The Vampire Gene, Page 4

  I reached out to touch his face and hesitated, not wanting to wake him. Instead, I leaned over and breathed in his intensely male scent, closing my eyes as I inhaled. Hmmmm…

  I opened my eyes to look down at his face again, and was startled to see that his eyes were wide open, and blazing black, and almost glaring up at me. I tried to pull away slightly, but he had already curled one hand around my neck and was pulling my face down to his. I closed my eyes as our lips met, and that sensation overwhelmed me. There was a tightening rush in my abdomen, and I gasped at the sudden intensity of desire that swamped me.

  He groaned, and his hands found my shoulders and tried to push me away. His eyes were tightly shut, his face looked as if he were being torn apart by some agonising pain.

  It was incredibly difficult to let him push me away, but I managed somehow. Satisfaction grew inside me as I appreciated the depth of his desire, but it seemed wrong to force the issue when he was fighting so hard to be a good man. I rolled over onto my side and watched as his breathing became less harsh and erratic and his eyes eventually opened and he turned to lay on his side, his head propped up in one hand. He watched me with a gentle smile on his beautiful face.

  "Thank you," he whispered.

  "I can't say it's a pleasure," I grumbled, blushing slightly.

  He reached out and touched my face, running his fingers from my temple to my jaw. I smiled back at him, this man who had become so achingly precious to me.

  The kitten chose that second to leap onto the bed and start wailing for her breakfast. Angus shook his head ruefully.

  “Mina, you are becoming something of a pest.” I laughed at the incongruity of this large, powerful man talking to a white scrap of a kitten.

  The cat mewled pitifully. Angus sighed heavily.

  “Breakfast?”

  “Please.” Mina wailed in unison. “Kitten says yes, too,” I translated.

  "Right, then. I'll see you downstairs." Mina trotted after him, while I hopped out of bed and made my way to the bathroom. Ten minutes later I stepped out of the shower and wrapped myself in a big fluffy towel, and padded through to the bedroom, where I dug jeans and a shirt out of my bag and dressed hurriedly. Mina was still eating when I walked into the kitchen, and Angus was stirring scrambled eggs in a frying pan. He looked over at me and smiled. I blushed and smiled back.

  “I’ll make toast,” I offered, and he pointed to the toaster with a spatula.

  “Bread’s in the fridge.”

  “Why?”

  “I don’t know. It’s as good a place as any, I suppose. Keeps it out of the way.”

  “Weird,” I teased him. “Even for a vampire.”

  He grinned at me. The phone rang then, an intrusion in our little scene of domestic bliss. Angus pressed the answer button and then the speakerphone function, and turned back to stirring the eggs.

  “Hello?” It was Mark.

  “Hey Mark, how is everything out there?” It was good to hear his voice again.

  “Bloody hot. How’s Mina?”

  “Your cat’s fine, Mark,” Angus said dryly.

  “Good. Well, this is just a courtesy call to let you guys know that everything’s fine here, and that Mum is as happy as a pig in poo. She’s being hit on by some greasy chap and she’s loving it.” He chuckled. "Who knows, we might end up with a stepfather called Pedro."

  "That's just wrong," I told him. "On so very many levels." I shuddered. "How are you liking it?" I asked him, changing the subject.

  "Not so much, to be honest. It's a hot sweaty place, filled with hot sweaty people, all lying around turning pink in the sun and boozing up a storm. The only book I can find is a wrinkled old Robert Ludlum with the last ten pages missing. And their coffee is just gross. On the bright side, the air conditioner is top notch, and I've ordered a few books and some DVDs which should be arriving this afternoon. Until then..."

  His voice trailed off and then there was silence.

  "Why don't you download some books onto your iPhone?" Angus suggested.

  There was more silence.

  "Mark, you still there?"

  "Yes. Feeling like a complete idiot, though. I should have thought of that. Well, I must go now. Books to read, lying around to do, you know."

  "See you in a couple of days. I'll give Mina a cuddle from you." There was a click as Mark disconnected. "He's been hanging out with your brothers too much. Goodbye obviously happens to other people now," I told Angus dryly.

