Vampire - Kiss Of Darkness Part 11

Bryan walked over to the bed, touching Mary's forehead. Did he-like Jessica-move her hair around to get a good look at her neck?

"You stay here all the time?" Bryan asked.

"Mostly. Her folks come, and so do Nancy and some of the other kids. I don't know why, but I never leave her alone," Jeremy said.

"Because you're a good friend to her, that's why," Bryan said softly. Jeremy nodded and smiled, lowering his head and blus.h.i.+ng a little. "I try to be."

"I'm going to stop by the nurses' station, but I'll be back." Jeremy was surprised by the way, despite his words, the professor stood by Mary's bed, looking deeply concerned.

"What is it?"

"There were some real crazies in Transylvania. I think you could use some help. I'll spell you later. I have to give a lecture tonight, but you need a little time away, too, so I'll come back after."

"That would be great," Jeremy said.

MacAllistair started to leave, then hesitated. "Hey, Jeremy."

"Yeah?"

"Has anyone been around who...well, who seems a bit strange?"

"Strange?" "Anyone you feel...doesn't belong."

Jeremy frowned, but he gave the question careful thought. At last, he shook his head. "No. Not that I can think of. Hospital people. Family. Friends." He hesitated. "Why? Have you seen someone who seems strange?"

"I'm not sure," MacAllistair said. "Last night...never mind. I'm honestly not sure." MacAllistair glanced at his watch and swore softly. "I need to get going, but I'll be back. You take care. And if I can help, let me know."

"You bet."

MacAllistair left, and Jeremy sat down again.

Strange people?

In a way, Professor MacAllistair was strange, what with his questions and weird knowledge. Still, Jeremy liked him. Trusted him.

Maybe he shouldn't. He was more disturbed now than he had been before the man's visit. He felt the need to stay awake, to figure it all out.

He was just so d.a.m.ned tired.

It was impossible not to doze off....

He blinked, trying to stay awake, but his chin fell to his chest. His eyes closed.

He tried hard not to sleep, because sleep brought dreams.

No.

Nightmares.

But even knowing they would come, he couldn't help himself.

He began to doze, a strange red mist entering his mind.

Darkness again.

Red darkness.

As she walked through the parking lot, Jessica felt irritated. She normally loved the night, loved the darkness and the strange shadows the clouds made in the sky. But it felt far too early to be so dark. And the color...

Impatiently, she strode forward, anxious to reach her car. She didn't like the way she was feeling, though, and she made a mental note to ask Sean if they could get an officer to watch over Mary. She hadn't imagined the girl would be in danger here, but...

Why not? With such a red sky, with a feeling of evil haunting her constantly now.

She was deep in thought, paying no attention to her surroundings. As she reached her car door, there was a flurry of action.

There was a split second when panic seized her. There had been so many times lately when she had been certain she was being followed. Stalked.

Times when she had felt darkness and shadows and the deep red, fetid breath of evil.She knew instantly that this was something else when she felt metal against her back even as she heard the words "Drop the keys and your purse. And stand still. Be good, and we'll let you live."

Despite the warning, perhaps because she felt so on edge, she turned angrily to face them.

Her impatience worked. The man who had pressed the blade against her ribs backed away a step, next to his buddy.

She stared at them in disbelief. They were in black jeans and s.h.i.+rts-and capes. The one with the knife was gaping in shock at her boldness.

He had vampire teeth. Fake ones. Bad fake ones.

"Stupid b.i.t.c.h!" he said, glancing at his friend, and Jessica knew he was thinking that she'd seen their faces. A strange discomfort settled over her then, and she frowned. There was something oddly familiar about him, though she couldn't place him. He had long, greasy dark hair and more than five o'clock shadow, though his facial hair couldn't be described as an actual beard.

"Too bad," the second attacker said softly. "She's a pretty one."

Jessica inhaled, trying for calm. The teeth were fake, but the blade was plenty real.

"You're going to give vampires everywhere a bad name," she said dryly.

"We are what we are, we do what we have to do," the first one said.

"Oh, please," Jessica protested.

"Shut up. Just shut up," the second one said. He was lighter, and nowhere near as hairy. "We need your purse and just a taste of blood, lady. But if you don't shut up...well, things could get really nasty."

"Look, please. Right now you can drop the knife and walk away. Just walk away. Think about what you really are, who you really are, and save yourselves from a life in prison. Or worse," Jessica said softly. "If you leave now, I won't even report you to the police."

"What?" the first one said. He stepped closer to her. "You don't understand. Can't you feel it? Our time is coming. We will rule."

"You're never going to rule anything." she said firmly.

The second boy suddenly gasped. "She's that psychologist! I saw her picture in the paper. And you-remember, you-"

The one who had first accosted her looked uneasy. "Let's go," he said.

