CHAPTER 9
BITTEN
The next morning dawned bright and beautiful. Jo had awakened before Ian and was in the kitchen making breakfast, when the phone rang. It was Clair, she was on her way home and she needed to discuss something with her mother. When Jo pressed her for more information, Clair insisted she would tell her everything when she came home.
Ian came into the kitchen, “Was that Clair?”
“Yes,” Jo said with her forehead wrinkled, “something’s up, but she won’t tell me until she gets here.”
“Well I guess you’ll find out soon enough. Do you want me to leave?”
“No I feel better when you’re here,” Jo said as she leaned over the counter to kiss him.
“Remember what Lena told you about controlling your emotions,” Ian teased.
“You’re just lucky that Clair’s on her way,” she said as she gave him a much longer more intense kiss.
It turned out that Dana was not fond of taking care of men; she much preferred being the one who was cared for. Now that Dean needed a few weeks of being looked after, she had taken the opportunity while he was in the hospital to pack her things and move out. She phoned Dean’s hospital room last night and relayed all of this to Clair. Dean was discharged from the hospital with orders for one week of bed rest and he was to have a nurse come in daily to check on him.
“I feel guilty leaving him on his own now that Dana’s gone,” Clair said, “I thought that I could spend a couple of weeks with him just to help out.”
“Clair I don’t mind you spending time with your father, I just don’t want you to take on too much and what about school?”
“I’m still going to go to school, I will just go to dads afterwards. I really don’t want to leave him alone.” Clair looked down at her hands, “You at least have Ian now, and dad doesn’t have anyone.”
Ian sat in the living room while Jo talked to Clair in the kitchen, but he could hear every word they said. He knew Jo was having an internal fight with herself. She wouldn’t want Clair away from her for so long, but she also felt guilty that it was her fault Dean was in this state to begin with, and she did not want to deny Clair a chance to help him, when she herself couldn’t.
“Promise me you’ll let me know if you need my help.”
“I will mom.”
“And you’ll call me at least once a day.”
“I will mom.”
“And you won’t neglect your school work.”
“I promise.” Clair hugged Jo and she saw Ian in the other room, over her mother’s shoulder. She looked at him curiously for a minute. Clair liked Ian and he certainly made her mother happy but every time she saw him she got a strange feeling. She couldn’t put her finger on it and thought that maybe it was the fact that she had never seen her mother with another man other than her father.
“Okay you should go get your things together. Ian and I will drop you off.”
When Clair went upstairs Ian came into the kitchen and sat across from Jo at the table. She slid her hands down her face and then rubbed her temples with her fingers.
“I’m really not comfortable with her being away from me.”
“I know you’re not,” said Ian, “but we can check up on her, don’t worry.”
“I want to tell her Ian. I want to tell her everything, but I can’t just yet.”
“She can handle it you know?”
“I know she can and I don’t want her to be caught off guard like I was. I just want her to be a normal teenager and enjoy herself. She’s so young. I will tell her, just not yet.”
“She looks at me funny,” Ian said.
“No she doesn’t, she likes you.”
“She may like me but she feels that something’s different. If you wait too long she may just figure it out on her own. She’s very bright.”
Jo looked concerned. She really did want to tell Clair, keeping secrets from her made Jo uneasy. She was used to sharing everything with Clair, and now that she finally didn’t have to hide Ian, she had to hide this secret instead. Clair was only fifteen, she had so many carefree years left and Jo didn’t want to be the one to take that away from her.
“I’ll tell her soon.”
Jo spent the majority of the spring with Lena, a fact that Ian did not like. After the first few days Lena said it was too distracting for Jo to have him with her while she was learning about her magical abilities. Ian argued but Jo agreed with Lena, he was an immense distraction. And so Ian reluctantly spent time with Marcus and Isabella at Jo’s suggestion.
Lena continued to teach Jo to harness her energy as to avoid any more unwanted accidents. Jo was becoming increasingly proficient, which Lena owned to the fact that she was a very powerful witch and just needed someone to teach her the basics.
Lena kept a small garden outside in the back of the shop. Jo thought it was the most beautiful garden she had ever seen. There was a mixture of a least a hundred herbs and flowers in a multitude of colors and some plants Jo had never even seen or heard of. Lena used these as ingredients to make some of the products that she sold in her store.
There was an iron bench in the middle of the garden where Jo loved to sit and listen to Lena talk about witches she had known, and about her own grandmother, who was a white witch and taught her most everything that she knew.
“It does not matter how much you are taught. Every witch is different and you need to learn about your own abilities in your own way. I can only guide you, the rest is up to you,” Lena told her one day as she sat on the bench in the midst of a cluster of rose bushes.
