Conrad let out a slow breath. “I’ll confess his stats are good, but when I partake, I find males have something of an unrefined, bitter taste. They don’t agree with my palate at all.” He tapped his finger on the bar for a moment as if in thought. “My mother’s considered amongst the Elite. I have certain expectations and a taste I became partial to in my old haunts. I came here because I heard that you were one of a few places in this backwater city that had something of a Black Card Menu.”
He played the entitled brat role well. He had known so many of them, and had even moved in their circles for a time during his mother’s prestigious events. His mother was a woman of means, and his father had been the recipient of a number of medals and honours in his own line of work, so their success raised his status. He leaned lazily forward on the bar, winking mischievously at the young man who was becoming more flustered.
“I see. Unfortunately, I’m afraid our establishment doesn’t offer such services.”
“Really? I seem to remember being here recently.” He produced a midnight black card from his pocket, twisting it idly within his grasp, hoping he had selected the right shade. There were only certain shades of black which could hold temporary menus. His father had retrieved a few before now, but being blank except for the tavern name, any evidence that had once been upon them had been lost, and no trace of chemicals suggested that whatever had been upon its surface eroded quickly and without a trace. The server eyed the blank card with confusion, the genuineness of the reaction a clear indication that if something like this was occurring in these walls, only certain people were privileged to the details.
“Very well.” Conrad gave a sigh. “Are there at least some Elite areas vacant?” He placed his fingers to his temple. “I can’t be expected to sit amongst the rabble.”
“I’m sorry, sir, Elite areas must be reserved in advance. We have an opening next Friday, if you’re interested.”
Pulling up his calendar on his device, he shook his head. “No good.” He allowed his frustration to edge his voice as he mentally vowed to hunt down anyone who so much as hurt a hair on Ashley’s head. Without another word, he turned to leave, his device subtly snapping a few more photographs, ensuring to get one of the mechanism separating the Elite area from the commoners.
Vincent’s eyes travelled the contours of the female before him. By human standards she was attractive. Her rust-coloured hair framed her face in a tangled mess that betrayed the desperation of her struggles. The eyes that glared at him with a mixture of fear and hatred sent a tickle of amusement through him. He could see the power of her Elder blood in her glare. If she was older, trained, she would have been a formidable trophy, but she was something better, she was vulnerable. Never before had it been possible to restrain any member of the Elder bloodlines. Not only were they too well protected given their sovereign status, but they were too well trained, too powerful. He had managed to get a number of them to agree to lettings in exchange for services. Their power was formidable and whatever force restrained this female’s gift didn’t dilute her blood, it just made her easy to control since no power would answer her struggles.
Leaning close, he inhaled, noting the lingering odours of lavender, honey, and—he lifted her hands, bringing her fingers to his nostrils—antibacterial hand wash. Her skin glistened with perspiration, but she seemed to have no scent. Bringing his finger to her clavicle, he traced his finger slowly along the bone before wiping the escaping tear from her eye and bringing it to his lips. He wanted to confirm what he believed he had tasted before, and the moment his taste-buds registered the ambrosia of her pheromones, he was certain.
Placing an arm around her shoulders to lift her from the bed slightly, he touched her face again. The whimper she gave as he traced her jaw with his fingers sent a shiver of delight through him. He had long dreamt of this pleasure, of having one of such powerful blood helpless before him. He felt his base desires stir as he lowered his lips to her throat, his tongue savouring her taste. His breathing quickened, desperation enveloping him. He would wait no longer before succumbing to his desire. His fangs unfolded like a snake’s as what appeared to be his canines hinged forwards to uncurl the hidden remainder of his predatory teeth. At the same time, his tongue pressed upon the gland at the roof of his mouth holding the anticoagulant agent, avoiding the secondary one; he wanted his prey to feel every last sensation. As the fluid coated his fangs, he took another long, slow breath before sinking them deep into her flesh. He felt her tense as she cried out beneath him. His hand braced against the side of her head, keeping her still as he drew the first mouthful of fluid with a shuddering breath. He could feel her struggling, her legs attempting to kick as she flung her body first one way, then another.
