“You just had to go there?” Clarissa growled at her sister.
Caren shrugged. She turned the corner and they pulled up in front of Tiffany’s apartment
building. The short redhead came out of her door. She was wearing a short, red leather skirt and fishnet stockings. She wore a corset style top, and her breasts looked ready to spill out of it at any moment. Clarissa noticed a large hoop ring in her nose and a smaller hoop in her eyebrow.
The woman’s hair was a riot of curls, and she wore thick black eyeliner and the reddest lipstick she’d ever seen. Clarissa was shocked. She’d only seen the woman at PTA meetings, but this
wasn’t the Tiffany Morgan she knew.
“Hi.” Tiffany giggled as she slid into the back seat. “Ground rules, you don’t make eye
contact with anyone. You don’t tell them you know what they are. You don’t ask for blood. You don’t say the word blood. Any questions?”
“How are we supposed to get blood if we can’t talk about it?”
“I have a few regulars that have special…feelings for me. A bond grows from regular
donations to the same vampire. There’s something about the magic, if I ask and bring you the
blood, it doesn’t work. Since it’s for someone you love, you have to be willing to sacrifice
something for the blood given to you. I’ll do the talking. One or both of you might have to
donate for it. I promise you won’t suffer any lasting harm. You might even like it. I do.”
“How can you let strangers bite you? You have kids, aren’t you worried you’ll get a
disease?” Clarissa asked. Tiffany laughed with genuine amusement. Clarissa didn’t see anything funny about her question. “I’m serious.”
“I know, and I appreciate the concern. They aren’t like us. I don’t know how much you
both believe, but these are not humans who might have AIDS. We’re going to a vampire club
tonight, ladies. Yes, vampires live in our small, sweet Midwestern town. Vampires are
everywhere. They have the resources to stay hidden, but they exist. This is dangerous. They
aren’t going to like it that you know. I thought it would just be Caren and me going in. This is even trickier with two of you. We have to avoid drawing attention from the more powerful ones.
My particular vamps are small fries, young vampires. They’re more likely to be sympathetic,
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because they still remember being human. Old ones, like Lord Drago, are more likely to kill you first and ask questions later. We could all die, for real, so please don’t do anything stupid.”
“Oh, anything stupid like going into a place supposedly run by blood sucking movie
monsters? Gee, let me jot that down,” Clarissa said sarcastically.
“If you’re not going to believe me, I’m not getting you in. This isn’t a game, and these
aren’t just lonely gothic teens looking for a thrill. This is for real. The people in the club, most of them are vampires. You’ll see once you get inside, but you have to promise me you’ll trust me and not get us killed. I’m not kidding. This isn’t a prank or a joke. This is life and death, for us and for Matt.”
“Did you really give your daughter blood and it saved her life?” Clarissa asked while
watching the woman’s face in the review mirror. “I remember how sick she was. She was
waiting for a heart transplant and everyone was afraid it’d come too late, then she was just well again.”
Tiffany smiled a strange little smile. “It’s been a mixed blessing. I’d heard that if I
donated blood, I’d receive a large payment of tax-free cash. I went to the club because the
medical bills were killing me. It didn’t take me long to form bonds. They felt my grief. My
clients knew how much I loved my daughter and what I was losing. Things had gotten bad, we
didn’t have more time to wait, and finally one of my regulars gave me the blood. I’d asked when I realized what they were. I did some research at the library. Some of the really old legends are true. I knew they could help. She told me how to use her blood, and I documented the miracle.
One day my daughter was lying in a hospital bed, dying, the next day she was my little girl again and full of life. I swear it. If I didn’t owe you and Matt for the clothes and food you gave me when times were tough, I’d never have endangered myself by telling Caren any of this.”
“You don’t owe us anything, Tiffany. If this is for real, we’ll be the ones who owe you.”
“First, we have to get in and out without dying. Don’t do anything to draw additional
attention to yourselves. If they see you as a threat, you’re dead. Vampires aren’t human. Don’t forget they’re predators. They’d have no problem killing you if they think you’re a danger to them. I’ve seen people disappear because they did the wrong thing. Please don’t make me regret helping you. It took me months to build up the kind of relationship that made one willing to give me blood. It’s dangerous. If the blood fell into the wrong hands, they’re all exposed. This isn’t going to be easy.”
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“I don’t have months, Matt’s only got weeks. He might not even have that long. Speaking
of, I’m going to call the hospital to check on him.” Clarissa pulled her cellphone out of her purse and dialed the hospital. The number was the first contact on her phone.
When the switchboard picked up, she asked to be connected to the fourth floor nurse’s
station.
“Hi, Elizabeth. This is Clarissa Blair. How is Matt doing tonight?” She listened intently
to the nurse’s report, hoping against hope for some small sign of progress, but she was at least grateful to hear that his situation hadn’t deteriorated. “Okay. Thanks, Elizabeth.” She hung up the phone and turned to speak quietly. “He’s sleeping peacefully, but they’ve increased his
morphine.” She tried not to break down.
