by Jana Denardo
Arrigo flashed his teeth. “Not a chance, but finding her isn’t going to be easy. Not in a city like this.” He shot Luc an apologetic look.
“Yeah or you would have got her before this happened,” Luc said, and Arrigo winced. “Sorry, I didn’t mean it like that.”
“No, it’s fair enough.”
“So it’s settled.” Siobhan broke in before it got too heavy. “You’re staying, and I’ll have to go.”
“You’re not gonna be here to help?” Luc hadn’t expected that. Two vampires had to be better than one, right?
“Yes, I’ll be here to help mentor you because Arri truly is rubbish at it, but you’re in my bedroom. I didn’t think you’d like it if I share Arrigo’s bed.” She shrugged. “And I’m not sure you’re ready to do that either.”
“No, sorry,” Luc mumbled, but he wasn’t entirely sure who he was apologizing to, Arrigo, her, or to himself for being so scared of every shitting thing.
“So I need to find a new place to lay my head. I can stay on the couch until then.”
Luc shook his head. “Nah, you don’t have to. You can stay with Arrigo if you want. I mean, you’re ex-lovers, right?” He thought it would be a hard thought, but oddly it was one of the least upsetting things so far. Luc didn’t know why.
“Off and on over the decades,” Arrigo replied. “We actually aren’t right now, but not because we’re angry at each other or anything. I’m here, and she’s living in Boston. Not to mention, I’m trying to be with you. I’m usually a one-lover-at-a-time sort of guy, remember? Anyhow we don’t want to make you uncomfortable.”
“You won’t. I get it.” He also wanted someone between him and Arrigo because he could see himself rushing into things he wasn’t ready for. “I got a question, though. Why so many windows?” Luc gestured to the view. “Aren’t you afraid of burning up? I know you said you can withstand some sun.”
Arrigo smiled. “I can. I have blackout curtains on everything for the midday sun, and look at that view.” He nodded at the windows and the glowing city beyond. “How could I pass it up now that I can handle the sun? I spent so long in the darkness, I didn’t want to waste light.”
Luc didn’t want to think about it. What could he possibly offer a man with centuries of lovers other than complete clumsiness? Arrigo was probably tired of virgins by now. But if that was true, why would he ever give Luc the time of day?
“Another question, bullets can kill us too, right? I mean you said Hanako was shot, or was that a lie?”
“We can handle getting shot. However, if a bullet, or more likely a shotgun blast, destroys enough of your brain, you will die,” Arrigo replied. “But Hanako wasn’t a vampire. She was a miko, a type of Japanese witch.” A hardness formed in Arrigo’s eyes, and in that moment Luc was a little scared of him. Luc knew when someone was ready to attack, and Arrigo was there.
“Whose power couldn’t work well in the desert,” Siobhan added, which explained Arrigo’s anger. “Michael is a werewolf without a trail to follow. There was too much of your scent on your clothes for him to pick out Eleni’s. We tried.”
“Would it help that I know where she took me? I mean she might still be there.” Luc wrinkled his nose. “If she’s stupid. She knew she left me alive, after all.”
Arrigo grinned as wide as a gator. “That would be hugely helpful. Change of plans. You take us there, and then we’ll go shopping.” He fished his phone out and made a call.
“You’ll need to listen to us carefully when we’re there, Luc. If Eleni’s around, you’ll be in danger. You don’t know how to fight as a vampire,” Siobhan said.
“I don’t know to fight, period,” Luc said.
At the same time, Arrigo said, “Michael. We know where she’s been hiding out. We need you to meet us.” Arrigo nodded as he listened to Michael. “All right in an hour, then.”
“What’s up?” Siobhan asked when he tucked his phone away.
“He’s picking up reinforcements at the airport, a wizard who volunteered to come.” Arrigo smiled. “It’s about damn time.”
