Blueblood

Story: Blueblood

Chapter 20 Proof

Author: Eric McQueen (mcqueen.richarderic@gmail.com)

Adult Readers, Sexual Situations, Sex

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Proof

Edwin was doing well that afternoon. We spent the time getting to know Edwin better.

"I think when you finally are able to eat..." I grinned. "You should move upstairs."

Edwin's eyebrows rose. "Why?"

Colin looked around his bedroom below the house. "Where's your bathroom?"

Edwin chuckled sadly. "We really didn't need a loo." He waved at an ornate chair. "We really didn't need one other than a chamber pot."

Colin chuckled. "You will need one now."

"And when will I eat?" Edwin asked as he rubbed his stomach. "I was surprised when I woke up and didn't have the urge for blood."

"Tomorrow," I replied. "You will have to take it slow at first. Your body isn't used to digesting food and may have some...discomfort."

Edwin nodded. "George told me." He shrugged. "I guess I need to move." He looked around the apartment. "Basil and I lived here together. Being here is comfortable for me."

Colin nodded. "And you can keep it, but out of necessity it would be more prudent to move."

"There's a bedroom I use to shower upstairs," Edwin said. "I should take a shower before I greet anyone."

"We'll help you get a change of clothes," I said.

Shaved and showered and wearing fresh clothes we went out to the dining room.

George smiled as Edwin sat again at the head of the table. "You have color now!" Edwin was naturally pale. He was one of those men that had such fair skin, it was easy to see his beard shadow even though he'd just shaved.

Edwin touched his face. "When I was shaving...it was almost like I was looking at someone else."

Nigel came out with the goblet of blood and looked at Edwin surprised. "My goodness." He said. "You look...well, sir."

Edwin nodded with a chuckle and waved the goblet of blood away. "I feel better than I have in a long, long time, but you can take that away." He smiled. "I no longer require that."

Nigel nodded. "Very good, sir." He took the goblet away.

Burke smiled. "A whole new world will be opened to you soon."

Edwin smiled. "I'm looking forward to it." This was when he sighed. "We're doing it again tonight, aren't we?"

George smiled tightly. "We have to, or you become what you've been for two hundred years."

Edwin nodded. "It's worth it."

Colin smiled. "You know what will happen now. It won't be surprising tonight." He looked at the others at the table. "We found out Edwin is a very good artist."

Mom smiled. "Really? I'd love to see some of his work."

Things were pretty calm for the next few hours. It was later when I spoke with Chuck.

"How's it going with those serum darts?" I asked.

Chuck nodded. "Very well. I've got a couple of dart guns, I'm just getting the darts together."

"The problem is you and Shelly won't be seen as targets by any vampire because of the Disflavor." I said.

Chuck nodded. "With Alex and Gabriella, we can track them."

"Colin and I will be with Edwin for now," I explained. "Be careful."

Chuck nodded. "We always are."

The house was Edwin's but picking a room for him was a challenge. Finding one he thought he could live in; we gave him the second injection in the arm. It was again very painful, not only for Edwin but for Colin, George, and me as well. We had formed a close connection with Edwin and now his pain was hurting us, too.

One more time Edwin stopped after a few hours and went to sleep.

After Colin and I got a few hours of sleep, we went to Edwin again. Colin had told Nigel to have something simple for Edwin to eat. Chicken. It was the safest. We had him eat in his room to make it easy if he needed to go somewhere in a hurry.

He was another one that loved the taste for the first time in so long. And one more time, he was injected. The pain came again, but we'd given it to him earlier so he could be woken up before sunrise.

As I never really missed a sunrise, I could only appreciate what I saw in their eyes and reaction to the sunrise. Sleepy and a little groggy, we stood with Edwin outside as the sun began to rise over the horizon, but the trees around blocked a little of it. Still, I smiled as I saw the tears from Edwin's blue eyes come. He had not seen in nearly two hundred years and was moved more than I could imagine. I saw him rub his arms as we all did when the tingling started. We put him back to bed to finish getting the sleep he needed. The evening when he came down he looked almost...normal! He sat down again at his place at the table. He clapped his hands in anticipation.

Nigel came up to Edwin. "My god, you look...human!" Nigel said in amazement.

Colin chuckled. "He is."

"And I'm looking forward to finally tasting your wife's cooking I've heard about," Edwin said happily.

Nigel nodded. "I'll get some of it now."

I chuckled as I watched Edwin consume his meal with gusto but was loving each mouthful. The occasional closing of the eyes as he tasted again and swallowed in luxury.

"This is just...divine!" Edwin said.

Colin smiled. "And it's just the beginning of many wonderful meals."

"We can even have a meal outside in the sunlight." I offered.

Edwin sat back a little as he thought about it. "A picnic! I can't wait!"

We gave him his evening serum and it still hurt him, but as with the others, the amount of time with the pain had lessened.

We were in contact with Stan back in Manhattan who was telling us about recent reports in this part of Yorkshire on the disappearances and unknown deaths.

We had set up a laptop on a table in the Library as we discussed the situation.

"...and what's interesting..." Stan said. "The area has a number of cases that are still open. There are unsolved incidents all over there, but..." he said dramatically as he typed in a hurry.

