Free Blood Talisman by J. P. Bowie

any of you, in this obsession of mine,” Andrew said in protest,
    with a wary glance at Tommy who was staring at them, listening to every word.
    “How do you propose getting inside the bunker?” Andorra asked. “Even for a vampire,
    it will be tricky. The only way in and out is by the means we used—the elevator that is
    controlled by the guards.”
    “Actually, I have an idea that there just might be another way in,” Andrew said,
    “avoiding the bunker completely. I have no proof as yet. I will have to go to the site of the Babylon ruins to test my theory.”
    “Which is?”
    “The Secret Service man who showed me the storage room said there is a ‘deep pit’
    sealed off and as yet not explored. I have a feeling that this pit could be accessed by means of an underground passageway from the ruins.”
    “That’s quite a theory,” Marcus said, but his tone suggested interest rather than
    dismissal.
    “One I am going to test tomorrow night.”
    “One we are going to test tomorrow night,” Tommy interjected.
    “Uh, we still have to fully discuss that, Tommy.”
    “No, we don’t!” Tommy’s lower lip was set in a fiercely stubborn line. “We already
    fully discussed this, and where you go, I go—or you don’t go!”
    “Tommy!”
    The tension was eased by Andorra’s amused chuckle. “Why do I get the feeling that I
    am reliving an earlier scene from our lives?” She winked at Marcus. “Tommy sounds just like Roger when we went up against the Comte d’Arcy and the monster Gregory. Remember Marcus? Nothing we said could dissuade him from joining us.”
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    BLOOD TALISMAN J.P. Bowie 50
    “And look how that all turned out.” Roger spread his arms as if for inspection and
    grinned so widely the tips of his fangs were exposed.
    Marcus groaned. “Roger, this might not be the best example for Tommy, right now.”
    Roger pouted. “Excuse me, but I make an adorable vampire—or so you’ve told me
    many times. Usually in the heat of the moment, when you’re having your way with me, of
    course.”
    “Roger…”
    Tommy laughed. “You are too much.”
    “Isn’t he though?” Tony weighed in. “Roger and his buddy Micah are a whole new
    breed of vampires. ’Course they’re still young. They haven’t lived for hundreds of years.
    They’ve still got a sense of humour, still like dirty jokes and banter. They’ve only been changed a few years and haven’t had time to develop that whole broody, mysterioso thing vampires love to cloak themselves in. You know, from those clunky old horror movies Roger loves so much.”
    “Huh.” Roger put his hands on his hips. “I think you just complemented and insulted
    me at the same time, Tony.” He let his fangs fully extend and snarled at them.
    Tony nudged Tommy with his elbow. “Ooh, that’s our cue, so we should act scared.”
     
    Tommy was interested in Tony’s story as the only other non-vampire in the room.
    “How’d you and Andorra meet?” he asked over their second beer together.
    “First World War,” Tony replied. “I was a Canadian living in London, hoping for a
    career as a musician, when they drafted me. I got shot when we were going ‘over the top’.
    That’s what they called leaping like idiots out of the trench and straight into German guns.
    Most of the lads I was with were killed that day. I lay there for so long I lost track of time, wondering why I didn’t die, then suddenly this beautiful woman was there, looking after me, nursing me, giving me her blood.”
    “But didn’t change you.”
    “No. When I recovered and found out just what she was, she told me the choice was
    mine. She went through the pros and cons of being a vampire and I figured what with her
    having to sleep in the daytime I could be more useful to her as a kind of bodyguard, you know.”
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    “That’s great,” Tommy murmured. “So, you’ve never been tempted to make