by T. A. White
Kat’s hand rested on my shoulder in a claw like grip. It had been her voice I’d heard, though it had a level of panic that probably hadn’t helped calm my instincts.
“Patriarch Aiden.” Kat sounded shaken but was still trying to keep control of the situation.
It was a struggle to focus on what was happening around me with the delicious blood so near. I practically drooled at the thought of it sliding down my throat.
No. Focus on other things. Ignore the thirst burning a hole in your throat.
I forced myself to take in my surroundings. Anything to get my mind off what I really wanted.
A man with hair so short it was a shadow on his head watched me from across the room. He had a strong jaw and a slightly crooked nose as if it had been broken at some point in his youth.
“It is strange that the Davinish family would let such a young one loose to run about.”
“This is not our normal way of doing things, Patriarch. Enforcer Liam brought her in and has entrusted her to our protection as she is currently unclaimed.”
“Unclaimed?”
He examined me more closely, like I was a puppy that had done an interesting trick.
“How interesting. I don’t think I’ve seen an unclaimed yearling for the past two, no three, hundred years, not since right after the Clan Wars and then it was a never a woman who was unclaimed.”
“What’s that supposed to mean? Why is it surprising I’d be a woman and unclaimed?” I asked.
“Quiet,” Kat hissed.
You be quiet. I had questions and I wanted answers. This guy seemed talkative.
“Now, that’s not very nice,” the man told me.
What wasn’t nice? My questions?
His lips quirked in a half smile, as if he’d just heard an inside joke.
“To answer your question, it’s because women rarely make the transition to our esteemed ranks. They often die without rising. For that reason, they are a bit of a rare commodity and the clans are understandably unwilling to let them face the dangers that being unaffiliated brings.”
My eyes narrowed. What a bunch of bullshit. I’d fought my entire life to have the same standing as a man in whatever path I chose to walk. More than ever I was glad to be outside their system. It sounded like I’d get myself in trouble with them sooner rather than later if they thought women the weaker sex in need of protecting.
The other man chuckled as he walked to stand next to us.
“How old are you?”
In vampire years or human? Given how Kat reacted to learning I’d only been a vampire for two years, I didn’t really feel like sharing any other personal information.
“Two years? You really are young. Most at your age would have torn the human limb from limb.” He flicked Kat a chiding look. She straightened and lifted her chin. “What were you thinking letting her through the door first? If she’d killed him, it would have been your fault.”
Mind reader. It was the only way he could have known my age when no one had spoken.
He gave me a sly smile. He was.
Lucky for me it wasn’t the first time I’d run into one of these. How did I shield my thoughts last time? Right.
Closing my eyes, I visualized an old, great forest, full of towering oaks, redwoods, birches and spruces. A forest like the one I’d visited in Yellowstone when I was a child. My forest had twisting paths that winded back on themselves, creating a maze with no center. For added protection I placed briars and underbrush beneath the trees. In my mind, my forest stretched for miles and miles in all directions. Even climbing the tallest tree wouldn’t show you the edge of it.
The first time I’d done this I’d pictured an impenetrable wall that the mind reader had no trouble breaching. Since he’d been one of my recurring customers, I’d gotten a lot of practice perfecting this method. I found picturing something living and complex worked better than a structure. Over time I kept adding on to the visualization until I achieved the current incarnation.
It had seemed to work with my customer, but I didn’t know if it would work now. I didn’t know why it worked or how, just that it did, and that was good enough for me.
Eventually I wouldn’t need to close my eyes to pull up my protection. It would just be there, a thought away. I’d been told that practice could keep my shield in place permanently.
“That is an interesting trick,” the vampire said, his eyes distant as if his focus had turned inward. “It is quite effective and unexpected.”
Something brushed against my mind, testing my invisible forest here and there for signs of weakness. It was uncomfortable. The other mind reader hadn’t been skilled enough to make any inroads into my forest. This one, though, felt like he might be able to find the center if given enough time.
“Ah, I see. You’ve placed the trees to obscure line of sight. Very clever.”
His eyes fixed on me, a greediness entering them. It did not give me a good feeling.
“What is your name?”
I kept my thoughts as quiet and still as possible. It seemed like my shield was doing its job but you could never be too careful. The vampire might be misleading me to get me to lower my guard.
“Ah. Lena.”
I started.
The vampire’s gaze turned to the woman next to me. “Your elder doesn’t have quite the same level of skill when it comes to guarding her thoughts.”
Kat looked rather displeased by his observation. It made me doubly glad I hadn’t given her my real name or any other information.
“Patriarch, as much as we’ve enjoyed your presence, I’m sure you did not come to supervise a yearling’s feeding. I’m sure my elders would be happy to host you and discuss what matters bring you to our club.”
I couldn’t help being a tad impressed at that eloquent dismissal. Perhaps Kat had a lot more backbone than I’d initially given her credit for.
“I find I am quite happy where I am,” the man said.
“Patriarch, this is an unusual request. I am sure you will be much more comfortable in one of our other rooms.”
