I nodded along, thinking. “They would be smart to wait it out, let us fight each other, and then attack the victor while he’s weakened.”
Nosh glanced at me with a surprised look. He slowly nodded. “That was a very quick deduction.”
I shrugged. “It’s what I would do. Which means we need to keep our guard up. We need to find a way to strike hard and fast before Mina’s boss gets any more momentum. Have you ever heard of this Necromancer?”
Nosh thought about it for a moment and finally shook his head. “Never. No one talks about him. I’ve never heard anyone say his name, and I’ve never heard the term Necromancer to describe him. Whoever he is, he doesn’t flaunt his position. He’s incredibly secretive and stays under the radar. All vampires do, as a matter of fact. They didn’t enter the city in a wave of murders. They were just suddenly here, owning dozens of lucrative companies, law and accounting firms, and other businesses. It was more like a hostile corporate takeover than anything. My parents were intrigued by the sudden flood of money and business ownership from overseas investors. That’s how it was sold to the papers, anyway. Which makes more sense now that I know they own the news media.”
I nodded. It was an old tactic of mine. Acquire the keys of industry in a city and pretty soon your enemy was working for you. It made the later war easier to manage. Of course, I had never attempted a takeover of anything on the scope of New York City. There hadn’t been places this populated in my days.
“We have another problem, Sorin.” I glanced over at him, not liking his grim tone. “My access to funds suddenly dried up. With the murder, my joint accounts will likely be frozen or at least severely restricted. Then the news about me being adopted will come into play, barring me from inheriting their company. And if I don’t involve myself, fighting against the change in their will, it’s going to look incredibly suspicious.”
I grunted. “Which was their point. Mire you up in legalities and frame me for their murder so that we can’t be seen together. Whoever this Necromancer was, he was exceedingly clever.
Nosh sighed tiredly, running a hand through his hair. “It’s going to be sunrise in a few hours, and I’m sure you could use some rest and nourishment. Unfortunately for me, my day is only just beginning. I need to go check on Redford and get that chest back,” he said, licking his lips anxiously.
I knew what he was thinking. That Redford might have been in on the frame-job from the beginning. Having assessed the man for deceit, I highly doubted it, but some of the employees had betrayed us, so there was only one way to find out.
“Then I have to make an appearance at the penthouse and learn exactly what happened,” Nosh continued. “But before I do, I’m going to run to a store and pick up some clothes for you, because I don’t know how long my talks with the police and attorneys will last. I’ll get you a burner phone so that I can call you without being tracked.”
I glanced over sharply. “Tracked?” I was inwardly pretty damned excited about getting a phone, wondering how many light-paintings I could take, but if they could track the phones…
He nodded, tapping his phone. “They can track these, and with the murder, I can almost guarantee they’ll be taking a close look at my personal life. I can use cash to buy some temporary burner phones that aren’t tied to my name, though. That way we can communicate without anyone listening in or potentially following me when I meet up with you—finding your hideout and catching me associating with my parents’ alleged killer.”
I narrowed my eyes. It really was the perfect setup. I glanced down to see my fingers shaking again. “I’m going to need some food,” I said. “Soon.”
Nosh pursed his lips, thinking. “Not sure how that’s going to work. I’m all out of the bags, and if you get caught…eating, it’s only going to reinforce their allegation that you’re a murderer.”
I grunted. “I know how to hunt without being seen,” I growled.
Nosh glanced at me with a doubtful frown. “You know how to hunt without people seeing you, but there are cameras all over town.” He leaned closer, lowering his head so that it was aimed at the floor, as if hiding his face. “Discreetly look at the ceiling. In the corner over there,” he said, gently indicating the direction with his chin.
I glanced up to see a black orb tucked into the corner where the walls met the ceiling. It shone, reflecting the lights of the subway train. I averted my eyes, frowning. “Plastic. Looks like an eye.”
