Driving in the French Quarter was generally a pain in the ass, but evening hours on a holiday weekend were the absolute worst. The Quarter was filled with one-way streets and pedestrians oblivious to cars. On busy weekends, entire streets were blocked off, and huge groups of people standing in the streets that weren't blocked made the roads virtually impassible.
Royal was one-way heading in the opposite direction of the Bywater, so Armand had to double back. Dumaine was one-way heading toward Bourbon, which was a bad idea and likely blocked off, so that just left St. Ann, which meant they had to go right by the Square.
There were people everywhere. Some sort of Voodoo ritual was taking place next to the park, complete with drums and a chanting woman in white robes, long gray dreads and a stick with something hairy topping it. Spectators spilled onto the street, blocking most of the road.
Armand honked, but all that got him was a few dirty looks. He honked again and more dirty looks followed.
Slade rolled down the window and leaned out of the car. "Get the fuck out of the way," he yelled. He was wearing the red contacts, and while his fangs weren't over the top, with his lip curled over them and the growl he couldn't keep from his throat, he probably looked like a complete psycho. It was one of the rare times he appreciated how menacing the vampire look could be. The people closest took one look at him and shoved their way deeper into the crowd.
It wasn't until the car squeezed past the last spectator that Slade slid back into his seat. "Sometimes I hate tourists," he said as Armand gunned the car forward.
The streets quieted considerably the further they got from the Square, and it wasn't long before they were turning onto Esplanade. But before the car had completed the turn Slade knew something was wrong. Decatur was blocked off, with hundreds of people lined up in front of the barricades.
Armand slowed. "Shit." Behind him, cars were already stacking up.
"What the hell?" Slade turned to Armand. "A parade?" The pitch of his voice was rising with each word. "Why is there a fucking parade?"
"It's Halloween."
"Not yet! Halloween isn't for a few more days."
"They moved the parade to the weekend. To bring in more tourists, I imagine."
Slade was going to have a panic attack, that's all there was to it. His chest was going to split open and his heart was going to explode and take out the city. "I have to get out of this car," he said, pawing at the handle. "I could crawl faster than this."
"It's still a couple miles away. Relax, we'll get there." Armand was checking the space around the car, but they were completely boxed in: the curb on one side, and cars everywhere else.
"If it were Julia with Lohr, would you be able to relax?"
Armand caught his eye. "Good point." Whipping the steering wheel to the left, he hit the gas and popped over the curb onto the wide, tree-lined island that split Esplanade. After almost running over a couple sitting on a blanket, and possibly taking out a squirrel, they jerked back onto Esplanade heading the opposite direction.
They swung onto Chartres. Frenchmen Street could be as busy as Bourbon, but luckily most people were at the parade, and once they passed Elysian Fields, the streets quieted considerably.
"Kate Miller...?" Armand asked as they drove the last leg toward Lohr's. He left the question open for Slade to fill in the details however he decided.
"I just met her, but..." Slade stared out the window. It wasn't something he knew how to put into words. Shit, he didn't even know how to put it into thoughts. Until he'd thought she was blowing him off, he hadn't paused to consider how much deeper his feelings for her went beyond simple lust.
"What's she like?"
"I know what you're trying to do and I appreciate it, but I can't talk about this right now."
"Understood."
The surroundings had changed from residential to industrial, so Slade knew they were close. He hadn't been to Lohr's Bywater warehouse in a long time. Before he took the Forever Dark Vampire Ball public, Lohr had hosted it at the warehouse. Now it was reserved for rituals and God only knew what other bizarre shit Lohr was into. Slade had been to one event he wished he'd avoided. Lohr was the leader of a coven of Vampires and the party had been part orgy, part blood fest and all weirdness.
His shakes had increased substantially, spreading to his arms and legs. It wouldn't be long before his entire body trembled uncontrollably.
Armand glanced at him. "I can't believe I'm going to offer this, but..."
Slade flicked a dirty look at him. "Don't you start on me, too. Your blood isn't getting any closer to my mouth than your cock would."
