Blueblood 2: The World - 12. Another Wrinkle!?

Colin smiled at George. “Forgive me for thinking about my husband first. You know I love you, George.”

“Yeah, yeah,” George said, but smiled. “Now, I need to get to work.”

“We go back to London Saturday night,” I said taking Colin’s hand. “We have another vampire to retrieve.”

Willie shook his head. “Another vampire? We’re going to need more room.”

“She found us.” I shrugged.

Colin looked around the underground storage area. “Perhaps we need to expand this.”

“At the rate we’re going, we will be crowded.” Alex nodded. He smiled at me. “I thought you were having a good weekend without vampires.”

I shrugged. “We seem to attract them.”

“But it was a great weekend nonetheless.” Colin hugged me close.

Willie nodded with a grin. “I see that.” He turned to me. “I need to talk to you, Devon.”

“Sure.” I nodded.

Willie smiled at Colin. “You can stay, but I really need to speak with Devon.”

Colin nodded. “Is everything okay?”

Willie nodded. “I think so, but…”

Colin held his hand up. “No problem.” He kissed me holding my face and ran his thumb over my cheek. “I’ll be inside.” He thumbed back to the house and left.

Willie and I walked slowly back to the house through the gardens. Even this time of year it was impressive. There were hedges that had been shaped in sharp squares along the path we walked. In the yard were hedges shaped into various large animals that Edwin said were about fifty years old. It was nice and relaxing. There were flowers that bloomed now, it wasn't that cold. I didn't have a clue as what they were except for the roses. I knew them.

“I’ll just come out and say it,” Willie said somewhat nervous. “I love your mother.”

I nodded. “That’s not really news, Willie.”

Willie chuckled. “I suppose not. The problem is…she asked me to make her a vampire.” He turned quickly to me. “I’ve told her absolutely not, I refused to even consider it…” He sighed frustrated. “I just think of the Hell I went through…I would never want that for her. I don’t want to hurt her.”

I smiled as I put my arm around his shoulders as we walked. “I’m glad you don’t want to do this, but think about it. She doesn’t want to hurt you either, William.”

He grinned at me when I called him by his name as mother did.

“I love her,” I said. “I love you. I can think of no one better for her.” I said seriously. “Colin was also refusing to make me a vampire. He didn’t want to hurt me either. I told Mom that she and you had to decide.” I stopped. “I can’t believe I’m advising you about my mother and your love lives, but…”

Willie nodded. “That’s what family does. They become involved.” He shrugged.

I nodded. “What you, Colin and every vampire I know here went through their own Hell.” I smiled. “But I didn’t go through that,” I said as we started walking again. “I was bitten out of love. That was different.”

“But I’m still risking your mother’s life,” Willie said sadly. “We’re fine as long as we take the serum, but if we run out, or George dies…”

“Willie,” I said stopping again. “Life is risk. What we have is kind of cheating. We have the venom, but hardly any of the side effects. If it happens…and we don’t get the serum…you lived a hundred years below the ground. You never killed anyone. Mom wouldn’t either. You adapted. You don’t want to hurt Mom. She doesn’t want to hurt you. She will if she doesn’t get the venom. She’ll die and you may not. You’ll be alone. I knew that about Colin. If I didn’t become a vampire, he would end up alone and I couldn’t do that to him. You make her one and then do everything in your power to see that her life is not Hell. Just as Colin does for me.” I smiled as Willie was thinking. “Do you really love Mother?”

His eyes softened as he smiled. “More than life.”

“Enough to go through the serum again…and the pain?”

The idea of the pain again I could see was laying heavy in his eyes, but nodded. “It will be worth it.”

“You’ve just answered your own question. It’s worth it.” I pulled Willie into a hug. I looked at him and grinned. “Do I call you Dad now?”

Willie laughed at that. “I think Willie is just fine until I marry her.” He grinned. “I kind of want to do that before we do that other thing.”

I nodded. “Okay. Have you asked her?”

“That was coming.” Willie nodded. “I wanted to talk to you first.” He hugged me quickly. “Thank you, Devon.” He cocked his head. “Are you sure you’re only thirty?”

I nodded. “I have the unaltered birth certificate as proof.”

Willie laughed as he walked with me back to the house. “Yes, yours is real!”

I hugged him again. “I know what the answer will be, but thanks for telling me first.”

Willie smiled and was about to walk away, but stopped. “Will it be…legal?”

I smiled again. “Are you worried about taking advantage of her?”

Willie shrugged. “I want to do it right.”

