Once Bitten, No Longer Shy by Julie Steimle (chrome ebook reader txt) 📕

Never in their lives had they expected to see an angel.

“I think I like Eve better than that one,” Troy whispered, feeling pale. His bones seemed to ache. “She was freaky, but he was downright scary.”

Nodding to him, Hanz then kicked a rooftop air vent.

All eyes set on him, and Troy realized now that maybe Hanz’s problem really did take a certain kind of precedence. He just did not know the particulars.

“That angel had wings,” Art murmured, “But he wasn’t exactly using them. Were they decoration?”

Eyes turned to him. He seemed to be the only person there not connected to the supernatural in any way. Rick glanced to those in the Seven and they all approached Art to deal with probably damage control. Andy whispered something in Art’s ear, and Art nodded. His eyes turned toward Hanz who was still mid breakdown.

Andy went directly to Hanz, putting a hand on his shoulder. “We won’t give up. We just have to end the vimp curse, right?”

Vimp curse? What was that? Troy wondered. He had heard the vampires talking about that vimp thing, but he had no clue what it was.

Embracing Andy in a hug, Hanz struggled against tears. “Thank you.”

Then Peter spoke up. “That just didn’t feel right. Those angels are bureaucratic little—”

In a shot, Tom sprang over and slapped a hand over Peter’s mouth, eyes wide. He hissed, “Don’t talk too much about them. It’s like an invitation. They are death.”

All of them stared. All of them had the same question on their minds as well. How much did Tom know about such angels? He clearly knew a lot.

Leaning a mite from Tom, relenting, Peter then asked, “What is this about you losing your sight?”

With a moan and a roll of his tired eyes, Tom tried to avoid the looks of the other Gulinger alumni. They all exchanged glances, as this was not something they talked about much. Carlos’s predictions were mostly non-topics. No one wanted to talk about how they would die. Yet Matthew finally said, “Has Rick ever told you about our friend, Carlos Mendez?”

Rick cringed, blushing with an apologetic shrug to his friends from Middleton Village. All turned their gazes onto him as Peter and Andy were helping support grief-stricken Hanz with the aid of Art.

“Come here and let me tell you about him,” Matthew beckoned Peter near for a private chat while Rick switched places to speak to Hanz. Troy watched them, realizing was a fool he had made of himself. He really had just tried to kill himself. How stupid was he?

As Rick was talking low with Hanz, Troy realized this guy, this Nordic doctor who knew his guardian angel intimately was someone he needed in order to survive. He had to talk to him now.

Troy jogged up to the group who were helping distraught Hanz back to the roof doorway. “Hey. Wait. –I’m sorry.”

All of them looked to him, Hanz most especially. His wet, red-ringed eyes fixed on Troy with an odd level of compassion that Troy did not feel he deserved.

“I want to help,” Troy said. Then heaving a breath, he also confessed the core truth with an apologetic shrug. “And I need help. Your angel lady said you could lead me to some kind of specialist who can help me get used to be no longer human?”

That Hanz wiped his eyes, nodding. “Yeah. Her brother. William McAllister. He’d be the foremost medical expert on how to treat a person with vampiric conditions. He wrote a book on it.”

Those around them looked shocked—Rick especially. “Will did?”

Rick knew her family? Who didn’t he know? It annoyed and amazed Troy at the same time how many people around the world Rick was acquainted with in and outside of business. Rick casually called it networking, but it annoyed Troy.

Hanz nodded to Rick, sniffling. “It’s sold as a gag gift in stores, but it’s actually quite informative, and according to Eve, spot on. She helped him write it. He used it to pay for college.”

Troy’s mind was swimming. He watched in a daze as Hanz called to Tom as if old friends. “You know where Eve hangs out, don’t you?” Hanz said. “Somewhere here in New York?”

Tom jogged up from Matthew (who had been explaining Carlos to Daniel and Peter) to Hanz, nodding. “Sure I do. We’re in the heart of her territory right now.”

Troy looked around, wondering if she would be back.

“Territory?” Hanz asked, his eyes struggling to focus. He looked entirely wiped out.

“Yep.” Tom grinned widely as if saying ‘Merry Christmas’. “It’s where she reaps souls.”

Hanz’s eyes widened while Troy shot Tom a glare. So Tom had known she would be there. They had chosen this particular hospital on purpose. They knew Eve would come here. Tom and Matt were hoping to find Eve for Hanz.

Matthew edged in, elbowing Tom in the side with a gesture to Art who looked a little stunned at Tom’s word choice, which was always way too blunt. “That means she helps ghosts go to the right place. But Hanz, if those angels just took her away from here—”

Hanz nodded, easily understanding. “Then they took her away for good. I know.”

Troy could hear the grief in his voice and felt a pang for the man.

“Which means, they won’t let her come back, especially now that they know I’m here,” Hanz added.

“Most likely, no.” Matthew patted Hanz on the shoulder, pleased he did not have to explain things to the man.

“So…” Daniel, who had shared a look with Peter, said to Hanz, “We go back to our old plan and seek out the elf to help find Eve?”

