Chapter 10

"Is Lisa okay? she looks awfully pale."

At Jisoo's comment, Jennie glanced worriedly at her author. Lisa was awfully pale. She'd thought so in her room, but she seemed even more so under the lights here in the large reception area of the welcome brunch. She should have insisted that she bite her.

She had tried, of course. She'd told her to just do it, but Taehyung had been knocking insistently on the door, and Lisa had refused. she'd feared she might be faint afterward, and she didn't want her trying to get ready, suffering a dizzy spell and perhaps falling. Besides, there wasn't time, she'd said. she'd do it later.

Now, as she took in the pallor of her skin, she could have kicked herself for not being more insistent.

"Jennie?"

She turned and forced a smile for her boss. "She's a little jet-lagged. She'll be okay."

Jisoo accepted the lie and turned her attention back to her meal, leaving Jennie to fret over Lisa. She was going to make her bite her first thing upon leaving the brunch; they could run upstairs for a quickie before going to the reader hospitality suite. And then she'd have to find a way to get her a real supply of blood. She'd considered the matter, and even if they were able to get hold of Jeongyeon today, she was sure it would be tomorrow before she could arrange another shipment to be delivered.

Jennie frowned as she realized that Jeongyeon could be calling right this minute, and there was no one in their room to answer the call. And there wouldn't be all day. Or tonight either if they attended the cover model reunion. Perhaps they could skip that. Lisa wasn't really needed there. The fans would all be interested in the male cover models and might not notice her absence. Jisoo and Jimin would, however. No, Jisoo wouldn't. Jimin would. Jennie frowned down at her plate. As far as he was concerned, the company had paid for Lisa to be there and he would want his money's worth.

"Does she speak?"

Jennie glanced sharply up at Jimin's acidic question. She had made sure that Taehyung was on one side of Lisa and she on the other. Jisoo was directly on her right, and Jimin was next to Allison, but the publisher was leaning in front of the editorial director,his chin practically resting on his chest as he spoke. Jisoo was seething, and Jennie couldn't blame her. Jimin was something of a pig, hitting on all the women in the office and trying to look down their tops. He wasn't well liked by the staff, and they could hardly wait for him to be replaced. As a rule, presidents at YG were changed almost yearly. Jennie just hoped Jimin wasn't the exception. No one at YG had been happy when he had arrived to replace Jin. Their last president had been an exceptional man who had moved to publishing from radio and television, bringing all of that savvy with him. He had done wonderful things for YG. No one had been surprised when he had been snapped up by a bigger company. Jimin was a poor replacement.

Her gaze drifted past her sneering face to Park Ji hyo, the writer who sat beside her. Ji hyo was throwing curious glances at Lisa. Jennie wasn't surprised. Aside from her being an attractive woman, Lisa was receiving an unusual amount of VIP treatment. The editors and personnel of YG were supposed to be spread out among a couple of tables so that all their writers felt included. But Taehyung and Jennie weren't going to leave Lisa's side all week, and Jisoo and Jimin had wanted to meet the mysterious Ms. Manoban, so they were all grouped around her.

"I said, does she speak?"

Jennie's gaze shifted back to Jimin. He was one of the few men whose features reflected his unpleasant nature. He had a pockmarked, florid face, a drooping gray mustache and a bespeckled, balding head.

Jennie considered the question. Unfortunately, Lisa was rather taciturn at the best of times. At the moment, she was silent as stone. She opened her mouth to offer an excuse for her silence, then just as promptly changed her mind. They had wanted her here; she had got her. Perhaps if they weren't happy with her performance, they wouldn't make her pester her in the future. She merely shrugged and said, "Not much."

Jimin didn't seem pleased. Jennie didn't care. It was the truth, and she couldn't be held responsible for Lisa's nature. Her gaze slid to the writer again. Taehyung was talking, and Lisa was nodding dully. There were lines of tension around her eyes that worried her. It made her wonder if she was in a lot of pain. She immediately began trying to think of a way to get her blood and more blood than the pint she'd said it would be safe for her to give her. She briefly considered finding her a lineup of victims to bite, but as much as she enjoyed the idea of putting Jimin at the front of the line, there was no one else she wanted to feed to her.

Jennie was still pondering the problem when the plates were cleared from the tables and the awards ceremony began. She listened halfheartedly as the nominees were named for each category, followed by the winner. Jennie clapped when the others did, but she was mostly lost in thought.

"And the final nominee is Pranpriya's Love Bites."

Jennie jerked upright in her seat as Lisa's pseudonym was called out. She wasn't at all surprised that Lisa was doing much the same thing next to her. She'd forgotten to tell her that her book was nominated in three different categories. She winced when she turned an accusing glare on her.

