“She’s hiding something.” Griffin tilts his head toward the door, indicating the woman.
“Clearly, anything in here?”
“It’s hard to say without viewing the log and inventory. I don’t even know how much should be here, let alone if something is missing,” Griffin tells him.
“Who knows if they’re even keeping track of shit properly.” Evan looks around the sparse room.
“Are all the donations received here, or do you get inventory sent in too?” I slide open one of the doors Griffin didn’t get to. The racks are nearly empty, and the shelf is black instead of silver metal like the others. Griffin grabs my hand when I start to let the door glide closed.
“Wait.” He picks up one of the bags and flips it over. “This is mine.” He lifts his eyes off the bag to focus on mine.
“Is all of this section yours?” It doesn’t seem like much. I wonder how much it takes to get a newly blooded vampire through the transition.
“Yeah, but I just gave several pints, there should be more.” There are only four or five bags on the shelf, and they’re much smaller than the pint size I donated myself through the Red Cross.
“Several pints, is that healthy?” I question.
“It’s fine, I only do it a few times a year,” Griffin replies, dismissing my concern.
“Wouldn’t you know if someone was walking around filled with your blood?” Evan asks.
“Not if it was a drop or two at a time.” Griffin’s brows rise.
Evan lets his head fall back as he releases a disgusted sound. “You think they’re sippin’ your blood?”
“Wait.” I grab Griffin’s arm. “Ally told me Millie was still drinking from the bag.” I debate if I should say the next part, I might sound like a jealous new girlfriend. Evan and Griffin both wait for me to continue, as if they know I have more to say. “What if it’s her? Ally pretty much said she was in love with you, and it’s pretty clear she is. I’m just saying it might not be the sippin’ thing you’re thinking about.” I drop my hand.
Griffin tosses the bag back on the shelf and lets the door snap shut. The glass is even cloudier than before, so I can’t make out anything on the inside.
“That would be fucked up,” Evan comments.
“Would it be worse than thinking a bunch of kids are using it?”
“It’s fucking creepier,” Griffin admits. “At least the kids would have a reason. They would get a shitload of power from even a few drops, but if she’s just…” He doesn’t finish his statement.
“Let’s get out of here. We still need to find the kids, and I have some other places I want to look.” Evan heads toward the door.
Once we’re out of the clinic and back in the halls of the manor, I ask, “Would you be able to tell, like Evan said, if Millie was, you know?” I keep my voice down, cautious of anyone who may overhear me.
Griffin doesn’t answer me right away, seeming to really think about his reply. “Maybe not, she had my blood for her transition. I never really thought about it again.”
“He can be rather oblivious,” Evan teases while heading to another door.
“Just him?” I give Evan a wry grin.
“What do you mean?” He jogs to catch up after holding the door for Griffin and me.
“I mean he’s not the only one who has a fan club.”
“I don’t have some vampire pining for me so hard, she’s drinking my blood just so she’ll feel closer to me.” Evan snorts.
“How do you know? You make donations too,” Griffin chimes in. Evan makes a face that says he doesn’t like the sound of that.
“So, is that all supernatural blood in there?” I query, wondering if their blood is preferred over human blood.
“No, we outsource the human blood from an outside blood bank,” Griffin answers.
“Why do you get human blood when you have access to supernatural blood? Is one better than the other?” I wince, wondering if that came out okay and not too intrusive.
