Dead Certain (Eve Benson: Vampire Book 3)

by P. S. Power

  “One hundred million, but I expect you to set up a long term, mutually beneficial truce, with Keeley, and I’d like an option on one with you, The Snowflake. Basically saying that we won’t knowingly work at cross purposes. Is that amenable?”

  Eve winced.

  “How would I know? I barely know the meaning of amenable, and there’s no way I can track all the variations of how this could be used against me in the future, is there? Even if I could get you to sign it, I probably couldn’t map out all the ways that kind of thing could be used against me, could I? Can you do that?”

  “No. No one could, in truth. Not even a Greater Demon. We’re far too intelligent to play with that way. My offer to you though, is an honest one. I won’t kill, or harm you, or your direct friends, or interfere in your business with intent to harm you. That doesn’t mean I won’t steal your business from you, if I have things set up without knowing about what you have planned, or that I might not kill someone you met once in passing. I also won’t send anyone after you, or try to enslave you, or your direct friends, or have others do it for me. It isn’t that large of an issue, as I imagine that you and I wouldn’t be coming to conclusions any time soon. It’s merely a precaution for the future.”

  “Oh. Well, as long as it doesn’t keep me from doing this thing with the treaty, and we’re both doing the same thing, I guess we can do that. No tricks or anything, on either of our parts. I know that you can outthink me, so if you want to do this, you have to agree not to, to the, um, spirit of the thing here?” She nearly said deal, but didn’t. Even over the phone, as a Vampire, doing that could make it too hard to resist being taken over, at least in theory.

  The man on the phone chuckled at her again. Like he was amused, it seemed. She could work with that, since she wasn’t falling down dead yet.

  “Agreed, to those terms. I do believe you might be underselling yourself however, Miss Benson. My granddaughter, Darla, picks her friends well. You’re rather more than you think you are. Truly, you should look inside yourself and figure that one out soon. Now, I’ll send Finias to you directly? It will take a few hours. I have him… It isn’t exactly a trap, since he and I are old friends, and I merely wanted him out of the way, so that we wouldn’t have to argue over the death of Keeley. Since that seems to be fading as an option for the time being, I suppose I could interrupt his fun.”

  “Thanks, Librarian. It’s five-thirty here right now. I have a date at nine. Is that enough time? I’d hate to cancel. I haven’t actually gone out, on anything real, for years.”

  “A catch like you? I find that difficult to believe. I’ll do what I can. If not in a timely enough fashion, then I’ll request he wait for you, at the Vampire embassy there? He might not do that, since I’ll have to share the situation with him, and he might fly straight to his daughter, seeking to guard her from the rest of us. Not that it seems needed, at present. May I call on you soon? I don’t want to leave all the dating options to the lucky fellow you’re seeing tonight, after all.”

  “Um, sure?”

  “I’ll talk to you soon then. In the next days. Good evening, Snowflake.” The phone clicked once then. It was a normal sounding thing, like what anyone would have produced if they were using a regular phone.

  It was hard to credit, being too mundane and normal for a being that had lived thousands of years or more, but she did the same. It was a bit confusing, actually, since it felt like the Greater Demon had just suggested they go out, at some point. That was weird, wasn’t it? Then, a lot of them liked sex, and she was young enough to be flustered by that kind of attention still, clearly. That might have been the point. Messing her up, and distracting her, using his charm.

  It was a real danger with Greater Demons. Thinking that because she got the drop on one of them she’d ever be able to do it again was insane, but so was assuming that just talking to a being that old and intelligent wasn’t a fight, too. Even him agreeing not to come after her, and being willing to claim there were not loopholes or tricks in it had probably been a giant mistake. She couldn’t go after him either, with intent to harm.

  There was an awful lot that could be done, to screw with her, that wouldn’t involve harm, after all.

  It was turning to dusk, but instead of David coming in, to relieve her and signal a good time for Felicia to get out and do something other than make waffle cones, Barb showed up. She seemed happy enough to be there, her dark clothing looking club worthy, in a work capacity.

