Blood Will Tell (25 page)

“I'm nervous,” she admitted; it was useless not to.

“Oh, Brandy,” he whispered, “you're not afraid of facing bullets or giving me life. Don't be nervous about loving, Sweetheart.” The endearment caught her unawares, stinging her eyes with tears. He kissed them away.

The preliminaries Brandy was quite familiar with, although every man was different in precisely how he touched, what he preferred, where his attention focused. Dan experimented, caressing her breasts, stroking her legs as he divested her of the last of her clothing. She hadn't noticed when he had abandoned his.

She touched him in return, running her hands over his preternaturally smooth skin, feeling the play of muscle beneath. He felt different from any other man she had ever known, smelled different, enticing, intoxicating—

When his touches became more intimate, Brandy let her own hands slide down to cup the perfect buttocks she had admired that day at the lake. She felt more than saw him smile at her boldness, and took it as a sign that he didn't mind her aggression. “I'm yours, Brandy,” he whispered, voice gone rough with passion.

Brandy abandoned herself to pure sensation, her tendency to analyze lost. Dan was gentle until he felt her respond, then just as aggressive as she needed, attuned to her every desire. They soared to a peak of pure pleasure, and together, clinging, floated in lovely lassitude.

As the warmth of passion seeped from their bodies, Dan pulled the comforter over them and cuddled Brandy tenderly, his fingers threading through her hair. “I love you,” he whispered. “When would you like to get married?"

She snuggled closer. “When we're ready, let's elope. I don't want to go through what I did for Mom's wedding."

“How about Christmas vacation?” Dan suggested.

“I have only six days, and it's unfair to ask to rearrange the Christmas/New Year's schedules."

“Spring Break, then. Except that I don't want to wait till March."

She laughed. “What's the difference? You're moving in tonight. Are you too old-fashioned to live with me before we're married?"

“I'll try not to be,” he said. “I'll look up the exact dates of Spring Break tomorrow. The weekends are included, so we have nine days if you can get that much time off."

“I can get it if I put in now. Where shall we go? Las Vegas?"

“Florida,” Dan said firmly.

“Florida! Then Mom will expect—"

“—what she has every right to expect. She's the only family either of us has."

She heard the sadness in his voice. “You had to leave them all behind?"

“I told you the truth, except for dates and places. That's one secret of living a lie: tell as much truth as you can. My parents are dead. My brother died in the Pacific in World War II, not in the Gulf War; my feelings are real, so people believe me no matter which age-appropriate war I say it was. The cousins are in Delaware, not Nebraska, but they certainly wouldn't know me today, nor care.” He hugged her. “Don't leave your mother out, Brandy. She won't be there forever."

“Okay,” she said. “We'd better wait till next summer."

“Why?” he asked. “What's the point in putting it off?"

“Mom will want to do something fancy. Give her time. That reminds me: you're invited to Florida for Christmas. Mom likes you. She'll be pleased to hear that we're getting married, but she'll want you to get me to quit my job."

“I can't,” he said, “much as I hate the risks you take. As you get used to our match, you'll find that we can't pressure one another to act against our natures. I'll always be involved in something to do with numbers and structures, and you'll always use your curious, puzzle-solving mind.” He nibbled gently on her ear and murmured, “I'll always be a hopeless romantic, and you'll always be pragmatic. We're two halves of a whole."

Brandy kissed him. Then she said, “If I'm the practical one, I suggest that we take a shower together—"

“That sounds like fun,” he said.

“Yeah, it always has. I've never done it before. But it's dinner time, and while you may be satisfied—"

“Only temporarily."

“—I have had neither lunch nor dinner today. Let's order in a pizza, and then call Mom."

“An excellent plan,” he agreed. “Make it a large pizza. You won't get five-sixths of it this time. I am happy and satisfied and very hungry!"

* * * *

Brandy's mother was thrilled, only lamenting that they would have so little time at Christmas to make plans.

“You get too fancy, Mom, and Dan and I will just stop off in Georgia and get hitched,” Brandy threatened. She wanted very much to avoid the church, the bridesmaids, and the reception for five hundred intimate friends.

