“Mr. Mercer, Mr. Corvin, we were told to let you right on in.”
“Okay, that’s creepy,” Jacob muttered. “They keeping that close of an eye on us?”
“I don’t think so, at least not yet. Ussier no doubt anticipated that we would want to talk with certain key individuals in the city and let them know to clear a way for us ahead of time.”
Thunder rolled across the sky, for the moment drowning out the sound of the music and the traffic. Somewhere in the distance, a lonely train whistle blew. Ominous sounds, Jacob would have said, but he was more in tune with such things than I. Very sensitive and intuitive to his surroundings. Perhaps it was rubbing off on me.
“But tonight? You’d think they wouldn’t be expecting us so soon.”
“I’m sure Ussier doesn’t expect us to waste any time. I have no doubt Madame Dupree gave her boys our description and told them we were a priority. It wouldn’t matter when we came or if she was there. Until this is solved, they’ll cater to us.”
“If we solve it quick enough.” Jacob sighed as we walked through the doors, and the sultry jazz number swelled into full life, smothering out the murmur of conversation. “I’m glad at least one of us is certain.”
The club was small, with walls papered in royal blue, and framed records of artists such as Miles Davis, Johnny Coltrane, and Muddy Waters were highlighted in places of honor. Beveled Tiffany-style lamps provided dim lighting as a quartet played on the dark wood stage.
“Try not to cause a ruckus,” I said in a low voice, scanning the small tables arranged in intimate circles for Alette Dupree. “This place is her pride and joy.”
“I’ll be on my best behavior,” Jacob promised.
“Somehow that doesn’t inspire me with confidence.”
Jacob flashed me a grin that was pure imp. “Trust me.”
I really did love the brat. I should’ve known it wouldn’t take him long to throw my own words back at me.
“There she is, just in front of the stage, with two hot chicks.”
I looked over to where Jacob indicated. Alette Dupree sat with all of her attention seemingly on the performance, though I knew she was aware of everything going on around her. Sure enough, she said something to the woman with alabaster skin and a short cap of jet-black hair who was sitting next to her. She rose and came toward us with a gracious smile. “That would be Celeste Roy,” I said in an undertone to my lover. “One of Alette’s protégés, she designed the balcony. She’s a rather renowned artist, Alette likes to surround herself with artists and musicians of all kinds.”
“Nice dress,” Jacob said with a wicked grin.
I studied Celeste again, trying to see what Jacob saw. Her elegant black dress ended at mid-thigh, her waist cinched with links of beaten silver. The dress clung to her curves, and the neckline dipped low, but I didn’t understand Jacob’s fascination. “If you say so.” I shrugged.
He laughed softly and squeezed my hand. “She’s another bloodsucker, I take it?”
“You would be correct in that assumption.”
“And the other chick?” Jacob whispered as we went forward to greet Celeste. I had to grin at the rather demure image Taylor Ussier made in her tailored suit. Most times she wore far more flamboyant clothes and dragged Celeste into her debauchery, but for some reason, she seemed to like Alette’s presence and behaved for the most part while she was with her.
“That, Jacob, is Ussier’s youngling, Taylor. She’s also an artist, draws comic books and writes stories about vampires.” I chuckled. “Some say she trapped Ussier into making her into a vampire and now he can’t get rid of her.”
“So this place is crawling with vamps? Just wonderful,” Jacob said in an aside. Then he assumed a charming smile as Celeste approached. “Though they are damn hot.”
“Kristair, it’s so good to see you again,” Celeste said, kissing me lightly on each cheek before turning to Jacob with frank interest in her eyes. “And who might this be?” Her rich, low laugh rippled free. “A personal friend of yours? You must be Jacob.” She held out her hand to him and preened with delight when he gallantly kissed the back of it.
“Nice to meet you, Celeste.”
“Aren’t you just darling for saying so?” She slipped an arm through both of ours and started to lead us to Alette’s table. “I hope you both have a chance to talk a bit after you’re done with Alette. It’s been a long time, and I’m sure there’s all kinds of… stories.” She smiled up at Jacob.