"You're nominated. That doesn't mean you'll win," Jennie said soothingly.

"And the winner is Pranpriya for Love Bites!"

"Merde," Lisa muttered.

"Shit," Jennie echoed in English. She hesitated for a moment, but when Lisa showed no sign of getting up, she leaned toward her to explain, "You have to go up and get your award."

"I don't want to."

Jennie felt her heart squeeze at the childlike complaint. Six hundred years old and she still sounded like a baby. Whatever. Catching her elbow in her hand, she stood abruptly, forcing her up with her. "Neither do I. So we'll do it together."

Much to her relief, she allowed her to force her to her feet and then toward the stage at the far end of the room. People were clapping and calling out congratulations, some yelling they really enjoyed her books. Lisa seemed oblivious to it all. The skin on her face was tight,her expression almost pained as she walked doggedly forward. Jennie couldn't decide if it was due to hunger or a reaction to being the center of attention. She knew she must hate this sort of thing. She'd learned of her reclusive ways while in Jeju. And if she hadn't caught on after three days in her company, her mother and sister had revealed a lot about her at the wedding.

Sana Minatozaki, the woman behind Romantic Times Book Club Magazine, the conference, and various other concerns was waiting on stage to present the award herself. She smiled widely as Jennie and Lisa mounted the steps to the podium; then concern flickered on her face as she noted their odd behavior. Jennie tried for a brighter smile to reassure the woman, but she could have used a little reassurance herself. Lisa wasn't the speech-making sort, and some sort of speech would be expected.

"Congratulations, Ms Manoban," Sana said as she handed over the award. "I've very much enjoyed your vampire series."

Lisa grunted, took the award and started to walk offstage. Jennie gaped after her, then muttered under her breath and hurried after her to catch her by the arm.

"You have to say thank-you," she hissed, urging her back toward Sana and the podium.

"I don't want to."

Jennie frowned at the weakness in her voice. She almost preferred her "No's" and had to wonder just how much the lack of blood could affect her mind. If she didn't find her some blood soon, might she lose it entirely and just go nuts? She cringed at the idea.

"Just say thank-you," she ordered grimly, steering her to the podium.

"Is she all right?" Sana asked in a whisper as Lisa paused in front of the microphone. she stared blankly out at the sea of faces. Jennie wondered if the crowd looked like a feast of steaks to her, then nodded.

"Jet lag," she lied.

"Are you sure that's all?" Sana looked doubtful, so Jennie added, "And a bit of a tummy flu, I think." Then she gave in, admitting, "She isn't at all well."

"Oh, dear," Sana murmured.

"But we're hoping it passes quickly," she assured the woman. "We might miss the cover model reunion to go to the doctor."

"Doctor? At night?"

"It was the earliest appointment we could get," Jennie lied.

"Oh." Sana shook her head, then seemed to realize that Lisa had been standing silently at the microphone for several moments. The room had fallen into an expectant hush.

Jennie moved toher side and gave her a nudge. "Say thank-you."

"Thank you," she said dutifully. It was a rather ungrateful growl. And she immediately stepped back after saying it. Jennie cringed, but Sana saved the day by stepping up between them and catching her arm. She urged her forward again, then took control of the microphone and said, "Ladies and gentlemen." She added the last with a grin toward the table of male models, the only males present other than the handful of male publishing personnel and the occasional writer's husband. "As you can see from her pallor, Ms. Manoban isn't feeling well, but she insisted on attending today's ceremony to thank you all for your support." She allowed a moment to pass for that to sink in, then continued, "I for one am grateful she showed up. Let's all give her a round of applause and thank her for her wonderful stories. Thank you, Lisa."

Sana Minatozaki turned to give her a hug, and the crowd broke into applause.

Relief coursed through Jennie. Sana had saved the day! Then she noticed how Lisa's nostrils were flaring, and that she lowered her face to the woman's neck. Even more disconcerting was the golden glow that had come into her eyes. Her lips moved along Sana's skin in search of a pulsing vein.

Jennie's eyes widened in horror. she was about to bite Sana right there on the damned stage!

"No!" The shriek left Jennie's lips as she saw Lisa's teeth extend. It was a loud shriek. The entire room fell into stunned silence. But Jennie didn't care, because Sana jerked out of Lisa's arms and whirled around in amazement. Lisa scowled at her for the interruption of her meal.

"Er" Jennie said into the deafening silence. Moving to the microphone, she added, "No. There's er no need to thank her. Lisa is she's just grateful she er had this opportunity to thank you all. Er thank you."

