RYKER

 

The dim, amber lights of the Irish pub were easy on Ryker’s sensitive eyes, but the odor of cooked cabbage stung his nose. Ryker sifted through the scents as he identified the most intoxicated patron at the bar.

“Mind if I join you?” Ryker pulled out the stool beside a short man with rounded cheeks, throwing off the strong odor of metabolizing alcohol. It was times like this he wished he was back in the mountain chalet with the Blood Board and their humans. A meal from a willing, coherent donor was so much more…humane.

“Not at all.” The man’s heavy highland accent seemed out of place surrounded by the Irish décor.

Ryker leaned his elbows on the bar top. Accents were one of the few things that still gave him pleasure, bringing back memories of his many travels around the world. “A Scotsman at an Irish bar?” He chuckled. “What an interesting combination.”

“Scotland, Ireland, America, it’s all the same.” The man’s words slurred as he twirled the empty glass in front of him and glanced up at a TV. “It’s the people you meet that are important. Are you not from here either?”

Ryker had perfected many accents, including his current nondescript American, but he refused to do the flat, midwestern one. “No, not from here. I’m simply passing through.”

When the bartender arrived, she tossed a napkin down in front of Ryker, showing off the tribal tattoos on her arms. Throwing her brunette bangs out of her eyes with a nod, she flashed a flirtatious smile. Ryker had built an immunity to those smiles. In fact, they made him cringe these days. He was better off alone.

Love never ended well for him, so he’d given it up. Be it with a human or a vampire, a relationship always led him to the darkest misery he had experienced. In his long life, he’d had two human companions that were killed by his own kind, and of course, he ended Leila himself.

Besides, it wasn’t him the woman liked, it was his vampire appeal. He couldn’t help it. It was something that aged like a fine wine. Ripened as time passed.

“I’ll take what he’s having.” Ryker motioned to his fair-skinned Scottish companion with rosy cheeks. “And bring him another, too.”

“Sure thing,” she said with an extra lean, showing a little cleavage over her white tank top. Ryker wanted to roll his eyes, but he smiled flirtatiously instead. Perhaps the bartender would be the easiest meal, but he tried to not victimize women. His kind did too much of that already.

“Hey, thanks.” The Scotsman took his eyes off the TV and turned to Ryker. “What brings you out?”

“Nothing particular.” Ryker flipped the napkin over in front of him. “Just a little thirsty. You?”

“Dublin’s is my Tuesday night tradition. My wife’s away at book club.”

Ryker nodded, feeling his fangs elongate.

Hurry. Get this over with. You have lots of work to do before you can leave this dreadful city.

An image of an abandoned Dubuque street blanketed thigh-high in snow filled his mind. In trampled footprints, bright crimson blood led a trail to Ryker’s feet. He held a teenager in his arms, her neck to his lips. She was barely thirteen or fourteen years old. What had he been thinking back then?

He wasn’t thinking and didn’t care. He had numbed himself to the world after what he had to do to Leila.

Pushing the memory away, Ryker focused on the Scotsman’s throbbing jugular. The artery illuminated, glowing a purplish-red. He’d sink his teeth right above the man’s right clavicle. He needed to get him somewhere private.

Ryker pried his eyes away and began scanning the bar. A dark booth in the corner might work, the sides were high enough, and he was quick. A back room, perhaps?

Above him, an image of Mercy Medical Center flashed on the TV screen. He halted, identifying the bench the reporter stood in front of. The bench where Ryker had been sitting less than an hour ago.

The reporter lifted the microphone near his lips. “A woman was admitted earlier tonight after being attacked. Her neck and wrists were cut badly, and she denies knowing what caused the injuries.”

Neck? Wrist?

Amnesia like a vampire can cause?

Ryker sucked in an unnecessary breath.

The reporter continued, “Our informants say she suffered significant blood loss. Police are putting clues together, wondering if these injuries were a self-inflicted or a copycat, or if she had a run-in with the city’s potential serial killer. If it was the serial killer, authorities are perplexed why the killer has expanded from male victims to female. From what we understand, this woman’s in stable condition and may be released soon.”

Ryker readjusted on his stool, looking at the Scotsman beside him, then back up at the TV. His dinner would have to wait.

He needed to find this victim to examine her himself. The quicker, the better. He’d then get out of this city in no time at all.

“It sounds like a sidhe to me,” the chubby Scotsman mumbled from beside him as the bartender set the drinks down on the fresh napkins.

Ryker turned toward the man. “Excuse me. A sidhe?”

“A baobhan sidhe.” The man slurred his words and laughed.

“Sidhes…those are like fairies, right?” Ryker searched through his understanding of supernatural creatures. Sure, vampires were real, werewolves and psychics too, but not fairies. Sure, he’d read stories about them. Their trickery and weakness to iron stood out, but he was certain they were all make-believe.