I watched the back and forth, my gaze swinging between the two like it was a tennis match. I didn’t know who I wanted to win. The man, who hadn’t really done anything threatening yet, or the plucky underdog who was swimming in waters even I could tell were well above her head.
“I will stay and watch. I am curious about the yearling and am contemplating putting in a claim.”
Kat went stock still. If I hadn’t seen the very faint rise of her chest, I would have thought she was a statue.
“You presume much, Patriarch. This is not your territory. Davinish would have priority in any claim on the yearling.”
I assumed they meant me. So great to be talked about like I wasn’t even here. Like I was property with no say in what happened.
More and more, my decision to remain hidden was being validated.
The two faced off, the human and I forgotten as the tension ratcheted up.
This was awesome. Perhaps they would fight, and I could slip away in the resulting chaos. I could even take the human for a snack.
Just like that I was fixated on his neck, staring and nearly drooling. Just a sip would go so far in quenching this awful thirst.
Kat hissed at the other vampire. I sidled to the human and bent closer.
A blow knocked me sideways, sending me crashing into Kat. We landed on the floor in a pile of limbs.
“What is this?” the vampire who’d kidnapped me thundered.
His eyes glowed bright blue in the space, his fangs descending and giving him a feral appearance.
My senses returned in a rush now that I was away from the human. I hated referring to him as that. Human. It made me sound like a monster.
Tonight the bloodlust was worse. I kept fixating. If I kept this up, I wouldn’t be able to trust myself in my normal life. Even when Jenna had crashed in on me last night, I hadn’t been so out of control.
Wait. Last night.
>
That’s the last time I’d had any blood. No wonder I was having so much trouble resisting the human. I was hungry. No. Starving.
I knew better. I never forgot and always made sure to keep myself properly fed. It’s the best way I’d found to keep myself from snapping.
How could I have forgotten?
Even if events had been rather distracting in the past two days, my body would have craved it which would have served as warning. When the sorcerer showed up this morning, I should have been jonesing for his blood like a junkie cruising for her next hit.
Why hadn’t I? Had he done something to me? And if so, was it something that could be replicated?
While thinking about my hunger problems, I had tuned out of the conversation. With a start, I realized they were talking about me.
“No one is claiming the yearling until I say so.”
They both protested.
My kidnapper growled, sounding more like the werewolves from last night than the vampire he was. How was he even able to do that? I never sounded like that when I was mad.
“I don’t have time for this. Aiden, I called you here to learn more about the death of your family member. This was the last place I’d been able to trace him to before he was found dead in his apartment. There might be some clue in the tapes.”
“It’s always business with you, Liam. You never were any fun, even when you were young. I just wanted to get a feel for the girl to see if she would fit in my household.”
“I don’t have time for your lack of focus. This killer is escalating,” Liam said with forced patience. I was surprised when the he didn’t turn the glowing eyes back on. He seemed to have a rather short temper. “If you don’t mind the death of another of your children, I will be happy to step aside while you fence with words in another Clan’s home. Or you could watch the tapes and tell me what you see.”
“He needs permission from the club manager before viewing Davinish property,” Kat said, shooting Aiden a glare.
She really didn’t seem to like this Aiden and was borderline disrespectful towards the end. It was surprising since she’d gone on and on about respecting my elders when Liam turned me over to her. Patriarch, I knew, represented a family head. Same for Matriarch. What one was doing in the back room of a club, I did not know.
The glowing eyes came back on, forcing Kat to bow her head and back down.
“The fact that I said I needed him should be enough,” the vampire hissed, his voice hitting notes I’d never heard in a human’s voice.
For the first time, I noticed the stack of DVDs in the vampire’s hands. I had a sneaking suspicion the man I was supposed to meet in the apartment was on them. It might be worth trying to get a look. The sorcerer would probably want some clues to go on if his contact was dead.
I would also need something to go on if I had any hope of getting out of my fool’s bargain. I didn’t think even induction into a vampire family could save me from the sorcerer’s claim.
“Where did you find the girl?” Aiden asked. “I thought you were checking out Eric’s apartment before meeting me here.”
“Yes and much to my surprise I found a yearling snooping around.”
I found myself the center of two intent stares. Aiden’s gaze was calculating and I understood more on why Kat treated him with wariness. In a moment, he’d flipped from easy going to intent and focused as he weighed and cataloged everything he could about me. It was the type of look I’d seen many times on missions as a soldier sized up potential enemy combatants, trying to determine if they carried weapons or IEDs – improvised explosive devices – under their robes. All in the space of seconds.
This time, I was the potential enemy, and I had no doubt Aiden would act with the same aggressive efficiency our soldiers had when we came up against a threat.
I shored up my mental forest in case he decided to go fishing for information.
“You’re just full of surprises, aren’t you?” Aiden said softly. It didn’t sound like a good thing when he said it.
As Aiden turned and walked away, Liam focused on me, “A warning. Vampires are fascinated by mysteries and will do anything to solve them. If you’re not careful, you may find yourself torn apart in an effort to get at the secrets you keep hidden inside.”