Screams pierced the air as he suckled greedily, her distress sending a tingle of electricity jolting through him. She was so much more than the syphons had revealed. With every mouthful of her life-fluid, he felt himself strengthening as a vitality he hadn’t known for years filled him. He felt invincible, unstoppable. He noticed the moment she became limp within his arm, when the fight faded from her and her screams became muted whimpers. He knew he should release her, allow her time to recover, and yet he was reluctant to end this feast. His tongue traced her flesh, greedily devouring the ruby fluids that had mingled with her sweat. Pulling away, he saw Devon watching him from the cell door.
“She has breeder potential. Move the silent auction forward. We cannot keep this female here, she’s too high profile. The way her abilities have been sealed, her scent disguised, all suggest she’s been hidden by some powerful beings. We need to unload her quickly. Attend to the notifications, mark her as an Elder blood breeder. She’ll fetch a good price, especially for those banned from acquiring breeder services. How many other Tabus do we have ready for re-homing?” Vincent wiped his mouth. Her blood had left him thrumming with power and he intended to utilise this feeling while it lasted.
“Seven including her, but she’s not broken.”
“Not our problem. That’s what restraints were made for, after all. Get her cleaned up and into something presentable.” He caressed her face once more, suckling the tears from his fingers. Any other time, he would have kept her for his own, but it was too risky. Especially since he knew the Blue Coats still held him as a person of interest regarding the abductions.
“What now?” Jack questioned as they regrouped. He had made it obvious to Tess that he hated how everyone seemed to have a part to play but him. Will had got to scout out the donor area, Conrad the lounge, and now she was studying the pictures the two had managed to take. Just moments ago, they had detached the small plug from the port of their device, placing them in a small petri-dish style container, while Tess copied the images across.
“Well, thanks to Tess’s gizmos we were able to bypass their privacy security measures, but I’m not sure how much good allowing the camera to stay active actually did.” Will transferred the data to Tess’s device. She held a finger up as several pieces of software sprang to life, running a program she had created on the fly while waiting for the two to return from reconnaissance.
“Okay, good news, none of the active donors are on the missing person’s alerts,” she said finally, her brow furrowing.
“Bad news?”
“I can’t see any way to bypass the locks to the Elite area without access to their system. It requires fingerprints as well as access credentials. It’s updated nightly, so there’s no chance we’re getting in there without getting past their firewalls.”
“So it was a waste of time?” Will chimed in.
“Not really.” Tess zoomed in on the system screen where the orders were displayed. “I can’t hack the security systems without direct access, but the menu system—now, that’s a different matter. But I can’t do it from here, we’d be too easy to track.”
“Where to?” Jack questioned, the engine roaring to life. Tess glanced at her watch. It was a little after half nine. It seemed impossible t
hat only two and a half hours had passed since her friend had been abducted. This last hour felt like a lifetime.
“Drive to the city,” she commanded, programming a route into his navigation system before reaching under his seat to remove an old slimline laptop, complete with integrated keyboard. It was an ancient treasure, just what she needed for something like this.
“How long has that been stashed there?”
“Since forever,” she answered, as he started to drive. The route she planned would offer enough varying signals, tethers, and networks to ensure no one could track them. Removing one of the—as Will had called them—‘gizmos’ from the container, she affixed it to the book-sized laptop. “This’ll let me hop between each establishment’s connection. Even if they figure out what’s going on, they won’t be able to pinpoint us. It’ll look like I’ve bounced the signal.”
“I have no idea what you just said. You do it, I’ll drive.”
“How are you still at the academy with those skills?” Conrad asked.
The smile that spread across her face sung of a hidden secret. “I probably should have come clean when we were sharing, but I’m not actually a student. I work there. I’m the new engineering and programming mathematics lecturer.”
