They Come by Night Page 15

  “NOW IT’S my turn.” Adam sat beside me on the love seat, his arm around my shoulder. I stroked my mizpah, unable to believe how comfortable I was with someone touching me.

  “Your turn for what?” I asked drowsily. It had been a long day, and even though he hadn’t taken much blood from me, I was feeling a little lethargic.

  “To give you your gift.”

  That was right. He’d said he’d gotten me something. “What is it?” I sat up, my weariness forgotten.

  Adam began making kissing noises, and in spite of myself I gave a snort of laughter.

  A small brown-and-white bundle of fur came trotting into the room. The tags on the dog’s collar jingled merrily.

  “Oh!”

  “She’s for you.”

  “How could I not have seen her? Where was she?” I couldn’t catch my breath.

  “Asleep in her crate. She’s a very good girl. Aren’t you, you precious little thing?”

  I bit back another laugh. What was it about small, furry animals that had grown men crooning to them in baby talk?

  “She looks like a mix. Bichon Frise and Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, maybe?” I was showing off, but I didn’t care. I wanted to impress Adam with my knowledge of breeds.

  “Actually, she’s a Romanian Înger Păzitor.” He leaned down and snapped his fingers, but she ignored him, coming to me instead. She pounced on my bare feet and tried to climb up my legs to my lap.

  “I never heard of that breed before.” I picked her up, startled when her little teeth sank into my ring finger. “Ouch! Hey!” A drop of blood beaded up, and she lapped at it. “Little vampyr!”

  Adam chuckled. “She’s bonded to you now.”

  “Really?”

  “Really.”

  “Okay.” My finger had stopped bleeding, and the puppy wriggled and made soft yipping sounds, and licked at my face. I cut Adam a sideways glance, wondering if he was upset she’d ignored him, but he was smiling.

  “She’s your dog, so it’s good she goes only to you. She’s been bred as a guard dog, and she’ll die protecting you.”

  I stared at him, openmouthed. “This little girl?” She fit neatly in two hands, and if her paws were anything to go by, she wouldn’t be getting too much bigger than she was right now.

  “Don’t let her size fool you. Once she reaches adulthood, she’ll be a real threat. Oh, not to you,” he assured me.

  As if that was necessary. She was standing on her hind legs, her front paws balanced against my chest, nipping at my chin—oddly enough, she didn’t break the skin this time—and demanding my attention.

  “Yes, I love you too, Mina. Adam—”

  “Mina? Is that what you’re going to call her?”

  “Yeah. Dad’s got a husky/Lab mix he named Harker. Mina works, don’t you think?”

  “Ah. Jonathan Harker’s fiancée, also from Dracula?”

  “You’re familiar with the book?”

  “Really, Tyrell. We’re not illiterate!”

  “No, of course not. But…. You read Dracula?”

  He laughed and ran his hand over my hair, and I leaned into his touch instead of away from it, as I would have done with anyone else.

  I really did like when he touched me.

  “You’re distracting me,” I murmured.

  “Is it working?”

  “Not anymore. Adam….” I worried my lip. “Do you really think I need protection? Is it that dangerous here?”

  “No, this is a safe area, but we tend to be protective of our sabors. And you… I don’t want anything to happen to you.”

  “You mean like what happened to my Uncle Phil? Could she protect me from another vampyr?”

  “She would die trying.” His mouth had taken on a grim twist, and in spite of myself I shivered.

  “What can you tell me about… what did you say the breed was called? Înger Păzitor?”

  “You pronounce that very well. You’re going to find this hard to believe.”

  “Try me.”

  “I already have, and you’re delicious!”

  I dug my fingers into his side, and he gave a surprised gasp and shied away. “Are you ticklish?”

  “Of course I’m not!” But he kept a distance between us.

  “You are!” I crowed.

  “Tyrell, behave! I have to give you this information, and you’re not making it easy for me.”

  “Okay.” I settled Mina on my lap and sat with my hands folded on her. “I’ll be good.”

  “Indeed.” He watched me warily, but when I didn’t do anything, he relaxed a bit.