The crowd began to clap again, but Jennie hardly noticed. Lisa was moving closer to the unsuspecting Sana, that hungry look still in her eyes. Forcing a smile, Jennie snatched her arm and marched her away.

"You were going to bite her," she accused.

"I just wanted a bit." she sounded sullen.

"Just a bit?" she exclaimed. "Right there on the stage for all to see?"

"They would have thought it a publicity stunt," she defended herself. Then she sighed and admitted miserably, "I couldn't help myself. She has strong, sweet blood."

Jennie stared at her. "You didn't"

"No, you stopped me in time. But I can tell by the smell."

Jennie grimaced, then noted that the lines around her eyes had deepened and were around her mouth as well. "How bad is the hunger right now?" It was a stupid question. The woman had nearly bitten Sana onstage. The hunger was bad. What she really wanted to know was, "I mean, are you in pain?"

She nodded grimly.

"That little bit of sunlight yesterday caused this much trouble?" she asked. If so, it seemed to her that vampires were weaker than humans in some ways. Rather fragile, in this respect at least.

"That little bit of sunlight yesterday, the guy seated next to me on the plane with a cold who kept coughing at me, the"

"Being around sick people uses up more blood?" Jennie asked with alarm. They were in a hotel with a couple thousand people germs were probably rampant here. No wonder she was such a shut-in.

"Yes." Lisa nodded. "The nanos apparently surround disease and kill it off, but it takes up more"

"Blood," Jennie finished unhappily.

"Yes. And then there is the sunlight in here today."

Jennie peered around the bright room with surprise. The walls were solid without windows, but there were skylights overhead. They were frosted skylights, and it hadn't occurred to her that they might be a problem. She should have thought of it. Her gaze moved to the table they sat at, and Jennie almost groaned as she realized that she had chosen a table positioned directly under a skylight.

"The alcohol last night didn't help either," Lisa continued. "It dehydrates the body, too."

Jennie frowned. She'd noted the crushed beer cans, empty pizza box and piles of peanut shells around the coffee table in front of the television this morning. It looked as if Taehyung and Lisa had enjoyed the night. Now Lisa was paying for it in spades. It seemed her state was a result of a lot of things. The latest reason was her fault, however.

They had nearly reached the table. Jennie steered Lisa away from it and toward one of the exits. "Come on."

"Where are we going?" she sounded confused.

"To find you food." She stepped out of the reception hall and peered around. There really wasn't time to go to their suite. Somewhere closer was needed. She dragged her toward the women's room.

"Go inside and see if it's empty," she suggested. "If it isn't, make whoever's in there leave. You can do that, can't you? You know, control their mind and"

"Yes. But"

"Just do it," Jennie insisted.

Lisa shook her head, but pushed through the door. A couple minutes later, the door opened and a woman walked out. Jennie recognized her as one of the female models. She smiled nervously at her, but she didn't smile back she didn't even seem to notice her standing there.her eyes were glazed,her expression blank.

She watched her walk away, then slid into the bathroom, relieved to find Lisa alone.

"Okay." She walked determinedly to her. "Let's do it."

Lisa shook her head as she held out her wrist. "I can't."

"What do you mean, you can't?" she snapped in exasperation. "You've already bitten Taehyung and me once, so of course you can. Just get your teeth out."

"Jennie, I can't. It would hurt."

"It didn't hurt last night," she pointed out.

"That was because you were overwhelmed with sexual desire."

Jennie flushed, but didn't bother denying it. She had been rather hot and bothered. "What's that got to do with it?" Her eyes narrowed. "Taehyung wasn't"

"Of course not." she was starting to sound impatient. "But I can control his mind."

"So control mine."

"I can't, Jennie. Your mind is too strong."

"It is?" She felt pleasure fill her. Her mind was too strong. Wasn't that nice? She had a strong mind. Oh, she realized suddenly, she even had a stronger mind than Taehyung, because, from what she'd seen upon returning to the room last night, Lisa had no difficulty in controlling her. She would have liked to gloat about that, but Lisa was still speaking.

"The only time I can get into your head is when you're sleeping, or when you're wrapped up in passion. At least, I assume I can then. You didn't feel any pain when I bit you last night, did you?"

Jennie shook her head. "No. No pain at all."

She nodded. "Then your mind must have opened enough for me to infuse it with pleasure."

"Hmm." Jennie digested that. "How do you know you can get into my head when I'm sleeping?"

Guilt crossed Lisa's face, and Jennie suddenly recalled the erotic dream she'd had in her home. "You didn't" she said.

She flinched at the accusation, then raised her hands placatingly. "I was just checking on you. And you looked so sweet and sexy, I started thinking about what I'd like to do to you and I didn't realize you were receiving my thoughts until you er" she shrugged uncomfortably. "I stopped right away."

