Baited Blood (A Madison Rose Vampire Mystery)

by Sue Ann Jaffarian

Colin made the introduction. “This is Madison Rose, Ann. She works for the council.”

  “I thought she was the Dedhams’ maid.” Ann grinned at Madison. “My mistake.”

  “Madison is a very valuable asset to both the council and me,” added Samuel. He targeted Ann with one of his fierce scowls.

  Ann looked Madison over, head to foot, a slow smile stealing across her face like a big cat on the hunt. “I just bet she is, Mr. La Croix.”

  Afraid earlier to look directly at Ann Hayes, Madison, upon hearing the comment, turned her head and locked her eyes onto Ann’s cold blue ones with heat and dislike. The femme fatale vampire stared back a few moments, then increased her smile. “You’d think a human so used to working with vampires wouldn’t wet herself so quickly.”

  Madison wanted to jump the vampiress and beat her hard on behalf of Dodie, as well as herself. Sensing her anger, Colin reached out a hand and touched her arm. It was then Madison realized him putting himself between her and Ann was no accident. It had been planned to keep the peace and to keep Madison from doing something foolish.

  Byron filled the awkwardness that followed by asking if anyone wanted refreshments. “Ricky had some fresh Polynesian blood ordered in from Scarlet’s for Keleta.” Byron shook his head and smiled. “He’s positively spoiling the boy.” Everyone politely declined.

  It wasn’t long before they heard a car pull into the driveway and then into the attached garage.

  “That’s them now.” Byron got up, his face relaxed with relief. “They should be coming in through the side door.”

  Everyone turned to watch the door that led from the garage into the kitchen. From the sofa, they had a clear view. Samuel left his post by the patio doors and moved into a better position.

  Keleta was first through the door. He bounded in like a frisky puppy, laughing and chattering in English over his shoulder at Ricky. He was so different from when Samuel and Madison had last seen him. When he saw the room of people, he stopped short, but it was just a moment’s hesitation, a blink of shyness that dissolved when he spotted Samuel. A wide smile crossed the young man’s smooth, dark face as he called to Samuel in a language Madison didn’t understand. Keleta went to Samuel, his hand held out in greeting. The two men shook, and Samuel clapped Keleta on the shoulder as a father would a son.

  “Keleta, I’ve brought some people to meet you.” Samuel turned Keleta’s attention to the three on the sofa. “You’ve met Madison.” Keleta gave Madison a quick nod. “On the other side is Ann Hayes, a friend visiting from out of town. And this fellow,” Samuel indicated Colin, “is Colin Reddy, one of our council members.”

  Following Samuel’s orders, Madison hadn’t taken her eyes off of Keleta from the moment he stepped through the door. She studied his every facial expression, looking for telltale signs that he recognized Ann. She found none. When introduced to Ann, Keleta was polite, almost shy, but he took her offered hand and shook it, followed by a shake of Colin’s extended hand.

  It was Ann who deftly and creatively broached the reason they were there. “Keleta, have we ever met? You look so familiar.”

  Keleta studied Ann’s face. “I don’t think so, ma’am.” His voice was lilting yet strong. He formed the formal English words and said them slowly. “If I have forgotten, I apologize. Such a beautiful woman should not be forgotten.”

  Ann flashed Byron and Ricky an amused grin. “You boys giving Keleta charm lessons as well as vampire lessons?”

  Ricky stepped forward. “The charm is all his and quite natural.” He looked at Keleta with pride.

  “Your English is much better,” noted Madison. “You learned it so quickly.”

  “I study English in school,” Keleta explained.

  “I think the trauma Keleta experienced blocked some of his memory.” Ricky perched on the arm of the sectional. “As he started feeling better, his memory returned, along with his command of the language.”

  Samuel clapped Keleta on the shoulder again. “Keleta, would you do us a favor and show your brand to Ann? We told her about it, and she is very interested.”

  Keleta was slow to respond, but he did take off his shirt and turn around. Reaching back one hand, he pulled down the back of his jeans to expose the brand to everyone. Ann moved off the sofa and bent close, studying it with interest. When she returned to her seat next to Colin, she gave Samuel a shrug. “It certainly looks authentic.”

