Cherry Stem (Vampire Cherry Book 1)

by Sotia Lazu

  I tugged at the end of his ponytail. “My, my, aren’t we all spiffy for the meeting.” I wasn’t jealous that he’d spent time becoming even more gorgeous than usual because he’d see Ádísa. Wasn’t jealous at all.

  He narrowed his eyes and looked at me top to bottom and up again. He didn’t seem pleased, and I instinctively ran my hands down my blouse. It was a nicer top than the one he last saw me in, but the jeans and sneakers were the same. When he clucked his tongue, I wished I’d bothered to wear something fancier.

  “Does your human keep you too busy to clean up properly?”

  I be offended, if his tone didn’t hold a hint of covetousness. Touché. Er...I mean, I won. He was jealous, and I wasn’t. “What human?” I asked with an innocent smile.

  “The one I can smell all over you.” He flared his nostrils, and damn, that was too sexy to be legal.

  Mega-oops—I didn’t shower after this morning’s sexcapades with Alex. The council would smell him too. Not that they’d care, but I hated the idea of them knowing what I did earlier today.

  I batted my eyelashes at Constantine. “Are we driving? If we’re flying, you’ll have to tell me where we’re going.” I’m so smooth when I want to be. Not.

  He didn’t fall for my attempt at changing the subject. “Last time... He pursed his lips, then closed his eyes. “I didn’t realize he was more than food.” When he opened them again, he looked at me like he saw right through me.

  His irises had turned nearly black, a color I hadn’t seen them before. They were mesmerizing. His expression changed—no distinct movement, just the barest tensing of muscle. I can’t explain it, but it was the most vulnerable I’d seen him. A knot formed in my stomach. I did whatever this was to him.

  “Constantine...” What was there to say?

  He pinched the bridge of his nose, and when he withdrew his hand, there was a smirk that didn’t reach his eyes. “We’re flying.”

  I had no time to react when he pulled me to him and cupped the back of my head. For a moment, I was sure he was about to kiss me—and not sure at all that I’d stop him.

  Instead he pressed my face to his chest. “You’re not allowed to see where we’re going.”

  Why all the secrecy? Not like the council would be visiting the place again. Snuggled in his arms, with the night air swishing around us, I didn’t voice my thoughts. I leaned against his body and trusted him to lead me to our destination.

  In retrospect, that might not have been my best idea ever. I hadn’t felt dizzy after a flight since my first takeoff as a vampire, but I was light-headed by the time we landed. It might be the flight, or I could blame it on Constantine drawing circles on the small of my back with his thumb and moving his lips against my hair, like he’d been whispering a secret.

  The flight it was, if I wanted to get any sleep that day.

  My knees buckled when Constantine let go—the way knees do because of uncontrolled landings, and nothing else—and he grabbed my shoulders hard enough to leave bruises. Good thing bruises fade fast on us.

  I found my footing and pulled away, but his grip lingered. “I’m not letting go,” he whispered.

  He wasn’t talking about my shoulders. “It’ll be hard for us to walk this way.” Keeping my voice steady and my tone light took a lot of concentration.

  “But it will be fun.” He ghosted one hand up my neck and traced my jawline with his thumb, stopping a hairbreadth from my lower lip.

  I turned my cheek to him, doing my best to gather my wits and figure out where we were. We stood on what seemed to be the runway of a deserted airport.

  “We’ll be late,” I said to the tarmac, refusing to meet Constantine’s gaze.

  THE GOOD NEWS WAS I was too rattled by the moment I shared with my former lover to let the idea of facing the five vampires whose word was law frighten me. Plus they were supposed to be on my side.

  Mostly.

  That last word flashed bright neon in my head, as soon as the first of the council members walked inside the cold room, in the middle of which a tiny scrap of a human man had seated Constantine and me.

  Ádísa glanced at me, a smirk on her full, red lips. She would have headed the council if the job description depended on age. Legend had it she was a Valkyrie, a chooser of the slain, who’d escaped Odin and renounced Valhalla, the Old Norse version of warrior heaven. I was convinced she’d created that legend herself because she loved being the center of attention.

