother does not hate you, Christian. And I have told her that you will be part of my life unless you choose not to be. I have warned her I will leave if she tries to scare you away.”
Lydia chuckled. “Yeah, and since Doctor Singh reports his medical findings about Tat directly to Elder Senka, I’m doubly sure that the Elders will want to meet you Wednesday night.”
“What’s Wednesday night?” I asked.
“Oh, we hadn’t gotten around to that yet. The Elders arrive to see Tanya tomorrow night. Wednesday is a formal reception party and you are a guest of honor.”
“Me? At a vampire party? Is that a good idea? Aren’t I sorta bait? Why do they want to see me?” This party sounded like a really bad idea. I liked hanging around with my two vampires, it just seemed natural, but a whole party of unknown and unfriendly vampires didn’t sound like my cup of tea.
“Well, they are insisting on meeting the human who saved our girl here, woke her up so to speak, and is the object of her affection. You really need to be there.”
“Well, what do I wear? I don’t have party clothes, just uniforms and casual clothes. I can’t go without a suit or something. There isn’t really time to get anything either.”
“Jeesh, Northern. Have some faith. We’re already on it. You’ll not only have the right clothes, but you’ll look gooood!”
Without any other excuses, I settled back to silence, thinking that this party would be a fiasco.
Chapter 12
Tuesday was the day that I died. Or maybe the day I should have died. Either way it felt like I died.
It started off normally enough. I got up and made myself a ten-egg omelet with cheese and ham. Okay so maybe that’s not so normal. That still left my egg supply almost untouched. When the girls took me home from the doctor's the previous night, Tatiana had apparently been placing some calls on the way. A pair of young vampires (I was beginning to get a feel for vampire age) met us at my apartment with a truckload of groceries. My fridge was now stocked with cases of eggs, cheeses, cold cuts, milk and veggies. My freezer was loaded with Stouffers frozen dinners and half gallons of Haagen-Das ice cream. Every flat surface in the galley kitchen held cases of protein bars, canisters of nuts and six packs of protein shakes. If that wasn't enough, the front of the fridge had gift cards to a half dozen take out restaurants held in place by magnets. I felt like I was being fattened for Christmas dinner, but realistically I would most likely burn through it in a couple of weeks.
So, I skipped my regular workout and spent the time eating and doing some Internet research on jewelry. The girls had informed me that my presence was also mandatory at the combined Plasma Halloween and Tatiana birthday party on Friday. I would not have to wear a costume, but a gift seemed in order. The last girl I had bought a gift for had been my grandmother, who had died eight years ago. I had never bought a gift for a girlfriend type person. Seeing how this might be my only chance to do so (who knew if I would make it through another year) and seeing how the income from my trust fund had bulked up my savings account, I decided jewelry was in order.