“X-rated?” Valerie repeated derisively. “Nothing’s changed, has it? You are still totally immature.”
“She’ll have to get used to us,” Jared said.
“Damn straight she will,” Valerie said, voice rising. “She’ll need to pull her weight, too, not just sit around being snarky while you and I arrange everything.”
“Hey, I didn’t ask to join this circus,” I spoke up from the back.
“And I didn’t request a sidekick,” Valerie returned.
“See? It’s just like old times,” Jared said, smirking into the rearview mirror.
I made sure he saw me roll my eyes in response. The three of us had been on one mission together, and he was acting like this was some kind of vampire reunion. We hadn’t even finished that operation together!
Getting Valerie to become his bitch had given Jared way too much confidence about me eventually succumbing to his side. Valerie and I were two entirely different birds. Day and night. Black and red.
We didn’t quite make it directly into town before Jared turned onto a side road. It was paved, as was the next road and the next. We entered another swanky neighborhood with huge houses on even huger lots.
Jared pulled into a circular drive and parked beside a set of stone steps leading up to an A-frame log house with a beautiful arched door with a twisted piece of polished birch wood for a handle.
As we walked up, the door opened and a man in his mid-twenties ushered us inside. He was dressed in slacks and a polo shirt. He had thick brown hair, which he ran his hand through as we entered.
Once inside, I watched him as he closed the door behind us.
The man looked familiar, but I was having trouble placing him.
“Remember Paul from the last tasting?” Valerie asked, placing a hand on her hip. “Paul owned the house on the hillside and lent it out to Diederick for his Anchorage tastings.”
“The tastings the three of us put an end to,” I said. I wasn’t the only one in need of a refresher.
“Under Agent Melcher’s orders,” Jared said. “I never took issue with tastings. They were a step up from everything I’ve seen.”
“That’s right,” Paul said, voice rising. “No one got hurt or was ever forced to participate against their will. If your former boss wanted a safer state for humans, he would have allowed Diederick’s operation to continue instead of shutting it down. The whole takedown was a travesty. If anything, it’s only encouraged violence in vampires.”
“And that is why we are here,” Jared said, rubbing his hands together. “Melcher must pay for his actions. The agency, and all those who still stand with him, must pay in blood.”
I fought back a snort. Jared sounded like he belonged in a B-rated movie.
“Yes, come right this way,” Paul said, moving from the open entryway, with stone flooring that matched the stone steps outside, to a living room—one fully furnished.
Jared dropped down onto the center cushion of the couch. Valerie sat in an old-fashioned armchair and stretched her legs in front of her. I entered slowly and remained standing.
Jared looked up at me. “Make yourself comfortable,” he said.
“I’m comfortable standing,” I replied.
Paul’s eyes narrowed when he looked at me. “Who exactly are you?” he asked.
“No one you need to worry about,” Jared said before I had a chance to reply. He sat up on the couch. “She’s one of mine. That’s all you need to know.”
Paul stared at us both for several seconds, fingers twitching at his side.
I looked around the living room with its dark wood furnishings and antique bric-a-brac. It looked masculine and uninviting.
“Whose home is this?” I asked.
“No one you’d know,” Paul informed me. His fingers stopped twitching, and he straightened, sounding snooty.
“Brandon Tidwell,” Jared announced to the room. “Born in the early 1900s. Became undead at the age of thirty-nine. Made some smart investments in the fifties and a shit ton of money that should keep him comfortable for the remainder of his long life.”
“Brandon has generously offered me the use of his home while I sort this mess out,” Paul said. “As you can imagine, it’s not safe to return to my own home on the hillside.”
I stole a glance at Valerie, but she was inspecting her nails. Had she completely lost her conscience? Or had she ever had one to begin with?
I swung my glance from Valerie to Paul and asked, “Where’s Mr. Tidwell now?”
Paul cleared his throat before answering. “Brandon doesn’t feel it’s safe to be in state at the moment. He’s at another residence until such a time he feels he can return without repercussions.”
