Dead Waters - Anton Strout [57]
“Not really,” he said. “Although I did drink enough to start feeling it before my body kicked in and metabolized it right out of me. I think I’m more run-down because of all the protective runes you guys have carved into the walls around here. I feel. . . practically human.”
He said the word “human” with such distaste that I felt my blood rising at it.
“Poor you,” I said. “How you must suffer feeling for a second like the rest of us mortals.” Irrational anger flared up in me, the tattooist’s visions still lingering in me. I even felt a twinge of jealousy that Aidan was standing too close to Jane right now, and although it tore me apart, I told myself it was all unreal, merely a figment of the residual vision.
“Don’t get too agitated,” Aidan said with a wicked grin. “I’m famished on top of it and the more you get worked up, the more I can sense your blood working its way through your body.”
I wasn’t sure if he was kidding or not but it helped to focus me on reality, and I calmed myself.
“You don’t look too bad, Simon,” Aidan continued. “I thought for sure you’d be in worse shape after all that drinking.”
“He is,” Jane said.
“I’ll have you know that I was actually working for part of that night,” I said.
“Yeah, he was,” Aidan said. “What was the name of that hot blonde with the bob haircut again? Elaine?”
“Elyse,” I corrected, cringing at Aidan’s mention of her. The last thing a guy wants in front of his girlfriend is any story involving a bar that intersects with one involving another woman.
Jane looked at me sideways.
“What?” I asked. “It was for a case. They were Professor Redfield’s students. I had to talk to them.”
“Oh, there was more than one?” she asked with doubt in her voice.
“Not more women,” I said. “Mostly guys.”
“But apparently she was the only one Aidan found interesting enough to mention.”
“It’s not like that,” I said. “She was clearly the leader of the pack among the film students. I had to soften them up, so I bought everyone a round.”
Jane gathered up her pile of research. Aidan walked past her and over to Connor’s side of the desks, sitting down.
“So let me get this straight,” Jane said, a little of her lethargy shaking off and giving way to anger. “While I was sitting at home worrying over this mark and whatever the hell it’s doing to me, you were out drinking and chatting up this blonde?”
“Technically that’s true, but—”
Jane stepped out of my office area. “I don’t have time to be sitting around here, then,” she said. “If you can’t be bothered to help me get through this, I’m going back to Enchancellor Daniels. . . or maybe even Director Wesker.”
Jane stormed off before I could even process all of it. I looked over to Aidan, who was still sitting at Connor’s desk. “What the hell just happened?” I asked.
“Looks like you and your girlfriend just had a fight.”
“No thanks to you,” I said, anger building up in me. “Did you really think it was smart to bring Elyse up in front of her? You had to go there, didn’t you?”
“Hey, I didn’t know she’d go off like that,” he said. “I just like to make humans sweat a little. It gives the smell in the air such a pleasant hint of blood and fear, but I didn’t think it would get that much of a rise out of her. You must be doing something wrong at home.”
“Okay, genius, then why don’t you enlighten me? I mean, eternal youth has got to count for something after all, right?”
Aidan shrugged. “Don’t ask me for love advice,” he said. “I was the one dating the great vampire betrayer, remember?”
I was ready to jump on that given the trouble he had just stirred up for me, but the sad look on his face killed the words in my mouth.
Aidan set down the pile of papers and began rummaging through his brother’s desk.
“Can I help you?” I asked.
“No,” he said. “I’m good.”
“What I mean is, what are you doing?” I asked. “Not cool to be rifling through Connor’s stuff. I know you are brothers and all, but I believe even the undead consider privacy something of import, yes?”
Aidan stopped and laid