Nosh nodded. “Technically, I guess it is an eye. It’s a camera. Like the one that saw you in the Aristocrat, but not as high quality. They’re on almost every street corner, too. And everyone has a phone with a camera.” He grew silent, frowning at a new thought. “And those phones can also be tracked, so be careful when you’re out hunting. If anyone gets a picture or video of you on their phone, you have to destroy it. And don’t accidentally bring one of their phones back to your castle or the police could use it to find you and your tomb.”
I nodded at the barrage of instructions.
A garbled voice spoke from a metal box up in the ceiling, and Nosh cocked his head, listening. I couldn’t understand a single word. I didn’t even know if it had been male or female. “The train doesn’t speak very clearly,” I commented, eyeing the metal box.
Nosh chuckled. “That was the conductor. The train doesn’t talk,” he said, grinning. “This is your stop. I’ll meet you back down there in an hour. Be discreet and remember the cameras,” he warned.
I nodded, scanning the trio of men, who also seemed to be exiting the train here. I’d been keeping an eye on them and listening in on their conversation, because they’d been bragging about some pickpocketing they’d done earlier tonight. They’d even compared their collections of wallets, not bothering to hide it from any of the other passengers—who were pointedly ignoring them as if afraid of attracting their attention.
I glanced at Nosh’s wrist and spotted an expensive looking gold bracelet. “Give me that,” I told him.
Nosh frowned. “Why? This is really expensive. And it was a gift.”
“I need it to go fishing,” I growled.
He frowned, glancing at me and then the trio of men. His lips thinned, but he nodded. “Remember the cameras,” he murmured, unclasping the bracelet and slipping it to me.
The train came to a stop and I climbed to my feet, stumbling woozily. I dropped the bracelet and then muttered under my breath, doing my best to slur my speech like I was drunk. “That expensive and can’t make a proper clasp,” I complained. The trio of men locked onto the bracelet like eagles seeing a rabbit. I awkwardly snatched it up, almost falling over in the process. I shoved it into my pocket on the third attempt, right as the doors screeched open. I shuffled out the door, weaving from side-to-side as I melded into the flow of humanity at Grand Central Terminal.
I smiled as my act drew the anticipated response. The trio of thieves murmured excitedly from behind me, sensing the easy score.
To be fair, I had to agree.
It had been an easy score.
Now I just needed to find a spot to enjoy my meal in peace and quiet, unobserved.
22
Nosh returned to find me seated on the cooler, leaning back against a pile of wooden crates with my hands clasped over my belly. I wore a dozen gold chains with large, bejeweled medallions around my neck, several gold bracelets, and a bright red hat with a flat brim on the front—all acquisitions from my conquests. “Welcome to Castle Ambrogio, humble Shaman!” I bellowed in a grand tone. “New York City is now a safer place.” I licked my lips and pointed at a nearby table where an impressive array of wallets, silver jewelry—that I was unable to wear—and cash was on display. I’d included his bracelet to round out the collection’s aesthetic. The thieves from the train had earned every right to brag.
Nosh blinked incredulously. “You’re making my eyes hurt, Mr. T.”
I preened smugly, ignoring his reference. “Dazzling, is it not?”
It hadn’t been e
nough blood—not by a long shot—but it had restored me back to the same persistent hunger I had felt after feasting on Nosh’s blood bags.
I was beginning to feel concerned about how much blood I might need to get back to my usual self, but I didn’t voice my fear. Once I returned to normal, I would likely only need a single meal every few days. “Criminals have a new reaper to fear. The Devil absolved the three thieves of their sins.”
Nosh winced at me, shielding his eyes dramatically. “I hope you were careful—”
“And four men who were attempting to molest a woman in an alley.”
His eyes widened. “I see—”
“And a man selling bags of white flour for a truly exorbitant price,” I added, pointing at a backpack full of cash and dozens of transparent plastic bags of the white powder. “Although I technically had to kill four of his guards when they jumped out of a nearby car and chased me into a warren of filthy alleys. They had guns. I put them all in the bag, drank every last drop of their blood, and then hid the bodies. You were saying something about a money problem? We could sell our own flour,” I suggested. “It seems rather lucrative.”
