DraculaVille - New York - Book One

by Lara Nance

  Carlotta’s tongue ran over her lips as she raised the goblet of blood to her mouth. She studied Talia over the rim. When she finished, she handed the cup to the man and flicked her hand for him to leave. He gave a small bow and backed away, closing the door behind him.

  “Now, we must discuss your human,” she said to Drake.

  Drake shifted his eyes to Talia and set his empty cup on the table.

  “In my haste to escape last night, I didn’t notice that she hadn’t been turned. I was certain Maron would’ve had her killed or turned by the time I arrived.” She tapped her nails on the chair’s arm. “Unfortunately, it’s not permitted for humans to know the location of the flock’s dwelling. It would be a threat to our security. So, we have a problem.”

  He shot a glance at Talia. The bite of egg in Talia’s mouth turned to dust, just like a dead vampire.

  “This is a rule I’m not willing to break. No ill will intended, but we must keep our location secret.” She gave Talia a slight smile.

  Talia placed her half empty plate on the table, fear chilling her bones. Did she escape death at Maron’s hands only to perish by Carlotta’s?

  “You cannot leave here as a human.” Her dark eyes glittered.

  He stood, fists clenched at his side. “You don’t understand.”

  “What am I missing?” Carlotta frowned.

  “Talia and I are…armantor.” A muscle jumped in his jaw.

  Pip’s fingers crept over Talia’s thigh and found her hand. She took them and gently squeezed. She couldn’t bear to look at him. He was afraid for her and it touched her heart.

  One of Carlotta’s brows jumped up. “So, that’s why Maron allowed you to live.” She crossed her legs and bit one of her long red nails as she studied Talia. “This is a very unusual situation.”

  After several tense seconds, she shot to her feet. She strode to the door, opened it and called, “Bring me the elders.”

  She returned to her chair and motioned for Drake to resume his seat. “We will let the elders decide what’s right to do. I’ve never heard of vampire and human armantors.”

  Drake draped a hand over the boy’s hand resting on hers. She hoped Drake wasn’t going to be put in the position of protecting her. He wouldn’t hesitate, and Carlotta would kill them both.

  After a couple minutes, Gosen and another male vampire were ushered into the room. The other elder was younger looking than Gosen but she had learned that meant nothing in the world of vampires. Gosen sent her a smile and inclined his head.

  “Elder Julian, Elder Gosen, I have need of your knowledge and judgment.” Carlotta stood and gestured to Drake and Talia. “These two say they are armantor. I have never heard of such a thing. I have to decide if she’s allowed to leave as a human or must die the little death. What say you?”

  The little death. How quaint. Talia bit her lip. Any death was big as far as she was concerned. Stupid vampires.

  Gosen glanced at her, an appraising look on his face.

  Julian raised his hands palms up. “I’ve never had experience or read of such a thing either, Matron. I’m sorry.”

  “Gosen, your knowledge of vampire traditions is legendary. Have you heard of human and vampire armantors?” Carlotta turned to the older elder.

  Talia’s heart seemed to stop.

  He pursed his lips. “Yes, Matron. I have. It is exceedingly rare.” Gosen crossed his arms. “Maron had me test them. They are, indeed, armantor.”

  “What do I do about the rule that states a human cannot know the location of a flock’s dwelling?” Uncertainty marked Carlotta’s features. She glanced between Talia and Drake, her forefinger resting on her lips.

  Gosen glanced between Drake and Talia, then turned to his matron. “She may leave as a human on one condition.”

  Talia held her breath.

  “Tell me,” Carlotta said.

  Drake’s fingers dug into Talia’s. Pip let out a squeak.

  “They must vow that she will eventually be turned. This is the righteous promise, a blood oath that cannot be broken. In this sense, she is vampire in spirit until she is made vampire in fact.”

  Drake’s gaze sought and held Talia’s. She swallowed a lump in her throat and let out a long breath. She’d vow anything to get out of there. How long could she stay human? Her pulse slowed, but Drake’s grip on her hand didn’t loosen.

