The Bend-Bite-Shift Box Set Read online

  “The Org is why you’re here, Jill. You’re here to repay me for my continued service to them.”

  “Repayment? What service?”

  “Like I said, Lucas was furious that he didn’t get the trust fund baby for the Org. But he changed me and he’s my sire so he had to find a place for me. Someone finally realized I could put my medical skills to their use. The Org deals in children. If a vampire can find a magical supplicant, they can obtain extra strength, extra power. Magical children are the most wanted since their powers are ultra-concentrated in their blood and… and they’re children, so they’re easily controlled.”

  “Belle? Belle is a… what’d you call it?”

  “For an adult it would be called a supplicant, but yes. Trudy is a witch and she works for the Org. Belle belongs to a vampire.”

  “How can that happen? And how are you a part of it?”

  He cringed and his body shrank as if he were suddenly deflated. He took a deep breath then approached her. “I haven’t got a choice, Jill. I belong to them. And whether I work with them or not doesn’t change what they’re doing. It wouldn’t stop them. The best I can do is make sure I take care of the children. They bring them to me for every thing: illness, broken bones, and a simple runny noses.”

  “And what about their injuries due to having some bloodsucker latching onto their necks?” She was incensed and frustrated beyond belief. She liked to see the best in the world. Her mother was an alcoholic and never seemed to realize she could make it just fine without some no-good guy taking her for what little bit she ever had. Jill was one of three sisters and none of them had the same father. They’d at times lived in her mother’s car and struggled just to get a bite to eat. Through it all Jill found a way to find goodness. The Org was a blatant example of what she considered evil and her discovery of them struck her like a dagger to the heart.

  But when she looked at Doc again she felt immediately contrite. This was the weight he carried. This was why he never smiled. This was why he kept himself holed up in this decrepit hospital all alone.

  “My mouth runs away with me sometimes. I didn’t mean that.”

  He waved her off, attempting to look nonplussed.

  She wasn’t fooled. Jill placed two hands on the arms of her chair and leaned forward to pull herself up slowly. She peered up at Doc, looking as deep as he would allow her so she could see into his soul. Her hands reached out, trembling, and touched his cheeks, rubbing her fingers down along his jawline, but never breaking contact with his icy-blue eyes.

  “You’re cold,” she murmured, shivering as if to prove her own words.

  A determination began to burn in her belly as she considered the things he’d said. She wasn’t one to settle, wasn’t one to let things stand. No matter the bad things in her life, she found the way to make it better. And when she focused on something good, she could make it grow, make it into something for herself. Perhaps she could be that for Doc. Maybe she could show him some of the goodness she had managed to find in the world, even if just for a short time.

  He tried to step back but she held firm to him, slipping her hands down so that she could wrap her fingers behind his neck. The urge to kiss him was nearly uncontrollable. Instead of immediately giving in to the urge, she tossed him a coy smile. “I wanna kiss you, Doc.”

  He leaned toward her, lips almost touching hers before he felt her finger pressed against them to stop him.

  “Will you bite me?” she asked, examining his expression.

  His breath trembled from his lips. “I won’t bite you, Jill.”

  She smiled wider and began caressing his neck with her fingers. She was nearly eye-to-eye with him, since she was tall for a woman and him being of average height. She opened her mouth and nipped his lower lip. We’ll see. She thought.

  When they kissed she felt like her entire body might crumble with the force of it. All of the red hot need she felt for him seemed to collide with his freezing touch and the polarity of it shook her inside and out.

  It was all she could do to place her hands on his chest and push away from him. She could see the strain on his face and decided considering all that he’d shared with her, it was best not to push him for more at this point.

  “I’ve been desperate to do that again since the other night,” her voice sounded winded, like she’d just returned from running a marathon. “But now, I have a few questions.”

  He didn’t say anything, but nodded, placing his hands behind his back to keep himself from reaching for her again. He watched her move back to the chair she’d occupied earlier. She plopped down and folded her legs Indian-style.

  “Can you see your reflection?”

  He rolled his eyes, annoyed. “Yes.”

  “Stakes?”

  “Deadly.”

  “Silver bullets?”

  “Those too.”

  “Um…” she bit her lip and looked up at the ceiling. “Do you hibernate during the day?”

  “I don’t hibernate. I usually sleep during the day, yes. But it’s just sleep, the same as you do during the evening.”

  “Coffin or bed?”

  He sighed, “Bed.”

  Thank goodness she thought, then giggled, “And do you eat? Food, I mean?”

  “I’d become sick. I can’t digest it. I can, however, drink virtually anything without issue.”

  “Can you fly?”

  He shook his head and she dropped hers in disappointment.

  “Turn into a bat?”

  “Jill!” his exasperation level rising.

  Jill cocked her right eyebrow up and looked him dead on. “How old are you, Doc?”

  The vampire’s expression turned serious. “Old enough.”

  She slapped him on the shoulder, “Aw, Doc, how old?”

  “Old enough I could be your grandfather. I’m not just a fan of oldies music. I lived it.”

  “Okay, I’ll let you get away with that answer for the moment. Now, let’s get down to business.”

