by Pepper Pace
I nodded. She had a point. I couldn’t hold a grudge because she followed Vampire tradition. But she’s right; I’m a new school Vamp. They’ve never met anyone like me before.
“Tyler, you’re still my Girl. I can’t help that I’m hurt. I can’t even help that I’m angry. But I guess I understand how this happened. So…I just have to get over it. But from now on--”
“No more secrets from you.” She said. Monica opened the partition and smiled.
“We’re here. Now, this isn’t exactly Barcelona. If we had actually stayed within the city the local Master would have had to approve our stay and we would have had to pay our respects and all that jazz. Karen said that she didn’t think you’d want to do all that.”
“She’s right.”
We went outside. I took off my glasses. The villa was fucking magnificent!
“It’s furnished.” Monica added.
“Where’s Karen?” I asked curiously.
Monica hesitated. “She…didn’t know if you’d be mad because we’re still outside of Barcelona.
“She’s hiding?”
“Incognito is more like it.”
“Karen! You did good! I’m anything but mad at you. You got me where I needed to be in you did it in one day!” I was speaking to her telepathically.
“You’re not mad because we’re not in Barcelona?” was her timid response.
“We’re close enough and the Villa is BAMMING!”
I could feel relief from her. The villa was bamming. When Karen came out of hiding she took us on a tour. Girlfriend looked seriously stressed. It was the first time I’d ever seen her look anything less than perfect. I was instantly ashamed that I’d played her like the Old School Vampires and used threats to get my way. I promised myself that as soon as we were alone I’d apologize.
There were gardens and sun rooms and a swimming pool. There were 5 bedrooms and 7 baths. The kitchen was humongous and fully stocked with food. She showed me to the master bedroom and it had a verandah that I could have pitched a tent on!
There were clothes laid out on the bed. At first I thought they were mine from home. Prada? Dolce? These were brand new and cute as hell.
“Karen, you are a Goddess!”
“I’m happy you like it. This is the first time that I’ve had a chance to show you what I do well. Tyler is your muscle, and Monica your secretary. Kat’s been decorating the hell out of your house and Mara is your attorney. But me? I’ve not had an opportunity to do anything for you-”
“Girl, what are you talking about? You are invaluable in the territory meetings. I rely on your advice. And you keep your head straight when it comes to watching out for the other ladies.”
She blushed through her ebony skin.
“I’ll leave you alone so that you can get cleaned up.”
“Karen…Thank you. I’m sorry I strong armed you. It’ll never happen again. I don’t want to be your Master. I want to be your friend. Will you do me a favor and never call me Master again?”
She nodded. “That’s not a hard promise to make. I’ll gladly never refer to you as Master again.”
“Get some rest. I know you haven’t slept since last night.”
When Karen left I ran a hot bath in a tub that was like a swimming pool. Karen had thought to bring my favorite scents and even though I would have spent hours luxuriating under normal circumstances, now I was preoccupied and anxious.
While I bathed I did something that I hadn’t done in almost a year. I unblocked my link to Alexis.
I didn’t know what I expected to happen. If I thought Alexis would be flooding my senses it didn’t happen. Nothing happened.
I didn’t want to think about it too hard. Somehow, I thought the element of surprise would be the best bet.
I got out of the tub and dressed carefully in the black Dolce pantsuit. It was corporate sexy; tight where it needed to be and cut to fit my body as if it were designed around me. I pulled my hair up into a severe bun and put on lip gloss and large gold loop earrings. I put on regular sunglasses instead of the blackouts that I usually wore.
Alexis…I’m here…but I didn’t project that to him. The thought was to soothe me.
***
I went downstairs a short time later. Karen had turned in but Monica, Tyler and Julie were waiting for me in the comfortable living room.
“Kim,” Monica said. “You should feed.” She stood up and walked to me.
Distracted I nodded. I sank my teeth into her neck. I fed fast picking up her stray thoughts that if things went badly it might be a long time before I could feed again. I could feel that she was afraid for me. My mind was too preoccupied to feel the usual lust. If it was there I was much too distracted to acknowledge it.
Distantly I heard the doorbell ring. I pulled away from Monica and we all looked at each other surprised.
Quickly I sealed her wounds and she went to the door to see who was there. Who would be calling on us this late at night? And unannounced?
I dabbed at my lips inconspicuously and waited with the others.
Monica returned with two sharp dressed men.
The smaller of the two eyed me with interest. He wore a milk white wool overcoat and a very expensive white suit. He was sharp with his slicked black hair and goatee. He also happened to be a Vampire. A very powerful Vampire.
The taller one was obviously the muscle. He watched us all coolly.
“Kim, Senor Marcelle Dela Torre, and his Assistant Paolo.”
I stepped forward and offered my hand. Marcelle took it with a smile and kissed it. It was such a European thing to do that I found myself smiling.
“Senor Dela Torre, it’s a pleasure. My name is Kim Russell.”
“Yes.” He said in heavily accented Spanish. “I know who you are. And please, call me Marcelle and I shall call you Kim.”
I shrugged lightly. “Please, come in. May I take your coat?”
