Baited Blood Read Online Free PDF

with Dodie on this issue.
    Samuel held up both his hands like a referee stopping a prize fight. “Everyone calm down. First off, we don’t know if it was Annabelle Fogle who did this to Keleta, so let’s not jump to conclusions. But as far as murder goes, I’m with Dodie. Whoever did this to Keleta meant for him to die and for you, or someone in this house, to find him.” He lowered his hands. “Who knows, it could even have been a beater who knows about you and is making a point, setting you up for something. We need more information before jumping to conclusions.”
    “Tell you what,” offered Notchey. “I’ll check our missing persons file and see if Keleta’s name shows up. If it does, it will give us a starting point.”
    Samuel nodded at the cop. “Thanks, Mike. That could be a big help. And I’ll put out some feelers and see what I can find out about Annabelle Fogle. Isabella Claussen should be able to help with that.” Isabella was another vampire on the council. She was tall, slender, and gorgeous, and she traveled the world as a type of ambassador to other vampire communities. She was Samuel’s eyes and ears outside of California.
    Samuel stood up straight. “Doug, do you have some clothes for Keleta? I can’t take him to Byron and Ricky’s naked.”
    “I’m much taller than the boy, but a pair of sweatpants and a sweatshirt should do the trick. That okay?”
    “Anything. They will provide him with other clothes once he gets there.”
    Madison looked out the kitchen window at the pool. Even in the coolness of February it looked so calm and inviting. Just a few hours ago, she’d found a dead body floating in it. Now that dead body was in the den, sipping a glass of blood. Madison had seen her mother shot to death when she was five and had been in and out of abusive and unstable foster homes until she was eighteen. She’d hoped to build a stable and calm life for herself, and even though they were vampires, until now the Dedhams had seemed to live such a life. Madison couldn’t help but wonder if it was she who brought the hard times and bad luck. Maybe she was a lightning rod for awful things.
    Pushing the thought aside, she returned to her concern for Keleta. “Samuel,” she started, not turning around, “what does it mean for Keleta to be rehabilitated?”
    Samuel had the gift of reading people’s personal history and their thoughts. He stepped up behind Madison and placed his strong hands on her upper arms. He turned her around to face him and took off his glasses to focus his cloudy eyes on her brown ones. He could see her self-doubt as clearly as if it had been written in the sky. Replacing his hands on her arms, he gave them a gentle squeeze and conveyed to her without words that this was not her fault and that she was not cursed.
    She sensed his silent encouragement and wanted to believe him.
    “Byron and Ricky will work with Keleta to assimilate him to our lifestyle,” he told her, answering her spoken question. “You know that scholarship fund the council handles?”
    She nodded but kept silent, not wanting to break the comforting sound of Samuel’s voice with her own tongue. As terrifying as he could be when angered, he could also be as soothing as a glass of warm milk and a soft blanket.
    “Byron and Ricky will make an appraisal of Keleta’s value to the community. If the council finds him worthy, some of that money will be used to help him start his life as a vampire. We’ll find him a place to live and secure him an occupation. We’ll teach him how to live as one of us.”
    “And if he’s not found worthy?”
    “Occasionally, the council comes across a new vampire abandoned by his turner who is not able to be assimilated for one reason or another. Most often it’s because they were turned too young to be left on their own. Other times it’s their attitude—usually intense anger at becoming a vampire against their will. People with that type of anger can put the