  He came to his feet and dragged Pip and Talia with him. “Then we may go?”

  Carlotta tilted her head and glanced sideways at Gosen. The elder’s expression remained calm and certain. Her creased brow smoothed after a second.

  “Very well. The elder has said it, so it must be.” She crossed to stand in front of Talia and Drake. “You must make the vow. Do you both pledge on your honor that you take the blood oath to consummate the sanctity of the vampire turning and become vampire armantor in fact?”

  “Yes,” Talia said quickly. She feared Drake would refuse. “I vow to accept the turning in the future and become full armantor with Drake.”

  Drake?” Carlotta looked at him.

  His jaw worked. He glanced at Talia. She gave him a small nod of encouragement. Sweat formed on her palms and a trickle ran down her neck. Why did he hesitate?

  “Yes, I accept,” he said between stiff lips. “I vow to turn Talia in the future and become full armantor with her.”

  Talia let out a deep breath. Her shoulders drooped in relief.

  Carlotta raised her arms out. “As matron, I consecrate this vow. It is unbreakable. To break it means death.”

  “May we go now?” Drake whispered, placing a hand on her back.

  The matron dropped her arms and gestured to the door. “You’re free to go. But remember, I’ll be keeping an eye on you, and I’ll not wait forever for this vow to be finished. Any hint that the human has revealed our location and you both die.”

  He started for the door, Talia and Pip in tow, and Gosen met them halfway. He extended a hand and shook Drake’s. Then he embraced Talia. She stifled a gasp of surprise.

  When he pressed his cheek against hers, he whispered, “The debt is paid.”

  She gave him a shaky smile after he released her.

  He returned her smile. “Stay well, Talia. We will meet again, I feel certain.”

  One of Carlotta’s men led them to the basement where they’d entered the building that morning. The vampire unlocked a heavy metal door and opened it.

  “You may leave,” he said motioning them through, face impassive.

  She gave Pip a nudge and hurried past. The door banged shut behind them, the click of the lock announced they were once again on their own.

  They emerged into darkness on the sidewalk beside what appeared to be a normal apartment building with iron bars over the windows. But now she knew it was the heavily guarded fortress of Carlotta’s flock—a secret that now hung over her with a death sentence.

  Talia shivered as cold hit her, and she crossed her arms over her chest. Drake removed his coat and held it so she could slip her arms in the sleeves. Her breath came in puffs of white.

  “Let’s get out of here.” She took Drake and Pip’s hands in hers and started down the street, toward a busier intersection a couple blocks away.

  “Were they going to kill you, Your Majesty?” Pip said in a small voice.

  “Don’t worry about it. Everything’s fine.” She glanced, at his anxious pale face. Damn Carlotta for scaring him. “And, Pip?”

  “Yes?”

  “Call me Mom, okay?”

  A grin spread over his face. “Okay, Mom.” He skipped along, humming a happy tune.

  Drake gazed at her over the boy’s head. “We’re free, but this interlude in vampire hell has destroyed the chance of making the Draculaville project succeed. I’m sorry. I know how much it meant to you. Seems like we’ll both be out of jobs.”

  She grimaced. Her elation at escaping Carlotta evaporated. Some jerk was going to take her fantastic idea and make a bunch of money. Not to menti
on that Drake’s bright future as spokesperson was down the drain. Damn it. Why did all this have to happen in the middle of a deadline?

  “Tal?”

  “I know, but I don’t want to talk about it right now.” Her feet hurt, her head pounded and she felt like she could eat an elephant. All she wanted was to be back in her apartment, kick off her shoes and eat a huge calorie laden meal. Maybe tomorrow she could face the shambles of her life.

  Chapter 31

  Talia led the way out of their cab and entered her apartment building lobby.

  “Masquerade party.” She waved to Pete, who frowned and stared at them as they made their way to the elevator. After the doors closed, she said, “Whew.”

  “You’re not kidding.” Drake leaned against the wall and closed his eyes. “I can’t believe we’re here.”

  “It’s good to be home. Right, Dad?” Pip took his hand.

  “Yes, it is.” He looked down and winked at him.