Too late, Luc thought, too damn late to help me. Huh, it’s 2012 and the world was supposed to end. Guess it did in a way for me. Maybe being a vampire wouldn’t be so bad. He was too numb to even think about all the changes sweeping over him. Had he really volunteered to take them back to where Eleni had torn apart his life? The mere thought made him shake. Luc hoped they didn’t notice. He could do this. He would do this. If this was going to be a new life for him, it was time to be brave.
GEORGE HAD trouble waiting until near dark for Eleni to wake up. Surprisingly, she hadn’t dealt with the cats in their new hideout, but he guessed it made sense. If the neighbors noticed there suddenly weren’t any felines in the windows, it might send up a red flag. That was the last thing he and Eleni needed.
George scratched the head of a black mouthy cat to make it stop headbutting him for attention. He wished he knew why Eleni refused to move on. Arrigo had learned she was in Las Vegas, and had in all likelihood called in the Chiaroscuro. Arrigo had instantly texted back he’d make Eleni pay after she had taunted him with the “where is your bartender?” crack. That had rattled her, and she had handed the burner phone off to a bum. To George, it was a clear sign they should get the hell out of town.
He didn’t give a damn about seeing Arrigo suffer. He was beginning to think he had allied himself with a crazy woman. He had thought he loved her and what she represented. He’d killed for her. That had been a horrible mistake. Eleni had George so caught up in her desires, he would have done anything for her.
Definitely a huge mistake. She was going to get him killed, and George began to think Eleni wouldn’t give a damn if she did. He thought she cared about him, but he could be wrong about that. The cat on his lap purred loudly. He smiled at it. How had his life gotten this complicated? He’d made some singularly stupid choices, and he didn’t know if he could live with them. He wasn’t even sure he’d get the chance to try.
“George.”
He snapped his head up. He hadn’t heard Eleni stirring over the loud purr on his lap. “I did go looking for Arrigo and the bartender, but there is no way into Veer Tower without being noticed. Too much security. Arrigo never came out.” George shoved the cat away.
Eleni stalked over, kicking at the cat who hadn’t quite given up on George’s lap. It hissed at her. She glared at him and the feline.
He took her hand. “I think we should go, Eleni. You got what you wanted. It’s time to move on.”
She scowled, jerking her hand free. That ruined his fragile hope they could get out of there and put it all behind them. “I haven’t had time to enjoy Arrigo’s pain.”
“How are you going to see it?” George jumped to his feet even though he knew confronting Eleni was dangerous. “You can’t get into the Veer, and if you get close, won’t he sense you?”
Her features tightened further, and George’s heart pounded. Had he pushed too far? Did he die tonight?
“You have a point, but we got this second house so we’d have a safe place to observe from. I couldn’t erase the entire night from Luc’s mind. He could remember where I took him,” she said reluctantly. “We’ll stay, but for now we’ll keep our distance, or more precisely, I will. You can keep an eye on those bars in Fremont. Arrigo won’t know you. You can at least observe, see if he brings Luc along.”
George bobbed his head. Agreeing sounded better than pissing Eleni off. “That should be easy enough.” He wondered if he could run off during the day if things got worse.
“I hope so. I’d hate to think I’m going to get no enjoyment out of all this work.” Her eyes flared.
George feared what would happen if she didn’t.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
“I DIDN’T think it would be so bright.” Luc shielded his eyes as they left Veer Towers. All the lights stabbed his eyes like an enraged porcupine. “Like the day after Mardi Gras. How do you stand it? My senses are live wires.�
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“You’ll get used to it.” Arrigo slapped his shoulder. “It takes time. Siobhan should have brought the car around by now.” He scanned the parking lot. “Do you see her?”
“All I see is too much light.” Luc wiped his watering eyes. “Maybe your first lesson ought to be how not to go mad from all the lights.”
“We’ll work on that on the drive.” Arrigo sounded so upbeat, Luc wanted to punch him, maybe rub a little salt in his eyes to remind the older vampire what this was like.
Of course Luc assumed Arrigo wasn’t lying about getting used to it to make Luc feel good. “Yeah, freaking great.”
“A word of warning, I doubt Michael will be any less intense than the last time you met him.”
