“What about the risk of exposing myself? I’ve got VET agents on my ass already. Word gets out that I’m recruiting vampires and they’ll shut down Hades, arrest Franco and all the employees, and add me to Denny’s breakfast menu as toast.”
“You’re smart. You’re creative. You’ll figure out how to be discreet.”
“Maybe the laws could be changed first,” Remi said, adding to the conversation for the first time.
“What do you mean?” I said.
“Well, that guy that’s in Hades all the time…the politician always bragging about how he’s been helping to pass anti-vamp laws?”
He was talking about Mr. Cash. “Yeah, what about him?”
“Why don’t you use your powers of persuasion to get him to vacate the vampire order of extermination? Make him a sympathizer. Once people are no longer afraid of being punished for associating with vampires, it should be easier to find willing folks to turn.”
Weird way of handling vampire-human politics. Wasn’t even sure it would work, especially since my captivations could damage Mr. Cash’s brain. Buuuut…it wasn’t an impossible plan. Maybe by the time I’d figured out how to steal my heart and worked up the nerve to drain a virgin, legislature would be on my side.
Since it took time for things to change in the legal arena, I’d better get started on that right away.
Tomorrow at work, I’d have a little chat with Mr. Cash about reversing the laws that had killed off so many of my kind. Then I’d think about how to get my heart back from Max.
Chapter 40
Felt like it had been ages since I had been onstage, and it felt good.
After we left Saybree’s house in a somber I-just-found-out-the-witch-I-trusted-told-her-vampire-hunting-son-where-to-find-me mood, I took Remi home. He did the driving since he was feeling a little better after Saybree’s salve. He felt a lot better once I fed him my blood in exchange for a dose of his and fucked him one good time. We would have kept going if it had not been for the damn sunrise.
I literally fell into a coma once I returned to Hades and laid down to sleep for the day. Woke up an hour after I was scheduled to work. So I dressed in a hurry and went upstairs. Franco was surprised. He hadn’t expected me to work and suggested I take the night off like Punch. No need in me doing that. Punch had Fire to look after him. I had no one.
Plus, I had business to tend to.
So, I was onstage. Dancing with the skeleton I’d borrowed from Dr. Floyd several months ago. I twirled around in my black full-body leotard as Lita Ford’s “Kiss Me Deadly” rocked the house. Skele-T, as I called him, was the only one nude tonight, but that didn’t seem to bother my audience who sat wide-eyed with rapidly beating hearts. ’Course my wild 80’s hair and bright red lipstick that I planted all over Skele-T’s bones helped.
Decided not to let my fans see any of my still-healing injuries. They probably would have protested if they had known the black leather gloves hid my maimed hand. That I was robbing them of the gruesomeness they longed for.
I was a vampire, dammit, not a ghoul.
One fan in particular was more excited than others when my performance concluded because he’d gotten a personal invite from moi. Though he was more in to Valentina’s dominatrix scene than mine, I had told him I was dedicating the set to him. Hopefully, flattery would get me everywhere.
Since Mr. Cash didn’t usually come to Hades on Tuesday nights, I had pleaded with Franco to give me the patron’s number. Violate club policy again. Of course, I had to divulge my plan to Franco, which turned out to be a good thing. Once he realized I intended to persuade Mr. Cash to advocate for vampire rights, he gave me Cash’s cell, fax, and office numbers as well as an email address and website. Thankfully, it didn’t take all that. Just one call to Cash’s cell, and he was meeting me at the club.
Sitting in the VIP area grinning like he was running for President. He had that politician mug down pat.
I passed Valentina on my way offstage. It was her turn to perform and she was pulling dog leashes attached to the necks of three of her slaves. They were clad in black leather, showing nothing but their mouths. She gave me treats to reward them while they were on their knees panting and wagging their boodies. I gave each a pet on the head for good measure. Sure, I played along. Why not? If they liked it, I loved it.
