Tainted Blood Read online

  More Books by S. S. Bazinet

  The Madonna Diaries Series

  Book One: Dying Takes It Out of You

  Book Two: Living Takes It Out of You

  * * *

  Open Wide My Heart Series

  Book One: Traces Of Home

  * * *

  The Vampire Reclamation Project Series

  Book One: Michael’s Blood

  Book Two: Arel’s Blood

  Book Three: William’s Blood

  Book Four: Brother’s Blood

  Book Five: Tainted Blood

  Book Six: Forgotten Blood

  * * *

  In The Care Of Wolves Series

  Book One: My Brother's Keeper

  * * *

  Sentenced To Heaven

  Book One: An Inmate's Tale from the Other Side

  Book Two: A Vampire In Heaven

  Copyright © 2018 by S. S. Bazinet

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the author, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, businesses, organizations and events are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Published by Renata Press

  Albuquerque, New Mexico

  RenataPress.com

  Visit the author’s website: SSBazinet.com

  Book cover by Panagiotis Lampridis.

  ISBN-13: 978-1-937279-13-4

  For my earth angels and

  for my heavenly angels!

  I love you all!

  Acknowledgments

  I've had so much support from so many in bringing this book to publication. I'm so grateful to my extraordinary earth angels, Gabriel, Anna Marie, George, Laura Christine, Gene, Julia Ann and Rick, They are all blessings, and I am so fortunate to have them in my life!

  CONTENTS

  One

  Two

  Three

  Four

  Five

  Six

  Seven

  Eight

  Nine

  Ten

  Eleven

  Twelve

  Thirteen

  Fourteen

  Fifteen

  Sixteen

  Seventeen

  Eighteen

  Nineteen

  Twenty

  Twenty-One

  Twenty-Two

  Twenty-Three

  Twenty-Four

  Twenty-Five

  Twenty-Six

  Twenty-Seven

  Twenty-Eight

  Twenty-Nine

  Thirty

  Thirty-One

  Thirty-Two

  Thirty-Three

  Thirty-Four

  Thirty-Five

  Thirty-Six

  Thirty-Seven

  Thirty-Eight

  Thirty-Nine

  Forty

  Forty-One

  Forty-Two

  Forty-Three

  Forty-Four

  Forty-Five

  Forty-Six

  Forty-Seven

  Forty-Eight

  Forty-Nine

  Fifty

  Fifty-One

  Fifty-Two

  Fifty-Three

  Other Books by S. S. Bazinet

  One

  PEGGY WALKED UP to her brother and put her hands on her hips. “Kevin! Isn’t there a line in that old vampire movie that says that you should never invite a vampire into your house?”

  Kevin retreated a couple of steps, putting some distance between his six-foot-four inch body and Peggy’s fiery temper. “Yeah, I guess so, but what does a vampire have to do with anything?”

  “Oh please, you were here all evening! Didn’t you notice that we’ve been entertaining one? Elise is a blood sucking—”

  A tap on her shoulder made Peggy pause in mid-sentence and swivel round. Her husband, Tim, was staring down at her.

  “Peg, sweetheart? Can I talk to you?” Tim asked.

  Peggy let her hands fall to her sides, but a scowl remained on her face. “Tim, please, can’t you see how important this is?”

  “I know you’re angry, but you don’t need to yell at Kevin.”

  Peggy stood up straighter, trying to reinforce her position with more height, but she was still more than a foot shorter than Tim. He was almost as tall as her brother. “This isn’t about me yelling. It’s about that horrible woman, Elise.”

  “Don’t worry, sis. I feel the same way about her,” Kevin said.

  Peggy returned a weak smile. “Thanks, Kevin.”

  Tim reached out for Peggy’s hand and pulled her closer. “We all feel the same way. I just don’t like seeing you upset.”

  Peggy took a deep breath, trying to rein in her emotions. Her anger had been building all evening. It had been almost impossible to keep from screaming out in frustration. On the other hand, she needed more self-control. She had baby Sara to think about. She didn’t want her child growing up with a hot-tempered mother as her role model.

  Tim tugged on her hand and led her over to the sofa. “Let’s sit down and talk about it.”

  “Fine.” The word was sort of heaved out as Peggy did her best to listen to reason. After she sat down, she retrieved a tissue from her pocket and glanced at Kevin. “Sorry if I shouted, Kev, but I’ve run out of patience.”

  Kevin nodded. “We’re all feeling the strain.”

  Peggy swiped at her nose. “I’m just mad at myself. I should have never invited that awful woman and Arel over for a visit. I knew better. Still, I wanted to give them one last chance. But Elise is a shrew, a snake in the grass, a real—” She stopped herself, afraid to let herself get started again.

  Carol, Peggy’s closest friend, sat on the sofa too. She gave Peggy an understanding look. “Kevin and I have been talking about this situation. We agree that it’s not getting any better.”

  When Peggy responded, she knew her face was stuck in a grimace. “I’m sorry for making a scene, everybody. I guess the bottom line is that I don’t care anymore. I love Arel dearly, but this is a classic ‘evil sorceress bewitches the handsome bachelor’ syndrome. I’m just happy that Arel is single and that there aren’t children involved. Elise would have them on the black market as soon as he turned his back.”