  At her apartment, Talia stuck her hand in the door’s decorative wreath and extracted a hidden key. She held it up. “For emergencies.”

  She opened the door, surprised to see the lights on.

  Felix came running from the living room, his eyes round. “Boss, is that you?” He grabbed her around the waist and swung her in a circle.

  “Put me down, you lunatic.” She had to laugh at his exuberance. Who knew he cared about her so much? It made her heart lighter.

  Pip jumped up and down saying, “Yippie, we’re back, Yippie.”

  Her assistant set her down. Tears coursed his cheeks though he grinned.

  “Please don’t cry, we’re fine.” She patted his shoulder, his emotion bringing tears to her own eyes.

  “I can’t believe it. I didn’t know what to do,” he said brushing the tears from his face and wringing his hands. He gave her a misty smile and then hugged Drake and Pip. “After I left Pip at Club Ariba, I thought about calling the police, but I figured they’d think I was nuts. Gerri’s been calling night and day. We were so worried we’d never see you guys again.”

  Talia patted him on the back. “It’s over. We’re safe and Carlotta killed the bad guy. Now we’re just very tired and very hungry.”

  “Gosh, I’m sorry. You look beat. I didn’t mean to keep you standing here. You must be dead on your feet.” He hurried back to the living room

  Talia shared a smile with Drake over Felix’s unintended pun. They were indeed nearly dead. But she didn’t want him to know all the details, he’d just start crying again and she couldn’t take any more rush of emotion tonight. Her senses had been on overload for the past five days.

  She followed Felix and flopped on the couch next to Drake. Pip ran to his room and returned with his Nintendo DS. Just like a kid. Now that the drama was over, he seemed content once more with video games. He sat on the floor at the coffee table across from them, intent in a game, thumbs flying.

  “You guys wait right there.” Felix held out his hands. “I’m going to make you something to eat.”

  “Make sure that includes a glass of wine,” Talia called as he hurried to the kitchen.

  A moment later he offered her a glass of wine. He gave Drake and Pip their blood then rushed back into the kitchen.

  “There are no words to describe how happy I am to be home.” Talia kicked off her shoes and propped her feet up on the coffee table. She let out a big sigh.

  “I’m glad we’re home, too,” Pip said, his eyes never leaving his game. “But I ain’t happy I had to miss the fight. I wanted to stab Maron right in the gut.”

  “We all wanted to stab Maron in the gut,” Talia said. “You aren’t the only one disappointed. But the fact that somebody stabbed him is enough for me.”

  “I guess.” Pip shrugged.

  Drake’s lips twitched.

  Felix bustled in and handed Talia a plate. “Sorry, it’s a sandwich. I know you don’t normally eat them, but it’s the fastest thing I could make.”

  She plucked it off the plate. “Are you kidding? I’d eat a three day dead raccoon right now.”

  “I hope you’re not upset.” Felix twisted his hands together.

  “Why would I be upset?” Talia said after she swallowed the first bite.

  “Well, I’ve kinda been pretending to be you.”

  She swallowed. “Explain.”

  “I’ve been trying to keep things going on the presentation. I had to hack into your e-mail and pretend to be you so Harvey wouldn’t throw a fit. He’s been calling every day. I told him you were too busy to call, that you’d e-mail him. Then I had to e-mail Anton about the pictures and Leslie about artwork.”

  She swung her feet off the coffee table and set her plate on it. She slid to the edge of her seat. “Are you telling me that the project is still on?”

  Felix glanced between her and Drake. “Of course. I’ve been working on it all along and hoping you’d make it back in time.”

  Gratitude surged through her. She stood and grabbed Felix in a tight hug. “I can’t believe it. I thought we’d have lost the account by now. Can we still make it on time?”

  He pulled back, blushing. “Yes, today’s Tuesday. We have until Friday evening to meet the Romanians.”

  Talia kissed him right on the mouth. “I love you, Felix. Your bonus is going to be bigger than Dracula’s castle.”

  He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and crossed his arms. “It better be. I’ve had a hard time convincing everyone you were here working instead of held prisoner by a group of evil vampires.”

