by Megan Hawke
The twins' clothes would be useless to me. I was a good five inches taller and heavier built than them. Dominique might've been slightly heavier built than me, definitely bustier, but she was still a good two inches shorter than me. I might be able to wear most of her stuff in a pinch. PVC and leather were not very forgiving, but I could probably sell it all to that shop where I bought my used clothes earlier that evening. They had a fetishwear section.
I spent the next hour emptying the truck’s contents into the house. Most of it went straight down into the basement. Afterwards, I locked up the house and retired to the basement.
First thing, I stripped and morphed into a wolf, then back to human form. I had to get that sticky blood off. The smell of it stoked my growing hunger. Morphing into a bat or wolf was both faster and better at getting my body pristine. Showering left soap film, but morphing left nothing but me. It cleaned off blood, gore, dirt, and makeup. If only it exfoliated it would be perfect.
I should've asked Boney where to buy blood. I was angry with myself for that oversight. I’d thought of everything else. All that activity left me famished.
I dressed in a black tank and shorts I found in one of the trunks. Next, I hosed the blood out of the cab. I drove the truck away, parking it in a shopping center five blocks from Yuri's house. My Mustang was a few blocks from there. I parked my car in the garage and carried all of my evening's purchases inside. There was still an hour and a half of darkness left.
Downstairs, I sorted the trunks by contents. Trunks with clothes went on one side of the basement. Trunks with money on the other side. There were three trunks with money. One held hundred dollar bills, another fifties, and the last twenties. None of them were anywhere near full, but it was a boat-load of money any way I looked at it. I figured I had tripled or quadrupled my money, and beggared Yuri and his undead family.
Couldn't have happened to a more deserving group of vampires.
After that, I started sifting through the clothes. A girl’s gotta have priorities, and well, I like clothes. I had to see if there was anything worth keeping.
To say those women were clothes whores wasn't scratching the surface, which was an admirable trait in my book. I didn't even get through a tenth of it before I felt the pressure of sunrise coming. The basement was light-tight, so I could theoretically stay up and continuing going through the clothes, picking out what fit, but daytime enervated us terribly. The need to curl up in the fetal position and sleep was overwhelming.
Still fearing a stray beam of sunlight, I closed myself inside a large basement closet to sleep the day away.
Chapter 13
I called Bone Daddy as soon as I woke up. Vicki picked up and said he wasn’t available, but she proved very informative. I don't think she wanted me to come over, so she gave me phone numbers and addresses of several places that sold blood.
The nearest one to me was in Deep Ellum. That was only a few blocks away from my rental. So I changed into jeans and a black t-shirt emblazoned with Trouble in red. I grabbed a small empty backpack and headed out. I decided to walk since it was so close.
The neighborhood was mixed, mostly Hispanic. With my waist-length black hair left loose and parted down the middle, I didn't rate any more notice than any other young woman walking down a dark street at night. Though there were far more people outside than I anticipated.
I wasn't half a block into Deep Ellum before I spotted her. A young Hispanic woman in a tight red latex mini dress. The dress was backless with a deep scoop neckline, barely containing her rather generous bosom. Her legs were showcased in black fishnets and stiletto pumps. Her aura was big and gray. Vampire.
My breath caught when I realized what she was. She glanced over her shoulder at me. Her black hair was arrow straight, mid-back, with long bangs that dropped in her heavily made up eyes. Her lips were darkest red.
"You're a vampire," I said.
"Duh." Her eyes gave me a once over. "I see you've joined the club."
She walked away. I followed her, but only because we were going in the same direction. She led me straight to the shop I was looking for – Bloody Mary's Coffee Shop.
No one gave us a second look, not even a double take at the sexy latex Latina. Are these people that jaded? There were a dozen small bistro tables, with fifteen patrons scattered across half of them. Most of the patrons were young women. Before I was halfway to the counter in back, I realized five of the women and two of the men there were vampires. To my surprise they looked perfectly normal, dressed much like me, with nothing about their appearances or manner proclaiming vampire to the casual eye. Only their auras betrayed their true nature.