“We will see,” I demurred.
Alette and Taylor looked up as we approached, and Ussier’s youngling grinned. Taylor didn’t look like a vampire. Her skin tended to have a healthy glow about it even if she hadn’t just fed. Her electric eyes were a sea-green blue, and I had watched her use them to mesmerize a man more than once. And Taylor did love to play with both men and women. I started to have second thoughts about bringing Jacob. “Hey there, old man.”
“Good evening, Taylor, Madame,” I said, inclining my head to each one of them.
“Watch your manners,” Alette said, gesturing for us to take a seat with a gracious, chilling smile. “Ancient One, Mr. Corvin, what may I do to help you?”
I pulled out a chair for Jacob and then sat down next to him. “I’m sure you know Ussier visited us last night.” She nodded, and I continued, “I wanted to discuss the victims with you.”
Celeste’s lips formed into a pout. “Sounds depressing.” She drew her finger down Jacob’s chest. “Can we steal you away to entertain ourselves with?” Jacob grinned as Celeste glanced at me. “Or would that offend? I don’t poach.”
Before I could answer, Jacob rose from the table, much to my surprise. “That’s a wonderful idea. Why don’t you ladies take me over to the bar and we can talk.”
Taylor bounced out of her seat, flipping her dark brown hair over her shoulder. “You know, Celeste is as good as she looks, I should know.” She took Jacob’s hand and pulled it over her shoulder to lead him away. “And I’m even better.”
Jacob’s eyes twinkled as he glanced at me and winked. “I’m all yours, ladies.” Then he slipped his arm around Celeste’s shoulders and sauntered off with the two of them toward where a mirrored bar with polished brass accents was doing a brisk business. What was that brat thinking?
“Probably for the better. I don’t want to scare Celeste and Taylor, things are tense enough as it is,” Alette said. “May I get you something?”
Reluctantly, I turned my attention back to the task at hand. Jacob could handle himself, I just had to remind myself of that fact. Though he had never stood toe-to-toe with the kind of trouble Celeste and Taylor could cause. “No, thank you, I am fine.”
“So what was it you wanted to know that Ussier couldn’t tell you?”
“We didn’t get a chance to speak at length last night. He just asked us for our help and then left us to discuss it.” Jacob had leaned back against the bar, beer in hand and a girl on either side of him. He looked to be in his element—young football player surrounded by pretty girls—though I’m sure this wasn’t the club he would’ve chosen.
It irked me that he could divide my attention so easily.
“These victims,” I continued, angling my body away from the bar. “Were they all from Pittsburgh?”
“Actually, only two of them were. Bedwyr and Cybil Haas.” I closed my eyes for a moment in sorrow. I had hoped that Ussier had been wrong about Bedwyr. I knew I would’ve had to have known some of the victims, but these two I had considered to be somewhat more than acquaintances. We had researched together, shared knowledge in the past, Bedwyr especially, but then again, we were tied by more than our shared love of history. There were precious few who could remember Britain as I had.
I glanced toward Jacob without even realizing I did so and found him watching me, almost as if he knew. Oddly, it comforted me.
“And the other four?” I asked.
“The other woman we don’t know. She could’ve been just travel
ing through our territory. Most have the courtesy to announce themselves and their intentions, but it doesn’t always happen. The other three men did seek Ghedi out. The first victim, Simon DeSaur, had only planned to stay in town for a few nights. He told Ghedi that he was here to buy a rare book from a collector in town. We’re not sure if that happened or not because he was killed the next dawn.”
I frowned. I knew Simon as well, though only through correspondence. He rarely left Montreal, and then only under extreme duress. The right book might have just been enough to lure him out. It would’ve had to have been a very rare one indeed, and he would’ve needed proof it existed before leaving his sanctuary. He was rather paranoid.
The idea that he’d been lured out was disturbing to say the least.
“And the last two?”