  “What business?” he asked.

  “The business of this hospital. You seem to want to make something of it. I’ve seen the repairs, the few rooms you’ve worked on and you know I’ve found the paint. Since I’m here to be your companion, let’s get some work done.”

  Doc’s eyes widened and he shook his head. “You’re saying you want to remodel the hospital?” He found her mind to be a beautiful but dizzying thing, changing subjects and moods at will.

  “Isn’t that what you intended, to make it into a working medical center so that you can treat the kids? Isn’t it what you want? I mean why else would you choose to live here?”

  It wasn’t exactly what he intended, but it was close enough that the idea intrigued him. He hesitated while he gave her words consideration.

  “C’mon, Doc, you’ve seen how talented I am with a paintbrush. I can handle a hammer, a screwdriver, a saw. You name it, I can do it. You got me for several more days at least. Let’s make the most of it.”

  He smiled at her, not a half-cocking of his lip sort of expression, but an actual pearly-white smile. Jill couldn’t help but laugh.

  The Present – Kitchen Therapy

  Jill drew her eyebrows together as she watched Langston pinch and measure, then stir and shake a mixture of herbs and goodness knows what else into a small cup. He paused every few moments to consult a big ancient volume of spells. Devan had told her this was their Grimoire. It had previously belonged to Kent and Langston, but when Devan came into her powers they’d included her as an owner of the book.

  “The beads become you. They were intended for you,” the big man spoke in a soft, soothing voice. The divergence of his demeanor from his physical size mesmerized her. “Devan suggested you wanted to speak with me...”

  Jill shrugged, rolling her fingers along the table top. The others were strategizing in the parlor and when Langston had suggested he would whip up a meal, she’d jumped on the idea to get out of the room. There were too many people ther
e, too many minds collectively maneuvering and planning in a way that made her uncomfortable. She didn't feel she belonged or could contribute to their conspiring. It didn't help that all of those minds working overtime meant rapidly pounding hearts and it was getting harder and harder for her to be around so many people. Being isolated at the hospital made it easier to maintain her celibacy from fresh blood, but lately she saw potential “supplicants” around every corner.

  “You take comfort in watching me. It is something I have noticed before, but did not mention.”

  He saw everything, noticed every nuance of the people around him and he was right; she was comforted. Sometimes she thought he could see right through to her soul and yet she never felt disturbed or unnerved by it. She felt this way with Charlie too. He gave her peace, seeing her just as she was. Good or bad, he’d taken just the same.

  “You remind me of my friend Charlie. I miss him. So it makes me feel good to be around you.”

  Langston watched her closely. He didn’t push, just considered her words as he finished his concoction. Setting the bowl with the spell contents aside, he transitioned toward the pantry and began sorting through and collecting items, placing them one-by-one on the table. He opened the refrigerator and stooped at the waist to peek inside. His smile was wry as he removed several packets of shredded beef from the meat drawer.

  “I would have expected Eden Stowe to have more expensive tastes than the contents of his kitchen would suggest. The pantry is actually rather bare; however, I believe we can manage.”

  Jill laughed, “I understood from Eden they just got back into residence here. He has a lot of estates you know. So, what’s my job?” Over the past week she had consistently been his self-appointed helper in the kitchen. It was an unlikely role for her given vampires couldn’t digest actual food, but he was right that being with him while he worked was a soothing activity for her.

  “I would think there must be a toaster somewhere in this enormous kitchen. There is plenty of bread,” and he motioned with his head toward the loaf resting on the counter.

  “All of it?” she raised her eyes brows as she looked to him in askance.

  “This is a large crowd. And they appeared somewhat hungry to me.”

  His tone was almost always matter of fact and Jill rolled her eyes, smiling affectionately. She located a fancy stainless steel toaster, plugged it in and dropped four slices in while she watched him fry up the beef with butter in a large skillet. She was fascinated by how he mixed things with such ease, seeming to know exactly how much of this and that to add. Before long he’d created a thick gravy to which he added the fried beef.

  When he poured the entire substance into a large bowl a light bulb went on inside her brain and she laughed out loud, “Is that what I think it is?”

  The huge man smiled as he drew back his head in feigned surprise, “What do you think that this is?”

  Her laugh became a guffaw and she slapped her hand on her knee, “I thought you were like a connoisseur of fine food, Andre! Shit on shingles is not what most people’d call a delicacy.”

  “It all is a matter of which people you ask. And SOS is a particular favorite of mine.”

  Jill narrowed her eyes at him, sensing an emotion that she’d never felt from him before. “And why is that?”

  A soft expression smoothed his face, even rounding the squareness of his jaw as a twinkle of memory sparked in his eyes, “I learned the recipe from a very special friend. Kristin was a most lovely woman and she meant a great deal to me. She took care of me when I was in some trouble and I have never forgotten her.”

  Without even realizing, Jill reached out a hand and touched her fingers to his arm as she spoke. “Why aren’t you with her? I can see that you love her.”

  He nodded, a firm and sharp movement, “Indeed. She belonged to another. And I take such things very seriously. It is better that she remain in my heart and that she should never know of what is in mine. And that was a very long time ago as well.”