"But what?" Chuck asked.

"There is a pattern!" Stan said proudly. "Using Buddy, the incidents go in a clockwise rotation. The next logical location will be north of you...Buddy predicts one of the small towns near Darlington. He even can narrow that pattern down. He thinks the next town will be Piercebridge." He grinned. "You have to allow some flexibility with human...or rather...vampire error. Even with that, there is a pattern that is also clockwise. Manfield and Barton are possible, but Buddy has high confidence that it will be Piercebridge."

I chuckled at his relationship with the computer. "Buddy isn't talking to you now, is he?"

Stan looked like I had said something odd. "Of course, he does." We watched him pat the glass computer top affectionately. "You have to speak his language." He smiled. "And I do!"

Colin grinned at me. "I think Mark was right about telling Stan not to leave body fluids on the computer."

I nodded. "No wonder Mark is jealous of the computer."

Stan went on without being offended at all. "Now, the thing is...the people in those towns will know this. Locked doors and windows will cause the rotation to progress. If they don't...if they don't get fed in the town, they will go clockwise to Walworth and so on."

I was thinking about what he'd said. I looked at Edwin. "How many rogue vampires are there in this area?" Edwin thought a minute. "It varies, we really don't have an accurate count. There are five that are borderline that were turned from criminals and just nasty people. The others that just wild with no humanity, they are in the dozens."

"Dozens?" Shelly repeated in shock. "How do they stay under the radar? People have to see them."

Edwin shrugged a nod. "They do. You kill a vampire and what's left? They pretty much burn away, especially when the sun comes up." He got up and was thinking. "The people of the towns don't talk about it." He shrugged. "They won't talk about it."

I shook my head. "They? You mean regular citizens? How can they allow it?"

"How can they stop it?" Edwin asked. "There are so many vampires that live in those abandoned tunnels, old mines are...the vampires are everywhere. The police will investigate sometimes, but there is no evidence! No bodies of any attackers. The wild vampires are not always smart, they don't make it back underground or they...are stopped by someone before they bite anyone." He looked at us pleading. "The people here are...not so willing to go to tell anyone. Attacks like the ones you're investigating have been going on for centuries. They know about the vampires, but they won't talk about it." He threw his hands out frustrated. "They just happen, and the people just look the other way."

"Guys." Stan said from the screen making us look back. "There is something else..." he gave a nod as we did look at him again. "Using what George told me...how these vampires are targeting people. Devon, you asked why there weren't any fat vampires. There is an age that plays in this, as well. The victims I've dug up through the records from the area. The ones that are questioned, are usually between their early twenties to mid-forties. They are healthy people, but they also don't fit the profile of many of the people that often vanish. They have no history of running off or running away. They are usually men that come home late, or the woman that breaks down on the road and just vanish, but they are all healthy."

George nodded. "This is the first case where it's proven to be fat can save your life."

"Many records were hard to find." Stan went on. "Going through the records of local newspapers and police investigations...we can only see what they transfer to databases. There is also those put on microfiche..."

I looked back at Stan. "Microfiche?"

Stan shrugged. "That's what it's called, it's those newspaper and files that are recorded and scanned on these little, almost transparent sheets. Microfiche, you never heard of those? That's what they're called, very tiny and you have to use a screen to read them." Stan sighed. "Those are almost all digitized as a whole and put on data files. That is almost like reading those old medical records that Buddy had a hard time reading. Again, to speed things up, I just downloaded the whole data files. To ease the work Buddy had to do."

Colin frowned. "All these files, how is our memory? Is it filling up?"

Stan grinned. "Not even a dent." He waved the idea of a problem off. "Buddy can take it." He smiled now even bigger. "If nothing else, when we get all these Vampire Capitals we should have a great database for tracking." His eyebrows danced.

"So, are we hunting tonight?" Shelly asked.

Colin looked at her as he thought. "The problem is that you, Mom and Chuck have that Disflavor. You're all physically fit, but you won't be seen as a target."

Edwin also thought. "We need a new target? Someone human."

George shook his head. "No. We won't endanger someone else!" He said adamantly.

Colin nodded. "I agree with George. We can't put someone at risk." He looked at Gabriella and Alex. "But you two can sense the area. You might pick up a scent. Could you follow it?"

Gabriella nodded. "Sure, Daddy."

Colin grinned at Alex. "Of course, to cover more territory, you and Alex will have to break into two teams again." Alex nodded with a sad look. "Yeah, I figured that out." He sighed.

Edwin looked at us. "You can smell them?"

Gabriella nodded. "It's a very unique smell...kind of a musty, musky smell. We can follow it if the trail is not too old."

Edwin smiled. "Sarah Bennett...the first vampire to arrive the other night? She claims she could smell the same thing. Could she help?"

Colin and I looked at each other and then to the others in our team.

"That young woman that came with those two older men?" Mom asked.

Edwin chuckled. "Those two older men were her sons."

I shook my head. "Here we go again with the age thing." I grinned.

Edwin chuckled again. "She was a young mother and wife, attacked when she was returning from work...late. Fortunately, she wasn't far from home. After she was turned, she returned home and has been hiding out there ever since."