“Gerard Manheim and Thomas Burris.” A chill raced through me at those names. What were the chances that I knew them as well? Fellow researchers, historians, though Gerard’s specialty was more in magic and ritual than journals and books. “Thomas was searching for his missing youngling and the trail had led him to Pittsburgh. Gerard never said why he was here, but he did visit Lisabeth and Artemise.”
That made sense; still, I didn’t like how the lines were connecting. Gerard had been to Pittsburgh more than once to visit with those two, and I’d consulted with him a number of times myself. Thomas came from even further away, and as far as I’d known, he’d never visited the United States before. There was a connection between them all, a connection I didn’t want to consider, but it was staring right back at me.
Every single one of those individuals had helped me research what happened to the Ancients. We’d shared information, lore. They were considered experts as much as I. There were only so many vampires who put much effort into such studies; most were concerned with simply surviving, or they were enjoying their new state too much to think about a few thousand years into the future.
There were a few others, Mirella Brant, Lisabeth and Artemise, a fellow in Greece, and another in Egypt. Several of us had already disappeared, and I’d met them again as one of the Ascended. But what of the rest? What chances did they have of still being alive?
“Thank you, Madame. I know you often screen newcomers for Ussier. If anyone else comes into town and introduces themselves, would it be too much trouble for you to arrange a meeting between them and me?”
“I’ll see what I can do. Will you be talking with Lisabeth and Artemise tonight?”
I rubbed the bridge of my nose, trying to decide how well the conversation would go. “With Artemise, and then I’ll take it from there.” He would be the most open-minded about the situation.
A slight smile crossed Alette’s exquisite, inhuman face, as if she understood my hesitance. She probably did; I had never met anyone who didn’t step softly around Lisabeth. “I’m afraid you’ll most likely find them together. They have an”—she paused as if considering her words—“interest in each other.”
That would complicate things, but if what I suspected were true, Lisabeth should be warned as well. If only I could leave Jacob behind when I went to go talk with them. I didn’t like having certain vampires’ gazes on him, but that wasn’t even a possibility. “Where would I find them?”
“Tonight? Most likely at the conservatory in the park. They are rather fond of the place.” Alette hesitated, an uneasy expression crossing her face before she smoothed it. “How can you stand it?” she whispered. “How can you stand being human again?” Her features twisted into disgust.
I looked at my lover, deep in conversation with Taylor and Celeste, and what I felt for him was a physical ache, it was so strong. “I admit there are aspects to my old life that I miss, but Jacob more than compensates for that loss.”
“Love is illusory, Ancient One. I thought you would’ve learned that lesson by now.”
“Perhaps for some, Madame, but I have touched the deepest part of him, and there is no illusion there.”
Chapter 7
I NEVER thought I’d find myself caught between two vampire women and not be in the least bit afraid. That was kind of funny, because these two vixens probably had to be the most dangerous pair of vampires I’d ever met. At least to my immortal soul. I was sure they’d leave me alive, if only to have the opportunity to play again.
Taylor smiled at me, wearing wicked sensuality like a second skin, and if Kristair hadn’t gotten his hooks into me first, I wouldn’t have hesitated one moment to take advantage of what she was offering. Her or Celeste. Jesus only knew how many men and women they’d corrupted.
“You should come by my own club. It’s not quite so stuffy as Alette’s.”
I flicked a glance at Taylor, who leaned against the bar, blue-green eyes twinkling. She had a certain scent about her, leather and roses, clad in a sexy pinstripe pantsuit and deadly stilettos. “You’re getting me into enough trouble as it is without me making it worse by going to your club. Not that I’m not intrigued.”
“Don’t you know it, and she’s just getting started,” Celeste said on my other side, laying her hand on my chest. “We’d have a great time, and you can bring the rest of your teammates.”
I laughed out loud and finished the rest of my beer, setting the empty bottle on the bar. “Ladies, if I did that, training camp would be a disaster. The two of you would do more damage than an opposing team.”
“I like you, Jake,” Taylor purred, tracing a nail down the shell of my ear. “You’ve got balls. If you change your mind, my club is called the Slap and Tickle. It’s down by the railroads.”
