CREAM

by Zenobia Renquist

  Ephraim said, “The head family has made no statements to indicate something is amiss.”

  “Like they would.”

  “True.”

  Jeliyah wanted to get away from the man. She sent a mental cry of help to Teaghan to get her away from Ephraim without looking as if she was running. Her internal alarm was sounding loud and clear. Everything about Ephraim put her on edge and she didn’t have centuries of practice, like him, to pretend she wasn’t on edge. Not for long.

  The bartender tapped her shoulder. She spun and faced him. “Yes?”

  “Teag’s calling you.” He pointed at the DJ booth.

  Jeliyah looked in Teaghan’s direction. He was waving her over with one hand in the air. It almost looked as if he was dancing. She didn’t care. She needed the out. To Ephraim she said, “I have to see what he wants.”

  “Of course. Don’t let me keep you.”

  She kept her pace sedate as she walked to the DJ booth. Without looking over her shoulder to confirm, she knew Ephraim was watching her and not because of her outfit. If she did anything to indicate she saw him as a threat, he would attack her. She felt that intention loud and clear.

  What the hell had she done to get on the enforcer hit list? Her gaze went to Teaghan. Maybe it was him. Had he put a target on his back and she was catching shit by association? Maybe taking the twins’ hunt and forcing them to go rogue had broken some enforcer-brotherhood code and now the others were hazing him. Whatever the case, Jeliyah didn’t appreciate being caught in the middle.

  She squeezed into the booth, elbowing aside a few of the girls, who glared at her. They didn’t say anything, which was good because Jeliyah would have had some things to say right back.

  Teaghan pulled her close and leaned into her. He didn’t whisper in her ear though. His words sounded in her head. Can you activate your necrome in silent mode or something?

  Why?

  I’m thinking he’s not the only enforcer in here. I need to know what I’m up against.

  You’re flying blind. If I activate this necrome, every vampire in the club will know it.

  He nodded and released her to go back to his music.

  Jeliyah moved to the back wall of the booth. A quick glance at the bar showed Ephraim still there and still looking her way. She decided to act as if Teaghan had scolded her. Crossing her arms over her chest, she fixed a pout on her face.

  It wasn’t hard acting upset. She was. But her upset was tinged with apprehension and a small amount of fear. They were going to be attacked again.

  Chapter Seven

  Teaghan was keeping an eye on three vampires he while acting as if he were absorbed in the music. The first had been Ephraim. He’d gotten the man’s name from Jeliyah’s mind since Teaghan didn’t know him. It had pissed off Teaghan when a vampire came sniffing after Jeliyah once the humans gave up.

  Her outfit was doing too damn good a job. He’d wanted to loosen her up so it would be that much easier to get her in bed again once they returned to the hotel, not help her find another sex partner. He figured they were in for another argument before he convinced her to give in to what she really wanted—him.

  With one confirmed and two possible enforcers stalking them, an argument about sex was the least of his worries. Jeliyah’s question about the twins’ motivation in going rogue entered his mind. Blowing it off earlier might not have been his wisest move.

  He didn’t know what this was though. Enforcers didn’t attack other enforcers, not unless they had gone rogue. And there’s no way someone had tagged Teaghan as a rogue. If they had, the enforcers wouldn’t sit around letting him spin tunes all night. Humans or not, they would attack him to keep him from rabbiting.

  The head family liked enforcers to do rogue takedowns without witnesses but they preferred the rogue be killed as quickly as possible. So Teaghan didn’t have rogue status. What he did have was just as annoying though.

  He agreed with Jeliyah’s assessment about Ephraim’s interest in the hotel and how close it was to the club. It was across town on purpose. Teaghan kept home and play well away from each other. If a rogue managed to find Teaghan’s hotel, he wanted to make sure the fight didn’t endanger his favorite pastime.

  “Need a drink, Teaghan?”

  The redhead who spoke pulled Teaghan out of his thoughts. His gaze went to her neck. “Yeah, I do.” If a fight was coming, he needed to be fed.