  My fingers twitched with the urge to tickle him again, but I did want to know more about my puppy.

  “All right, now pay attention. Înger Păzitors as a breed are more than six hundred years old. They were originally developed in the late fifteenth century. A handful of families in Romania have survived to raise these dogs.”

  “Survived? Yeah, I guess between the Nazis and the Communists it had to be tough.”

  “We protect our people, but we can’t be everywhere at the same time.”

  “No, I suppose not.”

  “They are the îngrijitori. It’s their responsibility to see the bloodlines remain pure and that nothing happens to the dogs.”

  “How did she get here from Romania?”

  “I brought her.”

  “You did?” I leaned into him, pleased beyond words he’d done that for me. “Thank you. This is the best Christmas present!” A sudden thought worried me. “Does she understand English?”

  “She’ll understand you, Ty.”

  “What, even if I spoke Swahili?”

  “Even if you spoke Martian.”

  I was speechless, so wrapped up in the wonder of his gift to me that I missed most of his next words.

  And then Mina began pacing across my lap. I recognized the behavior from when I’d worked at the pet store.

  “Looks like someone needs to go potty. Where’s her leash?”

  “It’s hanging in the coat closet.”

  I smiled at him over my shoulder. “Want to join us?” I scooped up my coat and slid my arms into the sleeves, carefully shifting Mina from one hand to the other. “How old is she, Adam?”

  “Almost five months. Boots, Ty.”

  “Right.” I kept a pair in the coat closet, and I stepped into them. I found Mina’s leash and snapped it onto her collar, and she yipped excitedly. “I’m hurrying, pup.”

  In the great room, Adam had an overcoat and boots on. Where had he…? I shook my head. He opened the door and held it while I walked out into the night air.

  “You were saying?” I put Mina down. The snow on the lawn didn’t seem to bother her, even though in spots it was almost as high as her head.

  “Hmm?” Adam watched, smiling. “Oh, she’s had her shots and just needs to be spayed. I’ve got a vet’s number for you. Dr. Ingram has worked with us before and is aware of what Mina is. You’ll need to make an appointment with her, probably around the end of next month.”

  “But if Mina’s a purebred?”

  “She’s going to be a working dog. You don’t want her losing her focus because she’s in heat.”

  “Oh. If you say so.”

  Mina decided she was done and tugged me toward the walk, and we all went back into the house.

  SHE WAS curled up in my lap again, dry and comfy, and she fell asleep as I stroked her soft fur. Adam and I watched the DVD Dad had given me.

  He chuckled at the Thanksgiving skit. “I remember that.”

  “What? Were you there?”

  He ran his fingers through my hair, much as I was doing to Mina, and I wanted to roll over and have him pet my belly. “It was one of the few times there was an event in the evening that I could attend.”

  “I wish I’d known.”

  “It wouldn’t have mattered. I would have been just another adult.”

  I studied his face. He only looked about five years older than me, but…. “Ad
am—”

  “And no, I’m not going to tell you how old I am.”

  “How did you know that was what I was going to ask?”

  His eyes were alight with amusement, but then he gazed toward the window and his smile faded. “The sun will rise soon.”

  The curtains kept out even a hint of light, but it felt as if dawn was near.

  “Can you stay the day?” It would be nice if we could sleep together. Even though he’d only fed from me the once, I hadn’t gotten much sleep while I’d been away, and then I’d been too excited over the new puppy to realize how tired I was. I gripped his forearm. “Please stay the day.”

  He took my hand, turned it over, and pressed a kiss to my palm. I shivered.

  “Come on.” He pulled me up. “You’re about to fall asleep on your feet.”

  Mina whimpered as my grip on her tightened so I wouldn’t drop her. “Sorry, pup. Can she sleep with us?”

  “Yes. It’s good for both of you to stay in close proximity.”

  “Uh….” What had I missed when I hadn’t been paying attention? “All right. Let’s go.”

  Adam’s movements were lethargic, indicating dawn was even closer than we’d thought.