"Her husband protected her?" Mom asked.

Edwin nodded. "He did until he died of old age, her sons take care of her now. She raised those boys...while she was a vampire."

Even Mom was surprised at that. "She was no danger to her family?"

Edwin shrugged. "Her maternal instinct was still there. She never attacked her family. She, like many, fed on livestock."

I nodded. "George, does an animal bitten by a vampire...become..." I shrugged, "...this sounds stupid, but a cow bit, does it become a vampire cow?"

Colin chuckled. "A vampire Guernsey cow?"

George shook his head. "The venom only works in humans." He smiled. "It's a very picky venom." He shrugged. "But the blood volume in a cow is a lot greater, the cow wouldn't be killed necessarily."

I shrugged a nod. "So, no cows or goats with fangs."

George smiled, shaking his head. "Actually, that's the best source for renewable blood. The vampires here would know that."

Willie chuckled. "That beats feeding on rats." He smiled as Mom rolled her eyes.

"I would prefer she help us after she's taken the serum," George said.

Colin smiled nodding. "This sort of thing has been happening for centuries...it can wait another week or so."

George smiled. "Providing she agrees to take the serum."

Edwin smiled. "I'd be willing to bet the house, she will after she sees me."

George nodded. "I'll begin your disc in a few days. Then there will be no pain."

Edwin nodded. "Great!"

Chuck got up. "We can patrol around." He said smiling. "Wait here." He ran off to another part of the house and returned with what looked like a handgun. "I have this." He pulled out some dart looking objects. It was clearly a syringe looking thing with an almost fluffy tail. "The problem is it needs to be loaded one at a time." He waved at Shelly. "She can carry one on her team and I'll carry one on my team." He looked at Shelly. "Just be sure of your shot, it will take a few seconds to reload." He showed it to me.

"I think the best place to shoot a vampire is the leg," Shelly said. "It will slow them down." She looked at Edwin. "We have guns. That will work."

"But guns in England are prohibited," Edwin said. "The Firearms Act makes any handgun or pump action gun illegal."

Shelly nodded. "Criminals here don't have access to guns?"

"But we don't want to be criminals," George said. "We're here to help."

Edwin nodded. "Do you have enough serum?" He asked George.

George nodded. "Yes, I have several canisters of the serum. We'll ship what's needed later when you have enough vampires on the serum. It takes a pretty advanced lab to make. Now, the discs are not hard. It's a concentrated serum that needs to be inserted under the skin." He showed where he had his in his arm. "Is there anyone out there that has medical knowledge you trust to help make the discs and insert them?"

Edwin nodded. "Both of Sarah's sons have children...two have the medical knowledge and can do it. They know about their grandmother."

"Grandchildren." Mom said in amazement. "Her sons look like they could be Sarah's grandfathers!"

I waved at Gabriella. "It's a problem I still have with her being Colin's daughter." I shrugged. "You'll get used to it."

"Patrol, but don't hunt unless there's no choice." Colin cautioned. "We don't want them on the alert, yet."

I looked at George. "I get that the serum won't work in cows and other animals...does the serum not get into milk and beef?"

George shook his head. "Just like I told Colin. Any fluids are taken into the body...whether drunk or..." he smiled at Colin, "...or by ejaculation won't change a person into a vampire. It has to be from a bite directly in the bloodstream." I nodded as Colin looked away blushing remembering his reluctance to have sex for that reason. I squeezed his hand and smiled. "So, no vampire guard dogs?"

George shook his head. "Not enough blood volume, they die, but no, the venom only works in humans."

I frowned. "That's a very specific venom." I looked at Edwin. "I don't suppose you know where it originated from or what?"

Edwin shook his head. "Sorry."

I shrugged. "Maybe we'll find out at the Vampire Capitol in Cairo."

Edwin's eyes widened. "You're going there, too?"

George nodded. "If we find out where it came from, we could get closer to a cure. Vampires are everywhere."

Edwin nodded. "I guessed that. We're isolated because we die in sunlight."

George smiled. "That's right."

"Why Cairo?" Edwin asked.

"According to the Theory of Evolution, we all came from hominids in Africa." I went on. "The venom is ancient. I'm also willing to bet the house; we'll find the source of the venom there."

George smiled. "We'll find out when we get there. Until then, we have some vampires to find and treat here."

Again, we gave Edwin his serum, but now the levels of serum were getting to the level needed. The serum was working in shorter time. This time it was about half an hour.

George smiled. "Just a few more and I'll create the disc for him."

It was a few more days when the serum took only five minutes to work. George took a blood sample and created the disc for Edwin and inserted it.

"Now, there will be no more pain?" Edwin asked looking at the back of his arm.

Colin smiled. "No."

Edwin looked at Colin and me. "And you went through all this for decades? The working serum twice?"

Burke came over. "I'm afraid that was my fault."

Edwin looked surprised. "Your fault?"

Burke nodded. "I didn't know about the serum, but I knew Colin was a vampire and I wanted to know how he was moving around in the day." He smiled weakly at me. "I'm responsible for Devon being turned, as well."

I smiled at Burke. "It was going to happen, you just made it possible for me to get it early." I put a hand on his shoulder. "I'm fine with it."