"Not on your life. She owes us some blood. A lot of blood." He grabbed the knife from his friend and pressed his body against her, the knife raised threateningly. Jessica controlled herself, remaining dead still. "You can still walk away," she whispered.

Before he had a chance to respond, he was suddenly ripped away from her, violently and in a flash. First he was there, and then he wasn't-he was sailing across the parking lot as if he'd been tossed by a giant. She gaped in shock, unable even to scream.

The attacker crashed hard into a car and slid down to the pavement.

The second boy, like Jessica, just stood there gaping.

Then she saw the source of her salvation. To her amazement, it was none other than Bryan MacAllistair. He was just straightening the sleeves on his tweed jacket.

The remaining attacker reached beneath his cape, producing another blade-a very respectable bowie knife. Jessica almost cried out, certain that MacAllistair couldn't respond fast enough to save her.

Casually, but with a look of annoyance, he shot a hand out, his fingers forming a vise around the boy's wrist, causing him to scream in pain. The knife dropped to the pavement.

"Call the cops, Jessica, please," MacAllistair said.

"I think you've handled the situation-"

"Call the cops."

She fumbled in her purse for her phone and dialed 911. The second would-be vampire wasn't concerned about his buddy on the ground. He started to back away, ready to turn and run. Jessica barely saw MacAllistair's arm shoot out, nabbing him by the back of the cape. He pulled him close, whispering into his ear, "Sit down, hands behind your head, and keep them that way until the cops show, or I'll break every bone in your body. One warning, and that's it."

The boy scrambled to do as he was told. MacAllistair stared at Jessica. "Are you all right?"

She nodded.

"Sure? You're not going to pa.s.s out or anything, are you?"

She knew she should be grateful he had shown up. But there was something so condescending, so patronizing, in his voice that she couldn't help a flare of temper.

"I'm fine. I never pa.s.s out, and I could have handled the situation on my own."

His brows drew together in a deep, surprised frown.

"You were going to talk your way out of this?"

"I was handling the situation," she repeated.

The sound of sirens split the air. As she stared at him, they heard the screech of tires and then the pounding of footsteps. Officers rushed up, weapons drawn.

"Here's one," MacAllistair announced. "The other one is by that car. They attacked this lady."

A man in uniform approached Jessica. "Are you hurt?"

"No. I'm absolutely fine, thank you."

"And you, sir?"

"Fine," MacAllistair said, his eyes still on Jessica.

And there they remained while the officers cuffed the toughs, asking Jessica and MacAllistair if they could come to the station to give statements. Another car drove up then, an unmarked police vehicle. Sean Canady stepped out with an air of authority, staring at the scene, looking sharply at Jessica.

"What happened?" he asked, running his fingers through his ink-dark hair.

"Two kids with knives," she said wearily.

Sean glanced sharply at MacAllistair. "Strange to see you here." MacAllistair shrugged. "It's not strange at all. I came to check on the girl who got hurt in Romania."

Jessica's eyes widened. "Mary?"

"Yes."

"Why?" she demanded.

"That can wait. I need to know what happened here," Sean said, staring them down very effectively.

"I was attacked," Jessica explained. "Mr. MacAllistair happened to walk up at just the right moment."

Sean stared at Bryan MacAllistair. "Convenient," he murmured.

MacAllistair shrugged. "You know my interest in Mary. I had a few hours before my lecture. I thought I'd stop by and ask about her condition. Convenient? I suppose it was, though apparently my help wasn't necessary. It seems that Jessica intended to talk her way out of the situation." He glared at her sternly. "And let them go."

"What?" Sean demanded.

"Why are you working on a Sat.u.r.day?" Jessica asked him, ignoring his question.

"Long story, and never mind. You were going to let the guys go?"

"I was hoping this was a stupid stunt, and they didn't need to have a criminal record," Jessica explained. She sighed. "Okay, sorry. I was wrong."

She looked past Sean, realizing suddenly just how stupid it would have been to let them go. It had been the very cheap vampire teeth, she decided, that had kept her from taking them seriously. She felt a chill. They might have gone on to really hurt someone else.

"Sean," she said suddenly and softly, not wanting Bryan MacAllistair to hear her. "Make sure...I need to know their names, their addresses, all that."

"Jessica, they're being arrested." Sean said. "We'll get all that. And you have to come in, too, because you're the victim."

"I'm not a victim."

"You were the attempted victim. And Professor MacAllistair was involved, too. You both need to make statements," Sean said, staring at her.

"You two know each other?" she asked, surprised.

"We just met," Sean said.

"I see." But she didn't see at all. She stared at her lodger with naked curiosity.