"How can I help you?" a middle-aged woman behind the counter said. She was mortal, short, and heavy with short frosted blonde hair and a friendly smile.
"Uh," I said. That made the Latina cut her eyes at me, and grin knowingly. "I… um… I need a To Go order, please."
"Okay," the clerk said. "What'll you have?"
"Ten pints… of…" Was I allowed to say blood? Was it a secret? I pointed at the Latina. "Of what she ordered."
"Pints?"
I stared at her. What was I supposed to order? Blood was not on the menu board above the counter.
"Give her a break, Sally," the Latina said. "She's new." She looked at me, "This your first night?"
Did I smell of brand spanking new vampire?
"First night? Oh, no. It is my first on my own. I know I'm doing this all wrong, but I was told where to go, not what to order."
"You want a Very Bloody Mary." She noticed me looking up at the menu above. "It's not up there. Wouldn't want an unsuspecting mortal to order one, would you?"
"I guess not. Thanks."
"No problemo, baby doll." She raised the large cup, wrapped her lips around the thick red straw, and sucked up some of the very dark fluid. She swallowed a mouthful and smacked her lips with approval. "Good stuff. Very fresh. Enjoy."
The Latina vampire paid for her order and left.
"Thanks." Then I turned back to the clerk. "Can I get my order in pint bags?" That’d be the easiest to carry in the backpack.
Sally smiled. "You bet. Pints. How many?"
"Ten." I needed six a night, then something for breakfast tomorrow night. And I wanted some extra. "To go."
"That'll be twenty-one sixty, please."
I watched her enter my order in the register. Two dollars each, times ten, and one dollar and sixty cents in taxes. Blood was taxable. I had to smile. It was illegal to be a vampire, but Big Brother wanted his cut of the feeding the vamps business.
"Oh, and give me one in a cup, too. A large, please." Another two dollars and a quarter made their way across the counter. “Keep the change.”
A big healthy swallow of blood hit the spot. My body relaxed, knowing I was finally feeding it. That told me more about how hungry I was more than anything.
I took my order and left. Instead of heading straight home, I went for a little stroll to check things out. There were vampires on most of the streets I visited. Few outwardly looked like stereotypical vampires. A couple of middle-aged looking vampires, appearing very much like husband and wife, surprised me. Who ever heard of middle-aged vampires? But what surprised and startled me more than anything was the family of vampires – father, mother, ten year old son, and five year old daughter. At least that's how old they appeared at first glance, but they were all vampires, and even the little girl's eyes were filled with dark intelligence.
It was after eleven when I got home. I'm here to tell you, an empty house just doesn't feel like home. I wanted my furniture out of my apartment. I loved that living room set. Maybe I shouldn't have dumped the moving truck so fast.
After storing my blood in the fridge, I went downstairs to go through the clothes trunks some more. It went – slow. Trying on that many articles of clothes took time.
Around two, I turned on my phone and found seventy-two messages. Thirty-one were from Yuri, the others from a numb
er I hadn't seen before. So I checked one of those messages.
"Sable! You killed my sister, bitch! I'm going to kill you," Darcy screamed into the phone. "I'm going to kill you slowly. I'm going to rip you guts out through your —"
I ended that voice mail. Heard all I needed to hear.
Well, she isn't going to be reasonable, I see, I thought. I deleted all of my messages. I wasn't going to allow either of them to harass me via voicemail. I dialed Yuri's number. "Hello, Yuri Romanov."
"Sable Hart."
"Who else would call you? You have no friends," I said. "What are you wearing? Something sexy? I like it when you wear black leather pants and a white button down shirt. Wear that."
"Why do you care?"
"I want to leave a pretty corpse when I kill you."
"After I kill you, Sable Hart, I will leave a twisted, bloody ruin behind."
"Oh baby, you're such a romantic. Wanna know what I'm wearing?"
"No. I just want to kill you."
"Okay, I'm wearing this really tight, kinky latex outfit. All red. Red pants, red corset, and red thigh-high boots." I spoke in a sexy, breathy voice. I was actually sitting on the floor in panties and a bra. "I know you like that, but you can't have me."
