Neeman stepped up the ramp toward her, while Mason was left in the arena, hard-bodied and sweaty. Oh how she wished to go down to him right there, body dripping, and sink her teeth into his neck. She imagined the feeling, the taste of a blood that strong.
Her thoughts were interrupted by the smell of Mason’s blood on Neeman’s hand the moment the door opened. It was all Danika could do to stop herself from dropping him to the ground and licking the blood from his knuckles. Or better yet, pushing him to the side and rushing down the ramp.
Neeman’s eyes blazed with need. She had to admit, he was gorgeous. At that moment, she wondered why in all their years together, she’d never loved him. No longing to be with him again when he was gone. No willingness to put his needs before hers. She’d never felt complete being with him. He was strong, and sexy, but they did nothing to complement each other the way her parents had. As much as she’d tried to make it work with him, he wasn’t the one.
“He did satisfactorily.” She turned to the mirror, avoiding Neeman’s lusty gaze and buttoning her blouse. “He had a rocky start.”
“Like I said, he hasn’t learned to meditate yet. It was evident tonight by his words and his actions. He told me that his head wasn’t in the right place. This is what I tried to warn you of Danika. He isn’t ready yet. I need more time to—”
“No,” she said too forcefully. She coughed, turned, and tried again. “No. Do what you can, and the rest he’ll have to learn while in my service.”
Neeman opened and closed his fists several times. But in the end, he did what he’d always done when she put her foot down. He sighed and said, “Very well. He’ll be ready two weeks from tonight. I’ll deliver him to your home at eight.”
“Thank you.” She shook his hand, before letting herself out. She walked as fast as possible to the elevator and out of Neeman’s range.
As the elevator ascended to the first floor, she thought about the large human with his piercing eyes and warm aura. She imagined him protecting her. Pressing his body on hers and pinning her down beneath his tremendous weight as he shielded her from a threat. The image made her tingle all over. She threw her hands over her face. She was in so far over her head.
Chapter 9
Mason plagued Danika for the next few days. Unable to get any real work accomplished she became increasingly more impatient for the next two weeks to end.
William entered her office. His new haircut and business suits had changed him. He stood taller, moved stronger, proud of who he was now. In time, he’d reach his full potential. He’d be self-assured, diplomatic, and a great confidant.
“Yes, William?”
“My lord, the appellate court starts in an hour. We need to leave.”
“Of course, thank you. Please call down for the car. And let Chase know.”
Danika gathered her things. William returned carrying a file, a concerned look on his face.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
“This just came from Chase. It’s another case for tonight. It’s an emergency case that hasn’t gone to the underlords. It came straight here because it was in need of immediate attention.”
“What?” She crossed in front of her desk and snatched the file from William in a blink of an eye. He stepped back. She didn’t like being unprepared. There was a note attached to the top of the file. It was from Neeman. Her stomach lurched. She flipped through the file. “Crap!”
“Is something wrong?”
“It’s a rogue vamp caught by the Tracking Squad, and they need me to pronounce judgment.”
“But if they caught it, shouldn’t the judgment be clear?”
“Yes and no. It is complicated. We have to go. I’ll explain it in the car. Is Chase coming?” She couldn’t believe he’d just gotten this to her.
“He said he’d meet us there.”
“Fine.” Danika stalked to the elevator. William ran to catch up.
On the ride down, she read the file, flooded with visions of Xenock for the first time in weeks. She cleared her dry throat and pinched the bridge of her nose, trying to rid herself of his face.
She hated pronouncing judgment on rogue vamps. More times than not, they were so far gone you could tell just by looking at them. However, there were cases, such as this one, where the vamp was trying to control it. They had periods of lucidity, followed by terrible rages in which they killed and drained everything.
The elevator opened to the lobby, and Danika strode past the receptionist who tried to give her a message. Her eyes narrowed and the receptionist shut her mouth and sat down. William took the message with a smile.
