Blood Vine

by Amber Belldene

  “Let me guess…” said Vania, tapping her neck with two fingers. Apparently she had heard stories like this before.

  “You’re right. Just as I settled on my land and began to plant vines, I awoke with that splitting not-quite-a-headache, hungry for blood.” Andre saw several of the vampires shield their eyes or cover their ears, remembering the sensory overload that debilitated every new vampire. “I’d been set upon by a vampire as I slept and turned against my will. Only instinct told me to seek shelter before dawn, or I would have burned right up.”

  “I’m grateful those days are over,” Omar said. He rubbed his neck and Andre silently agreed. To turn someone against his or her will had become a punishable offense.

  “Enough already. Get on with the story,” Bel said.

  “I despaired that my dream was lost until I realized that, with my night vision and my sense of smell, I could still make wine. Over the centuries, my wine got better and better. I bred a grape that became popular all over Dalmatia. I brought it with me when we fled. It has been called Zinfandel.”

  Omar huffed, letting Andre know he was getting impatient. “But what on earth made you drink it?”

  “The smell. One day, I was drawn to an open vat of wine as if it were blood. I sat on the floor next to it and tried to sniff out what was calling to me in the wine. It was something elemental. I don’t know how to describe it…” He scratched his scalp. “I could smell the minerals in it and my body wanted them. Like a woman I knew in the village who ate dirt every time she was pregnant.”

  “So you tried it?”

  “I had only the smallest sip. But when I put it in my mouth, it felt right, with a velvety texture like blood. When I kept down the sip, I drank a glass. I did not need to feed for a week. The more I drank, the less blood I needed. I would still get hungry for blood, but less often.”

  “And when Hunters came for you, you were able to bring some of the vines?”

  Andre nodded.

  “How did you keep them alive?”

  He recalled their travel through the Mediterranean and across the Atlantic in the hold of a ship. He and Kos had been able to dig up six root balls while the household staff packed a cart of their most precious objects. They wrapped the roots in sackcloth and loaded them onto the top of the heavily-laden cart. Kos pulled the cart to the harbor faster than a team of horses, while Andre flew the household staff two at a time. He was not fast enough, and the last four women were killed in the fire set by the Hunters. He still especially missed Magda; she had grown old in his service and he regretted he could not give her a proper burial.

  The members of his household who survived the fire were terribly seasick on the crossing. One poor maid died of dehydration unable even to drink water. Andre offered to turn her into a vampire, but she said she would rather die than live for eternity pursued by the evil Hunters.

  In the hold of the ship, the vines had no sunlight and precious little water. He hoped they would go dormant as they did in winter, but eventually the roots started to rot and the sack-cloths showed mold. For the entire journey, he troubled over them—they were all he had left of his homeland.

  “Only three of the vines survived the journey. I coddled them for decades when we first came here, but they didn’t produce wine I could drink until recently. I found a vineyard with soil just like home. Our first vintage of the wine from that vineyard was barreled last year. Kos and I can both drink the wine. It is making me stronger, but not Kos.”

  Saying so aloud made Andre grim. They hadn’t told Bel that news yet. He tucked his chin in acknowledgment.

  “I’d like to try it,” Omar said.

  “Of course,” Andre said, defaulting to hospitality. “But, my friend, you’re not Croatian. I don’t know if you will even be able to keep it down.”

  “I know.”

  “Let me bring some up.” Andre went down to the cellars to fill a decanter and when he returned, Kos entered the house and walked with him into the dining room.

  “Any news of Pedro?” he asked Bel.

  “No, we just got here and my trackers haven’t checked back in.”

  “So, boss,” Henry said, “Am I getting this right? You want us to protect your dad’s vineyards into eternity, and meanwhile, we’re sitting ducks for the Hunters.”

  “Don’t be so dramatic,” Vania said. “Trys can work up a protection spell for the whole estate, right?” She turned to the other woman.