"Look asshole, it wouldn't be any fun for me either, but we don't know what to expect in there. You need to be at the top of your game—"
Slade cut him off. "It's Lohr Varius. I think I could kick his ass in my sleep."
"I hope you're right."
Armand pulled into the parking lot, blocking Lohr's car with the Jag. Slade recognized the Jetta that had been parked outside Kate's house and felt his stomach fall into his shoes. Thinking she was here and knowing she was here were two different things.
His hands were shaking so badly he missed the door handle the first time.
Lohr's warehouse had once been a commercial building which had fallen victim to Katrina's economic backlash. The miscellaneous offices sitting off the main hall were used for the various play rooms during parties: the BDSM room, the blood room, the orgy room...
It was empty now, and their footsteps echoed in the long hallway. There were few windows in the place and with the lights off and the sun off-duty, it was incredibly dark. The only light drifting in through the grimy windows came from river barges chugging away on the Mississippi.
Slade scanned the empty warehouse floor. The stage still stood against the far wall, complete with lights and curtains, and he could faintly see the bar tucked under the walkway. As desolate as the place looked now, it was hard to imagine the raging parties once hosted here.
Slade's shakes made opening the door to Lohr's private residence difficult, so Armand pushed ahead. There were no windows in this long hallway, and if there weren't candles lit in the room ahead and enough of the soft light drifting down the hallway, they would be completely blind.
They slowed their footsteps as they approached the room. Slade pushed past Armand to peer around the corner. The only person occupying the room was a motionless figure slumped in the corner, a pool of glistening liquid spread out around it. Slade knew immediately it wasn't Kate, but his heart sank when he recognized her.
Jogging to her, he knelt with Armand. "Melanie?" Slade said softly, taking her hand. It was cool. He glanced at Armand who was taking her pulse. "Is she alive?"
Armand's expression was dangerous. "Barely," he said.
Cuts and gashes covered her body, and the patches of dried, crusted blood made it look like someone had splattered paint over her body. "I take it you know her?"
"Kate's friend."
"I see." Delicately, Armand slipped his arms under her legs and around her back, cradling her naked body close as he rose. "I have to get her to the hospital."
"I know. Go. I'll be fine."
"I'm calling the police," Armand told him as he headed back toward the entrance.
Slade nodded. "Please." It wasn't long ago he would have preferred to keep the police out of it, to handle Lohr internally. Part of him still wanted that because then it meant he could beat the shit out of Lohr without interference.
He didn't linger. From what he remembered the times he'd been there, Lohr's living quarters were carved into the back corner of the second story. The hallway that branched off this room led to multiple bedrooms and bathrooms.
Some of the doors were locked. He was going to try all of them first and if he didn't find Kate, he'd come back and bust down the ones that wouldn't open the first time. If he had to find an axe to accomplish that task he would.
He didn't have to. The door at the end of the hall
opened to a horrifying image that shot enough fire through his veins his body no longer shook from his Craving, but from anger. Lying in a blood-soaked dress, Kate was tied to the corners of a wrought iron poster bed. Like Melanie, cuts crisscrossed her skin in unbelievable numbers. But unlike Melanie, there was evidence Kate had been bitten on her neck and maybe even her thigh. But what filled him with hatred so putrid it reeked was Lohr Varius forcing his blood into her mouth.
Slade was sideswiped by desire to kill the man. In spite of his weakening body, he charged forward, grabbing Lohr's arm and jerking him backwards. He underestimated Lohr's weight and ended up flinging him against the wall. Spinning, Slade prepared to remove the last of Lohr's consciousness, but instead of lying in a dazed heap, Lohr stood calmly before him, a smug grin on his angular face.
"You behemoth fool."
"Slade!" Kate's raspy voice reached his ears just as something punched his back. Startled, he staggered forward. Glancing at his chest, he stared in disbelief at the circle of blood spreading on his shirt. Had he been shot?
He managed a quick glance over his shoulder and saw Satin standing in the doorway, a small pistol in her hand. Then the world spun and his knees crumbled. Just before darkness overtook him, he caught Kate's terrified icy gaze.
