Damage Control

by Eric Alan Williams

  "Sure." Topher giggled.

  He handed her a bottle of water and then went over to the control box, increasing the airflow and lowering the temperature. The box lit up with blue laser lights inside it. A second later, the vents were producing a blue glow where the lasers were slowing the speed of the air molecules to lower the temp. It didn't take long for the entire building to drop a few degrees. Most of those dancing didn't notice.

  "So how you feel about Hell-in Bed performing tonight?"

  Lucretia smirked. "I am not one to be petty, she did bring a crowd, so that's what matters."

  Topher smiled. "I just know how territorial you are."

  Lucretia chugged her water and then looked at him. "She brought a crowd, okay, besides, it sure ain't today, but one day someone will have to replace my marvelousness, and I need to keep my eyes out for whom that enchantress might be."

  "So, you think…"

  Lucretia gave him the look. "OH, honey it won't be her, unless she can agree to tone things down a notch or two. She's too crass, and that mouth with that vulgarity would tarnish my name if I named her my replacement. Besides, I'm not that tired yet. I figure I have at least another four to five years of this sassy face daunting your stage as your main queen."

  Topher chuckled. "I think it's funny."

  She batted her eyes at him. "What do you think is funny?"

  "Well, we have Xairin off becoming some combat killer, Rory thinking about adopting kids and getting a house of his own, and you toss out the possibility of one day passing on your crown. I just feel like everyone is on the verge of moving on is all."

  "RORY? ADOPTING? That wild cat? Are you pulling my wig?"

  Topher shook his head. "Not at all."

  "Well, I'll be damned."

  Lucretia looked at the new section added by the bar, "Looks like the food thing is taking off well."

  Topher agreed. "It sure is." Topher zeroed in on Jason's behind.

  Lucretia noticed. "With an ass like that, you can just hear it sizzle."

  Topher looked like he didn't know what she was talking about. "Huh?"

  "Oh, come on, that boy's got ass for days, every top in this place has been eyeing the cook. You should have heard some of the things I heard in the dressing room. Even made me blush."

  "Run along Lucretia Addams, you have ten minutes until you're on stage again."

  "Just like you to spoil making you blush." She rolled her eyes and walked off.

  Topher looked over his shoulder at the Jason. "He does have a nice ass." he thought. The military style hair cut though didn't agree with Topher's particular tastes.

  Right as Topher was staring, a gentleman about Topher's age approached. He was taller than Topher, had a friendly face, looking a little lost, but other than that, easy on the eyes. "Excuse me, can I get a purple dragon?"

  Topher's attention shot right on over to the tall, handsome man looking at him. "Never seen you here before, friend? How did you hear about my specialty?"

  The gentlemen standing there had a unique look, shy, but distinguished. "Just moved to town, asked which gay bar was the best to try out, and well this place has a 4.9-star rating. According to your Facebook ad, it said to try the purple dragon."

  "What's in it?" The man asked.

  Topher grinned as he leaned in closer. "Secret recipe."

  "As long as it doesn't have like a ginger beer to top it off, I'm sold."

  Topher grinned, "Nope!"

  Topher began adding Goslings black seal rum, followed by a shot of rye whiskey, then a shot of absinthe. He added in two shots of sweet vermouth followed by four shots of grape juice and finished it with citrus vodka and began shaking it in a mixer. He poured the man a tall glass with ice. "The first one's always free friend, by the way, what's your name?"

  "Adam, yours?"

  "Topher, Topher Haze."

  "So, you're the club owner?"

  :" Indeed I am."

  Adam took a drink and made a face indicating that it was a bit strong, it tasted good, but it sure was intense. He got the dragon part of the name. "Man, that'll put your dick in the dirt if you have too many."

  Topher chuckled. "I usually cut people off after about three of those, some people one."

  "Is that absinthe?"

  "It has a shot of absinthe in it."

  The man smiled at Topher. Topher gave the man all of his attention, there was something about him.

  Sasha was going on break, she and another vampire named Scott Quinn. Both of them were assigned to keep an eye on The Haze and Xairin's friends. Topher agreed to hire them, he figured if any immortal problems arose, who better to deal with it then other immortals. Scott Quinn was one of the other new bouncers hired. He didn't look the part, but unlike Sasha, who was a relatively new vampire, Scott was pushing eight-six and passing for twenty. Both blonds walked outside and then climbed the wall like spiders until they were on top of the club. They could hear everything from up here. "Any problems?" She asked.

  Scott was cocky. "Nothing, a vampire like myself, can't handle."

  "Seriously, any problems? Ethan was pretty insistent on making sure that we keep an eye out for that Cale guy."

  "The only thing I have dealt with tonight is a bunch of humans who drank to much."

  Sasha smirked. "Well, this club is perfectly located between three different universities, so you're going to have that."

  "God, what I wouldn't give to be able to get drunk again."

  Sasha sighed. "Never was a drinker."

