Heart's Blood

Heart's Blood (Blood and Soul Box Set 4)
Second Edition
Kate Hill
All rights reserved.
Copyright ©2012 Kate Hill
Excerpt from The Dark Room

"Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you. You're a decade older, Dedra. Ten years sexier, woo hoo!" Dedra Wolfe's close friend, Ruby, sang the words to the tune of Happy Birthday.

Except for fans of drag queen singing group, The Elixir Maidens, no one would guess that the tall, slim, lusciously beautiful redhead with the impeccable makeup job was really a man.

Ruby and Dedra had met nearly ten years ago when they'd both worked on the same movie set -- The Elixir Maidens doing a cameo as a club act in the film and Dedra acting as stuntwoman to one of the lead actresses. She and Ruby had liked each other on sight and became good friends, keeping in touch through phone and email and visiting each other a few times a year. They were close enough for Dedra to know one of Ruby's true secrets that made his drag queen persona seem run-of-the-mill. The redhead was also a vampire. He hadn't come out and told Dedra about it, but she had experience with vampires in the past and she knew all the signs. Ruby was, in fact, the only male vampire she trusted. The straight ones in particular were arrogant, self-centered sex maniacs. At least that had been her experience.

Right now, on her thirtieth birthday, the last thing she wanted to think about was the mistakes of her youth. In particular, a mistake in the form of a hit-and-run vampire lover.

"Thanks, Ru." Dedra grinned, accepting the colorfully wrapped birthday present and stepping aside to allow Ruby into her hotel room. "And thanks for trying to cheer me up about the disintegration of my youth."

Raising his eyes to the heavens, Ruby leaned forward and kissed Dedra's cheek. "Honey, I am sick and tired of hearing you put yourself down because you're turning thirty. You are a fantastic stuntwoman and are more beautiful than ever, so what's the problem?"

Dedra sighed and led the way to the kitchenette where dinner waited on the table. "The problem is, where did the time go? I mean, my twenties seemed to fly by. How did you feel when you hit thirty?"

Snorting with laughter, Ruby said, "Love, I can't even remember how I felt when I hit three hundred, let alone thirty."

Ruby looked so young and gorgeous it was easy to forget he had already seen over fifteen hundred years of life.

"Dedra, listen to me." Ruby's smile faded and he reached across the table for her hand. "I've told you, if you would like me to Change you, I'll do it. But you need to be sure of why you want to be a vampire. It can't just be because you turned thirty. Besides, what does a woman in her twenties have that a woman in her thirties doesn't?"

"The ability to go without underwire?"

They both broke into laughter and Ruby sat back in his chair and shook his head.

"Ruby, I appreciate your offer. I know most vampires don't pass on their immortality lightly."

"Remember, immortality is a fable," Ruby warned. "We can still die, especially if injured by silver or fire. Many severe injuries that would kill mortals will kill us too."

"I know, but --"

"And you're right about me being very careful about who I choose as my vampiric offspring. You're a good person, Dedra, and I trust you. If I didn't, I never would have let you know so much about my personal life, including my vampirism."

Dedra wrinkled her nose. "Girl, I guessed that long ago. You know that."

"Yes, and I could have wiped your memory free of your suspicions. You know that."

"You got me there. So, what did you get me?" Dedra placed the package on the table in front of her and unwrapped it. Inside was a pamphlet that read Marcellus Photography. Every woman has a dark side. "What's this?"

"Marcellus Oakes is one of the best photographers The Elixir Maidens have ever worked with. He's been doing photo shoots for us for years. He used to travel a lot, but now he works mostly from his home studio."

"I can see that," Dedra commented, glancing through the pamphlet. It seemed Marcellus lived in a replica of a medieval castle. There he photographed his subjects in gothic-style rooms. Many of the photos were done in sexy lingerie in suggestive poses. Some were even done in the nude. "Ru, thanks for the gift and all, but this really isn't me."

"It's the inner you." Ruby smiled. "Like Marcellus says, every woman has a dark side. You need to see that your life isn't over because you're thirty. Once you see yourself in Marcellus' photos, you'll realize you're sexier than ever."

"Is Marcellus like you?"

"A drag queen?" Ruby asked innocently, reaching for a bottle of wine and filling their glasses.

Dedra raised her eyes to the heavens. "No, not a drag queen. You know what I'm talking about. Is he a vampire?"

"I'm not free to disclose that. You'd have to find that out for yourself."

"I'll take that as a yes. Ruby, there is no way, no how, I'm showing my ass to some sleazy vamp."

"Marcellus is not sleazy. He's a great guy and very professional. And he's very trustworthy. Would I send you to someone who wasn't? Trust me. You will have a wonderful time and the session will make you feel like a new woman. I promise. Marcellus will make you feel comfortable, and he won't say or do anything out of line. Lady, you need to get out of this stupid turning thirty depression. Look at yourself. You're not even dressing like you used to."

Dedra glanced down at her baggy T-shirt and jeans. Underneath her body was as curvy and athletic as ever, but she just felt different, like she should lay off the snug jeans and shelf-bra tank tops. It was crazy.

"All right," Dedra sighed. "I'll go for this photo shoot, but you can't believe it's really going to make me feel any different."

"You've got nothing to lose, right?"

"What about my dignity?"

Ruby giggled. "Impossible. Never you."

Dedra glanced at the pamphlet and flipped it to the last page. Her gut tightened at the sight of Marcellus' photo. Ruby hadn't mentioned anything about the guy being gorgeous. Damn.