  “Yes,” Trys replied. “I can certainly make it more difficult for them to get to the house. It won’t be impenetrable, but I wouldn’t call us sitting ducks.” She tucked a lock of her fine blond hair behind her ears and swallowed once before she went on. “The vines, though—that’s a lot of area to cover. If I stretch the shield that big, it won’t be strong enough. I’ll shield the house, you guys patrol the vines.”

  Andre didn’t like her answer. Bel, Vania, and two human men were all the muscle of use during the daylight. His vines would be wide open.

  Henry’s words indicated he was equally displeased. “The spell won’t last forever and the Hunters will keep coming forever. Andre, you’ll never be ready to leave now that you’ve found your panacea—it would mean exile all over again. We should just evacuate you now.”

  Henry was right, but Andre couldn’t bring himself to agree. He sensed Bel’s eyes on him and glanced at his son.

  Bel dropped his chin in a clipped nod meant only for Andre—a show of support. “You’re right, Henry,” he said. “There is no permanent solution. But between Trys’s spell and all of your skills, we can buy some time for my father and for my research.”

  Bel’s loyalty was unexpected, and it gave Andre a thread of hope to hang onto.

  Chapter 21

  WHEN ZOEY ARRIVED, Ethan’s car was the only one at the drive-in burger place. She parked in the spot next to him and got into his car.

  “Are you okay?” he asked. “You’re not hurt? He didn’t bite you?”

  “I’m fine.”

  He handed her a Coke and an order of fries. It was thoughtful of him, and yet she would have preferred a burger and a milk shake. With strenuous focus on steadying her nerves all the way to Forestville, she had succeeded in staying calm, but she was not above feeding her feelings. She considered placing an order and looked up to see a young man turn off the lights and begin to lock up. Zoey resigned herself to the fries. At least they were still warm.

  Ethan remained quiet until she spoke again, demonstrating more knowledge of her preferences than his order of food had. Or perhaps he guessed at her state of mind—he had never seen her lose her cool.

  She took a long sip from her Coke. “You may as well start from the beginning.”

  He angled to face her in the cramped driver’s seat. “I knew Maras was a vampire. Lucas and I have been looking for him for years. It’s why we came to California. We’re vampire Hunters.”

  “So vampires are real and you are both vampire slayers? I thought there was only one in every generation.”

  “What?” His fair brow furrowed.

  “You know, like Buffy the Vampire Slayer.”

  “That old TV show? I never saw it.” He shook his head dismissively.

  How like Ethan that he was an actual vampire slayer and he’d never bothered to watch a show about them. “So vampires are real, and you hunt them?”

  “Yes.”

  Zoey had control of her breath, but she could still feel her heart pounding as his words sank in. “Andre Maras bites people and drinks their blood?” It was still so hard to believe, she needed Ethan to confirm what she already knew.

  “Yes.”

  “All those women that work for him—they’re like cattle?”

  “Exactly. He keeps them for food and likely for sex too.” He was oddly enthusiastic.

  “They let him bite them?” The idea of someone sucking her blood out of her body was frightening and disgusting. Breathe.

  “They’re enthralled by him. He’s seduced
them and they no longer think for themselves. They won’t leave him, regardless of what he does to them.”

  She undid her ponytail and slid the hair band onto her wrist. “I’m having a hard time wrapping my head around this. They didn’t seem enthralled, except maybe that bitchy cook.” Flick. The sting of the hair band must mean she wasn’t dreaming.

  “They don’t realize they’ve lost their free will.”

  She stared out over the dash before turning to Ethan. “Do vampires kill people?” Does Andre kill people? That was the question she really cared about. Light-headed, she realized she was holding her breath, rather than regulating it.

  “Yes, vampires have slaughtered entire villages.”

  “Villages? When?”

  “In the past. Vampires are smarter now; they try to stay out of the news. When they kill people, no one knows vampires did it.”

  “But they don’t kill people when they drink their blood. I mean, I saw one of the women leaving his room, presumably after feeding. She looked perfectly healthy.”