"You're going to regret stealing from me."
"Speaking of that. Thanks! I got a new car. A new house. A more sensible wardrobe, and it’s all thanks to you and your incompetence. That was so generous of you to fill my truck up with so much money." He didn't say anything, but I could hear him breathing. "I hope you still have enough to live on."
I hung up as he started cursing me in Russian.
After pulling on the jeans and t-shirt from earlier, I put on a pair of black Christian Louboutin thigh boots I found in one of Petra’s trunks. I thought the red soles somehow fitting for a vampire. Made me feel like a rich, undead fashionista. By two-forty I was on the road.
I jumped on South Central for the short hop to Interstate 45. I peeled off I-45 and dropped down into the Mix Master, taking the I-30 exit and drove to Arlington. Finally I pulled over near I-30 and State Highway 360, and called Yuri.
Let him trace my calls. It'll drive him crazy.
"Hello, Yuri Romanov. Do vampires pray? Do you need to strike a deal with Lucifer, or one of the Five Satans, before I kill you the rest of the way?"
"I know where you live."
My heart jumped into my throat, but my voice remained calm.
"Sweet. You want me to pop a couple pints of blood in the microwave? The house is a mess, and I didn't buy that much blood… but I can manage. Oh, I forgot, I killed Olaf, Petra, and Darby, so you guys don't drink as much as you used to."
He hung up. So I called him right back.
"Hello, Yuri Romanov. You can't get enough of my sexy banter, can you?"
"You are playing a dangerous game, Sable Hart."
"I know. Fun isn't it? But still, not as dangerous as the game you and Clive Honeywell are playing. I'm going to expose you."
Yuri was silent. I think I may have actually shocked him.
"I have been dealing with backstabbing bitches like you for over five hundred years, Sable Hart."
"Really? Deal with this, Yuri Romanov." I may've sounded a tad bit smug. "I have all of your money. I beggared you. Idiot."
I hung up and turned off the phone.
I headed north up 360 to State 180, then a quick hop over to International and north again. International went through DFW International Airport, and took me up to Loop 635, called LBJ, where I turned east. I turned the phone on before reaching Interstate 35E. Yuri called before I could dial his number.
"I knew you missed me."
"You are too full of yourself, Sable Hart, and you are not funny."
I heard that muffled murmuring of someone speaking to another with his hand over the phone. It sounded like he was arguing with someone. I wondered if it was Darcy, wanting to threaten me some more. Or Dominique. I bet that French vamp wanted to share a few choice words. Everyone was so negative towards me lately.
"You are driving around all over the city. You are smarter than I thought."
"You figured it out? Wow, you're a genius. An evil genius, and you know what?"
"What?"
"Evil geniuses always die in the end." I paused for drama. "Always."
I hung up and turned off the phone. I had accomplished what I started out to do. Yuri had no idea where I was staying in Dallas. Every time I spoke with him, I was in a different location. Eventually, he might even stop trying to track me down via cell phone conversations. Of course, I wanted him dead long before that.
Dallas was a different city in the wee hours. The traffic situation was the best ever for me. Before becoming a vampire I was a devout morning person. I know, obnoxious as hell. I heard it all the time. So traffic was always rather heavy when I drove the city's highways and bi-ways, but there weren't many cars out to impede my love of speed this late at night.
That Mustang could haul ass, too.
I hit one hundred ten on LBJ. The Mustang wasn't even straining. One hundred ten was my personal best, so I tied it. I could've gone faster, but the radar detector that came with the car went off. I hit the brakes and took the next exit. I didn't want the Dallas Police to get me in their sights. Boney claimed they were under the thumb of the vampires controlling the city. I prayed he was wrong, but deep down I knew the truth when I heard it.
I dropped down to Royal Lane, and headed east to Central, then back up onto the highway. And hit the gas. I couldn't go as fast on Central. It wasn't as straight and level as LBJ. Also, it had more hidey holes for the speed trap cops, so I kept it under eighty.