Burke smiled. "He's very forgiving. I'm not sure I would be."

It was exactly a week later when we all gathered in the Gallery again. Again, I felt the feeling that they were out there. Again, Sarah is the closest of Edwin's neighbors, arrived first. She was accompanied by her sons. She walked up to Edwin as her mouth dropped open seeing him.

Edwin smiled giving the wave over himself. "See? It works."

She walked around him as she looked in awe as she looked at him from head to toe. "You've been in the sunshine?"

Edwin nodded. "We had breakfast on the terrace after it was up more this morning. It didn't hurt a bit."

She reached out to touch him but stopped. "May I?"

Edwin nodded. "Sure." He raised his chin to give her access to his throat.

She touched his neck and felt the beat of his heart. "You have a pulse."

"And believe me...I have enjoyed eating so much." Edwin stressed. "No more dependence on blood." He took her hand. "Trust me. It works."

Sarah nodded. "But when that doctor...George Holms told us it hurts."

Edwin nodded. "He never lied about that. It does hurt." He smiled. "It will hurt a lot, but the results don't lie."

Sarah chuckled. "You've never been in labor and given birth!" She looked back at her sons. "Suffering the many contractions...fourteen hours of labor for Edmond, ten for Gerald."

Both Edmond and Gerald nodded with a smile as if to say they were sorry. Again. Edwin smiled. "It won't be that long, but it does hurt."

Sarah smiled nodding. "Let's do it."

The other vampires arrived and each one were stunned seeing Edwin looking so...human. They all wanted to see Edwin and they surrounded him wanting to talk to him. Edwin startled many as he got some finger food from a passing tray and ate it in front of them and downed it with some beverage. That more than anything was convincing them this was going to be possible. Then they were all asking to be a part of this and wanted the serum.

"Whoa!" George smiled. "I have enough serum, but someone needs to be there to give it." He chuckled. "I have Devon that has given it and can help but need someone else to be here."

Sarah looked up when she heard that. "I have two grandchildren...Emma is a nurse and Evan is studying to be a doctor. He went through Med School. Will he work?"

Edwin smiled as he looked back at us. "What did I tell you?"

George nodded. "Do you think they'll help us?"

Sarah nodded. "Certainly."

"We'll be needing them every night for a week," George said.

"I'm sure they can," Sarah answered.

Mom shook her head and asked Sarah. "How did you manage two children at night?"

Sarah chuckled. "Well, that was a little challenging. Errol, that was my husband, went to the night shift and I worked during the nights doing the vacuuming and other chores. Mum helped during the day until they went to school."

Still, there were hold outs. Not many, but one in particular. The young guy that identified himself as Matthew wasn't sure. "And in exchange for this...miracle, what do you want?" Matthew asked.

Edwin frowned at Matthew. "They haven't asked for a thing, Matt."

Matthew nodded as he strolled forward. "Why are they keeping the formula secret? They make us dependent on them for freedom. For what?"

Sarah looked angrily at Matthew. "They've been honest about everything so far. Look at Edwin!" She waved to Edwin.

"We are keeping the formula secret because it could be exploited," Colin explained. "It's difficult to create according to George. I don't even begin to understand it, but he does."

"Once we're on the serum..." Matthew began, "...then we'll find out they want something. It's a means of control!"

"You don't have to be on the serum," Colin replied. "You can go home and continue with things as they are."

Sarah shook her head. "Or...we get on it, it doesn't work out and we stop." She reasoned. "Things will go back to the way they are. I think it's worth the risk."

Colin nodded. "That's right, but he's right. We do want something."

Matthew smirked. "See?" He waved at us.

"We want to come together and bring all vampires together," Colin said. "We've been operating alone for centuries. This is the first we can come together."

George nodded. "I want all vampires on the serum. It will reduce the threat. No one will make you."

"No one is forcing anyone to take the serum," Colin said looking at Matthew. "You're free to take it and change your mind if you want. Or you can just go back to where ever you live and have things remain the same."

There were two others that had family members who had medical backgrounds that they would check with to see if they would help.

I leaned in toward Edwin. "Well, there will be an increase in groceries!"

Edwin laughed and nodded. "I have a few days to stock up, but after that, they're on their own." He smiled.

We ended up having five we would begin the serum on. The first night, we started with Sarah. We did it in Edwin's and Basil's old room below the house. Again, the pain came when we gave the serum in her heart. We met her granddaughter Emma that watched and wasn't too sure about this treatment. This was Edmond's daughter. She was a nice woman in her late twenties and had blonde hair. She asked if we were positive this would work but couldn't deny when she saw Edwin. At dawn, she saw her grandmother was resting and had a pulse. We moved Sarah upstairs and began another vampire. George was confident that Emma knew what to do medically. We kept in touch with Stan, and he updated us on where Buddy was predicting the next target would be. Middlesbrough and the surrounding were predicted towns that were next.

"Okay," I said to the image on the screen. "If there are dozens of vampires, there should be dozens of disappearances each night."