  The girl giggled and cooed as he slipped his arm around her waist and pulled her close. She tilted her head back, pressing her breasts against his chest and rubbing her thigh against his hip. Her open invitation annoyed him but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t take the drink she offered.

  He bit her and fed quick, taking two pints. His giggling donor moaned with passion. She mistook vertigo for pleasure. Not his problem. He released her, ignoring her stumbling movements, and grabbed another girl to feed him.

  Anyone who knew him would notice his out-of-character actions. Teaghan didn’t indulge. He sipped at the donors supplied to him, giving each enough attention so they would volunteer again the next time he showed up. A few sips spread out over five-to-seven girls equaled a meal for him.

  That’s all the girls were—dinner. Before Jeliyah came into his life, he would have singled out one girl for a quickie in the back office once the club closed to feed his other hunger. A player’s lifestyle. One he enjoyed. Jeliyah—his abrasive little necromancer—compelled his full attention, whether she wanted it or not. He planned to do all in his power to keep her safe.

  He released the second girl and a third rushed forward to take her place, baring her neck and her breasts in one movement. Not long ago such a display would have had Teaghan pushing her up against the table to fuck her while he continued mixing music. Now, his dick didn’t so much as twitch. Yup, his necromancer had done a number on him. He was glad he had practice blocking his thoughts or else she would pick that fact from his mind. He planned to have her take responsibility for impeding on his lifestyle as soon as he was sure they wouldn’t be killed.

  “Done,” he said to the girl.

  She pouted and stroked his side, running a single finger along the top of his pants. “Come on, Teag. Me too. Please,” she purred.

  A quick glance around the booth showed the remaining three girls were eagerly awaiting their turns and would be just as demanding as the one in front of him.

  Just do it, vampire, before she makes a scene. Jeliyah’s annoyed tone let him know he would be paying for his feedings later.

  He bit the girl in front of him, feeding a little and then letting her go. He was close to full. Too much blood and he would be too drunk to fight, making him sluggish and uncoordinated.

  The last three girls got their nip-and-sucks out of the way and left Teaghan in peace. He went back to watching the three vampires, waiting for them to do something he could claim was threatening so he could take them out.

  They were watching him the way he watched them. He had no doubt they were all aware of the situation as it stood. Teaghan had called his necromancer close to him and fed enough to ensure he’d be at the top of his game if a fight broke out. Jeliyah’s rings might be in the car but she had her necklace and he’d strapped his sword to his back as well and had her gun tucked in his calf harness under his jeans.

  Since Lee trusted him, Teaghan didn’t have to go through the normal weapon searches as the other club patrons. Teaghan hoped tonight wouldn’t change that. He would hate to stop working with Lee over the issue of protecting himself.

  Teaghan cued up a song with lyrics that sent a clear message to the other enforcers—your move.

  The two vampires Teaghan suspected were enforcers left the club. Ephraim toasted Teaghan with Jeliyah’s discarded drink and then followed them.

  Teaghan didn’t know what was happening. After this, he planned to find out. He glanced over his shoulder at Jeliyah.

  She said from her mind to his, I know. We’re moving hotels again.

  Not
just hotels. We’re getting the fuck out of town. I’m putting some distance between us and them so we can figure this shit out.

  Sounds like a plan.

  Teaghan would have to break the bad news to Lee about not being able to do the rest of the week. He planned to say a hunt came up. Lee wouldn’t whine as much with that excuse.

  The rest of the night passed with no more than the normal level of club excitement. The enforcers didn’t return but Teaghan wasn’t stupid enough to think they had left. At the end of the night, he offered the bogus hunt excuse to Lee before hustling Jeliyah out of the club and to the car. He’d pulled his earplugs the second the music stopped so he could hear anything and everything. No way was he repeating last night and letting some asshole get the drop on him.

  Jeliyah’s nervous fear filled his thoughts though she tried to put up a brave façade. She relaxed once they were in the car and on the highway headed back to the hotel. She asked, “What’s going on?”

