by Janice Jones
“No way,” he yelped, looking at Alex, then Xavier in the rearview rubbing his chin. “Sorry, dude.”
_______________
It was going to be a long night, Alex reminded herself as she checked her hair and makeup one last time. All the extra attention was for her meeting with the Mistress, not Conner and Jason. They were just men after all. Impressing them was easy, but the Mistress was a completely different animal. She reminded the others to be ready when she returned and on their best behavior when they were at Ashblood Manor. And no weapons. That was the main rule of the house. It was a place of pleasure and business, but not war.
“Wow,” Jason gushed as he opened the door and laid eyes on her. “We should meet with Conner Gale every night.” She stepped inside, doing a little spin when he asked. His heart pounded strong in his chest.
Alex wanted to believe it was because she excited him in her black body-con dress and high heels, but she knew otherwise. The residual effects of her blood kept his heart beating at a regular pace. He probably just thought he’d fed well.
She stepped up to him and straightened his silver tie. Against the white dress shirt and black jacket, it popped. The small black tie tack was the crest of his house, Vrykolakas. It was understood, when meeting with the most powerful vampire on the planet, that you would show pride in your house. As subtle as the pin was, it was still Jason’s way of proving he knew who and what he was in this world.
“There,” she said. “Now you’re perfect.”
“Not quite,” he said, holding up his bandaged hand. Taking her right hand with it, Jason placed a soft kiss on her knuckles, “But, you will be the most perfect creature in the room tonight. He won’t know what hit him.” He held out his arm brimming with power, power she had given him.
Alex smiled, took the arm he held out to her, and let him lead her from the room.
_______________
Jason felt the heat of his lust for her as they discussed what Conner would expect from them tonight. They needed to show a united front. Alex agreed to let him take the lead. She didn’t agree to answer any personal questions about herself or be treated like a frail woman. Jason laughed.
“That’s not what I’m asking,” he said. “I want you to act like a leader tonight, like you want to lead this team on this assignment.”
“I am,” she replied.
“No, you’re not,” Jason countered. He turned slightly toward her. “You’re acting like you’re doing us a favor, like we’re an irritation to you. This is important Alex, to all of us as it should be to you. Act like it.”
In her eyes he saw anger then concession. Those brown orbs softened as she considered his assessment of her behavior so far. He was surprised.
“Alright,” she sighed as she sat back and lowered her gaze to her hands. “I will try very hard to convince Gale I’m on board with all of this.”
Jason smiled. “Thank you.”
She took his good hand, the one with the insignia ring, and kissed it. “For now.”
Jason’s desire spiked when she was close. Maybe he was starting to chip away at that armor she always seemed to wear.
“So after we’re done, how about we pick up where we left off last night?” he said keeping her hand in his.
He pulled her wrist up to his mouth and lightly kissed it until the vein popped to the surface. Running his tongue across her skin, he couldn’t shake the memory of having tasted her blood. As he moved his lips to the palm, he felt hungry again. He was, most of all, very anxious to get this meeting over and get her back in his bed.
“I can’t,” she whispered. “I’ve got plans with the team, sorry.”
Did he hear her right? He raised his head and dropped her hand abruptly.
“What plans?” he asked.
“I promised them a night on the town,” Alex replied.
Jason wasn’t sure why his temper suddenly ticked up a notch, but it did.
“Where are you going?”
Alex shrugged as she stared into his eyes. He hoped she couldn’t see how angry he was getting. But suddenly, he didn’t really care. How dare she deny him?
“Mind if I tag along then?” he forced a smile. “I love bar hopping.”
She grinned and shook her head. “Sorry, Jason, just us tonight. I want to get them out of the hotel for a while—away from big brother. You understand, right?”
“No, not really,” Jason replied as he took her hand in his.
_______________
“Jason, are you okay?” Alex asked in a calm tone. His hand was hot and trembling.
She’d hoped this wouldn’t happen, but he hadn’t had enough of the substitute to clean her blood from his system. And he wasn’t immune to the side effects. This was her fault. She shouldn’t have let him feed from her in the first place.
He shook his head, a thin sheen of sweat formed on his brow. When he released her hand, he looked confused. “I’m not sure.”
Alex pulled a bottle from the small refrigerator and handed it to him. “Drink, now.”
He did as he was told, emptied the entire bottle then closed his eyes. When his head landed on her shoulder, she could still feel him trembling. “Maybe some residual effects of the silver,” he whispered. “Another taste from you might help,” he said with a weak grin.
“No, it won’t,” she replied as she wiped the sweat from his brow with a tissue. “Just finish that and you’ll be fine.”
As he drank, she felt his pulse begin to slow down. That was a good sign. As his body cooled, the fear inside her began to die down. From what she had learned over the years, her blood held properties unlike those of regular human blood. For a vampire, a turned one anyway, it caused a spike in body temperature and also healing abilities. Jason’s damaged hand would have taken much longer to heal without what he took from her last night. Now, because her blood had sped up the process, he’d almost be back to normal by morning.