“Figured. I’m ready for it,” Luc lied but couldn’t blame Michael. What would he do if someone killed his lover? Probably be a wreck and nowhere near as intense as Michael, but still, Luc understood.
“Ah, there she is.” Arrigo stepped off the sidewalk, heading for a silver Accord.
The ordinariness of the car surprised Luc. He jerked a thumb at it. “That’s your car?”
“No, it’s Siobhan’s rental.”
Luc considered and asked, “Do you even have a car?”
“I do.”
“It’s a sports car, ain’t it?” Luc smirked.
Arrigo ducked his head, his ponytail swinging. “Yes, which is why we’re taking Siobhan’s.”
“Do you do anything not flashy?”
“I do, but what is Vegas about if not the flash?” Arrigo gestured to the car. “Front or back?”
“I used to get sick in the back. Does our… condition fix motion sickness?” Luc could only hope.
Arrigo made a face. “Sit in the front.”
Disappointed, Luc got in the front. “What about Michael? Where are we meeting him?”
“We’re going to the Alibi. You said you left from there. Stands to reason you know the way from there,” Siobhan replied.
Luc tensed, his fists balling up. Siobhan reached over, resting a hand on his knee. “We’re not going inside yet. Not until you’re ready. We’re more interested in tracking your steps than dealing with your family. That’ll come soon enough.”
“Merci,” he mumbled. A weight rolled off his chest. Luc knew he had to deal with his father. He didn’t want to ever see them again, but he wouldn’t be free until he confronted his family.
Luc slunk down in the seat a little in case someone he knew roamed the streets near the bar. Arrigo and Siobhan chatted back and forth, mostly speculation on the mage Michael had gone to fetch. He wasn’t sure how organized the Chia-whatever-it-was-called was if they hadn’t told Arrigo anything or sent him the help when he asked. Luc held his tongue, because what did he know about this sort of thing? The conversation washed over him. It might not be the best idea to fall into silence. It let Luc think, and he’d had more than enough time to think about his new condition when Eleni had abandoned him. Then, he hadn’t known what she’d done, but now, knowing only seemed to make it worse.
Once again, he was nothing, just a play toy in someone’s game of vengeance. He didn’t matter. Did he even matter to Arrigo? Why couldn’t Arrigo have protected him better? Of course he’d tried. Eleni bested him.
Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad. Luc had powers he’d never had before. All he had to give up was the sun, his chance to have his soul go to heaven and meet Jesus and Mary, and he had no idea if he could handle biting someone, though he could get blood from the butcher. That might be for the best.
Luc roused himself from his thoughts as Siobhan pulled her car over. They had made it to the Alibi. He jumped when the back door of the car opened, and Michael piled in.
“You know where we’re going?” Michael leaned over the seat, his face uncomfortably close to Luc’s.
Luc pulled away, pressing against the door. “Yeah. I think so.”
“You aren’t going to turn tail and run if we do this?”
Luc narrowed his eyes at him. “I said I’d take you.” He turned to Siobhan and pointed. “We went that way. I don’t know all the street names, but I can tell you when to turn.”
“That should be enough.”
Luc hoped it would be and that it wouldn’t take too long. It hadn’t seemed to take long that night, but his head had hurt so much, what the hell did he know? He didn’t like Michael. That was something he knew. Michael reminded Luc too much of Henri. Michael immediately picked Luc out as the weakest link and went for it. Luc’s reasons for wanting to track down Eleni were every bit as good as Michael’s. Why would he run? He owed her big-time.
Would Eleni see it as an attack? He wondered if she thought being a vampire was a gift. No, if she did, she would have kept him with her. That would have pissed Arrigo off, right? Having someone he cared about siding with her? Maybe she sensed he would never do it. He’d been attacked by her so why would he ever trust her? Did she think being a vampire rocked so hard he wouldn’t mind after the fact?
