Crimson Debt

by Evangeline Anderson

  “I’m not worried about Victor right now,” Taylor interrupted. “I mean, I’m getting pretty thirsty but I’ll be okay…for a little while longer, anyway.”

  “Well then, why should I come over there? Especially when I’ve been asked to stay away?” It had been a week since our last encounter and Corbin’s request that a different Auditor be assigned to inspect his business still stung.

  “It’s Corbin—you need to come see him,” Taylor said.

  My heart leapt up into my throat. “What? Why? Why didn’t he call me himself?”

  She sighed. “He doesn’t know I’m making this call. But Addison, you need to see for yourself—something isn’t right.”

  This time my heart plunged into my stomach. Wow, I was really getting some great cardiac calisthenics here.

  “What do you mean—what’s wrong?” I asked.

  She sighed again and I could almost see her running a hand through her hair. “It’s Master Corbin.”

  “Master? Really?”

  “Well, he did rescue me from Celeste, which makes him my master now,” she said, sounding uncharacteristically snappish. “Cut me some slack, Addison—I’m trying to tell you I think Corbin’s in trouble.”

  “What kind of trouble?” I thought of him saying that the Empress would not be pleased to receive Roderick’s remains. “Are other vampires involved?” I asked. “Are they coming after him?”

  “No, nothing like that. It’s the way he’s acting…the way he looks.”

  “Why—what is he doing?”

  “All week he’s been talking to legal people about the club, calling staff in and thanking them for all their hard service. He even told me he hoped I would have a very happy life and gave me some tips on how to be a more effective vampire.”

  I was drawing a blank. “So?”

  “So? Addison, it’s like…like he’s saying goodbye.”

  “So maybe he’s selling the club,” I said, though I couldn’t imagine Corbin giving it up—Under the Fang was his baby.

  “It doesn’t feel like that,” Taylor said quietly. “It feels like he’s setting his affairs in order.”

  “What? But he’s perfectly fine.” I thought of Corbin the last time I had seen him—he had been the picture of vampire health.

  “No, he’s not,” Taylor said. “In fact, especially in the past day or two, well, he doesn’t look so good.”

  “You’re saying he’s sick? Vampire’s don’t get sick.”

  “Corbin is. He’s different, Addison. Paler than usual. Quieter. I haven’t seen him feed once in the past week.”

  “So maybe he’s just hungry.”

  The thought that Corbin might be starving himself for love of me occurred but I pushed it away. As gratifying as it might be, there was no way it could happen. Corbin, like all vampires, was a purely practical creature. There was no way he would go on a hunger strike just for me, especially when he had pushed me so neatly out of his life himself.

  “No, that’s the thing,” Addison protested, breaking my train of thought. “I honestly think he’s not hungry. I saw one of the glam-girls offer him her wrist last night. She was all, ‘Drink, my Master.’ But he pushed her away and said, ‘Forgive me. I have no appetite.’ Now does that sound like Corbin to you?”

  I had to admit it didn’t. Corbin had never been one to turn down a free snack. So what was going on?

  “Maybe I should come down and just have a look around,” I said.

  “Yes, please do. Maybe I’m just imagining things but…I don’t think so.” Taylor sounded upset. “I’m really worried about him, Addison.”

  “All right.” I looked at my watch. “My shift starts in a few minutes. I’ll make Under the Fang my first stop.”

  “I thought he asked you to get another Auditor to inspect him?”

  “He did.” I cleared my throat. “I just…haven’t gotten around it yet.”

  “Okay, see you in a few,” she said and hung up.

  * * * * *

  The trip to Under the Fang didn’t take long and before I knew it I was striding over the familiar red, black, and silver dance floor. The glam-booths were full, as usual, and there were lines of humans eagerly waiting to be glammed by the bored looking vampires but they didn’t hold my attention.