Stan gave a slight shrug. "There are dozens of reports about farm animals and pets that are killed. The wild vampires are simply looking for blood and are more random. There is a definite pattern." He said confidently. "I can't give you guys absolutes. This is just based on available data." He smiled. "Next time, though...when you go on location to the palace like I see in the background and hear from Chuck and Shelly. Mark and I are coming with you." He said smiling. I nodded. "We need you to speak with Buddy." I grinned. "Having you there is important."

Stan smirked. "Uh, huh." He tapped his own head. "Damned this brain." He smiled. "I'll come up with a solution. Using the computer at Wentworth Manor worked fine." He said reasonably.

"We didn't even know if he had a computer," I explained. "He does, but you would get frustrated with it in seconds." I grinned.

Stan nodded. "I need to come up with another way of bringing Buddy with me on location. I know there is way, but I need it to be badass."

Colin smiled. "Do that, making sure we can access by satellite and not lose the connection and we'll make sure we include you and Mark."

As things were progressing, Colin and I could now join the teams as we sought the other vampires. It wasn't fair, but Colin and I were not on the same team. One with Alex, Burke, Shelly and me, the other team had Colin, Willie, Gabriella, and Chuck were on the other. I refused to allow my mother to join any team. She was in good shape, but I wasn't willing to take the risk. She was my mother! I was a little surprised how empty the streets were. Riding in the SUV we did see people out, they never traveled alone.

"Were you able to pick up a scent for the other vampires?" I asked Alex.

Alex nodded. "They were old scents...I could trace them back toward the south, but I need more time. A fresh scent would be best." He frowned. "And they crisscrossed...it was sort of hard to work out."

"Was there a particular scent? Could you determine how many vampires there were?" I asked.

He shook his head. "Right now, they all mixed together. I'd have to be close to them to narrow it down to one or two."

There were suburbs in the surrounding towns, but they were...well, they didn't look like the houses back in the states. Almost every house was two stories and looked somewhat similar. They weren't unattractive, but they seemed to be built similarly. Most of the corners were round. In more rural areas, there were the stone fences up and I saw a lot of sheep. I wondered why they weren't in a pen or something. The people here left them out to keep them from killing them. It was a good plan.

I sighed. "This is going to be hard."

Alex nodded. "But we're doing something." He said trying to be encouraging. "What will be helpful, is George getting that vampire detector working."

Burke smiled. "He's working on it. I promise."

I smiled back at Burke. "And you would know."

Burke chuckled. "Yes, I do." He looked at me. "I'm saying it again, Devon. I didn't..." He was dealing with guilt. I turned to Burke and frowned knowing what he was going to say...again.

"We're putting a stake in the ground. Right now."

Burke's eyes widened. "A what?"

"In the past...and you should know this...when two parties had an agreement...there were no lawyers available or if they couldn't even read a contract...the two parties make an agreement." I began. "If one party doesn't live up to his side of the bargain, the other would take the first to that stake to remind him of the agreement," I said smiling.

"Now, we will agree right now. Say what you want to say, but this will be the last time. Okay?"

Burke raised his shoulders. "I feel guilty! I put you and Colin in a position I never should have. You're a vampire because of me."

I nodded. "No, you shouldn't have." I sighed. "It doesn't bother me that you did...I knew I would be turned, just not when. It would be different if I didn't love Colin, but I do. I could be with him a couple of decades before, but I would have died eventually. There's no guarantee I'll live past tonight...Colin could be attacked while on patrol. We have no assurances." I smiled. "But our chances of a long, long-term relationship increased when he bit me." I shrugged. "I wish I were physically a little older, but I'm fine with it." I looked at him to make sure he was looking at me. "I forgive you, John," I said as sincerely as possible. "Get it? I'm not angry or even upset." I brightened. "In fact, I'm happier now than I was before. One last time. Say, you're sorry."

Burke grinned. "I'm sorry."

"One last time. I forgive you." I said. "Not another word about it. Okay? Are we agreed?"

Burke nodded. "Agreed."

Alex sat forward. "Stop!" He said to Shelly quickly.

Shelly hit the brakes. She could drive on the other side; I couldn't do it comfortably yet. "Are you picking up the scent?" She shook her head for asking what she considered a stupid question. "Of course, you are." She answered her own question. "Are we heading in the right direction?"

Alex looked toward a field where sheep were kept. He looked out at the dark pasture. He pointed out across the field. "Over there."

Shelly pulled to the side of the road, and we got out. I didn't feel a thing at first. We climbed the rock fence and followed Alex. We crept slowly as silently as possible through the grass. It wasn't long before I did sense the vampire. The problem with that was I was picking up on the vampire as it could sense us. Alex broke into a run, and we hurried to follow. I saw the remains of a sheep that hadn't been brought into the pen or barn. It was dead. I felt it stronger now and no longer needed Alex to show me the way.

Burke pointed. "Go that way." He said to me and went in the other direction. We would spread out and herd this vampire in a certain direction. Shelly and Alex were still heading together directly at the vampire, but Shelly had that dart gun ready and poised to fire.

