Infamous: (A Bad Boy Romantic Suspense)

by Noir, Mila

  That sounded good and ominous. I braced myself for a slap or ice water or something else unpleasant. Instead a cool hand was placed against my sore cheek.

  “Emma? Time to wake up. We have much to discuss.” The familiar voice again. I was starting to place it when I opened my eyes and looked into the face of Alexis, the councilperson, plummy red hair still perfectly, softly mohawked, lips a deep red, eyes playfully predatory. I gulped. That was the voice that had scared me, the cheerful one. The one that, beneath the sunny tones, had been full of fangs and blood and terror.

  Alexis sat across from me, legs crossed, and smiled. It wasn’t even remotely friendly, although there was the suggestion that the smile attempted to be. Like someone who knows you should smile to put people at ease but doesn’t quite understand why.

  “You,” I croaked, feeling like I should be more surprised. But somehow it fit. Alexis had been the most cavalier at the council meeting but also the most interested in what was going on, beneath the aloof amusement. The behavior of the other two had been perfunctory, though I knew Edward just outright hated me. Hate I could handle. What I saw in Alexis’s face was calculating. It was cold. It would use me if it could and spit me out. And if it couldn’t?

  “Yes, me. It’s been a while. How have you been?” Alexis asked, still all smiles.

  “Fabulous. Especially the ‘drugged and tied up’ part. Every girl’s dream,” I said.

  “You’d be surprised.” Alexis sighed, as though remembering a fond memory. I raised an eyebrow.

  “Misspent youth, what can I say?” she said, and laughed. It was a bright, tinkling sound, but hollow. It lacked something a human laugh would have. Soul.

  “So, not that I’m not grateful for the holiday and everything, but what the fuck do you want?” I asked, straightening up as best I could. My limbs still felt too heavy; my legs in particular seemed weighted down as if by concrete blocks. At least I could feel them now, unlike when I woke up.

  “Right to the point. No girl talk? I was curious about what it was like to sleep with both Robert and Dimitri. Compare notes. Amongst other things,” she said and waggled a pinky finger suggestively.

  “They both get it done,” I said, then shut up. There was no way I was going to indulge this little game she was playing. She wanted something from me and I wasn’t going to make it easy to get, whatever it was.

  “Shy, how quaint. Well, the point of this isn’t to talk about those two lovely men, however gorgeous or talented in bed they may be. My family has other needs,” she said, getting down to business finally.

  “Your family?” My stomach suddenly felt tight and sick.

  “Yes. Very few, not even the other council members, know that I am part of a house this old. One of the oldest. Neither of your protectors are aware either, as it should be. We have…plans for both their houses in the coming days. We have plans for a great many things,” she said.

  “Okay. Well, that’s…nice? You guys do you. I don’t have anything to do with vampire politics and I don’t want to. So if you could just point me to the nearest door…” I shifted, uncomfortable with being told what were clearly top-secret details. That didn’t bode well for my eventual freedom.

  “Ah, but you do. This apparent ability of yours not to be influenced by us could be quite handy. If you chose the right side,” she said, leaning forward, attempting a look of friendly concern.

  “Which would be yours,” I said.

  “You learn fast. I like a human who isn’t thick,” she said.

  “Thanks. I guess this wouldn’t be a good time to point out that all of you vampires used to be humans,” I said. Her face remained smiling but there was now a tightness around the mouth.

  “True. We like to forget our unfortunate origins. Look to the future. Since we have so much more of it,” she said.

  “Yes, and how do you use it? Playing stupid political games and kidnapping people. Oh, and eating them. Let’s not forget that,” I said. I was over this pleasantry bullshit.

  “Who could? Take you, for instance. I could eat you right now. Drain all the blood from your body. But slowly. Painfully. Letting you feel every moment of your pointless little life slipping away, drop by delicious, red drop,” she said and smiled. This time her mouth was full of razor-sharp points and it cracked, wider than it should be. I swallowed.