  With her long blonde hair braided at the sides of her neck, and her barely-there leather getup, she looked the part as she regarded Constantine with a small smile. Her breasts were too firm to spill over her bra-like top, even if they looked like they were about to do just that. Whether because of awesome genes or Odin’s favor, she’d never curse herself for not getting a boob job in time.

  In her wake came Gheorghios. Second oldest of the council members, he’d for a while followed the arch-bitch’s example and tried to convince people he was the Saint George, who’d slain the dragon. Even one-day-old newbies knew he’d pulled that out of his ass, yet nobody would dare say so in his presence. Unlike his story about his past, his viciousness and quick temper were never disputed.

  His hawkish gaze landed on me like an actual physical weight, and I strove not to show my discomfort. I couldn’t smile; he might take it as insolence. So I met his gaze with the best combination of respect and earnestness I could muster. I guess I did well enough, because he nodded at me and my escort and took a step back, to stand on Ádísa’s right. The way they lined up made me think of a beauty pageant. And now, our next contestant, in dark ’n’ gloomy wear. I shushed the thought. This wasn’t the time to giggle.

  The urge to squirm was overwhelming. I wasn’t there to get judged, but I felt every part the naughty schoolgirl, appearing before the school board—an extremely strict school board, with a propensity for bloodshed.

  I calmed down a little when the third of the five we were to meet strutted our way and graced me with a full grin and a wink. He shook hands with Constantine and took his place at Gheorghios’s side. John—Johnny Boy to his friends—had been turned in his late teens and dressed as if he was still in them. His jeans were faded and ripped, his boots heavy and with metal fronts, his T-shirt snug. Barely a century undead, he’d accumulated a great following and had gained the respect of friends and enemies, despite being known as a pacifist—something not guaranteed to gain you status among our kind.

  I’d spoken to him once before. He was the one who approached me for that spokesperson deal in the past, and he was as mellow as vampires come, in spite of the bad-boy exterior.

  Hui Zhong, following close behind, was the exact opposite. Her china-doll appearance, complete with a silk robe—which I’d called just that and had been glared at, ’cause “it’s a hanfu”—belied her bloodthirsty nature. She’d been turned in China in the late 1800s, and her kills during her fledgling days rivaled the number of deaths from the plague epidemic, which had conveniently covered said kills.

  She didn’t smile, frown, or even look at us. A demure bow, aimed at nobody in particular, was all the acknowledgment we received. I found the act too much, like the outfit, but I resisted the eye roll I felt coming. I’d heard she carried a sword under that robe—hey, it’s my head, and I say it’s a robe—and I didn’t care to find out for sure.

  The last vampire to walk in before the door was bolted on the outside was Benjamin. He was a paradox, in that he’d been turned in his sixties and had been one of us for only seventeen years. There was a theory that he’d been recruited for the council to appeal to a different demographic. Hui Zhong was supposedly there for the same reason—diversity. The new council advocated it, and that was the basis of its power. One look into Benjamin’s flat eyes, however, and one could see the cold calculation and single-minded determination that gained him his position.

  He’d been the instigator of the coup that ended the old council, and the first to dust one of them. One moment he�
��d been one of those present at the hearing about my irresponsible turning, the next he’d been yelling that the council was inadequate and driving a wooden stake through the oldest vampire’s heart in the ensuing melee.

  He scared me shitless.

  With Benjamin in place, a semicircle was formed around me and Constantine. A black semicircle, with the exception of Hui Zhong’s colorful attire. A shiver ran down my spine. Constantine found and squeezed my fingers. I squeezed back. There was no reason for worry. They were scary-ass, all right, and I had to tell them something they wouldn’t like, but they wouldn’t turn their wrath for the rogue against us.

  Right?

  “State your name, please.” The man who’d told us to sit was now between us and the council. He looked at me expectantly and waved a pen over a pad. He didn’t seem nervous enough for being in the presence of so many of us. I certainly felt more apprehensive than he looked.

  “Your name?” he asked again when I took a whole entire second to reply.

  “Cherry Stem.”

