Free Bloodlust by Helen Harper

entire situation. “He’s trying to hide out from the vampires who have decided that they want him back.”
    “Oh dear. They don’t want him back in a good way, do they?”
    I snorted. “No. I don’t think they do.”
    “What the feck happened to your face then? Lose your temper and attack someone?”
    I scowled at the little gargoyle. “I walked into a door.”
    He stared at me for a moment, eyes widening, and then his mouth opened in some kind of bizarre wheeze that just seemed to get louder and louder, until I was starting to think that he was choking to death.
    “Walked into a door? Walked into a fecking door? The big scary Mack Smith is wandering around with a bruise the size of an elephant on her face because she walked into a door?” He wheezed again.
    “Mr. Slim, you are not helping matters.” Mrs. Alcoon peered at me. “Are you alright, dear? Does it hurt?” She reached out to pat me on the arm, and then noticed the cotton wool swab still attached to my skin. “Mackenzie, what is that?” Her voice sounded rather strange.
    I raised my eyebrows. “What happened to your concern with my face?”
    She jerked her hand in the air. “I was just being nice. Clearly it’s a superficial mark that’s a mere result of your clumsiness.”
    I opened my mouth to complain, but she continued on before I could speak. “That thing on your arm is something entirely different.”
    “Not really. I just stopped off at the hospital to donate some blood, that’s all.”
    I could tell by the tightening around the older woman’s mouth that she disapproved. “And they let you?”
    Feeling rather irritated by now, I sounded sharper than I intended to. “Well, they didn’t ask me if I was a dragon first, if that’s what you mean.”
    Then I realised what I’d said and cast a quick worried glance down at Aubrey. I’d been trying to keep my Draco Wyr identity secret from him. Just in case he did indeed somehow end up back with the slimy vamps after all. Fortunately, however, he seemed more focused on still trying to push himself to an upright position and didn’t appear to have heard. Although it was difficult to tell considering he still looked like a giant penguin.
    “That’s not what I meant at all. You shouldn’t have done it, Mackenzie, you really shouldn’t.”
    “Donating my blood might help people, Mrs. Alcoon. Really help them.”
    “It’s not people that concern me, dear, it’s you. You shouldn’t be doing that kind of thing.”
    “Why not?” I put my hands on my hips. She actually seemed rather angry, for probably the first time since I’d ever known her.
    “Feck’s sake, girl,” butted in Slim, “it doesn’t take a genius to work out why.”
    “They’re human,” I said tiredly. “They’re not going to be able to tell anything from my blood whatsoever. They’ll give it to some sick kids who just might end up getting a hell of a lot better. What’s wrong with that?”
    Mrs. Alcoon didn’t answer. There was a troubled expression in her eyes though. “Will you please not do that again, Mackenzie? At least until…well, just please don’t do it again for a few months.”
    I looked at her suspiciously. “Is this some kind of precognition thing you’ve got going on?”
    “Mackenzie, dear…”
    I threw my hands up in the air. She could be a stubborn biddy when she wanted to be. “Fine! I can’t donate blood again anyway for another four months even if I wanted to.”
    “Good.” Satisfied, she turned away. “I’m going to make a cup of tea. Who wants one?”
    Nobody answered. Even Aubrey seemed to have stopped his writhing on the floor for the time being. “Excellent,” she said, more to herself than to any of us. “I’ll brew a big pot for us all.”
    I rolled my eyes, and glanced over at Slim. He was hovering in the air, little wings flapping at his back, and watching the old lady go with a speculative look on his face.
    “Slim?”
    “Hmmm?”
    “Have you found