  Drake dropped his head into his hands, laughter shaking his shoulders.

  “Well, let’s get busy. I can eat later. Where’s my computer?” She gave her assistant a push.

  “Everything’s set up on the dining room table. It’s command central.”

  “Okay, I’ll start looking through what you’ve done. Call Gerri and tell her we’re all right.”

  “Yes, master.” Felix hurried to the phone in the kitchen, humming a peppy tune.

  She stared at Drake. “What’s so funny?”

  He raised his head. “You.”

  “I am not.” She planted her hands on her hips.

  “Yes, you are.” He chuckled. “You’ve spent the last five days terrorized to the point of death, now all you care about is making sure you don’t lose your account. You’re simply amazing.”

  “Don’t you forget it.” She pointed her finger at him then whirled and headed for the dining room. A spark of hope burst into fireworks. There was still time to complete the project. Maybe she could make it happen after all. A surge of relief followed the pyrotechnics, tempered by gratitude. Felix was a magician to have kept everything going without Harvey finding out what had happened.

  Nobody could take her account while she had a breath left in her body. DraculaVille would happen and it was her baby all the way.

  Felix carried her sandwich plate in and placed it beside her. “Gerri says she hates you for scaring her and she’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

  Talia smiled. That settled it. Everything was back to normal.

  ***

  By noon the next day, Talia was up to speed on everything her assistant had done in her absence. She’d only slept a few hours, eager to dig into the project and see what she had left to accomplish.

  She tapped a pen on the table and stared at her list. She called Leslie who promised to have final artwork to her this afternoon. She would tweak it and send it to the printer to produce proofs for the presentation. Time was tight, but she could do it.

  With a sigh, she dropped her pen and left command central to make another pot of coffee. She hit the start button then headed for the living room. Felix dozed on the couch, wrapped in a cocoon of blankets.

  “Wake up.” She tapped him on the head with her knuckle.

  “Ouch.” He brushed her hand away and sat rubbing his eyelids. “Stop.”

  “It’s noon, sleepy head. Time to rock.” She went to the kitchen and the phone rang.r />
  “Tiger?” It was Harvey. Damn it.

  “Yes, what do you want?”

  “Why the hell haven’t you called me?”

  “I’ve been very busy, Harv.” And that was no lie.

  His voice lowered. “Look, we got a problem.”

  “What kind of problem?”

  “The Romanians want to move the meeting to tomorrow night.”

  “Tell them no. That’s ridiculous.” Her voice raised an octave. What kind of crap were they trying to pull? “They can’t spring a change like that at the last minute.”

  “Sorry, we can’t. Their president has called them back to Romania for an emergency meeting on Friday. They’ll meet us Thursday evening then leave immediately to fly home.”

  She shook her head. After all she’d been through, now she had to pull a miracle out of a hat. “Okay, tell Leslie I need that artwork in two hours instead of at the end of the day. I’ll call the printer and tell him he’s working all night. We have to move everything up six hours.”

  “That’s my girl. I knew you could make it happen.” He chuckled. “Oh, and Tal, the secretary wants your Dracula model at the meeting.”

  “No.”

  “Just bring him. That’s an order.” He hung up.

  Damn it. She didn’t want Drake involved in this mess yet. They’d just gotten through fighting for their lives, and their relationship was in limbo. She avoided discussing their attraction by immersing herself in work. After Thursday night, however, she and Drake had to have a serious talk.

  She trudged to the living room. “Great news. Harvey says the meeting is moved to tomorrow night.”

  Felix exploded. “That’s insane. We’ll never make it.”

  “I’m not giving up. I told him to tell Leslie we need the art by two. I’ll call Tom and coerce him into working all night.” She headed back to command central. “Grab some coffee and let’s get going.”

  Her assistant grumbled and padded after her.

  ***

  Drake wandered into the dining room that evening. Pip tagged along behind, a stuffed bear under one arm.

  “What’s going on?” Drake rested his hands on Talia’s shoulders where she hunched over her laptop.