The silence was punctuated only by the sound of her fingers rapidly clacking upon the keys. She gave an internal sigh. She had been waiting so long to tell everyone, and now the person she wanted to know most, the person she wanted to celebrate with, might never be found. She wiped a tear from her eye before blinking away more. She needed to focus. If Ashley was here, she would find her.
“Wait! You what?” Jack glanced towards her briefly before returning his focus to the road.
“No! But you have a class with me!” Conrad interjected.
“To refresh the basics. I’ve been working as a lecturer since my last exams.”
“Basics? That is not basics,” he announced incredulously.
“It is when you grew up in a house where such topics were considered playtime.” Tess fell silent, diverting her focus back to the task at hand.
“What about Cryptobiology?” Conrad queried.
“I thought it would be fun, plus it was a good excuse to spend time with Jack and Ashley.” Tess paused for a moment before her fingers once more became a blur across the keyboard. “Right, I’m in.”
“That seemed easy,” Will commented.
“I used the menu as a back door to the system. Now…” Her eyes scanned fervently down the screen as the files copied. “Nothing about a Black Card Menu, but there’s a separate account for the Elites, but only some of them. So…” she trailed into a series of mumbles before disconnecting the laptop from any network connections and taking time to study the captured files. “These are too big, their profiles are ten times larger than the others. So if I… and then… got it.”
“What’ve you found?”
“I’m not sure yet.” Several long moments passed, the only sound that of the engine humming almost silently as she studied the data before her. “It’s some kind of separate account. We’re talking big money. LFFB+NM64, EFB-MI68, SMMB-NM64V, there’s a whole lot of these numbers. I’m just not sure what they mean.”
“I’m not sure about the first two letters, but everything after is blood rankings. I’m MA+, male A-positive, NM means non magical, MI means Magic Innate. If we’re looking for Ashley, you’re going to want some high number values. Do you know her blood type?” Will offered.
“She’s AB negative,” Conrad advised.
“So look for FAB-MI and a high number.”
“There’s only one AB, FAB-EB98V.”
“What’s EB?”
“Elder blood, perhaps?” Conrad volunteered.
“There’s no way Ash is a virgin.” Will frowned. “Is she?”
“Actually, she is,” Tess announced sternly. “She’s not really had time for relationships, with trying to pay the bills and study. It’s hard enough to grab a few hours with her friends, or hadn’t you noticed?”
She saw Will close his eyes as an expression of regret crossed his brow. It was clear that until recently, he’d thought she played fast and loose. Tess imagined it was an easy assumption for him to make, given how many times he had seen her kissing a complete stranger. He had probably assumed her sex life was the same.
“I’m a real bastard,” he muttered, covering his eyes with his hand.
“No arguments here,” growled Conrad, before turning to Tess. “Any sign of where she’s being held?”
“I told Lex about the Taphouse theory and he sent over blueprints. Cross-checking them against the photos you took, all the areas are accounted for, but I seem to remember about four years ago it was closed for renovations after a fire,”
“I remember. We were going to watch the new superhero movie from beyond the barrier, but the whole block was cordoned off,” Jack added, checking his blind spot before filtering into traffic.
“What if the fire had been an excuse? What if instead of just interior repairs, they added a basement?”
“So what are we going to do?” Will questioned, flinching as a car sped past them too quickly on the inside lane.
“I’m not sure, but we’re going to have to do it quickly. One of the hidden files is a bidding invitation. They’re going to sell her off.”
“We need to call my dad,” Conrad insisted.
“I’ll send the data now, but by the time they mobilise it could already be too late.” Tess typed quickly, attaching the documents, sending them through to the Blue Coats while including Conrad’s father on the message personally. She hoped they would see it in time, but even if they did, with the length of time it would take to get the necessary paperwork, it was unlikely they could mobilise quickly enough, especially since it seemed they were planning to move Ashley along with six of the other captives tonight.
“If you can find a way to her, I’ll get her out,” Conrad asserted. “I just need a way in.”
