Blood Emerald

by Amber Anthony

  Immediately after stepping down from the stage, Veronique cornered him. “May we go somewhere private? I need to speak with you urgently.”

  “Of course, Ronnie.” He gave her a benign smile as he blithely signed autographs handed to him by the crowd. “It’s good to see you. I’m sure we can arrange a private meeting after the Governor—”

  “Now, Rick! This can’t wait. I need to speak with you now. I…I’m being hunted!”

  “Hunted? Oh no.” He drew out signing an autograph and stopped for the man to take a selfie. “Well, they can’t follow me into the toilet. I’ll post a guard.” He motioned to one of the hotel staff and led the way into the men’s room. He leaned back casually against the porcelain sink, arms crossed over his chest. “Now, how can I help you, Ronnie?”

  Veronique stood shoulders hunched, her fingers white from pinching her nose closed. “I’ve got to get out of this country, right now.” She glanced around at the urinals with obvious distaste.

  “I see. Why the rush? Who’s hunting you?”

  “The National Police! My pharmaceutical plant burned down hours ago, and they believe I committed arson. Can you believe that?” She glanced around in a furtive state.

  “That does seem harsh.” Rick feigned sympathy. “Can’t you reason with them?”

  “Not with that brute who interrogated me this morning! He wasn’t the reasonable sort. He’ll throw me in jail and ask questions later. And Rick, you know vamps don’t do well in jail.”

  “Well, maybe if you feed up beforehand, surely it will only be a couple of days before your attorney gets you out?”

  “You know very well I can’t count on that!” She shook her head vehemently. “I need to go now! Please, Rick, let me borrow your jet. Haiti is only a few hundred miles away. You’ll have it back before you need it again.”

  Rick shook his head. “I don’t know, Ronnie, I don’t want to be accused of aiding a fugitive.”

  “But I’m not a fugitive!” she cried, and continued conspiratorially. “At least, not yet. They haven’t arrested me. You could say…” She grabbed onto his suit coat lapels. “You could say I tricked you! That’s it! I…I…told you a relative was dying in Haiti. I tricked you, and you were only helping a friend…”

  “Hmmm.” Rick pretended to consider. “If we do this, we’ll have to act immediately, before the Governor arrives. I can’t miss my meeting with him…”

  “Yes! Now! Let’s go right now!”

  “All right, I’ll have an SUV pulled into the underground service entrance. I’ll go with you; chances are good they won’t stop me.”

  “Oh, thank you, Rick!” She groveled. “I just can’t thank you enough!”

  “That’s alright. I don’t need your thanks, Ronnie. What are friends for?”

  * * * *

  The SUV was waiting for them, and Veronique was in such a panic she didn’t even take a moment to look at the driver. Had she, she might have noticed a chauffer’s cap covering Adam’s flaxen hair. For his part, Rick was relieved they pulled onto the street as a genuine cavalcade of National Police cruisers pulled into the resort’s portico, sirens blaring.

  Veronique’s gaze stayed riveted to the rear window until they were well on their way to the airport. Rick made a big show of ordering the jet to be fueled and ready for takeoff in thirty minutes.

  At last, Veronique turned around to converse. “I don’t think they’re following us.”

  “So, Ronnie, what exactly was this dust up over Humanité? Seems like you were getting some bad side effects?”

  “Oh, the fuss they made over those few silly incidents! Honestly, those mortals probably would have died in poverty if the feedings hadn’t gone awry. I mean, really, progress always comes with sacrifices.”

  “Progress. I see.” He watched her with a cold stare, then brightened as they pulled into the International Airport’s private transport area. “Ah, here we are. You’ll be on your way very soon.”

  “You are too kind, Rick. Really, if there’s anything I can ever do for you…”

  Rick smiled tightly. “Let’s get you aboard.” He glanced around as if it were an afterthought. “No luggage?”

  Veronique shook her head. “No time.” She waved a dismissive hand. “No worries. I have plenty of clothes and personal items elsewhere. I may simply resume travel on my yacht. International waters. I’ll be safe there.”