Jennie glared at her, feeling vulnerable and exposed. The dream she'd had in her home hadn't been a dream at all. Or had it?her fantasy? Was it a dream? A waking dream? It hadn't been hers.

The bathroom door opened, and both her and Lisa glanced sharply toward it as a middle-aged woman started into the room. Lisa scowled at her,her eyes flashing golden fire. Leave.

The woman stopped abruptly,her eyes glazing over; then she turned and obediently left the room.

The minute they were alone again, Jennie grabbed Lisa's hand and pulled her into one of the stalls she could hardly let her keep putting the whammy on people who entered the bathroom. The stall was a close fit, but she supposed it was good enough for biting. "Just do it, Lisa. You need the blood. You're starting to look like the walking dead."

"I don't want to hurt you."

She heaved a sigh of exasperation, but was secretly pleased that she was so reluctant to cause her pain. Especially when she was obviously suffering so horribly herself from something she could ease. The pain would be the equivalent of a shot. At least, she hoped that was the extent of it.

"Look. What if I open my mind to you?" she suggested, though she hadn't a clue how to do it. She supposed she would just think open thoughts. "Let's try that, shall we? I'll open my mind and"

"Jennie," Lisa began, and she knew she was going to refuse. She was offering the stupid woman her blood like she was some freak female Renfield, and she just stood there being all chivalrous and Old World. she must be really old. In her experience, people these days took what was offered regardless of whether it was good for the them or not. Hell, sometimes they took what wasn't offered.

"Dammit, Lisa," she interrupted impatiently. Grabbing the collar of her scoop-necked dress, she twisted it over to reveal the pin she'd used to attach her bra strap to the material.

"What are you doing?" she was scowling again.

Good, she thought irritably. She was feeling rather crabby, herself. She'd thought only babies needed spoon-feeding. Undoing the pin, she slid it free of her bra, quickly jabbed herself on the tip of a finger, then squeezed it viciously until a nice fat drop of blood came to the surface. She shoved it under her nose determinedly.

"Are you hungry?" she asked. She followed when she backed up against the stall wall trying to avoid her finger, then waved it under her nose. Triumph rose within her when she sawher nostrils flare. "Come on. You're hungry. Have a taste. Just a lick. If you don't like it, we'll find you someone else. If you do, a little nibble at my neck will make you feel better. Come on, Lisa, try a little Jennie for breakfast and" Her words died on a startled gasp as she licked the blood off the tip of her finger. It was such a quick scrape of her tongue across her finger she hardly felt it, but much to her satisfaction,her eyes glowed golden. She had her.

Jennie tipped her head to the side and squinted in preparation for what was to come, then remembered about the opening-her-mind thing. She thought, My mind is open. Lisa can come in. My mind is open. Lisa can come in.

Apparently, opening one's mind wasn't so easy. She felt Lisa's hands on her arms, then the brush of her lips against her neck, then agonizing pain as she began to insert her teeth.

"Ow, ow, ow." Despite herself, Jennie began to struggle. Lisa pulled away at once. she still held her, though,her hands digging into her arms,her breath coming heavy, the golden fire in her eyes an inferno as she fought to control her thirst.

Jennie bit her lip unhappily, ashamed to learn that she was a wuss. But it had hurt so much. No shot had ever been that bad. But, then, shots weren't nearly as large as Lisa's teeth. She pressed a hand to her throat. "I guess I don't know how to open my mind."

Lisa pulledher hands away. "You'd better leave. I don't think I can control myself much longer."

Jennie hesitated, then moved forward, sliding her arms around her neck.

"What are you doing?" she asked harshly.

"Well, if I have to be sexually excited to let you in so it doesn't hurt, you'd better get busy and excite me," she said.

"Jennie, we're in a water closet. This is hardly the place to"

"Not very adventurous, are you?" she asked. "Forget where we are and get to it, buddy. This is a public washroom someone could come in at any moment," she pointed out. Leaning up, she pressed her lips to hers. It was all she had to do. Lisa promptly began to kiss her back, her arms closing around her like steel bands.

Jennie supposed what followed was the vampire version of a quickie. It was not at all like the passionate moments they had shared in their suite. She couldn't explain it, but there was intent behind her every action, as if she weren't fully involved, but performing certain acts to excite her as necessary steps toward biting her. she seemed distant somehow. Uninvolved. Her kisses were practiced and still exciting, but even as she moaned in response and opened to her, she was aware that she wasn't completely there. At least, she was aware of it at first. As her tongue thrust into her mouth, she became a little too preoccupied to care.

