Pretty good security. No one but a vampire could hope to enter or exit this place.
She glanced down at her legs, there was no pain or even stress. How far could she fall without hurting herself?
Another door. This time, he had to put a lot of muscle into pushing it open—it looked and sounded like stone, grating across the hard floor.
“A lot of security,” Alexi murmured.
“Most of it is new,” Morgan grunted. “We had to get clever after a recent incident. Have to keep the food in and the rabble out,” he said with a smile.
Food? God, does he mean people?
She passed the giant stone door into a large chamber with Greek columns evenly spaced, ten on a side, leading to the end of the room. The chamber was huge. The farthest end stood a hundred feet away, and she could make out a throne of some kind surrounded by red drapes. Matching drapes hung between each column. She wondered what they concealed or if they were just for atmosphere. Morgan was noisily pushing the door closed again, but once the grating stopped, she realized the curtains were not just for show.
One of the pairs of curtains hung slightly apart, and Alexi caught a glimpse of what was happening in the alcove beyond.
Don’t blush. Don’t blush. Don’t blush. None of this is new to you. You see stuff like this all the time. You’re a vampire. Play the part.
She had fed on Victor that morning, and she felt his blood warm her cheeks. She hoped Morgan would take the color as excitement, not embarrassment.
Now that she had noticed what was going on beyond the curtains, she realized that the occupants were very little concerned about privacy. Half of the curtains hung at least partially open. She tried to keep her eyes on Morgan, who walked ahead of her, but a whimper caught her attention.
Inside one of the alcoves, a young woman—no older than Savanna—crawled on the floor toward the curtains as if she were trying to escape. A man knelt behind her, teeth sunk deep into her calf. Tears rolled down the girl’s face as he fed. Her eyelids began to sag. She gave one last whimper as her body shuddered and her head fell to the floor. Alexi didn’t know if she were dead, but the stillness of her body could hardly be anything else.
Rage boiled through Alexi’s veins, burning away all of her embarrassment and disgust. Her hands curled into fists, and she rose up on the balls of her feet. She was still alive, or at least she could be resuscitated —
“I see we have a visitor?”
A throaty, melodic voice snapped her attention back to what was happening in front of her. Morgan had led her to the foot of the throne on the opposite side of the room. A heartbreakingly beautiful woman occupied the elaborate chair. Smooth skin, pale, but darker than Alexi’s own alabaster. Long, dark hair and large, liquid eyes that were like pools of ink. Her sensually curved figure had a sense of ripeness about it, completely filling her satin gown and leaving little to the imagination.
Alexi forced down her fury, not wanting to give herself away. She was in the middle of a viper nest, and there was nothing she could do. She knelt before the throne, bowing her head low. “Mistress.”
“Better,” the creature on the throne said.
“Forgive my hesitation—your beauty took me by surprise. I have never seen your equal,” Alexi said.
The woman’s full lips curved into a smile. “Ooh, I like this one,” she said to Morgan. “Someone who does not need their manners . . . enforced. How refreshing.” She stood up. “I am Bella, Mistress of Seattle. As long as you are in my city, I am your mistress as well.”
Alexi bowed again. Bella obviously did not recognize her or have any clue that Alexi had escaped from this very nightclub two months prior. It’s not like they knew me. They bashed my brains in. I doubt they keep a record of names. Or even know what I looked like after they made a mess of my face. It will be okay.
“What brings you to my city?” Bella raised her eyebrows, letting the sentence dangle as she fished for a name.
“Creed. Alexi Creed. I’m simply seeking a change of scenery.”
“Join me for dinner, Alexi.”
The invitation was obviously not a request. Bella’s voice sent chills up Alexi’s spine, and the part of her that told her to run from danger began screaming at her now. Instead of running, she followed.
Bella led her behind the throne to a lounge, like the ones she had passed. A half-moon leather couch stretched from column to column. The floor was an inch-thick shag carpet, and the walls were covered in expensive art. Bella took a seat at the far end and patted the couch next to her. Alexi slid in beside the woman. Her head immediately throbbed from the pressure. It was ten times worse than it had been with Morgan. She let out a slow breath to ease the pain in her skull, letting the magic wash over her instead of fighting it.
Bella waved her hands. Unseen servants guided two people into the chamber and closed the curtains behind them. One, a young man with tattoos and piercings, looked as if he were on his last legs. Tiny white scars covered his veins from repeated feedings. The other was a pretty young woman with brown hair and blue eyes whose skin looked flawless and untouched. Alexi smelled fear on her, and something else—excitement.
Did she choose this life?
“By all means, have her,” Bella said as if she knew Alexi’s thoughts. The man drifted to Bella. She wrenched him down to his knees and sunk her fangs deep into his neck. Alexi hid her astonishment at how rough Bella fed. He gurgled as blood seeped down his back. She violently pulled his head to one side, farther than it could go comfortably on its own.
The girl’s soft brown hair fell across her cream-colored halter top. Below that, she wore black yoga pants that ended in bare feet.
The girl noticed Alexi’s gaze. “They like us to be silent when we move about, as not to disturb the other guests,” she said.
