Cake: A Blood Nation Novel (Volume 1)

by Derekica Snake

  That?

  “Be nice to her, she bites,” I warned. Frederick apologized, and I heard Shade laugh.

  “They are ready inside, Xavier,” Claudius said, walking over to me. “We just have to run the gauntlet. My dear Nightshade, could you come up with a vocal distraction?”

  Shade complied, letting loose an ear-splitting cry. Humans shrieked and fell back with obvious fear on their faces, while vampires just froze in their tracks. Hellcats were known killers to them.

  I grabbed at her tail. “I said, be nice.”

  Just having some fun. It’s been a while for me.

  I kept hold of her tail as we walked to the rear of the store, only too aware of all the eyes that were on us. This was Shade’s version of a distraction, bellowing and drawing attention to our presence? She must have sensed my question because she flipped her tail a little, trying to get it free from my grip. But I figured if I had a tight hold of it, she couldn’t use it to smack me around the head again. It was like getting hit with a baseball bat.

  With the way cleared, we headed downstairs, two hulking, wrestler-type bodyguards preventing anyone from following behind us. And once we got near the basement, Shade yanked her tail out of my hand and jumped from the landing with a snarl, scaring the crap out of everyone setting up the shoot. I made to follow her, but Claudius grabbed my shoulder and prevented me from heading down any further.

  “Let Nightshade do her work.”

  Everybody stood absolutely still as the great cat walked among them, her whiskers twitching, her nose sniffing. Finally she settled herself down by the snack tray.

  It’s clear.

  I nodded. “Good. Let’s get this over with.”

  It was sort of fun. I discovered that tight leather and hot lights combined weren’t all that great, but I could camp it up all I wanted. And I did so, until Shade started mocking.

  Oh yeah, work it, baby. Give him the eye, make him feeeeeel it.

  I couldn’t concentrate as she continued to tease me, and eventually I yelled at her. “Shut up!” The photographer, who had been giving me posing directions, stopped and stood up. “Sorry, I wasn’t talking to you,” I said, which didn’t go over well because I got that ‘he’s-so-beautiful-too-bad-there’s-nothing-upstairs’ look from him. Crap.

  I glared at Shade as her feminine laughter rang in my ears. She in turn flicked her tail, drawing an imaginary number one in the air over her head, and then pointing towards me, she drew a circle for a zero.

  Learn Silent Speak

  “Teach me then. Now,” I demanded.

  You can do two things at once? Impressive.

  “Don’t patronize me.”

  You’re scaring them. You have a temper, which is good. Now, shut up, and don’t talk to me until you can do so using Silent Speak.

  There was a discreet cough. “That was the end of the roll anyways,” the photographer stated, handing his camera to his assistant and backing away from the stage. Great, just great, I thought.

  What else are you planning on doing for the rest of the night? Anything as interesting as this is?

  She had a point. If I went home now, I would just be bored. I gestured to Frederick. “Any other stuff you want me to try on?”

  “Really?” he asked, coming up to me. “I’m more than happy with what you’ve done.”

  “I’m actually sort of enjoying it. And someone…” I cast an accusing look down at the Hellcat, “…told me recently that I should step that up a bit. Show me what you got, and I’ll tell you if I’ll wear it. But I’ll let you know right now, if it’s Marcus’s fuck-me-now clothes, I’m not putting it on.”

  Frederick seemed a little affronted at my words. “I assure you, I do not sell fuck-me-now clothes. It could be just the way you’re wearing them. Here,” he said, thrusting something at me. “I had your mug warmed up.”

  Claudius came over and looked at the clothes that Frederick quickly picked out for me. I had to admit the man had taste. But then Claudius began to layer things together, and I was amazed when the clothes started appealing to my eyes in a sensual manner.

  I took a sip from my mug. “Marcus said you used to be a libertine. I believe him now.”

  “That was when I was much, much younger,” Claudius replied, his fingers brushing softly over the fabric of a shirt. “I overindulged on wine, blood, women and song, and every other vice that could possibly be named. It gets old after a while.”

