The Chalice (Luna Vampire Series) (23 page)

             
"Please, at least permit me to wire you money.  You're in desperate need."

             
"No.  I'm not giving you a chance to meet up with me at the western union.  Seriously, how can I put this any more clearly?  LEAVE ME ALONE."

             
"But, Luna..."

             
"I've said no.  NOW LEAVE ME THE HELL ALONE."

             
"I won't force your hand, darling.  Still, remember that my door is always open."

             
And with that, he left me to the disharmony of my own psyche.  Lucien and Amelia were gawking at me with big eyes, apparently wondering what'd transpired.  Clamming up with the knowledge that I'd gotten us into this mess, I silently prayed escaping was the right course of action. 
We were all run ragged.  Starving.  Freezing.  And I'd done this.  If we'd stayed at Tsedaka's stupid missile base, we'd be fatcats sleeping in a plush environment.  Damn.

             
"Look, let's get some sleep," I demanded, hastily realizing that if I confronted their questioning faces an instant longer I'd be likely to snap.  "I'll have everything figured out by tomorrow night.  For the moment, though, we need to rest."

             
"Agreed," Lucien replied, sensing my agitation.  "I think we all could use a little shuteye prior to making any firm decisions."

             
"A nap sounds divine," Amelia murmured, turning onto her side with a yawn. 

             
Automatically, her breathing deepened, signaling the beginnings of sleep a few minutes later.  I mean, she must've been severely exhausted in order to drift off so easily under these horrendous conditions. 
Stressed, scared, uncomfortable.

             
Perceiving my unease, Lucien reached over and stroked my face affectionately.  Shortly thereafter, a picture perfect scene consisting of the two of us snuggling in front of a warm fire permeated my consciousness, immersing me in the pureness of his love and respect.  I leaned into his hand, reveling in the comfort of his physical and mental caress. 
Yep,
telepathy was good for some things.
 
Sigh.

             
Feeling his smile at my offhanded thought, I slowly began to forget about the cold nipping at my nose and the hunger pains racking my stomach.  And, with happiness filling my heart, I finally relaxed into a dreamless sleep. 
Safe and content.

Chapter
16

             
"Come on, get your lazy butts up!" I teased, simultaneously shaking Amelia's arm while kicking Lucien's foot.  And, thank god, they both finally responded, opening their drowsy eyes at the same instant.  "It's about time!  I've been trying to wake you guys for at least five minutes."

             
"Is it still day?" Lucien mumbled with a yawn.

             
"Yep, the sun's setting right now.  And guess what?  I brought you guys a surprise!"  Then, before they could say a word, I pulled two bags of blood and a bottle of orange juice from the deep pockets of my coat.  "A snack!"

             
"You mean, you went out?  The light didn't harm you?" Lucien questioned, pulling me over Amelia and snuggling me in tightly to his body.

             
"Not a bit.  It hurt my eyes a lot more than usual.  Although, I'm sure I can fix that by snagging a pair of sunglasses."

             
"Thanks, Luna, I really need fluids," Amelia beamed, grabbing the orange juice.  "That being said, I could also use a hot meal or three."

             
"Next on our list," I reassured with a smile.  "Don't worry, I've got it all under control."

             
Immediately frowning, Lucien shifted away from me uncomfortably.  "Wait, how'd you procure the blood?"

             
"I stopped time of course," I bubbled, proud of my afternoon's little escapade. 
Seriously, the ability to freeze reality in its tracks was pretty freaking amazing.  Extremely handy.

             
"You shouldn't have left alone," he grumbled, jaw twitching.  "What if someone saw you?  Or you were attacked again?"

             
"Look, I'm a big girl.  I can take care of myself," I grumped, pursing my lips in irritation. 

             
In turn, he raised his eyebrow cynically.  "I'm not trying to be the bearer of bad news.  But, beyond the fact that you risked your life, bagged blood won't help us much.  Depending on how long it's been on the shelf, it probably only holds a small amount of life force."

             
"Life force?" 
God!  More vampire hocus pocus.  Why me?

             
"It's the component of human blood we need," he explained, his face relaxing slightly.  "The longer blood is outside the body, the less life force it contains.  That's why we require blood slaves."

             
"Well, it's the best we've got.  So, I'm drinking mine," I grumped, ripping open the corner of one of the bags with my teeth and knocking it back in a few massive swigs. 
And, yeah, he'd spoken the truth.  Surprise, surprise.  The energy it gave me was akin to drinking a glass of watery kool aid.
 

             
"Don't misunderstand me, girlie, I'm not complaining; I'll drink mine as well.  Something's definitely better than nothing."  And with that, he seized the remaining bag and chugged it.  Then he used his coat sleeve to clean the leftover dribbles of blood from his lips.  "Thank you, I think it helped."

             
"So, um, how long have you been up?  Did you walk all the way to town?" Amelia asked, throwing her empty orange juice bottle down the culvert with a series of loud clanks.

             
"Yes, you must tell us every detail," Lucien added before giving me a chance to respond.

             
"How 'bout I show you," I boasted, excited to take my powers for another spin. 
I mean, I should make the best of things, right?
 

             
Basically, I intended on pulling a repeat of the homicidal vision I'd pushed into William.  Except, this time around, I'd send memories of actual experiences rather than imaginary ones.  So, ignoring the inquisitive looks covering my sidekick's faces, I began reflecting on the events that woke me earlier that afternoon.