  “Get in bed. I’ll be right with you.” I made sure the door to the dining room was closed and then brought Mina’s crate into the bedroom, put it in a spot where I wouldn’t trip over it, and laid her in it. She raised her head and blinked sleepily. A wide puppy yawn, a lick of my fingers, and her head was down and she was out.

  My room was like a cozy den now. I stripped off my jeans, drew on a pair of sleep pants, and got under the covers with Adam.

  His chest was barely moving, and I stared at it a few minutes. Finally satisfied he was breathing, uncertain how close he wanted me to him—and yeah, I was aware of the irony of that—I curled up on my side and made sure there was about a foot of space between us.

  “Ty?”

  “Yeah?”

  “You’re too far away.”

  “I am?”

  “Yes.” He reached out and pulled me until I was plastered against his side.

  Relieved, I draped an arm over his waist.

  I’d need to get up in about five hours to walk Mina and make sure she had breakfast, walk her again….

  But Adam would be waiting in my bed. Maybe he’d—

  In the middle of picturing him licking my throat and feeding from me again, I fell asleep.

  CHAPTER FIVE:

  COME TO CALL

  I WAS kind of at loose ends. What did I want to do with my life? I mean, yeah, I was a sabor, but there had to be more to life than just sitting around waiting for vampyrs to come to call so they could feed off me.

  Especially if they weren’t going to be Adam.

  Dad had always wanted me to go to college, so after Christmas I’d researched my options, going online and checking out what Pritchert U, the local university, offered.

  General Horticulture didn’t particularly interest me, but it might be fun to try Mortuary Science.

  I enrolled for the spring semester, which started the last week in January, and since not all the courses I needed were offered, I took what I could—English 101, Intro to Sociology, Precalculus, Chemistry for Applied Science, and PED—phys ed.

  “I see you lettered in track,” my counselor said as she studied my transcript from Horatio Gates High.

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “Did you want to continue with track, or would you care to try out for wrestling?”

  “No.” That would involve major body contact, and while I’d seriously enjoyed Adam touching me, the idea of anyone else trying to pin me left me skeeved. “If it’s not a problem, I’d prefer to stay with track.”

  “Certainly. Now, Anatomy for Embalmers I and Public Health and Sanitary Science are being offered this summer, and since they’re prerequisites for Embalming, I’d suggest you take those classes then. Generally we prefer our students take three to six credits in the summer, but as you’re coming in a semester late, I think it would be a good idea for you to take English 102 and Public Speaking as well.”

  Well, there went going to the beach.

  “Thank you. I really appreciate all your help.”

  “You’re welcome. Such a polite boy,” she murmured, not realizing I could hear her, and I blushed, but she was busy gathering papers and didn’t notice. “Now, here’s the student handbook”—she placed the booklet before me—“an application for a parking permit, a list of the books your professors require, and… the supplies.” She gave me the last with an almost triumphant gesture.

  “Supplies?”

  “What you’ll need for the Embalming lab. Of course that won’t be until next spring, so you’ve got plenty of time to pick everything up.”

  I stared at the list in some shock. Scalpels, forceps, aneurysm hooks, needles, and….

  “What’s a trocar?”

  “It’s a device used to aspirate the abdominal cavity.”

  “Aspirate?” I swallowed hard.

  “You’re not queasy, are you, Mr. Small? After all, you’re going to be doing this for a living.”

  “Yes… no….” I had no problem with a vampyr biting my neck, but somehow the thought of sucking out the contents of some dearly departed’s stomach made my own stomach tie into knots.

  She smiled sympathetically. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have teased you.”

  I smiled back at her, but I must have looked green.

  “This is part of the program. I thought you realized at some point you’d be working on cadavers?”

  “Ye-yes.” I swallowed again. “I did.”

  “Are you sure you want to be a mortician?”

  “Um…. Yes?”

  She tapped her lower lip with a manicured fingernail. “Well, you can take this course and see what happens.”