They talked for almost forty minutes. When they finally hung up, Brandy said to Dan, “Let's go get your toothbrush and pajamas."

“I don't wear pajamas."

“Now why doesn't that surprise me? Anyway, let's get what you need for the weekend, and move the rest later."

“You have to work tomorrow?"

“Church will pick me up at quarter to eight."

“Too bad. I was hoping to keep you up all night."

Moving Dan into her house in the middle of a snowstorm was the last thing Brandy had planned. He packed a suitcase with clothes and toiletries, but his car was soon loaded down with two computers and their multiple attachments, a laser printer, boxes of disks, textbooks, and videotapes.

They were not alone outdoors. The snow fell in large, beautiful flakes, and as they drove slowly on the snow-covered streets they saw people out laughing and slipping and throwing snowballs. Dan took a shortcut through the campus, where the students had deserted the dorms and the library to play in the snow.

“What a perfect evening!” Brandy exclaimed.

“Our first,” said Dan. “Besides—you ain't seen nothin’ yet!"

“You have some power over the weather?” she asked.

“No—but you've experienced only the tip of the iceberg of some of my other powers."

They dumped most of what Dan had brought in the room that would be his office. Brandy's bedroom closet was crammed, and the dresser was the one from her apartment, brought here full, so she had to move some of her clothes into the guest room to give Dan a share. When she came back, he asked her where to put his empty suitcase.

“Stick it in the kitchen for now. When you've finished moving in, it can go in the basement or the attic."

“Brandy, I didn't realize how big this house is. You're bringing more into this marriage than I am."

“Nonsense,” she said. “You earn more than I do, and you have over thirty thou—Oops."

He laughed. “You told me you checked up on me. It's all right. I haven't checked what's in your bank account, but this house is worth more than I have to offer. Is that why you're putting off the wedding?"

“Of course not! I love you, you love me—why shouldn't we live together?"

“Maybe I'm old-fashioned. But I need to get along with your friends, Brandy—and I believe Church is one of your closest?"

“Yes."

“Churchill Jones is the last person I want worrying that I'm taking advantage of you. You know how easy it is to find out that Danton Edward Martin doesn't exist outside computer records. Another secret to successfully living a lie is not to raise suspicions."

She realized he was right, but, “He won't want me to rush into anything as important as marriage."

After a pause, Dan nodded. “You're right. He hardly knows me. I'll have to work to impress him. You'd better let drop that you've already investigated me, so he won't. He might follow the clues to those falsified records."

“I'm only beginning to realize how devious you are,” Brandy said. “But you've got an advantage with Church: you helped to save his son's life. You didn't—engineer that fall to become a hero, did you?"

“Don't even think such a thing,” he replied. “That poor kid may have a bad leg for life.” Again he studied her. “Brandy, do you think me capable of such a thing?"

“No, I don't,” she told him. “It's just so convenient that you were there with your hypnotic powers and your strength to break the rock. As if someone planned it."

A moment's pause, then, “Someone did,” said Dan.

“What do you mean?"

“There was one of those high-pitched dog whistles that most people can't hear."

“But you can?"

“Yes. I didn't think anything of it at the time, but it's what got Sandy to run away."

“And once he was close—that influence you have over animals—"

“—called him to lure the children to that dangerous drop. And—the ‘monster’ the children say they saw."

“Dracula,” Brandy remembered. “A shadowy figure with fangs."

“At sunset,” Dan added. “I wanted to say something then, Brandy, but how could I? I forgot about it until I found out about Carrie's puncture wounds. There's a pattern here, another vampire letting me—or other vampires—know he's in the vicinity, but not who he is. I don't know what to expect next."

“Why hurt Church's son?” Brandy asked.

“It could probably have been any child that the vampire could entice away from his parents. Am I being paranoid? Or are these warnings aimed at me?"

“I suppose after tonight whoever it is will think you have me in your power,” said Brandy.

“It's you who have me in yours,” said Dan, “but it doesn't matter as long as you're out of danger. You're right that it's best I move in.” He looked around. “I'll leave the computers in the spare room, and hook them up while you're at work tomorrow. Is there a phone jack?"