After hanging Skele-T up in the prop closet, I went to the dressing room where Cin was sitting on parchment paper, her naked body covered in honey and walnuts. She was waiting for me.
Rolling my eyes, I prepared for what was coming. Prepared for her to threaten me again because Rafe had—
“Rafe gave me full custody…and the house,” she said.
My surprise showed. “Wow. Rafe is full of surprises.”
“Tell me about it. He’s moving in with his…his boyfriend.”
I didn’t know what to say. She should be happy right? Was I supposed to comfort or congratulate her? “Uh…you okay?”
She sighed. “Not really. He said he never wants to see me or his daughter again. Ever.”
“Why?” Instinct told me I wouldn’t like the answer.
“He said he was remembering things. Something about you and a guy visiting him and he was scared for his life.” Uh oh. “He’ll pay child support, but he doesn’t want to be in Lucia’s life. He said he’d…”
“He’d what?”
“Go to the cops with what he knew if I ever tried to contact him again.”
I started pacing. She sat still. “Do you want me to talk to him again?” I wouldn’t be so nice this time. He’d have to write a note to the cops after I cut out his tongue.
“Didn’t you just hear what I said? He’ll go to the cops, Willow. It’s not just you. He’ll implicate me in your extortion blackmail scheme. I would still end up losing my daughter.”
She looked like she was close to crying so I tried to think of something comforting. “Well, at least you get to keep Lucia and the house as long as you stay away from him. You didn’t want to be with him anymore, right? Besides, he’s g—”
“You don’t get it do you?” She had the hand gestures to go with her incredulousness. “My daughter cannot have a relationship with her father now. I just wanted us to co-parent. She needs both of us. I didn’t want things to end like this.”
Credit to her for holding the tears in, but she lost points for blaming her problems with that cocksucker on me. “I’m sorry. I wanted to make things better. Guess I made them worse.”
She looked at me with sad eyes and said, “It’s not your fault.” She blinked multiple times to keep unshed tears from falling. “We were already getting divorced. He was being an ass and you tried to help. I’m upset with him, not you. If he doesn’t want to be in her life, that’s his loss.”
Glad she came up with that on her own, but Rafe remembering things was a complication I could do without. “Do you think he’ll keep his word? I mean, about going to the cops if you contact him?”
She thought for a moment. “Yes. But if I catch wind that he considers doing anything different, I’ll let you know so you can kill his ass.”
I was shocked…and touched. She had all but begged me not to kill him before. “You’d do that for me?”
She smiled. “You bet your sweet ass, I’d do that for you. You looked out for me. I’ll do the same for you. I got your back.”
After the mess I’d just uncovered about Saybree, Cinnabuns’s firm declaration of friendship was welcomed.
Uncharacteristic of me, I gave her a friendly hug then went to find Republican Congressman Kennedy P. McNair, also known as Mr. Cash. I was intending to do one of the things humans hated us for—use my powers to influence the judicial system.
I’d be sure to go after the right politician though.
Chapter 41
I exhaled dramatically, hoping he’d catch the hint.
The Congressman was losing the nickname Mr. Cash and becoming Mr. Motor Mouth of the South quickly. He had been going on and
on and on about his world-changing policies, his devoted wife, his over-achieving children…and grandchildren. Shut the fuck up! was what I really wanted to say. I smiled and nodded instead.
Good thing I was full from Remi’s blood because I would have bit Mr. Cash out of boredom or irritation by now.
I’d been trying to ease into planting pro-vampirism seeds in his psyche, but there was no slow way to do it. Either he was going to talk me to insanity or I was going to have to jump in his brain full steam ahead.
I hadn’t noticed how many drinks he ordered from the bar. Or the heavy bags under his eyes. Or the sunken, patchy skin. Or his significant weight loss. Only thing different about him to me was his thick gray hair becoming the buzz haircut he now sported. He had to point the other changes out to me.
Right before he mentioned he was undergoing chemotherapy for brain cancer.
Whoa!