  Someone snorted; I’m not sure whether it was at my screen name or because of what I’d done on said screen. Either way my money was on Ádísa having made the rude sound, but I didn’t glance her way. The secretary, or whatever Little Man was, squinted at me before jotting down my name.

  “Is your reason for requesting an audience political, ethical, or personal?”

  I’d rocked multiple-choice quizzes in high school and was about to say that, when Constantine nudged me with the heel of his shoe. “I am not sure,” I said. “It affects all of us, but it’s not political.”

  The guy narrowed his eyes again. “Ethical, then?”

  I shrugged. “Sure.”

  The pen scratched the pad once more. “And who vouches for Ms. Stem?”

  Umm, what was that?

  Before I could say I had no clue someone was supposed to vouch for me, or what said vouching was about, Constantine spoke up. “I do.”

  “Are you sure?” I muttered the question under my breath without looking at him, but the council members no doubt heard it.

  He wasn’t perturbed, of course. “Yes. They needed someone to vouch that you had a valid reason for asking to see them. I did. They know and trust me.”

  I tried not to dwell on the fact that, last time I checked, only one of the members knew him well enough.

  I smiled at the human, who cleared his throat to get our attention. “Yup, he’s the voucher, all right.” By his frown I assumed a bit more formality wouldn’t hurt. I beamed a smile at him, grateful I didn’t have a pulse. If I did, it would be racing now.

  Constantine’s name was noted down—he didn’t give his real name, either—and we were done with the formalities. The human moved to the side and sat behind a little desk.

  I turned to the standing vampires, studying each face briefly. They all looked at me in expectation. Don’t waste their time, I told myself, yet my brain froze. How was I to start?

  I wet my lips and went for it. “I have reason to believe a rogue vampire is turning young women.” There. Like pulling off a bandage.

  I expected some reaction to my statement—a widening of the eyes at minimum, maybe a gasp—but all I got were blank looks.

  I hate blank looks. “A woman in my apartment building went missing, and I overheard the police talk about how that fits a series of other disappearances.”

  They still not said nothing. They didn’t even blink. John gave me an almost imperceptible nod, so I went on. “The thing is, the day before the disappearance, I was attacked by one of us. He was masked, but I recognized him as Willoughby. My maker. I thought he was dead.”

  Benjamin spoke. “Willoughby? That’s highly improbable.” His frown made him look even scarier than before.

  “It was him. He said he should have killed me.”

  “But your attacker was masked.” Hui Zhong’s voice was light, like a chirp, and neutral.

  “And I’m sure more than one of us has thought about killing you.” Ádísa was friendly as always.

  I huffed. I had to tell them the whole story, or a version of it that would keep me out of trouble. The lie I’d decided on wouldn’t cut it. “I was with a man. A human.” Constantine tensed beside me, but I couldn’t do this and spare his feelings. Besides, he and I weren’t together. “I was at his place for... dinner, when Willoughby broke in. He attacked us both.”

  I should have told them about Ted too, but I didn’t want to admit to dusting him. “I didn’t realize who he was at first,” I said, “but then I recognized his voice. The man I was with turned out to be the detective investigating the disappearances. See? It all makes sense. Willoughby must have planned the attack. He must have gotten a member of the family to invite him in the house earlier on, or he wouldn’t be able to enter.”

  The synchronized bobbing of heads with matching skeptical expressions was a funny sight, but I didn’t feel like laughing. “I wiped the human. After.” I sounded convincing enough. “I don’t understand how Willoughby is still around, how he escaped when we all thought he was executed, but I think he’s out there killing or turning women, and—”

  “Thank you for bringing this to our notice, Cherry. We’ll look into it.” John smiled at me, eyes twinkling, and the knot in my stomach loosened. I had at least one ally in a high place.

  “If there’s something to look into,” Gheorghios added, and Hui Zhong raised an eyebrow—the first expression I’d seen on her face so far. Benjamin was frowning. The lines of his face deepened, and the result was disconcerting.