I chuckled as I walked up to Willie again. “Is my wedding legal? I’m married to a man that was born over two hundred years ago. He shouldn’t exist, but I declared in front of a bunch of people that I would love him until time ends.”

Willie nodded smiling. “I wasn't there yet.”

“Are we married?” I asked.

“Oh, yeah. You are.”

“The same thing for you.” I smiled. “You’ll be married.”

Willie now looked very sheepish. “I should…” he thought, “…get her a ring.”

I smiled brighter. “Willie! You’re a romantic!”

He threw his arms out. “Who hasn’t done this in quite a while!” He smiled very humbly. “Can you help me pick it out? You know her tastes and…”

He was nervous! “Relax, Willie! We can pick out a great ring.” I smiled. “You still have the card, right?”

Willie nodded as he dug in his back pocket. “I’m not been able to spend anything. I only paid for dinner a few times.” He held up his VISA debit card.

I nodded. “And you have you’re ID?”

Willie pulled out his state ID. “Right here.”

“We’re having to go back to London next weekend,” I said.

His eyebrows rose. “Oh?”

I nodded. “You heard, we found another vampire in London. Lillian Palmer. We promised to go get her. Have you logged on to the computer and checked your balance? You’ve probably got some nice change in that account.” I shrugged. “We’ll be in London we can get there early. We can find one there.”

“Sure.” Willie sounded relieved. “Thank you.” He sighed. “I just want to do this right.”

I smiled as I patted him on the arm. “You will. You love her.” I said stated the logic.

Back in the house, I wondered where Colin had gone. Thornwood was big and finding one person was always a challenge. I heard conversation and clink of silverware on china as I walked in the corridor. Entering the dining room, I smiled as Colin was eating as he talked with Edwin.

Colin looked up and smiled as I came in the room. “Everything okay?” He asked.

I nodded coming to the table and sat down next to Colin. “Very much okay.” I grinned and then looked at him seriously. “Don’t say a word to anyone yet, but Willie’s going to ask my mother to marry him,” I said in a low voice so it wouldn’t carry through the somewhat cavernous interior.

Colin smiled. “Excellent! Now, he’s really going to be our father.” Then his look became puzzled. “And…is he turning her?”

Edwin’s eyes widened. “What!?”

We spent the next fifteen minutes telling Edwin what would happen and got him to calm down about my mother becoming a vampire.

At the end of our conversation, I knew the topic needed changing. “What were you guys talking about?”

Edwin chuckled. “This…” he motioned to the surrounding house. “…is nice. Having other vampires as ourselves helped, but it’s getting expensive.”

Colin nodded. “Of course, it is. Groceries alone has a hefty price because of me. I can guide you to some investments that can help, but we were discussing incorporating Holms' Laboratories with Thornwood.” He smiled leaning back in his chair.

I just blinked, not understanding. “We were going to.”

Edwin chuckled. “I didn’t know that!”

Colin patted Edwin on the shoulder. “There was no way you should have. We, as a group, need cohesion. The United States and England don’t have to work together, but I think we should. If for no other reason so we’re not alone. I think Holms' Laboratories should buy in a silent partner. That would cover some of the expenses and future ones.”

Edwin was visibly more relaxed. “You’ve done so much.” He shook his head. “There serum alone was worth it. What you’ve done for me, Sarah, Matt…”

I smiled. “So, you’re willing to become part of VUN?”

Edwin looked confused. “The VUN?”

Colin rolled his eyes and smiled. “The Vampire United Nations.” He put his arm around my shoulder as he put his head against mine. “My husband has this thing about names. He thought Holms' Laboratories was clinical.”

“This can be the VUN-UK!” I said logically again watching Colin smile and Edwin’s eyebrow rise. “Vampire United Nations United Kingdom?”

Colin chuckled. “Too many uniteds together.”

“VUNGB?” I suggested. “Great Britten?”

Colin smiled as he patted my arm. “We’ll work on it.” He waved at the plates. “Eat! I was starved, we haven’t eaten since lunch!”

I kissed Colin smiling. “That was only five hours ago. I can make it.” I looked at Edwin. “Seriously, Edwin, we don’t want to overtake you here in Thornwood. You should oversee all that happens here. There will be jobs that can be done…meaning these people can be on a payroll. Just like Willie, Alex, Gabriella…all the vampires that came with us are.”

Edwin smiled. “The others would like that.” He chuckled. “We already have enough for a team to patrol the surrounding towns.”