  “I’m finding out now.” Teaghan pulled his phone, hit the speed dial for Fredrick and then laid the phone on the dash. The ringing filtered through the car speakers.

  “Hello, Teaghan. I thought you might be calling me soon.”

  Teaghan snapped, “What the hell is this, Fredrick? I’ve got three enforcers sniffing after my ass.”

  Fredrick laughed. “You’re not as sharp as I thought if you only managed to spot three, Teaghan.”

  He gritted his teeth. That wasn’t what he wanted to hear. He glanced in the rearview mirror. The highway was the perfect place for a tail to hide. There was no way to spot a car following when they were all going in the same direction. Teaghan took the next exit, deciding to use the city roads instead.

  He said, “Why are you after me, Fredrick?”

  “I couldn’t care less about you. I’m following orders. The one giving the orders was more than a little put out when you killed that rogue.”

  Teaghan and Jeliyah exchanged a glance.

  Fredrick said, “I made sure Hirsch chose someone who would pique your interest enough to blow off the hunt in favor of getting in her pants. I underestimated your greed.”

  “Tell me this isn’t some fucked-up revenge because Dipshit and Dumbass didn’t get to take out the rogue.”

  “No, this is punishment for killing a rogue who shouldn’t have been touched. Didios and Dumas already paid the price for their failure to keep him alive long enough to make a very important meeting. Thank you for that, by the way. However, now it’s your turn.”

  Teaghan knew it. A coup was about to happen. He didn’t know the players and didn’t care. So long as the bills got paid, the person in power didn’t matter. From one leader to the next, nothing ever changed.

  He said, “Fine. You want me. I get that. Leave the necromancer out of it. No one would miss me but take her out and you’ll have the higher-ups gunning for you and your boss.”

  “You’re right, the higher-ups would be quite upset if we killed the necromancer, and that wasn’t my intention. The others wanted to have some fun with her before handing her over but that was all.”

  Jeliyah gripped the door handle and her eyes widened.

  Teaghan said, “The higher-ups won’t overlook you molesting one of their own.”

  “That’s where you’re wrong. They’ve given us permission to do with her as we please so long we return her to them intact.”

  Jeliyah yelled, “They would never do that.”

  Fredrick chuckled. “Well, hello, Jeliyah. Ephraim tells me you smell of vampire seed and blood. Recent seed. Old blood. I had thought you would hold out against Teaghan much longer given your initial reaction to him. Either I overestimated you or underestimated him.” He made the vocal equivalent of a shrug. “Doesn’t matter since I felt the need to pass on the news of your little indiscretion to Hirsch, who then relayed it to the higher-ups. They are very displeased that a high-middle class such as yourself would give a vampire permission to invade her body. That displeasure graduated to anger when I informed them of the blood sharing as well.”

  Oh please, no. No. No.

  Teaghan grabbed Jeliyah’s hand in a firm grip to anchor her to the here and now. She clutched at him and stared at his profile. Tears rimmed her eyes. He knew she was holding it together by a thin thread of will. Images of the bleeding chamber raced through her mind. She was imagining herself in the place of the person she’d seen when she was young.

  He told her through their link, I’ve got you, Jeliyah. Nothing’s going to happen.

  Fredrick said, “Stop the car and give up. Make this easier for all of us.”

  “Denied.” Teaghan released Jeliyah’s hand so he could snatch the phone off the dash and hit the end button.

  Jeliyah asked, “What do we do? They want you dead and me—” Her words choked to a halt and she pulled in a shuddering breath. A single tear slipped down her cheek.

  He retrieved her hand and squeezed it. “Easy there, necromancer. Don’t fall apart on me now.”

  “Why? All you did was kill a rogue.”

  “That’s why. It’s a changing of the guard. It happens every few centuries. Family infighting. They involve people from neighboring families who have been promised some little tidbit or other to help the wannabe head take power. It’s a story as old as the vampires. Seems you and I got in the way.”