  I hesitated. Should I tell them about Dotty’s son getting a visit from the kidnapper? My instincts told me not to. As far as I knew, said kidnapper wasn’t aware his message was delivered, and that might keep Mark safe for a bit longer. “Could you let me know if you find my neighbor? Her son needs her.” I was asking for a lot, but I liked Dotty.

  “We’re done here. You may go now.” Ádísa, ever helpful, waved one hand toward the exit.

  I was about to object—beg, if I had to—when John said, “We’ll keep you posted.”

  It was more than I could have hoped for, although I was still planning on looking deeper into Dotty’s disappearance.

  Ádísa stressed her dismissal by folding an arm behind her head, arching her back, and yawning.

  I never had illusions concerning my appearance, nor did I have any complexes. I’m not a stunner, but I’m pretty and can turn heads with little effort. And makeup. All in all, I have confidence in my looks, despite my handful or two of extra pounds. When Ádísa stretched, that confidence wavered.

  Seeing her exhibit how much I was boring her should be insulting. She probably meant it that way. The only thought that crossed my mind, however, was that I would probably cheat on me with her. Toned abs, high cheekbones, bee-stung lips, golden mane—and we’ve covered the boobs, right? Her curves looked preordered, and knowing they weren’t pissed me off to no end. I pinched the inside of Constantine’s bicep, just because he’d let her seduce him.

  Since I was pinching, I kept my hold on him as I rose to leave. Constantine stood next to me and gave the council a little bow, before placing his hand at the small of my back and guiding us toward the exit.

  “Not you, darling.” She even sounded gorgeous, damn it, her voice throaty and melodic.

  Constantine turned to her. “Pardon?”

  I took a couple of steps forward, fully aware ignoring her was impolite, yet not caring.

  Then she said, “I thought maybe you’d like to see me home,” and my feet ceased moving.

  To his credit, Constantine didn’t jump at the suggestion. “It isn’t gentlemanly to let the lady I’m escorting return home alone.”

  “We’re not in the eighteen hundreds anymore.” She laughed. “I’m sure your little friend can find her way home.”

  Little friend? Grrr!

  “She can’t, Ádísa. She doesn’t know where we are, nor should she find out.” Nice. He’d pretend to be pr
otecting the council? He lacked the balls to tell her he didn’t want to go anywhere with her?

  Unless he did.

  Constantine must have sensed my irritation, because he reached over the distance between us and put a hand on my shoulder. It had a calming effect. I realized he was protecting me by trying not to piss her off. I was happy my back was still to them. I doubted she’d appreciate my face-splitting grin. And it was face splitting. It made my jaw hurt.

  “Rowland can drive her, then.” There was such finality in her tone, Constantine argued no more.

  The human all but ran to my side. A peek over my shoulder showed me the others had left. The sneaky bastards hadn’t made a sound. Ádísa held out her arms for Constantine. She met my gaze and blew me a kiss.

  Bitch.

  CONSTANTINE WAS SAFE and would probably enjoy himself, if he wasn’t already. I’d be safe too, despite having been blindfolded as soon as I stepped out of the building.

  Still, refraining from bitching took all the energy I had. The council hadn’t shown interest in what I told them. I was tired, hungry, and my hot ex, with whom I had unresolved issues, was practically vamp-napped by your stereotypical femme fatale.

  The latter wasn’t my worry; it just annoyed me.

  The ride was quiet and uneventful. Rowland wasn’t the world’s best conversationalist, but he was nice enough to offer me a reheated bottle of blood when I mentioned I hadn’t eaten in more than twenty-four hours. I needed to feed so badly, the packaged meal didn’t taste half bad.

  When I entered the house, Alex was sprawled on the couch, his bare feet propped on the armrest. The lower half of his face was hidden by the folder he’d been working on when sleep overtook him, and he was snoring lightly. Seeing him made me forget all about Constantine as a wave of affection washed over me. Coming back to Alex was like coming home.

  My heart expanded at the thought of doing that on a daily basis, and I shook my head to get rid of that mental image. Neither the time nor the subject matter was right for daydreaming. I plucked the folder from his fingers and left it on the floor so I could lean over him, to touch my lips to his.