The sound of Bella’s feeding distracted her as she admired her own meal. The beat of the girl’s heart entranced her. She walked over to Alexi, hands moving to untie the string of her halter.
“No.” Alexi shook her head. She wasn’t interested in seeing her naked, only the feel of her throat under her lips. The girl cocked her head to the side with confusion. She shrugged and moved closer. Hunger gnawed at Alexi, even though she had fed that very morning. The tempting, tantalizing meal, inches in front of her, was too much. She pulled the girl down to her lap.
The girl easily slid her legs on top of Alexi’s. She brushed the girl’s hair aside, exposing her neck. It was too much. Her lips brushed her smooth shoulders. The girl shuddered in her arms as Alexi sank her fangs into her neck. Warm blood rushed into her mouth.
Swallowing as fast as she could gulp, Alexi luxuriated in the thrill of feeding. That urge from deep within her, the need to hunt, to drain, to kill, welled up inside of her.
The girl sighed, and soft moans escaped her lips as Alexi squeezed tighter.
In that moment, as Alexi drained her of her life and future, her heart ached. This couldn’t be who she is. Someone who preyed on the innocent. She needed to save this girl—from herself if need be. To free her from this prison.
Alexi slipped one hand around her thighs and the other over her far shoulder to hold her in place. The girl hugged Alexi tight, her breaths coming in shallow gasps. Her blood was sweet, like Savanna’s. But her essence—it wasn’t as pure as Savanna’s. There was something slightly bitter to it. The girl’s fear came through as well, fear and excitement. Alexi pulled her tighter, sinking her fangs deeper.
It’s a drug, Alexi thought as she fed. It’s not just the food. It’s the experience.
A low moan escaped the girl’s lips, and her heart raced, pumping even more blood into the vampire. She shifted her legs to straddle Alexi’s lap and leaned in closer, shoving her body up to Alexi’s. Alexi wanted to stop, desperately. Her head buzzed with the power she held, of life and death. Deep inside her, a voice urged her to take everything and leave nothing. The girl convulsed on her lap, letting out a low cry. Her heartbeat began to slow, and sh
e slumped against the vampire.
The link between them softened. The fear and panic she felt before disappeared, replaced by a measure of happiness.
This can’t be what you want with your life. Go, be free, and find something real to live for.
Something in the girl responded almost as if she could hear Alexi. Her heartbeat slowed as she labored for breath. Awareness that the girl was happily letting herself be killed flooded into her mind.
No!
She pulled her fangs out, licking the wound as she did to close it.
“Thank you,” the girl whispered. Her pupils dilated, and she looked like she had drunk a bottle of tequila.
“For what?” Alexi whispered back.
“That was wonderful.”
Reluctantly the girl stood when Alexi pushed her away. The servants returned to escort her. She needed it from the look of things. She swayed while she walked and drifted from one side of the room to the other. She watched the girl as she left, hoping she made it out okay.
That was amazing . . . Amazing that I stopped myself from killing her.
Alexi wanted to deny the feeling in her stomach, the pleasure she felt in feeding on a person. She wanted to, but she couldn’t.
There was more than that, though. She was sure she had felt the girl’s mind while she fed—the fear, the excitement, all of it.
Do all vampires feel their prey’s thoughts?
The man Bella fed on collapsed to the ground. Blood covered his back, and his bite marks still bled. Alexi forcefully held herself still. He was going to die, and she couldn’t save him. The servants returned as Bella sat back and licked her lips.
“Tell Morgan that this one’s earned his reward,” Bella said with a smile. “Turn him tonight.”
Her servants wore dark pants and shirts, and they said nothing as they moved. A slight bow of the head was all she could see when they acknowledged her.
“Thank you, Alexi, for not trespassing on my generosity,” Bella said to her. “Many a new suckling wouldn’t have resisted the urge to drain her. My compliments to your sire.”
This is what happens when you walk into a world you know nothing about.
“I will pass them along,” she lied.
The essence that coursed through her felt fresh and powerful. Combined with Victor’s, which was less than twelve hours old, Alexi felt she could do anything.
“The first night’s accommodations are free, meals not included,” Bella said. “The menu is a little slim at the moment. Oh, no, nothing is wrong—” She mistook Alexi’s confusion for a question. “We’re just . . . revamping our lineup. More fresh meat, but it takes time to enthrall, and the turnaround at the end of summer is always bad for business.”
Alexi nodded and smiled like she knew of what Bella spoke. Servants interrupted with glasses of red wine.
“Of course, the free night is here, in the halls, not a private room. If you would like to upgrade, please have one of the servants fetch Morgan.”
Bella stood as if to leave. Alexi jumped up, almost spilling her wine, to bow as Bella departed. The mistress gave her a sly look as she pushed the curtain aside.
“Will the lady require anything?”
It took Alexi a moment to realize the servant had spoken. It was the first time he had said anything.
“Yes, does my tab from upstairs extend to down here?”
“Yes, milady.”
“Is that girl available for the evening? I would like to send her up to my man. I’m assuming this is a full-service club?”
The servant smiled. “Of course, mistress.”
“Then please make it happen.”