“Lena, can I ask you a question?” Jo asked as she brought one of the roses close to her nose and inhaled.
“Of course dear, anything.”
“Can I stop aging? Is there a spell or potion…?”
“You’re worried about getting old when Ian will not.”
Jo looked down at her hands, “Yes.”
“There is no known substance that can stop you from aging, but take heart in the fact that your magic will keep you young.” She saw the hope on Jo’s face and continued, “It will not stop you from aging but it will slow down the aging process.”
Jo sat quietly looking at the flowers around her. Lena stood up and began to rummage around a shelf against the wall, it was full of flowerpots, soil and other scattered gardening utensils. She returned to Jo and handed her a flowerpot with a tiny plant that held one small bud on its stem.
“Hold this,” Lena said, as she knelt in front of Jo, “I want to show you something.”
Jo took the pot from Lena and looked at it curiously.
“Now, close your eyes and think about all that you see around you. Imagine all of the flowers and plants and picture in your head your favorite one. Now think of the rain gently falling giving it nourishment, think of the sun shining down on it, warming it, bringing it to life. Can you picture it?”
“Yes,” Jo said, as she imagined a gentle rain falling down on the small garden her mother used to have. Jo particularly loved a little red rose bush that she adopted as her own. She loved looking at the intricate pattern of the petals and the sweet musty smell after the rain had wet the garden. She pictured the rainwater seeping down into the soil and being absorbed by the thirsty roots. She could see the sun shining down drying up the excess moisture and the flowers opening their petals to welcome its warmth.
“Open your eyes,” Lena told her.
Jo opened her eyes. For a split second, she didn’t understand why Lena was standing over her, smiling as if she had accomplished something wonderful, and then the pot in her hand stole her attention. It had bloomed substantially with many beautiful ruby red roses. Jo looked at Lena with utter amazement.
“You see? Sometimes all you need is the vision and everything else will blossom on its own.” Lena smiled kindly at Jo.
The two ladies had gotten very close over the months. Jo didn’t have anyone else she could speak to about being
a witch. She could of course talk to Ian, but he didn’t have any answers for her and most times neither did Lena, but she always had a way of coaxing Jo to come up with the answers herself. Spending time with Lena was like spending time with a favorite aunt. Jo felt she could talk to her about anything and she was constantly asking questions, which Lena answered with great patience.
They went back inside the shop. Lena turned her sign to OPEN and put on the kettle for tea. When she was finished, she handed Jo a cup just as the bell over the door tinkled, and they turned in unison to see Ian striding into the store.
“What are you doing here?” Jo asked, pleasantly surprised.
“Well today is Marcus and Isabella’s birthday and I was wondering if Lena will let you have a break,” Ian said as he kissed Jo’s cheek.
“She’s all yours Ian. Luckily she’s such a quick learner,” Lena said.
“What are we doing?” Jo questioned, as she wrapped her arms around Ian.
“Well since you have forced me to spend so much time with them, they want us to join them for dinner.”
“Ian that’s great. We haven’t been out in ages.”
“Do you think you can behave yourself?” Ian asked.
“I’ll do my best,” Jo said standing.
Lena raised her eyebrows, “Well you two have fun, give my best wishes to Marcus and Isabella. Oh, Don’t forget your plant Jo,” she said picking up the pot with the newly bloomed roses.
“You mean I can keep it?”
“Of course, it’s yours.”
Ian drove Jo home to get ready for dinner, before they headed back to the Ian’s to meet Marcus and Isabella.
“What should I wear?” Jo asked, as she came into the bedroom with her bathrobe wrapped around her.
“What you have on is fine with me,” Ian said.
Jo dropped her bathrobe, “What if I go like this?” she teased.
“Like that you’ll never make it out of this room,” said Ian, as he jumped to his feet, picked Jo up in one quick scoop and tossed her gently on the bed. He lay next to her and stared at her for a long moment. “You’re too beautiful,” he said, as he brushed his hand along her face.
“As are you,” she said kissing him.
“Lucky we found each other then isn’t it?”
Jo sat up, “Do you think it was luck?”
“What do you mean?” Ian asked.
Jo hesitated; she was looking for the right words. “Well, after Lena read us the prophecy, I started to wonder if our meeting had nothing to do with us and everything to do with the prophecy.”
Ian thought for a moment, “Truthfully that thought crossed my mind as well, but seeing as the prophecy is about us, then it has everything to do with us,” Ian said.
“Yes, but if there was no prophecy, would we still have been attracted to each other?”
