A Taste of Blood

"Tyler...infected...can't...purge...need...help." That was all she said before passing back into unconsciousness, her hand slipping from his neck. Her chest moved up and down rapidly, her eyes rolling behind her fluttering eyelids. Tyler picked her up, not sure of what to do with her. He was on the verge of panic when Thomas came downstairs.

"Tyler? What's going on? Oh my God! Lilith!" Smythe ran over as if he were going to take her out of Tyler's arms. Instead, he looked her over and then up at Tyler. "Did she say anything?"

Tyler nodded. "She said she was infected and couldn't purge it. She said she needed help. Boss, what do we do?"

Smythe ran his hand over his chin, the sound of stubble scraping across skin filling the air. "Downstairs," he answered. "We'll take her to her room in the basement."

They went down the stairs quickly, Smythe opening the secret room. Tyler laid her on the floor and her breathing became easier, as if she were drawing strength from the floor itself. Smythe put his hand on Tyler's shoulder and led him out of the room, pushing the door shut behind him. As soon as the door was closed, Thomas sank into a chair.

"Tyler, I don't know what to do. I saw that bite on her neck. It was Cain, wasn't it?" Tyler nodded. "He bit her and now vampire immune system is fighting the werewolf virus. Obviously, it's not going well."

"Can we take her to a doctor," Tyler asked.

"What doctor would believe that we have the world's first vampire and that she's fighting off a disease that was given to her by a werewolf, who just happens to be the son of Adam?" Thomas chuckled mirthlessly while running his hand through his hair.

"Good point," Tyler said, sitting on the arm of the other chair. "Any other thoughts?"

Smythe thought about it for a moment and then shook his head, letting out a sigh of frustration. "Not unless you know a witch doctor."

Tyler's eyes suddenly lit up. "Boss, I have an idea." Without another word, he ran upstairs, pulling out his cellphone as he went.

*

Chapter Fifteen

The store was quiet, as it usually was these days. There just didn't seem to be much of a market for magick these days. Most of the customers were the occasional Goth kids that were 'getting into Satan' to piss off their parents or teenagers looking for a 'love potion.' Faith shook her head, thinking that maybe it was time to close the store for good. She didn't have any steady business and only a few 'client.' As the owner and proprietor of 'Keep the Faith Magick Shop,' she had to make the decision. At least she was the only one she had to worry about, having her last employee go two weeks before. She was about to close early, at least for the day, when her cellphone rang, disturbing the silence and making her jump. She grabbed the phone from under the counter and looked at the Caller ID, stabbing the answer button with her thumb.

"You son of a bitch," she said, not even letting the person on the other end talk. "You haven't called me in six months and then, out of the blue, you call. Let me guess; one of your friends is cursed and you need an expert to get rid of it. It's something like that, right?"

"Are you done," the voice said, sounding amused.

"Probably not, but I'll at least wait until you explain why you're calling before I yell at you anymore." She leaned back against the counter. "So, what's up?"

Tyler sighed softly, making Faith frown. He didn't do that unless he was worried. "You've heard of Lilith, right?"

"Of course, I have, Ty. No occultist worth her salt hasn't. She was Adam's wife, at least according to the Talmud. Why?"

There was a pause on the other end. "Because she's lying in my boss's basement after being bitten by Adam's son, Cain, who's a werewolf. Did I mention she was a vampire?""

Faith blinked and pushed a lock of her brownish blonde hair behind her right ear. "Wait. You have Lilith, who is a vampire, in the basement because she was bitten by Cain, who is a werewolf?"

"Yeah, that's about right, Kit Kat. She has some kind of infection. Is there any way you could come out her and give us a hand?"

"I don't know, Peanut." She had to quietly laugh at his nickname. She didn't even remember how he had gotten it, but it had stuck. "I have the shop to run and appointments to keep. I can't just pick up and leave." She would have continued, but she heard scuffling on the other end of the line and then Tyler came back on.

"KK, my boss is Thomas Smythe. You know who he is, right?" She said she did and waited for him to continue. "He says that he will set your store up for life, financially, if you come out here. Kit Kat, please. We...I need your help."

Faith sighed, more out of habit than frustration. She had just been thinking about closing the store and she was balking at helping a friend. After a minute, she decided.

"Okay, Ty. I'll pack a few things and be there as soon as I can." She could hear Tyler's smile when he spoke.

"Thanks, Faith. I knew I could count on you. You have a flight at four-thirty, direct. I'll pick you up at the airport."