  Rick led her aboard the jet. “Please, make yourself comfortable. The staff will be out to greet you in a moment.” Rick lingered at the jet’s doorway.

  * * * *

  If he doesn’t look like a model from a 1990’s Vogue photo spread, then I’m not the most anxious vamp on the planet! Veronique thought petulantly. She squirmed, trying to find comfort in the seat. Rick flashed his megawatt grin, killing time. Veronique returned it with a silent tepid smile. Don’t roll your eyes at him, not until the plane departs. Rick shifted his pose to another confident posture. Veronique’s eyes widened. She hated the bastard, but he was her only hope. Keep it together, girl.

  Uncomfortable silence brewed Veronique’s terse question. “What was our departure time?”

  Rick nodded accommodatingly. “I believe we have one more passenger to board, Ronnie.”

  I hate when he calls me Ronnie. “Oh? I won’t be traveling alone?”

  Rick pulled his phone from his pocket, read a message and nodded to someone behind her. The flight deck door opened, and a uniformed responder stepped into view. When Veronique heard footsteps from behind, she gripped the armrest desperately. Rick handed his phone to the responder.

  “Veronique Moreau, under the Uniform Code of the Vampire Council, you have been cited for the following infractions: Endangering the concealment of the vampire Family, squandering mortal lives, the manufacture and sale of harmful substances, consorting with known criminals, destruction of vampire property, and crossing international borders to perpetrate all of the above charges. Anything you say can and will be held against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided for you…”

  Veronique’s eyes paled in a slow transformation. “I waive the remainder of the reading.” Her fangs dropped. “I demand to speak with my attorney; I have nothing further to say.” Her gaze darted to Rick. You son of a bitch! When did you turn into a Boy Scout like your buddy, Matt?

  Rick was somber, his voice implacable. “Ronnie, how many times have you been cited?”

  “And how many times have I been found innocent?” She shot back defensively.

  Rick raised a brow and turned to the responder. “She’s all yours.”

  The gloved responder stepped forward, pulling silver cuffs from his weapons belt.

  Veronique groaned. “Not the silver cuffs.” She felt large hands resting on her shoulders. It wasn’t the gentle pressure they imposed, it was the dread of how those hands could inflict agony.

  Adam bent to her ear. “Oh, don’t worry, if the cuffs bother you…” He slid those menacing hands under her arms and lifted her from the seat. “…we can always stake you.” The responder charged forward with a polished wooden stake and thrust it cleanly into her heart. Veronique sank back into Adam’s arms.

  Rick flew to the seat with a thick blanket and spread it on the chair he adjusted to recline. Adam shook his head. “You think she needs a blanket?”

  Rick looked at him askance and scoffed. “I just had these seats reupholstered. I don’t want the cabin to reek of staked vampire!”

  Adam lowered her body into the chair and straightened. “Prudent point, old man.”

  * * * *

  Rick arrived back at his suite absolutely bone tired. He hadn’t rested in over thirty-six hours, and even with vampire strength, he still needed down time. He couldn’t wait to crawl onto his slab and get at least five hours of uninterrupted oblivion. There was just one complication—Anna. She needed his attention after coming all this way to help him. He hoped she would be happy to
amuse herself for a day while he took a break.

  Apparently, he needn’t have worried. When he walked into the suite, his vampire senses told him immediately he was alone. It was 8:30 in the morning. He sighed. Where was she? A note on hotel stationery stood tented on a table with his name across the front.

  Dear Rick,

  I thought you might be gone for a while, so I decided to treat myself to a spa day. Player is in doggie day care. I’ll do a little shopping after the salon, so I should be back sometime between four and five. I hope you’re back by then.

  Love, Anna

  That fit his plans perfectly. He wasn’t even going to shower before hitting his slab. All he wanted to do was close his eyes.

