A Hunt Among Vampires (The Angel Series)

by M. Cheykota

  I examine the bottles of wine and gawk at the labels. The prices of each of these bottles are in the thousands. I’d like to see Christien’s wine cellar myself.

  Before I can process another thought, Christien comes back into the room carrying the backpack I intended to use earlier along with two wine glasses. He passes me the bag and picks up the less expensive wine bottle. He easily removes the cork with a pop.

  “How much do you think we should use?” I ask, pulling out a bag of blood and a syringe.

  He shrugs. “We will start with a syringe and work from there. After each addition of blood, I will taste it until we reach the desired results.”

  “That sounds good to me.” Carefully, I draw a full syringe, 30ml, of my blood.

  Christien nods approvingly and accepts the syringe from me. He pushes the plunger and empties the contents into the wine. He seals the bottle quickly with the cork and gently mixes the contents. A few moments later, he reopens the bottle and pours a small amount in each of our wine glasses, resealing it quickly.

  His nose is in the glass, sniffing. I pick up my glass and follow his lead. I can barely smell any hint of blood. The scent of blood is only as strong as if someone has a paper cut in the room against the pungent odor of the heady wine. Christien and I raise our glasses to each other in a toast and take a sip. My lips tingle from the potency of the wine, but that is all I get from tasting my own blood. I look over at Christien and see his eyes shining silver.

  “Can you taste it?” I ask, taking another small sip of the delicious wine.

  “Can you not?” He tilts his head in curiosity.

  “I can smell a hint of blood, but I can’t taste it. I just taste the flavor of the wine.”

  “This is incredible. I can clearly detect your blood when I drink it. It seems to boost the potency of the wine. I can imagine becoming quite drunk on this wine when normally it would not affect me.” He says in amazement.

  “We only used one ounce of my blood. Are you getting a power boost?”

  “Not really. It is more like a buzz, which is the desired affect I wished for.”

  “Can you smell my blood in the glass?”

  “I can, but it is quite diluted by the smell of the strong wine. I chose these wines because they are the most pungent of my selections.” Christien admits.

  “Good, that was easy enough. What if he drinks the entire bottle of wine? Do you think he’ll receive a power boost?”

  “He will not receive a large enough power boost for it to significant. The only way to test that theory would be to drink the entire bottle. I should not attempt to drink it myself. I need to keep my wits tonight if we are to meet with him later.”

  “So, should we call in one of your vampires and give them a go at it?”

  Christien laughs and finishes the last sip in his glass. “What a brilliant idea, chatte.”

  He telepathically calls a vampire into the room. The vampire is ordinary in looks and height. He glances at us both and nods to us.

  “Master?” The vampire asks.

  “I require a favor from you Alwin. I would like you to drink the contents of this bottle of wine and tell me how you feel. I need as much feedback as you are able to provide.”

  Without hesitation, Alwin steps closer to the table and accepts the glass from Christien. Christien opens the bottle and fills Alwin’s glass.

  “Before you begin, what do you smell?” Christien asks.

  Alwin brings the glass to his nose and his eyes flash silver. “There is blood in the wine?”

  Christien nods. “How strong is the scent? Could you detect it when I was pouring?”

  He shakes his head. “I could not detect the blood until I brought the glass to my nose. It is different, this blood.”

  “What gives you that impression?” Christien asks curiously.

  “The scent of blood is barely detectable, but it doesn’t smell like human blood, not exactly. Is it some type of animal blood?”

  “No. The blood is not harmful. You may find it quite appealing. I would never harm you. Please drink and tell me your thoughts.” Christien demands.

  Alwin doesn’t hesitate. He takes a sip at first. His eyes blaze as he takes a more eager drink.

  “Your thoughts?” Christien asks.

  Alwin takes another drink, finishing the glass and licks his lips. “This is incredible. What is this? I’ve never tasted anything like it.”

  “How do you feel?” I ask.

  He looks at me and his eyes are slightly glassy. “I remember drinking when I was young before I was turned. If I didn’t know any better, I would believe I am slightly inebriated. I can taste the blood, but it is more like an aftertaste.” He glances at the bottle and smiles. “You want me to drink the entire bottle?” He looks at Christien and smiles. “I think this is one command I am going to enjoy tremendously master. It has been a very, very long time since I have been drunk.”

  We all laugh.

  I smile at Alwin. “Have at it, but tell us as much as you can about how you are feeling after each glass. If you feel any changes in your abilities, say so immediately.”

  “We would like you to wait a few moments between glasses. It would be helpful to know exactly how much wine it will take for you to get drunk or feel any changes in your abilities, positive or negative.”

  “I suppose you are not willing to tell me what’s in the wine?” Alwin asks.

  “No.” Christien states plainly.

  Alwin shrugs and pours himself another glass. “The affect does not seem to last very long. I have already lost my inebriation.”

  “Interesting.” Christien comments as he pulls out a chair for me.

  I sit down delicately, careful not to wrinkle my dress. He takes the seat beside me, closest to the vampire finishing his second glass.