He shrugged it off and Monica took it. Tyler and Julie stood. Tyler retreated into the shadows and as usual I did not introduce her to any of my Vampire guests. In the States everyone knew why, but here in Spain Marcelle and Paolo looked at me curiously. I didn’t explain.
“Let me introduce you to my First Lieutenant; Julie.” Julie did not use a last name.
Marcelle nodded in her direction with a raised brow. He didn’t know that Julie could be quite lethal even though she was dressed and appeared to be little more then an innocent school girl.
“Hi.” Julie said intentionally playing the little girl roll.
I gestured to the stunning Monica. “And you’ve met my secretary; Monica.” Marcelle gave her appreciative look.
“To what do I owe this honor Senor.—I mean Marcelle?”
“Well,” he said with a sexy smile, “It has come to my attention that we have a very powerful Master in the area.”
“Oh, I beg your pardon. You must be the Master of Barcelona. We just arrived and didn’t realize that we would need to make introductions since we’re outside of the city limits.”
“No, no, not at all. I am the Master of Barcelona but you are under no obligation to make a formal introduction because, as you say, you are outside of the city limits.” He bowed slightly. “And I would not require such a rule of such a beautiful woman.”
Without taking my eyes from him I gestured him into the living room. “Please, have a seat.”
Marcelle did and I sat opposite him.
“How do you find our little town?”
“I find it to be very beautiful. This is my first visit to Spain.”
“Perhaps I can show you some sights?”
“That would be wonderful; however I’m not sure how much free time I will have.”
“Oh?” He said with interest. “Are you here for business…or dare I hope; pleasure?”
I smiled again. He was a flirt and a cutie but I didn’t want him to know why I was here.
“A little bit of both. You see I’ve had a very busy year and needed
to get away for a few days. And while I’m here I thought I’d follow up on my over seas business endeavors.”
“You are American. Where are you from? I’m good with accents but it is often difficult to tell with Americans.”
“I’m from Cincinnati, Ohio.” I decided to flip the script on him a bit. “I’ve been interested in other Councils, especially the Old World Councils. I hear that you are steeped in tradition and ritual, whereas in America our meetings are very casual.”
Marcelle loosened the button on his suit jacket and got comfortable. I thought about the time and hoped he wouldn’t get too comfy. “You are correct. In America the Council meetings are much more relaxed…especially compared to the way we do things.” His eyes twinkled. “Perhaps you would like to join us for a Council meeting to get a first hand account?”
“That’s really kind of you.” I wasn’t shitting him. I would never invite anyone to join in on one of our meetings with its thinly veiled sense of superiority. “But as I said, I’m not quite sure how much free time I’ll have.”
“Perhaps on a future trip to Spain. Now, to the reason for my visit,” he studied me carefully. I stayed cool under his appraisal.
“Many visitors that are Neratomay come to this little town for one purpose and one purpose only. Epic Cu.”
Julie, who had been standing quietly a few feet from me tensed a bit. I knew it on a telepathic level but doubted if Marcelle or Paolo would have been able to tell.
I tilted my head at him innocently. “Oh. Do tell? Why would Neratomay want to go to Epic Cu? I thought it was a torture chamber?”
Marcelle wasn’t fooled. But he was polite enough to play along. “Epic Cu is a lot of different things; including a place to sabbatical. You are correct. Epic Cu is a place to be tortured as well. But the latter seldom happens. Generally it’s used for initiations.”
“Initiations?”
“Si. The thousand year old Masters go there to begin their initiation as Elders.”
“Hmmm.” I purred. “You must know a lot about the place.”
He smiled slightly. “Enough to warn you not to go there.”
“Now why would I go there?”
“Because you are bound to one that is there.”
I took a long time to answer him. “So you know more about me then you let on.”
“I beg your pardon. But you are an enticing woman. Women of color are rare at the Master level, and especially here where most are European males. When I came here it was not just to warn you against going there…but to make sure that you understood that it is not just a request.”
Neither of us moved. Finally I took off my glasses.
Marcelle blinked. He was lucky that he could because I couldn’t. You see I didn’t have any eye lids. The tender skin around my eyes was burned off.
Marcelle mumbled something in Spanish. “Who did this to you, Kim?”
I smiled. “I did.”
Monica walked to the door and held it open.
Tyler began to snicker and then so did Julie. Julie’s giggles were sweet and innocent. Tyler stepped out of the shadows no longer wearing her jacket.
Paolo sucked in a slow breath. Tyler’s short sleeved shirt plainly showed her wired arms; and their lethal tattoos and brands.
Julie lowered her head and glared at them through slitted eyes. The little girl look was completely gone.
Marcelle nodded and stood. “I guess I misjudged; five women including the one asleep in the bedroom. No males around. However, I see that you are very capable.” He and Paolo walked to the opened door. Julie, Tyler and I didn’t budge.
Finally, I replaced my sun glasses and Julie relaxed. Tyler slipped back to stand in the shadows. Marcelle was clearly taken aback.
I stood and strolled to them. I could feel my First Lieutenant and My Angel of Death tense and prepare for battle.
“Thank you for stopping by, and for the warning.”