He needed to stop this nonsense. His brain whipped around faster than a hurricane and twice as destructive. Even as he mechanically pointed out the way to go, the doubts and fears pricked him. He made several wrong turns, worrying out loud that maybe his head had been too hurt that night for him to remember, even though he thought he could. Arrigo reassured him that if they couldn’t find it, the world wouldn’t end. Suddenly, he spotted a familiar bodega and then the street sign he was looking for, directing them down that street.
“There, that’s the house.” Luc clamped his jaw against a sudden wave of nausea. He didn’t think it would hit him like this, but damn, he had more or less died in that house. He would never be himself again. He was something new, maybe even something better, but his old life had ended here. Even if it hadn’t been a particularly good life, Luc mourned it.
Michael grabbed Luc’s arm. “Are you sure?”
He resisted the urge to pull away. “Pretty sure, yeah.”
Michael didn’t wait for the car to come to a complete stop. He bailed out and ran ahead of them. Arrigo raced out almost as quickly, and Luc figured that might be to stop Michael from attracting attention if he broke down the front door. Luc knew it had to be in the guy’s mind. Siobhan walked next to Luc once she got the car parked and he had convinced his unwilling muscles he had to get out of the car.
“And you’re sure?” Michael jogged back to Luc.
Luc ignored him and peeked in the living-room window, which he could see from the stoop. Inside the silly array of plastic kiddie toys were everywhere, horses upon horses. Some in colors God never intended a horse to be. He wasn’t likely to forget that.
“Definitely. She had a thing for dogs and horses. You know those square-faced dogs with the beards? Kinda ugly, no good for hunting.” Give him a Catahoula Leopard Hound any day.
“I need to get in here.” Michael rattled the door.
“Give me a moment.” Siobhan edged him aside and took a slender metal thing out of a pack in her purse.
Luc wondered if it were a professional lockpick. He glanced around to see if any of the neighbors were looking. This was the kind of neighborhood where probably everyone saw everything. Whether or not they would bother with getting involved was another story. The lock popped, and Siobhan opened the door. Would he have heard that sound as clearly just a few days ago?
Michael pushed past her, but Siobhan didn’t protest. They followed the werewolf more sedately. Werewolves—Luc could barely believe it. Fucking loup-garous were real too. Having accepted he was a vampire, a loup-garou was no big thing. Being there however—Luc felt like Henri was sitting on his chest trying to make Luc suck swamp water. Henri always enjoyed that. What if Eleni was still there? No, there were no lights on, and a vampire would probably be out and about now that the sun was down. She’d be an idiot to come back there.
“Guys, only way she’s still here is if she has a plan to hurt us, right?” Luc didn’t go any farther than the front door.
“You can do that? You can track?” Luc couldn’t contain his surprise. “I could have used a loup-garou like you hunting in the swamp.”
“You lost me at swamp, kid.” Michael took a deep breath in, his nostrils flaring. “Where were you?”
“Bedroom.” His face flushed. What would they make of that? Why should he care? It wasn’t like he had been there for sex, and so what if he had? The rules seemed a little different for vampires.
“Show me.”
“No.” The very thought of going up there nearly sent Luc back out the front door. The head-under-swamp-water feeling intensified. No way in hell was he going to that room.
Michael stomped over, grabbing Luc by the shirt. “What was that?”
“I ain’t doing it.” Luc pulled away, nearly stumbling when he did so. What the hell? How strong had becoming a vampire made him? Did it come with steel for his backbone too? He never stood up to people. Keep your head down; go along to get along was his rule. Why was he pissing off a potentially dangerous man?
“For the love of Jupiter, Michael, this place is tiny. You know it has to be down the hall. Go and quit bullying Luc.” Arrigo didn’t step closer to them, his gaze on Luc not Michael, as if he too was surprised Luc had stood up to the man.
Michael growled, sounding like an angry dog, then disappeared down the hall. Siobhan nosed around the living room, probably looking for other clues. Would she find anything? Eleni had had days to clear out.
Arrigo put his hand on Luc’s shoulder. “Are you okay?”
“No, not really. I’m going to go sit on the porch for a minute. Is that okay?”