Chapter 29 #2
“I know, we’ll be liable for the cleaning charge.” I manhandled a floppy James inside and clipped a seat belt around him. “This isn’t my first rodeo with a drunk friend. I came prepared.”
I slid in beside James. I unfolded a thin fabric carrier bag from my back pocket and held it open. “If there’s a way back to the address you picked me up from that avoids those speed bump thingies, I’d appreciate it.”
Sharp brown eyes regarded me warily in the rear view mirror. “That bag won’t do a damned fing if he pukes.”
“It’s lined,” I said, crossing my fingers, then when his attention was focused on the traffic and not me, I muttered a few words into the depths of the cotton and prayed it worked.
The faintest tinge of a spark illuminated the dark cloth for a second, then my hasty promise became a reality as the bag solidified into something more bowl-like.
Shoving it onto James’ lap, I drew him to lean against me and hoped he’d not void his stomach contents in this confined space.
By some miracle he held onto his pity fest booze until I’d flung a twenty at the cabbie and James slithered out from the vehicle onto the kerb just outside Bluebell’s front path.
The driver wished us both well, presumably due to the substantial tip and relief he didn’t have to run his car through a valet service, then sped off into the approaching sunset.
James was almost a dead weight in my arms as I attempted to turn him in the direction of home.
He rallied enough to heave himself upright, then a gargled choking sound was the only warning I got before he hurled; all over the pavement, his jeans and trainers, and managing to splatter me too.
I flinched away from the mess, but held onto him, not sure he was capable of standing without me.
Finally empty, he groaned, then clutched his arms around his torso and whimpered. “Oh, God.”
“It can’t hurt you now it’s gone. Better out than in.” I sighed, then bent to catch him up under his knees. His dead weight told me too much of the alcohol had already got into his system and we’d get no sense from him until he’d slept it off.
Edwin met me at the door, his jaw tight and a large towel in his hands. “Let’s strip him here and get him on the bed. I’d put my back out trying to shower him.” I peeled off my outer layers as Edwin undressed James.
We carried him, wrapped in the towel but otherwise naked, into the bedroom. Edwin raced back to shove our stinking clothing into the machine, then he brought a bowl through, along with everything we needed to clean up our sorry state of a partner.
James barely responded while Edwin bathed him, mere whistling half-snores and the occasional whine when I rubbed a soft towel over his damp limbs.
Once clean and dry, Edwin carried James to the bathroom and plonked him down on the toilet, compelling him with thrall to take a leak, something I was surprised he’d thought of considering his vampire body.
I said as much. He gave me a rueful grin.
“Had a wild night at some hook-up’s place once. Didn’t realise how out of it he was until he pissed the bed. I didn’t stick around long after that, but I washed four times before I felt right again.”
“Golden showers not your thing, noted.” I smirked at his startled expression. “Don’t worry, not mine either, but I’ve learned not to judge.”
“You’ve done a lot of weird shit in your time, haven’t you?
” His tone was mild, but I knew he was curious.
He tucked James into clean underwear, but instead of taking him back to bed, carried him through to the living room and propped him up along the sofa, covering him with a blanket. “We need a sick bucket.”
“Use this.” I fetched the adapted bag I’d made in the taxi. Edwin set it beside the couch, then eyed me.
“That’s not the way a normal carrier bag behaves, Trace.”
I met his gaze coolly, willing my pulse not to react to his challenge. “I’m a witch, Eddie. I wouldn’t be a very good one if I couldn’t do magic, would I?”
Our gazes locked and I barely dared breathe. Finally, he nodded. “Fair enough. Evidently very fancy, your brand of magic.” He brushed a lock of hair off James’ face. “Want some breakfast?”
I huffed. “Weirdo, it’s tea time.” But at his instigation, I headed over to my place, firstly to check on Terrance, then to take the contents of my fridge over to Bluebell’s kitchen. I didn’t want to be alone with my thoughts, or to worry about James without company.
We spent the evening watching TV and feeding sips of flat cola to James when he rallied enough to swallow.
Edwin had taken his duties very seriously while I’d been gone to Limehouse, reading up on what to give a human who’d overindulged.
“You really do love him, don’t you?” I asked in one of the advert breaks. He shot me a puzzled look.
“You thought I was just saying it?”
I began to deny it, then stopped. “I don’t know, to be honest. It’s just, your reputation doesn’t lend itself to a life of cosy domesticity.”
“My reputation tells you nothing about who I am, Trace. It tells you what I do. I’d have thought you’d know better than to confuse the two.”
I did know better. “I shouldn’t have said that. Forgive me?”
I fell asleep shortly after he leered at me and assured me I’d be forgiven after I sucked his cock.