  She jogged to the back, putting her purse away in Edom’s office.

  “Hey Snowflake. I hear you have a big date tonight? So, is he going to get lucky? Hmm? Hmm?”

  Eve didn’t wince at the nickname, but she did glare a bit.

  “Probably, if he wants to. Now, as for you calling me ‘Snowflake’… Every freaking Greater Demon in the world seems to be calling me that, too, now. I’m not a fan, so you know, I will be taking revenge. Fram, The Bold, has been going around the world for weeks, telling everyone all about me. Probably not in a good way, either. So, when you least expect it… Boom, your own silly nickname. Boo-ya!” She was serious, and threw her hands up and out, pointing downward at the other Vampire.

  Barb didn’t seem properly scared.

  “Yay! Something I did is popular. Now, what’s all this? Cones?”

  Eve showed her how to make the batter, and went over a few of the things that had seemed to work.

  “They aren’t menu items yet, so we’ve just been giving them away. Let’s go over a batch or two? Then I can go and change. Oh, some Greater Demons might call or come in… I’ll leave a message for them.” She said it like it was a joke, then hurried through the making of the new potential products, and actually rushed home, in order to get changed, and put some makeup on. Her hair needed to go up, she decided, which took several attempts, since she didn’t like the way the first three tries looked.

  The last one, which was just a twist that left her neck exposed, and made her look a bit taller, did the trick though. She felt sexy. That was a bit of a shock, really. Then she had to get into her clothing, very carefully, so that nothing would get on it. The battle outfit for the night was a slinky black dress, and while she wore panties, she left the bra off.

  The things she wore under her clothing barely covered enough to be entertaining, but Ben would just have to suffer, since the black lace set of things were what matched. The stockings covered to about four inches above her knees, and she risked wearing heels. More to the point, she put on black stockings that hit mid-thigh, and slipped running shoes on, for the trip back. Then used her knapsack to carry both a change of clothing, and a nice pair of black shoes that had three inch stilts on the back.

  If the whole thing didn’t scream fuck me now, she didn’t know what did. Well, other than actually grabbing a guy and saying that. It normally worked, or had in the past, so she knew to keep that in mind. Just in case things got awkward or boring.

  On the way back Eve made a detour to a pharmacy, and got some baby oil. The non-scented kind. After all, as a Vampire she wasn’t going to catch, or give, any diseases to a Human, but lubrication could be a problem. It wouldn’t hurt her to do things without, but the guy could chafe a bit. Then she ran back, moving with a level of speed that she hadn’t been certain she could in a skirt. It didn’t really slow her down at all, since the super speed part of her powers wasn’t really that at all. It was some kind of time or space manipulation thing. It had to be, given how walking was as quick as running really.

  So at seven-fifteen, she was back. Dressed to get some, or at least make her Human guy friend think about that kind of thing. That was really down to old habit though, wasn’t it? For all she knew Ben wouldn’t even be interested in that kind of thing on a first date. Did they even have anything in common? She’d kind of known him for about a year now, sure, but in that time they’d met, what, six or seven times? It felt like more than that, but it wasn’t really.

  For some reason, Troy popped into her h
ead then.

  Another person that she hadn’t been around a lot lately. They were pals, and had sex on occasion, even now, so there was a bit of a bond there. Even that had been based on physical things, really. He was a good guy, but for most of the time she’d known him he’d been kind of a player. That had calmed down over the last few years. Now he was a lot more career driven, so that was good. She didn’t know what he wanted in life though, did she?

  A family? To become a Vampire? That had been hinted at, a lot, and he was getting old enough that it was about time for him to consider it, if he was going to really do it. Looking like a fit thirty year old forever wouldn’t be too bad, but going much older than that would be less than optimal. Unless he wanted to be President some day, or that kind of thing. He’d never mentioned it, really.

  The big thing there, she knew, was that he was a Greater Demon’s slave, and the being might not want to let him go. It was an easier fix though, if Troy wanted to be a Vampire, than it was with Maggie. Death broke the link. So when he died, and became new again, that would be gone.