  “Define ‘a while’.”

  “About one hundred and fifty something years,” he said, matter-of-factly, holding up a skimpy top. “This will look good on you, as we’re working towards a slutty appearance at the end of the shoot.”

  “What the hell makes you think I want to get photographed looking like a slut?” I challenged. “And if you say it’s because I am a slut, I’m going to kick your shin…hard.”

  Laugher rippled across my mind, and I turned to stare at Shade as she sat idly tapped her long tail on the floor. I opened my mouth.

  Silent Speak, or nothing at all, my Lord Emperor. It’s all about will. Just think of the person, or cat, and speak in your mind as you would with your body. You can shift your vision. Silent Speak is easier than doing that.

  I focused on her like I did when I’d tried to find the Blood marks in my room and got that damn little blood vessel popping in my forehead. She laughed again and lay back down.

  Come on, slut.

  Ignoring her, I took a big swig of my blood and wondered why it seemed thicker? The re-warming process, I guessed.

  Grabbing a suit, I went to get changed, and as soon as I came out of the dressing room, I was attacked by the hairdresser, who brushed my hair so hard, I thought he was trying to snap my head off my neck. I reached up to feel my hair once, to try and discover what sort of style he was creating, but I got my knuckles rapped with the brush. I did manage a quick feel when he turned aside for a moment, and whatever Mr. Hairdresser had done left my hair almost glass smooth and clipped tightly at my neck. I liked it.

  Once he was finished, Claudius and Frederick descended to give their views, and at almost the same time they said, “Too dignified.” The Hellcat’s opinion was slightly more colorful.

  Shut up.

  Shade’s eyes widened upon hearing me use Silent Speak in retaliation to her comment.

  I like you, Sex. You are a delightful surprise.

  Don’t call me Sex.

  Don’t call me Shade.

  But I like Shade.

  I like Sex.

  …slut…

  Shade gave a loud snort and drummed her tail despondently on the floor. Ha! I had irked her. I hid my victorious smile behind the mug of blood as I took another sip of the drink, which was actually hitting the spot rather well after being out of it for the past three days.

  I had just drained it when I felt my belt getting whipped off. What the hell! “What are you guys doing?” I squeaked. Claudius was taking off my tie, while Frederick began un-buttoning my shirt down to my navel.

  “You look better when you are dressed naughtily,” Claudius said as he ran the tie through the vacated belt loops. Then, taking a hank of hair from the side of my head, he pulled it out of the clip and let it hang loose in front of my face. “There, much better. Now you definitely look like you have been naughty.”

  “Are you saying that I can’t look dignified?” I cocked an eyebrow at Claudius, but it was Frederick who shook his head and answered me.

  “This is about selling clothes, Xavier. Dignified might work in a different type of store, but I need to sell sex.”

  Naughty sex

  Stop it, Shade.

  “And I need you to sell it for me,” Frederick continued. “Xavier, everyone wants you. Women, men, gays, bisexuals, transvestites, closet gays, almost out of the closet gays, Doms and Bottoms…you name it, they all want Y.O.U.”

  “Okay, stop,” I pleaded. “Because you’re really starting to creep me out with this obsession you say is going on with me.
”

  Sharp hand-clapping brought our attention back to the cameraman, who was gesturing me towards an overstuffed leather chair “We are burning the midnight oil, people. Let’s get set.” I sat down and got to play sex kitten.

  I actually felt kind of dirty when the photographer called a break. Dirty, a little sweaty, and kind of hot and thirsty. I went to grab my discarded mug again, but remembered that it was empty.

  “Here, take this.” Claudius said, handing me a bottle of water. “How is your head?”

  “Okay, I suppose,” I told him, pushing the water back at him.

  “Drink your water and then go change,” he told me, forcing the bottle on me. “We are almost done here.” He touched my cheek and ran his fingers up to my temple. I leaned into him, and he jerked his hand back.

  “What?” I asked, puzzled at his behaviour.

  He rubbed his fingers together for a moment and then frowned at me. “What the hell do you have in your hair?”