I really felt like a douche. Knew it affected everyone differently, but damn. Covering up my routine blood withdrawals with brain captivation had done a number on him. Had affected him even worse than it had Aaron.
Good thing I didn’t have to captivate Mr. Cash or Aaron for blood anymore. Remi was more than willing to donate.
But how much was too much? Could I still get away with putting the alternates on a schedule without harming Aaron further?
There was a chance that Mr. Cash’s brain cancer had nothing to do with me, but it didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out it was a likely correlation, considering his symptoms started around the time I had started captivating his memories regularly.
“I’m so sorry, Mr. Ca— McNair.” Good thing I caught myself before saying his nickname. He didn’t know Valentina and I called him that. And I really was sorry.
To make matters worse, he was terminal. Specialists had done all they could do.
Well, there was no way I was going to mess with his brain anymore. Too guilty to do that.
Then again, if there was nothing more they could do for him, why not? He may as well die after doing something positive for what was left of the vampire community since he’d been so instrumental in ruining it.
I was about to manipulate his brain again, this time to plant political ideas instead of altering his memories, when he said something shocking.
“I could really use a vampire right about now to turn me so I can be cured. That’s the irony of it all. I’ve worked to put them all to rest in their graves instead of co-existing with us and now that I need one, I can’t find one.” He took a long gulp and motioned for another double. “Even if I started hunting for a vampire now, I may be dead by the time I found one who didn’t recognize me as the hard-ass who fought against them. They’d never trust me. They’d never let me in the clan.”
Total shock.
Total truth.
And it totally gave me an idea. Just like how I let the Ten Commandments govern my existence, my sense of right and wrong, I’d adopt a creed for turning humans.
My number one principle for siring vampires was giving full disclosure. That included an explanation of supernatural powers, cautionary tales of our weaknesses, theories on soullessness, and expectations of our blood bond. My next principle would be to only turn those looking for a cure, like me. Those who would have nothing to lose. Those who would feel the risks were worth taking. Who would sell their soul to exist in this world a little longer without whatever ailed them when they were human.
With any luck, being turned would actually cure them.
As far as Mr. Cash was concerned? He was right. He couldn’t be trusted. Let’s say I wanted to give him hope so I confided in him tonight about being a vampire. If he was miraculously healed tomorrow or there was a medical breakthrough, he’d turn against me.
That was okay for now because I wasn’t ready to turn him. I’d leave his mind alone and who knows. Maybe he’d still be alive when I was ready. Alive and desperate for what I had to offer. Like Saybree said, I’d be doing him a favor.
By the time I procured my heart, at least I’d know who to proposition first about eternal damnation.
Chapter 42
“So, Willow, how about Belvedere tonight? I’d still like to buy you that drink,” said Ming while I was packing up my duffle bag to go down to the basement.
Onyx, who was putting finishing touches on her costume since she performed onstage next, paused in the middle of pulling up her white ankle socks. She popped her gum loudly and stared, anxiously waiting for my answer to Ming.
I really would rather see Remi tonight, but I didn’t want to seem too clingy. Maybe I could call Aaron since I hadn’t seen him in a while. Just to talk. I needed to have a heart-to-hollow chest convo with him anyway about who I was and what that meant for him. Remi and I had agreed that I should be the one to fill Aaron in on everything, so I would. He had a right to know.
“Thanks, but I’m going to take a rain check on that. I’m tired.”
“Aw, c’mon. I’ve been trying hard here. What if I promise to catch you if you fall asleep?” Ming said as she teasingly poked me with her elbow.
“You might as well go, Willow. Ming’s been jocking you since she first got here. What— you playing hard to get or somethin’?” Onyx said.
Ming was persistent. I’d give her that. Oh, what was the worse that could happen? “All right.”
She beamed from ear-to-ear and hurried out saying she was going to pull her car around back. She wasn’t fooling anyone. She was hurrying before I changed my mind. Fine. Using the phone in the dressing room, I called Aaron and asked if he’d meet me there. It was all about multitasking. I could finally have a sensitive conversation with Aaron…after a pity date with Ming.