  Samuel turned to Keleta, who was putting his shirt back on. “Would you excuse us, Keleta? We have some council business to discuss. Maybe you and Madison could visit quietly while we do so?”

  “Of course.” Ricky stood. “Keleta, why don’t you take Madison into the den? You can play those new CDs we picked up tonight.”

  Although it felt like the kiddies were being dismissed, Madison knew better. If it had simply been council discussion, she might have been asked to stay. It was Keleta they wanted out the way, and bringing her along had provided a suitable age diversion while the seasoned vampires talked. After closing the door to give both parties privacy, Madison settled on the large, comfy sofa in the den. Across from her was a full entertainment center, including a sizeable flat-screen TV and state-of-the-art stereo equipment. The other walls, like those in the living room, were lined with bookcases stuffed with books and mementos.

  “What music did you get tonight?” Madison also planned on taking advantage of her one-on-one time with Keleta to see if he would tell her things about his past.

  Keleta had his head down, concentrating on unwrapping the CDs. “Usher and the Black Eyed Peas.” With his head still down, he stole looks at Madison, as if studying her from behind a curtain. Once the CD was liberated, Keleta stuck it in the player, and Usher’s voice filled the room.

  Madison grimaced at the volume. “If you turn it down a bit, we’ll be able to talk.”

  Keleta adjusted the sound.

  “How are you getting along, Keleta?”

  “Ricky and Byron are very nice to me. They are trying to teach me things about this life.” He gave Madison an impish grin. “But I already know much.”

  In a surprisingly quick move, Keleta stripped off his shirt again and plopped himself down next to Madison. Putting an arm around her shoulders, he turned her toward him. His eyes were large and liquid, like pools of rich melted chocolate nestled in white cream. He smiled and moved closer, unleashing his fangs—more white against brown.

  Surprised, Madison leaned back but found herself trapped between Keleta and the high arm of the sofa. “What are you doing?”

  Keleta placed his free hand on one of her breasts, cupping it through her sweater in his growing excitement. Madison was about to scream when he abruptly stopped and pulled back. He studied her, bewildered. He touched her again, then pulled back once more.

  “I am confused.” Keleta cocked his head and knitted his brows. “I want to have sex with you and feed, but something is stopping me.”

  “You’re damn right something’s stopping you!” Madison put her hands against Keleta’s firm chest and shoved him away from her. “Me!”

  “No, something else.” Keleta didn’t seem the least bit perturbed by Madison’s rejection as he continued working out the problem in his head. “When I touch you, I cannot do more, though I want to. It’s as if I am being restrained with bindings I cannot see.”

  Madison touched the bracelet on her wrist. She’d never seen it work until now, though she still wondered what would happen if a violent vampire tried to hurt her. Would they be stopped as easily as Keleta?

  “It’s this.” She held up her arm so he could see her bracelet. “It was given to me by the council. No other vampire can harm me when I wear this.”

  “I remember seeing that before. The day you found me.” He shrugged and looked back at her with disappointment. “So you are only consort to the council?”

  “Consort?”

  He searched for the right words in his jumbled head. “Lover and blood. Am I not saying it correc
tly?”

  Madison thought about Samuel’s mistresses. That’s what they were, his lovers and food source. That’s what Keleta thought she was. She shook her head. “No. I work for the council. I help them with their business.”

  “You do not have sex with Samuel?” He seemed very surprised. “Is he like Byron and Ricky?”

  “No, Samuel is not like Byron and Ricky.” Madison laughed softly. “Not at all. Samuel has women … consorts. Many of them.”

  “But not you?”

  Keleta leaned back against the sofa. Madison checked his chest. There was no sign of the wound from a few days ago.

  “Very strange,” Keleta continued. “Samuel is very powerful, and you are beautiful.” He gave her a look of understanding. “You are consort to Colin, then—the other man out there tonight. Yes?”