Colin nodded as he chewed on his…chicken. “We’ll take them out with us on a few patrols to get their feet wet.” He waved his fork as he spoke. “Whatever form of governing voice, you have to come up with. No one’s telling you what to do.” He sighed. “We sort of became…the governing voice in the United States. Not because we were elected, because we were there.” He shrugged. “How you do it, is up to you.”

“You need a computer as we have in Manhattan,” I said.

“And your version of Stan,” Colin said. “He and Buddy, that’s what he named the computer, have an almost intimate relationship.” He chuckled. “Much to his partner Mark’s dismay.”

“But Stan’s a wizard with it,” I said smiling as Colin nodded. “He can do almost anything.”

“Okay,” Edwin nodded. “So, you were saying about another vampire in London?” He said to Colin.

I came out of our bathroom having done my evening rituals and smiled at what I saw. Colin was sitting up in bed, no shirt, his arm stretched out lazily over the pillows where I slept, but he patted my side of the bed. You might be tired of hearing this, but seeing him made my heart race! He was so…sexy! I didn’t need much more of an invitation. It wasn’t just physical, it was him! We had a wonderful few hours!

After we had collapsed contently afterward from another satisfactory lovemaking bout we fought to regulate our hearts and breath.

“This is turning out quite well,” Colin said as his lips caressed my neck.

I chuckled, knowing he wasn’t talking about our recent lovemaking. “We’re back to the vampire stuff?”

Colin bumped his head against me. “Sorry.”

I ran a hand over his chest. “It’s fine. That’s who we are.” I shrugged. “Yes, I think it is going quite well.” I frowned. “With that new acquisition we have out in the barn, we may get some answers.” I sat up. “I should be down there now.”

Colin frowned. “Why?”

I waved at the window. “It’s night! That’s when he’s active.” I was about to throw the covers off when Colin grabbed me back down.

“He’ll be there tomorrow,” Colin said pleading. “Tomorrow night!” He smiled. “Besides, he’s sedated.”

I looked at Colin with a smiled. “Is he?” I rolled to face him. “And where is George right now? He’s not with Burke!” I pointed out. “I know George is dedicated, but…”

“Burke knew this before they got involved,” Colin said. “I don’t think Burke feels neglected.”

“I would!” I pointed out. “If you were that tunneled in work, I would feel neglected.”

Colin nodded. “Fine. Talk to George to remind him, but not tonight.” He said pitifully pulling me back down next to him. “He’ll keep!” He said kissing me again deeply and consuming. “So will the other vampire.”

We made love again.

The next morning, I went down to the lab…former storage area…whatever. There was George working as he always did, adjusting the microscope and looking at what he was seeing. I looked over at the vampire we’d gotten that was now unconscious. “George.”

George turned, startled. “Oh, Devon!" He touched his chest to slow his heart, "You were right! There is a difference in the venom!” He waved at the specimen glass slide under the microscope. He looked back. “I think this vampire got bitten by a very old vampire and maybe different than when a wild vampire makes another vampire. This is like the venom we all carry, but different. Ours is more…” he thought of a word, “…advanced? Evolved. This is very simple and…almost primitive.” He turned and I saw the look of excitement in his eyes. “This has to be what started it all!” He said happily.

“Primitive?” I asked coming over to his microscope.

“I wish my computer was here!” George said mournfully. “I wish I was in my lab! I need to do a breakdown on this. Molecular and DNA analysis!”

“But it’s different how?” I asked.

George nodded. “Remember, I use our own blood to make the serum for each of us. We have…more…human things in our venom.” He turned to face me. “The venom of each vampire is changed by the vampire. It becomes our own venom.” He pointed to the other vampire. “He doesn’t have all those. The venom you have is made by Colin. If you are a full vampire and bite someone, it will be your venom that you made from Colin’s. You still retain partially, Colin’s version of the venom. Basically, we are carrying venom that has changed over thousands, maybe millions of vampires!” He got up and walked toward the unconscious vampire. “He doesn’t have all of those.”

“Why?” I asked thinking that was incredible. “How can he have venom so primitive?”

George threw his hands up in frustration. “I don’t know! The vampire that bit him is more original, therefor very old. I need that computer!”

I chuckled. “It’s coming,” I said giving him a hug more to reassure him. “It’s going to be fine.”

George nodded and waved at the vampire again. “I need more.”

I looked at the vampire. “More? More wild vampires?”

“Yes! For comparison! I can’t base a decision of this one vampire.”

I chuckled. “We have some out there. We just need to get them.” I smiled. “But where would we keep them?” I looked around the storage area.