  “Sure. But if you were going to, you would have. You need something from me. Or I’d be dead,” I said, keeping my voice even. I felt powerless and helpless in the situation, so I clung to the one thing I knew to be true: if they’d wanted me dead, I would be. There was more to this.

  “Not thick at all, I see,” Alexis said. I saw Stoller come strolling in, spindly limbs planting themselves carefully, looking unnaturally hinged.

  “Done yet?” he asked, coming to stand behind Alexis.

  “Oh, hardly. This meatsack has spunk, I’ll give her that,” she said, looking up at him.

  “Does she? I thought she was rather boring, personally. Although she does have a decent ability to slap,” he said, rolling his eyes as though this were the most tedious topic in the world. And yet I could see he was tense, waiting.

  “Oh, Stoller. This is why I employ you. Your stunning wit,” Alexis said, voice dripping with sarcasm. She looked at me as one might a bug one was considering squashing.

  “You employ me because I get things done. The things you don’t want anyone knowing you do,” he said, a calculating look on his face.

  “Hey, uhm, I don’t need to hear any of this, okay? I like to keep the amount of information that could get me killed to a minimum,” I said, pushing up in my seat. I wiggled my toes and felt them tingle. My arms were free but felt like they had bowling balls attached to them. Every movement felt like an extreme effort. It was frustrating and terrifying.

  “It’s rather too late for any of that,” said Alexis. She waved a hand at Stoller and he slunk away.

  “I thought it might be,” I muttered.

  “So, the reason you haven’t been drained and mounted like a trophy on a wall is pretty simple: in order for us to utilize your gift, you must be turned willingly. Otherwise you’ll simply be a thrall and of no use. Unfortunate, I know,” Alexis said. Something clicked in my head and I started to laugh. I laughed loud and hard, tears streaming down my face.

  Alexis didn’t look thrilled by my mirth, which just made me laugh harder. It was hysterical laughter, because none of this was funny ha-ha, but it was certainly absurd, ridiculous, and utterly beyond reason. I laughed until my throat was raw and I started to cough. My face was red and wet with tears. Alexis eyed me with a suspicious look.

  “Sorry,” I gasped out. “You have to understand, this is all…insane. My entire life is madness topped with a cherry of what the fuck. All of it.” And I burst into a peal of laughter again, shorter this time, but still deep.

  “Are you quite finished?” Alexis asked, lips pursed, straightening her immaculately cut jacket.

  “Oh, yes. Yes, I think I am. I’m finished. And so is this entire farce,” I said.

  “You think so?” she said, arching a brow.

  “Definitely. Because I will never, ever, not in a million years, agree to be turned by you. Or anyone. I want my life back, free of fangs and threats and all of you,” I said. I lifted my arms with effort and pushed my lank hair back. I rubbed the tears off my cheeks and look her right in the eyes.

  “Is that so,” she said, flatly.

  “It really, really, really fucking is,” I said. I finally felt like I had some control back. They couldn’t make me do anything, because trying to would ruin what it was they needed from me. I had a say in what happened now. I had something approaching power.

  “That’s unfortunate. While we can’t kill you, we have other ways of…convincing you. You’ll side with us willingly. Eventually,” she said. She stood and signaled.

  “Stoller has taken a strong dislike to you. I think it’s because you’re special to me, personally. He doesn�
��t like the competition. He’s also rather vain, who knows why. The fact that you hit him and left a mark is something he won’t soon forget.” My stomach sank. I had been hoping, in vain, that my firm declaration would be enough. That I’d be let go and walk out into the sun, towards that mountain I had seen across the sea, ready to get on with my life.

  Instead I was sitting in a room with an extremely arrogant vampire and a pissed-off arachnid changeling who clearly wanted to make my life as painful as possible. I had no doubt he would, too. And there was that third voice, the one I hadn’t recognized. I was far from home, not sure where I was, and help was probably too far away. Dimitri and Robert would have to know where I was to help, and there was no way to know if they had any idea I had been taken rather than left.

  As I sat there, a cool breeze came in from the window, and the smell of salt and something acidic, like roasting tomatoes, wafted into the room. I turned my face to the window and thought I saw something. I quickly looked away.