  It was what she was thinking, when she walked back into work, to see a good looking Dan Carmichael, one of Finias’ forms, sitting the third booth back from the front, delicately eating a waffle cone. He had a nice blue suit on, and didn’t seem homeless at all. In fact, this time, he looked about forty, fit, and ready to walk into a GQ ad. They didn’t take guys that old, she didn’t think, but that was their problem. Their loss, too.

  Eve slid into the booth with him, on the other side, and gestured at the cone.

  “Do you like it? It’s new.”

  There was a nod, and a gentle seeming smile.

  “It’s rather nice.” He took a lick, looking at her the whole time. “I hear that you’ve had a busy few days? In fact, I understand that I might owe you some small recompense, for getting me free from the distraction Tarsus had for me? It was a wonderful hedge maze. I would have been days getting out of the thing if he hadn’t ended it early. What, if I may ask, do you want for this? I’m prepared to offer two pounds of fine cut diamonds.”

  She nodded, since they were a girl’s best friend, she’d heard.

  “Troy Lopez.”

  There was no shocked look, just a grin.

  “I see. As a boyfriend, or…”

  “If he wants to be free of being your slave, we can make him a Vampire. If he can pass the training for it. If he doesn’t want to do that, I can see if Darla will help me kill him and bring him back. I can maybe do it myself, but I don’t want to accidently mess it up. He’s a friend.”

  There was a look then, that ended up being followed by a head tilt, and a touch on the hand, that tingled for a lot longer than any of the others had ever bothered with. Finally he took his hand back and laughed.

  “Agreed then, White Death. His usefulness is about done for me anyway. It would be good to see him graduate to a good position in life. I’ve always liked the boy. That’s why I picked him in the first place. Now, that leaves the other part of this. You mentioned to Tarsus that you planned to execute Fram tomorrow? I really would like to see that, even if the fool is going to be brought back. Do you think you can get me in?”

  It would take him being willing not to try and trick Fram or anything, but she could try, which he knew instantly. After all, he was a telepath on a level that very few could match.

  He stood then, and patted her right arm, this time without any buzzing or tingling at all. She stared at his hand.

  “What’s with that?”

  “Eh? Oh, I just didn’t need to read you twice, so I shut down that response for a bit. It isn’t hard to do. Why?” He asked it like he didn’t know the real answer already. That was probably a thing that a telepath had to learn to do, really. Otherwise they’d be a constant pain in the ass. Never letting you speak your own thoughts, and all that kind of thing.

  “Well, it’s how I’ve been telling if a Greater Demon is one or not. If they can control it, then it won’t work all the time, will it?”

  “I suppose not. Very few things work in every case. Even we have to pay attention, and look for mistakes and discontinuities in the world, to see what’s going on all the time. It would be a good habit for you to develop, Eve. As it is, I think we need to get you a mentor soon.”

  The Demon wasn’t smiling about it, just staring directly into her eyes.

  She grinned.

  “Well, I have Bey. True I should do a bit more with him. I have no excuse, except that I’ve gotten a bit busy, lately. Plus Edom and Lenore, so I think I’m set that way.” She was really. More than almost anyone that had ever become a Vampire, probably. They were all good people, too, so how rare was that one?

  Finias, looking kind of sweet and thoughtful, in a hunky way, shook his head slowly.

  “No, I meant a Greater Demon mentor, Eve. Before you panic, no you aren’t one of us. You have potential however, that is closer to that state than I’ve ever even heard of for one that wasn’t born of our kind. If trained properly I believe you might become something very different indeed. Who can we get though? Tarsus would be a fine choice, but it would be better if you didn’t go there, for now. I don’t think he’d hold a grudge, but finding someone that will care if you live would be nice. It will need to be someone sane, so that takes Zack right out. Plus he’s too young. So is Keeley. Darla, well she’d be a good person for the job, but has to watch Zack for the time being. Let me think about it? I’m sure we can find someone with both the needed skills, and flexibility to make this work.”