***
Victor politely declined another invitation to dance. After Alexi’s departure, he had moved from the lounge to the standing tables. The longer Alexi was gone, the more his anxiety grew.
We should have planned for this. At what point do I go in after her?
His frustrated growl was lost in the beat of the music. A look at the bar, his tenth in the last half hour, revealed nothing different. The door remained closed. If they were onto her, she might already be dead. And if she didn’t leave alive, neither would he. He knew that he could probably take . . . three vampires, tops. But a room full? An entire club full? There was no chance.
The music changed again in an unending series of beats that crashed together with enough energy to power a small city. This time, it brought Victor’s full attention to the floor. The lights dimmed, and red lasers and pink smoke slowed the frenetic energy of the evening.
Damn, is it that late already?
It was the club’s way of letting the guests know that this was the last song. He jumped when a soft hand touched his elbow. The young woman beside him had brown hair and very large, blue eyes. She wasn’t done up like one of the club goers, but her cream-colored halter top showed a generous amount of skin.
“I have a message from your mistress,” she said with a smile. “She asks that you return at sundown tonight and says that I’m yours for the evening.”
Victor narrowed his eyes. “Mine?”
She gave a light laugh and slipped her arm around his waist, pressing herself against him in a very inviting way. “Yes.”
“Are you . . . sure?”
It was her turn to look confused. “Mistress has already fed on me and wished to share with you.”
This was either a test or a setup. And there was something slightly off about the young woman. She wasn’t drunk, but there was a dreamy quality to her voice . . . as though she were not entirely in her right mind.
Alexi hadn’t sent this girl to him to have sex with. She was trying to save her.
“Well then,” he said, pulling her close and forcing himself to smile. “I’m Victor.”
The woman scarcely came up to his chest. She wrapped her arms around his neck, smelling of tequila and a perfume with notes of vanilla and sandalwood.
Alexi wouldn’t have fed if she’d had any other choice. Victor knew how conflicted the whole thing made her. He would get the girl to safety and then come back for Alexi.
“I didn’t catch your name,” Victor said as they walked to the exit.
“Nikki.” She smiled up at him.
He held her close as they walked out of the club.
NINETEEN
The bedroom Morgan led Alexi to wouldn’t have been out of place in a palace. A massive king-size bed was draped with luxurious crimson bedding that matched the decor. A thick carpet cushioned each footstep. The furniture, paintings, and even the fixtures in the bathroom were all equally grand.
“If you require anything else, you have but to ask.” His glance toward the bed told her that he would happy to personally see to any of those “requirements.”
“I’m fine, Morgan, thank you. Do you know if my bodyguard received my present?”
Please understand, Victor.
“I believe so.” He cocked his head to the side for a moment and nodded, as though he was instinctively responding to something she could not hear. “If you will excuse me,” he said to Alexi, and then exited.
What was that about?
She didn’t have the time to waste thinking about it. As nice as the room was—and it was nice—she wasn’t here to enjoy herself. She needed to find out more about this place.
How was she involved? Why did they turn her? And the ritual . . . Savanna said vampires couldn’t use blood magic, only humans. The headless corpses in the refrigerated compartments flashed into her mind. A shudder rippled through her with the memory. The blood drained from each body into goblets below. She focused her thoughts, examining the memory more closely than she had ever allowed herself to.
The goblets had been ornate and . . . old-looking. Gold, with jewels inset around the cup. Circles had been painted onto the floor around the goblets. Just like the ones Savanna had used to protect herself.
Definitely magic. Maybe not blood magic—although what else do you call something that requires dec
apitation and exsanguination?
She tried to remember any other details from those first few moments after she had woken in the morgue. Aside from the confusion and the terror . . . there had been a lot of pressure as well. The same kind of pressure she felt when Savanna performed magic and what she felt when she was around other vampires. They had definitely been performing magic of some kind.
Somewhere in this building, there were answers.
A soft gong interrupted her thoughts, echoing through the chamber. The clock on the wall told her it was three in the morning. The club would be closing, and from her experience at the bar she worked at, she knew that this was the time that most of the security would be focused on ushering the guests out and dealing with those inevitable partygoers who didn’t want to leave.
There was no way to signal Victor or communicate with him at all, but she had to trust that he would be able to take care of himself—and he’d have to trust in her.
She opened the door to the hall, the well-oiled hinges moving without making a sound. Outside the room, the hallway was kept in almost total darkness. Alexi kicked her shoes off before exiting her room and padded silently out into the hall. The shoes were expensive, and it was almost painful to leave them behind. If everything went well, she may be able to return for them, but if things went poorly . . . she’d be leaving this place barefooted.
The hallways, despite being so dimly lit, were as lavishly decorated as the rooms. Expensive-looking paintings and marble statues lined the walls. Here and there, glass cases with ornate weapons encrusted with jewels and gold filigree were on display. If any of it was real, the amount of wealth it represented boggled her mind.
The layout was thankfully easy. A fire escape map was hung by an intersection in the hallway not far from the room. She could stand in the intersection and see four rooms on each side. The eastern hallway, as marked on the map, ended in spiral stairs—not the ones she had used to escape back when she first woke up.
With the Dawn (Faith of the Fallen) Page 16