I was a pretty fast runner. So was Burke. We managed to herd this vampire as it was not able to veer from a course without us knowing. It wasn't long before we heard the fast steps ahead as the vampire was running through the grass. As a vampire, my ability to see better at night was better. However, Shelly and Chuck had planned for this contingency and wore night vision goggles. We caught up with the fleeing vampire. Shelly stopped suddenly, took aim and fired! The dart hit the vampire in the calf. It yelped in pain as it stumbled and fell. Hurrying, we got to the vampire as it was still attempting to hobble away but holding its leg.

"Can you speak?" I asked the vampire who looked at me and hissed. It had the fangs, but it was clearly unwashed, and I saw nothing in his eyes but anger at being caught. He hissed at Shelly as she came forward.

"Yeah, I'm not very appetizing." Shelly grinned.

"Speak," I ordered. "Or this ends now," I said again to the vampire. This was the first time I would do this, but what choice did we have?

Alex pulled out a large hunting knife. "He's wild." He said sadly. "I'm getting better at detecting that."

I still hoped. "Last chance," I said to the vampire who just looked at us and hissed again. I hated it, but we all nodded.

Alex came up behind the vampire...and I had seen some gruesome things during my time in the war. Alex grabbed it by the hair that needed to be cut months ago, pulled the vampire's head back and slit it at his throat. What came out was this black, oozy liquid. His recent meal had not gotten in his bloodstream yet. It gurgled and fell. Alex watched the vampire die as he brought some tissues from his pocket and cleaned his knife. "One more down."

I shook my head. "Does it get easier?" I frowned.

Shelly shook her head. "He isn't human, Devon. If anything, any suffering he might be going through is over. He'd be glad we did this."

Alex came over and put an arm around my shoulder. "No. It doesn't get easier, but we have to. Just think about this...he can't bite anyone else."

I nodded. "I know." The good thing was we didn't have to worry about cleaning up. The body would be gone a few minutes after sunrise. I looked around. "I wish we could find those ones that are borderline."

Shelly nodded as she reloaded her dart gun. "We will." She said confidently.

We went back to the SUV and rode on. We didn't catch another one that night. Alex could pick up on a few scents, but as he explained; it was a mix of smells and old, he couldn't find a direction. It was just at dawn when we gave up for the night. We rode the hour or so back to Thornwood. I hadn't realized I was smiling when we arrived.

"What are you so ha,py about?" Burke smiled.

I grinned as I looked at Burke. "It just..." I smiled. "...no matter the city or country...coming back to Colin...I feel like I'm coming home." I shrugged. "Corny, huh?"

Alex looked back from the passenger side of the front. "That's not corny at all. That's love." He smiled. "I feel the same when Gabriella is there." "I do with George." Burke nodded. Shelly groaned. "I need a boyfriend." She muttered. "The only thing I have to look forward to is a shower." She smiled as she pulled the SUV to a stop. "See you later." She said and walked inside. "She's always on duty," I said. "There's no time for her to find a boyfriend." Alex slapped me on the back. "When it's right, it will happen for her. Duty or not." He said and walked in himself.

Going to Colin's and my room, I saw Colin had not gotten back yet. I would be concerned until I saw him. We'd been in contact with each other by radio and phone. I knew he was alright but knowing was not the same as seeing him. As was my practice, I warmed up some bathwater and filled the oversized tub. I showered to get any excess dirt off and then lowered myself in the tub. The hot water seeped into my muscles relaxing them. I drifted off with my head propped on the side of the tub. My head cushioned by some towels. I felt my lips being kissed lightly which woke me up. Those emerald eyes greeted me as Colin smiled.

"Hi." Colin greeted. "Mind if I join you?"

I grinned at my husband. "I would mind if you didn't," I said caressing the side of his face, but stopped him before he got undressed. "Rinse first."

He rolled his eyes but nodded. "Okay." He began unbuttoning his shirt to pull it off. "How'd you do tonight?"

"We caught a wild vampire and ended him," I said watching my husband strip. It was very enjoyable. "How was your night?"

He grinned as his eyebrows danced. "Two." He said holding up two fingers.

"That's great!" I said honestly. "Three down!"

Colin nodded as he kicked his shoes off and pulled his pants off. He grinned at me, knowing I was enjoying watching him. He giggled a little making his flaccid cock swing a little. His eyebrow did a single wiggle.

I shrugged as I didn't look away. "Sue me. I like looking at you."

Colin smiled and leaned in kissing me gently. "I like looking at you." He said as he got in the shower and rinsed as I asked. He came back and lowered himself in front of me and laid back against my chest. "I hope you never tire of looking at me."

I put my arms around him as I got the soap and began washing his chest leisurely. "That won't happen."

"I'll feel better when some of the other local vampires are on the serum and can take over," Colin said with a sigh as he relaxed. "I wonder why Matthew is so suspicious."

"I thought about that," I said. "He was turned when? He was eighteen or nineteen in 1954." I shrugged. "That means his childhood was during World War II. He probably remembers that and may have issues with trust because of that. He seems like a nice guy, but trust is...harder for him."

Colin nodded. "I know who can get him to talk." He grinned looking back at me.

I smiled. "I'm not a therapist."

Colin grinned. "Yes, you are." He shrugged. "If anyone can get him to talk, you can. You think you have no gifts, but I say that's your gift. Alex and Gabriella track. You have the gift to make people trust you and talk easier. That's a definite gift."