  I ignored the pounding beat of the music and the laughing patrons—it was like I didn’t even see them. Instead I looked at the raised dais where Corbin usually sat and remembered how he had taken me over his knee and spanked me there. I had been furious at him but then afterward when he had healed me so gently…and then the next night in his office… No, stop thinking about it, I told myself sternly. You’re just here to check on him and then you’ll be on your way.

  Lifting my chin, I left the dance floor and followed the long hallway down to the business end of the club where Corbin kept his office and daylight hiding place. It was unnaturally quiet with none of the hustle and bustle I remembered from a regular club night. Where was his staff? Then, suddenly when I was a few feet from his office door, I heard familiar voices.

  “But Master, please—I do not wish to leave you,” said the first voice, which sounded like the little curly-haired androgynous vamp that was Corbin’s assistant.

  “I know you don’t, Antoine, but I’m afraid you have no choice.” That was definitely Corbin and he sounded tired. No, not just tired—unbearably weary, as though he could barely make himself speak. What in the world could have happened to make him sound that way?

  “I will stay by your side, no matter what! I will go with you, wherever it is you are going.”

  “Antoine…” Corbin sighed heavily. “I’m sorry my little friend but where I am going, you cannot follow.”

  I frowned. Was Corbin planning a trip?

  “It’s that witch, isn’t it? That LaRoux woman—she did something to you.” The assistant’s voice sounded high and unhappy. “I could tell by looking at her that something about her wasn’t right. Please, Master—what did she do? You haven’t been right since that night. Did she put you under a spell or—”

  “She did nothing I didn’t ask her to do,” Corbin said sharply. “Antoine, you forget yourself. You are overstepping your boundaries.”

  “Forgive me, Master.” The little assistant seemed to be almost sobbing now. “It’s just that I am trying to understand what is happening. Why you are sending us all away—”

  “You don’t need to understand, Antoine. You only need to obey. Now go and check on the figures I asked you to get. Everything must be in good working order before I pass the Fang on to its new owner.”

  Hearing that knocked me back a step. Could it be true? Was Corbin actually selling out and moving on? But why? What the hell was going on?

  Just then the little curly-haired assistant came stumbling out of the office in a very un-vampiric display of clumsiness. There were smudges of red on his cheeks and I realized he’d been crying. He looked up at me briefly.

  “Hello, Mistress,” he muttered before going on down the hall toward the bar and dance floor.

  Mystified, I walked up to Corbin’s office and rapped lightly on the open door.

  “It’s me—can I come in?”

  Corbin was sitting at his desk, pouring over some paperwork. When he looked up, I saw with a shock that Taylor had been right. He really did look terrible.

  His eyes were red-rimmed and their lovely silver-blue color seemed dulled somehow. His face was paler than usual too and there were lines around his mouth and under his eyes I had never noticed before. In short, he looked less than perfect and that wasn’t like Corbin. If he was human, I would have said he looked like he hadn’t slept in weeks. But vampires don’t really need sleep so what was going on?

  “Addison,” he said, frowning when he saw it was me. “What are you doing here?”

  I leaned against the doorframe and crossed my arms over my chest.

  “I’m here because Taylor called and asked me to come over.”

  “Then
why are you not speaking to her instead of bothering me?” he demanded. “I am very busy just now, as you can see.”

  “Uh-huh.” I nodded, refusing to let his rudeness drive me off. “What’s this I hear about you packing up and moving on?”

  “It is none of your business, that is what it is. Now if you have nothing constructive to say, I must ask you to leave and stop wasting my oh-so-valuable time.”

  “Corbin, what’s wrong with you?” I stepped into his office and went to stand in front of his desk. It was stacked with paperwork and he had a laptop open on one corner. On the other corner, I noticed the black stake. Just looking at it made me shiver—the silver runes were still red but I couldn’t help noticing that the red was darker now, less blood red and more maroon. An idea began to form in my head…an idea about that damn stake. But I sensed that I couldn’t ask Corbin about it directly.