  “No, Maras wouldn’t kill his household women.”

  “So when you sent me to stay with a vampire, you didn’t think he’d kill me?”

  Ethan looked surprised by her question. Idiot. He should know it wouldn’t slip her notice that he had sent her into danger blind, no matter how shocked she was.

  “No, I knew he wouldn’t kill you. I assumed he’d try to seduce you and I had every confidence he’d fail. You’d never let someone use you the way he uses women.”

  Zoey’s eyes prickled with shame. She was thankful it was dark so that Ethan couldn’t see her face redden. Andre hadn’t failed; he was such a skilled seducer that every step of the way she had thought that she was in control.

  Had she been used? It hadn’t felt that way. In the mirror, she had seen the look on his face as he had moved inside her. His intent expression had stirred her numb heart. It wasn’t seduction if he didn’t know she was watching. She still wanted that look to be real, even if it was what had cracked her open, leaving her vulnerable to a flood of emotions she had thought lost.

  As soon as she admitted it to herself, the tightness in her chest eased and she could take deeper breaths. It was a shock to learn he was a vampire, but she wasn’t afraid of him. Finally her heart rate slowed and curiosity replaced her fear.

  “Why did you send me to work for him, Ethan?”

  “We hoped you could get some information for us. We knew it was a long shot, but we felt we had to try.”

  Ethan placed his hand on the emergency brake between them, and she crossed her leg to avoid touching him. “Go on.”

  “Years ago, Maras—Marasović he called himself then—was discovered living on a small island off the coast of Croatia. He managed to escape. Croatia was a vampire enclave and somehow they received advance warning.” The tendons of Ethan’s hand came into relief as he gripped the lever of the brake tightly. “Far too many of the Croatian parasites eluded the Hunters. When we found him, we hoped Maras would lead us to them. Lucas thinks the wine is the key, but we can’t figure out what he’s up to. So we sent you to work with him, in case he revealed something to you about the wine.”

  What had she learned? She closed her eyes and thought through their conversations. “He wants to use it to reach them.”

  “What?”

  She looked into Ethan’s yellow eyes and explained. “He thinks the right branding will get their attention and perhaps they can be reunited. He doesn’t have another way to reach them.”

  “He told you that?” He touched the hair at Zoey’s temple, and guiltily, she tried not to flinch. He didn’t deserve such cool treatment. She was just overwhelmed.

  “Yeah. I could tell he wasn’t giving me the whole story, so I just kept asking him questions until he explained his real goals for hiring the firm.”

  “You’re amazing. I knew my instincts were right about sending you in there.” He reached over to embrace her, and she shivered.

  “Ethan, I’m tired.”

  “Right, I should have realized how late it is. I got us a room in the motel down the street. You should get some rest.”

  “I want to go home.”

  He must have finally picked up on her signals because he said, “Don’t worry, I asked for separate beds. But you shouldn’t be alone right now.”

  He was right. She was in no shape to drive back to San Francisco and she didn’t want to be alone. Ethan was a friend and she trusted him. Although, she lamented, she didn’t trust him as much as she had hours ago, before she had learned that neither he nor Andre was who he appeared to be.

  “All right.”

  “I’ll get your bag from your trunk and we can take my car.”

  “Thanks.”

  Andre jumped when a knock shook the front door, and Kos went to open it. Seconds later, he led Bel’s trackers into the dining room.

  “Are you the ones searching for Pedro?” Andre asked.

  “Yeah.”

  Andre’s concern must have showed—the other vampire’s tone became more solemn. “No luck. There were easily a dozen Hunters in his house, probably about twenty-four hours ago. We couldn’t follow the scent past a few miles from the house. They must have taken precautions to minimize their trail.”

  Andre’s gut sank, taking his thread of hope with it. “Davo. He’s been gone that long? What are the chances he’s still alive?”

  “Not good,” Bel said. “But we won’t give up.” He had spread out large satellite images of Kaštel Estate. Kos drew lines around the most important vineyards. Andre poured a glass for himself, Kos, and Omar.