Perfect.
Since I hadn’t expected to go anywhere but my room after work, I wore a faded sweat suit with New Balance sneakers. As far as I knew, no one was aware I was staying in the basement except Franco, Punch, and Fire. It was important to keep it that way to avoid questions. Which meant I had to wear whatever I had in my duffle bag.
Ming didn’t seem to mind. As she drove with one hand on the wheel, she eyed me like I was a piece of meat. A gazelle to her lioness.
I checked her out too, noticing her hair pinned with a set of diamond chopsticks in her customary tight bun. She wore a white turtleneck with gray leggings and white stiletto ankle boots. Her sense of style was always sharp, but now that I was satiated, she didn’t seem as tempting as she had before. Her itty-bitty eyes were not calling to me the way Aaron and Remi’s did and that’s why I would not be able to enjoy her company tonight. Her being a woman had nothing to do with it.
“Where’s your duffle bag?” she said. “I can drop you off at your home when we leave here. Where do you live?”
“I left it in the dressing room.” Getting blood from Remi meant I didn’t carry my phlebotomy kit anymore so I wasn’t afraid someone would snoop and discover it. “I’ll get my own ride home.”
Some time passed before she spoke again. “This is the first time we’ve been alone,” she said.
I nodded. Hoped she didn’t have high expectations. “I don’t want to be out too late.”
“Thought you were a night owl.”
I shrugged. “I just have some things I need to do before morning.”
“It closes at two anyway. That gives us about an hour there.”
I could do an hour. Especially since Aaron was going to meet me. Maybe I should prepare her for his arrival. “Okay. I hope you don’t mind—”
Didn’t finish my statement because I fell asleep.
When I awakened, we were parked in a large nearly-empty lot and she was digging in her designer purse. She jumped when I sat up as if I had startled her.
She held her hand over her heart. “Whew, girl you scared me.”
“What’s that?” I inquired about the trinket in her hand.
“This? Oh, this is my cross.” She hooked the gigantic silver necklace around her neck like she was preparing to ward off an
army of evil.
“Uh. That’s a little odd to wear inside a bar isn’t it?” My left eye started twitching so I averted my gaze elsewhere.
“I always wear it when I go out. You never know what’s out there,” she said, laughing nervously. Opening the door, she got out and waved for me to follow her.
Red flags were going off in my head like crazy. What was this trick smoking? Please hurry, Aaron.
I followed her inside and sat next to her at the bar. Looking around, I noticed (like most bars) it wasn’t very busy on a Tuesday night. Good thing too, because this swanky bar wouldn’t have normally allowed me in wearing sneakers.
She ordered two gin and tonics after I mentioned I didn’t have a drink preference. I picked the glass up a couple of times and pretended to drink. By the time she noticed my glass hadn’t changed, hopefully Aaron would here. I’d pretend I was shocked to see him, excuse myself, and leave with him.
She began talking about her family, her college days, and her future plans. Why did everyone assume I wanted to know so much about them?
She seemed surprised when I mentioned I got a bachelor’s in fine arts. Like I had no business working at Hades with a college degree. I tried not to take it personally.
“Did you finish up in Germany?” she said.
That really got my attention.
Yes, I did complete my final year of undergrad while I was in Germany with Max. After I had turned and stayed with the clan, it just seemed the most sensible thing to do. Night school had been awesome, in fact. Problem was—I had never told anyone I had been to Germany. My own parents had no clue.
There was one person who knew, however. The one who had set me up with Max in the first place. Had Ming talked to Saybree? If so, this qualified as a second betrayal from the back-stabbing witch as far as I was concerned. Also reminded me I needed to tell Ming to stop babbling about me to Monroe.
But Saybree was Dario’s mother. What was her connection to Queen Ming? Dario had been trying to get revenge for the deaths of his wife and son. What was Ming’s motivation?
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