We reached Caitlín’s T-stop and said our goodbyes. My throat tightened as I gave my sister one final hug.
Caitlín flashed me a half-smile. ‘I’ll give your love to Dad.’
I pulled a face. ‘Great.’
‘And Sinéad.’
‘Even better,’ I said.
It wasn’t that I didn’t love my family; it was just that they made it so hard to like them. My dad had treated me with something close to hostility ever since Mom’s death, after her long battle with cancer. I tried not to think about any of it too much – and I visited even less.
‘You take care, OK?’ I told her.
‘And you’d better wear that new dress to something cool,’ she said, giving me her most bossy look. ‘I didn’t help you pick it out just for it to sit in your closet.’
‘Sure,’ I replied. ‘I’ll wear it to prom.’
‘You already had one of those, smartass. Oh, wait,’ she continued, ‘you didn’t go.’
‘Because I didn’t have a date,’ I said.
‘Hashtag, lame.’
Caitlín liked to tease me because I wasn’t allowed to have a Twitter account. Theo didn’t trust me not to say something potentially suspicious. I know, right? As if . . .
Speaking of dates, though, brought to mind an image of Jason Murdoch: vampire hunter-in-training, owner of a pair of soulful brown eyes and too many weapons to count. My one-time nemesis, and now my . . . what? My friend?
Hmm, I thought. I wouldn’t exactly go that far.
Caitlín nudged me. ‘Dreaming of Theo?’ She made an ‘L’ with her thumb and index finger. ‘You’re such a loser . . .’
I blushed, deciding it was probably wiser to let her believe that. Jace was a complication I didn’t want to discuss; not even with my sister.
‘I’ll call you,’ I promised.
‘You’d better.’
‘And I’ll visit.’
Caitlín snorted. ‘Don’t push it.’
Chapter Two
Dust and Shadows
Subterranean was a nightly carnival disguised as a Goth-style club.
The secret of its success was the little-known fact that it was actually run by vampires, giving it an illicit allure that humans couldn’t fully comprehend. Not on a conscious level. They just knew it was The Place To Be. And, let’s be honest, it helped that there were regular all-ages nights which pulled in the emo-teen crowd.
Tonight was definitely not an all-ages night.
I tried not to stare at the crowd waiting to gain entry, but it was a futile exercise in the face of so much awesome strangeness. Also, people-watching took my mind off worrying about what Theo wanted me here for in the first place. The crowd featured everything from old-school Goth to women dressed as what looked like . . . space princesses. (And I don’t mean Princess Leia.) Metal-strapped latex, a ton of black leather, and thigh-high boots did battle with sequins and reflective metal that looked like armor. I was almost blinded by the garish glare of multiple piercings.
Seeing the shiny array made me glad that I’d stopped at home to change. I’d stuck with my regular chunky boots, but was also wearing black leggings, a short purple ballerina skirt, and a black off-the-shoulder peasant-style blouse. Hopefully, I fitted in well enough without looking too freaky.
I listened to the steady thump-thump-thump of music drifting out onto the street, trying to imagine it was beating in time with my non-beating heart. As I waited for the bouncer to notice me, I played my usual game: find the vampires standing in line with the humans – hiding in plain sight. I figured there was maybe one vamp for every seven or eight mortals, waiting for a chance to find a willing blood donor too drunk or high to realize what was really happening. Not that you could always tell just by looking. Some vamps these days actually filed their fangs. Seriously. Theo didn’t approve of anyone doing that in his Family, but it was a growing trend in places like New York City (apparently), especially among younger vamps, to help them blend into society. Also, it made things way less complicated when you had to hang out with your biological family.
Of course, there was a particularly high vampire-to-human ratio outside Subterranean, but that wasn’t representative of the world at large. We make up less than one per cent of the population; probably less than half of one per cent. With a worldwide population of seven billion, that’s . . . OK, math has never been my strong suit. Sure, it’s still a lot of vampires, but in the scheme of things it’s a drop in the ocean. Humans – the very thing that I used to be – simply don’t notice the monsters living alongside them. Why would they? Vampires, werewolves, zombies . . . it’s all fiction, right?
