“My sister’s name is Avery Ferrand. She and I went to a club here in Savannah to hear a band play. The club was scary as hell, but it was one of Avery’s favorite bands, so she begged me to take her. That’s where we met Vincent Godfrey. I immediately went crazy over him because he was so hot and I was ecstatic because he was interested in me, or so I thought. Turns out he really wanted Avery, but she wasn’t interested and man...he got really pissed, like furious, when she told him she wouldn’t leave the club with him.
The place was so crowded that no one noticed when he and his pal hauled us out the backdoor and threw us into the back of a limo. They drove for about 20 minutes and then he took us into his big mansion where the rest of the coven was waiting.
Avery and I were terrified, but it turned out that terrified was the way they wanted us because the coven was made up of Blood Dopers.”
Chansey interrupted, “I’m sorry, Jenn. I don’t mean to interrupt, but what is a Blood Doper?”
I turned to Chansey and explained, “They are vampires that feed off of humans under the influence of drugs or alcohol.”
“So, they get a high from the drugs in their victim’s bloodstream?” I asked.
“Exactly.”
Chansey turned her attention back to Jenn. “I’m sorry. Please, continue.”
“These Blood Dopers were different. They did all kinds of crazy vampire stuff to scare us even more so we would have an adrenalin rush before they drank from us because they like a natural adrenaline high better than a drug induced high. The vampires that drank from me didn’t have any side effects from my blood, but the ones that drank from Avery got an intense high from her. That’s how they discovered she was special.
They all said that her blood was the best they’d ever had and they began to call her their Blood Jewel because she was so rare. Now, they are all addicted to her blood and Vincent uses it as a way of controlling them. He wants to use her to bring in new members of the coven so he can gain control over more vampires. He is going to present her in a Blood Jewel ceremony this Saturday night to gain control over every vampire that drinks from her.
He protects her because of her precious blood, but I’m afraid of so many vampires being addicted to her blood. They’re worse than meth addicts. When they don’t get it, they go crazy. That’s how I was killed. One of them didn’t get his fix and he drank me dry in front of Avery. She made a rash decision and begged them to turn me because she didn’t want to lose me. She told them she would find a way to kill herself if they didn’t turn me. She did it out of love, but I would have chosen death over this. Anyone that chooses this is crazy.”
Solomon looked at Jenn and I recognized a look of empathy from him. They had that much in common. He had been turned by his brother out of love, so he understood exactly how Jenn was feeling at the moment. Although she had not been turned by her sister directly, her existence as a vampire was a result of her sibling.
“I had to get out of there because they were going to make me drink from Avery at the ceremony. I couldn't’ drink my own sister’s blood.” I watched a rigor come over Jenn as she continued, “That’s messed up.”
“I’m just thinking out loud here. Would you happen to know what blood type your sister is?” I asked.
“Yes, she’s AB negative. Why?”
That shouldn’t really play a factor. I mean, we had all had AB negative blood at some point and it didn’t result in any kind of high or addiction. “I was just trying to come up with a theory about what makes her blood so special. Is there anything special about your sister, like health conditions or medications she takes that would differentiate her from anyone else?”
She thought for a minute. “She’s healthy as far as I know. I can’t think of anything that would set her apart from me or anyone else for that matter.”
I looked to Sol. “We only have tonight and tomorrow night to plan this rescue if The Blood Jewel Ceremony is on Saturday night.”
“I have a plan, Curry. Sebastian and I have discussed it and he agrees that it is a good plan if you’re willing to take the lead.”
I looked at my wife and felt how frightened she was. “Chansey...”
She crossed her arms and shook her head at me. “No, I’m not leaving.”
“Love, I think you should,” I suggested.
“I think I’m not,” she argued.
I looked at Solomon and he gave me a crooked smile and shrugged with a look that said, ‘Hey, she’s yours to deal with, Pal.’
I conceded and said, “Okay, tell me about the plan.”
