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“I saw you.” Paul leaned forward a little. “You two have the same eyes. It looked like you were arguing with her—trying to get some information.”
Laurent nodded. “Indeed I was. I was trying to get the address of my old blood nurse—I believe she may be the only one who can help us.”
“Your old what?”
“My blood nurse. I was born to the Blood—born a vampire. And of course, instead of milk a baby of my kind drinks blood. Accordingly my parents hired a human woman to feed and care for me, much like any other affluent couple would hire a nanny.”
Paul snorted. “Dios, that’s a new one . Never heard of a nanny who doubles as blood donor.”
“It is the way things are done among my people,” Laurent said stiffly. “And it creates a strong bond between the child and his nurse. I loved mine to distraction—she cared for me even after I began to drink from others. I was devastated when she was taken from me.”
Paul’s expression softened somewhat. “Yeah, my mom—my real mom—left when I was just a kid too. So what happened to her?”
“I believed that she died but just recently I learned that she is still alive. My father turned her to one of my kind as a reward for services rendered and pensioned her off.
She is now residing in the area of Asheville, North Carolina. We must find her there.”
“We?” Paul frowned. “What is this ‘we’ mierta? Why should I go on a road trip with you to find your old nurse?”
“Because we must both be present in order to do anything about the situation we find ourselves in. You cannot tie a rope more tightly or unloosen the knot it is in unless you hold both ends in your hand.”
“All right, I guess I can see that,” Paul said grudgingly. “But why your nurse?
You’re telling me she knows more about vampire shit than your parents?”
Laurent sighed and ran a hand through his damp hair. “First of all, my parents would have you killed and me imprisoned or worse if they knew of our situation.
Secondly, my nurse knows more about vampire lore and history than anyone else I have ever met. It was she who told me the legend of the Coeur de Sang when I was but a child. She will know how to heal or sever the imperfect bond that has somehow formed between us—I am certain of it.”
Paul frowned. “The bond that has ‘somehow formed between us’? You mean you didn’t do it on purpose?”
“No.” Laurent shook his head emphatically. “That is to say, I knew there was a possibility of some complication when I gave you my blood but I had no choice—you would have died otherwise. So I took the risk—I am sorry the outcome has been so inconvenient for you.”
Paul shifted on the sofa, looking both unhappy and uncomfortable. “Look, it’s not like I don’t appreciate you saving my life. But I need to be able to shift forms. And like you said, it’s damn distracting having somebody else in my head one minute and gone the next. I mean, if this is an incomplete bond, I’d hate to see a complete one.”
“A completed blood bond is a beautiful thing,” Laurent said quietly. “Right now we only get flashes of each other’s lives and we cannot control what we see and hear. To have a complete bond is to be able to control and direct the connection and to have perfect access to each other’s thoughts and feelings.”
“What—like telepathy?” Paul frowned.
“In a manner of speaking.” Laurent shrugged. “But more complete than that. It is like…sharing your soul with another and always being perfectly in tune with them.”
Paul frowned. “Sounds fucking intrusive.”
“I have never heard it called so. A completed bond gives control so that you can tune in, as it were, to your lover whenever you wish and tune out when you have other matters to attend to.”
“Like tuning in a radio station.” Paul nodded. “Yeah, I get it. And the rest of the time you can turn them down to background noise?”
“Exactly.” Laurent was glad to see he was getting it.
Paul frowned again. “So why didn’t you make a complete bond to start with? I mean, not like I want us connected but it would be a hell of a lot better to be able to control it.”
“Because, as I told you, I did not form the bond on purpose.” Laurent stood and paced in front of the couch as he explained. “You must understand, Paul, the blood of a vampire that has been born and not made is a living entity, one that listens to and acts on the heartfelt desires of its host. I did not mean to cause any bond at all but…I wanted you so badly I fear my blood listened to my heart instead of to my head.”