Ian stared into Jo’s eyes, “I don’t have any answers all I can tell you is that I have never been as happy as I am when I’m with you. I don’t care if we’re together because of some stupid prophecy or not. All I care is that we’re together.”
Jo looked into Ian’s eyes for what seemed like an eternity. She honestly didn’t care if they had come to meet because of the prophecy either, but she wondered what Ian had thought. She too had never been so happy or felt so content and when she and Ian were together everything seemed perfect. They just seemed to fit, their relationship was so effortless and after all, isn’t that the way it should be? They made love for a long while; they had such a strong attraction that it seemed unnatural to ignore it.
Jo decided that she would wear a black dress, which was simple but flattering. She piled her hair loosely on her head and quickly put on her shoes. They were running late due to their uncontrollable desire for each other, but were both in playful spirits.
When they reached the front door of the house, Ian paused and the smile on his face was replaced with a rigid scowl.
“What’s the matter?” Jo said in an instinctive whisper.
Ian put a finger to his lips. Jo stood next to him and listened, she couldn’t hear anything. She closed her eyes and placed her palm against the front door.She took slow steady breaths and concentrated all of her energy to the space on the other side. Her eyes flew open.
“Mia!” she whispered.
Ian gave her an impressed look and nodded his assent. Then he slowly opened the door.
It took them a minute to register what was happening. Marcus stood across the room from Mia and Isabella; the terrified look on his face dominated his defensive stance. Mia had her arm around Isabella and was speaking to her playfully. But one look at Isabella’s mascara streaked face, told that this plainly was not a game.
“Ian! Jo! We’ve been waiting for you,” Mia chided.
“What the hell is going on?” Ian demanded, keeping a protective hand in front of Jo.
“Well, I came by to see you and your witchy girlfriend, but you weren’t here.” Mia pouted mockingly. “I’ve been waiting a dreadfully long time and Marcus here did not even have the decency to offer me a snack,” Mia said with an evil grin playing at her lips. “I just decided that I would help myself.”
And without a seconds hesitation Mia exposed her fangs and plunged them deep into Isabella’s neck. Marcus screamed and lunged at Mia, who threw him effortlessly across the room with one swift movement. She placed one hand on Isabella’s jaw, and the other on the top of her head, and with a gut wrenching ‘CRACK’ snapped her neck. Isabella dropped to the floor in a heap.
Mia turned, focusing her eyes on Jo, and Ian stepped swiftly in front of her to block her from view. Jo did not even think about what she was doing. She stepped out from behind Ian’s cover and faced Mia before Ian even realized that she had moved. Jo stretched her right arm out in front of her and Mia was thrown clear across the room. She seemed stunned for a split second and then stood, grinning.
“You see Ian,” she simpered, “you may sacrifice yourself to protect your witch, but you should keep in mind that she would do the same for you.” She gave Jo a lingering stare and then she was gone.
Ian and Jo gathered next to Marcus over Isabella’s limp body. It was a horrific sight. Isabella’s neck had two puncture marks and the amount of blood was astonishing, her face was as white as stone and the shadow of fear was still apparent in her expression. Marcus lifted her off of the ground, with tears rolling down his pale face. Isabella looked like a rag doll in his arms, her limbs dangling as he walked to the couch and lay her down gently.
“She wasn’t ready for this,” Marcus said, staring at Isabella in complete disbelief. “Ian you should get Jo out of here before she wakes up,” he said, not taking his eyes off of Isabella.
“Wakes up?” Jo looked between the two of them, with tear filled eyes, “What do you mean, wakes up? She’s not…”
Ian looked at Jo’s bewildered expression, and was angered that she had to witness this part of his life, a life that he was so plainly accustomed to. “She’s not dead Jo. Well, she is dead in the true sense of the word, but she’ll be waking up and when she does…”
“She’ll be a vampire,” Jo finished his sentence.
“Yes,” said Marcus, “and not a very happy one. She wasn’t ready, we’d discussed it but she just wasn’t ready. Not to mention the agonizing thirst she’s going to be feeling.”
“Can you handle her by yourself?” Ian asked his brother.
“Yes, we should have enough blood stored here to last a day or two, but I may need you to get some more,” Marcus said. “If we run out then we’ll have some real problems.”
“You have blood stored in the house?” Jo asked wrinkling her nose.
Isabella twitched.
“You better go,” Marcus said.
Ian grabbed Jo and took her out of the house so quickly that her stomach lurched. He drove her back to her own house, and out of danger, before Jo could even get a word out.
Once they
were inside, Jo slouched on the couch; she raised her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around her legs. Tears were streaming steadily down her face and she stared blankly at the floor. Ian came and sat next to her, he could tell that the whole impact of what he was, and the life that she was now so involved in, had just hit her.