  “Seriously,” I said, trying to keep my tone light. “What’s going on?”

  “Nothing.” He looked irritated. “It’s only that I have much to do and a very short time to get it done.”

  “Before you leave, you mean,” I said and a lump formed in my throat. “Corbin…will I ever see you again?”

  He shook his head briefly. “No one will.”

  “What is that supposed to mean? Where are you going?”

  “Someplace very unpleasant, I assure you,” he snapped. “Addison, please—”

  “Are you thirsty? Is that it?” I came around the desk to stand in front of him and held out my wrist. “Drink,” I said. “If…if you want to.”

  For a moment he just looked at me and then he took my hand in his. I was surprised at how cold his skin was. Despite being a vampire, Corbin had always seemed to run hot but now, touching him was like touching a block of ice.

  “Addison,” he said softly. “I’m touched—truly I am. But what I need, you cannot give me. No one can.”

  “But…what is it that you need?” I asked, mystified and seriously worried.

  Corbin only shook his head and dropped my hand. “Right now I need you to leave me alone to work. I will ask you for the last time, why did Taylor ask you to come here?”

  “Because she’s thirsty,” I said, improvising on the spot. “Really thirsty—where the hell is Victor? Does he intend to let her starve?”

  Corbin sighed and ran long fingers through his hair. “My understanding is that he is putting the finishing touches on the house he was building for himself. When he gets it done, he will bring Taylor to live with him for the remainder of their three month period of ownership.”

  “Well, he’s taking too damn long,” I said, putting my hands on my hips. “You need to call him and tell him so.”

  “All right—I will do it.” He sighed in obvious irritation. “I will add it to the extremely long list of other things I must get done before I—”

  “Before you what?” I prompted. “Go on.”

  “Never mind.” Corbin looked around in irritation. “Where is Antoine? I asked for those figures ages ago.”

  “Maybe he’s crying somewhere,” I said quietly. “He looked pretty upset when I saw him.”

  “You are probably right.” Corbin sighed and stood up abruptly. “I will have to go find him—I do not have time for histrionics.” He looked at me. “Addison, you need to go. I promise I will call Victor on your friend’s behalf but for now, I would prefer if you left my establishment.”

  “Why?” I demanded. “You afraid I’ll give you a citation for being rude?”

  “No,” he said shortly. “It’s simply too painful for me to see you.”

  “Too painful?” I said softly. “What…what do you mean by that? I thought—”

  He gave me a long, level look. “You know what I mean, Addison. Now, if you’ll excuse me…”

  He was starting to leave the office and he clearly expected me to come with him. I had to think fast.

  “Do you mind if I use your restroom before I go?” I asked, trying to keep my voice cool and professional. “The regular bathrooms here are always full of people making out and trading gossip about which vamp is the best at glam-sex. It’s disgusting.”

  “Fine.” He sighed. “But close the office door when you leave.”

  “All right, I wi—” I started to say but he was already gone, moving faster than my eyes could follow out of the office and down the hall.

  The minute he was gone, I walked over and opened and closed the bathroom door loudly, just in case he was still within earshot. Then I walked quietly back to the desk and looked at the stake again. I had a feeling it held half the answer to what was going on with Corbin. And I had a pretty good idea where to get the other half.

  I didn’t want to touch the weird thing with my bare hand so I pulled the sleeve of my suit jacket down and wrapped it around my hand before picking it up. Sure enough, it seemed to writhe in my grip like a lazy snake. The sensation made me want to gag and I nearly dropped it. But this was important—something was going on and I was determined to get to the bottom of it, damn it!

  I had originally been planning to stuff the thing down the back of my pants and let my jacket conceal it as I walked out of the Fang with it. But now I found I couldn’t stand the thought of the weird stake so close to me. It seemed dangerous somehow, as though it was a predator that was mostly full but wouldn’t mind taking another bite or two if another prey happened along and offered itself.