“I guess I’m just stressed about tonight,” he said with a slightly embarrassed grin on his handsome face. The warm color of his skin had begun to fade to pale as his body reached a normal temperature, for him anyway.
“Yeah, me too,” she said as she checked his bandage again.
The skin on the top of his hand was smooth and pink, but on the mend. No longer cracked and peeling, the paleness had returned to his fingers; his nails clear and hard as steel like before.
She tightened the white gauze and gave his hand a pat when she placed it on his knee.
“Looks pretty good, huh?” he asked. There was that sparkle in his eyes again, which made her feel better. If he followed her instructions, Jason would be back to normal and her blood would be so diluted that its effect on him would be null and void.
“Just keep drinking the substitute, Jason,” she said. “You’re healing just fine.”
Chapter 37
There was something very weird about being here tonight. The delicate furnishings and clean linens reminded him of a proper lady’s boudoir, not the bedroom of a modern-day courtesan who happened to own the most expensive brothel in Las Vegas.
She took great care with herself, her charges and her clients. Every dream was possible here, but at a price and within reason, her reason. You’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who would ever disagree with her or her rules. And no one ever had, as far as Michael knew.
At the full-length mirror that leaned against the wall, he straightened his tie and slipped back into his jacket. Once he was dressed, he sat down in the wingback chair to slip on his shoes. He stood when the door opened and she entered the room in a red dress that wrapped around her curves. With red lips and a porcelain complexion, she smiled. Her jet black hair, parted down the middle, hung to her narrow shoulders in bouncy waves.
“I trust you enjoyed your evening,” she said as she adjusted the knot in his tie.
> “Yes,” he answered with a soft kiss to her cheek when she was done. “And as always, Mistress, your services were impeccable.”
Mistress Bianca smiled at him again, took his arm and they left the room together.
At a leisurely pace, the two of them walked down the softly lit hallway speaking in a quiet tone. It wasn’t a library, but being inside the walls of Ashblood Manor could be a learning experience, if you paid attention. Michael always paid attention when he was here. He enjoyed all of the services available to the discerning client whenever he was in Las Vegas. Sometimes sex, sometimes not. Sometimes he just wanted someone, other than his family, to talk to. Sometimes, like tonight, an exceptional massage and bath were on the menu for him. To have a beautiful woman bathe you after fantastic massage was the perfect end to a long week of bad leads and dead ends.
And Ashblood Manor always had fresh humans on hand for a cocktail that defied description. Mistress Bianca always accommodated her special guests in that respect. Her charges were healthy, willing and able to grant all requests.
“So,” she continued. “How’s your father?”
Michael chuckled. He’d heard the rumors. Everyone had. His father and the Mistress had been hot and heavy a little while back. She’d stopped taking other clients during that time too. No one could remember her doing that before.
“He’s good, I guess. Busy with this chaos around Jason Stavros.”
“Yes,” she sighed. “Awful mess. Well, do tell him I asked about him, would you?”
He gave her pale hand a friendly pat. “I will.”
When they reached the bottom floor, all the activity surprised him. People practically ran in and out of the main salon. With boxes of alcohol and bags of ice and trays of glasses, Michael thought it seemed like a holiday or special occasion he’d missed.
Bianca pulled him inside the room with a grin. Usually there would be men sitting around talking or glued to smartphones or tablets waiting for their escorts to claim them, but not tonight. Tonight the couches looked extra soft and fresh flowers adorned the tables all around the space. Bartenders stocked the shelves quickly. At the back of the room, a long table was set for a buffet of some sort. Then he caught the scent of fresh food in the air.
“Humans coming tonight, Mistress?” he asked.
“Yes,” she replied as he offered her a barstool. “Some out of town guests and an old friend.”
Michael took it all in—all the activity and preparation. “He must be pretty special. Anyone I know?”
She just smiled as she adjusted the vase of live red roses on the bar in front of her. “I don’t think so.”
Michael leaned on the bar next to her, his curiosity piqued. He’d never known her to make such a fuss over just anybody. This kind of attention was reserved for dignitaries, Presidents, Sheiks, those kinds of people, his father even, but not just any human with a few bucks to spend.
“Come on, Bianca,” he smiled big for her. “You can tell me.”
“Don’t you dare try to use that sexy smile on me, Michael Gale,” she purred, taking the martini that was just placed in front of her. For Michael, scotch, neat. “It’s not a secret anyway. Alexa Stone and her team will be here tonight.”
Michael’s heart jumped in his chest for some reason. “Really? Business or pleasure?”
Mistress Bianca frowned, then emptied her glass. “If you knew Alex, you’d know business is her pleasure, unfortunately.”
Michael emptied his glass as well and tapped the bar for another one. He’d read the stories online like everyone else, he was sure. Alex Stone had her pick of young humans. Athletes, musicians, artists. She was no stranger to arm candy. He never imagined her coming to Mistress Bianca for companionship though.
“She needs no help in that area,” he heard her giggle. The bartender placed fresh drinks on the bar for them both. “Trust me.”
