Beating Hearts

by Lucretia Stanhope

  “Gentle?”

  “Yes, I do try to be humane. I see no point in scaring my victims. I tried to always wait until the reaction to my bite took them to another state of mind, and then feed quickly before it wore off.”

  She scribbled a few notes. “Did you want to break? I'm starting to get peckish.”

  “That would be fine. I need to check the fence line, occasionally it needs mending. I wouldn't want to make it too easy for coyotes or other large predators to get over here and bother you while I sleep.”

  Kate went to the kitchen and cooked, while Nick headed out into the night. As he walked the fence line, he thought about her touch and the empathy in her eyes. Never in all his years would he imagine that from a human, nor could he have imagined how it would make him feel.

  He was happy the rest of the night went without incident. They spent a lot of time talking about frontier life, and some time talking about her experiences in college and working at the news station. As the night neared an end, he suddenly felt tense again about the next day. “I assume you will be gone when I wake tomorrow.”

  “Yes, I want to get on the road early, so I can be at the club when it opens. I don't want to need an extra day there. I will lock your doors when I leave of course.”

  “Do be extra careful. I know you will go regardless of what I say, and I really have no advice that could prepare you for what you are walking into.”

  “I can call, after dark, once I arrive. When I leave it will be close to time when you are asleep.”

  “It's not likely I will be coherent when the sun starts to rise, sadly that cannot be helped.”

  They decided a call wasn't needed. She felt he was being a bit over-cautious in his warnings, and he thought she was being reckless. It was a matter they would have to agree to disagree on.

  She was going.

  Chapter Ten

  K ate woke to her phone buzzing. She set the alarm so that she would have time to eat and get ready before hitting the road. It was going to take just under three hours to get there, but she wanted to leave herself an extra half an hour, in case she struggled to find the exact location.

  She wondered if she should leave a note. Was that appropriate? What should it say? Was it even necessary? He knew she was leaving, and knew when she would be back. She ultimately decided against a note since it was a raw subject, and might be more hurtful than helpful.

  The drive went fast, there wasn't much traffic until she actually hit the city, and since it was close to dusk, most of the after-work traffic had already cleared out.

  The actual locating of the building was easy as well. It was in the downtown area, but not city center.

  Before getting out of the car she reached up, touching the silver cross around her neck, finding it comforting since Nick told her it would deter most vampires.

  She closed the door, reaching down for what seemed like the millionth time to make sure she could easily grab her silver knife, before she walked over to the club.

  The building had an industrial look, almost making her think of a really large shed, or some sort of warehouse dock. There were no windows, which made sense considering the type of guests it had, and only one small door that she could see. The whole thing was painted in a nondescript gray, and above the door hung a small, red neon sign that said Beating Hearts.

  All very simple.

  She walked around the building, taking pictures, trying to think about what she wanted to accomplish there over the course of one night. Her mind kept drifting back to Nick, he really didn't like the Warren guy she was meeting, that much was obvious, but she wondered what had connected them. Nick let on that he was personally a menace when he lived in the city, her sources said he had been as well, but she just couldn't imagine him being a part of it all.

  She walked back toward the door and stepped back surprised when it opened.

  A tall, stocky man stepped outside. It wasn't fully dark yet, she knew he couldn't be a vampire. He was bald and had a thin beard, just on his chin.

  “This is private property,” he said with a gravelly voice, and looked her over with his beady brown eyes, determining her threat.

  “I have an appointment with Warren,” she said, and reached in her purse for her card. “I'm Kate, with Opened Eye Films.”

  He smiled about as unfriendly a smile as she had ever seen and said, “Follow me.”

  She followed him when he turned and walked through the door, holding it open for her as she entered the club. Once they were both inside, he slid what looked like a heavy bolt across the door, locking it behind them. She had been to night clubs before, and looking around there was nothing that made it any different from a hundred other clubs.

  She wasn't sure what she had expected. It could be similar to the dive she had gone to with Nick, but after the way he had talked about the place, she almost thought she might see cages or something gruesome like that. Instead, she saw a bar a few feet off of the door that ran the length of the wall and had a lot of well-worn, unbalanced looking bar stools. The center of the club had what looked like a parquet floor, and around the other three walls was a smattering of tables. The part that wasn't wood had dark carpet, which in spite of being dark, still didn't hide it's many stains.

  “Did you want a drink?” the man who she already mentally named Bruno asked. “It will be a few minutes before the staff and Warren arrive.”

  “I'll have a can of soda if you have one. Is it okay if I walk around and take pictures?”

  He handed her a cold can of soda and nodded. “Go ahead. Don't go in any doors until Warren gets here.”

  She agreed and popped open the soda, taking a sip. She figured she would need the caffeine and sugar to get her through the night. She walked around, taking in everything closer and snapping a few pictures. A door opened in the back of the club as she was finishing up.