  “To the homeland,” Kos said, raising his glass.

  “The homeland,” Omar and Andre replied in unison.

  Omar sniffed the ruby liquid in the glass. “Mmmm, smells good.” He hesitated briefly, then took a small sip and set his glass down. “I’ll take my time with that, I think.”

  “Wise,” Andre agreed.

  “Where’s Zoey?” Kos asked. “I didn’t see her car out front.”

  The respite Bel’s arriving crew had brought him was suddenly over, and Andre tried to grind away the pressure in his jaw. He could sense Bel trying to warn Kos off the subject.

  “Bel, since you do not have a preternatural sense of hearing,” Andre said, “you might be surprised to know I can actually hear the rapid shaking of your head.”

  He had not meant it to be funny, but the others in the room laughed.

  “Don’t tell him all our secrets, man!” Omar said.

  In spite of their mirth, Andre felt stony.

  “With Zoey gone, I think we should expect the Hunters as soon as tomorrow,” Bel said. “Andre, Kos, I need some time with my crew to plan. Make yourselves scarce.”

  “Leave the wine, though,” Omar demanded.

  Andre stood and Kos followed. As he passed Bel on the way to the door, he put an appreciative hand on his son’s shoulder. To his relief, Bel didn’t shrink from it.

  On their way to his office, he asked Kos, “Lena’s settled at your house?”

  “She’s not settled. Her stay is temporary. But she seems comfortable for the time being.”

  Kos’s tone was defensive, and Andre couldn’t resist the chance to taunt him.

  “Vania is extraordinary. You never said she was so beautiful when you described her…special talents.”

  Kos was usually tight lipped about his lovers. He had probably assumed Andre would never meet Vania, because he had told him more than he normally would about their affair. Apparently, fire flew from Vania’s fingertips. With a wink, Kos had said it was the hottest sex of his life.

  “All right, that’s enough. I shouldn’t have told you about that.”

  “Relax, Kos. You’re always a perfect gentlemen, something I’ve never aspired to be. What you forget is that women gossip too. Vania likely told her girlfriends everything about you.” Andre held up his hands a scant several inches apart to illustrate his point.


  Kos scowled. “Bait me all you like, but I’m still going to ask about Zoey.”

  “I don’t want to talk about it.”

  “Yeah, well, if she weren’t running back into the arms of her Hunter, that might be an option.”

  Andre growled as if Bennett were in the cellar with them. Davo. He could not afford to feel possessive about her. She was gone and no longer a threat to his self-control. Andre opened the door to his office and then followed Kos through it. He took one of the big chairs in the sitting area, and Kos sat opposite.

  “Besides,” Kos said, “if we’re staying for a while, we need to find a new PR person.” He picked up a deck of cards from the coffee table.

  Just the sight of their well-used deck soothed Andre. Thankfully Kos’s Uno phase was over. His good-natured son believed their urge to play kept them amused over a very long lifetime. Andre did not quibble with him, but in all his centuries, he had never felt bored. It was clear that vampires needed constant competition to satisfy their inner predator and remain civilized. But the reason did not really matter. What did matter was that Andre and Kos had a way to spend every sleepless night.

  Kos began to shuffle the deck. “Why did she leave?”

  “She saw my teeth.”

  “And why did you let that happen?” Kos shuffled again.

  He glanced at the mirror that betrayed him. “Believe me, it wasn’t on purpose. I lost control for a moment.”

  “Did you fuck her?”

  Andre flinched at the word. It sounded crude, especially coming from Kos. It also did not suit what had happened between him and Zoey, despite their intention to do just that. Still, he said, “Yes.”

  Kos put down the deck of cards to look at him closely. “What was it about her that got to you?”

  “I don’t know. It feels as if I know her. She makes me feel alive. And then she told me about her husband—”

  “She’s married?”

  “He jumped off the Golden Gate Bridge. He was a suicide.”