  * * * *

  Anna floated into the suite at two o’clock, feeling like a million bucks! Enough could not be said for a body scrub and facial followed by a massage, a steam shower, shampoo and hair conditioning, cut, and blow dry. She was stopping back in her room to change into comfortable shoes before she went shopping. The salon offered a free makeup demonstration, and Anna allowed it, happy with the natural look. She wanted to get some loungewear and dresses in silky, luxurious fabrics. Men liked silky fabrics, didn’t they? Liked to touch them? She wanted Rick to touch her. She couldn’t wait for him to see her polished look.

  She glanced at her note and noticed it had been read. The maid? She didn’t hear a sound anywhere in the suite. Maybe he was in one of the bedrooms. Well, she didn’t want to disturb him if he was sleeping. She’d check on him before she left.

  Anna felt beautiful! Boy, if she’d known a spa day could make her feel like this, she’d have gone years ago! A ding sounded on her smart phone, and she opened the message to see doggie day care sent her a short video of Player romping with the other dogs. He looked like he was having a ball. Anna sighed with contentment. All was right in her world!

  Tiptoeing up to what she assumed was Rick’s bedroom, Anna cracked open the door for a peek. She was not prepared for the sight. The latch slipped out of her suddenly numb fingers as she stared in shock. A blast of frigid air hit her. The room’s velvet drapes reduced the afternoon sun to dim twilight. There, at the other end of a spacious bedroom, in place of a bed, Rick lay naked atop a marble mortuary slab. Dear God! She resisted the urge to cross herself. Despite the loud thunk of the door when it hit the wall, he didn’t stir.

  Anna crept closer. He wasn’t breathing, he looked…dead. Anna shuddered. His skin, normally pale, was now waxy and colorless. Well, colorless except for the faint blue tinge around his fingers and lips. His mouth was slightly open in repose, and he looked nothing less than cadaverous. Oh, how she longed to hear just one gentle snore telling her he was alive, just one rise and fall of his chest. But there was nothing.

  Her teeth sank into the fist she had thrown against her mouth to stifle a scream, but the scream squeaked out anyway. She turned away with the sudden certainty that she was going to be sick, and ran for the bathroom. Half way there, Anna realized she just needed to escape. She wanted to hide. Yes, she should hide, hide where this corpse in Rick’s place would never find her! She sought the cover of the drapes that partially hid the farthest corner of the living room.

  How could he look like that?, Anna questioned in a panic. Yeah, he’s a vampire—undead, as he always said—but this, this was wrong! This was unacceptable! This was atrocious! There had to be some explanation. The body in that room was not her Rick.

  * * * *

  Rick rousted, sensing horror in the air and unsure of the source. As a vampire, he always awoke in a rush, no more gentle partings from Morpheus. Vamps were thrust into wakefulness, just as they surrendered to death when they ‘rested.’ But something unusual had forced him up early. What was it? He threw on his robe and noticed the door to his room was open. Oh…this can’t be good. By the time Rick went to investigate the living room, Anna was already out of the corner.

  * * * *

  Anna wiped furiously at her tear-drenched face. What am I doing here crying like a baby? I know he’s a vampire. End of story. And what the hell am I doing falling in love with a vampire? There are plenty of normal men out there, men who don’t turn blue when they sleep.

  She lifted her carryon to the bed and opened it. Careless of hangers, she threw what little she had in the closet into the case. I simply need to get on the plane and get out of here. Maybe I’ll go home to Columbus for a while. That’s what Rick wanted me to do. He was right. Her thoughts tumbled out in a flight of ideas. Player can stay in doggie day care until Rick’s ready to leave. I have a job, I could stay in L.A., but I’ll have to find a new apartment… She began emptying the dresser drawers.

  “Cupcake?”

  Anna froze at his voice, his use of that nickname. She looked up, a classic deer in the headlights.

  “Anna.” Rick’s voice grew firm. “What are you doing?”

  “What does it look like? I’m packing.”

  Rick waited two beats before replying. “Right. So, you’re leaving?” He edged carefully into the room.

  “Yes.” Her voice was flat. “I’m leaving.”

  “Mind telling me why?”