Danika slid inside her car and pulled the file open again, reading slowly from beginning to end. William sat in silence. When she finished, there was no question that the vamp had gone rogue. Danika rubbed her temples with her fingers.
“So this is how it’ll work. The parties will come in and give their side of things. I will then converse with the underlords about the facts and make a decision at that time. You will stand to my left. Try to observe as much as you can about the parties involved. I may ask you before I issue my ruling if you have anything you’d like to add. Do not speak, however, unless I speak to you. Do you understand?”
“Yes, Lord Danika.”
“Okay.” Danika blew out a long breath. "Have you ever encountered a rogue vamp before?"
William shook his head. "No, but I've heard of them. It happens when they drink human blood right?"
“Yes. Human blood is toxic to them. It causes them to go insane with bloodlust. We aren’t sure why, but it is believed that it has something to do with the fact that they are not real Vampires, but mutated humans.”
"I thought rogues were usually killed on sight."
“Some are completely crazed and must be destroyed. They will turn on other vamps, and even Vampires when they can’t find human blood. However, there are a few that are not all far-gone. Those are bled, then set on a strict synthetic regime that breaks the addiction. It’s rare, but it has been accomplished. Of course, the vamp is then set as a slave or a minion so he can be monitored.”
“What do you think of this one?”
“There’s no doubt that she somehow ingested human blood. Where she got it is the question. And how far gone she is will be the other question. From Neeman’s notes, she’s taking to the new regime. Before this incident, she was a good college student. So there is hope she will be rehabilitated.”
“Is it rare for a vamp to drink human blood?”
“Extremely. Vamps don’t hunger for human blood. Unless they taste it, they have no more desire to drink from a human, as they would a dog. The only place to get human blood is inside a Vampire’s estate, or possibly a bar, but vamps aren’t served human blood. This girl was not in the employ of a Vampire, therefore how she got the blood is a mystery.” Danika’s thoughts traveled to Xenock again. They never had discovered where he’d gotten human blood, either. That was the thing Danika regretted most about having killed him so swiftly.
William nodded. “Why is court held at Coven House?”
“Because that’s where my father held it. He believed that our Coven House was open to all those in need, and that those who came seeking judgment needed him the most.”
Twenty minutes later, the driveway to the Coven House was full of cars stretching almost to the gate. Paul pulled up to the front and stopped where a spot had been left for them.
Inside the entrance hall were at least two dozen people. Danika passed them without a word. When she reached the staircase landing, she turned.
“I’ll return in fifteen minutes to begin. Please relax in the dining hall. William will call your name when it is your turn. Thank you.”
When she reached her room, she slipped off her shoes and skirt, William stood in the doorway.
“Please fetch Matthew for me.” She dropped her blouse and then turned to find something suitable, yet comfortable to wear
.
“Yes, mistress,” William said in a strange, low voice as he left.
Searching the closet, she found a pair of black knit pants. Paired with her red blouse. Not too formal, not too casual, and comfortable as well. She laid the pants over a chair and stripped off her slip.
* * * *
Danika took her seat in the makeshift meeting hall in the downstairs atrium. The chair, which had been her father’s, had been pulled into the middle of the large room. Her mother’s sat beside it, empty. Danika swallowed at the sight of them. Two chairs, equal in height and stature just as her parents had been.
The sides of the atrium were lined with flowers, plants, and tropical trees. The smell of the fresh foliage permeated everything. The roof was made of glass, letting in the moonlight. The stars twinkled in the clear, cloudless sky. Candles lit the way down the length of the burgundy carpet, which ran from the entrance to her chair on the opposite end.
Her underlords, Oliver, Isaiah, and Victor sat awaiting the hearings in three chairs on her right, a head lower than her high-backed wooden chair on the pedestal.
The first case on the docket involved two vamps who owned rival grocery stores. “Coleman and Sustin, please, William.” She motioned him to the entrance.
“Yes, mistress.” He walked down the lit pathway to the entrance hall.
“He’s a nice, pliable minion,” said Isaiah.