Smart vamp. Too bad for him I now knew his name to pass on to the agency’s watch list. As long as Brandon Tidwell didn’t kill anyone, he might end up like Marcus with an informant on him to keep tabs on his activities. I supposed Melcher would make that call after discussing it with Fane and Lieutenant Pearlman.
“Brandon was one of Diederick’s VIP clients here in Fairbanks,” Paul continued. “It was through support like Brandon’s that tastings were able to take off. Humans owe a great deal of gratitude to innovators like Diederick and Brandon.”
“And you, Paul,” Valerie said, pulling her legs in and sitting up. “You allowed tastings to take place in Anchorage in your beautiful hillside home. I never agreed with Melcher’s plan to shut them down. As you know, I went in and took out two of the agents who’d gone in killing clients.”
Ah, yes. Levi and Mason. I hadn’t mourned their losses once, though Valerie’s killing spree had shocked me. I wouldn’t have thought she’d want to bring attention to the part she’d played. Yes, she’d killed two agents, three with Melcher’s undercover informant, but she’d also killed Diederick. Melcher had created a monster the day he recruited Valerie Ward.
For now, I kept my mouth shut about Valerie’s part in Diederick’s death. I didn’t see how turning Paul against us would help my own mission.
“You should have seen Val come in guns blazing,” Jared said proudly. “Hottest assassin north of the equator.”
“Hottest on either side of the equator,” Valerie corrected with a pout that quickly turned back into a pleased little smile.
Paul grimaced. He looked like one of those upscale vampires who abhorred anything too messy or violent. He ran his hand through his hair, leaving a rumpled mess that still managed to make him look like a millionaire playboy.
“At least some justice was served that day,” Paul acknowledged grimly, still looking sore. He probably wasn’t used to crashing at another vamp’s house. Despite the upscale comfort of the place, it wasn’t his own. Technically he was homeless, a term that probably disturbed him more than murder.
“That’s only the beginning,” Jared said, jutting out his chin.
“Yes, good,” Paul said with a slight nod and far-off gaze. He blinked several times as though returning to the present. “Would you care for someone to drink?” he asked.
Did he say someone?
“About time you offered refreshment,” Jared said. “We’re all parched.”
“Melissa. Karen,” Paul called out over his shoulder. “My guests have requested your services.”
Two beautiful brunettes dressed in slacks and tank tops emerged from a hallway and entered the living room with measured strides. Leading the way was the shorter of the two brunettes, a woman in her young twenties with large, striking brown eyes and thick lashes. The woman behind her was around the same age, but nearly a whole head taller with hair as long as mine, practically touching her rear.
“Have you both hydrated?” Paul asked as they walked past him.
The two women slowed and smiled at him, answering, “We did,” before continuing into the living room.
The shorter of the brunettes settled onto the cushion beside Jared. The taller one took a spot on the floor in front of Valerie and extended her neck.
“I didn’t realize there would be three of you,” Paul said to me in an accusatory voice.
“We can all share,” Jared said.
Paul gave his hair another pass through with his hand. “As long as you don’t go overboard. Melissa and Karen are here as volunteers. They used to be wine girls.”
“No sense letting their talents go to waste,” Jared said right before leaning into the woman beside him and biting into her neck.
She sucked air in through her nostrils. Other than that, she made no whimper or cry of protest.
The woman in front of Valerie made no sound at all when she bit into her. Couple of pro wine girls up here in Fairbanks. What a relief Nicole wasn’t one of them. She didn’t want anything to do with vampires anymore, other than her boyfriend, Buck. They both kept in touch with Dante and seemed to understand he had their best interests in mind. As far as I could tell, Buck was the only vampire Dante had ever truly bonded with—not counting Ashley, but that was a different kind of bond—the up-close-and-personal kind.
I wondered if Dante was worried about me or brushing it off. I could hear his voice in my head. “Aurora knows how to handle herself. She’ll be fine.” If he did show concern, Ashley might become jealous.