The Scotsman continued, “Back home, my papa used to tell me tales of beautiful women who lived in the hills. They used to lure traveling men, like you, away to the countryside and drink their blood.”

Drink their blood? It had to be just another vampire legend. A rose by any other name was still a rose.

The man laughed, raising his glass. “Ha ha! Just messing with you. Your jaw dropped nearly to the bar top.” He gave Ryker a salute and a nod.

Ryker laid down some cash. “Don’t worry, a sidhe doesn’t scare me, but who knows what else is hiding in the night.” With a sly, toothy smile, Ryker disappeared out the door.

 

ALIZA

 

The longer Aliza waited in the ER’s patient room, the more her head throbbed and the harder it was for her to catch her breath. If she could get home and snuggle in her own bed, everything would be back to normal…except that when she woke up, it’d be the day that the most important memory of her father would be destroyed.

She slipped off the cot and wrapped the gown tightly around her body. Blackness threatened her vision as she shuffled across the room. Opening one cupboard after another, she found the white, plastic bag the nurse had put her clothes in.

Another wave of dizziness caused her to pull out the little doctor stool and sit down, waiting to regain her strength. She held her head in her hands, her long, black hair falling over her fingers.

Breathe. Relax.

When she regained her strength, she pushed her hair from her face and dressed herself. She needed to get home, but her car was still back in her old neighborhood, across the city. Her apartment was just as far away, too.

It didn’t matter. She’d take a bus, call a cab, hitchhike, anything to surround herself with comfort.

She searched the plastic bag and the closet again, but her purse was gone. Her phone too, not that she had anyone she could call anymore.

When the door creaked open, and her doctor pushed the curtain aside, Aliza stood. Fighting a wave of dizziness, she returned to the edge of the hospital bed.

“Oh, Miss Adams. I see you’ve gotten dressed already.” Her doctor stepped into the room, hands hidden in the pockets of her lab-coat and a stethoscope dangling around her neck.

“Yeah, I’m ready to go.” She bit her bottom lip, waiting for an agreeable nod.

“Have a seat, Miss Adams. I imagine you’re feeling pretty crummy. I just finished reviewing your labs.”

Despite her throbbing head, Aliza kept standing. “And?”

“You’re extremely anemic. You’ll need a blood transfusion.”

“Anemic?” Her hand flew up to her neck bandage. “There wasn’t much blood...”

“I thought you didn’t remember what happened.”

“The paramedics didn’t say there was much.”

The doctor shrugged, her brown hair falling over her shoulder. “Are you lightheaded? Dizzy? Short of breath?”

Aliza hesitantly nodded.

“A blood transfusion will take care of all of that. Otherwise, recovering from anemia can take months.”

Aliza sucked on her bottom lip. Of course there’d be one more thing keeping her here. “So…I have to stay longer?”

“You’ll need a few units. We’ll admit you overnight. If it all looks good, you’ll go home tomorrow afternoon.”

Afternoon? She’d miss it then. “No. I need to leave.” Aliza sprang up and her vision went dark. She swayed and grabbed the bed. Her head throbbed.

“Be careful,” the doctor warned, grabbing her arm and setting her back down on the bed.

“It’s okay,” Aliza said. “I’ll come back tomorrow afternoon. I need to get home because I have somewhere to be in the morning.”

“Miss Adams. You’re quite sick. I’m sure if you explain your situation, they’d understand.”

Aliza shook her head. Could she just walk out of a hospital?

The doctor continued, “Since you’re no longer on a police hold, you can do anything you like, but you really should stay and get some blood.”

“No. I think I’ll go home.” Aliza held her breath, waiting for the lecture.

The doctor sighed. “Do you have anyone who can watch you? Drive you home?”

Aliza straightened, attempting to look capable. “I’ll manage.”

“The nurse told me you didn’t come in with any identification. No purse, keys, or phone.”

“I must have left them in my car. It’s okay, really. I’ll be fine.” Aliza’s heart felt like it was dancing to fast-paced techno music. One way or another, she was leaving this place.

“I wish you had someone who could make sure you get home okay. Someone who could check on you and lend a hand if you need it. You had a brush with death, Miss Adams. I don’t know if you realize how close you were.”

Aliza thought to her empty apartment. Nobody was there, even her cat had died recently. Her fiancé…ex-fiancé wasn’t a possibility. Her parents had been gone a long time already, and she worked from home, alone, analyzing insurance data. That was it: just her and this unforgiving city. “I don’t need a ride. I’ll make it fine.” I always have.

“She can come with me. I’ll give her a ride,” chimed a deep voice from behind the curtain. How hadn’t she heard the door squeak as it opened? A tall, lean man stepped forward. His long, ash brown hair was tied into a loose ponytail at the nape of his neck.

