Midnight at St. Benedict's

Chapter 2.5

So this is technically the second part of Chapter 2. I will do my best to do a bonus update early next week with the first part of Chapter 3.

In the meantime, please feel free to comment. I love hearing from readers. Happy reading!!!

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Of course Jax drove a convertible, Lisel noted as she got in on the passenger side. But, because he was a vampire and it was still the middle of the day, the top was up.

"Nice car," she said as Jax turned the key in the ignition. Music blasted from a rock station and he tapped the steering wheel with his left hand, keeping time with the drummer for a few beats before turning it down.

"Thanks," Jax pulled away from the university buildings. He indicated his intention to turn left, towards downtown, and looked in Lisel's direction while he waited for a break in traffic. "What are you studying anyway?"

"Pre-med," Lisel answered, but the words caught in her throat as Jax, who'd had enough of waiting, surged into traffic and cut off an SUV. Horns blared all around.

"So you're a doc in training?" Jax continued while Lisel casually gripped the dashboard.

Lisel nodded while Jax surged ahead, acting as though the speed limit was just a helpful suggestion. "That's the plan."

"Seemed like you knew what you were doing the other night," Jax pointed out. "You didn't seem like a 'pre-doctor' then."

"The regulations for treating the underworld are somewhat more lax," Lisel said as the houses and buildings blurred together outside her window. She turned away thinking it was a good thing she didn't get motion sickness and saw Jax watching her. He smiled. It was gorgeous. Lisel couldn't help it. She smiled back.

"You know, you're pretty good at fitting in as a human."

The smile died on her lips.

"That's because I am one," she snapped.

"Whatever you say," Jax laughed as he turned his eyes back to the road and took a hairpin turn that caused the tires to screech. Lisel was grateful she was already holding the dash.

"Vampires," she muttered under her breath.

"All right," Jax said. "I'll go along with you on this human kick if you just explain one thing to me."

"What's that?" Lisel asked with caution.

"How do you see our kind?"

She thought about how to answer that question. It was common knowledge amongst the underworld that humans couldn't see their members. Not witches, or werewolves, or vampires. At least, not as they truly appeared. Human brains couldn't process the unnatural. A woman looking at Jax would see a hot guy, but she wouldn't get that he was a vampire. Not even if he took out his fangs and fed on her.

She'd just chalk it up to a wild night and wake up with a bad hangover.

Lisel knew the truth about her situation sounded lame, but decided to go with it anyway.

"Honestly?" she asked and Jax nodded. "I really don't know."

"What do you mean?"

Lisel sighed.

"I don't know why I can see things, I just know I can. Dr. Jeraldo calls it a gift."

Jax stopped at a red light and Lisel was pleasantly surprised to see he followed some basic road rules. He glanced at her, tapping on the steering wheel again, though no longer in time with the music.

"Have you always had this gift?"

"I can't really say," Lisel shrugged. "The first time I saw anything was when I was sixteen. I'd been in a car accident and I woke in the hospital to find Dr. Jeraldo treating me. I knew, somehow, that he wasn't human."

"Hmmm," Jax seemed lost in thought for a moment but as soon as the light changed he laid onto the gas and charged ahead. "So before you were sixteen, you never saw anything?"

"No," Lisel confirmed. "But to be honest, I come from suburbia. In all likelihood there was nothing to see. It's not exactly a prime hangout area for your kind."

"Ok," Jax nodded. "So back in the hospital, you woke up, realized your doctor was a werewolf, and then...what?"

"Well I screamed for a bit," Lisel admitted. "But once I knew I wasn't hallucinating, I talked it out with Dr. Jeraldo and he slowly revealed all the the secrets of the underworld."

"All of them?" Jax asked, but he was smiling.

"Enough of them," Lisel amended.

"Then how did you end up working at St. Benedict's?"

This was an easy question for Lisel.

"I stayed in contact with Dr. Jeraldo even after he stopped practicing human medicine," she explained. "When he was looking for an assistant and I was looking for a job, it just seemed to work out."

"Sounds simple enough," Jax said.

"Yup," Lisel agreed. She chanced a glance out the window again and noticed the houses were getting bigger and the space between them more spread apart. They were moving into the historic district. Jax slowed a bit and she got a good look at the neighborhood. Many of the houses were well over a hundred years old and their value would easily be in the millions. Lisel didn't even want to think about how much their upkeep cost.

"All right," Jax said, interrupting her observations. "I'm going to take your word. For now."

"What?" Lisel asked, tearing her eyes away from a Tudor style mansion.

"You say you think you're human, I'm going to take you're word for it."

"Thank you," Lisel said, relieved to end the conversation.

Jax turned the convertible onto a long tree lined drive, Lisel assumed there was a house somewhere ahead, but couldn't see it yet.

"I said I believe you think you're human," Jax said. "Not that you actually are."

Lisel was about to make a retort but as the trees thinned a massive stone mansion came into view and she was momentarily lost for words. It looked like something out of a fairytale, complete with turrets, gargoyles and a fountain out front.

"We're here," Jax said, bringing the car to a stop.

"Are we ever," Lisel agreed, leaning forward to get a better view out the front windshield. She couldn't shake the feeling that she was completely unprepared for whatever she was about to walk into.