He clenched his jaw, squaring his shoulders. “Sorin. If you kill too many people here, others are going to notice. Even if it’s not caught on camera.”
“This place is infested with crime. As stunningly beautiful as it appears on the outside, it has a vile underbelly that is absolutely teeming with maggots of decay. I’ve always hated crime, so I decided to kill two birds with one stone.” I eyed the backpack. “Well, to kill a dozen rats with two fangs, technically,” I amended with an amused chuckle.
Nosh sighed tiredly. “Fine. Just be careful and try to spread out your feedings. Your victims have friends and family, and if too many people start disappearing near one specific alley, the police will start looking around.”
I snapped my fingers. “Ah! I almost forgot. I thought you might want to speak to the police about your parents, and I found one accepting a significant bribe from the man selling the bags of flour. That’s actually how I got involved in that whole meal.” I pointed towards the corner of the room. A man groaned groggily, hog-tied and blindfolded behind a stack of crates.
Nosh lost his cool, dropping the bags in his hands. “What the hell?” he demanded. “You can’t kidnap a policeman! Are you trying to get caught?”
I frowned. “A corrupt policeman,” I corrected. “I turned off all of his electronic items and enthralled him. I needed the practice, to gauge how low I truly am on blood. It was rather difficult, to be honest. Quite concerning. I will drink him once you finish your questions.”
Nosh’s eyes were bugging out of his skull. “No, Sorin! You need to enthrall his ass right out of here.”
“He was extorting the flour man, accepting a bribe to look the other way. I did this city a service. We already suspect that Mina has her hands in the authorities. What if he knows something that may help us? Going back to your parents’ apartment will not permit you to ask the real questions. This, on the other hand…” I said, shrugging.
Nosh began pacing back and forth, muttering under his breath. “Can he hear us?”
I glanced over at the groaning man and drew deep on my power. I focused on his mental faculties, checking to verify that he was still firmly under my control. It had been alarming to see how depleted I was from my blood withdrawal—enthralling humans was the first thing I used to teach my new vampires. But I’d had to use a vast majority of my strength to coerce him to follow me down here without losing my control. Even now, just checking on him felt like lifting a great weight. I let out a weary sigh after a few moments. “He’s an idiot. He’s conscious, but believes he is dreaming. We can speak freely. When you’re ready, I can wake him.”
Nosh muttered angrily, but I could sense his heartbeat. As openly upset as he was, his pulse was slow, steady, and calm. Like a block of ice. I appraised him thoughtfully, wondering again about this stranger who I had accepted as a friend and ally. A man who was so blatantly a target of the vampires.
He finally turned to look at me, sighing dejectedly. “I brought you new clothes, hygiene products, and a burner phone so we can call each other.”
I leaned forward eagerly, clapping my hands. My bracelets jangled loudly. “Does it make light-paintings?” I asked excitedly. “And what can it burn?”
He smirked, nodding. “Pictures,” he corrected me. “It does, but burner phones are not as fancy as my phone. They call them burners because you can dispose of them—burn them—if you think someone is tracking you through it. The important thing is that they are harder to track, so we can talk privately. I’m sure my phone records are going to be reviewed soon, so I can’t risk using it. In fact, I turned it off four blocks from here so that no one could use it to track me here.”
I nodded, holding out my hand. “Show me how to make light-paintings.”
He sighed, digging into the bag and pulling out a box. He opened it, tossed the packaging to the side, and turned the phone on. “Full charge, so we should be good. Don’t take too many light-paintings or you’ll drain the battery. I doubt there are any outlets down here to recharge it, so we’ll have to buy you a new one when it dies.”
I frowned. “Dies?”
He turned the phone to show me the back, tapping it. “There is a power source inside that needs to be regularly recharged with electricity. Much like you need blood. If it runs out of power, it dies.”
I stared at it wonderingly. “My light-painter is an electric vampire,” I breathed.