  Angus shook his head but he was smiling. I fished the bread out of the fridge and made toast, and smeared the butter thickly over the slices. Angus found two plates and dished up the eggs, and we ate while we discussed the meeting with the vampire family tomorrow. Apparently Marcus and Fergus had been over the moon with the news - big surprise there - and were already on their way to their family estate, which was eerily close to the home of the vampires that we would be visiting. Marcus had apparently started wondering about whether or not they were related. I bet he'd packed all his blood testing equipment. Those new guys were going to get, and probably give, a lot more than they bargained for tomorrow. The thought made me chuckle.

  "What?" Angus wanted to know.

  "I was just imagining their expressions when Marcus bears down on them clutching a needle and syringe. They're going to regret inviting us."

  Angus grinned. "That reminds me, Marcus suggested we meet up at the family estate in Aberdeenshire tonight. It's going to take us most of the day to get there, so we had probably better get going. I have arranged for Mina to vacation at the vet for a few days while we sort this out."

  "She's not going to like that..."

  "I know, but she'll be safe there, and that's what counts. Your brother would not be happy if she went missing."

  I smiled at the idea of the big strong vampire caring about the safety of a small, noisy ball of fur. I had seen the detritus he'd left in his wake when he'd single-handedly annihilated a group of blood drinking vampires a couple of days ago, and here he was arranging accommodation for the kitten, who was still loudly munching her breakfast. I gulped down the rest of my coffee, and went to throw some clothes into a bag again.

  CHAPTER 5

  Angus

  The drive up to the estate was for the most part uneventful. Rebecca told me of her childhood, and I gave her the abridged version of mine. We discussed her plans to finish her A levels, and the logistics of life after the wedding, particularly where we would live. She wanted to stay in the same house - it was almost opposite her mother's house, and near her school. I wondered if we would be better off in a larger place with limited access and better security. Our family holdings were extensive, and there were a few places within an hours drive of her mother's house that would fit the bill nicely. I didn't like the idea of living on a public road, especially with the threat of Jack and his dubious intentions hanging over us all. But security means different things to different people, and if it made my lady feel happy and secure to live near her family, I would have to accept the risk, and deal with it.

  Marcus and Fergus had already arrived and settled in by the time we reached the estate. Rebecca took one look at the Bentley parked on the gravel outside, and started giggling. I glanced across at the gold coloured monstrosity, and shook my head. My brothers had never grasped the concept of being unobtrusive. I started wondering what Fergus had arranged wedding-wise. I would have to have a word with him.

  Rebecca

  Fergus, genius that he was, had arranged supper. I was starving by the time we got to Aberdeenshire. For some reason the idea of stopping at any of the the fast food joints along the way hadn't appealed to either of us, so the smell of what turned out to be steaks that wafted out of the front door made my stomach grumble. I had obviously abandoned my vegetarian past without a backward glance. The iron tablets I swallowed everyday also heightened my sense of smell, and those steaks smelled divine. Marcus greeted us at the door, and after one look at my expression, he waved us through to t
he kitchen, where Fergus was ladling mushroom sauce over four chunky steaks and the vegetables on the side that looked like they'd been an afterthought.

  "Hi Fergus," I said, my eyes fixed on the closest steak.

  He smirked, and handed me the plate. "And hello to you too Rebecca."

  Fortunately everyone appeared to be as hungry as I was, and apart from a few perfunctory greetings, silence reigned as we sat around the old wooden kitchen table and ate.

  "We need to plan for tomorrow," Marcus eventually stated between mouthfuls.

  "What do you suggest?" Angus wanted to know.

  "I thought we were just going to visit these guys," I interrupted, frowning. "What's to plan?"

  "Could be a trap," muttered Fergus. "We don't know them at all, apart from the reading Angus got on that male at the airport. Sure, the family means us no harm, but that male seemed awfully keen on our little sister here."

  I blushed. "Yes, but I'm not keen on him."

  "That doesn't always mean much. I'm assuming you weren't keen on Jack, either, and look what happened there."