  She watched as two men walked out. One was tall and sleek, with long black hair, and pale skin. He had dark brown eyes and that sullen look about him that most vampires had. The other man was also tall, but he had more of a muscular build. He had short, neatly cut brown hair and very tan skin. He also had brown eyes, but they seemed lighter and more friendly than the other man’s. He looked to her like he would fit in perfectly in a corporate boardroom.

  She smiled in their direction as they seemed to take notice of her, and then set her drink and camera down on the table she was standing next to as they approached.

  “You must be Kate.” The business-like man extended his hand. “I am Warren, and this is Teddy.”

  She shook his hand, surprised by how cold it was as he wrapped it fully around hers. She wondered if it would ever stop catching her off guard, how cool they were. After all the times she had touched Nick, each time it still took her breath away. “Yes, I'm Kate, nice to meet you both.”

  Teddy looked at her, not bothering to hide his emotions as he sneered and wrinkled his nose. “I'm off to see what fun the city holds, I'll see you again later,” he said, looking at Warren as if Kate were not there, or wasn't worth the effort to regard.

  She watched him walking off, and thought he was certainly rude.

  “You'll have to forgive Teddy, his manners, well, they are not as refined as they could be,” Warren said, and then smiled.

  She returned his smile. “How long do we have until the club opens?”

  Warren took a moment to look her over, thinking she was a pretty little human. He noted that she didn't have any visible bites, and since she wore her hair up, he had a good view of the favored spot for damage. He also smelled a sweetness about her that meant she was pure, pure and valuable. “Long enough that I can explain a few things to you.”

  She nodded for him to go on.

  He placed a hand on her waist, guiding her along as he started walking.

  She reached around and moved his hand off her.

  He arched an eyebrow and gave her a look that an annoyed parent might give a child, but he didn't say an
ything, he just kept walking and she followed.

  Once they were at the bar, he turned to her and said, “The door I came from will be off limits until almost the end of the night. When the club closes, which will leave us about an hour of darkness, if you are still here, I will show you the behind the scenes. I do not have time now as patrons will be arriving soon. I will leave you with free run of the floor, but for your own safety you must wear this.” He pulled a chain with a gold medallion on it from his pocket and held it out for her to look at.

  “What is that?” She looked down at the medallion in his hand. It was pretty enough, with some intricate design that she had never seen before.

  “I am sure you will notice them on many of the humans here tonight. It will let the vampires know you are not to be bitten.”

  “I thought humans came to these clubs specifically to be bitten?” She looked at him, puzzled.

  He returned her look with another annoyed glance. “I said many, did I not? Some here must be acquired first. This simply lets vampires know if they want to bite you, they must see me first.”

  “Oh, I see,” she said, and suddenly felt her nerves losing their edge.

  He didn't seem to have patience for questions, which was why she was there, what he had agreed to. But more than that, it sounded like at least some of what Nick said was true.

  At the very least, humans were acting as blood-prostitutes there. That was new to her, and might make for an interesting addition to her film.

  It seemed that one night in his place was going to give her all the answers she needed about the dark turn in human-vampire relations.

  Warren turned to her and replaced his annoyed look with a warm smile, then he reached around her and unfastened the chain around her neck, removing her cross and replacing it with the medallion. He could hear her heart speeding up each time he touched her, and was enjoying the reaction as a look of panic washed over her face. “Relax, I can't very well have you scaring off my patrons,” he said, and then before she could react, he reached down, pulling out her knife. “You are under my protection and won't be needing such things.”

  Even as he spoke what were supposed to be words of reassurance, her gut was telling her something was wrong. She reached up with a trembling hand, feeling the medallion, missing the comfort of her cross. “When they, the patrons, see you about a human wearing one of these, what happens then?”

  “I should think a smart woman such as yourself could figure that out. It all depends on exactly what they wish to do with you, as one of my women.”

  “Your women?” She started to get annoyed by his resistance to questions.

  He was loving watching the look on her face as she started to put things together on her own. “Yes, Kate, my women. You will have around eleven hours to observe what it means to be one of my women. I do hope you will enjoy the experience. While I imagine you like to hide behind your camera, I would suggest that for you to make the most of this, you set it down from time to time.”

  She couldn't place exactly how she felt about Warren. The only thing she knew for sure was that he did make her feel uncomfortable. There was no doubt in her mind he was more monster than man, he lacked the tenderness she felt from Nick. “How does a woman come to be one of yours?” she asked, trying to stay focused on the task at hand.

  “I guess luck wouldn't be the answer you are seeking?”

  “No, seriously. Assume I wanted to, for whatever reason, have a night with a vampire, how would I even know how to find a place like this?”

  Warren tried hard not to laugh as he heard the irritation in her tone. She really thought she was there to do a story, to expose him. The thought was almost as hilarious as he found the proposal from her self-run little operation, Opened Eyes Films. Opened Eyes indeed, he thought. He was certain after having done a little digging, that no one was going to miss Kate, and found it a surprising bonus that he could make some extra cash selling off the sweet little undamaged beauty. “Would you like to have a night with a vampire? It can be arranged you know.” He mindlessly played with the cross he had taken off of her as he talked.