I’d heard of that club. It had a reputation for being a wild place where anything went and everything did. “How come I’m not surprised you two run a place like that?”
“I don’t run the place,” Celeste demurred with a modest smile that did nothing to belie the wicked laughter in her eyes. “I merely play.”
Taylor gave me a quick electric kiss on my lips and glanced toward Kristair. “I think we’re making him jealous. I don’t know how you did it, but you certainly lit a fire in him. It’s kind of sexy.”
“There’s quite a bit more to him than what you see.” My lover stared right at me, one elegant brow arched in question. He had the same expression on his face that he’d had when I walked away earlier, a combination of so damn puzzled and a little bit hurt. It was kinda sweet.
I had wanted to kiss him hard when I left the table but didn’t, not wanting to offend his sensibilities about what was proper in a place like this. I was going to have to change my mind. That would wipe that expression off of his face, even if it would exasperate him.
“I never thought I’d see the Ancient One besotted,” Taylor murmured as Kristair excused himself from the table and came toward us. “See you around, Jake.” Then she was gone, tugging Celeste along with her. The two of them had their arms around each other’s waists, moving with impossible grace in those heels.
I stayed against the bar, sipping my beer and watching Kristair’s progress. I didn’t think he understood just how elegantly sexy he was with his perfectly pressed dress pants, gleaming white shirt, and black vest. He had that innate kind of smooth grace and dignity that just made me long to drag him off somewhere, muss him up, and reveal the passionate man I knew.
Kristair stopped in front of me and searched my face. “Everything okay?”
“Sure.”
Kristair glanced back at the girls, his brows furrowing. “You miss being with women?” he asked stiffly. It was a measure of his unease that he’d even entertain such a question, and it was so ridiculous that I couldn’t help rolling my eyes.
“There isn’t anybody out there that has what we have.” Even without our mental connection, our bond went far deeper than I had ever dreamed was possible. Yep, I was changing my mind. I wrapped my arms around his waist and tugged him flush up against me as his dark, long-lashed eyes widened, and before he could protest, I kissed him.
Much to my surprise, he let me, though h
is eyes snapped heat when I let him go. “You’re trouble in more ways than one,” he muttered. Then he closed his eyes and a smile tugged at his lips. When he opened his eyes again, the tension seemed to have left him. “And I wouldn’t change you one bit.”
“Good.” I took his hand and led him back out of the club, grateful to be away from the lingering eyes of the Pittsburgh vampires. When we’d settled into the Z28, I turned toward him. “I’ll admit I like women. I like how they smell, and I like how soft they are, and how they curve in all the right places. And I know I’m a flirt, I’ll always be a flirt, but I don’t miss that part of my life, not when I have you.”
Kristair laughed, a strange little sound like he’d just had a revelation. “I said something very similar about you back in the club.”
“Now you’ve got my curiosity up.”
“Alette asked me if I’d missed being a vampire. There are things that I loved about it, but it doesn’t matter that I don’t have them anymore. I guess there’s no sense in regrets when we have what we fought for.”
“Glad you understand,” I leaned in and kissed him again, my tongue sinking into his mouth as his hand slid into my hair. “Is there any other place we have to go tonight?” I had visions in my head of taking him home and slowly stripping those clothes off of him and showing him just how much he did excite me.
“Unfortunately, yes. I need you to take me to Schenley Park.”
“That’s a good necking spot.” I trailed my lips along his jaw. I could work with Schenley Park.
“We need to talk to Lisabeth and Artemise.”
A cold finger ran down my spine, and I pulled back. “Way to ruin the mood there, Kristair.” Artemise, I didn’t mind so much. He had a funky sense of humor, but if Alette scared me, Lisabeth terrified me out of my damn skin. You couldn’t get more unnatural than her.
The Z28 roared to life. It never ceased to give me a little thrill of pride as I turned my baby toward the park. “So what did Alette have to say about the homicidal maniac hunting down bloodsuckers and staking them in the sun? She wasn’t getting twitchy, was she?” That was the last thing we needed. “It worries me. If this drags out too long we’re going to have a handful of pissed of vampires.”
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