The bouncer – a new guy I didn’t recognize – flashed me a wink and the tip of one of his fangs.
‘Yo, Moth!’ he called. ‘Over here, babe.’
I glanced at him as he ushered me past the waiting flock and through neon-painted doors. Maybe I didn’t know him, but he was clearly expecting me. A group of lace-clad girls at the head of the line complained loudly at the perceived favoritism.
Nobody knew that a bunch of vampires were going to be meeting in a public space. OK, so it was our public space, unknown to the majority of the club’s patrons, but that didn’t mean that we didn’t have to be careful. Most of these meetings were reserved for vampires of a certain vintage. The old ones. I was hardly part of the inner circle. Well, apart from the fact that I was considered to be Theo’s pet.
I ignored the long polished bar and walked across the main floor of thrashing dancers, trying to look past all the black leather and fishnet to the other side where small circular tables crouched in corners, lit by candles. The party was already in full swing; this was a prime time for vampires to stalk the periphery, checking out potential victims.
Not that they killed anybody. That wasn’t allowed. So long as any vampire in Boston belonged to the Family, or at the very least checked in with us, then the city’s human residents were safe. If any visiting vamps didn’t ask Theo’s permission to be here, that meant they were potential rogues and therefore fair game for Theo’s Enforcer. Only problem was, Theo still hadn’t appointed a new vampire to this important position since the betrayal of his previous Enforcer. Kyle. I shivered as I remembered Kyle, remembered what he had done and how he had threatened my little sister; remembered those he had killed . . .
There were several candidates for the role (no, I most certainly wasn’t one of them), but Theo seemed in no hurry to make a decision. Amazingly, it appeared that my roommate Holly Somerfield was in the running, and she was already sitting at our Master’s right hand in a shadowy corner of the club. She was campaigning hard for the post, which took me doubly by surprise. Holly mostly seemed happy as a motorcycle courier and selling her handmade crafts on Etsy. She was a good fighter, but it was something that she kept under the radar. Was she good enough to be an Enforcer? Apparently, before being Made about twenty years ago, she’d been a black belt in . . . something or other that sounded impressive and deadly.
My idea of fighting was kicking ’em where it hurt and then running like hell. That’s why I wore the most kick-ass boots possible.
I waved at Holly as I approached the small group of vamps. ‘Hey, roomie.’ I loved annoying her when she was trying to be all mature.
She rolled her eyes, but lifted her hand in greeting. Her blue hair was curled tonight, just reaching the collar of her tailored black and crimson satin jacket. Her bangs were straight across her forehead, and she looked chic and sophisticated. Not that I’d tell her that. There was no sign of her girlfriend, Alanya, and I wondered briefly if they’d broken up. Last time she’d been at our place, the lovebirds had had the mother of all arguments.
But then all rational thought was wiped from my mind as I focused on my Maker. Theo, as usual, was dressed in black from head to toe. It was a vampire thing, and far be it from us to buck those expectations. Theo wore it well, although he never came across as a vain man. I think that had something to do with his o
ther life – the human life he had left behind in Ireland almost two centuries ago.
‘Moth,’ Theo said, acknowledging my arrival with a nod before returning to his conversation with Nicole.
Nicole’s presence was a surprise. She was an Elder, higher up on the vampire totem pole than Theo, responsible for the whole of New York State rather than a single city. Even in the flickering candlelight she was so beautiful it almost hurt my eyes. Her super-long black hair was loose and flowed down her back in carefully styled waves, while her crimson dress (okay, so she was the exception to the mostly-black rule tonight) shimmered against her slender figure. On any other vampire the dress might have been a cliché. On her, it looked absolutely perfect. I figured that red didn’t show bloodstains, either. Nicole spared me a curious glance, no doubt wondering what I had been summoned here for.
Me and her both.