  “I have regained my inebriation. The faster I drink, the stronger the buzz. I still cannot truly taste the blood. Did you mix the blood with a drug?”

  “No, you are completely safe, mon ami. Tell me, do you feel any changes in your power?”

  “I am no longer tired. I feel refreshed and quite sated. I admit that I have already fed tonight, but this feeling is similar to if I made a kill.”

  “Do you mean you feel overly fed, like you gorged on blood?” I ask him for clarification.

  “I do not feel that type of drunk. I know what that feels like.” He gives me an apologetic look. “What I feel like is closer to being full. Not like I overfed, more like any more blood and I will overindulge.”

  I nod. “Ah, I see.”

  “Keep drinking Alwin.” Christien commands.

  He refills his glass again. Half the bottle is now gone. Alwin continues to explain his reaction to the wine. The more he drinks, the longer his inebriation holds, but there is no increase in his power. By the end of the bottle, he is unsteady on his feet and the grin never leaves his face. He is beginning to transpose some of his words when trying to explain the affect the angel blood tainted wine is having on him.

  Alwin hiccups and flops into the closest chair. “Alldun massterr.” His silver eyes roll in his head. The sight of a drunken vampire is something to see.

  Since I have a metabolism similar to that of a vampire, I can’t remember the last time I was drunk, if ever.

  Alwin slides his glass towards Christien as if asking for another drink.

  He shakes his head at the drunken vampire. “You have finished the bottle, mon ami. You have our thanks. Are you experiencing anything other than inebriation?”

  “No, but the others will be jealous of me. I feel great.” His head lulls to the side, but he snaps it back upright, almost tossing himself from the chair.

  “Do you feel stronger? Feel like you can move faster?” I fire out my questions eagerly.

  “No, but I’m drunk, really drunk.” He starts to sing a song in another language, possibly German.

  Christien takes the glass that Alwin is swinging around wildly from his hand and p
laces it on the table next to mine. “That will be all, thank you Alwin for your assistance. You are free to go.”

  “Got anymore wine?” He whines as Christien gets him to his feet.

  Christien chuckles humorously. “No, but if I require another experiment to be conducted, I will make sure I let you know.”

  “Good, you do that. Wow!” Alwin’s eyes do their best to focus in my direction. “Who is that beauty?”

  Christien pushes Alwin towards the door a little harder than necessary. “She is mine. Now go.”

  I chuckle at Christien’s impatience. Alwin stumbles out the door and two vampires waiting outside the door catch him.

  “Please take Alwin to his quarters so he can rest.” He commands the two vampires. They comply immediately.

  I giggle. “Well, that was interesting. I wish the wine had the same affect on me. I don’t think I’ve ever been drunk, well, not by drinking alcohol firsthand.”

  Understanding completely, Christien frowns at the unopened bottle of wine on the table.

  “What’s wrong?” I ask.

  “He may think the bottle is tainted.”

  “Poisoned, you mean?”

  He nods.

  “Can’t you smell it if something contains poison?”

  Christien nods. “Most likely I would be able to tell if someone is trying to poison me, but there are some poisons that are odorless even to a vampire. Most poisons cannot harm a vampire, but there are a small few from other species that have some affect on us. He may still think the bottle is unsafe.”

  “Not if you insist your own vampire drink some in front of him. That way, he will witness the results firsthand.” I suggest.

  “That may be a possibility, but he may believe that I am willing to sacrifice my own vampire for a chance to kill him.”

  “You know,” I rise from my seat. “Vampire politics really suck. Nobody trusts anybody. It’s amazing how the vampires were even capable of forming any type of ruling body.”

  “He would not be so weary if I drank from the bottle myself in front of him.” Christien thinks aloud.

  “Yeah, but we won’t be there, will we?” I shoot back.

  “No, not while the introduction letter is being delivered.”

  “Then maybe you should tell him in the letter that you would enjoy sharing the wine with him when you meet.”

  “I stand corrected. You are much more aware of vampire politics than I originally thought.” He compliments me, placing a chaste kiss on my lips.

  “Thank you. Do you think we should put the same amount in this bottle or less?” I suggest, getting the syringe and bag of blood out of the backpack.

  “I would recommend the same amount. It will give the master vampire the desired effect. I chose Alwin to run this test because I believe he would be the closest in age to the master of the city. If the master is younger, then he will possibly become more inebriated.”

  “Okay.” I respond, unsure what to say. It is a little disconcerting to learn that Christien is sire to vampires older than the Master of the City is. “You wanna get the cork on the bottle for me?”

  He pulls the cork and offers me the bottle. I quickly empty the ounce of blood into the wine. He replaces the cork on the bottle and places it on the table.

  A young looking vampire enters the room soon after Christien replaces the cork on the bottle. Christien hands him the formal introduction and the bottle of wine with instructions to deliver the items to the Master of the City. When Christien gives the vampire the Master of the City’s address, I frown. The vampire leaves the room after giving us a respectful bow.

  “You know where the Master of the City lives?” I ask.

