Copyright 1996 by Anne Fraser and M.J. Gardner

Chapter Two

Evelyn started to laugh. She couldn't help it. It was so ridiculous.

"So that's what you meant by, Not another vampire!" She'd heard a lot of things from men who were surprised by her teeth or her bite, but never that.

As if this wasn't bad enough, a student came barreling down the hall, wielding a fire extinguisher.

"What's wrong?!" he demanded, looking in vain for someone, or something, to shoot the extinguisher at.

The vampire turned on the man and Evelyn thought he would rip him to shreds, but instead he quietly and very firmly said, "Misunderstanding."

"Oh." The student turned and walked away as if mesmerized.

Jake pushed past the vampire to close the door. It wouldn't latch with the inside of the jamb gone, and the bolt stuck out nakedly.

Evelyn managed to swallow the rest of her giggles to ask, "Are there a lot of vampires in Toronto, Jake?"

Jake was not amused. He glared sullenly at the vampire, who returned his stare wordlessly. It took Evelyn a minute, but she realized from the fleeting, changing expressions on their faces that they were talking without words, and without signs. Telepathy.

"Well, look," she said, straightening her skirt to give her something to focus her attention on other than Jake and his vampire friend. "I think I'll just go back to the party."

"Sit down," snarled the vampire. "Nobody tries to make a meal out of my friend."

Evelyn was mildly surprised, but not afraid. After all, she could pop herself back to her hotel room any time she liked. If she stayed it was only the see the drama played out between this very protective vampire and her handsome half-vampire ex-dinner.

"I don't believe we've met," she said insolently, still standing. After all, the only two chairs in the room were occupied, one by dirty laundry and the other by textbooks.

"Adrian," Jake laid his hand on the vampire's shoulder, "it's all right. No harm done."

"I didn't realize he was one of our kind," said Evelyn. She looked at Jake. There was a thin smear of blood on his lips.

"You're bleeding," said Adrian, and stared at him like a hungry wolf. Evelyn felt her own fangs tingling at the sight. She was still hungry.

Jake wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and looked at the blood. "I think my fangs are coming in," he whispered in a mixture of horror and chagrin.

"But you're mortal," Evelyn repeated. "You're warm and alive," she said, unable to resist touching his arm. Sweet, hot blood beat under the skin, tantalizingly close. She felt like the Lost Mariner: blood, blood everywhere and not a drop to drink.

"What are you? A dhampir?" she asked. Her eyes met his and she could still see the lust in them. So he knew about vampires and he was not afraid.

"Blood-ling." Adrian drew out the word, lingering on the last syllable theatrically, bringing their attention back to him. He glared at Jake again and once more Evelyn recognized that telepathy was going on.

"It's my business," hissed Jake out loud.

"It's really impolite to do that," scolded Evelyn.

"A new vampire in town is not just your business," snapped Adrian, and turned on Evelyn. "Who the hell are you?"

"Evelyn. And you might be...?"

Jake stepped in. "This is Professor Adrian Talbot, a friend of mine."

"Just Evelyn?" asked Adrian with a sneer.

"Just Evelyn," she repeated. "Do professors always enter rooms like that?"

Adrian snarled at her and Jake took him by the arm and turned him towards the door. "Thanks for popping by Adrian, but I don't think there's anything to fear here. Evelyn and I have some things to talk about. I'll bring her by for her Welcome Wagon package later."

Adrian stopped and sent a message to Jake that made him blush up to the roots of his hair. Then he turned and stalked out with one last glare at Evelyn.

"Well, its always interesting to meet the family on the first date," said Evelyn breezily. She assumed Jake's vampire blood must have come from Adrian. Why else would Adrian feel he had the right to burst into Jake's room?

Jake turned his head away from her, hands pressed over his mouth. He was shaking. Evelyn had reached out to him to soothe his nerves when she realized that it was suppressed laughter that was making him shudder like that.

"I threw ... Adrian Talbot! ... out of ... my room!" Jake managed to choke the words out as he dissolved into giggles.

"Quite a watchdog," Evelyn said. She was relieved to hear him laugh, if a little confused by his hilarity. "Does he always break your door down when you're with a girl? Must be embarrassing."

Jake howled and lost his balance, collapsing on the bed in a fit of laughter. The fact that Adrian would be murderously furious if he knew he was being laughed at only fueled his attack.

"He's ... got ... no right ... to interfere ... in ... gasp my life like that." He paused to catch his breath. "I can't be too mad at him," he panted. "He was protecting me from a vampire, something he promised he'd do."

"Evidently he hasn't done a good job. Or was he the vampire that gave you the blood?"

Jake ran his fingers through his hair. "It's a little more complicated than that. It was his blood I picked up, and another vampire's, unintentionally."

"So you have a vampire's blood in your veins, but you're still alive?" Was this what would have happened to her if she had lived longer after Simms had made her drink his blood? A slow transformation? "You must tell me the story sometime," she said, looking down at him half-reclined on the bed. "But not right now."

She dumped the laundry from one chair and wedged it under the doorknob.

"Where were we?"

"I was about to pay for my pleasure," Jake said. The giggles were completely gone now and lust had returned. "Am I still on the menu?"

"But you carry vampire blood now," Evelyn said. When Jake just stared at her uncomprehending she explained, "I can't drink it: it would only make me hungrier."

"Weird. It doesn't seem to bother Adrian."

Evelyn shrugged. "Maybe because you're still mortal..." she mused. "Or maybe because it's his blood. I'd rather not take the chance. So you let him bite you?" she asked, eyebrows raised suggestively.

Jake blushed. "When necessary. I'm not gay, if that's what you're thinking."

"I didn't think you were." Evelyn's mouth tugged as she looked down at the zippered area of Jake's jeans where his eagerness to get back to what they'd been about to do was increasingly evident. "But no, I won't make you dinner. Call it professional courtesy to a ... bloodling." She gave a near perfect imitation of Adrian's dramatic pronunciation.

Jake thought he was going to lose it to hysteric giggles again until she clambered onto the bed over him. "Still, that doesn't mean we can't have dessert," her voice smiled, and she kissed him.