  Instead of trying to carry it like a concealed weapon, I put it back on the desk and took my jacket off all together. Then I gathered it up and hid it in the jacket’s folds, making sure not to let it touch my skin as I walked casually out of Corbin’s office.

  My heart was in my throat the entire time as I made my way out of the crowded club. I was sure at any minute Corbin would pop up in front of me and demand to know why I was stealing the stake. I didn’t see him at all, however—probably he was somewhere still dealing with Antoine.

  I blessed the little vampire assistant and promised myself I’d be nicer to him next time I saw him—if there was a next time. Corbin had made it pretty clear he didn’t want to see me again before he left, which hurt. But I was sure there was something behind his rejection. Something strange and not right and I was determined to find out what it was.

  Chapter Twenty-one

  It didn’t take long to find the witch’s house—not when I was able to search her immediately on the PD’s database. Gwendolyn LaRoux lived on the fringes of Ybor City—the oldest and most historic part of Tampa. At the turn of the last century, it used to be home to Cuban immigrants and cigar factories. Now it’s mostly a party spot for the college crowd with a few kink clubs, tattoo parlors, and cigar bars thrown in for the tourists.

  The whole area had gotten pretty run down but lately there had been a big effort toward beatification. Many of the old wooden bungalows had been remodeled and some had been torn down to make way for cute little cookie-cutter townhouses in all the pastel shades of the rainbow.

  The witch’s house appeared to be one of the remodeled ones. A quaint, one story bungalow, it was painted a soft cheery yellow with neat white trim. There were rows of pink flowers flanking the walkway leading up to the old wooden wrap-around porch.

  Hmm…I checked my address again but there was no mistake—this was Gwendolyn LaRoux's place of residence. But the outside of the house certainly didn’t jibe with the angry Goth girl I remembered leaving Corbin’s office.

  Taking a firm grip on the stake that was still wrapped in my jacket, I marched up the front walkway and knocked on the pristine white front door. There was no answer—not surprising considering it was after midnight. Well, too bad if she was in bed, I wasn’t waiting another minute to talk to her. I rapped on the door again.

  “Gwen, honey?” came an old lady’s voice from inside. “Who is that at this hour?”

  “I don’t know, Grams. You stay in bed—I’ll check it out.” That sounded like Gwendolyn.

  The front porch light popped on
, immediately attracting a swarm of moths. The door opened about an inch and a suspicious jade green eye peered out at me from under a tousled mop of black hair.

  “Who are you and what do you want?” she demanded.

  “You know who I am,” I snapped. “You saw me when you were leaving Corbin’s office.”

  The eye flicked around nervously. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “Yes, you do,” I said stubbornly. “Look, I’m an Auditor. If you want to make it official, I can bring you downtown for questioning.”

  “You can’t do that—I’m not a vamp.”

  The front door started to shut but I stopped it by shoving the end of the stake through the crack and into her face.

  “Hey!” She jumped backward and the door flew open. “Get that thing away from me! What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

  Her reaction told me my hunch about the stake was right. Now I just had to get more information.

  “You know what this is, don’t you?” I demanded, taking a step into her house. “You know what it can do. You’re the one who gave it to Corbin—I saw him tucking it into his pocket just as you were leaving.”

  “Gwen, honey?” The old lady’s voice sounded from the back of the house again. “Who is that? Should I call the police?”

  “No, Grams, it’s fine,” she called back. “It’s just, uh, someone wanting their cards read.”

  “At this time of night? You tell them to come back tomorrow.”

  “It’s an emergency reading. She needs to know if her fiancé is cheating on her. It’s only going to take a minute.”

  “A minute you could be sleeping, you mean,” the old lady grumbled.

  “You go back to bed, Grams. I’ll talk to her out on the front porch so we don’t bother you.” Gwendolyn nodded for me to go out the door and then she came after me and closed it behind her. “Over here,” she said gruffly and led the way to an ancient old swing hung in one corner of the porch.