“Do you want to talk about it?” He questioned.
Jo looked up at him for a long while with a fresh wave of tears welling in her eyes. Ian wasn’t sure if he should touch her for reassurance or if he should move as far away from her as possible. He sat quietly giving her time to gather her thoughts and realized how blazingly green her eyes had become.
“I never even asked you how you survive. I mean, I know that vampire’s drink blood but I didn’t even consider…” her voice trailed off.
Ian looked intently at her, still not sure if he should touch her. “I haven’t had a drop of human blood since I’ve been with you,” he said very slowly, as a parent would to a child when they wanted them to understand a very important point.
“What have you been drinking?” Jo asked, not even sure if she wanted to know the answer.
“Until I met you I always had an unquenchable thirst for human blood. Our first night together I very nearly bit you. Then you asked me not to, you caught me off guard and it kind of shocked me. I began imitating Marcus who hasn’t had human blood since he met Isabella. It was the one condition she had for them being together. I’ve been living on animal blood and we always have some in the house for the days we can’t or don’t want to go hunting.”
“Is that what Marcus will be feeding Isabella?” Jo asked.
“Yes, I just hope it will satisfy her.”
“Why wouldn’t it?”
“When someone first becomes a vampire, the thirst is overwhelming. It’s all that you can think of, it consumes your whole existence. Animal blood does not quench the thirst quite as effectively as human blood does, but it will suffice. I just hope Marcus will be able to handle her until she gets over that little snag. We have to make sure that she has plenty to drink for the first couple of days, until she becomes accustom to her new existence.”
“What if he can’t?” Jo was growing more and more apprehensive. What if Marcus couldn’t keep Isabella under control and she got out of the house and went on a drinking spree?
“As long as she has enough to drink it should keep her occupied until the thirst becomes controllable,” Ian said.
Jo laid her head back on the couch thinking. How could they make sure Isabella had enough to drink? If she got out of control she could hurt so many people. Ian’s house was not that for from them. What if she killed someone that they knew? Anna, Stephanie, Dean maybe even Clair. Not to mention how Isabella would feel if she found out that she’d hurt someone, especially someone that she knew.
“We have to help her Ian,” Jo said, determinedly wiping away her tears.
“Don’t worry, if need be I will get more blood to her.”
Jo jumped up suddenly. She went into the kitchen and Ian followed her. She began rummaging through cabinets until she found what she was looking for. She pulled out a bottle of wine and a glass and set them down on the counter.
“Is this supposed to help us think?” Ian asked.
“Shush, just give me a second,” Jo said racking her brain. “Okay you stand there, I’m going to need your help with this.” She placed Ian on one side of the counter and she stood opposite him on the other side, then she placed the wine bottle and the glass between them. She took both of Ian’s hands in her own and breathed very deeply.
“What do you need me to do?” Ian asked her, looking puzzled.
“You don’t have to do anything,” Jo said, “just stand there.”
She closed her eyes still holding Ian’s hands. She continued taking deep breaths. “I can do this, I am a witch, I am a witch, I can do this,” she said to herself.
Ian was still confused but curious as to what Jo was up to. She just stood very still breathing and mumbling under her breath. She thought about how terrified she’d felt seeing Mia bite Isabella and how she thought Isabella would die, and then she thought of the possibility of Isabella hurting people in order to feed her ferocious new appetite. She took all of her feelings and emotions and focused them the best that she could in her flustered state. Ian felt a sudden surge of energy from Jo’s hands. After a few minutes she opened her eyes and looked at Ian very intently. She opened the wine bottle and poured some into the glass.
“That’s it?” Ian asked.
“Drink,” Jo commanded, pushing the glass to him.
Ian took the glass very hesitantly, looking at Jo.
“Drink,” Jo repeated.
Ian put the glass to his lips and took a small cautious sip. Jo watched him attentively. His eyes bulged and he set the glass slowly back on the counter.
“Well?” Jo asked, with her heart pounding fiercely.
Ian stared at her wide-eyed. “It’s blood,” he said.
Jo smiled. She had done it. “Problem solved?” she asked.
“Problem solved,” Ian said, as he rounded the counter and picked Jo up off of her feet and swung her around, “you’re amazing!”
“Thank you,” she said, as he set her back on her feet.
“Just one question,” Ian said.
“What’s that?”
“Why did you need me to help you?”
Jo suddenly looked uneasy and did not look Ian in the eyes.
“Wait a minute,” Ian said, taking a step back, “you needed darkness didn’t you?”