“Jenn says that The Blood Jewel Ceremony is all about bringing in new vampires for Vincent to control, so I think we go in posing as potentials.”
“Sounding good so far. That gets us in, but what are we going to do once we’re inside?”
“We’ll go in together so we can stake the place out. I’ll have to leave before morning, but you’ll wait in the house and take Avery once the sun has risen. I think the protection of the sun is the only way to ensure this goes down safely and you’re the only vampire I know that can walk in sunlight. Lucky you.”
Sol watched my face for a reaction. “Her rescue is solely dependent upon you, Curry. I understand that things are different now that you have Chansey. It’s not just you anymore and I understand if you don’t want to do it.”
I shook my head. “No, Chansey and I discussed it and we made this decision together.” I turned to look at my wife. “It’s a good plan and it doesn’t sound too dangerous.”
Jenn spoke up. “This ceremony is going to be all about getting you to drink Avery’s blood so you can be controlled. If you drink from her, you will be instantly addicted to her. No ifs, ands or buts about it. I’ve seen the aftermath and you can’t drink from her no matter what or you’re a goner for sure.”
“I wish we knew what was so special about Avery’s blood,” Chansey asked.
Jenn turned to Chansey. “I don’t think Vincent and his coven know why her blood is the way it is. I think it was an accidental discovery. Whatever it is, it’s like nothing they have ever experienced and they won’t be giving her up without a fight.”
I felt Chansey’s anxiety growing and Sol tried to soothe her fear. “Don’t worry, Chansey. Curry and I have done things much more dangerous than this before. It’s safe to take her during the day. Think about it. What could they really do? They’ll be down for the day. They can’t come out into the sunlight to chase us. They’ll never suspect Curry is a vampire that can walk in sunlight. It’s perfect and if we thought we needed reinforcements, we would have had our family to come and help.”
She nodded and gave me half of a smile, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “I trust that you will be careful. If it looks too dangerous when you get there, I don’t want you to do it and whatever you do, don’t drink her blood. I’m the only one you need to be addicted to.”
Sol looked from face to face and asked, “So, we’re all in agreement then?” We nodded in unison and our plan was devised. Once we had the girl, I had no idea what we would do with her, but that decision was for another day.
“I think it’s time for Jenn to return downstairs,” Solomon said.
“It was very nice to meet you,” Chansey called out as they stood to leave.
Jenn turned and gave us a sweet smile. “I’m very glad to meet both of you and thank you for helping my sister.”
When they were gone, Chansey turned to me. “Does she know that I’ll be studying her?”
I nodded. “Yes, Solomon told her.”
“When will we start?”
Her anxiousness disappointed me and I huffed, “After this mess is over with.”
“Jenn didn’t look out of control to me.”
Chansey didn’t understand and I could see that she needed an inservice. “That’s because she was jacked up on a lot of blood. Sol overfed her so she wouldn’t be distracted by her urge to attack you. We needed her in control so she could explain things to me. Sh
e’ll be much different once the blood begins to leave her system.”
I reached for Chansey’s face and tilted her chin up. “Do not trust her until this process is completed. Do not listen to anything she says. She will say things to gain your trust, but she will rip into your throat without any hesitation or regret. Understood?”
She nodded. “How will you know when she is ready?”
“She will be constantly tested when the time is right. If she passes, she is ready,” I explained.
Chansey cocked her head to the side. “What if she doesn’t pass the test?”
I hesitated because I knew she wouldn’t like the answer. “She will be destroyed.”
Her eyes grew large. “That’s terrible. This isn’t her fault. She didn’t ask to turned.”
“It’s how it is, Chansey. If she cannot be contained, she will be destroyed. That’s the way it goes. You remember what Elliott tried to do to you?” I reminded her.
“But she should be fine, right? She looked easily contained earlier.”
Chansey always looked for the positive in everything and it was one of the many things I loved about her, but she had not grasped how looks could be so deceiving. “Overfeeding is not how you train a vampire to restrain from killing humans.”
“So, how will you teach Jenn to restrain?”