Tiffany reached around the headrest and squeezed Clarissa’s shoulder. “You’re doing the
right thing. If we can get one of them to give you just a few drops of blood, he’ll be all right.”
“Let’s say I believe you about the vampires and their magical blood, do you know for
sure that it works on cancer and not just heart problems? Your daughter was young and small.
Will this work on a full-grown man?”
“I’m sure it’ll work. I wouldn’t be risking my life if I weren’t. Just don’t do anything to
draw attention to yourself, and if they want to feed from you, let them.”
Could it really be that simple, Clarissa wondered. She loved her husband more than her own life. They could have all her blood if that’s what it took to save Matt.
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Chapter 3
They parked a few blocks away from the club. It was chilly and drizzly, unusual weather
for June. The sisters followed Tiffany toward the back of the building.
“Shouldn’t we go in the front with everyone else?” Caren asked.
“This is the only real way in. Ever notice how that line doesn’t move? They only let a
few of them in and they glamour what they actually see. They leave thinking they’ve just been to the hippest club ever and had the best time, but they just sit them down at a table under guard.
They leave unharmed, but with no real memory of the club. It’s an amazing trick. The few
humans they trust come in this way.” Tiffany knocked on the door. A slat opened up and a pair of red eyes glared out at them. “The Sire’s blood is nectar,” she told the spooky eyes. “They’re with me.”
The vampire opened the door for them and the sisters rushed in behind Tiffany, not
making eye contact with the grumpy looking vamp
ire.
“I hope you have His Lordship’s consent to bring them here.”
“Don’t worry, Winslow, I’m not an idiot.”
He grunted at her, but said nothing more and let them all pass. Clarissa let out a sigh of
relief.
Tiffany looked at her grimly. “That was the easy part.”
Those words didn’t ease the sisters’ tension. Looking at each other fearfully, the sisters
remained silent. Clarissa saw the worry in Caren’s face and understood it completely. The
supernatural doorman’s eyes had told her she wasn’t coming to a normal club. If she doubted
Tiffany before, those glowing eyes diminished her doubt greatly now. The fangs she’d caught a glimpse of in his mouth could’ve been dental implants or some sort of slip-in Halloween
disguise. His eyes hadn’t just been red, they’d glowed. They almost reminded her of how cats’
eyes looked in the darkness if you shined a light at them. She’d never heard of contacts doing anything similar. Either he was a very gifted makeup artist, or she’d just seen a vampire.
Trying not to dwell on the fear, she decided to focus on her task. Get the blood and get
out. In the end, it didn’t matter what the hell was going on here, she just wanted to help Matt.
They could go on eating people to their hearts content, as long as they gave her the magic potion that would bring her husband back. God, how she ached for him. Every cell in her body cried out A Gift of the Darkest Magic
12
for Matt’s resurrection. He was the sun and the moon and stars. Without him, her universe was empty.
Two women stood embracing on a staircase. One was tall with long, black hair. She held
the smaller blonde close, in a lover’s embrace. Clarissa glanced at them for only a moment
before she forced her eyes away. The smaller woman hung limply in the other’s arms. The limp
woman moaned and cried out as if she were having an orgasm. The tall woman had glanced at
them sharply over the shoulder of her lover. Angry red eyes had glowed out at them just as the doorman’s had and seemed to reflect some inner, evil light.
Clarissa walked closer to Tiffany; the panic building inside her made her edgy. She really
hated how afraid she felt. Clarissa was many things, but a coward wasn’t one of them. She
fought her natural urge to run and walked as calmly as possible behind the others. She noticed Caren’s hands were shaking. The subtle body language told her clearly that her sister was getting just as freaked out as she felt.
“Where are we going?” Caren whispered a bit too loudly.
Turning, Tiffany gave her a dirty look. “Quiet. These back rooms are where the clients
come to feed. I get paid based on how much they take.”
“How do you know how much they’ve taken?” Clarissa couldn’t help her curiosity.
“Monitors. They estimate how many fluid ounces are inside me before and after a
feeding. Only once did a client get out of hand, and the monitor alerted security to come and save me before he killed me. Lord Drago himself destroyed that vampire. That night was the only
time I ever saw him. Vampires of his status have donors who spend years trying to be the one
he’ll drink from, and they usually assume he’ll have sex with them too. He keeps his suppliers living a comfortable life. Their only job is to be walking blood banks.”
“This is sounding more and more like prostitution.” Clarissa couldn’t keep the censor
from her voice. She saw the devastated look on Tiffany’s face. “Sorry, this situation is just so exploitative.”
“This has bought me a new car and paid off the medical bills. I’ve even been able to start
a little college fund for my Lilli. Without coming here and donating, I’d be struggling. I don’t feel exploited. I don’t have sex with them. Yes, the strange intimacy reminds me very much of sex, but it’s not the same. I always feel so good after they feed. I think I’d do it for free if they stopped paying me. If they feed from you, then you’ll understand.”