  “I don’t know, but look,” I said, taking out the clip and grabbing at a fistful of hair. I pulled it straight out from my head and when I let it go, it stayed there.

  “You are supposed to look alluring for your last session, not alarming,” Claudius lamented. “Go change.”

  I sauntered off and looked down at the clothes Claudius had laid out from Frederick’s selections. The final shoot was the Slut Look, and one piece of clothing immediately caught my eye.

  “I’m not wearing a skirt!”

  “It is a kilt” Frederick corrected. “Put it on.”

  Kilt, my ass. No matter how it was spelled, it was still a skirt. And putting it on, I discovered that it felt different to wearing pants…kind of like walking around with your lower half naked.

  The shirt that was paired with it was a long sleeved nylon thing with black markings running through it that didn’t look like anything special…until you put the shirt on, and then the markings made it look like they had been tattooed onto the skin. I wanted this shirt.

  I take it you’re not going traditional?

  I pushed Shade’s face out from under my skirt…uh, kilt.

  “You perverted little cat,” I scolded.

  You learn quickly. There is hope for you yet. Hurry up. It is getting late, and you need to feed on more than just blood packs. You are running out of essence. And…you don’t know how to hunt. How did you manage to live this long?

  Blind luck and sheer force of will, kitty cat.

  That, I believe.

  Shade turned and stalked back to her claimed territory of the catering table but not before giving me a parting goose with her tail.

  By the way, you wear the slut look well.

  Talk about a back-tailed compliment! I sneered after her and then went across to the waiting hands of the mad hairdresser. I don’t know what the hell he gave me, aside from a headache resulting from his yanking on my hair, but I think the style I ended up with was based on Johnny-Depp-type dreadlocks, or it could have been Medusa snakes. But for me, this shoot had gone from being something novel to get-it-over-with-already.

  Claudius was closing up his mobile phone when I came back into the room. “Nice. These are for you,” he said, giving me a pair of gold sunglasses.

  Shade, honest opinion needed.

  Her great amber eyes opened, and she assessed me.

  I’m not going to be able to teach you anything if you’re on your back all the time, Sex. That outfit would tempt an Ancient into running you to ground.

  The photographer called out to his crew. “Okay, we’re ready. Cue the music.”

  “Music?” I frowned.

  “Oh yes, they want you dancing sexily,” Frederick related, doing his own little two-step as a demonstration. I didn’t know if he were excited or needed to go to the bathroom.

  “Well that ain’t going to happen,” I huffed, crossing my arms in front of my chest.

  “You danced before,” Claudius refuted, matching my pose.

  “I wasn’t thinking with my right head last time.”

  “And you will not soon enough.”

  I didn’t like the sound of that. “Claudius?”

  “You are ready to Flame,” Claudius sighed. “Why, I do not know. But all the signs are there. I have put a call to Marcus and left a message for him. He must still be working. He knows where you are. You will just have to endure until he gets here.”

  “No…I don’t like this,” I protested. “I don’t want to Flame in front of all these people.”

  Claudius reached out and cupped my cheek, his stroking thumb sending tingles through my flesh. “You are a vampire. The Flaming is part of the whole experience. You should not fear it. You should revel in it. If Marcus has spoiled this for you, I will take him to task over it.”

  I laughed out loud. I really couldn’t see anyone taking Marcus Du Bussey, Master of the Territory, to task, though it was actually rather touching to hear it offered.

  “They want sexy. Go into Flame and dance for them, Xavier. Just make sure to keep your glasses on,” Claudius urged.

  Shade?

  Her feline nose twitched in the air.

  Have fun.

  That’s not what I wanted to hear.

  You are too long between Flames. Hence your body has forced one on you. If you eat at regular intervals, you can control the Flame. This one is going to be wicked. Sorry…sexy.

  Claudius came around behind me, one arm coming to rest over my shoulder, his fingers brushing at my nipples through the thin material of the shirt, his other hand sliding along my hip, tracing around to the front of me.

  “You bastard,” I hissed, as I felt myself growing hard. Then the crystal vision slammed down into place, and my skin danced with flames and sensation.