“Yes, a good purchase, I must say. But quite a high price, isn’t he?” asked Victor.
“No, not nearly.” Danika avoided the point. She thought about Mason for a moment and her skin tingled.
“He’s still wearing his bracelet, I noticed,” said Oliver. “When do you plan to bond with him?”
“Not that it is any of your business, Oliver, but we are waiting till we are both comfortable. I prefer not to be tethered to someone with whom I am unfamiliar.” She continued staring straight ahead.
“You will have to let me know how that works out for you,” said Isaiah.
William returned with the two vamps a step behind him. Coleman was a short, pudgy vamp with spiky white hair and a pig face. Sustin, on the other hand, was tall and thin, with no hair at all.
The men stopped at the edge of the platform and bowed. William continued onto the platform and stopped next to Danika.
“I’ve read your file and I have just two questions. Is it true that you cannot work together, combine your assets and your knowledge to benefit the both of you, thereby increasing your enterprise, as well as your holdings?”
“Yes,” said Coleman. “I cannot work with this vamp. He is a cheat and a liar, and I deserve the store, since I was first to offer to buy it.”
Danika turned to Sustin and nodded for him to speak.
Sustin bowed to Danika before speaking. “Thank you for hearing us this evening, Lord Danika. I would be a better owner for this store, and I cannot work with this man. The partnership would undoubtedly fail.”
Danika nodded again. “I see,” she said. “Well, then, my second question is how much are each of you willing to pay the other, to relinquish his claim to the store?”
The two men met gazes and then turned to Danika again. When she didn’t move, Coleman squirmed.
“Nothing, I would never give that vamp any money! The store should be mine, and that is all there is to it. I would rather neither of us get it than to give any of my money to him,” Coleman spat.
Sustin watched Danika, a look of comprehension crossed his face. He calculated for a minute, and then said, “M’lord, I would pay whatever you deem fair value that I should pay this man to relinquish his claim.”
Danika nodded then turned to Coleman. “Sir, you have shown no willingness to be either fair or gracious to a fellow being. Whereas, Mr. Sustin has offered to compensate you for your time and your claim. Therefore I award the claim to Mr. Sustin and order him to pay you, Mr. Coleman, ten thousand dollars. The money will be exchanged within twenty-four hours, and then the contract will be drawn up for the purchase of the store.”
“How can you make such an unfair judgment?” Coleman yelled. “I offered first, then he came in and made a higher offer; he tried to steal the store from me. And now you are siding with him? I demand to see the three kings!”
Danika’s eyes blazed with anger. But instead of crossing and ripping his throat out, she spoke in a dangerously quiet manner. “How much do you want then, sir? This is about money, after all, is it not? So how much do you want to walk away?”
“A million dollars.” He didn’t hesitate.
Danika leaned back in her chair. “You are all witnesses. He has three times insulted me, here in my own house, by not addressing me with respect. Therefore he has forfeited his right to be heard here, or by any higher court. My ruling is now that the store goes to Mr. Sustin, and that is the end.”
“That is the end,” said all three underlords together.
Danika motioned for William to show them out.
“You can’t do this!” Coleman shouted. “You cannot give him that store. It is unfair! It is un-American! I won’t allow—”
“How dare you!” Danika bellowed, rising from her chair. “You have insulted me, in my own home. For that alone, I should have your throat ripped out! But for you to tell me what you will or will not allow? Whom do you think you are addressing? I’m not a common slave. I am a Vampire lord! Go now, and if I ever see you in my court again, you will be stripped of all possessions and sent to the slave auctions.”
Coleman had gone from his regular blue-gray color to almost an ash white. He backed away from Danika’s wrath. “Yes, my lord. I apologize, my lord,” he whispered. William took him by the arm and turned him around.
“Well decided, m’lord,” said Oliver.
There were murmurs of consent from the other underlords. William returned and Danika pulled out the next file.
“Bring in Smith and Mitchell please, William,” she said, her voice again impassive.
