Free Secret Vampire by Lisa J. Smith Page B

her to hold on and think. That she was in no state to make crucial deci sions. But she was also in no state to listen to inner voices. Her own anger kept her from deciding if she had any good reason to be angry.
    "You just felt sorry for me?" she whispered, and suddenly all the fury and grief that she'd been sup pressing for the last day and a half flooded out. She was blind with pain, and nothing mattered except making James hurt as much as she hurt.
    James was breathing hard, speaking rapidly. "Poppy-this is why I didn't want Phil to know-"
    "And no wonder," Poppy raged. "And no wonder you wouldn't say you loved me," she went on, not even caring that Phillip was listening. "And no won der you would do all that other stuff, but you never even kissed me. Well, I don't want your pity-"
    "What other stuff?. All what other stuff?" Phil shouted. "I'm gonna kill you, Rasmussen!"
    He tore free of James and swung at him. James ducked so that the fist just grazed his hair. Phil swung again and James twisted sideways and grabbed him from behind in a headlock.
    Poppy heard running footsteps in the hall. "What's happening?" her mother gasped in dismay, regarding the scene in Poppy's bedroom.
    At almost the same instant Cliff appeared behind Poppy's mother. "What's all the shouting?" he asked, his jaw particularly square.
    "You're the one who's putting her in danger," James was snarling in Phillip's ear. "Right now." He looked feral. Savage.
    Inhuman.
    "Let go of my brother!" Poppy yelled. All at once her eyes were swimming with tears.
    "Oh, my God-darling," her mother said. In two steps she was beside the bed and holding Poppy. "You boys get out of here."
    The savagery drained out of James's expression, and he loosened his hold on Phillip. "Look, I'm sorry. I have to stay. Poppy ..."
    Phillip slammed an elbow into his stomach.
    It might not have hurt James as much as it would a human, but Poppy saw the fury sweep over his face as he straightened from doubling up. He lifted Phil off his feet and threw him headfirst in the gen eral direction of Poppy's dresser.
    Poppy's mother let out a cry. Cliff jumped in be tween Phil and James.
    "That's enough!" he roared. Then, to Phil: "Are you all right?" And to James: "What's this all about?"
    Phil was rubbing his head dazedly. James said nothing. Poppy couldn't speak.
    "All right, it doesn't matter," Cliff said. "I guess everybody's a little jumpy right now. But you'd bet ter go on home, James."
    James looked at Poppy.
    Poppy, throbbing all over like an aching tooth, turned her back on him. She burrowed into her mother's embrace.
    "I'll be back," James said quietly. It might have been meant as a promise, but it sounded like a threat.
    "Not for a while, you won't," Cliff said in a mili tary command voice. Gazing over her mother's arm, Poppy could see that there was blood on Phillip's blond hair. "I think everybody needs a cooling-off period. Now, come on, move."
    He led James out. Poppy sniffled and shivered, trying to ignore both the waves of giddiness that swept over her and the agitated murmuring of all the voices
    in her head. The stereo went on blasting out madcore stomping music from England.
     
    In the next two days James called eight times.
     
    Poppy actually picked up the phone the first time. It was after midnight when her private line rang, and she responded automatically, still half-asleep.
    "Poppy, don't hang up," James said.
    Poppy hung up. A moment later the phone rang again.
    "Poppy, if you don't want to die, you've got to listen to me."
    "That's blackmail. You're sick, " Poppy said, clutch ing the handset. Her tongue felt thick and her head ached.
    "It's just the truth. Poppy, listen. You didn't take any blood today. I weakened you, and you didn't get anything in exchange. And that could kill you."
    Poppy heard the words, but they didn't seem real. She found herself ignoring them, retreating into a foggy state where thought was impossible. "I don't care."
    "You do - care, and if