Chapter Fifteen
Kate stared in horror as Slade collapsed to the floor. It couldn't be…no, it was impossible! He was so strong; he couldn't be taken out by something as miniscule as a bullet. Any minute, he was going to jump to his feet and complete her rescue. He had to.
But he didn't move. And not only was the back of his shirt soaked in blood, red liquid was beginning to ooze from beneath his heavy chest.
She clamped her eyes shut. This couldn't be happening.
Thick remorse flooded her veins, making her heart feel like it was pumping mud. Remorse for leaving Melanie with Lohr. Remorse for wasting days resisting Slade. Remorse for not telling him how much he meant to her.
She heard the sharp clap of hand against flesh and opened her eyes to see Satin covering her mouth and Lohr jerking his hand back. "If I wanted to kill him, I would have done it myself," he hissed.
"I'm sorry Master," Satin said meekly.
"Not good enough." Grabbing her free arm, he spun her around and pinned her to his chest. Covering the hand holding the gun with his, he put the weapon to her head and forced the trigger. It happened so fast, Satin had just opened her mouth to scream when her head split open and her brains splattered on his face. Without an ounce of emotion, he released the body and watched it fall limply to the floor before lifting his bright eyes to Kate.
Kate's scream was as silent as Satin's.
Swallowing against the desert in her throat, she forced herself to hold his gaze. If he was going to kill her, she was going to look death in the eye when he did. She'd failed Melanie, and now Slade; she could at least face her death bravely. Her poor choices had brought them here. If she hadn't abandoned Melanie at Forever Dark with Lohr, Kate wouldn't be helplessly tied to this bed and both Mel and Slade would be alive.
Lohr grinned. "My queen," he purred, wiping his face with a red linen handkerchief and slinking toward her. "I knew you would succumb."
Kate remained silent, but her eyes never left his. The hatred she felt for him chewed angrily at her weak flesh, but she kept it buried with her fear. He untied a foot. "You are exhausted now, I know, but you will be stronger soon." He untied the other foot. "Stronger than you can imagine."
He moved to her right hand and slipped the rope from her wrist. Her numb fingers tingled as blood found its way back to them. As Lohr moved to her final restraint, Kate flexed her hand and realized with dismay that she was far too weak to put up any kind of resistance.
After releasing her, he slowly eased her to a seated position. It was too much too fast. Her throbbing head swooned and her stomach lurched. Her body heaving, she expelled the meager contents of her stomach, Lohr's blood making the vomit look like she'd lost an organ in the process.
He wasn't fazed by the ordeal. Wiping the corners of her mouth with the same handkerchief he'd used to remove Satin from his face, he said, "Your body will adjust. But it does take time."
A snarky reply rested just behind her pursed lips, something about an eternity not being enough time. She tried to lift her eyes to glare at him, but they were becoming increasingly heavy. God, she couldn't black out again. If there was a glimmer of a chance she might escape, it had to happen now.
"It's time to go," Lohr said, lifting her into his surprisingly strong arms. She barely had the strength to hold her head upright and she knew then, there would be no escape.
As he carried her from the room, Kate let her eyes settle on Slade's still body. If she'd only had more time, if only she'd handled things differently, she could have loved him with all the passion he deserved.
* * * *
Julia stared at her phone. She'd set the stopwatch for twenty minutes the moment the door closed behind Armand. As the minutes ticked by, her anxiety grew. Now that the countdown was in the seconds, she was bordering on having a panic attack.
It wasn't that she didn't have faith in Armand and Slade, but seeing Darus again brought back a fear she thought she'd left behind last year. Remembering Armand's ominous warning about the dark haired Vampire, and how Lohr's unwavering stare filled her with dread chilled her even further.
Most of the Community members were good people. They had their quirks sure, but Julia found she had more in common with them than she would have dreamed. And among them, she found some of the closest friends she could have ever imagined.
But there were levels to the members: from mostly normal, to a little socially awkward, to scary weird. Since she'd moved down here she'd met the best friends of her life and people she was afraid to bump into on a crowded street all in the same night.