Jared’s cheeks hollowed as he sucked blood from the former wine girl. My stomach tightened. As though acutely aware of my hunger pains, Jared’s head lifted, eyes gleaming as they appeared over the brunette’s head. He licked his lips and grinned at me.
“Don’t be shy, Raven. Every vampire needs to feed.” He curled his finger and beckoned me over.
I shook my head.
“I’m fasting, thanks.”
“Not an option. I need you in tiptop form.”
Jared placed a hand on the brunette’s leg and squeezed. She rose and walked toward me. I leaned back on my heels as she approached.
“I’ve already done the work of opening a vein,” Jared said. “All you have to do is suck.” His eyes lit up.
I bet the bastard just wanted to see me drinking blood from a human.
I glanced at Valerie, thinking she’d probably share in Jared’s glee, but she was too busy sucking greedily from the taller brunette. Her head was bent over the woman’s shoulder, red hair running down her bare arms like spilled blood.
The shorter brunette’s breath on my cheek alerted me to how close she’d come. She turned sideways, exposing the wound Jared had opened on her neck.
“Melissa and I want to help however we can,” she said. “This is our livelihood. Paul says you can help bring it back.”
Jared’s eyebrows shot up at the same time as the corner of his lips.
“You hear that, Aurora? We’re doing the right thing.”
His giddiness was more disturbing than the bloodsucking. I thought he’d stare at me until I gave in to temptation, but Jared’s gaze shifted to Valerie.
“Hey, baby cakes,” he called over. “How about sharing?”
Valerie lifted her head, lips literally blood red. She looked from Jared to Karen.
“You heard the man,” Valerie said.
Melissa got to her feet and walked over to Jared, quickly followed by Valerie. With the brunette settled between them on the couch, they leaned into her neck simultaneously. Valerie slurped at the open wound she’d created while Jared made a fresh one on the opposite side of the woman’s neck.
A long forgotten rush of excitement intermixed with revulsion coursed through me as I watched the bloodsucking with rapt attention. Blood pumped through my veins, pounded in my ears, and made me want to tear into Melissa.
While Jared and Valerie were occupied, I turned to Karen and set my lips over her open wound, coaxing a fresh stream of blood into my mouth. A copper note sang across my tongue and slid down my throat. I sucked harder, ingesting a wellspring of vitality and zest.
The aftereffects of the sleeping drug were quickly replaced by a surge of rampant energy.
I needed this to gain my present company’s trust. I needed this to stop Jared from executing his coordinated attack on agents. I needed this to take Jared down. And also . . .
I needed this because I was a vampire.
I sucked harder and Karen hissed between her teeth, bringing me back to my senses.
I pulled quickly away and took a step back, swallowing down my last intake of fresh human blood.
“Sorry,” I said.
“No problem,” Karen answered.
Paul emerged from the hall with a damp cloth and bandages in hand. I hadn’t seen him leave the room.
He dabbed at Karen’s neck before peeling back a strip of white paper, covering the adhesive of the bandage and smoothing it over the wound. He took care of Melissa next, using two bandages on her.
“Thank you, ladies, that will be all for today,” Paul announced.
Karen and Melissa walked wordlessly out of the living room, grabbing purses and coats from the entryway before exiting the front door.
Jared swiped his mouth with the back of his hand and grinned. “I feel much better.”
“Me too,” Valerie quipped.
They looked at me, but I stood tight-lipped.
“As does Aurora, though she won’t admit it,” Jared said.
Paul squeezed the bloody rag in his hand.
“You’ve been refreshed, now let’s get down to business,” he said. “As you’ve just heard firsthand, tastings are good for humans, vampires, and the local economy. Everyone suffers when we are unable to operate.”
“Indeed,” Jared said, pressing his fingertips together in a steeple, which reminded me too much of Melcher. “Which is why we’re coordinating an attack on field agents. All you need to do is provide us with as many in-state contacts as you can.”