His threat delivered, Liam turned to Kat, “If she kills the human, it will be you I punish. You should have bagged blood on hand for emergencies.”
That would have been a nice alternative and given Kat knew my age, it should have been her first choice.
Somehow, despite being nearly prone on the ground next to me, Kat managed to make her inclined head seem graceful as she murmured, “Yes, Enforcer.”
She sounded so meek. Totally unlike when she was addressing Aiden. It made me wonder who Liam was.
It also made me wonder if the human had been a test. But why? It’s possible she’d counted on me killing him. Maybe to make me feel beholden. No, even that explanation didn’t quite fit.
I hated not having enough information to make informed opinions. I knew so little about vampire social interactions that I couldn’t even begin to understand any of the motivations at play.
Kat rose with a sinuous grace, leaving me feeling like a lumbering elephant as I scrambled up behind her.
She walked to a wall and pushed aside a picture. Behind it was a safe. She punched in a code and opened it to withdraw a bag filled with red liquid. I stepped slightly to the side to get a better look.
Huh. The safe was actually a refrigerated unit with stacks of blood filled bags. Kind of a weird thing in a club, but it made sense when you realized who owned it.
I wondered if they’d tell me where they got the safe. It would be perfect in my house. No more trying to hide my blood in wine bottles. I also wouldn’t have to worry about well-meaning family members stopping by to dispose of the bottles.
There was the faintest evidence of a blush as Kat handed the bag to me. I took it, glancing at the human. It was a little astonishing he hadn’t run for the hills with all that had happened in the past few minutes. We weren’t exactly guarding our words. I know if I’d heard someone refer to my possible death from exsanguination, I would have been out of here so fast that I’d have left skid marks.
The human gazed back at me with a vacant expression. The lights were on but no one was home. I wondered if Kat had done that mesmerizing thing the werewolves had been talking about. What were the chances she’d show me how to do it?
“You may go,” she told the human.
He left without another word, wandering out the door.
“Will he be okay?” I asked.
He still hadn’t looked all there on his way out. I hoped he made it home in one piece. It would be rather sad to have escaped death by my bite only to run afoul of some other vampire or supernatural.
“He’ll be fine,” Kat said, not sparing the door a glance. “He’ll go back to the club and then head home where he’ll wake up tomorrow not having any memories of the night. I’m sure he’ll assume that the night was ‘epic’ and be no worse off than he was before we interrupted it.”
Her tone made it clear that the human had already left her thoughts.
Is that what being a vampire meant? A complete disregard for human life? I didn’t want to be that person. The person who couldn’t be bothered to care. I would never admit it aloud but part of the reason I joined the Army was to help people. To serve my community and give back to my country. It sounds sappy, which is the reason I never say anything about it.
It could be that Kat was just distracted due to Liam’s earlier interruption, but I doubted it. Especially given the blood pack she’d handed me.
It didn’t smell nearly as appetizing as the human had. I’d never had blood straight from the source, but if it tasted as good as it smelled, it would be divine. Maybe even better than Black Raspberry ice cream from Graeters. Well, maybe not that good.
In contrast, the blood pack was the equivalent of a stal
k of celery. Nutritious and would prevent me from starving but not exactly something you went out of your way to eat. It’d do the job but didn’t leave me craving more.
I drained the bag in great big gulps. It was empty too soon, and I looked at it in dismay. I hadn’t realized how hungry I was until now, because that one small bag had barely made a dint in my hunger.
“Got any more?” I asked.
She sighed and tossed me another one. I drained that and another before deciding my hunger was under control. I was still a little peckish but didn’t want to get too greedy.
Kat had taken a seat and was clicking around on a computer while I finished my dinner.
For the first time since I’d rushed in here intent on a delicious smell, I had the time to devote to taking a look at my surroundings. Half of the room looked like any VIP room, complete with tasteful couches and chairs. They had a very modern shape and were in greys and yellows. Not the colors I would have pegged for a vampire’s lair. There wasn’t a drop of red or black in the entire room. I tested one chair. It was much more comfortable than it looked.
The area Kat had availed herself of looked like some high powered executive’s office. A heavy wooden desk with a huge monitor and keyboard, an artistic paper weight and antique globe were the only decorations.
I stood and walked over to get a look at the painting behind Kat, stealing a glance at her computer. It wasn’t the most subtle of attempts, but it was the best I could do in the circumstances. I forgot about being sneaky as soon as I saw what she was looking at.
“Is that security video?” I asked.
She frowned at me and looked pointedly at the chair I’d just vacated. I chose to ignore the hint and stepped closer.
It looked like it was a video of the club area. It was kind of grainy, and I had no idea what I should be looking for. The date at the bottom was for two days prior.
“Is this what the other two are reviewing?” I asked.
I hadn’t noticed her insert a CD or anything into the computer. It was possible it was linked to a secure server that had the videos stored on it. If so, why hadn’t she told Aiden and Liam they could watch the video’s in here?