Marcelle inclined his head slightly and looked at Julie. Again he seemed startled by her fierce appearance. Likely, he was thinking how he’d fair in a battle. He didn’t seem to want to find out.
He and Paolo left. As soon as they had vanished I turned to the ladies.
“How in the HELL did he know?”
Julie raised her head and seemed to be sniffing the air—without using her nose.
“You lowered your shields…”
“Yes. When I was showering. I wanted to see if I could feel Alexis…”
“I’m sure that he’ll be making some calls to find out all about us.” Tyler said. She sat down on the couch.
If Marcelle could pick up on us because I had lowered my shields then Alexis should know that I’m here.
Julie seemed to read my thoughts. “This should convince you more then ever not to go alone.”
I thought silently.
“Definitely, you shouldn’t try lighting in there.” Monica added
“We should drive as close as we can and then sneak up on the place. That way we might be able to spot any traps.” Tyler made sense.
I finally cursed under my breath and agreed. “We’re not driving up in that trailer—”
“No. Karen rented a car.”
“Who’s driving?” I asked.
CHAPTER 4
I was really anxious. Epic Cu was about a 3 hour drive from where we were. Tyler kept assuring me that we still had plenty of night. I sounded like a broken record as I coached them on what to do if it went bad. I wanted Julie to flash herself back to the Villa and Monica and Tyler to use the car to get back there. Under no circumstance were they to go back to Epic Cu during the day. If we got separated they would need to wait until nightfall so that Julie could go with them.
We had left Monica at home but I promised to communicate with her telepathically if I needed to.
As beautiful as the countryside was, I was so upset that I couldn’t enjoy it. The hours that we drove were spent in relative quiet and it gave me an opportunity to rethink my actions.
Was this a wild goose chase? Maybe Alexis didn’t even want me. Everyone had warned me that an Elder’s attention was temperamental. But now I had the back bone of my organization in this thing with me. If something bad happened to even one of them I wouldn’t be able to live with myself. I couldn’t sacrifice one of them for Alexis…if it came to that I had to make the decision to leave him and to save them…What had I gotten myself into? I might be risking everything for something that’s not even real.
But I’m not. I’m not here because I need a kiss or two from Alexis. I’m bound to him. I’m here because he lost something in order to help me. Maybe what he lost could be returned…That’s the reason that I’m here. I owe Alexis my life. And let’s face it, I was damned curious.
Tony. I shuddered. Calmness now prevailed and I couldn’t believe that I had attacked him. Still…I didn’t regret it. What was the old saying; when you mess with the bull sometimes you get the horns! Tony had never seen my horns. I was still pissed at him. Yeah…I was pissed—but I also felt the tiniest, most miniscule…bit of regret. Tony had been my boyfriend despite my hideous scars. He did me wrong, but he did it to protect me. That was some chauvinistic bullshit…but Tony was born in the late 1800’s. Still…This was the 21st century Goddamnit! Who needed to be shoved into some Damsel in distress role!
I blew out a long breath. Just as I had lowered my shields to Alexis, I now closed off my link to Tony. Now was not the time to think about him. And I didn’t want him knowing what I was doing. Let him wonder. As cold as that sounded I just couldn’t care.
Julie, who had been to Spain many times, was driving. Also, she had a nose for our location and used her Vampire senses to find it. We didn’t worry about the Police pulling us over thinking that a kid was driving. Any cop stupid enough to pull us over would get a hypnotic suggestion to make him think he was something ridiculous; like a mime.
After a time the road ran out. At first it was just rocky, eventually the rocks changed to
dirt. But before long there was only grass and weeds. When we started coming up on trees Julie finally pulled over. She stowed the keys into the glove compartment.
When I got out of the car I stretched and looked around. I didn’t get a sense of anything. I don’t know what Julie was picking up on but my senses were dead. In all honestly, I don’t think I would have been able to flash myself here.
“How far do you think it is from here?”
Julie tilted her head, her eyes half closed. “Ten…maybe twelve miles.” I nodded.
“You lead. We’ll follow.”
Julie started us off on a fast jog. Tyler who was in the best shape had little trouble keeping up. Add to that her superhuman abilities she would be able to run for miles before tiring.
I had never been big on running. But anxious to get to the location made it easy. Once I found my pace we moved fast.
Five or six miles later Tyler began slowing. Julie and I weren’t out of breath…of course we didn’t need to breath. Still I was growing tired, but I think I could have kept up the pace for two hours or so.
We went for the next few miles at a slower jog.
Tyler stopped. She didn’t really look tired. But she came to a dead stop. I was looking at Tyler but Julie was looking around curiously.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
Tyler swallowed. “Yeah. I…Lets go.”
We started jogging again but hadn’t gone more then a couple of feet before Julie and I both noticed that Tyler wasn’t with us.
“Something’s wrong.” Julie said.
“Shit.” We hurried back to Tyler who was walking slowly.
“What’s wrong Tyler?” I asked.
She was shaking her head. Her eyes were wide.
“I don’t know. I just know that I don’t want to go any closer.”
I stared at her. Julie did that weird sniffing thing that didn’t involve her nose.
“I think there’s some type of spell surrounding this place.”
“I don’t feel anything.” I said.