She was flanked by two vampires I’d never seen before. A hot Latino guy sat to her left, and a curvy black woman on her right. I assumed she’d brought them with her from New York. If this was her only entourage, I grudgingly respected her subtlety. I would have expected her to bring a whole group of newbie vampires, even a human servant or two. Plenty of guards. Nicole was older than Theo, so that kind of thing would be possible – maybe even expected. Instead, she was traveling light.
I stood uncomfortably, waiting for a break in the conversation so that I could find out what was going on and why we were meeting in Subterranean rather than at Theo’s. Not to mention who were the two strange vamps I’d never seen before . . . I didn’t like surprises.
OK, that’s not strictly true. I like surprises if they’re nice ones. Sadly, most vampire-related surprises involve murder and mayhem.
I sighed dramatically, and was just about to start demanding some answers when a warm hand touched my shoulder. Theo brushed his lips across my cheek.
‘Would you like to dance?’
I shivered with pleasure, but still eyed him suspiciously. As usual, I hadn’t even seen him move – I’d only glanced away for a second. He was sneaky. ‘Did you invite me here just to dance? What’s going on?’
Theo flashed me his best pirate smile. ‘First, dancing. Then business.’
I gazed at him, taking in his potent brand of masculine beauty. His apparent age was mid-twenties, but he had the weight of too many decades hidden in his eyes. If you looked carefully, you could see it like a shadow. He wasn’t especially tall – about five nine to my five two – but what he lacked in height he made up for with sheer presence. If you didn’t know he was a centuries-old vampire (and most people didn’t), you’d know that something was up with him. Either he was a soldier or a martial arts expert. Or maybe a serial killer. A hot serial killer. He was handsome as hell, with piercing silver-gray eyes that looked right into your soul.
I know, I know: that’s a total cliché. But it doesn’t make it any less true.
‘What’s Nicole doing here?’ I persisted, refusing to be steered onto the dance floor and trying not to drown in his hotness. I mentally fanned myself. ‘Who are those two vamps with her?’
‘I said now, Marie.’
Maybe this was more than just dancing. Maybe he wanted to talk to me where the others couldn’t hear us. I was smart enough to figure that out. It just took me a while, that was all. The music pumping through Subterranean’s sound system would probably do enough to dissuade even vampire ears.
Something about being this close to my Maker, with the smell of moonlight in his dark hair and fresh blood on his breath, made me sigh with a mixture of desire and distaste. I didn’t want to care about him anymore, but feelings like that didn’t simply disappear overnight – no matter what I’d told Caitlín earlier.
He held out his hand and I took it, wrapping my fingers around his and reveling in the warmth that confirmed his recent feed.
Theo led me into the swaying crowd and a path opened up before us, causing me to wonder if the Master vampire of Boston had a Moses-like effect on regular humans. We glided onto the center of the floor. Well, Theo glided. I shuffled. I wasn’t exactly wearing my dancing shoes tonight.
My Maker watched me with his intense, hawk-like stare, making me feel like prey. I sighed as he drew me into his arms and rested one hand on my lower back, right where my peasant top had ridden up to expose bare flesh. I shivered, and he took my left hand in his right so that he could guide me smoothly around the floor. This wasn’t what I had in mind when he’d asked me to dance, but he was in a weird mood and I knew not to bug him when he was super-morose and thinking of the past. I was only in his life due to a twist of fate – and a supreme loss of self-control on his part – that I still didn’t fully understand. I’d learned not to expect anything from Theo, even though I secretly hoped for more than I was willing to admit.
I rested my head on his shoulder and decided not to worry about it. Not when his presence was so comforting and I felt like nothing and nobody could ever hurt me; that simply wasn’t possible. Theo had already done that enough.
The music changed again, becoming more sultry and sensuous, and he moved both my hands to his back, making me hold him so that he could do the same to me. We couldn’t get any closer if he’d tried, and I felt painted onto him like a second skin. Theo was a lean, mean, fighting machine. He might not be the tallest guy in the room, but he had the most presence. He looked like he could kick the butts of guys twice his weight, and I didn’t doubt that he’d do it – even without the fangs. He was tough by nature, a true survivor, having grown up in relative poverty in nineteenth-century Ireland.