  “It is not difficult knowledge to obtain where the Master of the City holds audiences. Getting him to acknowledge our request would be the difficult part.” He offers me his hand and guides me to the door. “I have made reservations for us at Pierre’s. Hopefully we will finish dinner before it is time to introduce ourselves to him.”

  Chapter 11

  We arrive at the beautiful restaurant and Christien sweeps me inside. I feel no regret for the hit I performed here not that long ago, but I cannot stop my gaze from glancing at the table where the woman was sitting. Christien’s hand tightens on my waist as we move into a private dining room. The room has lavish burgundy wall coverings with gold trimmings. The dining table covered in a cream tablecloth gleams with fine china. I take the seat to the right of the head of the table. Christien takes his seat at the head and motions for a waiter. The waiter promptly steps up next to him and offers to take our drink order. He orders us each a glass of fine wine as he takes my hand.

  “You are nervous.” He states while squeezing my hand gently. “You have no need to be.”

  Not even realizing what I am doing, I look down at my other hand clutching a cloth napkin I do not remember grabbing. “I guess I am.” I place the napkin on my lap. “I am weary about walking into a vampire lair. I have made a point to interact with vampires as little as possible my entire life. Within a few weeks, I am neck deep in vampire politics.”

  “I will keep you safe, amour. You have no need to worry. There will be no fighting this night. I would not want you to ruin the beautiful dress you are wearing. I am looking forward to peeling it off you tonight when we return home. This will only be a meeting to figure out what he wants in return for me and mine to stay in the city.”

  “Don’t say that there will be no fighting. You never know what to expect from vampires.”

  “You have such a strong disliking of vampires.” Christien muses. “I am beginning to understand why you would not talk to me when I first approached you. No matter, I will do whatever necessary to keep you safe tonight.”

  We are halfway through dinner when Christien’s messenger returns. We both look up at him at his arrival.

  The vampire bows respectfully. “Excuse me master, mistress.”

  I blink at the way he addresses me but do not comment.

  “The Master of the City has granted you an audience. He wishes to see you and the mistress within an hour. He says that each of you may only bring one guard.”

  “I understand. Please return to the house and have Pantor and Brigita return with blood for Jessica. They will be our guards tonight.” Christien demands.

  The vampire nods and leaves the room without a sound.

  “Who is Brigita?” I ask.

  “She is your new bodyguard. She is a powerful vampire and very well trained in security. Anywhere you go from now on, she will join you.” Christien announces.

  “Wait a minute...”

  He raises a hand to stop my protest. “Anytime that I am unavailable to join you, she can accompany you. I understand that you are a very independent woman and need your privacy. She will remain at a discreet distance if you wish. In effect, she will become your shadow. As a mate of a master vampire, you must understand that you will now be a target. I do not have many enemies, but there are some. Do not forget that Hassan is still out there. If you do not approve of my choice of bodyguard, you may choose another from my get. I have several women to choose from that are more than capable of guarding you in the city. They will obey you as they obey me. If you are working, she will allow you to do your job and not interfere unless you are in danger. Please, I beg you not to fight me on this Jessica.”

  “You really expect me to have a baby sitter forever? Look, I do appreciate what you are offering, but I have been fine on my own for a long time. Just because I have decided to stick around you for a while, it doesn’t mean that you are going to control my life.” I rant angrily.

  Christien’s jaw tightens. The waiter returns with the dessert cart.

  My eyes widen and my jaw slackens with awe. I look over at Christien with my pleading eyes and he nods. I point to a piece of white chocolate raspberry cheesecake and a lemon tart accompanied by a lemon mousse. The waiter places them in front of me and I fight hard not to drool.

  I tak
e a bite of the cheesecake and moan. “This is perfect.”

  His anger dissipating, Christien watches me with an amused look.

  It does not take me long to finish the cheesecake and work my way to the lemon tart. I am about to take a bite of it when my hand freezes halfway to my mouth. Pantor and a young, gorgeous, blonde bombshell step into the room. Pantor is wearing a dark gray Armani suit with matching tie. His shirt is blood red. The woman is wearing a skintight, gold dress adorned with expensive gold jewelry. They both bow and curtsy respectfully before the woman approaches my side.

  “Hello mistress. I am Brigita.” She offers her hand to me. I put my fork down and accept her hand. “I will be your guard. You may count on me to keep you safe.”

  Her accent is strange to me. It is not strong, but I can tell that she is not American. I let go of her hand and give her a second look. Christien and Pantor are watching me carefully. “I can keep myself safe. I don’t need a bodyguard. This is Christien’s idea, not mine.”

  She giggles. “Good, my job will be easy then.” She holds out her hand to Pantor and Pantor gives her some type of moneybag that people strap across their waist. “Here is your blood mistress. I understand you do not like it cold so I warmed it before arriving.”

  I stare at her for a few moments before accepting the bag. True to her word, I can feel the warmth of the blood through the material. I rest the bag on my lap, under my napkin as she claims a place near the wall on my left. I take a final bite of the lemon mousse and rinse my mouth with water.

  “I’m ready to go. I think I’ll save the blood for later.” I state confidently.