  Eve shook her head, “like it isn’t hard enough to just be me?”

  That got a laugh, and the man stood up, touched her shoulder in a decently friendly manner.

  “Don’t worry, you can take it. Get with Fram and clear that meeting for me tomorrow? When is it planned for?”

  “Seven, right now. That can change.”

  “Right. Keep me updated? This will be fun. Do you have a meeting spot for it?”

  She had been thinking there, in the store, but killing someone in the back suddenly seemed crude, if she didn’t have to do it. People ate just feet away, after all.

  “To be announced? I’m thinking of renting someplace for it. The Grange hall?” That was a thing that the local role playing group did during the winter. It wasn’t nice, but it was only about sixty dollars for the evening.

  Finias seemed fine with it, “you’ll work it out. I wouldn’t bother doing anything too nice this time, if it were me. This place really would be fine, though if there might be a mess, I think you could dump it on Zack, and not make anyone upset.”

  She pointed at him. “Good idea. I’ll ask about it. That will let us have a tiny bit of control over the whole thing, too, so that when the attack comes, or the trap, we have some little chance of avoiding it. Some of you will anyway. I’ll probably end up blown up, by whatever kind of bomb Fram shoves up his behind tonight, to make my life more fun. Not that I blame him. Then, this is only about having a conversation to set that up, not the event itself. I need to be prepared, since waiting isn’t going to help a lot, is it?” She felt worried, if only a little, but the hot Greater Demon guy just reached down and took her hand.

  “I wouldn’t let it bother you that much. Fram is… Less than my favorite, perhaps. He isn’t a true cretin however, despite what I label him as, most of the time. It serves his best interest right now to go along with you, and if he works this whole thing correctly, it will continue to be. He might even end up not being Keeley’s slave again, if he puts his fate in your hands. No, you can deal with him, and not worry about things skewing too far from your control. The one to consider is Tarsus. I’d say I couldn’t believe that he’d set this up, going after Keeley, but it nearly had to happen, eventually. Even if he can guard himself from her directly, which he can, none of us could survive an army of our fellows, throwing their true might against us. Trusting in a young girl not to use her powers to their full conclusion is hard, for many of us.”
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br />   “So the thought of killing her crossed your mind, too?”

  “Yes. I’m certain that it has with all of us, more than once. Even Zack. I know that Lyn was suggesting it to him, a few years ago. She’s far more even handed than most of us, too.” He stopped, and suddenly smiled. “Ah! There we go. I’ll get Lyn to work with you. It won’t hurt to suggest it anyway. She’s looking for an excuse to be around here more often, so she can spy on The Line Walker, without just doing it. Helping you has to be a good enough excuse for that. I’ll bring it up. Is she going to be there with you tomorrow?”

  Again, it was a thing that he knew, so she rolled her eyes.

  “Not that I know of?”

  “Maybe you should invite her? That would work best. She’s a very sweet person, for one of us. Not as much as say, Zack, but much like Keeley, though more seasoned. Yes, you should get on that now, before you have your date. I’ll get out of your hair. That looks lovely, by the way. Your hair? Everything about you does. This Ben of yours is a very lucky fellow.” There was a strange lilt to his voice on the words, and he walked away, humming a bit. It was so different that it stood out.

  Sighing, Eve walked down to Zack’s bookstore. She didn’t have a number for Lyn Hartley, or even a name or title, other than Lyn. It was what she’d told her to call her the night before. Zack had been raised as her grandson, for all the woman didn’t look past thirty or so now. She did seem Japanese, but it worked for her, as a look.

  Zack was in, so she waved to him, as he stood behind the front counter, actually helping an older lady that seemed to be purchasing books to read. That wasn’t always the reason people got things there. Most of the time it was as a cover, to explain why they were at a book store, since telling their wives, and hubbies, that it was all about the poon-tang wasn’t going to go over well around the dinner table.