Thirty seconds were left on the stopwatch and Julia's hand was itching to dial 911. But Armand had said twenty minutes, and she trusted him. She just didn't trust Lohr, and Slade had looked worse than shit. If she could have forced him to take her blood she would have. But he was quite possibly the most stubborn man she knew. And like her favorite brother.
When five seconds remained, Julia couldn't stand it any longer. Grabbing the phone, she was about to dial when it rang.
"Oh my God," she breathed, warm relief flooding her body. "Is everything okay?"
"No." Armand's tone was short and cold. It turned her flesh to ice. "I'm taking Kate's roommate to the hospital and Slade stayed behind to find Kate. You should see this girl, Julia. It's beyond disturbing."
Julia had never met Kate, but knowing they hadn't yet found her made Julia's heart sink. "What do you need me to do?"
"I've already called the police. But can you call the emergency room? Have them give a message to Dr. Anderson. Tell him I'll be there in ten with a twenty-four-year-old female suffering from blood loss, a possible drug OD, and alcohol poisoning."
Just like Eve.
"Of course." Julia knew Doc, though not incredibly well. He shied easily, and every time she tried to talk to him, he bolted like a spooked horse. Armand called him a Reluctant Vampire.
"Also," Armand continued. "Close the bar. Put a sign out or don't, I don't care. I'm not supporting these assholes tonight." His issues with the messed up aspect of the Community ran deep but she knew not to question them. If he got too angry, he might be inclined to shut the bar down completely, and Julia had seen enough to know there was a definite need in the Community for Luxure's presence and services.
"Sure."
"And Julia? Meet me at the hospital. I need you."
"I'll be right there."
After calling the hospital and repeating Armand's instructions, jotting down a quick, "Due to a family emergency, La Luxure will be closed tonight. We are sorry for any inconvenience.", and calling the staff to give them a brief run-down, Julia grabbed her purse and headed toward Royal to hail a cab.
When the cabbie was zippin
g toward Tulane, she impulsively pulled out her phone and called Slade. It rang a full five times before going to voicemail. That didn't make her feel better.
"Hey, when you get this please call me or Armand. Let us know you and Kate are okay. Okay?" Dropping the phone into her purse, she leaned back against seat. Exhaustion from travelling and the evening ordeal suddenly gripped her, but she knew she had to push through it. She had a feeling it was going to get a lot worse.
* * * *
Deep in his front pocket and wedged between the floor and his groin, the sensation of his vibrating phone roused him from the black hole that had swallowed his head. He groaned. The entire left side of Slade's body felt like it had been run over by a herd of rhinos.
He pried open his eyes. The shattered skull of Satin's head was the first thing he saw. The second was her sightless eyes. His gaze shot to the bed. It was empty.
Kate.
Wincing, he forced his muscles to lift his body from the floor. It was no easy task, his shirt first sticking and then peeling away from the concrete as he wobbled his way upright. He stumbled as he tried to find his legs, his blood sluggish in his veins.
Assuming Lohr was fleeing or attempting to flee, Slade staggered toward the parking lot. His sense of urgency might be strong but his muscles weren't and he felt like he was running through mud. He tripped twice in the hall, and as he pushed through the front door, he lost his footing and almost took the fast way down the stairs.
The passenger door of Lohr's silver Mercedes was open and he was setting Kate in the seat. Seeing Kate's limp body being stuffed into Lohr's car filled Slade with enough rage and adrenaline to overcome the fatigue threatening to take him down. Jumping over the rail, he reached Lohr in four bounding strides.
Grabbing his shoulder, Slade spun him around and eagerly introduced his fist to Lohr's face. The blow sent Lohr to the ground. Slade shuddered as fury overtook him. Pouncing on Lohr like the worthless rat he was, Slade lifted him from the asphalt and threw him onto the hood of the Merc. His entire body trembled with the effort, and his shoulder screamed in pain, but he continued to pound his fists into Lohr's face until blood trickled from his nose and split lip in a steady river of red.
de Sang: Embrace Your Blood Lust Page 15