Once Bitten, No Longer Shy by Julie Steimle (to read list TXT) 📖

sex with other women. She saw that other bite victim get taken away by the SRA. And she had confided in her friend who was trying to help her deal with her oozing bite wound.

“I’m Sue,” the Puppeteer lady said. “Sue Hobbs.”

Troy shook her hand. “Troy Meecham.”

“Do you really have connections with Deacon Enterprises?” she asked as her friend Leslie showed her bite to Matthew and was quickly accepted into the group.

Inwardly groaning, Troy nodded. “Unfortunately, yes.”

“What?”

He sighed, looking her in the eye. “I went to high school with Howard the Third.”

She stared.

“It’s a long story,” he said.

She nodded.

Then Leslie reached out for Sue. “I’ve been accepted.” She then looked to Matthew pleadingly. “Can my friend join? She’s not a bite victim, but she is my moral support.”

Matthew waved Sue in, grinning. “Of course.”

“Of course?” Someone spoke up. “If someone is not a bite victim, when why are they being allowed in?”

“Do you want to be interviewed next?” Matthew asked, grinning winningly.

That person was the businessman. He nodded and took a seat.

“Name?”

“Marcus Williams,” he said.

Matthew jotted it down.

“Do you have a bite?” Matthew asked.

“Yes.” And the man showed them.

“Is it bleeding right now?” Matthew whispered.

The man nodded. “Yes. Of course it is. There are real vampires in this room. And I want to know what you are going to do about them.”

“We’ll handle them,” Peter said.

“But you’re just a soccer player,” the man Marcus said.

“I prefer to call it football,” Peter said. Then added, “And we are prepared for such contingencies. Don’t think we are the only people here guarding you.”

Marcus the businessman grew calmer from that. He peeked once to Troy then to Matthew and nodded. “So, am I in?”

They all nodded.

“You are,” Matthew said.

“And why was that non-bite victim allowed in?” Marcus asked, brow wrinkling in concern.

“Moral support,” Dr. McAllister said, smiling. “She’s been vetted. It’s ok.”

Marcus nodded, rising.

“Next!” Matthew called out.

Into the seat went in one of the LARPers, putting on a gothic vampire smile and tossing her hair.

Wanly, Matthew said, “Peel off your prosthetics and get out. You and your two LARPing friends.”

She jerked back, mouth open in affront. “We’re not LARPing.”

“No,” Matthew said in a low voice, “You three are trolls out for a good time. You bought all that getup at Hot Topic earlier this week, thinking this was some kind of weirdo group you wanted to mess with. Your name is Dakota Tuckerman. Your two friends are Julian Roskham and Garret Shaffert. And—”

“Garret!” She shrieked, hopping out of her seat. She ran to him, dragging her and her other friend out to the door, hissing at them to hurry and leave. They overheard her saying, “…He’s either spying on us or he is psychic!”

A shudder went through the room.

“Are you spying on us?” the frat boy called out.

“No,” Troy said, glancing once at Matthew chastisingly for blowing his cover. “He’s just a good cop. He’s a police inspector.”

Several drew in their breaths.

“Why else do you think we have him interviewing people?” Troy said. “We want genuine participants here.”

The three LARPers headed to the door. Then they ran out.

They let them go. It was good that the fools left early.

Two others in the group shifted, looking uneasy. Matt set eyes on them then said, “What about you two? What are you here for?”

The pair quietly examined him then one said, “We want to join the group.”

Tom Brown broke into a snort. Up until then he had not reacted at all. He exchanged one look with Matthew then he said to Deidre who had been watching the pair the entire time, “Do you want some refreshments?”

Deidre nodded, letting Tom lead her away from that pair.

Peter rose from his seat and beckoned that pair to the table for questioning. The two men exchanged looks then hesitantly approached. Troy noticed they had no heartbeats. Both were vampires.

The interview was spoken in hushed tones. Near the end of it, Peter led them into a side room. Troy noticed that the room was occupied with a person who had not been in the meeting, a pale someone who could have been Tom’s cousin, someone Troy had not met yet, and Andrew Cartwright. He also noticed Daniel was missing. Troy wondered if he was in the room also.

“Next!” Matthew called out, though he looked a mite uneasy, sweat on his forehead and upper lip.

Up went the frat boy who quickly showed his wound and explained himself. Matthew happily directed him to the room where the other accepted applicants had gone.

“Next!”

Up came a man who Troy was certain was a vampire. He sat down.

“Look,” the man said, “My name is Steve Windmiller, and I am a vampire.”

Matthew leaned back. The room had gone silent. Everyone was listening.

“I was going straight a while back, aided by a priest who did not think my soul was entirely lost. And I’ve been subsisting on regular human food and animal blood for some time now. But I can’t go it alone as the Order of Blood is upset with me.” He then glanced at those remaining in the room. “I understand I should not be included in this group of bite victims. I understand that it is bad for them—and me as they are a temptation. But I have noticed that this group does contain those who are resisting their vampirism, right? Is there a group for that which I can join?”

Matthew looked to William. William leaned forward and said, “When you say you have been subsisting on regular human food and animal blood, does that mean you still drink blood?”

The vampire nodded.

“Have you tried the dairy replacement?” William asked.

Hesitating, the vampire shook his head. “I am not familiar with it.”

William wrote out something then pushed it over to the vampire. “You try this first. See how it works for you. Leave off animal blood and get back to me.”

“My presence doesn’t disquiet you at all, does it?” the vampire said to William, his eyes narrowing on him with a flavor of amazement.

Shaking his head, William replied, “You should meet my sister, Eve. She’s this generation’s vimp.”

The vampire pulled back. He then looked to Matthew to see if he understood what that was and meant. Matthew nodded.