"What? You already...damn it, Tyler! You'll get it when I see you!" She hit the end button and pushed away from the counter, heading for her books on healing and witchcraft. She grabbed two books and after flipping through them, she grabbed bottles of herbs and powders that might come in handy. She packed them in a traveling case along with some candles and a candle warmer. After that, she closed up the store, cancelled her appointments for the week and headed home to pack. She called a taxi and headed to the airport, not at all sure what she was getting in to. 'At least Tyler will be there,' she thought. 'He'll make everything okay.'

*

Chapter Sixteen

Tyler and Violet pulled into the airport parking lot and got out, Violet pulling her coat close to help with the cold. She walked close to Tyler, trying to use him to block the wind. Tyler had the idea to put his arm around her, but decided against it. She was his client after all, not his girlfriend. They walked into the terminal and Violet got that 'moving from cold to warm' shiver, Tyler trying not to notice her body as she shuddered in her too small shirt and slightly too tight jeans. They found the arrival board and went to the baggage claim area, taking seats to wait for Faith to arrive. Violet leaned her head on Tyler's shoulder while they talked and even though he knew he should have her remove it, he didn't. Mentally, he kicked himself.

"Ty," Violet said quietly. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure, princess. Fire away."

"You and Faith. Did you...I mean, were you two ever...you know...together?"

Tyler couldn't help but laugh. "I'm sorry, Violet. I'm not laughing at you. Honest. I just get asked that a lot when she's around."

Violet's face turned red and she looked down at the floor. "Well?"

Tyler took a breath to stop laughing. "No, princess. Faith and I are more like brother and sister. We went on one date and realized that it was better to stay as friends. We made it about five minutes into the date before we realized that we were being too much like other people and not ourselves. We figured it was better to just be ourselves and hang out."

"Good," was all Violet said before laying her head on Tyler's shoulder again. It wasn't long before Tyler spotted Faith walking through the crowd. Actually, he saw the crowd of guys all around her turn their heads. It was easier to see that than to see Faith, since she was about five foot three. Tyler sighed and nudged Violet. He stood up and started breaking a path through the crowd with Violet in tow. With his height, Tyler could see Faith talking to a guy who she obviously wanted to get away from. Tyler snarled and was ready to put a beating on the guy when Faith grabbed the guy's arm in one hand and twisted it, turning it into a hammerlock. Tyler smiled, but then saw two other guys, apparently the first guy's friends, moving in, calling Faith a 'psycho bitch.' She released the one, shoving him at the other two. Before they could regroup, Tyler burst through the crowd and stood next to Faith, towering over her by more than a foot, but looking even taller.

"Is there a problem, guys? I hope not." Tyler merely stood there, knowing they wouldn't do anything when odds weren't in their favor. They collected their friend and walked away, leaving Faith and Tyler to stand there looking at each other before smiling and Faith moving into his arms for a hug, Tyler inhaling her fragrance; it was like the scent of cinnamon mixed with leather. They had both forgotten how well they had fit together physically, so they stayed that way for a long moment until Violet cleared her throat. Tyler reluctantly released Faith, turning toward Violet. Feeling a little red faced, he made introductions.

"Violet, this is one of my best friends, Faith McKenna, witch extraordinaire. Faith, this is Violet Smythe; supermodel, my client and the woman that Cain is after.

The two women shook hand and Tyler could see something like anger in Violet's eyes and her tight-lipped smile. Faith seemed not to notice and smiled happily.

"So, Kit Kat. How many bags am I lugging back for you," Tyler asked with a grin.

"Only one, Peanut," she answered with a laugh. Before she could say anything else, Violet huffed and stomped back to where she and Tyler had been sitting earlier. "What's with her," Faith asked, walking with Tyler back to the baggage carousel.

"Couldn't tell you," he answered. They found a spot by the carousel and waited, catching up on the past six months. Tyler turned to keep an eye on Violet every now and then, Violet purposefully avoiding his eyes. The silver conveyor started moving and after a small eternity, Faith's brown suitcase showed up. Tyler grabbed it and then turned to retrieve Violet. There was a nice looking young man sitting with her, talking and obviously flirting with her. At first, Tyler thought nothing of it, but then his nose caught the smell of Wolf. He then noticed the three other men slowly moving into toward her seat.