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Clarissa hoped she’d never understand the strange goings on of the club. She’d never
believed in vampires or monsters, but after only a few minutes behind the scenes of this club, she was starting to. She didn’t want any of the patrons ordering a big gulp of her tonight, but she would willingly be the nightly special if she earned the healing blood. Her blood for theirs, it seemed a fair trade.
They walked back to rows of curtained stalls. Each one was lavishly decorated with
couches and plush floor pillows. Each had a unique theme. Over each cubby was a plaque of
strange writing, reminding Clarissa of ancient runes.
“This one is mine,” Tiffany told them. They went in and sat down on one of the couches.
The space had a Moroccan feel. “I don’t take drugs. Vamps wanting something fresh come in
here for my donation. Vampires can’t really get high, but if they take blood from someone who is, they get a momentary echo of the feeling from the donor. The marks over the door tell them what’s for sale. I usually see three vampires before my pint and a quarter is gone for the night. I haven’t been here for a month, so I’m good. I don’t need to see the medical staff. I hook this monitor up to my wrist.” She took several wires with pads attached. Removing the paper, she
affixed two to her chest and then she strapped a band around her wrist with what appeared to be a blood pressure monitor. She also clamped a piece of plastic over her index finger; a small box sitting on the table next to where she sat showed the oxygen level in her blood. “See, the medical staff is watching. They can monitor my blood loss with the cuff and my blood pressure. Each
client pays a charge based on the readings. I’ll feed one to three vampires tonight, and if I donate to my limit, I’ll walk out the door with two thousand dollars cash. Do you see how risking my life and this easy extra money is a big deal to me? Please sit quietly. If anyone asks, I’m training you. This will be risky—; you aren’t staff and they’ll know they can take more than they should from you, but I’ve got a panic button if things go badly.”
Panic button? Badly? The words didn’t assure Clarissa in the least and she noticed Caren had started to go pale. She really hadn’t realized just how uncertain the outcome of this trip would be, but looking at Tiffany all hooked up and waiting for a potentially deadly customer, Clarissa had to admit this wasn’t just some creepy Goth I’ll-show-you-my-rebellion-if-you-show-me-yours crap. She’d seen at least two beings that she could whole-heartedly say weren’t human, and this wasn’t some kind of kinky sex thing according to Tiffany, so the only
conclusion she could draw was that the woman was telling her the truth. Real fear filled her.
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She’d finally accepted the truth—; she was in the middle of a den of vampires, and not the
sparkly save-the-world kind. These guys looked to be the I’ll-eat-you-up ones, waiting to take a bite out of at least one of them tonight.
Caren suddenly grabbed Clarissa’s hand, clutching it tightly. “I’m so sorry,” she
breathed.
Clarissa could see she’d finally come to the realization of just how much danger they
were in too. They sat a few moments, huddled together, while Tiffany sat casually a few feet
away giving them annoyed looks.
“Play it cool, please,” Tiffany said caustically.
The curtain moved. Both sisters stared in horror. A short man who looked to be in his
early twenties stepped inside the space. He glared distrustfully at the sisters.
“They’re cool, just ignore them. How are you tonight, Jimmy?” Tiffany smiled at the
vampire as if he were an old friend.
> “Hey, sweet thing, I’ve missed you. I’m going to take a bit more than usual, is that okay
with you, darlin’?”
“Sure, just remember they’re watching you.” Tiffany sounded a bit worried.
Jimmy smiled, his eyes flared with the red light. He fell to his knees in front of Tiffany
and took her arm. “Sure I can’t feed from your neck?” He looked hopefully into her eyes, then glanced at the sisters and then back at the woman he’d come to bite.
Clarissa felt her sister’s grip tighten fearfully on her hand.
“You know I’m not that kind of girl, Jimmy. My wrist works just as good, have a bite,”
she teased, smiling. Even though she looked confident, Clarissa thought she detected a small
trace of hesitation.
“You’re so cruel, sweet thing.” He took her arm and held her wrist to his nose, inhaling
loudly. “Aww, no perfume to ruin the taste. Thank you.” He turned her wrist up. Clarissa held her breath and she felt her sister stiffen beside her.
Tiffany seemed perfectly calm as Jimmy opened his mouth, his fangs glistening in the
dim light, like knives. Clarissa wanted to close her eyes and yet she couldn’t. The sight was so unbelievable, she stared, transfixed on the gruesome scene. The vampire brought her wrist to his mouth and bit. Jerking, Caren tightened her grip painfully on Clarissa’s hands. With a low moan, Tiffany’s head rolled back against the couch and her eyes fluttered. Jimmy’s red eyes glanced at A Gift of the Darkest Magic
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the frightened sisters and Clarissa saw him smiling against the bloody skin he suckled in his mouth. After a moment, he pulled away and Tiffany blinked up at him.
“As always, the most delicious nectar. Thank you, sweet thing,” he told the recovering
donor with a grin, wiping his face on a linen napkin from a pile on the table. Clarissa shook.
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