Bloodlines

I blushed and followed along with him. “Sorry,” I said. “It’s instinct.”

“No problem. You Alchemists are kind of jumpy, you know.”

“Yeah.” I laughed uncomfortably. “I know.”

“I’ve always wanted to meet one of you, but you guys certainly aren’t what I expected.” He opened the door to a spacious kitchen. The rest of the house might be antique and gloomy, but inside here, everything was bright and modern. “If it makes you feel any better, you’re not as bad as Keith. He was here earlier today and was so nervous, he literally kept looking over his shoulder.” Lee paused thoughtfully. “I think it might have been because Adrian kept laughing like a mad scientist at those old black-and-white movies he was watching.”

I came to an abrupt stop. “Keith was here—today? What for?”

“You’d have to ask Dad. That’s who he talked to the most.” Lee opened the refrigerator and produced a can of Coke. “Want one?”

“I—uh, no. Too much sugar.”

He grabbed another can. “Diet?”

I hesitated only a moment before taking it. “Sure. Thanks.” I hadn’t intended to eat or drink anything in this house, but the can seemed safe enough. It was sealed and looked like it had come straight from a human grocery store, not some vampiric cauldron. I opened it and took a sip as my mind spun. “You have no idea at all what it was about?”

“Huh?” Lee had added an apple to his menu and hoisted himself up so he sat on the counter. “Oh, Keith? No. But if I had to guess, it was about me. Like he was trying to figure out if I’m staying here or not.” He took a giant bite into the apple, and I wondered if having fangs made that harder at all.

“He just likes his facts straight,” I said neutrally. As much as I disliked Keith, I still wanted a unified human front. I wasn’t entirely inaccurate, though. I was pretty sure Keith felt undermined at learning there was one extra Moroi in “his territory” and was now making sure he was in on everything. Part of it was good Alchemist business, sure, but most was probably Keith’s wounded pride.

Lee didn’t seem to think much of it and kept chewing his apple, though I could feel his eyes studying me. “You said Jill had a bad day? Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, I think so. I mean, I don’t know. I’m not even sure how things got messed up. She wanted to see Adrian for some reason. Maybe he can help.”

“He’s Moroi,” said Lee pragmatically. “Maybe it’s just something only he could understand—something you and Eddie couldn’t. No offense.”

“None taken,” I said. It was only natural that Jill and I would have distinct differences—I was a human, and she was a vampire, after all. We couldn’t be more different if we tried, and in fact, I kind of preferred it that way. “You go to college . . . in Los Angeles? A human school?” It wasn’t that weird a behavior for Moroi. Sometimes they stuck together in their own communities; sometimes they tried to blend into large human cities.

Lee nodded. “Yup. And it was hard for me at first too. I mean, even without others obviously knowing you’re a vampire . . . well, there’s just a sense of otherness you’re always aware of. I eventually adjusted . . . but I know what she’s going through.”

“Poor Jill,” I said, suddenly realizing I’d come at this situation all wrong. Most of my energy had been fixed on the school believing Jill’s illness was a hangover. I should’ve focused on why she was sick in the first place. Anxiety over this new life change had to be taking its toll. I’d battled my own uneasiness, trying to figure out friendships and social cues—but at least I was still dealing with my own race. “I didn’t really think about what she’s going through.”

“Do you want me to talk to her?” asked Lee. He set the apple core aside. “Not that I’m sure I have that much wisdom to share.”

“Anything might help,” I said honestly.

A silence fell between us, and I began to feel uneasy. Lee seemed very friendly, but my old fears were too ingrained. Part of me felt like he didn’t so much want to get to know me as study me. Alchemists were clearly a novelty to him. “Do you mind me asking . . . the tattoo. It gives you special powers, right?”

It was nearly a repeat of the conversation at school, except Lee actually knew the truth behind it. I absentmindedly touched my cheek. “Not powers, exactly. There’s compulsion in it to keep us from talking about what we do. And I get a good immune system out of it. But the rest? I’m nothing special.”

“Fascinating,” he murmured. I looked away uneasily and tried to casually brush my hair back into my face.

Adrian stuck his head in just then. All his earlier humor was gone. “Ah, there you are. Can I talk to you in private for a sec?”

The question was directed to me, and Lee jumped off the counter. “I’ll take the cue. Is Jill still in the den?” Adrian nodded, and Lee glanced at me questioningly. “Do you want me to . . . ?”

I nodded. “That’d be great. Thank you.”

Lee left, and Adrian glanced back at me curiously. “What was that about?”

“Oh, we thought Lee might be able to help Jill with her problems,” I explained. “Since he can relate.”

“Problems?”

“Yeah, you know. Adjusting to living with humans.”

“Oh,” said Adrian. He produced a pack of cigarettes and, to my complete astonishment, lit up right in front of me. “That. Yeah, I guess that’s good. But that’s not what I wanted to talk to you about. I need you to get me out of this place.”

I was startled. This wasn’t about Jill?

“Out of Palm Springs?” I asked.

“No! Out of this place.” He gestured around him. “It’s like living in a retirement home! Clarence is taking a nap right now, and he eats at five. It’s so boring.”

“You’ve only been here for two days.”

“And that’s more than enough. The only thing keeping me alive is that he keeps a hefty supply of liquor on hand. But at the rate I’m going, that’ll be gone by the weekend. Jesus Christ, I’m climbing the walls.” His eyes fell on the cross at my neck. “Oh. Sorry. No offense to Jesus.”

I was still too baffled by the unexpected topic to feel much offense. “What about Lee? He’s here, right?”

“Yes,” agreed Adrian. “Sometimes. But he’s busy with . . . hell, I don’t know. School stuff. He’s going back to Los Angeles tomorrow, and that’ll be another boring night for me. Besides . . .” He looked around conspiratorially. “Lee’s nice enough, but he’s not . . . well, he’s not really into having fun. Not the way I am.”

“That might be a good thing,” I pointed out.

“No morality lectures, Sage. And hey, like I said, I like him okay, but he’s not here enough. When he is, he keeps to himself. He’s always checking himself out in the mirror, even more than I do. I heard him worrying about gray hair the other day.”

I didn’t care about Lee’s eccentricities. “Where would you even want to go? You don’t want . . .” A very unpleasant thought came to me. “You don’t want to enroll at Amberwood, do you?”

“What, and play 21 Jump Street with the rest of you? No, thank you.”

“Twenty-one what?”

“Never mind. Look.” He put out the cigarette—on the counter—which I thought was kind of ridiculous since he’d hardly smoked any of it. Why bother with such a filthy habit if you weren’t going to use it all? “I need my own place, okay? You guys make things happen. Can’t you get me some swank bachelor’s pad like Keith has downtown so I can party with all the rich vacationers? Drinking alone is sad and pathetic. I need people. Even human people.”

“No,” I said. “I’m not authorized to do that. You aren’t . . . well, you aren’t really my responsibility. We’re just taking care of Jill—and Eddie, since he’s her bodyguard.”

Adrian scowled. “What about a car? Can you do that?”

I shook my head.

“What about your car? What if I drop you guys back off at the school and then borrow it for a while?”

“No,” I said swiftly. That was probably the craziest suggestion he could’ve made. Latte was my baby. I certainly wasn’t about to lend it out to a heavy drinker—especially to one who also happened to be a vampire. If