“Ian,” Jo began, “I just wanted to help Isabella, and I couldn’t have done it on my own.” She stepped close to him, “We did it…together.”
“After what you saw today you still want to be near me?”
“Of course I do. I love you.”
Ian closed the gap between them, “What did I ever do to deserve you?”
Jo laid her head on his chest and pulled her arms around him. They stood quietly in their contentment holding each other.
When Ian and Jo arrived back at his house, Ian was holding a case of wine bottles. He suggested that Jo wait outside but she flatly refused.
“Once Isabella sees that I can make her all of the blood that she wants, she’s not going to want to hurt me,” Jo said.
“It’s possible, but I don’t want to take that chance. You don’t understand how hard it is for new vampires to control themselves.”
“I’m completely confident that you and Marcus can handle Isabella,” Jo said.
“Well I’m glad one of us is.”
Ian opened the door one-handed and peered inside. Isabella was sitting on the couch with her face in her hands and Marcus was crouched in front of her with his hands on her shoulders.
“Knock, Knock,” Ian said, stepping inside.
Isabella shot up out of her seat and noticing that it was Ian, she began to sit back down when she suddenly caught a scent in the air and sniffed. Before either Marcus or Ian knew what had happened, she was at Jo’s side with her fangs exposed and Jo’s hair in her hand, forcing her head back.
“Isabella no!” Marcus yelled, as he ran to her and tried to restrain her.
Jo struggled against Isabella’s forceful grip.
“Isabella,” Ian said, picking a bottle up from the case, “look what I have for you.” He shook a wine bottle in front of her.
“I want blood not wine,” she said looking deranged and trying to pull free of Marcus’s grasp.
Ian opened the bottle and she paused and inhaled deeply, then turned her head in Ian’s direction. “Is that blood?” She asked.
“Yes. And Jo can get you as much as you want, so I wouldn’t hurt her if I were you.”
Marcus looked inquisitively between Jo and Ian. “Jo can get her as much as she wants? What do you mean?”
Isabella released her grip on Jo and snatched the bottle from Ian’s han
d. She drank the bottle in a matter of seconds and then seemed to relax.
“Jo has managed to turn wine into blood and as long as Isabella behaves she will make her some more,” Ian said.
“How did you do that?” Marcus asked as he turned his attention to Jo.
“I didn’t do it by myself,” Jo began, “I needed Ian’s help.”
“My darkness is more like it.”
Jo gave Ian a sympathetic look as he handed Isabella another bottle, which she drank a little more slowly than the first.
“She’s almost cleaned out our entire supply,” Marcus told Ian.
“All of it!” Ian was shocked.
Jo slowly approached Isabella, she had just at that very moment taken in Isabella’s appearance. Her hair was a terrible mess and her make up was smudged under her eyes, giving her a most sinister appearance. The puncture marks on her neck were no longer apparent but the copious amount of blood, which had spilled from them, was now dried on her neck and shirt.
“I’m taking her to get cleaned up,” Jo said.
“You’re not going upstairs alone with her,” Ian said, shaking his head.
Jo picked up another bottle out of the case and tucked it under one arm. She took Isabella by the hand and led her to the stairs.
“Isabella wants blood and I have some for her if she needs it. I’ll be fine,” she said, as she turned and began leading Isabella up the stairs.
When they reached the bathroom, Jo adjusted the water and turned on the shower. Isabella stood behind her draining the last of the bottle she had taken from Ian. Jo allowed her to finish and then took the empty bottle from her.
“If you want more I have another one here,” Jo said, showing Isabella the bottle she had set down on the counter. “You need to get cleaned up.”
Isabella undressed and stepped into the shower. Jo sat on the counter waiting for her and when Isabella had turned the water off Jo handed her a towel.
“Are you thirsty?”
“I can wait,” Isabella said, wrapping the towel around herself and looking a little embarrassed, “I’m sorry I tried to bite you.”
“It’s not your fault,” Jo said, “but you don’t have to bite anyone, I will make you as much as you need, okay?” She handed Isabella the bottle from the counter.
“Thank you Jo,” she said, as tears began to roll down her face.
“What’s the matter?” Jo asked, as she led Isabella into Marcus’s bedroom.
Isabella slouched on the bed, “I didn’t want to be a vampire, not yet anyway. I probably would have eventually, but it was nice knowing that the choice was mine to make, and now I don’t have that choice anymore.”
“Damn that Mia!” Jo exclaimed. “I really don’t like her,” she said, pacing in front of Isabella.
“You’re not the only one,” Isabella said wiping her eyes, “do you really think you can stop her?”
“I don’t know,” Jo shook her head, “but I promise you, I will die trying.”