“Then what kind of business would you have with someone like her?”
“Long story,” she replied then sipped her drink. Her green eyes twinkled like emeralds. “Would you like to meet her?”
“No,” he stated with a little laugh.
“Why not?” she asked with a bat of her long lashes. “How long has it been, Michael?”
“Long enough,” he answered then emptied his glass again. “. . . too fragile,” he said, mostly to himself.
“Them or you?” Bianca said turning his face to her.
“Stop trying to fix me up,” Michael frowned at her.
As still as a statue, Mistress Bianca blinked at Michael. The blood in his body ran cold at her expression. She was the only one who knew his secret. Bianca never told anyone about the human he’d fallen for all those years ago. About how he was ready to tell his family and marry her. His first real love died giving birth to their child. They were both laid to rest on this very property. And, in seventy five years, she’d never told anyone, as far as he knew. But she did try to set him up from time to time, mostly vampire women, but sometimes she’d throw a human at him, just to trip him up.
“Fine,” she purred on his lips. “But you can’t hide forever, Michael. Don’t let this life pass you by. You’ll regret it.”
_______________
“On behalf of the Council of Pure Blood Vampires,” Conner stated as he raised his glass to the loose circle they formed at the bar. “We thank you for saving Jason’s life.” A deep rumble of ‘hear, hear’ went around those assembled as the men in attendance followed Conner’s lead in raising their glasses to the lone female in the group.
Alex had never known vampires to be so gracious to humans, but then again she’d never known humans to save vampires either. This really was a new game now. Conner and his sons watched her closely. The eldest son, Aiden, just sort of glared at her and Jason from his place at his father’s side. She got the distinct impression that he didn’t trust them.
“I’m glad I was there,” she replied. “I’m just sorry Oren was injured. How is he by the way?”
All was quiet around the room at that question. They glanced at each other as if she’d just broken some unspoken rule.
“He’s improving,” Conner stated. “Slowly, but we’re hopeful he’ll make a full recovery. Thank you for asking.”
“I guess he owes you one too then,” Aiden added as he stared at her over the rim of his glass.
Alex couldn’t tell if he was just being an ass or serious. The perpetual smirk made it hard to tell. “No one owes me anything,” she replied.
Jason’s arms appeared around her waist as he pulled her into his body.
“I owe you my life,” he said as he placed a soft kiss on her cheek. “And I can’t think of a better protector for this conference than you.”
Conner’s green eyes flashed an angry glance at Jason. She just couldn’t tell if it was because of the kiss or the statement. As the oldest vampire in the room, Conner Gale may not feel owing a human your life was something to be proud of, but Jason didn’t really seem to care.
“Yes,” Conner smiled. “We’re honored that you’ve agreed to lead the Tracker team to Romania. Secretary Carter and I had a lengthy discussion just a few hours ago on the subject. He is expecting a full report from you and the team on your return.”
Conner’s expression turned serious. “This conference will bring together fifty of the most powerful in the supernatural community. The world is changing. We must change with it. Soon, we won’t be able to hide in shadows. Too soon, we may be forced to come into the light.”
“But why me?” Alex asked. “I’m nobody in your world. I was a hunter, remember?”
He grinned. “Yes, but somehow you gained a certain level of respect in our world. It’s time to put that to good use.”
“You have more power and respect than I’ll ever have, Mr. Gale.”
“Conner, please,” he smiled.
/> “Conner,” she replied. “How is my presence going to help you?”
“When the price was placed on Tristan’s head, it was because we knew he was dangerous. We knew he wouldn’t stop until he had every human on this planet living in fear of us, of him. That’s not what we wanted. We wanted to coexist. We still do.”
“You are completely engrained in every aspect of human society. No one even suspects creatures like you exist. So this meeting is for what, exactly?” she asked.
“To find out who agrees with our plan to stay under the radar and who may feel the way Tristan did,” Conner answered.
“And how did Tristan feel?”
Conner exhaled, “That we should be the dominant species on this planet. The Council controls our numbers for a reason. Right now we can accommodate our population quite comfortably. If Tristan had his way, we’ll be overpopulated in a very short amount of time, comparatively speaking. We won’t let that happen. Now or ever.”
Alex stepped up to the bar for a something stronger than wine. Memories of the places they had saved from hordes of greedy, ruthless vampires that fed without rules and fought over what little food was around swirled in her brain.
All those small remote places no one else cared about. People nobody missed. But when the blood frenzy spilled over into the more important parts of those countries, Night Command was called in. U.S. interests were being threatened. Allies with money that could potentially benefit the American people had to be protected.
Mexico, Africa, South America, even Australia. They were just a blur of blood and bodies now. Strategic Assets Management could go into any one of those places as a U.S. contractor and clean house virtually undetected. And they did.
“Why don’t you just go after him yourselves?” she asked as she turned back to the group.
“We are,” Aiden joined the conversation. “But his reach went further than we anticipated. Before he was captured, he put groups in play that no one knew about, not even Strategic. While he was on ice, literally, they were working to keep his plan alive.”