  "I used to tie one on every weekend with my boys back at WVU. Man, those were some parties. Morgantown West Virginia, now that was a party scene. These humans today, they have no idea how much fun things were back then. Frat parties now are so, well, a license for this, and a license for that takes the fun out of all of it. I find it so depressing that the only places you can go out and drink nowadays are licensed locations like a club. I mean hell, Raves were the bomb!"

  "Let me guess you were a football jock?"

  "Hell no, I was a professional partier."

  He looked over the edge sneering at the doorman, another vampire recently added to the employee list. He watched as Han scanned the IDs and let in the next wave of college students waiting to get in. "Looks like Han is doing okay."

  Sasha looked over. Han was a new vampire bitten by a bat. He was like Scott, lean, blond, just taller. Scott was 5'10, Han was a good 6' 3. "He seems like he's adjusting well in the nest too."

  It was nearly ten years ago when Sasha was transformed into a vampire. She was used to the way things used to be, keeping things secret, being chosen, not this, buying your immortality gig, or the whole comet thing. She missed immortality being special, now it was so commonplace. While looking down at Han, she was curious since she hadn't really heard much about him other than he was new to the nest. "How did he become one of us anyway? I mean I know he was bitten by a bat, but do you know the specifics?"

  Scott shrugged. "I heard he was walking his dog and then bam, bat attack. The dog didn't make it."

  Sasha grimaced; she didn't need to hear that part. Sure, she had eaten her fair share of rats and a few other animals, but kitties and dogs were off limits in her book. "Oh, that's so sad." She looked down. "I hate hearing about dogs and cats getting whacked."

  Scott smirked. "Type of girl that can handle hearing about people dying, but not a puppy, huh?"

  She turned around, rolling her eyes. "Guilty."

  "Well, I better get back to waiting tables, and you need to keep your eyes on the crowd Mr. I saw the way you were looking at that cook’s ass by the way."

  Scott shrugged. "He's got a nice ass for a human, what can I say."

  Sasha rolled her eyes. "We need to keep an eye out for that Cale guy and any Immortium that might be causing trouble. Or some ass hole Aeonian. Flirt later, as in off the clock."

  Scott smiled and spoke with a playful shrug. "Hey, I may have my eyes on a nice ass, but I have my ears on the crowd, don
't worry." He then leaped off the top of the building landing perfectly below. Sasha rolled her eyes and jumped also.

  Inside the club, Topher was at a VIP booth overlooking the crowd below talking to Adam. The two seemed to be hitting it off.

  Sasha made it back over to the bar to keep a close eye out for other Immortium. She counted nine, most of the immortals in the club were vampires that were just having a good time dancing with some accepting humans. There was a werecat flirting with the guy behind the grill, a handsome werecat at that. She did notice one Gargoyle sitting across from a woman, the man and woman were smiling at one another.

  So far, everything seemed as it should be.

  Chapter 13

  Helena Dolenigan was sitting across an unconscious vampire, keeping a protective vigil. She didn't even let Griffin into the recovery room on the vessel.

  Helena and Griffin had already had the talk, she knew who Xairin was, and who Griffin's maker was. His reactions were distracting, but it didn't work. In the end, he did think she was being true to her word in keeping the Heir of both houses, and the Society safe.

  She was waiting on Xairin to wake up. He had used an ability that hat taxed the young vampire. Even with his uniqueness, he still had to develop such powers before using them. She could tell that his blood was just being reactive on its own, every cell having a sense of self-preservation.

  Xairin's eyes slowly started to open.

  She was sitting in a black metal chair built into the wall. The door was closed, sealed downward, soundproof. There were two bags of blood waiting on the young vampire to wake up. She was filled with patience. "I was wondering how much longer it would take you to wake up. Most vampires at your caste level would have been out for a day or two displaying that kind of power this early on. I guess being the Great Grandchild of Lilith and Dracula has a perk or two, that or just being a vampire recreated by the Aeon Strain, or maybe a combination, not sure about that yet."

  Xairin started to sit up quickly now that his eyes were open. "I don't know what you're talking about?"

  Helena had no patience for liars. She respected keeping secrets, but his bat was out of the cave. "First off Xairin, your grandfather Dracula was already looking into his daughter Sara's death and found out who you are. Secondly, while you were sleeping, I placed my hands on your temples and took a peek into your mind. I know exactly who you are, and before you get bent out of shape, I want the same thing Ethan does. To keep you safe. After all, my maker, Dracula, is your Great Grandfather, which makes you the Heir to my house as well."

  She crossed her legs and leaned back as far as the oval-shaped chair would allow. "I have to hand one thing to you, hiding in plain sight is a good idea. Using powers that can out who you are, not so much."

  She sighed. "Rumors of what you did are already spreading amongst the crew, so I issued a lie, saying you were some special new type of vampire that we were testing out. Your red eyes helped bolster that lie. That and you being a sensitive helped make it a bit more believing."