  "Ew, that's gross." I shuddered. "Angus would have picked it up if he was intending to kidnap me." And then he would probably have torn him apart right there and then in the airport, I thought to myself. Amazing how comforting that thought was. I looked up at my beautiful and dangerous man, and felt the now familiar heat in my belly. His eyes met mine, and I watched as his pupils dilated to fill the irises, and his nostrils flared.

  "Get a room, guys," Fergus said, chuckling.

  I blushed again, and looked down at my plate. Angus reached out and put his hand over mine.

  "No, Fergus." Fergus looked appropriately penitent for a fleeting second, then he started smirking again.

  "I have my Glock and three magazines," Angus continued. "That, plus the three of us, should be enough to repel any amorous advances from any iron metaboliser. And don't forget that Rebecca is one of us too. She gets stronger every day, and it would take a lot of force to overpower her now. She's easily a match for one or two humans, and would give a vampire a hard time too."

  "Actually," said Marcus, " I was thinking more along the lines of how we should approach them for tissue and blood samples. I don't think the Glock would be of much help in that situation, unless we wanted really big samples, like an entire brain."

  "Typical," Fergus said dryly. "We should have known it was going to be all about the samples."

  "Absolutely," said Marcus simply. "You lot can handle the other details - I have supreme faith in your abilities with regards to non-scientific matters. For that reason I feel it is unnecessary to intervene, or even display any interest. However, I am quite willing to help you out if you insist on fighting." He grinned.

  "You fight?" I tried not to sound too shocked. Marcus had always seemed so civilised, certainly more so than Fergus. And definitely more so than Angus.

  "Yes, Rebecca, I fight. But unlike your Angus there, I only engage in physical combat when I have to. I don't go out looking for trouble."

  "I think you're looking for it right now," Angus said flatly, winking at me.

  Marcus sighed and rolled his eyes.

  Fergus and Angus started discussing some of the finer points of exterminating fellow vampires, and Marcus was gazing into space, in all likelihood dreaming of a world full of interesting blood samples, so I decided to go in search of a television, and try to engage with the normal world for a bit. Epic fail. The only thing I found that didn't make me yawn was the Jeremy Kyle show, and that just made me feel creeped out. I decided to watch a DVD - naturally the boys had an extensive collection - but it was all blood and guts and gore. I found one called Hitman, and loaded it in the DVD player. It was surprisingly good, and I spent a comfortable hour and some change watching the bad guys getting ten kinds of crap beaten and shot and sliced out of them. It was a very satisfying experience. I wondered if I would have enjoyed it as much before I became a vampire.

  Probably not.

  Angus

  Rebecca had fallen asleep on the couch by the time we finished discussing the pending visit tomorrow. Fergus had also mentioned that he had been looking for institutions similar to the one that had housed the blood-drinkers that had kidnapped Rebecca. So far he had turned up very little, apart from the second one he'd found a few days ago when we were searching so desperately for Rebecca. We formulated a strategy for checking the place out, which basically involved Rebecca staying here under the watchful eyes of Marcus and Fergus, while I went to investigate, and possibly obliterate, the second site. Marcus interrupted his contemplation of the wall to demand tissue samples if I found blood drinking vampires, and I grinned and nodded.

  Rebecca stirred slightly when I lifted her from the couch and carried her to bed. I removed her shoes and jeans, and covered her in the duvet, and lay down beside her. I was worried about the visit we had planned for the following day, but I had little to base my concerns upon, other than the desire I'd seen in that young vampire's eyes for my Rebecca. The memory made me growl. She was mine now, he would have to kill me before he could have her.

  And good luck with that.

  CHAPTER 6

  Sunday 20 January

  Rebecca

  They had an awesome place, those new vamps. It looked like it needed its own brochure, it was so big. It was one of those country mansions with dozens of bedrooms, and manicured gardens and parks, and a great big gravel parking space out front, and a fountain, for goodness sake. Talk about ostentatious. Angus' place was big, but it didn't look like they were trying to prove something.

