Crimson Kiss(3)
enjoying the feeling of total control she had over him. She wanted to drink
forever…
It wasn't until the man passed out that Meghann returned to her senses; she
looked down at the unconscious man. What the hell had she done? She heard
Alcuin lecturing her: "You never have to kill or frighten your hosts. A small
amount will sustain you…"
She cursed and put her fist through the wall. Didn't it ever get better? Fifty
years she'd been a vampire, and she still couldn't control the depraved impulses
inside her.
Meghann was appalled. It had been years since she'd given in to blood lust like
this. And now she was aware of a slight giddiness she felt. She looked at the
man's arm; it was covered in track marks. A heroin addict—no wonder the blood
tasted so good. Well, at least the punctures could be explained away. He'd assume
he tried to fix through the vein in his neck.
Meghann put her hand to the pulse in the man's neck. It was there… somewhat
weak but steady. At least she hadn't killed him. Meghann focused on his blood
flow… No, she hadn't infected him either. Meghann decided she would leave him
here; he would assume that he had nodded off and forgotten or been attacked. But
first she focused her will on his mind, commanding him to forget meeting her and
being bitten.
Meghann looked down at herself. The white blouse she was wearing with the
black suit was soaked in blood. She took it off and used it to wipe excess blood
from her mouth and chin. She put the blazer of her black suit back on; it barely
covered her breasts. Her blood teeth had retracted; she could be seen in the mortal
world again.
Meghann reached into her purse and withdrew several hundred dollars from her
wallet. She placed it in the pocket of the unconscious man's jeans. Leaning over
him, she whispered, "I'm sorry."
A pathetic offering, but the only one Meghann could make. She was truly
disgusted with herself. All those years of good behavior down the drain with one
feeding. If she was going to behave that way, she might as well have remained
Simon's consort.
Meghann left the staircase and headed for her car, a 1958 Cadillac convertible.
She got behind the wheel and lit a Camel cigarette. She started the car, and
laughed grimly at the thought that these cigarettes had just killed her good friend
Bridie.
That's one thing, whatever happens I'm not going to die of lung cancer, she
thought.
Since returning to New York, Meghann had bought a large Victorian house in
Rockaway Beach. She loved the ocean, and had good memories of the place. Of
course there were horrible memories too, courtesy of Simon Baldevar.
When Meghann crossed the Veterans Memorial Bridge, she felt a change in the
air. A nonmortal presence near…
Alcuin! Meghann smiled at the thought that her mentor was here. Of course it
was a surprise, but she wanted to see him. She reached out with her senses to
pinpoint his location, and found herself driving the car to a secluded area of beach
near Breezy Point.
On the boardwalk, Meghann saw a hooded figure by the shore. She hurried
toward him. "Alcuin!"
"Meghann!" he said as he picked her up and whirled her around. Then he
sobered. "Tell me what happened tonight."
Without a word, Meghann reached into her bag and handed him the bloodsoaked blouse.
Alcuin put it to his face and sniffed. "Why?" he asked simply.
Meghann looked out at the black sea, wishing that just once she could see the
sun dance on the water again. "I went to visit Bridie… and I just left there feeling
so angry and cheated. Damn it! Why the hell has this happened to me? It should
have been me there, ready to die after a long, good life. I don't mean I want to die
in that kind of pain—but I'm not supposed to appear at a friend's bedside as the
goddamn angel of death. Why the hell do I have to live like this ? And then that
stupid man got in my way…"
" Banrion. "Alcuin soothed her with his special name for her, the Gaelic word
for queen. "I wish I had known you were planning to visit a mortal friend; I could
have warned you."
"Warned me about what?"
"Exactly what happened tonight. Meghann, you aren't the first vampire to visit
someone from your mortal lifetime. It's always a shock and a bitter moment when
you realize what could have been. Charles had the same reaction."
"You mean Charles…"
"Yes, he went to visit a young man with whom he'd fought in the war. When he
saw him being tended to by his wife, Charles was wild with fury and grief. Do you
remember what I told you? Those two emotions make you most vulnerable to the
darkness. Put it behind you, banrion. You didn't kill the man, and you did your