  “We’re not suited to each other, Rick. You know, Matt told me months ago that mortal/vamp relationships didn’t work. He was right. I’m ending this before…before…” Anna started to shake and the tears she’d already forbidden swamped her.

  “Before…” Rick encouraged.

  “Before one of us is in too deep and can’t get out.”

  “One of us? I see.” Rick edged toward her, and she backed up. “Which one of us?”

  “Don’t be obtuse! Me, alright? Me. I don’t want this! I don’t want…”

  Rick edged closer. “You don’t want me?” His voice was unbearably gentle.

  “I…I…Of course I want you!” Doubled over with tears, she shrilled, “I want you, okay, I love you, but you’re…dead!”

  Rick sighed and sat on the bed, giving her some space. “That’s true, I am dead…or undead, anyway. You knew that before. What’s different?”

  “I…” the tears were coming so hard now she could barely speak. “I saw you sleeping. I saw how you sl…sleep…” She shook her head violently. “It’s unnatural.”

  Rick inhaled deeply and blew out a breath. “Okay, you’re right. Not everyone can accept what I truly am. I’ll understand if you can’t—”

  “Why?” She flew at him, catching him off guard. “Why? Why? Why?” She demanded beating at him. “I love you, damn it! I love you and I can’t have you!” She dropped her hands piteously, racked with sobs. “Why would you do this to me when you know I can’t have you?”

  Rick took her hands gently and guided her to sit beside him on the bed. “Well, see, I think you can have me.” He smiled boyishly. “I think we can work this out. Say you were fascinated by a man from Britain. You would think because you both speak English that it would be a breeze to put your shoes under his bed and have some fairy tale of a life. But the first time Prince Charming asked for elevenies, you’d wonder what onesies through tensies were.”

  Anna screwed up her face and cocked her head.

  “Anna, would you be ready for Tea and Supper or choosing dessert or pudding?”

  “What does all this have to do with how you live?”

  Rick drew in an unnecessary breath in an effort to appear mortal. “Everything, Cupcake. If I were a foreigner, all my habits would show you we were different. I’m different because of some extreme dietary requirements.”

  “Extreme dietary requirements? You sleep on a slab!”

  Rick continued, “Also, I have an allergy to sunlight and I need a very cold bedroom…”

  “You sleep on a slab!” she accused in exasperation.

  “True, you’ve seen something even my enemies haven’t seen.” Rick rose and ran a thumb over a still chilled bottom lip. He stood back from her and studied her body language, “That slab seems to be your breaking point?”

  Anna shrugged
, “I’ve seen vampires do everything just like us,” Anna gestured to herself, “It was a rude awakening to see the man I love…dead.”

  Rick retightened his robe and nodded his head. “There are times when vamps need extreme rest, or deeper rest—just like mortals—times when I may look to you as if I’m dead.” Rick watched her for a moment, reading her emotions. His voice was reassuring. “Today was one of those times because I hadn’t rested in a couple of days. It’s not always like that. Usually, I’m simply still.”

  I’ve really put him on the spot. I’ve never seen Richard Hiatt sweat. Do I mean that much to him?

  Rick narrowed his eyes. “Look, is any of this due to your past appraisal of me? I’ve been called a few names in my five hundred years. S.O.B., jackass, and even the poetic ‘a little wicked,’ but, Cupcake, that’s what they call me because they’ve never been as close to me as you have.”

  Anna gazed at him silently, her heart battling with her mind.

  Rick leaned toward her in a conspiratorial way. “You know, I have the most amazing king-sized bed at home.”

  “I’ve seen that movie too.”

  “Cupcake, you’re too young to be cynical.” Rick returned to the point, “My bed has one of those Evercool mattresses and the sheets are out of this world. If you ever found your way into that bed, you’d never want to get out.”

  She gave him a dubious look.

  “I’m not being egotistical about my prowess in that bed.” Rick finished his sales pitch on his knees in front of her, “And bonus! If we shared a bed you’d never have to worry about me stealing the covers.” Anna saw a wicked gleam of hope in his eyes.