He sighed. “Sure, Sorin. Sure.” Nosh tossed it to me, and I caught it. Like he’d said, it was nowhere near as fancy as his phone had been. I flipped it open and stared at the tiny screen, frowning in displeasure. “Did they not have any nicer ones?” I touched the screen with my finger, and nothing happened. “And it’s broken.”
He rolled his eyes. “It doesn’t have a touch screen.”
I glared at him. “Why. Not.”
He rolled his eyes. “Not even a day into the twenty-first century and you’re already an entitled brat,” he muttered.
I grunted. “Next time get me the better phone so I can touch my light-paintings. Use my treasures if it is out of your budget,” I said, pointing at my pile of valuables.
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath as if restraining himself. Then he made his way over to the policeman, squatting down before him. He snapped his fingers and a cool blue ball of light appeared in his palm, illuminating the blindfolded policeman. “Can he hear me?” he asked me, not bothering to look over his shoulder.
I had already found the button to take pictures with my new phone, so I wasn’t paying much attention. “Yes. But you must start every sentence with My Lord, or he will snap out of his enthrallment,” I said, smirking over at him. He wasn’t looking, so he didn’t catch my sarcasm. It was a joke I had often used on new vampires when teaching them how to thrall their victims.
“Strange requirement, but whatever,” he muttered. I aimed my camera at him, pressing a button that said record. I gasped silently as the phone began taking a moving light-painting of Nosh. A video, as he had called it—but I preferred using my terminology since I knew it annoyed him.
He cleared his throat. “My Lord, what do the police know about the Griffin murder earlier tonight?”
The policeman flinched at the sudden request. “I’m just a patrol officer, not a homicide detective. I only know what I heard on the scanner. Perp with no shoes or shirt followed them to their penthouse. Exsanguinated them. Blood everywhere. Horrible. I think we’re looking for victims’ son. He was at the penthouse earlier, from what I heard.”
“My Lord, who alerted the police?”
“Anonymous tip, I think,” he murmured dazedly. “Why do you keep calling me Lord?”
Nosh glanced back at me, frowning thoughtfully. I gave him a thumbs up, still recording. He shook his head at my phone, rolling his eyes. “My Lord, were you taking a bribe from a drug
dealer tonight?”
He stiffened. “Never. That’s illegal—”
“Johnathan,” I warned, drawing out his name in a stern tone.
His shoulders slumped guiltily. “Fine. But only a small take here and there, and only the low-level scum. I risk my life every goddamned day, and no matter how many dealers we bust on patrol, a dozen more pop up to replace them. I got bills to pay,” he growled aggressively. “I’m a good cop and this town is going to shit. Damn wolf gang popping up all over the place, doing our job better than we can.”
Nosh glanced back at me, arching an eyebrow. I nodded satisfactorily. “Told you.” Although the wolf gang comment was news to me. Was he referring to the werewolves? Were they acting as a type of silent police? I suddenly wanted to talk to Stevie again.
“My Lord, do you remember how you got here?” Nosh asked, turning back to him.
The policeman hesitated, struggling through the fog I had placed over his memory. “Nice woman said she needed help. A strong policeman to catch a bad man. But it’s too dark for me to see right now. I must have forgotten my flashlight,” he said, obviously too dazed to realize he wore a blindfold.
Nosh grunted and I grinned. “Pretty clever,” I said, preening.
“My Lord, you can rest quietly,” he told Johnathan, grimacing distastefully. He climbed to his feet and I ended my recording. “You should get some rest while I go to the penthouse,” he told me tiredly, obviously not eager to do so.
I shuddered. “I do not need rest. I’ve had quite enough of it recently. I’ll find some way to entertain myself.”
Nosh eyed me warily.
23
I couldn’t even think about resting without feeling uneasy—like I would wake again to find a hundred years had passed. I was also being truthful. Despite the blood not bringing me back to full power, it was definitely enough to rejuvenate me and prevent me from sleeping. And I’d learned that I could go for days without rest. Sunlight was obviously a deterrent, but not as detrimental as it was for other vampires. I would get severe sunburns if I stood in direct sunlight, but I wouldn’t burst into flame or anything. Younger vampires were not so fortunate.
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