I gave a shrugging nod. "I'll try. Maybe tomorrow night, I'll go over there."

Colin nodded. "We can handle it without you one night."

Colin and I slept well that morning. It was mid-afternoon when we got up and went to get something to eat. I looked for Edwin, but his new freedom made it harder to find him. Finally, I was told he was in the walled garden. Didn't every manor house have one of those? I grinned when I saw him in the garden as he was working on a painting! He sat before the easel as he was painting. He was enjoying himself. He kept looking up at the sky and smiling. I came up behind him and saw he was working on just a portion of the garden. I cleared my throat to not startle him.

Edwin looked back and smiled at me. "Top of the afternoon!"

I pointed to the flowers he was drawing. "It's Autumn." I grinned. "There are no flowers now. They're out of season."

Edwin smiled. "There is if I paint them!"

"You really are a good artist," I said sitting next to Edwin on a short-walled part of the garden. "Very good. I bet you can make money with those."

Edwin shrugged. "It relaxes me." He smiled. "Did you come to say hello, or is there something else?"

I nodded. "Well, yes, there is...but hello works, too." I said. "Hello."

He chuckled. "I just enjoy being outside!" He said happily. "What can I help you with?"

"Matthew," I said.

Edwin nodded. "Matthew." He sighed sadly. "He's going to be a tough nut to crack."

"I thought I'd go talk to him."

Edwin looked at me puzzled. It just took a minute and then he nodded. "You want to know where to find him. Okay." He told me where and I was going there that night. "But don't be disappointed if he shuts the door on you."

That night I followed the directions I'd been given. I even drove! There's a really scary thought, huh? I stayed where I was supposed to be, and it was almost all country roads. He lived under the ruins of an old house. Nothing was really around it, but pasture. I looked around the ruins and saw a door that might have led downstairs. It was a one-story house. The downstairs would be the basement. I knocked on it but got no answer. I looked at my watch, it was only a couple of hours after sunset, he was probably off feeding. I didn't think I could do anything but wait. So I sat on a piece of broken wall.

It was about midnight when I felt the presence of a vampire. I looked in the direction I sensed.

"What do you want?" I heard a tired voice ask.

There was Matthew. I saw him clearly now. He was a nice-looking man that was tall, a little lanky, but that was because he was turned so young. He might not have finished growing when he was turned. He had light brown hair, but he had been in shape. Whether it was exercise or still just his youth at the time. "I would like to know about you, Matthew. What is it about us that you don't trust?"

Matthew looked surprised at my candor. "You don't waste time."

I smiled at him. "You don't strike me as a man that likes his time wasted."

Matthew walked over. "You're right. I don't."

"What do I need to do to prove to you we don't want anything?" I asked.

Matthew chuckled. "You just want to help." He said almost mockingly.

I could tell he didn't believe that. "You've heard it before."

Matthew nodded. "Yep."

"And it turned out not to be true?" I asked.

"Yep."

I sighed as I turned to look at him. "Who was it that lied?"

He looked surprised. "Everyone!" He said angrily. "Everybody lies. They tell me...we just want to help...or this is for your own good."

"Who?" I asked knowing I was getting close to this truth.

"Everyone! My own mother lied!!" He shouted.

I nodded. "Where were you born?"

He wasn't prepared for that question. "What?"

I looked at him. "Where were you born? It's not a trick question."

"London."

I nodded knowing history. "How old were you when the bombing started?" I watched his jaw drop in shock. He didn't answer, so, I went on. "The way I see it, and I have to go by history books rather than memory, you're about eighteen or nineteen when you were bitten. That was in what....1954?" I was hitting the nail right on the head as he was more surprised. "That would make you about five when the bombs hit London."

Matthew sat down quietly. "I was."

I nodded. "And you were sent up in this direction? To get you away from London?" I asked quietly.

He nodded. "I remember Mum put me on the train." He looked bitter, but if he had tears, he would be shedding some now. "She told me it was for the best that she was sending me away. The people I was going to stay with were doing it to help me. It was for my own good."

"So, she was the one that lied?"

"She was just the first," Matthew said angrily. "The women that were sending us to evacuate us and got us off the train said it was for my own good and I would be back with my mother."

"I have the feeling that didn't happen," I said quietly.

Matthew shook his head. "I never saw Mum again." He shrugged. "I don't know what happened to her."

I had to be careful here. "She might have died?"

"Maybe," He shrugged again. "Dad..." he said. "I really don't remember him. He went off to fight and I know he died. That news came by mail." He frowned. "Mum may not have wanted me."

"I can't say," I said slowly. "This is way before my time. So, who was the next person to lie?"

He chuckled. "Again, you don't waste time." He took a breath and exhaled. "There was the Clarkes." He said angrily again. "Martha and Stuart."

"How did they lie?"

"Martha...was just...mean," He said quietly. "She promised to take good care of me and help...she would get so..." he raised fists in frustrated anger "...angry and hit me with...whatever she had...a spoon, belt...if nothing else, her fists." Matthew said angrily.

That hurt me to hear. "And Stuart?"