Paul frowned. “While I appreciate what you’re doing, my clientele doesn’t want to be personally involved.”
“Yes, yes, your high-rolling VIPs,” Jared said impatiently. “What about your lesser clients?”
Paul’s frown deepened. “I value all my clients.”
“I have no doubt,” Jared said. “But we must all do our part to make this state great for vampires again.”
Paul stared at Jared for several seconds before lifting his arm. Before reaching his head, he remembered the bloody cloth and lowered his hand again.
“I’ll put feelers out,” he said evenly.
“You do that,” Jared said, standing. “We’ll be in touch.”
Valerie joined him as he headed toward the entryway. There wasn’t much for me to do besides follow.
“You were right; he wasn’t much help,” Valerie said to Jared once we were all back inside the car.
Jared shrugged. “At least he provided us with lunch. We can’t go grabbing our own as easily with Melcher’s agents on full alert.”
“What now?” Valerie asked.
I leaned forward, eager to hear the answer.
“While Paul’s putting out ‘feelers,’” Jared said, lifting his hands off the steering wheel to make air quotes, “we hit the road and recruit the bottom feeders, starting with our friend in North Pole.”
Ugg. I groaned inwardly. This really was the reunion tour, complete with a return to North Pole. I bet it would be all decorated for Christmas. Maybe I could wear a blindfold as we passed through.
“From North Pole we move onto Delta Junction, Deltana, Tok, and so on to the Alcan Border.”
“Don’t you think Melcher will have agents all over the border?” Valerie asked.
“We’ll turn around at Northway Junction,” Jared replied.
I had to hand it to Jared and his well-honed recruiting methods serving him even after he went rogue. He was playing both sides, recruiting the savvy upscale vamps and the scum. It was certainly a land of opportunity.
“Give me the rest of the day to make arrangements,” Valerie said.
“Wheels up in the morning,” Jared said.
Back in the empty McMansion, Valerie set a laptop on the long granite dining room counter.
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br /> “Mind if I check my email real quick?” I asked, eyeing the laptop.
Valerie rolled her eyes and huffed before resting her slender arms on the counter and leaning up to the screen.
“Aha,” she said, not a minute into her search. “Here’s a place for sale on Kris Kringle Road.”
“Kris Kringle,” I repeated with a snort.
“How much?” Jared asked.
Valerie leaned forward and squinted at the screen before saying, “Four thirty-eight.”
“We can do better,” Jared said, causing Valerie to giggle.
“Of course we can, but this is North Pole we’re talking about,” she said. That didn’t prevent her from running her finger across the laptop’s touchscreen. “Not much above half a mil,” she said. “Top price for Delta Junction on Zillow is four eighty-nine. Guess no one with money wants to live in butt-fuck nowhere. Not that I can blame them.”
“Yeah, half a million. Some people really have to slum it,” I said, nodding sarcastically.
“Shut up,” Valerie said. “If we left it up to you we’d be spending the night in a dilapidated cabin with nothing but an outhouse to shit in.”
“It’s the Alaskan way,” I said, spreading my arms.
“You see? Isn’t it nice to have a friend to talk to?” Jared said, sidling up to Valerie’s side and draping an arm over her shoulder.
“I don’t need a friend. I’ve got myself,” Valerie said.
Valerie plucked Jared’s arm from her shoulder and scooted down the counter, taking her laptop with her.
“Will you settle for frenemies?” I called after her.
Valerie batted the air with her hand in dismissal. It was a step up from getting the finger.
I placed both palms on the edge of the counter and leaned against it.
“I’m bored,” I said.
Valerie looked up and glared at me. She closed the laptop and squeezed it under her arm before storming out.
I glanced at Jared and said, “Well, I am. There’s nothing to do around here.”
Jared leaned his hip against the counter. “What did you do while you were on the run from Melcher? My departed daughter was never famous for her conversation.”
True North (Aurora Sky: Vampire Hunter, Vol. 6) Page 16