“You found our elf?” Andy asked, interested.

“Elf? What elf?” Rick perked up, interjecting himself once more into the conversation.

Troy felt like his head was swimming. His skin also ached horribly. It was now an ugly pink. But it was just sunburn, nothing more. He needed to get indoors and meet that doctor that Hanz knew. That William.

“Oh no…” Tom jumped to Rick, grabbing him into a headlock, which Rick quickly ducked out of from experience—both going back into their old roommate antics as if Troy had never been turned into a vampire right there in front of them and things were not horrible. Tom especially seemed cheerful as he laughed out, “Rick, don’t even think about chasing after elves—even if you think they are cute.”

“What’s this?” Silvia perked up with interest, her eyes flickering to Rick and back to Tom before looking to Randon for an explanation. Randon exchanged another look with Troy but saw him weary and worried. Troy stuck close to Hanz. He was his lifeline now.

Matthew had even started to laugh, relieved the danger was over. But when he looked to Hanz who was massaging his forehead, then at Art and Troy, he said to Rick. “Hey, can some people crash at your place? I think a few here are wiped out.” He jerked his head towards Hanz.

Rick looked mostly at Hanz and Art, glancing once at Troy who lingered near. “Yeah. Let’s… go down and get my car. I’ve got room.”

They took the stairs all the way down to the main floor once more. The feeling was surreal. Troy half expected the doctors to have a meltdown if they saw him alive—but Matthew hissed in his ear, “Don’t worry about it. We walk straight through and nobody will notice.”

On the main floor, the hospital noise was as always a murmur of stress. Normal life and death were still happening—and he was part of the living. As Troy walked with Hanz, not wanting to leave his side without getting what he needed, he noticed people staring at them.  

“Hey! Officer Calamori!” JJ jogged up in his blue police uniform, grabbing Matthew’s attention. “He’s awake!”

Snatching a quick look with Tom, both Matt and Tom split away from the group, heading towards recovery.

Halting as he watched them run off, Troy murmured, “They must frequent this hospital a lot.”

Randon nodded with a snort. “JJ didn’t even say hi.”

“JJ?” Peter looked to Andy, then Rick who had nodded.

“Joshua Johnson,” Rick said, explaining. “Fellow ghoulie. Sees ghosts.”

Art, who was groggy, raised his eyebrows in a daze. “Oh.”

But taking cues from Hanz’s weary body language, they soon went out to find their cars.

“Are we leaving Matt?” Rick asked, glancing back to the building when he got to curb.

Andy nodded. “Yeah. I think they’ll be a while. It’s ok to go.”

“Ok…” Rick looked around. “Who is going where?

Randon lifted a hand. “All those in my car can crash at our place.” He nodded to Troy.

Troy looked to Hanz. “Uh… I was hoping—”

“Troy will come with me,” Rick said. He then smirked at Randon. “My place will be garlic free, and he can crash on the couch.”

What a pathetic reminder, Troy thought. To think he was safer at a werewolf’s house…. But Rick was right.

“And Hanz?” Daniel asked.

“He gets the spare room,” Rick said. He then glanced to Art. “And he can have my room.”

Andy nodded.

“You also come with me,” Rick said to Andy.

“I need to get home,” Andy said, disagreeing.

Shaking his head, Rick replied, “You can call Jessica from our penthouse. I don’t think we need you driving on the road while half asleep.”

“Fair enough,” Andy said, chuckling.

The Expert

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter Five

 

 

Rick directed those who were coming with them to his family’s New York penthouse to choose a car and follow him. Hanz and Art went with Andy. So Rick pulled Troy to his car, making him sit in the front passenger side. It was awkward, as he never really had been alone with Rick before, even when they were friends at school. They always had been together in a group.

As they started into the road, Rick said, “I know this stinks. But you can make this work. I’ve seen Eve make it work for her.”

“How long has she been like that?” Troy asked, his eyes feeling weary and sore, too tired to see well as morning was getting brighter. As a vampire, the light made them hurt.

“Which do you mean? As part vampire or as a death angel?” Rick asked.

Troy stared. “Uh… let’s start with part vampire and lead to death angel.”

Nodding, Rick thought in silence for a moment then said, “She’s always been part vampire, born that way, though she told me when she was a child she had always thought she had a rare case of albinism. She did not find out her condition was because of vampire blood until she was fourteen. It kind of traumatized her, but I think she handles it pretty well. However, she did not become a death angel until this month.”

Troy drew in a breath.

“She was supposed to marry Hanz,” Rick said. “Her wedding was scheduled for last week….”

Shivers ran down Troy’s arms. No wonder Hanz was in such a desperate state.

“…But those death angels claimed her, and honestly I don’t know all the details.” Rick shook his head. “She’s been my living guardian angel since I met her way back in the summer after I left Gulinger for Middleton Village. Same for Matt, though back when she was in college. But, man, I don’t know how to deal with this. All I know is that Eve was able to leave Hanz a message telling him