“Yes, my lord.”
* * * *
The next four cases went without incident. Danika chose to take a small break before the last case. Everyone stood and stretched. William asked to use the bathroom. In his absence, the underlords spoke about trivial matters while Danika steadied herself for what was coming. She closed her eyes in an effort to gather her thoughts, but when she did, all she saw was Xenock running at her from across her bedroom.
She took a deep breath, then motioned for William to bring in the group. Danika braced herself for whatever would come next. She rubbed her temples while she waited. How she wished she had a mate at times like this. Her thoughts traveled to Mason. His strong body, tall and warrior-like, popped into her head. With him at her side as a turned vampyr, no one would dare challenge her. As much as she hated to admit it, Vampire, vampyr and vamps alike, didn’t fear her like they did a male. But she didn’t have time to think about him now, the entourage entered the room.
Neeman and two trackers had a vamp between them. She was average-looking, about twenty-five human years. She had the classic gray-blue skin, and dirty blond hair below her shoulders. Her clothes were clean, and she smelled like she’d been washed down.
Danika would’ve thought she was a normal, everyday vamp, except for her eyes and hands. The eyes darted around the room, taking everything in. A look of both anger and terror etched her face as she stood under the scrutiny of the underlords and Danika and twitched. Deep scratches covered her arms. Even with flex cuffs on, the vamp clawed herself in nervousness. Neeman put his hand on her arm to stop her. She glanced up at him, and he shook his head. She wrung her hands instead.
“Lord Danika Chekov, this is Mandy Tenmore. She’s the vamp we sent word of.” Neeman prodded Mandy forward. She stumbled and shuffled forward a couple of steps. “Bow,” he said under his breath. Mandy managed a small bow.
“Mandy,” said Danika. “It’s obvious that you ingested human blood. Tell me how you came about that h
uman from whom you fed.”
Mandy dropped her gaze to her feet, scratched at her neck, and then looked at Danika. Her eyes flickered to William, then to her feet. “I-I...don’t know. I mean, I think I do, but I’m not sure.”
“Well, why don’t we start with what happened the night you think you ingested human blood,” suggested Danika in a slow tone. Mandy wasn’t looking at Danika; she was staring at William. Her eyes dilated and contracted. She licked her lips as she watched him. “Mandy.” Danika snapped her fingers, causing the girl to whip her head toward Danika. “I believe you were about to tell me what happened that night.”
Mandy glanced at William again. “I... I went out with some friends. We’d been studying all week for our exams and wanted to have some fun. We went to our usual bar, Big Red’s. We stayed there for a while and had some drinks and got something to eat. Then we went to another bar called Mickey Mike’s. We’d decided to call it a night when some Vampires came in. I hadn’t seen them before. They were cute, even if they were kind of older than us.” She’d started scratching her arm again. Danika was afraid she was going to dig all the way through it.
“What happened next?” Danika prodded.
“They said that they knew of this great new place and asked if we wanted to come along. They had a big fancy car and took us in it to the other bar. It wasn’t anything like we were used to; it must have been a Vampire-only club. I didn’t know what was happening until it was too late. We had a few drinks, and the Vampires got a bit friendly. Two of them had paired up with my friends. The third, the older Vampire, talked to me. We excused ourselves and he started showing me around. It was like he owned the place or something.” She stopped talking and stared off in the distance. Danika let her think for a moment, but the instant her gaze focused on William, Danika pressed her.
“He seemed like he owned the place. Then what?” Danika tapped her fingers on the edge of her seat.
“He took me into a room, a private room. He had drinks brought in, and then told me that he thought I was pretty. He kissed me and asked if I wanted to add a little kick to the champagne. He said it was special, like me. He called for a bottle and poured something into our glasses. It tasted amazing.” Her eyes drifted to William again. “It was like nothing I’d ever tasted before. He gave me more and more. Then we—” Her voice dropped. She scratched more feverishly, and looked from William to Danika, then at the floor.
Reign of the Vampires Page 9