Were this stranger’s eyes red?

She jolted back, then stopped herself, dragging her hands down her face and checking again, but his eyes focused on the doctor.

They couldn’t have been that color. Impossible.

“Yes, of course she can go with you.” The doctor’s words were more robotic than before, almost like she was forcing them out. Her previously tight expression had softened. “I’m happy she has a ride, Mister—”

“Meijor. My name’s Ryker Meijor. I’m her…uncle.”

He must be mistaken and is in the wrong patient room.

“Uncle?” The doctor lifted a clipboard. “Nobody called—”

“She called me. On the hospital’s phone.” His words were firm and certain.

“Of course she called you.” The doctor’s words remained monotone.

Aliza looked toward the doorway. Maybe she could sneak out before he realized he wasn’t in the right place.

Aliza gathered the rest of her things. She didn’t have much time before he would notice that he didn’t know her, and she needed to use this opportunity to leave.

The man continued, “What’s going on here?”

Hurry, now’s your chance.

Aliza glanced up and caught another shimmer of red from his eyes. The doctor had been right. She was sick. Hallucinating, maybe. It wouldn’t surprise her, considering her family history.

Just don’t look. It’ll be okay.

“I was explaining to Miss Adams that she’s extremely anemic and should receive a transfusion.” The doctor’s words continued with no inflection or emotion, almost like she was under a spell. The whole interaction seemed surreal.

“Blood, of course. It cures all.” The man’s words were cool and calm. He glanced over to Aliza, breaking his intense stare with the doctor.

Aliza glanced away. His eyes were definitely red…and a little unnerving. The only explanation was contact lenses. Nothing to be scared of. Many people changed their eye colors with contacts.

She stood quickly, swaying to the side. Her movements were too quick, and her world went black.

Cool arms enveloped her. Caught her, pulling her against a body for support. When her vision returned, she realized the strange man was holding her up.

He had to have noticed that she wasn’t the woman he had been looking for, yet he continued speaking like nothing had happened, returning his red-eyed gaze to the doctor. His voice was soft and made her feel safe. “Well, Doctor…Sebastian. We’ll be leaving now, and I can ensure you that Miss Adams will be well taken care of.”

The way her name rolled off his tongue seemed comforting. Did she know him? Aliza glanced up to an unfamiliar charming smile, showing off perfectly straight teeth…almost a little large for his thin face, yet they made him beautiful. Despite his slender build, he could have stepped off the cover of a historical romance novel. A Viking…or a pirate, perhaps. She was sure that if she had met him before, she would have remembered him.

He placed a guiding hand on the doctor’s back and directed her toward the exit, not loosening his grip on Aliza. His movements were of unnatural grace, and Aliza couldn’t help staring…it was almost a ballet. She wanted to fight out of his embrace, but she was so tired and weak. If there was any chance she’d get home, she was taking it. At this point, it didn’t matter that he was a stranger.

When the door shut behind the doctor, the man glanced down at Aliza, and her heart sped up. A smile spread on his perfect lips, “Come on,” he said. “Let’s go before they return.”

“I appreciate your help, but I can manage the rest of this myself.” She let go of his arm and again lost her balance. He had her without a thought, pulling her tightly against his side.

“You don’t seem in any condition to manage yourself. Come on, let me help. I have some questions to ask you, anyway.”

“No, I’m sorry. The only place I’m going is home.” She pushed out of his embrace, fighting through the dizziness.

“I’ll take you there, then. Come with me.” He reached out, and Aliza cocked her chin.

There was something about his face. Something that made her want to trust him…but she didn’t.

“Take my arm,” he demanded. Red flooded his eyes again. There was no way that was contacts. She swayed and pulled back. “What are you?”

“Take my hand!” he repeated, cocking his head.

She scooted back again, shaking her head. Who was this man?

“Hurry,” he said, eyes returning to a golden brown. “The doctor will be back, and we need to get out of here.” His teeth glistened… Did they sharpen?

A knock on the door. “Miss Adams?”

“Fine,” she said, lacing her arm around his. “Just get me out of here and down to the sidewalk. Maybe I’ll even let you pay for my cab.”

The man helped her to the doorway, and said something to the nurse, but the throbbing in Aliza’s ears and her racing heart made her not pay attention.

She’d lose this man once she made it outside. Then a good night’s sleep, a meeting with the demolition company and hopefully, a police chief, and she’d come back tomorrow afternoon for that transfusion.

She’d get the blood the doctor offered after saying her final goodbyes to an old house.

When she lost her balance, the man picked her up, cradling her like a baby and holding her tightly to his chest. She could no longer keep her eyes open and drifted into black nothingness, feeling oddly comfortable, settled, and safe for the first time in months.