Blood Lust by T. Lynne Tolles

Seems a little too crowded for me.”
    “See Devon, Dolly’s fine with it. I’ll go get prettied up and we can head out.” She took one bite of toast, kissed Devon practically on the mouth, but just shy of it, as the red lipstick was stamped there as evidence.
    Stunned, Darby stared at Devon in disbelief. He looked at her confused and said, “What?”
    “What? You have to ask? You don’t see anything wrong with what just happened?” Dominic looked as though he’d like to disappear. Devon was also embarrassed, but not by Abby.
    “Darby, please! Mind yourself!” he hissed at her while shooting a glance toward Dominic. Appalled, Darby got up and started to walk out when Devon said, “I don’t understand. You said you didn’t want to go, does that mean you do want to go?”
    “No, Devon, Debbie doesn’t want to go and you shouldn’t either,” she said and walked out.
    Devon shook his head. “Who is Debbie?”
    Dominic laughed. “For an engineer, son, you really can be quite clueless,” he said as he left the room. Libby came down the stairs decked out like a movie star.
    Darby watched from her bench on the other side of the pond as the red car left with Devon and Libby. Darby thought, c an he really be so stupid?
     
     

Chapter 9

    She decided they were gone now, no reason to hide, so she headed back to the house. She headed up the stairs to her room to get a change of socks and heard something fall in a room down the hall. She walked down to the closed door and knocked. “Are you okay?”
    “Go away, I’m fine.”
    “Anton?” She opened the door to find him on the floor next to the bed, the pitcher of water now on the floor soaking his pajamas and t-shirt.
    She ran to him, throwing her coat and scarf on the foot of the bed.
    “Leave me alone!”
    “Don’t be stupid, Anton. Let me help you. What were you thinking? You need only say the word and someone would help you. You’re in a house full of people who love you, you knucklehead.” She took his arm, wrapping it around her neck, and helped him stand up and then sit down on the bed. He could barely do that on his own. “You are soaking wet.” She grabbed the bottom of his t-shirt and pulled it up over his head revealing a massive hairless chest. A tattoo of a Celtic intertwining chain wrapped around his bicep like an armband and a Pegasus with wide spread wings and flaming red eyes adorned the left side of his chest and shoulder.. She tried not to stare and went to the chest of drawers and searched for a t-shirt. Every drawer she opened was full of women’s clothes. “Where is your stuff, Anton?”
    “She put it in the bottom of the closet. You don’t need to help me; I’m fine.”
    “Boy, you Larsens are stubborn. Now I know where Blake and Devon get it. Was your aunt stubborn?”
    “She could be.” Finally, she found a T-shirt and some dry pajama bottoms. She helped him with his shirt. “Can you manage the bottoms?” she asked.
    “Yes,” he said rudely so she turned around as he tried, but he hit the nightstand and just about fell again. Darby turned around to find him in his t-shirt and underwear.
    “Don’t be so stubborn; if you need help just say so.” She held him as he slid his legs to the edge of the bed, then she slipped his legs into the pajama pants, pulled them up to his thighs, and then helped him stand to pull them up the rest of the way. She helped him sit back down and pulled the covers up. She grabbed the pitcher and glass and took both to the bathroom, rinsing and refilling them. She also grabbed a towel to soak up the water on the floor. She filled a glass of water and handed it to him.
    “Are you sure you don’t need something? I don’t know, something with more sustenance? Blood or something? You look awful, Anton.”
    “You should get out of here; if she finds you here, there will be hell to pay.”
    “Who? Libby? She’s gone with Devon to the city.”
    “You let her go with