  CLASS WAS going to start the next day. The messenger bag I’d gotten at the Target in Knox Mall sat by the front door. It held notebooks, pens and pencils, the English Composition and Grammar text, and a digital recorder. The textbooks for Sociology and Chemistry hadn’t been available, and I hoped to pick them up after class. As for Precalculus, the helpful guy at the college bookstore had told me Professor Johnson preferred to hand out xeroxed sheets of each lesson.

  “He’s young enough to remember what it was like being a struggling student. And by the way, I get off in a few minutes. Want to have a coffee with me?”

  My jaw dropped and I stared at him in surprise. No one had ever asked me out before. No normal, at any rate. Mitch didn’t count. He was only doing his twelve-step thing.

  “Thanks, but I’ve got to go. I have a puppy at home, and she isn’t quite housebroken.” I hoped Mina would forgive me that lie.

  He grinned and shrugged. “Maybe another time.”

  I’d offered him a small smile and managed to get out of there without committing myself. It was an interesting idea, but seriously? How could I date anyone if I couldn’t bear to be touched?

  Next to the messenger bag was a gym bag that held all the gear I’d need for running, as well as clean underwear—I had lunch and then two more classes after phys ed, and I’d need to shower.

  A couple of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches were in a brown bag in the fridge, along with a juice box and a Granny Smith apple. I could get lunch at the cafeteria, but I’d just made an online payment for one of the credit card bills, and I was all too conscious of the amount I’d spent over the holidays. Adam hadn’t seemed bothered; in fact, he’d chuckled when I sheepishly explained my worries and told me the vampyr community had no doubt I’d make good on it.

  Then he’d nuzzled and nibbled on my neck, and I’d forgotten all about it.

  I stood in front of my closet trying to make up my mind about what to wear. I didn’t want to leave it for the last minute. The student handbook stated Pritchert University was fairly relaxed about its dress code, as long as no excessive skin was on display and no offensive slogans wer
e shared via T-shirts.

  That wasn’t a problem, since the only T-shirt I owned that could be considered questionable was one that read I’m tired of being my vampyr’s eye candy. I’d had it made as a goof at a little shop in the mall, and since vampyrs were all the rage just now, the owner hadn’t even given me a funny look.

  It was tucked away in my closet, and I planned to wear it for Adam the next time he came to call, but I had no intention of ever wearing it where it could be seen.

  Finally I decided on a pair of jeans and a Chicago Bears sweatshirt.

  I was too antsy to play computer games or watch the Dracula marathon on Syfy. Not the antsy I got before Adam came, which was really kind of fun, but the antsy of beginning something new and scary. Starting a new term in high school had been nothing like this. I’d had the familiarity of my years at Horatio Gates to fall back on, the friends I’d known since kindergarten. Now I was stepping out into a new world. My friends wouldn’t be there to walk through the halls with me, and Dad wouldn’t be here when I got home.

  Okay, time to pull up my big-boy pants. I was an adult—well, I was—not to mention a sabor. I could do this.

  Mina sat at my feet, watching me as if she had every confidence in my capabilities in handling whatever came my way.

  “If you say so, pup. I’m going for a walk. Want to come?”

  She bounced to her feet, her tags jingling, and raced to the front door.

  “I take it that’s a yes?”

  Her little tail wagged so hard I thought she was going to achieve liftoff.

  “Let’s get your winter gear on.” Although the snow had melted, it was too cold for her puppy tootsies. I’d bought her little mukluks and a sweater with a little hood, and she let me put them on her.

  I put on my own boots and jacket and then snapped the leash to her collar. With my key in my pocket, I let us out and pulled the door shut behind me, locking it. Yeah, I was out in the boonies, but my daddy hadn’t raised no fools.

  WE RETURNED home about an hour later, Mina tucked inside my jacket and practically asleep in my arms.

  She licked my cheek drowsily as I removed her mukluks and sweater, and then she tottered off to the bedroom. My bed wasn’t high, but for such a tiny dog, it might as well have been Mount Everest; I’d bought one of those stair things so she could climb up. She’d be curled up at the foot of my bed, but come morning she’d be under the covers and snug against my side.