  Her initial fear gone, Madison laughed and again shook her head. “I am consort to no one, Keleta. No one bites me. No one has sex with me.”

  “How sad for you.”

  For a brief moment, Madison did feel sorry for herself and her lack of a love life, but she shook it off when Keleta leaned in closer. “You will be consort to Keleta then.” He gave her a wide smile, complete with fangs, as if that would seal the deal.

  She pushed him back again. “No. I don’t wish to be a consort to anyone.”

  His disappointment was obvious. “This place is so very strange.” Keleta retracted his fangs and got up. Retrieving his shirt from the floor where he’d dropped it, he pulled it over his head to cover himself.

  “Did you have a consort where you were before?”

  “But of course. We all did. Many lived with us for that purpose. Anytime we wanted, we could feed or have sex, or both. Not like here.”

  Seeing a small crack into Keleta’s past, Madison started getting excited. “You lived with other vampires?”

  “Yes.” A veil of wariness fell down over Keleta’s face. He turned and fussed with the stereo, popping out the Usher CD and replacing it with the Black Eyed Peas.

  “Tell me about it, Keleta?”

  “They all want to know.” He turned back around and looked at Madison. “Byron and Ricky, Samuel—they all ask.” He paused, his face clouded over. “Why should I tell you? You are not one of us.” He gave her a boyish grin. “Maybe if you were my consort…”

  “Forget it, pal. Get your mind off your pants. And your fangs.”

  Madison patted the sofa next to her, but not right next to her. “Sit down and talk to me, Keleta. We’re all just trying to help you. Someone tried to kill you. Just this morning, they dumped another vampire’s body in the Dedhams’ pool, just like they did you.”

  At the news, Keleta’s eyes grew round, like two bowls.

  “But he didn’t make it, Keleta. This vampire died.”

  “Who was he?”

  “We don’t know.” Then Madison remembered something. Thankful she’d brought her bag into the den with her, she dug through it and found a copy of Doug’s sketch. She’d brought a few copies along to show Keleta and to leave with Byron and Ricky. She held it out to Keleta, who took it. “But this is a very good likeness.”

  After studying the sketch, Keleta dropped to the floor and sat cross-legged, his back against a bookcase. His eyes were closed.

  “You knew him, didn’t you?”

  Keleta nodded but did not speak or open his eyes. Madison moved off the sofa and joined him on the large Persian rug that covered the glossy wooden floor, placing herself directly in front of him. Reaching out, she touched his hand.

  “Who was he, Keleta? Please tell me.”

  NINE

  W

  ithout looking up from his hands, Keleta said, “His name was Parker.”

  “Was that his last name or his first?”

  Keleta shrugged. “We only went by one name at the castle. His was Parker. I was simply called Keleta.”

  “The castle? Was that where you lived after becoming a vampire?”

  He nodded, still not looking up. “That’s what she called it. It was a large house that looked like a small castle on the outside.”

  A house that looked like a castle. Madison stored the information away; she’d ask Notchey about it later. If it was in Los Angeles, he might know about it. “This Parker, was he an American?”

  “Yes. But he did not speak like you.”

  “He had a noticeable accent of some kind?”

  “To me, you all speak with accent.” Keleta looked up at Madison. The comment could have been said in amusement, but one look at Keleta’s face and she knew it wasn’t. “The others made sport of him. Called him something.” He closed his eyes, then opened them. “A redneck?”

  Rednecks usually came from the southern part of the United States, but not always. But with a noticeable accent, Madison was betting Parker was originally from the South.

  “How many vampires lived at the castle?”

  He shrugged. “Maybe seven or eight of us at a time. Some came. Others left.”

  “Men and women?” Madison didn’t know how long he’d allow her questions, so she plowed through them, keeping her warm hand on his cold one, trying to convey that she was on his side.

  “All men, except for the consorts.” Keleta looked past Madison, focusing on the wall behind her where there hung an original oil painting of a fruit and flower arrangement. “And her.”

  “Her? You mean the woman who branded you?”

  He nodded, looking back down again.