He chuckled. "Stuart...he also said he would help me." He remembered and I saw the hurt on his face. "I'd hear them argue." He was now angry enough that his chuckle was more bitter. "That happened almost every night. The first time it happened, I was terrified."

I knew what he was going to say, but I let him tell me about it.

"He crawled into bed with me." He said and I heard his voice crack. "And he...he..."

I was listening. This was seventy years in the past! Yet he remembered as if it happened the night before! I kept my face still and show no emotions.

"...he started touching me." He shook his head. "Why am I telling you this?" He turned away and was about to leave.

"Because I'll listen?" I said quietly getting up. "Because I have a nice face?" I shrugged. "Both of those apply here." I saw him stop. "You do know...none of this was your fault, don't you? Maybe you can try and trust me."

Matthew laughed. "Oh, I'm not done." He turned back. "You know what he did."

"I think so, but why don't you tell me?"

Matthew shook his head. "I haven't told anyone about this. Why am I telling you?"

I smiled. "Don't you think you're overdue?" I asked softly. "Tell someone that won't judge you. That would be me."

"First it was touching," Matthew said. "Then he stuck it in me."

I felt for him. No child should go through that, but he didn't need sympathy right now. "Okay."

"His dick!! He put his dick in my arse!!" Matthew shouted.

"I thought so."

"That happened for years!!" Matthew said angrily. "Martha would get on her binges and hit me, and Stuart would rape me!" He shouted. "This was for my own good!??" He was very angry now. "This was to help me!?"

"Anything else?"

"They adopted me after they realized my mother wasn't being found." He shrugged. "What could I do? Now I was their son! Martha died when I was about ten." He sighed and laughed. "I was never so happy to go to a funeral. I thought the hitting would stop. The hitting did, but now I got it every damned night from Stuart. I just learned to lay and take it!"

"You survived."

"If you say so," Matthew said. "I ran away at fourteen." He smiled. "You know what I did?"

"You were still a kid."

"I hustled." He smiled a little evilly. "Men, women, anybody who could give me what I needed. Whether it was a meal, a place to stay or just plain money." He waved at the ruins of the house. "That's how I get to stay here. I slept with the guy to get to stay here. This was after I was turned. He didn't care I was a vampire, just a piece of arse."

I nodded. "Okay."

"I took it up the arse! I sucked his cock...whatever I needed to do."

I nodded again. "I guess you're waiting for me to be disgusted. Well, I'm not." I smiled.

"I was a whore!" Matthew said.

I grinned and walked closer. "I'll tell you what I see."

Matthew looked as I wasn't disgusted or walking away. Again, he wasn't prepared for this "I see a man...and I do mean...a man." I said to him. "You were a child when you were sent up here for your safety. You trusted the people here to take care of you, instead, they abused you." I pointed at him. "Again, not your fault," I stressed that point. "It was not your fault. You were a child! When you ran away, where could you get work?" I waved at him. "You're a nice-looking guy. To make money to live on, you sold or traded what you had." I smiled. "Your body. Even after you were turned into a vampire, did you feed off anyone?"

Matthew looked shocked. "No!"

"There you go!" I said smiling. "Even with all that, you didn't give in. You kept your humanity. There are vampires out there that are just...monsters. They have no human qualities left and just feed. You didn't!" I grinned. "And I'm getting used to the British terms for things...thanks to BBC America. And especially Harry Potter."

Matthew was smiling back. "Harry Potter?"

"And Doctor Who and other good shows...car parks, petrol...lorry. I know what you meant when you said arse. We say ass. You call it snogging, we call it kissing. You say shag and we..."

He chuckled. "I get it." He said stopping me.

I smiled at him. "I'm not judging you. In fact, I commend you! What you did was nothing short of...brilliant!" I walked closer. "That's another word. Brilliant. You Brits use it a little differently."

Matthew looked at me daring to hope. "You're not...shocked?"

"I told you. That was very smart!" I nodded. "You're very smart."

Matthew smiled. "You, you don't want my arse?" He laughed. "Or ass?"

I shook my head. "Why would I want yours? I have access to the greatest ass or arse I've ever seen!"

He looked shocked. "Whose?"

"Colin and I are Wentworths," I said. "We're not brothers, we're not even cousins. He's my husband."

His eyes grew. "You mean...he's...and you..."

"We didn't get into the relationships we have, but yeah....he's...and I'm..." I grinned. "He's my husband. I give him what he desires from me, and he gives me what I desire from him. It's called love."

Matthew was trying to work it in his mind. "He's rich."

"Sure." I nodded. "But that's not why I married him. He's the kindest, nicest human being I've ever met! I'd love him if he were broke!" I chuckled. "But he's not, so..."

"You like being married?"

"I love being married to Colin." I corrected. "Matthew..."

"Matt." He said as I felt he was relaxing. "People I like, I prefer they call me Matt."

I smiled. "Okay, Matt. You don't have to be alone. There will be people that will love you."

He looked doubtful. "I have a past."

"Colin does, too." I laughed. "He's much older than you are."

Matt nodded. "He said he was."

Smiling I closed the gap. "Will you give us a chance?" I asked. "Can you give me a chance?"

Matt nodded again. "Yeah, I can do that." Then he hugged me.