  Teaghan changed his destination. The enforcers probably knew which hotel they’d used by now and might be lying in wait. He steered the car back on the highway. If one family wanted him dead then his only protection was to seek refuge in another family’s territory.

  While a risky proposition without petitioning for entrance first, the destination Teaghan had in mind came with a sponsor. He released Jeliyah’s hand once more to bring up a number he hadn’t called in years. He hoped it still worked.

  “This is Mekhail. Who is this?”

  “It’s Teaghan, Mekhail. I’m calling in my favor.” He tossed the phone back on the dash.

  The man sighed into the phone in a resigned fashion. “What do you want?”

  “Watch the tone. I want safe passage and a meeting with the family head to seek asylum for me and my necromancer.”

  “The head doesn’t like necromancers.”

  “He likes them well enough to have two as his bodyguards.”

  “They are exceptions.”

  “You know what? I don’t give a shit. I told you I’m calling in what’s owed me. Make it happen. We’ll be there in twenty hours or so.”

  Mekhail sighed again. “Yes, sire. Safe passage and a meeting. Does that make us even?”

  “Depends on if we get asylum or not.”

  “I have no control over that.”

  “You better get some then. Talk me up to the head or else your ass will be on the line to get us out of the territory and into the next safely. Get me?”

  “Yes, sire. Call again when you near the border. I’ll have escorts to meet you.”

  “Good.” Teaghan ended the call.

  Jeliyah asked, “Who was that? What favor does he owe you that he would vouch for us like that?”

  “Mekhail is my progeny. Long story short—I made him after he’d been left for dead. He begged me to give him eternal life and to kill the ones who’d wronged him. I told him it would cost him and he agreed.” He glanced at Jeliyah, meeting her haunted gaze. “He’s in good with the head of the next territory over. We’ll be safe.”

  “The vampire head who bought two high-high class necromancers and caused all that controversy. How can he not like necromancers and have two working for him?”

  “Ask him when we get there.” Teaghan pushed on the gas pedal, not worrying about cops. If he knew Fredrick and how the man operated, the local law enforcement had probably already been told the situation and warned to stay out of it.

  Teaghan was heading west. “We can’t head back to the hotel.”

  “I figured as much already.”

  He smiled at the annoyance in her voi
ce. Better mad than scared. He said, “Looks like you’re going clothing shopping with me after all, necromancer.”

  “What about my money and yours? The jewels are in safe-deposit boxes back there.” She waved over her shoulder.

  “You can’t still be worried about retirement?”

  “No. But now that I know that money isn’t going to the campus, I want it.”

  “Woman after my own heart.” He raised her hand to his lips. “Don’t worry, necromancer. Mekhail isn’t the only one who owes me a favor. Once we’re settled, I’ll call in another solid to get our stashes.”

  “Do you put all your progeny in debt to you? You really are a mercenary. If you’d been born a necromancer, you would have made a great higher-up.” She snatched her hand away from him.

  “Of the few progeny I have, only Mekhail is in debt to me. Everyone else in my ledger got in debt the old-fashioned way—they asked for a service and couldn’t pay for it upfront.”

  “What service?”

  “The kind I’m good at, killing people.”

  “So how much am I going to owe you for saving my life?” She fixed him with a hard look. “Or are you going to put me down for a future favor?”

  “I get that you’re pissed, necromancer, but I’m not in the mood to be your whipping boy. We’ve got a long trip ahead of us. Get some sleep.”

  “What about you?”

  “I fed deep tonight. I can miss a day or two of rest before I start deteriorating. I can’t say the same for you.”

  Jeliyah sat staring out the windshield for several breaths before she opened the glove box and took out her pouch of necromes. She put them on and flexed her fingers. “Activate.”

  Teaghan spared her a glance. “What’re we dealing with?”

  She closed her eyes. “Two following, though a fair distance back.”

  “Looks like we can relax then. If Fredrick really wanted me dead and you captured, he would find some trumped-up charge to slap me with rogue status. He’s doing this on the down low for some reason.”

  “You wouldn’t happen to have a friend in a high place, would you? Someone protecting you?”