  “I would rather not employ Stoller if I don’t have to,” Alexis said sadly.

  “Yeah, I bet. Look, I don’t care what your power struggle is all about. I don’t care what vampire house dominates or rules or whatever it is you guys do. You can do what you want. It won’t work. I won’t help you,” I said. I sat up as straight as I could and looked her dead in the eye. I set my mouth in a firm, hard line, with an effort put my hands in my lap, and attempted to look like I didn’t have a care in the world.

  She was in front of me suddenly, lunging down, teeth bared, eyes that obsidian, hard black, like a shark’s.

  “Defying me is not wise. I’ve been generous and understanding until now. It won’t last. I can make it so that Stoller leaves you a hideous, misshapen mess, begging to be turned,” she hissed. I swallowed but did not flinch.

  “You talk a big game. And I’m sure you can deliver. But I’m tougher than I look,” I said. She laughed.

  “I doubt it,” she said. She walked back towards Stoller, who was grinning at me like a hyena. He waved a hand at me cheerfully, clearly getting ready to enjoy a good round of torture. I pictured myself being peeled like an apple and decided I should probably concentrate on something else. I looked out the window again and it finally dawned on me what the mountain was. I knew where I was.

  I was still in Italy, which was a plus. I was looking at Mount Vesuvius, the volcano that had decimated Pompeii and Herculaneum hundreds of years ago. I wondered if Alexis had been there at the time and decided I didn’t really want to know. There’s really only so much you want to know about someone who is about to sic a demented spider person on you.

  “You don’t really know me. You just think you do because it’s been so long since you’ve been human, you’ve forgotten that we’re stronger than any creature of the night, no matter how old or powerful,” I said. She pursed her lips.

  “And why is that?” she asked as Stoller advanced, carrying something that glinted dully and unpleasantly.

  “Because we know we will die. So we don’t take any moment for granted,” I said.

  I sat there, waiting for Stoller to start cutting, looking up at the ceiling, feeling the cool ocean air on my skin. I thought about how long that wind had traveled to get there, what it had seen, what it carried with it. Sweet scents of faraway places? Warm summer nights from far out on the ocean? The sound of gulls or bells from the coast?

  I watched the rusty blade begin its descent, Alexis’s disappointed frown, the look of glee on Stoller’s face at the pain he was about to inflict…

  And I thought about the wind. And the things that might ride in on it.

  Part 4

  When I was little I used to play make-believe a lot. I don’t have any brothers or sisters and my parents, while great, both worked. So I spent time alone pretty often. This was back before letting your preteen stay home by themselves could earn you a visit from Child Protective Services. My parents had taught me all the important things, like not using the stove, staying away from sharp objects, and not answering the door. I was a reasonable kid and assumed they wouldn’t warn me about anything that wasn’t a good thing to avoid. I also generally obeyed rules. I wasn’t an adventurous kid except in my mind. I guess I was a little afraid of what would happen if I strayed from the straight and narrow, even then.

  One night when both my folks were working late, I was pretending I was a monster hunter. I’d just watched some old mummy movie and thought it sounded like a really cool job. I tied a sheet around my neck, made a sword out of cardboard, and proceeded to search my house for critters. I didn’t find any.

  I did, however, scare the utter shit out of myself when I heard a growling, shrieking noise outside. I was convinced it was some kind of demon creature. I hid behind the couch until my mom came home. I slept in her bed that night. Later, when I was grown-up, I heard that sound again outside my college dorm. It was a raccoon; they have a really disturbing scream. I laughed, secure in the knowledge that monsters weren’t real and that every strange bump, squeak, or screech could be explained.

  These days I know monsters are real, they bite, and some of them are really, really, really good in bed.

  Unfortunately, right now, I’m not dealing with the good-in-bed kind. I’m dealing with the would-like-to-rip-my-skin-off-strip-by-strip sort. They’re a lot less fun.

  Of course, they think they’ve got me. They think that, if they cut deep enough, for long enough, I’ll take their side and then they can use me and my “gift” for their vampire political machinations. I’m not real keen on this idea, as you can imagine. In fact, at the moment, I’m pretty pissed off about the whole thing.

