Jeez, what must they have thought of me?”
“They liked you very much, Joey, and Marcus was so moved by your father’s condition, enough to offer him this gift. Now, we should delay no longer.”
He released Joey, then went to kneel in front of Bob. Joey watched with wide-eyed fascination as Jared bit deeply into his own wrist, before offering the bleeding flesh to his father.
“Drink from me, Bob,” Jared murmured, “and be made whole again.”
Jared moved closer to Joey’s father and brought his wrist to the older man’s lips. Bob took what looked like a tentative lick of the blood then, almost greedily, his lips closed over the wound and he sucked hard and long.
Jared stared across the room at Joey. They shared a smile of complicity, and Joey felt as though a covenant of some kind had been forged and sealed between them.
Jared smoothed back the hair that had fallen over Bob’s forehead then gently pulled his wrist from Bob’s still eager mouth. He licked his wrist and Joey gasped as the puncture wounds disappeared, leaving no trace of blood or even a scar.
Joey dropped to his knees by his father’s side. “How do you feel, Dad?” he whispered.
“Good,” his father answered, although his eyes seemed glazed and distant.
“While he drank from me, his thoughts were filled with memories of the ‘lady’ he told us about,” Jared said.
“Who was she?”
“Your father believes her to have been a vampire. A beautiful woman he met in the woods when he was just a boy.”
“She kissed me,” Bob told them, smiling. “She told me stories of ancient worlds, of people she had known and loved and lost. Stories I told you, Joey—you and your friend Chris. Stories you loved, but didn’t believe, not really.”
BLOOD LURE
J.P. Bowie
67
His smile saddened. “I always thought that one day she would come back. She never did, but I held her in my dreams, until I met your mother. And now, you’ve met Jared—and he’s not going to leave you—are you, son?”
“ Dad .”
Joey let out an embarrassed laugh, but Jared took his hand.
“Your father is right,” he said quietly. “Drinking my blood gave him access to my thoughts, but we will talk of this later. Right now, I think we should join your mother.”
He gave Bob his free hand. “Stand up, Bob, and enjoy the new strength in your mind and body.”
The first thing Joey noticed when his father got up from the wheelchair was that he appeared to be taller, his shoulders wider, his hair darker. The smile that had been strained and vacuous now reached his eyes, filled with humour…and gratitude.
He clasped Jared in a bear hug. “Thank you for this. This second chance. I won’t waste a minute of it.” He turned to Joey who fell into his arms. “Joey, Joey,” Bob murmured, his lips pressed to his son’s forehead. “So proud of you. Always have been, always will be.”
Joey held his father, his mind a jumble of gratitude, elation and wonder. It was still hard for him to grasp the magnitude of what had happened in the last hour or so, but the end result was really all that mattered. His dad was cured, free of the dementia that had plagued him for the last several months, and for that miracle he would be forever grateful—to a vampire.
“Love you Dad,” he whispered.
“Love you too, son…”
They walked out into the living room where Arlene waited. Her hands flew to her face and tears welled in her eyes as she gazed at her husband’s transformation.
“Bob, oh, Bob.” She rushed into his arms, and Joey was witness to something he hadn’t seen in a long time. His mom and dad kissing— really kissing.
He turned to Jared. “Maybe we should give them some space?”
Jared nodded. He took Joey’s hand and headed for the door. Neither Bob nor Arlene saw them go. Outside, they strolled down the driveway, and Joey noticed for the first time that apart from his car, there was no other vehicle parked there.
“How did you get
“They liked you very much, Joey, and Marcus was so moved by your father’s condition, enough to offer him this gift. Now, we should delay no longer.”
He released Joey, then went to kneel in front of Bob. Joey watched with wide-eyed fascination as Jared bit deeply into his own wrist, before offering the bleeding flesh to his father.
“Drink from me, Bob,” Jared murmured, “and be made whole again.”
Jared moved closer to Joey’s father and brought his wrist to the older man’s lips. Bob took what looked like a tentative lick of the blood then, almost greedily, his lips closed over the wound and he sucked hard and long.
Jared stared across the room at Joey. They shared a smile of complicity, and Joey felt as though a covenant of some kind had been forged and sealed between them.
Jared smoothed back the hair that had fallen over Bob’s forehead then gently pulled his wrist from Bob’s still eager mouth. He licked his wrist and Joey gasped as the puncture wounds disappeared, leaving no trace of blood or even a scar.
Joey dropped to his knees by his father’s side. “How do you feel, Dad?” he whispered.
“Good,” his father answered, although his eyes seemed glazed and distant.
“While he drank from me, his thoughts were filled with memories of the ‘lady’ he told us about,” Jared said.
“Who was she?”
“Your father believes her to have been a vampire. A beautiful woman he met in the woods when he was just a boy.”
“She kissed me,” Bob told them, smiling. “She told me stories of ancient worlds, of people she had known and loved and lost. Stories I told you, Joey—you and your friend Chris. Stories you loved, but didn’t believe, not really.”
BLOOD LURE
J.P. Bowie
67
His smile saddened. “I always thought that one day she would come back. She never did, but I held her in my dreams, until I met your mother. And now, you’ve met Jared—and he’s not going to leave you—are you, son?”
“ Dad .”
Joey let out an embarrassed laugh, but Jared took his hand.
“Your father is right,” he said quietly. “Drinking my blood gave him access to my thoughts, but we will talk of this later. Right now, I think we should join your mother.”
He gave Bob his free hand. “Stand up, Bob, and enjoy the new strength in your mind and body.”
The first thing Joey noticed when his father got up from the wheelchair was that he appeared to be taller, his shoulders wider, his hair darker. The smile that had been strained and vacuous now reached his eyes, filled with humour…and gratitude.
He clasped Jared in a bear hug. “Thank you for this. This second chance. I won’t waste a minute of it.” He turned to Joey who fell into his arms. “Joey, Joey,” Bob murmured, his lips pressed to his son’s forehead. “So proud of you. Always have been, always will be.”
Joey held his father, his mind a jumble of gratitude, elation and wonder. It was still hard for him to grasp the magnitude of what had happened in the last hour or so, but the end result was really all that mattered. His dad was cured, free of the dementia that had plagued him for the last several months, and for that miracle he would be forever grateful—to a vampire.
“Love you Dad,” he whispered.
“Love you too, son…”
They walked out into the living room where Arlene waited. Her hands flew to her face and tears welled in her eyes as she gazed at her husband’s transformation.
“Bob, oh, Bob.” She rushed into his arms, and Joey was witness to something he hadn’t seen in a long time. His mom and dad kissing— really kissing.
He turned to Jared. “Maybe we should give them some space?”
Jared nodded. He took Joey’s hand and headed for the door. Neither Bob nor Arlene saw them go. Outside, they strolled down the driveway, and Joey noticed for the first time that apart from his car, there was no other vehicle parked there.
“How did you get
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