Haskell came up quickly. I drove past, and took the exit for downtown, and then turned east into Deep Ellum. Most of the clubs were closed at that hour, but the streets and sidewalks were filled with young people. Deep Ellum stayed awake until sunrise.
It was a different crowd than what I encountered in the early evening, with many more vampires. Some of them had gaggles of thralls in tow. I cruised through Deep Ellum, looking them all over.
I spotted her staggering down the sidewalk. She was wearing all red leather, which had to be insufferable in that heat. It never really got below hot in Dallas in the summer, and summer ran all the way into October.
"Desiree!" I called, rolling down the passenger window. Desiree smiled brightly when she saw me. "Get in."
"Sable." She climbed in and looked me over. "Looking good."
She stank of blood and sex. Her hair was up, exposing her long, slender neck. I admit that neck called to me in a dark, base way. I could feel her blood, and my hunger was overdue a feeding. The heady stench of blood on her didn't help. And, being who she was, Desiree reeked of need and desire.
"Are you drunk?"
"Me? Never." She giggled. "Okay, maybe just a little, but I only had one margarita."
I shook my head woefully. "How much blood did they take?"
She shrugged. "Not much. I mean, they know what they're doing." There was a mischievous glint in her eyes. "I partied with Clive Honeywell and some of his vamps tonight."
"Oh my God! You're lucky to be alive." Was she crazy? "Clive and his family slaughter troves of people all the time. They suck them dry and dump the bodies in huge piles." She gave me an "Oh, poo" look. Like I was only trying to spoil her fun. "Desiree, they don't turn any of them into vampires, either. You would simply die, and all the fun would come to an abrupt end."
That made her frown, but at least she was thinking about it. I put the car in first and headed for Central. There was still time to take her home, and then get back to my new house. Though, spending the day in Boney's coffin had its appeal. I wondered if his girls would stake me for hogging all his time.
"Um, where were you partying with Clive?"
"Ruby Necklace." She yawned and then looked around. "My car is over there, in that parking lot."
"You are in no condition to drive. I'm taking you home."
"Really? Just you and me?"
"To Bone Daddy's house. I'll let him tend to you."
"Firsterly, it ain't his house. It's mine. He gave it to me," she said, frowning with the effort it took to think and speak. "And, I might add, you're no fun."
"But I'm your friend."
"I want to be a friend with benefits."
"Yeah, that'll happen. I don't swing that way, babe, but thanks for the offer."
Desiree was starting to nod off. My window of opportunity was closing fast.
"So, how many of his vampires were with Clive tonight?" I didn't want her to suspect anything, so I added, "I hope they didn't all drink from you tonight."
Desiree's eyes popped open. She looked confused as she thought about it.
"Oh… uh… no," she said. "No, just two of them. Clive and this absolutely scrumptious Spaniard, Vera Vasquez. Yummy."
She was losing her battle to stay awake. Her eyes were half-shut and her head was lolling around.
"So, do Clive and his friends hang out at the Ruby Necklace often?"
"One or two of them are usually there." She yawned big and rubbed at her face. "I'm so tired."
And she went to sleep. Yes, that fast.
"Ruby Necklace," I muttered, and grinned. "Guess I'm putting on my dancing shoes tomorrow night."
Chapter 14
Ruby Necklace Dance Club didn't open until midnight. Midnight to Dawn were the club's hours, and only a select few got the licenses necessary to do that. The club sat in the heart of Deep Ellum inside a former warehouse. Ruby Necklace was as openly a vampire club as any, since a ruby necklace was a vampire bite, sometimes called a blood necklace or a bloody necklace.
A crowd was gathered outside the doors. The smell of pot filled the air, but that wasn't all that uncommon anywhere in Deep Ellum. There was enough in the air to give me just a touch of a contact high. That never happened before. I made a mental note to question Boney about it, but Desiree did warn me about being more susceptible to drugs and alcohol.
“You should be more careful about pot smoke around here,” I said to a couple sharing a joint. “Nobody needs a bunch of vamps running around with the munchies.”