"Faith, wait here." Tyler dropped her suitcase and moved to Violet, intercepting the closest Wolf, grabbing him by the neck. "Listen up, fuzz ball. It's four on one here. I hope you don't think I won't use every power I have to stop you. If any one of you changes, you'll draw attention to yourselves. I don't have that problem. What's it going to be?" The Wolf started to shift and then thought better of it. He tried to force Tyler's hand from his throat but had no luck. "Last chance," Tyler growled. "Back off and I won't need to hurt you." The Wolf snarled and changed, causing a panic. Tyler heaved him through the hotel information board and turned when Violet screamed. Two more Wolves were trying to make off with her while she tried to fight them off. The third Wolf changed and charged Tyler. Tyler ducked and flipped the Wolf over his back, hearing a satisfying thud behind him. One of the other two turned and shifted, leaving the other to pull Violet toward the exit.

Tyler raced in close to this one, using his strength to end this quickly before the other got away with Violet. This one was tough, though, refusing to go down. The other one was going to get away. Before Tyler could disengage, the one dragging Violet froze. "Out of my way, bitch" it yelled, switching to hybrid form.

"Ka nama la jerama," came the shouted response and Faith pointing her fingers at the wolf man. The werewolf flew backwards, knocking down the other Wolf, leaving Tyler free. "That's 'witch,' asshole." He looked around at the approaching security and turned toward the girls, who were both looking at him. Faith had her suitcase, so he ran to them and picked them both up on his broad shoulders, running faster than any human could run, Faith's suitcase in his hand.

They made it back to the car easily, Tyler setting the girls down and unlocking the car, stuffing the suitcase in the trunk. He jumped in and started the car, throwing it into gear and speeding off. The battle rage was still on him, so it took a few minutes, and a nudge from Faith, for him to realize that Violet was crying. He reached out and touched her shoulder.

"What's wrong, princess?"

Violet sobbed uncontrollably for a few more minutes. "I just want them to leave me along! Can't they just fucking leave me alone?" She broke into hysterics again, unable to say anything further. Tyler looked in the rearview mirror at Faith, who could only shrug. Tyler sighed and merged onto the freeway and heading for home.

He pulled up in front of the house and grabbed Faith's suitcase as Violet essentially stomped her way into the house. "Hey, Kit Kat, I have a question. Why was that giving you trouble at the airport? I mean, I was about to tear his arms off."

Faith laughed as they stepped inside. "He came up to me and asked if I needed any water. When I asked why, he said 'Because you're so hot, baby.' When I told him to take his cheap ass line and shove it, he grabbed me. That's when I twisted his arm. I'm glad you showed up, though. His friends look like they meant business."

"Yes, but I did too. If they had hurt you, I would have killed them. Nobody hurts my Kit Kat while I'm around." He set down the suitcase and hugged her again, looking up in time to see Violet's tear stained face disappearing he room. He shook his head and let Faith go, taking her upstairs. "You can sleep in my room, KK."

Faith put her suitcase on the floor next to the bed and opened her shoulder bag, checking the contents. "Where are you going to sleep, Peanut?"

Without thinking about it, Tyler simply said, "Violet's room." He stopped and turned, faced with Faith's raised eyebrows, her hands full of ingredients. "No. Not like that. She's my official employer now and since I don't really sleep anymore, it just makes sense for me to stay in there to protect her.

Faith set down he bottles she had in her hands and faced him again. "Wait. What do you mean you don't sleep?"

Tyler's eyes widened and his face turned red. "I must have forgotten to tell you."

"Tell me what, Tyler?"

"That I...um...that I'm a vampire now, too."

Faith's face went white and she moved back until she bumped into the table. "Tyler, tell me you're kidding. You're...you're a vampire?"

Tyler nodded and felt like he should move to her or something, but decided that would be a bad idea. "I had to, Faith. It was the only way to get Violet away from the Wolves and then only good way to keep her safe. I would have done the same thing for you."

Faith blinked at him a couple of times, now knowing what to say. "Have you had any of her blood?" Tyler said he did and explained what happened at the farmhouse. Faith shook her head and grabbed her bag. "Come on, Peanut. Show me where Lilith is and I'll see what I can do."

Tyler nodded and walked over to her, Faith linking her arms with his. "Kit Kat, are we okay?"

Faith sighed as they walked down the stairs. "I think so, Peanut. It'll just take a little getting used to. I mean, my friend is a vampire. That's kind of a big deal."

Tyler laughed. "Well, I promise not to bite you. You might like it."