  She handed Xairin a bag of blood. "You need to nourish yourself. We have another assignment to deal with."

  "Who else knows, besides the crew, that I'm different?"

  She uncrossed her legs and leaned forward. "Lulia Dolenigan, my sister Evette, and by now most of house Dracul. Don't worry, we are on your side."

  "If the Grand Adjudicator knows…"

  She interrupted him. "Don't worry, I know how much you actually wanted to better your ability to defend yourself. So… My sister lacks the power to absolve you from Sentinel duty, only your great grandmother or a full council vote could do that, and we are not about to pop the lid on your little secret. But I must ask you… Your thoughts prove that you seemed to have no idea of what you were before that bat awoke every vampiric gene in your body, and made you, well, essentially more vampire than even I am, but my real question is, do you have any idea of where your mother or your grandmother Sara could be?"

  He looked shocked. His eyes couldn't open any fuller. "They're alive? My mother, my mother, is alive?"

  Helena scoffed. "Pfft. Yes. Your great grandfather suspected both your mother and your grandmother are both alive, and given the fact that a bat bite can turn a dhampir into a full-fledged vampire, that means if your mother was infected by a bat bite, she could be a full heir to the throne as well. So, if we cannot liberate Lilith, we are going to have to find your mother and your grandmother; otherwise, we need to get you ready to take the throne."

  "Excuse me? He blurted out. "I am in no shape or form ready for that kind of responsibility."

  Helena nodded. "Nor are you powerful enough to take on any challenger, which leaves us to invoking both houses into a war against anyone who would challenge your rule." She grinned. "Despite Dracula's reputation, he has always valued, most human life, especially the lives of his people. He used his vampiric powers to destroy the Turks that planned on ravaging his homeland. I know this because I was there to help put many of those bastards on a pike. As for Lilith, as much as I disagree with her union with my sire, she wants the same things. After looking into your mind, you are more like them, then you even know. You have a good heart Xairin, you care about people. Now those fucktwats that hurt you in the sewer, yes, I saw that in your mind. I wouldn't mind helping you find them, and letting you have a little revenge of your own." She smirked. "I know you've thought about it."

  He exhaled slowly. "You're really on my side?"

  She smiled. "I gave you my personal blades Xairin, mostly to test you, but consider them a gift now. We vampires of House Dracul are often gifted with a blade, and you don't disappoint. You just need to refine it is all."

  "As for your powers, well, you need to learn them. If you are without a weapon, you will need to develop them, so they won't tax you as much. Just like when you slipped."

  "Slipped?"

  She rolled her eyes. "I checked your holo-recorder. You teleported Xairin, we call it slipping."

  "Like slip travel in space?" He asked.

  She nodded. "Roughly. The same concept for the most part. The technology was developed by us based on our own understanding of it. We just had to make a few tweaks for it to work on a larger scale. Slipping allows us to travel through the astral plane, well, one of the many thousands of layers of the astral plane. Think of the astral plane kind of like an onion, only having thousands of layers. We slip through a layer of it that time does not exist, which allows us to teleport from one place to another at the same time in this plane. When it comes to a vessel; however, a different layer has to be used where time exists, it just moves much slower than it does on this plane of existence. It is the main reason you can travel in what would take a month, in a matter of an hour or so, depending on the distance, of course."

  He looked at her. "And that scream, I let out?"

  "Simply called a bat cry. A powerful high-pitched noise that can be lethal to beings sensitive to sound. Oddly enough, it has little effect on other vampires. But most thropes, it can kill them."

  He perked up. "So, you're telling me I can teleport?"

  She nodded. "Lilith can slip, so can Dracula. Now they both have different powers; the bat cry is a Dracula thing. Lilith had other powers, like weather control, the power to throw energy, blood lightning. Simply radiating her cells much like turning invisible, but instead, harnessing it to throw a bolt of red energy. Along with literally being able to pull the blood from her enemies from a distance. Ariel Syphoning, they call it."

  "That would be a cool power to have." He said.

  "And a deadly one. If you can't control it, you can kill those that you wish not to kill. The legends say Lilith killed her own nest once when she first used this power when it developed on the fly. Oh, she killed her enemies alright, but she also killed nearly every nest mate she had produced except for the sleepers."

  "The sleepers?"

  She didn't want to give a history lesson, but it looked like she had little choice. "The sleepers are
some of her first created vampires. There were eight of them, one of which you might already know. Thanatos, which you should know as Trevor Graves."

  Xairin looked at her with his head cocked to the side. "You mean that pompous ass that leads Galactic-Corp that's always flaunting himself in the news?"

  She laughed. "HA! One, and the same!"

  She looked at him. "His bite siblings have been sleeping for centuries, but three have recently come forward and joined the council which bodes well in your case. As for the other sleeping seven, I would imagine they are awake as well. Lilith always had a backup plan, and my bet is right after the Society was formed, she woke them to probably have some contingency plan in effect in case The Society failed."