“We have to make somewhere,” George said simply.

“Sure.” I nodded grinning. “This is very exciting.”

“It is!” George nodded smiling bigger. “We were lucky…and I’m just theorizing…since we became more…civilized as humans, the vampires that made us have been biting in the city!”

I frowned. “Wait. How can that happen?” I asked. “The serum only works with humans…”

George nodded. “We’re the only givers and receivers.” He pointed out. “We may not be the only givers.”

I know my jaw hit the floor. “Another giver? Something else is out there?” I waved toward the outside world. “They aren’t vampires?”

George shrugged. “I don’t know. Doing the comparison of my blood and his, he has a lot fewer things that make him human, but he does have some…that’s why he was able to learn as you said.”

Now, I was looking at this new vampire and felt sorry for him. “It may not be his fault at all.” I shook my head. “It isn’t his fault!” I said. “He was a victim, the same as we are.”

George nodded. “I think so.”

“Okay,” I said as I did what Colin did. I began pacing in a circle as I thought. “We continue to test him.”

“Of course.” George nodded.

“But when we’ve got more information,” I said. “He gets the serum,” I said firmly.

George nodded. “Sure, we reduce further risk.”

“Yes.” I shook my head. “More important, we need to get him back!”

George nodded. “You’re right.” He smiled. “It’s easy to forget he is human.”

I sniffed the odor again. “Maybe we can clean him up?” I asked. “Give him some proper clothes?”

“When we can handle him,” George said doubtfully.

I knelt by the cage. “I think he can be. We need to be ready. When he wakes, he’ll be hungry. We give him the needed blood and he will be more controllable. I just know it.” Then I remembered why I had come. I stood up to look at George. “Where’s Burke?”

George looked puzzled a moment and then looked around. “He was…” he looked around the storage area. “…he was here a while ago.”

I smiled at George. “I know this is exciting. I’m excited about it, too.” I grinned. “John is your partner.”

George now looked guilty. “And I’ve been buried in this.” He nodded.

“Which is understandable, but don’t forget him.” I urged with a smile. “It is important we stay connected with people. It’s important to keep the connection with that one person that means something to us.” I said. “When Colin and I took off this recent weekend, it was so important we stayed connected. You need to do that with John.” I saw George nod. “You do love John?”

George nodded. “I do.”

“Go tell him that,” I said. “This vampire will be here later. You need your equipment. You’ve done all you can for now. You have time.”

George nodded. “He needs to be watched.” He said about the vampire.

I nodded. “The sun is up. He won't be able to do much if he wakes early. Which, I don't think is possible. Besides, we have others to do that,” I said. “I’ll send someone to relieve you. You need to be with John.”

George smiled. “You’re right again.”

There were other vampires there that were more ready to begin a life on the serum having the discs put in. I found someone of the new locals to relieve George. I told George that I was coming later to begin getting to know this new vampire.

I again sat with Colin in the library as he was doing business on the computer. Holms' Laboratories was fine financially, but the business needed monitoring, which Colin did very well. He glanced at me as I sat near him. Getting to a stopping point he sat back.

“Well?” Colin asked with a smile.

“George has some good theories.” I began. “Disturbing theories,” I said sadly.

“Oh?” Colin frowned. “What theories?”

“Our venom is more…evolved than that of the vampire we caught.”

“Evolved?” Colin frowned.

I explained what George told me.

“He thinks something else is out there?” Colin asked. “Why have we not seen them?”

“It’s all theory until we can do further analysis, but from what George told me.” I nodded. “It’s possible.”

Colin shook his head. “Another wrinkle.” He got up and walked over bringing me to the couch and sat with me. “What about him and Burke?”

I nodded with a chuckle. “George is all scientist most of the time, but I got him to see there was someone important in his life. He’s back with Burke now.”

“Good.” Colin smiled kissing me gently. “Having that person in our lives is so important.” He said as his voice was muffled as he ran his lips over me. “He just gets too involved.”

“He’s driven.” I shrugged as I returned his affection.

Chuck came bursting in. “Sorry, guys.” He said as we sat up at his sudden arrival. “But, we’re being watched.”

I sat up more. “Watched? By whom?”

Chuck shook his head. “They have to be human, but I’m certain we are. They’re professional, like Shelly and me.” He looked over his shoulder. “Whatever equivalent agency like the FBI here.”

“The Royal Protection Office?” Colin asked getting up.

“I don’t know,” Chuck answered in a hurry. “They aren’t on the property, but they’re watching through high powered lenses.”