  Tim put an arm around Peggy’s shoulders. “She can be very rude.”

  Peggy looked down and adjusted her blouse. “She wouldn’t even talk to our little girl. When Sara tried to give her a cookie, she gave our baby a dirty look. Of course, Arel was out of the room when she did it.”

  Tim sighed. “You’re right. We can’t have someone like that around Sara.”

  Carol turned to Kevin. Her green eyes were filled with concern. “We’re going to have to let Arel know that he’s welcome in our home, but Elise isn’t.”

  “Absolutely,” Kevin said.

  Peggy sniffled into her tissue again. “The worst part is that I know it’s what she wants. She wants to isolate Arel from us. Then she can suck him dry.”

  “Maybe she also wants his money,” Carol said. “I think he’s very comfortable in that department.”

  Peggy let out a heated laugh. “She wants everything. She’s probably the type that gets off on power and domination. And she’s smart. It wasn’t an accident that she let me see the look she gave Sara. She enjoys being bad-mannered.”

  “It’s a shame we have to have this conversation,” Carol said. “Besides William, we’re the only family that Arel has. And with William in Lond
on, we’re the only ones who are around to support him.”

  Kevin reached out to Carol. “Honey, he does have Michael and Carey.”

  Carol took his hand. “Yes, but they’re too passive and nice to tell him that he’s making a terrible mistake.”

  Peggy shrugged. “I don’t think it would matter what anyone said. We’ve all tried, and Arel doesn’t seem to get it.”

  A strained silence followed the remark, but a moment later, there was a knock at the door. It was followed by the sound of someone letting themselves into the foyer. Everyone looked up, but nobody said anything. As soon as they identified the unexpected visitor, they lowered their eyes.

  Without hesitation, Arel stepped forward, let out a sigh and walked into the living room.

  * * * * *

  Arel’s shoulders were slumped and his heart pounded as he prepared to face the people he thought of as family. Years earlier, when he was in a very bad way, they’d taken him into their lives and hearts. They’d helped him climb his way out of a very dark pit of depression. And how had he recently returned the favor? He’d let them down.

  Once inside Peggy and Tim’s house, he peeked into the living room, knowing that his face was flushed with embarrassment. After he’d left earlier, he walked Elise back home. He didn’t have far to go. He lived next door to Peggy and Tim, and Elise had rented the house next to his.

  On the way to Elise’s, he’d confronted her, asking her about her behavior and why she insisted on being so discourteous. Instead of showing any sign of remorse, Elise had been aloof, even insulted. When they got to her house, she quickly climbed the stairs to the porch, unlocked her front door and slammed it in his face.

  Arel was relieved to be shut out. Spending time with Elise wasn’t fun or even pleasant. He’d tried his best to be understanding, and Elise didn’t seem to appreciate his efforts. It was just the opposite. She became even more hostile and spiteful.

  As Arel returned to Peggy and Tim’s house, he’d made a decision. It was time to tell Elise exactly how he felt. But first he had to make amends. He wanted his friends to know how sorry he was for allowing Elise to act so inappropriately.

  Standing in Peggy and Tim’s living room, he tried to verbalize how he felt. “I came back to apologize about tonight. I know that Elise was very unpleasant, and I’m very sorry about what happened.”

  An awkward pause followed his admission of guilt. Peggy avoided his eyes while Carol blinked back with confusion. Kevin and Tim’s faces were blank and non-committal. The uncomfortable moment finally ended when Peggy wiped her eyes with a tissue and gestured him to a chair.

  “Please sit down, Arel,” she instructed without looking up at him.

  Arel noted that her words were delivered in a voice that was too soft for someone like Peggy. But he didn’t dare comment. He walked over to a chair and sat down.

  Peggy’s eyes finally shifted in his direction. “I’m glad you’re here. We need to talk.”

  Arel had always hated the words, “We need to talk.” When Michael, his angelic friend, used those words, they always implied something serious and unwanted was probably coming. But when Peggy used the phrase, he knew there was no way to avoid hearing her out.

  He tried not to fidget as he waited for the inevitable dressing down. Elise had been offending people for months, and he’d allowed it. Now, it was time for those punishing moments that he’d known were coming. However, he realized he did have something to say after all.

  Taking a deep breath, he tried to explain his position. “Just one more thing, everyone, even if you think that I haven’t been listening to your advice about my relationship with Elise, I have. But I didn’t know what to do. I really hoped I could help Elise change.” As he spoke he glanced up and saw Kevin look away. His buddy was letting Arel know that he’d expected more from a friend.

  Arel continued on anyway. “The bottom line is that I didn’t think Elise would behave so inexcusably around the children. That should have never happened.” He paused, remembering what he’d observed earlier in the evening. Elise didn’t know it, but he’d seen how callous Elise had been when she interacted with Peggy and Tim’s beautiful little Sara. It was a decisive moment. “I wanted you to know you’ll never see Elise in my company again. I’ve decided to stop dating her after what happened here tonight.”