  I never really knew there was a lot of anger in me. I always thought of myself as the shy, quiet, bookish type. Never took major risks. Then I decided to take a post-college trip to Europe. Expand my horizons. Experience the world. And everything went straight to hell.

  Turns out there’s a whole lot out there that’s weirder than just what people get up to in Amsterdam’s Red Light District. There are vampires. And werewolves. And changelings. And probably even more things than that. Monsters are real and if I could hunt some of them like I used to pretend to as a kid, like the ones that are currently about to torture me, I’d be pretty tempted.

  But there are some good ones out there.

  And what these assholes don’t know? There’s a change in the wind coming. Literally.

  I looked up at Stoller defiantly, doing my best not to look directly at the sharp object in his hand or the look of evil glee on his face. From the corner of my eye I saw a large man who looked vaguely lupine about the ears and eyes come into the room, lean over Alexis, and say something inaudible. Her face tightened.

  “Wait,” Alexis said, sighing a little and holding up her hand. The spidery man looked disappointed. No cutting into me yet. I didn’t relax. It wasn’t like I was suddenly safe.

  I just had to be patient. And hope that I wasn’t putting my trust in the wrong people.

  “What?” asked Stoller irritably. He was eyeing some other instruments on a little table and I really didn’t want to find out what the shiny corkscrew-looking one was for. Alexis unfolded herself and paced the room in a way that made me both envy her effortless grace and wish she’d trip and smack her face on something.

  “Oh, nothing. Just our little meatsack here somehow managed to get tracked down by her erstwhile lovers. They’re apparently in the city looking for her.” She waved her pale hands and looked at Stoller with dislike. I felt a sliver of hope, although Dimitri and Robert being in town didn’t necessarily mean I was saved. I just had more of a hope of getting out of here with my limbs still attached than I had before.

  “So? It’s not like they’re at our doorstep. We can do this,” Stoller said, shrugging.

  “I really dislike you,” I muttered. He gave me a sharp look but said nothing. Alexis was regarding me thoughtfully, which, in many ways, was way worse than Stoller holding a knife over me.

&
nbsp; “You don’t know those two like I do. Once they’ve…fixated on someone, they don’t let them go. Not easily, anyway,” she said.

  “More the fools them, then. By the time I’m done with her she won’t remember her own name, let alone theirs.” Stoller’s eyes glinted and I swallowed.

  “Dammit, Stoller, I’ve explained this. We need her…intact, mostly. She has to agree to this willingly or it’s all for nothing. So yes, you can hurt her. Even maim her a little. But you can’t do one of your Uber Tortures where they’re left dribbling morons,” Alexis said. Which was both a relief and utterly terrifying to hear on several levels.

  I sat there contemplating what I could do to get word to Dimitri and Robert. I had a kind of ace up my sleeve these two were clearly unaware of, but then I didn’t know how many guards Alexis had stashed around the place. That big werewolfy-type guy probably wasn’t the only one. And I really didn’t want my rescue getting thwarted on account of Robert or Dimitri getting dead.

  I had to trust that they’d come for me and know what they were doing. Which was difficult. Nothing about this entire situation screamed, “Please, trust some vampires you barely know with your life.” Mostly it screamed, “Get me the fuck out of here!”

  Alexis and Stoller continued to argue and I sat there, feeling stupendously useless. I couldn’t take either of these two physically, and in any case I was still weak and tired from the drugs and lack of food. I’d get about five feet before falling over and being right back where I started. Plus, I had no money, my passport was God knows where, and I was in a foreign country. I’d have to find the embassy somehow and explain all of…this. Which was unexplainable. My options were so limited they weren’t really options.

  “…we could get them here and kill them, easy. It’s not like they like each other much anyway. We could let them kill each other and be done with it. And then get back to her.” This was Stoller, sounding unusually clever. So far he’d mostly come across as a thug. Now he was strategizing. That’s never good, when the cruel start to come up with ways to be crueler.