Faith laughed back as they reached the stairs to the basement. "Shut up, you retard. I would not like it."

"Oh, really," he said with a grin. "What about all of those stories you used to tell me about..."

"Shut up, dork! I told you not to repeat those!" She thumped him on the shoulder, having to reach up to do so. Tyler led her to the bookcases and pulled on the leather-bound edition of 'Dracula,' allowing Faith access to Lilith's inner sanctum. Lilith lay inside on the floor, Thomas sitting in a chair next to her, holding her hand. They could see her chest moving up and down slowly. Smythe stood up to block the way.

"Tyler, what the hell is going on? Who the hell are you?"

Tyler put up both hands in a placating gesture. "Boss, relax. This is Faith, the woman I talked to on the phone who said she'd try to help Lilith."

Faith extended her hand. "Hello, Mr. Smythe. I'm Faith McKenna. I'm a witch and someone of a healer. May I take a look at her?"

Smythe relented reluctantly, stepping aside. Faith knelt on the floor, looking over Lilith's wound. To her, it looked infected. "Okay, I'm going to take a wild guess and say that this isn't going to take just some hydrogen peroxide and a few stitches. Tyler could you go and get the two books out of my suitcase? Some blood might help too, if you have some. Mr. Smythe, is there any way to get her up off of the floor? It's hard to work like this."

Tyler and Thomas set about their tasks, Tyler grabbing the books and a rack of blood from the cooler and then deciding just to take the whole cooler, just in case. Smythe, meanwhile, found a folding table just long enough for Lilith's height. Tyler returned just as they were trying to figure out how to get her on the table.

"Okay, Mister Over Prepared. Set that stuff down and put her on the table." Faith took the books and Tyler set the cooler in the corner. Crouching down, he slid his arms gently under Lilith's body and cautiously lifted her and set her on the table. She felt like she weighed next to nothing. He stepped back and let Faith do her job.

"Peanut, hold this book open to this page."

"Screw you, wench. I am not your book holding whore." He took the book anyway.

"You just wish I'd screw you, Tyler. I'm just too much woman for you to handle," she said with a grin, reading a page in the book

"I'm sorry," Thomas interrupted. "Are you two always like this?"

"Sorry, boss. It's just how we are. See, she wants me."

Faith laughed. "He wishes, Mr. Smythe. Don't worry. I've been putting up with his crap for years."

One of the things that made Tyler and Faith such good friends was their ability to read each other without saying a word. Within sixty seconds of her last sentence, Tyler knew Faith had turned serious and only talked to her when he needed to ask her a question or to clarify something he needed to do. He handed her bottles from her kit as well as holding her books. His increased strength made holding them for an hour or more no problem.

Tyler watched as she mixed together some gun arabic powder and a little blackberry leaf, which she mashed first. She then crushed up a few cloves with a leaf of eucalyptus and a handful of flax seeds. After questioning Tyler, she smashed a clove of garlic and a pinch of silver and then added a pint of blood, making a thick, sticky mixture that looked like rust.

"Mr. Smythe," Faith said quietly. "In my shoulder bag, there are some candles. I need you to get two of them; one is red and the other is purple." She nodded when he held them up. "Place both by her head and light them." He did so and Faith slathered the mixture onto Lilith's wound. As she did, some of the tension in Lilith's face vanished and her breathing became easier.

"Well," Faith said with a sigh. "Now, all we can do is hope that it works." They left the room, Faith and Thomas sitting down while Tyler paced. Nothing was said for a moments, Tyler sniffing and rubbing his nose.

"Damn. Something is bothering my nose, but I can't tell what," he said.

"Maybe it's the fresh air," Faith said with a smile.

"Fresh air?"

"Yeah. You know. You finally getting your head out of your ass." Even Thomas laughed at that one, some of the tension draining from him. Suddenly, they heard a gasp from Lilith's room, all three of them running. Tyler held Smythe back, letting Faith go in first.

Lilith's eyes were open and distant, scanning the room at random. She focused on Faith for a moment. "And who are you, child?"

"My name is Faith McKenna, ma'am. Hopefully, my magick is helping." Faith smiled hopefully.

"Indeed it is, child. I am feeling stronger. Your poultice seems to be making the purge easier." He eyes unfocused again and when she spoke, her voice seemed far away. "I am trying to gather my strength for healing. I will be no use to you for some time." Her eyes widened and she looked straight at Tyler. "Tyler," she said weakly. "You left Violet alone when she needs you. Go to her."