Theo lowered his head again, speaking directly into my ear. His black curls tickled my cheek, but I didn’t move away.
‘Nicole has received information that we are to expect an attack on our Family. Possibly as a result of Thomas Murdoch’s involvement with Kyle.’
Thomas Murdoch. Jace’s father. My stomach clenched at the mention of the Murdochs, and I tried my best to hide any reaction from Theo. Thomas Murdoch had been an experienced hunter, specializing in killing Master vampires. Last year, I discovered that he’d partnered with Theo’s Enforcer – effectively, his right-hand man in the Boston Family – to bring down Theo and open the door for new leadership. Perhaps even pave the way for our kind to try integrating into human society.
Kyle had turned out to be a traitor. Not only did he turn on his Family, but he did it by working with a man who had ended the eternal lives of way too many vampires. There had been no forgiveness. Not for either of them.
My Maker ran his hands up and down my back, crushing me against him. ‘I wanted you to be made aware of the situation,’ he said, his tone a silken threat. ‘In case the Murdoch boy is involved.’
‘Jace?’ I couldn’t help the way my voice went all high-pitched. I coughed, cursing Theo for knowing me inside and out. ‘You think Jason Murdoch is coming after the Boston Family? That would be crazy. Even for him.’
‘Indeed?’ Theo spun me in a circle, making me dizzy, then pulled me back against him so that I smashed into his rock-hard abs. I imagined myself breaking open, like a wave.
I tried to put a bit of distance between us, but Theo was having none of it. Oh well. I let myself relax against him, deciding to go with the flow. Why not? It’s not like it didn’t feel good.
Theo said, ‘What makes you think that he would not be . . . crazy enough?’
‘Jace Murdoch may be his father’s son, but he’s not his father. If you see what I mean.’
‘I hope, my little Moth, that you’re not letting your . . . attachment to the human get in the way of your judgment.’ This was said at a dangerously low pitch, and Theo’s eyes flashed silver, just for a moment letting me know how he really felt about my ‘attachment’ to the hunter’s son.
I nibbled my lower lip, trying to keep my temper under control. ‘Jace and I worked together for a week. That’s it. It’s hardly the basis for the friendship of the century.’ I almost believed it when I said it, so maybe Theo
would too.
Yeah, I could hope.
Theo buried his face in my hair and took a deep breath. He very rarely breathed these days; he was testing me in some way.
‘I can smell the lie on you,’ he said. He bent down so he could press his forehead against mine, staring directly into my eyes as we stood still on the dance floor for a moment.
Other dancers flowed past us, but I only had eyes for my Maker. ‘I hardly know Jace,’ I whispered. That much was true. Just because he was cute and had helped me out didn’t matter. Just because he’d sent me a stupid gift from his travels, after his dad died at Kyle’s hands, it didn’t mean anything at all. And the fact that he’d included a note that said, ‘I owe you one,’ meant even less. Right?
Just because he kissed me that one time. I immediately pushed away the treacherous memory of his hard lips on mine.
Theo began to move us around the floor once more. I was grateful for the reprieve. Then I sighed as I caught Holly’s eye, from where she was watching us on the sidelines with a blatantly jealous expression that ruined her normally super-cool exterior. She certainly didn’t have any romantic illusions about Theo. There’s no way that would be the reason for her bad mood – and she had a girlfriend at the moment anyway – but Theo was important to all of us because of his role as the Master of Boston’s Family.
He was like the sun to us, and we were the planets slowly revolving around him, jostling for the best position in his orbit. Theo wasn’t Holly’s Maker. I still don’t know who Turned her, and I didn’t really expect her to tell me anytime soon. Apart from the fact that a vampire’s Maker was privileged information – a potential weakness to be protected at all costs – Holly kept most details of her pre-vampire life tightly under wraps. The very fact that Theo paid me so much attention burnt a lot of the other vampires. I was young – too young to have been Made in the first place – and Theo treated me as a precious gift. Good for me in some ways, because it meant I had his protection. But oh-so-bad for me in others, because it meant the other vampires resented our closeness.
Hunting the Dark Page 2