Lisa unsnapped the buttons that ran down the front of her dress and slid her hand inside, then under her bra to cup one breast inher cool palm. Jennie moaned into her mouth. She shuddered as her thumb flicked the tip of her nipple.

Next she slid her leg between both of hers, forcing her dress upward until her upper thigh rubbed against the very center of her. Jennie gasped, then kissed her almost frantically. When Lisa broke away, she moaned, her head dropping backward as she arched and shifted against her leg, wanting more. She felt her lips nibble along her neck, but everything felt so good she merely murmured her pleasure and tilted her head to give her better access. Then she was aware of her sucking at her neck. This time she didn't mistake it for a hickey, but there was no pain until her foggy brain told her what she was doing and that there should be pain. The excitement started to fade away.

Just as Jennie felt the first faint stirring of pain, Lisa seemed to realize what was happening and distracted her. she slid her hand under her skirt,her fingers feathered lightly up her inner thigh, urging her legs a little further apart. Then she pushed the wispy cloth of her panties aside and stroked her. Jennie forgot all about what was happening at her neck. She gasped and murmured in pleasure, squirming in her caress, then cried out as she slid a finger into her.

"Oh, Lisa." She gasped, sliding her fingers through her hair and clutching her head to her as if it were her only anchor to sanity. She moaned as she rode her hand, her body humming with an excitement so fierce her legs grew weak. Jennie opened her eyes and tried to warn her that her legs were giving out, but she was distracted by the fact that everything seemed blurry. She wanted to tell Lisa that, too, but it seemed too much effort. An odd lassitude was stealing over her.

The stall wall at her back vibrated as the door of the next cubicle banged open. Jennie supposed that someone was in the washroom with them. It didn't bother her too much, but then Lisa lifted her head and frowned. she glanced back at Jennie, and concern covered her expression.

Cursing softly, she adjusted her hold and turned Jennie, lowering her to sit on the toilet. she didn't say anything, but her expression was grim as she straightened her clothes and did up the buttons of her dress. Once she'd put her back together, she unlocked the stall door, peered out, then lifted her back to her feet, pulled her arm over her shoulder and half-walked, half-carried her out of the bathroom. Jennie didn't see anyone, but the stall door next to the one they'd been in was closed and she could see feet under it. Someone had come in, she realized with vague interest.

"There you are! I've been looking for you two everywhere."

Jennie peered around and spotted Taehyung coming toward them. His expression was tense, his voice urgent. "Jimin is livid. Lisa won both of the other categories she was nominated for and wasn't around to accept the Jesus, Jennie, are you all right? You look like hell."

"She isn't feeling well," Lisa explained, mentally kicking herself. It was her fault. she'd taken too much blood she hadn't been able to help herself. Once the sweet, warm fluid had burst over her parched tongue and into her mouth, she'd been lost. If someone hadn't distracted her, she didn't know what would have happened.her anxious gaze slid to Jennie's wan face, and she berated herself again. Fortunately, she hadn't taken enough to cause serious damage, but Jennie was going to feel weak and

"I thought you were the one not feeling well," Taehyung said with confusion. The editor moved to take Jennie's other arm and some of her weight.

"It's catching," Lisa muttered. she steered them toward the elevators.

"Great," Taehyung said. "Then I'm sure to catch it next." he brightened. "But you seem to be getting over it. You've got some color in your cheeks again. At least it passes quickly."

Lisa flinched guiltily. The color in her cheeks was thanks to Jennie's blood. It was also the reason she was now so weak. she was feeling a bit better. A bit. she'd guess that if she could get another couple of quarts of blood, she'd be back to her old self.

"Where are we going?" Taehyung asked as they waited for the elevator to arrive.

"I'm taking her upstairs to lie down."

"No." Jennie suddenly forced herself to straighten. She managed the attempt, but swayed weakly. "We should go to the hospitality suite."

"You're in no shape to go to some stupid hospitality suite," Lisa argued. "You need something sweet and rest. To rebuild" she paused, not wishing to say more in front of Taehyung.

"I just have to sit there. They'll have refreshments," Jennie insisted. She turned to Taehyung. "Are they almost done with the awards?"

"Yes. Another half-hour, I would think." The editor glanced at Lisa as the elevator doors opened and they helped Jennie aboard. "She should be okay in the hospitality suite. We can keep an eye on her. Jimin will have a fit if she doesn't show."

Lisa remained silent as Taehyung pressed an elevator button. she wasn't happy with the decision, but she didn't want to jeopardize Jennie's job. And she would keep an eye on her.

-----Jennie broke my heart today. I feel sorry for Lisa. 😭😭😭😭