  “Was she the one who made you a vampire?”

  Again, a nod.

  “Do you think she was the one who tried to kill you?”

  Keleta remained silent. Not even a nod.

  “How about Parker?” Madison pressed. “Do you think this woman killed him?”

  “No. Parker was liked very much. He was a favorite.”

  “How about other vampires? Any go missing?”

  Keleta gave it some thought. “Maybe there were others. I do not know. If a vampire left, he was replaced with a new one.”

  “Did they say why they were leaving or where they were going?”

  “No. They just left or disappeared.”

  “Why didn’t you leave, Keleta? Did you like it there?”

  He turned his face to her. His eyes were hard, his jaw set. “No, I did not. But where would I go? I couldn’t return to my family.” He flashed his fangs. “Not like this. My parents are good people. Christian people.” He sheathed his fangs and banged his head gently against the bookcase behind him. “What would I tell them? That I stupidly went off with a strange woman and am now a sheitan … a monster?”

  Though not a vampire, Madison understood clearly that everyone who became a vampire had suffered the heartache of leaving those they loved behind. Doug never saw his two daughters again. Colin had yet to talk about his life before turning, but she knew it saddened him and would forever. Madison only knew one person who had turned vampire by choice, and that had been Dodie. Those who were turned against their will were forced to live a different existence in the dark. But even Dodie missed parts of her old life. One of the reasons she cooked so often for Madison and Notchey was to have familiar smells in the house, even though she and Doug could never eat anything besides blood. Colin kept bowls of citrus fruit in his condo to remind him of the past. Stacie Neroni did charity work for the homeless. Kate Thornton had married a beater, even knowing she would outlive him. They all did things to make themselves feel normal and natural, even if they weren’t.

  Keleta stood up and walked over to a large window that looked out onto the back yard of the house. Exterior lights showed a tidy patio with a table and chairs. The patio was edged with redwood boxes of thickly planted perky flowers. Patio lights illuminated the base of the hillside. Beyond the light, the hill was swallowed up in the dark of night.

  “I didn’t even know how to feed myself,” Keleta continued to explain. “The consorts gave us blood to drink and a body for pleasure. We were taught nothing about
being a vampire—at least none of the things Byron and Ricky are teaching me. We were taught to fight. Nothing else. Before I came here, I wanted to die but didn’t know how.”

  “The woman provided the consorts?”

  “She provided everything—our clothing, our beds, everything. All she asked in return was devotion and our presence in her bed when she requested it.”

  “So she made you a vampire so that you could be her consort?”

  “I didn’t realize it at the time, but now I see clearly. I was no different than the women she provided for us.” Keleta took a deep breath and dropped his head in his hands. Suddenly, being a consort didn’t seem like such a fun idea to him.

  Madison got to her feet and joined Keleta by the window. “We’re here to help you, Keleta. All of us. Listen to Byron and Ricky, learn everything you can from them. That’s the most important thing you can do right now.” She put a reassuring hand on his strong but drooping shoulder. “Who did this to you? What’s her name?” When Keleta didn’t answer, she added, “Was it Ann Hayes? You know, the woman in the other room?”

  Keleta dropped his hands and turned from the window, staring at Madison in surprise. “The woman Samuel just introduced?”

  “Yes. If it was her, you can tell me. You don’t need to be afraid.”

  He laughed. It wasn’t a happy laugh. “No, Madison, the woman who turned me into a vampire was not the lady out there.” He stopped laughing and held up his arms, turning his large, strong hands into fists. “If she were, I would have tried to kill her with my bare hands.”

  “So he gave you no name?”

  They were back in Samuel’s car, just Samuel and Madison, with Hyun up front driving, separated by a soundproof partition.

  “No. I asked him several times, but all he said was that they called her Lady. I believe he may not have known her name. I asked about the other vampires, too, but he wouldn’t tell me that either. I couldn’t tell if he was afraid or protecting someone, though it didn’t sound like he was trying to protect her specifically.”

  “And he has no idea why she wanted him dead or why she dumped him at the Dedhams’.”