“You jest,” the vampire said.

William shook his head.

Visibly shaken, the vampire also seemed amazed… amazed William McAllister was alive.

Troy stepped up to him. “So, how did you hear about this group?”

Rising, the vampire looked Troy in the eye and said, “I saw a flier. And rumor has it the Order of Blood is after a stray vampire. I assume it is you.”

Rolling his eyes, Troy said, “I was never a—”

The vampire laughed. “Obviously. You can still abide sunlight. And I overheard you are friend of the Deacons who are…” his eyes raked over the room, letting his words fall away as their effect would probably cause a panic among the attendees.

Troy repressed a cringe. “Old classmate.”

“He’s a friend of ours,” Matthew said, nodding.

The vampire looked to him. “Really?”

Matthew nodded. “Yes. Mr. Deacon was also a friend of my father—before he was killed by the mob. We watch out for Rick.”

Troy wondered why Matthew had said this.

The vampire nodded knowingly, ducking back a degree. “I see.”

“Are we forming a reluctant vampire group?” that man Cameron asked, coming up. “Because I am not a bite victim, but I would love some help in getting on in life.”

Troy nodded to him, glancing to Mr. Lenox. “What do you think?”

Mr. Lenox nodded. “Two groups would be good. We don’t need one large group if the bite victims are threatened by bleeding with us near.”

“With me near,” the vampire corrected. He nodded to Troy. “You noticed it. They did not bleed until those two vampires then myself came.”

Troy nodded.

“You could smell it,” the vampire whispered.

Troy cringed. The scent had nearly overwhelmed him. He was doing his best to resist the urge to take a taste.

“You are more vampire than the other two, I think,” the vampire whispered.

Tom immediately appeared at Troy’s side, slapping and arm over his shoulder and shoving the vampire’s face away. “Hey, the guy needs space.”

The vampire backed off, staring at Tom in open surprise, especially his sunglasses. Troy noticed that Tom’s heartbeat was quicker than normal, with an unusual rhythm he had not spotted before. It was even a mischievous, impish beat, like bongo drums.

“Next!” Matthew called out, deciding the conversation had nothing to do with him.

Up walked a woman with curly hair who sat down and said, “See my bite. It bleeds. I’m a victim. Ok.”

“And your name?” Matthew asked with a chuckle, as she was clearly telling the truth.

She peeked around and whispered, “I’d rather not say right now.”

Matthew grinned. “That’s ok. I’ll keep it a secret until later.”

She stared.

The vampire also looked, eyes widening. “So you are psychic.”

Matthew shrugged. “Not exactly.”

William nodded to her. “You can go into that room over there.”

“And not the other one?” she asked, pointing to the room where the pair of vampires had gone.

“Definitely not that one,” William said.

She quickly went to join the others in the side room.

Four people were left besides Deidre and Tom. All four were men.

“Next.” Matthew gazed expectantly at the three who had come together.

But the other man walked up, his eyes dark on Matthew. “I’m next.”

Matthew rose from his seat. “Not you. You don’t belong here at all.”

The man bristled. That’s when Troy noticed his heartbeat change rhythm. It was not quite human. There was a low grate to it. Troy drew away. Tom pulled him further away, along with the vampire and Cameron.

Peter rose from his seat. “You can leave now or—”

“Or what?” the man slapped on a mocking smile. “Peg me with a soccer ball?”

“If I have to,” Peter said, unfazed.

“Look, my name is Dean Brown. I’m a bite victim, like the rest of them and—”

“Your name is not Dean Brown.” Matthew rose, shaking his head and putting his hand on his gun. “You are a demon from the Unseelie Court seeking after the witch and ghost whisperer we had rescued from the gang, and you are seeking revenge against me—”

Like a popcorn bursting, ‘Dean Brown’ exploded into a huge lumpy-shaped monstrosity with enormous brown pectorals and bulky ape-like arms. He swung out to swat Matthew back. But Tom pounced on him, grabbing around his head, judo-flipping him onto his back.

Everyone around them screamed, backing to the far walls as the demon and Tom tussled in the room—that is, except for Peter who stepped up and pulled out something from his backpack. To Troy, it looked like a Poké-ball. It was yellow and red like one.

“Out of the way, Tom,” Peter said, casual-like.

Tom hopped back from the demon he had nearly twisted into a fury. As it was climbing back onto its feet, Peter chucked the ball at it. The Poké-ball hit the demon in the face, then as if the demon was made of liquid, it sucked into the ball and was gone. The ball dropped to the floor with a popping noise.

Peter walked over and picked it up.

“What was that?” one of the guy trio said, pointing at the ball.

Holding up the ball, Peter grinned. “Gotta catch ‘em all.”

All his friends rolled their eyes at him.

Deidre burst out laughing.

“But what was that?” that man shouted out again.

“A demon,” Matthew said. “But no worries now, right?” He looked to Peter pointedly. “Right? It’s not going to get out again, is it?”

Peter nodded. “No worries. Semour’s gadgets are quite flawless.”

“The old fart made that?” Tom said, gesturing at the ball.

Peter nodded again, tucking the Poké-ball away. “Sure did.”

“Like a Pokémon ball?” Tom looked flabbergasted.

Peter nodded once more. “Yeah. The dude’s a fan—and he thinks it’s funny.”

Tom burst out laughing, nodding as if he had no idea Semour had a sense of humor.

“Who are you?” one of the trio asked Peter, but really, everyone.

With a wave, Peter said, “Peter McCabe, member of the Holy Seven.”

Steve the vampire visibly shuddered. But he did not run. He stared, rather. “Saints preserve us….”

Peter raised his eyebrows.

“What’s that?” Another