             
My back ache, yep, the combination of an odd sleeping angle and an icy metal pipe totally sucked.
  In desperation, I moved on my hands and knees along the ditch toward the entrance, stopping just prior to reaching the light.  Moments later, I cautiously ran the tips of my fingers through it, almost as if I was a child playing with fire.

             
However, when my skin didn't burn, I decided all was safe and stepped eagerly into the warm rays of the sun.  Rapidly, I found that if I squinted and placed a hand over my stinging peepers the whole vampire in the daylight thing was doable.  And, with the end of that thought, I forced it into their minds. 

             
Suddenly awestruck, Lucien flashed me a toothy grin.  "You're becoming more powerful by the day!  It feels like being there, really being in your body and viewing the world with your eyes.  It's breathtaking."

             
"Keep going," Amelia giggled. 

             
I nodded in response, swiftly recalling my short walk to the highway where I'd hitched a ride into town.
  Precisely what we should've done last night.  Yet, nobody would listen to me.  Sigh.
 

             
Regardless, the trucker who gave me a lift smoked cigarettes. 
Absolutely disgusting.
  I had to crack my window and suck in shallow breaths for the entire ten minute drive.  Even more repulsive, was his lip full of chewing tobacco.  He kept spitting into a cup and the nasty minty smell made my stomach churn nauseatingly. 
Honestly, how much nicotine did one guy need?

             
My aversions aside, he dropped me off in downtown Lawrence, a couple blocks away from the blood donation center and the real treat of this story,
the bank
.  Pausing there, I allowed them to see my memories.

             
"What do you mean
bank
?" Lucien asked worriedly, his shoulders automatically stiffening with tension.

             
"We needed cash.  So, I went in and got us some.  No biggy."

             
"Withdrawing money from your account was a huge mistake, they'll know where we are now," he growled.

             
"Oh, hush, I didn't touch my account.  My tactics were much better," I bragged, giddiness exuding from every pore.  "And listen, before you jump to any more conclusions, let me show you the rest."

             
Promptly, I returned to the place in my mind where I'd left off.  I sat on the curb, at first, removing my socks and putting my tennis shoes back on bare-footed.  I then utilized the socks as makeshift gloves.
  No leaving fingerprints
.  After which, I envisioned the world freezing while embracing the word
STOP
solidly in my head.  And, to our good fortune, using my power was a breeze, ensuring time's convenient interruption as I marched fervently into the bank. 

             
I had no qualms over robbing them; they were insured.  Still, I did feel kinda guilty for stealing a pot-bellied businessman's briefcase.  The unsuspecting sap stood in line, looking utterly bored; he didn't deserve the stress that this experience would
most assuredly
cause
.
  The poor guy'd probably go crazy once he came to, his briefcase magically doing the disappearing act. 
But, oh well.  I had to push on; I needed a way of carrying the money.

             
And so, I dumped the contents of his briefcase onto the floor, seconds ahead of approaching the tellers.  Walking around the counter, I happily found their money drawers wide-open which led to my hasty and somewhat clumsy filling of the case. 
Palms sweaty, heart thundering in my ears. 
Intermittently, I'd think,
"STOP TIME, STAY STOPPED."

             
When the briefcase could hold no more, I sprinted out the door, high on an adrenaline rush from hell.  I'd always fantasized of robbing a bank. 
And,
let me tell you, it was cool as shit!
 
We had the funds to evade Tsedaka.  Plus, no more sleeping in ditches!  Yay!
  Smiling bigger than the Cheshire cat, I shifted the memory into their minds.

             
"You did what?" Amelia screeched, face contorting in horror.

             
Unbothered by her outburst, I held my chin up proudly.  "I robbed a bank, the money's in the car."
  Jesus, you'd think I'd get a little appreciation around here, considering I'd rescued us from a life of homeless bums.

             
"What car?" Lucien grunted flatly, hardly keeping a lid on his fury.

             
"Haven't gotten that far yet," I grinned.

             
He balled his hands into fists, puckering his mouth in dissatisfaction.  "Give us the abridged version then."

             
"Oh, alright.  For real, though, you guys are ruining my fun..." My words trailed off as I gave in to a momentary laughing fit.

             
"Ehh-hem," Amelia cleared her throat, shooting me the evil eye in warning.

             
No fun, absolutely no fun. 
"Well, to summarize, I kept the world frozen while I dropped by the blood donation place, snatching the two bags of blood and bottle of juice.  As I got ready to leave, I noticed one of the donors had his car keys laying next to him on a table.  So, I took 'em.  His Buick Park Avenue was parked directly in front."

             
"You broke one of the most important vampire covenants," Amelia fretted, her anxiety increasing.  "Violating human laws risks bringing unnecessary attention onto the vampire community and is strictly prohibited.  It's a transgression the king often punishes with death."

             
"Tsedaka already wants my head.  Seriously, just think about it, I changed Lucien without his permission, we let a computer virus loose on his facility, and we escaped in spite of his express orders.  We might as well add bank robbery to the list.  If he catches us, we're screwed regardless."

             
"I understand and I can see why you did it," Lucien admitted, penetrating me with his gaze.  "Nevertheless, you must promise not to go off half-cocked like that in the future.  It put you in far too much danger.  I should've been the one to have taken the risk."