  We were greeted at the door by the whole family. I was immediately drawn to Mrs Colborne, or Julia, as she introduced herself - just as well she did - she looked about as old as her sons. She had a lovely face, with large grey eyes framed by pale lashes. When she saw me, she extended a hand and smiled welcomingly. Mr Colborne just stood there, a nice-looking man in his fifties or thereabouts, obviously not a vampire himself, looking slightly bored but willing to make an effort. The three siblings had varying reactions to our arrival. The two boys seemed pleased to see us - they introduced themselves as Simon (brown hair, golden eyes, big goofy grin) and Oliver (blonde, blue eyes, intense). We had seen Oliver at the airport, and he was still devastatingly gorgeous. I smiled at him, happy to see a familiar face, and his pupils dilated so his eyes were almost black, and he frowned.

  "Stop teasing him," Angus' voice grated in my ear.

  "I wasn't!" I objected in a whisper.

  "Yes, you were. Don't smile at him, it just makes him angry."

  "What?"

  "He knows he can't have you. I can feel his thoughts, and your smiling at him frustrates him."

  I said nothing, but pasted a grumpy look on my face and glanced at Oliver. He grinned back, obviously amused by something which I seemed to have missed. I turned my attention to the daughter (dark hair, dark eyes), who was introduced as Lucy. She gave me a hostile glare, not even bothering to hide it from her family. Her father noticed, and scolded her in a half-hearted way, and sent her to order tea to be brought to the sun room. We all traipsed through the massive reception area, and down a few passages to a light sunny room (hence the name sun room - just call me Sherlock) with high ceilings, massive windows, comfy looking leather couches strewn around, and a bookshelf lining an entire wall. A large section of the garden could be seen beyond the windows, with a park and a lake off to one side.

  Mrs C smiled at me and patted the couch seat next to her, so I obediently sat down. Angus and Marcus were standing chatting to Mr C, and Fergus was sitting talking to Oliver and Simon. Lucy seemed to have disappeared, thank goodness. Hostile teenagers were tedious. True, I was a teenager, but I never got the point of being angry about everything. I suppose it's situational, and has a lot to do with hormones and brain development, and maybe she couldn't help feeling the way she did, but I was so over it. Mrs C must have sensed my antipathy.

  "Never mind Lucy, she has been very grum
py recently. She has not shown any signs of becoming one of us yet, and I think it makes her feel left out," she whispered conspiratorially.

  "Oh," I said. "You mean she hasn't started to metabolise iron yet?"

  "No. How did you find out about the iron?"

  "Their dad," I waved a hand in Angus and Marcus' direction, "he figured it out. And then Marcus managed to find the responsible genes. That's how they found me. They analysed my blood."

  "Clever," she nodded. "Your parents?"

  "Marcus thinks they must have both carried the recessive gene. My brothers aren't iron metabolisers. Just me."

  "Recessive? We weren't sure of the mode of inheritance. I wondered if it might be autosomal dominant with variable penetrance," she glanced at me, and burst out laughing at my expression. "I have a degree in genetics," she explained. "I was never able to officially study our family, though. Might have raised some eyebrows in the academic world, and we don't need the attention. Autosomal recessive. Hmmm. That actually explains a lot."

  "Like what?" I wanted to know.

  "Lucy, for one. And Bill doesn't metabolise iron, though his mother did. We never knew who his father was. I married him because I knew his mother was an iron metaboliser, and I just assumed...." she sighed. "But he's not one, and now he's getting old, and I'm not." She looked across the room at her husband. "And Lucy will too." At the mention of her daughter ageing a sorrowful expression settled on her face.

  " How old is she?" I asked.

  "Sixteen. Simon is fifteen."

  "She might still change, you know," I said hopefully. "I only changed a few days ago, and I'm almost eighteen. Marcus reckons it's because I was a vegetarian and drank lots of tea. And then I met Angus and he kind of precipitated the change..." I broke off, not wanting to explain the details.

  "Really? That's good news. I'll have to let them know. Anyway, I am sure there are questions you have for me." She looked at me expectantly.