  She again felt herself uncomfortable with him, and she felt it was deliberate, which made her a little angry. She tried to control her anger as she noticed that he wasn't even remotely bothered by the silver cross, which meant he was strong like Nick. “No, not personally, thank you. I mean in general.”

  “That's too bad,” he said, and put a hand on her shoulder, whirling her around to see another door opening with several people coming out. “These are my other women, and men. You will notice they all have medallions like yours.”

  Kate watched them, they all looked scared, sad, and not like volunteers. Her heart started racing again. Could Nick have not been exaggerating? Was this really the nasty underground operation she had been looking to expose? Why would they ask her there?

  She watched as the guy who let her in pushed in the last few people, and closed the door. They all ambled around, looking to her like a flock of sheep. “They don't seem excited for their night with a vampire,” she said, and turned back to him.

  “It's not their excitement that pays the bills,” he said, and looked toward the front door.

  She followed his gaze as he watched vampires walking in. She turned to ask him another question, but he put a finger to her lips and gave her a toothy smile, showing his fangs. She jumped back a little, she knew they were there, but seeing them bared like that was awful.

  He reached out and put his hand on her face. “Don't be alarmed, love, no one here is going to bite you, not even me, not while you wear that medallion. Do mingle, enjoy yourself, have a dance, or two. I have some business to attend to.” He took his hand away before walking off to talk with the doorman.

  Chapter Eleven

  W hile Kate had been put off by Warren and his behavior, she thought it was more in line with what she expected from vampires, so she brushed it off. There was a job to do.

  Over the next few hours, there was a steady trickle of what she assumed were vampires let in the front door, which was bolted behind each of them. She was feeling edgy, and glad when the music started, hoping for a mood change.

  She weaved her way to the bar and sat on a stool, watching as the vampires circled the room, inspecting Warren's women, as he had called them. The occasional junkie must have been admitted, because there were a few people that were being fed on without a medallion. She frowned at seeing that, it did make her sad to see those unfortunate souls. Of course, not as sad as the empty looks on the faces of the people who wore the medallions.

  “Hello, lovely one,” a stereo-typically classic, dark vampire said as he walked up, blocking her view.

  “Kate,” she said, and smiled. “You are?”

  “Hello, Kate, you sure are different, still have a fire in your eyes.” He leaned in, looking at her neck. “You smell scrumptious, never bitten?”

  “Well aren't you fresh,” she said, and then remembered only Warren knew she was here documenting. “No, I have never been bitten.”

  He smiled at her and reached out a hand.

  She liked him much better than Warren, even thinking she was for sale, he was much more respectful, not that it was hard to accomplish that. She went to shake his hand and he grasped hers, pulling her toward the dance floor. She didn't fight, figuring to make a scene would be counterproductive for her observations. Besides that, she figured what better way to document the process than to see a patron in action?

  She instantly regretted following him, his touch seemed so cold. It was not pleasant, not like Nick, it was more like it felt when Warren touched her, intrusive, awkward.

  While they danced, he smelled her, moved her collar and looked at her shoulders, she assumed looking for bites, and he even held up her wrists inspecting them. It felt awful to be examined like that, and she was glad when the dance ended.

  He let her go, and she headed back for the relative safety of the bar. She definitely liked o
bserving from a distance better. She was finding it hard to relax, and walked over to the doorman, asking to be let out for some fresh air.

  He looked down his nose at her. “I'm sorry sweetheart, but you are Warren's and this door will not open without his say-so.”

  “I am most certainly not Warren's anything. You know why I am here. We just met tonight. Jesus, you let me in. I only need a few minutes to get some fresh air,” she said, getting agitated.

  He did not respond to her, just looked past her, watching the club as if she wasn't even standing there. She turned around, looking through the crowd for Warren, and spotted him at the far end of the bar. He didn't seem busy, so she started to make her way over.

  He smiled as she neared. “Having fun, dear?”

  “It is nice enough, thank you. I am not really here for fun.”

  “I do wish you would at least try to have fun. You look absolutely delicious when you smile.”

  “That's not my goal here.”

  Her tone was sharp and he had to fight the urge to kill her. He wasn't accustomed to anyone taking that tone with him, certainly not a human. “That is really too bad. Did you need something?”

  “I assumed we would talk more, have a sort of interview.” She was feeling her nerves starting to play up as she sensed something bad in his eyes. Her gut told her that she should leave. Maybe during her break, she would just go straight to her car and not come back. She already had some footage of people being shopped for, sold, and bitten, which would most certainly be enough to get someone to investigate.

  He laughed. “You are a cute one. If not for the whole undamaged element, I might be tempted to taste you myself.”

  “I just want to step outside and get some fresh air.” She ignored his last remark.

  “That's not likely to happen,” he said in a tone that was colder than his touch.