  “Show them what they cannot have, Sex,” Claudius whispered in my ear, his soft, seductive tone entangling my brain and blowing on the glowing embers of my lust.

  He released me from his hold, heading over to the music system and killing the music that was currently playing. Then, taking a different CD out of his jacket pocket, he placed it in the slot of the machine, saying, “I know you like this one, Xavier.”

  It was the same song that I’d been gyrating to when he and Marcus had brought the councilor home, and I felt my face flush at the memory.

  By now the photographer was getting fed up with the whole thing. There was always a drawback to working with amateurs, and my inhibitions didn’t seem to be helping. “Come on,” he called out to me. “We’ve all got places we would rather be.”

  Climbing onto the small stage that had been set up, I sneered down at the man. Places you’re rather be, eh, I thought. I’ll show you a place you can never be. Nightshade snickered in my head.

  Oooh, this is going to be good.

  I began grinding my hips to the slow, sexy bass and found that it felt a little more natural and free in the kilt. My eyes were burning, my skin felt super-sensitive, and I let myself enjoy the tingling my hand caused as it crossed over my leather-clad waist, running up inside my sheer shirt, lingering on my stomach before reaching higher and brushing teasingly past my nipples, which were hard and protruding. My other hand was lower, rubbing on my thighs, my fingers teasing but not touching my groin.

  All the while my hips continuously swayed in a leisurely figure eight, and as the tempo of the music increased, I let my head fall back and then whipped it sideways, causing my dreadlocks to fly and wrap around my face. Turning around, I saw the photographer just standing there, open-mouthed, holding the camera away from his eye. I stopped dancing.

  “I can’t keep this up all night. Are you going to take pictures or not?”

  Claudius bit back a smile, while Frederick just stood behind the photographer, a dumbfounded look on his face.

  You have a cruel streak in you. I like it.

  Come here, kitty, kitty, kitty. Come dance with me.

  Hell no. That is kitten abuse.

  I laughed out loud, gesturing at Claudius.
He shook his head, but I jumped down and grabbed his wrist anyway. “You’ll dance with me, Grandfather, won’t you?” I purred seductively.

  Pulling him back on the stage with me I started my motor up again, bringing his arm over my shoulder and draping it down across my chest, his sleeve rubbing so deliciously against my tight nipple. The photographer moved around us, taking his shots.

  “Oh yeah, this makes it look like you’re someone’s dirty little secret.”

  “You are a naughty tease, Grandson. What am I going to do about this?” Claudius breathed huskily, as I rotated my ass into his groin.

  “That’s for the CD,” I told him, reaching up and pulling his head down for a kiss.

  My lips had barely touched his when the music stopped abruptly. I looked over at the table and saw Marcus standing there with one eyebrow cocked in question.

  “I know I just got the message, but did you really have to start without me?”

  “Pretty!” I was happy to see him…or was it because I was in Flame?

  Oh god. It’s positively pornographic in your head.

  Shut up, Shade.

  Frederick, sensing an atmosphere, spoke up. “That’s a wrap. Uh…leave everything. We can tear it down tomorrow. Come on. Move it.”

  I went to move off the stage and approach Marcus, but Claudius held his arm around my neck and pinned me to him, glancing at the stairs and waiting until everyone had cleared out before saying to the Hellcat, “Nightshade, make sure that we have some privacy.”

  Marcus watched cautiously as the panther slinked from her resting place by the catering table, moving with grace and ease up the stairs, where Shade lay down on the top landing, her ears flicked to the stairs above, but her golden eyes intent on the scene below.

  “Claudius?” I looked at him over my shoulder. “What’s wrong?”

  “Shush, little Grandson. You are not thinking clearly right now. I am simply looking out for your interests.” The warm indulgence that had colored his voice all evening had now faded to a definite chilly tone.

  “His interests?” Marcus came towards the end of the stage.

  “I know it was you who left him in that coma, Marcus. You deliberately misled me,” Claudius accused. “You could have done more damage than could be fixed. Precious time was wasted because of this.”