  A silence ensued between them and Jill rubbed his arm affectionately another moment just as the last of the toast popped up. She started grabbing the piping hot pieces of bread and placed them on the tray with the others. She began to take the platter, but Langston rescued it from her hands, balancing it on one of his as he grabbed a stack of plates and silverware.

  “I will return shortly. You have yet to tell me what is on your mind, my friend.”

  “What about the potion?” She nodded toward the mixture he’d prepared earlier.

  “I will deliver it to Eden soon. Devan may need to speak with him again before we steal his voice from him. We cannot be too hasty on some things.”

  She nodded, then sat down and placed her chin in her hands as she waited for his return. When he came back into the room he had his own dish of S.O.S. and seated himself at the table, eating quietly as he waited for Jill to speak.

  “Everyone’s talking about a rescue mission, but it occurred to me–what’re we gonna do with the kids when we get them away from the Org? I was thinking you should take them to the hospital. It’s set up perfectly for kids. You’re a good teacher, Andre, you’ve also got plenty of patience and understanding, which would make you a great help to the kids there. Make it like a school or something. They’re good kids and they just need someone...”

  “And what of you?”

  He placed his fork and knife onto his plate and had both palms flat onto the table top as he eyed her squarely. She could feel him searching her soul and for the first time since they’d known each other she became uncomfortable under his scrutiny.

  “Jill, you have been hiding a very long time. You have redeemed your freedom from the Org but you still remain in the shackles of your own making. What you are is not evil, is not ugly and is nothing to be ashamed of. You have shared your story with me and now you offer the gift of your home to me. What are your intentions?”

  “I don’t know, Langston.” She rarely reverted to calling him by his real name. “I can’t say yet. Devan wants me to travel to the faery realm with her but after that,” she sighed heavily. “After that I can’t say. It isn’t easy to be here with them and having the kids around all the time would be–”

  “Torture?”

  Jill might be a vampire but she could still cry. A huge tear slipped from the corner of her eye before she could stop herself. She wiped at her face furiously, sniffing while she stared at him with a hard frown. “Yes, torture. I want your blood right now, Langston. The taste of it is still strong on my tongue. I want to feel the warm, beautiful blood spurting into my mouth and down my throat and to experience that warmth–the only warmth I will ever know again–to feel that warmth throughout my veins. So yes, torture to be around the children or you or Devan or anyone.”

  The feet of his stool screeched as Langston pushed himself from the table and stood in one swift movement. He pushed his plate aside and then strode to her in a few long steps. He dropped his large hands onto her shoulders. “There are great things in store for you. You may have loved Doc and he may have been your companion and your friend for all those years but he might also have been wrong. You have allowed yourself to be blinded by him and the way he saw life. I am not Charlie. You have come to know me enough to see that I do not force upon others my wants or beliefs, but I am not Charlie and I will not stand idly by and allow you to even consider ending your life.”

  The Past – Passionate Handiwork

  Doc had to admit his companion was quite industrious. In the last day and night they’d worked continuously on one of the examining rooms closest to what he considered his living quarters. He’d long ago decided to focus strictly on this wing of the hospital with the intent to make it a working medical center, just as Jill had surmised. What Jill didn’t realize was that he didn’t have any intention of maintaining this place ad infinitum.

  No, he planned to be gone by the time this center opened for regular business.

  Jill might have exagger
ated slightly about her abilities to use power tools, but she was an avid learner and definitely a willing worker. This particular room had seen better days and they ended up having to tear out part of a water damaged wall.

  “So the girls are 13 and 15. Abby’s got brains, let me tell you. She likes science and she’s read each volume of the Childcraft books I found for her at a second hand store. Her favorite is the one about the earth and space. The planets fascinate her. Tee’s boy crazy… We call her Tee, but her name’s Tina. She’s probably a lot like mom in that way. Changes boyfriends like most people change clothes.”

  Jill had talked non-stop throughout the project. She told him about school and her studies, about her best friend Devan who was a “rich chick,” and now she was going on about her sisters. They were clearly the focus of any talk about familial ties she might have. The disdain she held for her mother was evident both in the tone of her voice and also how little she actually said about the woman.

  “How often do you see them?” he asked, marking a measurement onto a two-by-four with a carpenter’s pencil.

  Jill shrugged her shoulders. “Mostly just holidays, if I can figure out where they are. Mom moves a lot and she isn’t always prompt about sharing her ‘forwarding’ info.”

  Doc grunted as he lifted the board across the saw horses and waited. The only task Jill hadn’t been able to master was using the circular saw. Instead, she’d decided the best chore for her would be to hold down the wood while he cut it. Lucky for him–or perhaps unlucky–her manner of doing so was to plop her perky backside onto the wood and press it still with her own weight. It was all he could do not to cut his own hand off from the distraction.

  “I’m supposed to go for Thanksgiving. Maybe you could come… the girls would just die to meet a vampire!” she continued, raising her voice to speak over the sound of the saw.

  The cut board hit the floor with a thud and Doc’s blue eyes snapped to hers, “You cannot tell anyone I’m a vampire.”