  Peggy glanced up with a pained look. “I have to ask you something. Why did you date her in the first place? You’re a wonderful person, you’re handsome, and you have so much to offer. And there are so many women out there who would love to be with you. Why Elise?”

  Arel stared down at his clasped hands letting his mind return to his first impression of the woman in question. Elise was very attractive, but it was more than her physical looks that reached out to him. It was as if he could see who she was on a deeper level. He sensed that she had hidden virtues. Months later, he felt like he’d misread the woman.

  He sat up straighter. “When we first talked, I almost felt like I knew Elise. She kind of reminded me of myself when I was lost. Unfortunately, the longer we dated, the more hostile she became.”

  Peggy’s eyes softened. “Sweetie, you’re new at this, aren’t you? I mean, I get the feeling that you haven’t had too much experience—”

  Arel tried to lighten the moment with a smile. “With dating? No, you’re right. It’s been a long time since—” He hesitated as his mind flashed back to a time when he was a very young man. He’d fallen in love with a beautiful woman named Justina. She was very young too, but she was Elise’s opposite. She was completely giving and sweet. Unfortunately, their relationship had ended very badly. He’d never attempted another one until he met Elise.

  He stood up, wanting to forget both entanglements. “Never mind. I won’t bore you with my troubles any longer. It’s been quite an evening. I better go.”

  * * * * *

  When Elise got back to her house, her heart was pounding. In a burst of anger, she’d slammed the door on Arel. After that, she yelled out her frustration as she stormed through the house and into the kitchen. “Why won’t he just let go? How much more obnoxious do I have to be?”

  With a trembling hand, she opened the refrigerator and grabbed a beer. For weeks, she’d been trying her best to free her heart from the man she’d started to really care about. But her heart was like Arel. It was stubborn too. It kept urging her to take a chance on another relationship, but she knew better. “Relationships are hell!”

  As her anger and her self-pity joined forces, she slammed the refrigerator door shut. Bottles of ketchup and mayonnaise rattled, but she held on to the hope that a beer would help calm her nerves. She pried up the cap on the bottle, tossed it in the trash and grabbed an unwashed ice tea glass from the sink. As she poured the beer, she studied the white foam and amber liquid that filled the glass. But she knew from experience that nothing could fill the emptiness she felt inside. She’d once thought that a relationship could help, but she’d been wrong on a number of occasions. She was making the same mistake again.

  She sniffled as she walked back to the living room. She used her free hand to pull out the pins in her blond hair and shook her head to loosen the bun she was wearing. After she sat down, she swallowed back some of the beer and leaned into the sofa with a sigh.

  She’d sworn off relationships years earlier and resisted dating. Then she met Arel. The first time she saw her neighbor, she knew she was in trouble. It was a moonlit night, and she was letting herself into the house she’d just rented. Arel was out staring at the stars and happened to glance her way. She’d only gotten a glimpse of him, but it was enough. There was something extremely appealing about him from the start, an enticing energy that radiated from his person. Later, when they’d both been out getting their mail, they ended up talking. It only took a few minutes for Elise to know she was smitten.

  Arel was gorgeous. From the top of his thick, dark hair down to his soft leather, Italian loafers, he was physically everything she’d ever
loved in a man. Then there were his dark lashes and his amazing eyes. His eyes could turn to liquid gold when he smiled. If he stared at her long enough, her defenses were useless. That was one reason she didn’t make eye contact very often.

  Arel seemed almost perfect. He could be as kind and understanding as the best of friends. He had flawless manners, and he always dressed impeccably. His English accent added a nice touch of class. All in all, she’d been unable to stop herself from surrendering to him emotionally. It was that feeling of surrender that made all the flags go up. As soon as she realized she was falling for another guy, she started her campaign to drive Arel away.

  Now, sitting alone on the sofa, she needed to convince herself that she was doing the right thing. Was she really sure about her decision? She took another sip of beer, and let her mind wander back into her past. When she thought about what she’d been through, her whole body went rigid. “Men are bastards!”

  Her verbal outburst and the anger that triggered it made her sit up too quickly. When she did, she tipped her glass. Beer doused her shirt and the couch. She moaned as she got up and ran back to the kitchen. After she retrieved a roll of paper towels, she dabbed at the sofa arm. She’d just purchased the couch and appreciated her foresight in getting the fabric treatment option. Hopefully, it would protect the piece from her clumsiness.

  All in all, she enjoyed living in a house, even if it was rented. She’d moved out of her apartment because she’d needed privacy and quiet. The people in the apartment above her had sounded like they lifted weights morning and evening, not to mention the loud music. Now, she had the peace she needed to keep her nerves from fraying.

  Thinking about the privacy part, she went over to the window and closed her curtains. She didn’t want Arel seeing her drinking herself into oblivion. Of course, that couldn’t happen. She always fell asleep before she ever got drunk. Once she’d fallen asleep on Arel’s shoulder after only a couple of glasses of wine. He’d been too polite to move and take a chance on waking her. After a half hour, she woke up feeling totally embarrassed. She’d drooled on Arel’s shirt. Again, Arel was the nicest of people, trying to assure her that everything was fine.