“No, but we can have one installed."

“I'll do it,” Dan said. And he went downstairs to get the last items they had brought.

Thus Brandy had time to think for a moment away from Dan's influence. Computers and a phone jack—a modem—fancy, complicated computers—Something had been nagging at the back of Brandy's mind ever since Dan had chosen that equipment as his first contributions to their joint household. Suddenly it leaped to the fore, producing a stab of near-pain to Brandy's gut. Although she didn't say a word, Dan practically leaped up the stairs. “Brandy! What happened?"

She pushed him away. “You made me forget about it! All the time you claimed you weren't influencing me, you were making me forget what Church told me!"

“Forget what?"

“Your damned computers! I never asked you what you were doing installing computers for Judge Lee Joseph Callahan!"

Chapter Eleven—In the Light of Day

Dan stared at Brandy. “I couldn't have influenced you not to ask me about that,” he said calmly, “because I had no idea you wanted to know."

“Church found it out. When he told me about it, I set out to investigate you."

Dan frowned. “I couldn't get a summer teaching position because I'd taught the summer before. Judge Callahan wanted a system installed."

“What kind of equipment did he get?"

“A Pentium III with CDR-W, 16 gigabyte hard drive, and a fax/modem. He's got a DSL line through the phone company. Brandy, the man is a judge, a lawyer, a businessman, a politician. What in the world do you find suspicious about his acquiring the latest technology? Or my helping him learn to use it?"

“What did he learn?” she demanded, trying to remember what Church was looking for. “How to change police records? Is the mob computerized? Did he learn how to locate and hire a hit man?"

“Besides Internet and e-mail access, he was interested in database programs, and constituency information available on ROM disks. It's no secret that Judge Callahan plans to run for governor."

She could feel Dan's utter bafflement at her reaction, his frustration at her lack of trust.

And then she realized what it meant that she could feel them. The connection had been growing all evening, unnoticed when the feelings were pleasant, but now—

“I warned you,” Dan said softly. “Brandy, this degree of closeness is just as new to me. I felt that shock when you thought I had deceived you, like a physical blow."

“It was,” she said shakily. Then, “What's your name, Dan? Your real name, on your real birth certificate?"

“Eduardo Tomas Donatelli. We can send for the records."

“There's no need to,” she recognized. “You're not lying. I can tell."

“Yes."

“Is it going to get stronger than this? Will we have no privacy at all?"

“I don't know,” he replied. “It will be weaker from sunrise to sunset, stronger at night. And it's related to influence, which requires physical closeness."

“You felt my feelings from downstairs."

“A strong shock. The rest has been weakening and strengthening as we've been apart and together."

“I didn't notice."

“You weren't looking for it. I was—and reveling in it. I think we'll get used to it. But, I doubt we can lie to one another, at least not for any length of time."

“I've never been so close to anyone."

“Neither have I. But I've been searching for it all my life. Let me show you how wonderful it can be."

When he kissed her, the physical contact increased her sense of his feelings. His sexual desire woke, but he didn't want a mere physical exercise. His desire was directed at Brandy, waking hers.

Earlier, Brandy had been content to be passive, but knowing Dan's responses directly she didn't have to worry that he would find her too aggressive. When she accidentally tickled him, she didn't have to wait for his protest, but moved on to more erogenous regions, enjoying his pleasure as much as her own.

If she had known sex could be this much fun she would have indulged in it earlier. But then, with any other man it couldn't have been so involving, so reciprocal, so wickedly, wonderfully delicious.

* * * *

When the clock radio came on at 7:00am, Brandy reached automatically to turn it off. As she tried to turn over and encountered resistance, she remembered that she was not alone. Memories of last night surfaced, and she realized how good she felt.

Dan was still asleep, lying on his back with Sylvester curled up on his chest. Neither man nor animal showed any sign of rousing, although the cat cracked one eye and closed it again, playing possum.

The sun was rising. Dan was right—the intense emotional rapport of the night was gone—hence he hadn't wakened when she did. Still, she felt a reassuring sense of his well-being, telling her last night, impossible as it seemed, had been only too real.