“Sure, the all-powerful Conrad,” snapped Will. “You’ve not been doing a very good job of protecting her so far.”
“She wouldn’t even be in this situation if it wasn’t for you.”
“Enough!” Tess’s voice commanded the car. “That’s enough. So here’s what’s going to happen. Will, go back and blood-let, say you’ve found yourself with some extra time so you thought you’d give more. Once inside, place this on any of their monitors. It will allow me direct access to their interface and thus their security system. Jack, I need you on standby outside. Keep the engine running and keep your eyes open for the authorities. I’ll be loitering close enough to piggyback on their system and use the access without drawing suspicion. Conrad, you’re the only one of us who can walk about in there. With Will’s chip in place, I can trick any door into opening for you, but you’ll have to be near it so I can find its location on the security network. Find the basement, get her out. I won’t have visual, so I will be relying on your verbal cues.” She gestured for his hand, placing an earring in it, while putting its partner into her own ear.
“You’re a shifter. I assume you have some skills at your disposal. What kind are you, anyway?” Tess held his gaze. While he had disclosed he was preternatural earlier tonight, claiming himself to be a shifter, he hadn’t actually told them what he was. She was certain the only reason he had shared this information was because he knew they would need someone to scope out the other part of the Taphouse. She hadn’t told him they’d already had their suspicions. Ashley had looked at him in a very distinctive manner when they had first met, so there had been no question of him being human.
“I’ve got it covered. If you can open the doors, I can get her out.”
“Cocky, much?”
“Not cocky, just unwilling to compromise.” Tess saw Conrad look at the earring in his hand. Gritting his teeth, he pushed it through his unpierced earlobe, wiping away the small trickle of blood. “Testing, one, two, three,” he whispered, receiving a thumbs-u
p from Tess.
Making his way past the crowded tables, Conrad threw his shoulders back, adding inches to his height and an air of confidence to his gait. Knowing the layout of this Taphouse from his earlier visit helped, as it allowed him to saunter straight past the booths to the segregation door. In the guise of scratching his earlobe, he tapped his earring three times, the agreed signal, before bringing his thumb to hover over the sensor, aware that the young lady behind the bar was watching him closely. When Tess’s voice echoed in his ear confirming it was ready, he reached out, pushing the door, his heart pounding.
It opened with an almost silent click, and the server smiled as he glanced back, giving a polite nod. To his left, a grandiose staircase served to escalate the Elite above the land of the common-folk. He knew that to follow the ivory marble stairs would be to look upon unparalleled luxury and privacy. It was not the place to locate a sordid den of inequity. The Elite enjoyed their taboo luxuries and their thrills outside the law, just so long as they could plead ignorance. The kind of establishment that offered Tabus always protected the money-bringers, thus they would house their victims separately.
Skirting down the corridor that ran parallel to the staircase, he briefly acknowledged the carved statue artwork of the solid handrail which would, hopefully, obscure him from the view of anyone who descended. He could hear Tess speaking in his ear, telling him what to look for, signs of a third door, one not present on the blueprints. Each step caused the pounding in his chest to quicken as he hoped, prayed, that he could find her. He had just passed the first doorway when something he’d spotted from the corner of his eye caused him to freeze.
On the staircase was a mural. He had been aware of it, but he hadn’t realised exactly what it was. The figures he had seen carved into stone were meant to be just that, statues. Where he stood now was Medusa. Perseus stood behind her, his sword raised into the air as if to deliver a fatal blow. He had seen this before, in Jack’s sketchbook. But then it had been different. Then—he reached up, his fingers tracing the sword, to find that it moved slightly beneath his touch. Pulling it down, the blade appeared to sink into Medusa’s neck and as it latched into place, the marble panel opened with a click. He released a breath. This was it! If they were going to hide her somewhere, it would be here. Why else go through all the trouble of having a secret door? I’m coming, Ashley, he thought, grasping for the familiar tug of their tether, convincing himself its absence had no meaning.
Salvation's Kiss (Tales Of Mython Book 1) Page 18