In Blood

by C M Thorne

  “Well,” Caleb felt his ears go hot as he flushed, “I yield to the master.”

  “Flattery will get you everywhere, mon ami,” Jacques grinned at Caleb.

  He blushed harder, his cheeks burning as he smiled back at him. He pulled his wallet out and waited for Jacques to punch in his order, but he turned around and started making his latte. He cleared his throat, “How much do I owe you?”

  The man twisted around to look at Cal amused. “Mais non,” he shook his head. “First time customers get a discount. And sweet men take that discount to free,” he grinned.

  “Oh,” Caleb shook his head, “that is far too kind. I can’t let you do that.”

  “Eh,” Jacques replied with a dismissive shrug of his shoulders, “I own the place, so I can do whatever I want when such handsome men are polite and kind.” He winked at Caleb and turned back to making his drink.

  Cal felt gawky and inexperienced at he shuffled away from the bakery case, face burning as he kept looking back to the half-Fae baker. He finally looked away and examined the empty tables, picking one along the wall as it had a plug under it. He slung his backpack down onto one of the chairs of the little square bistro table. He got his laptop out, plugging in the cord and standing back up at Jacques came out from behind the bakery case with a plate with the honey cakes and a large latte on a saucer.

  “Oh, so polite,” Jacques laughed as he came closer. “Please sit!”

  Caleb blushed again, not being able to stop himself as he slowly lowered himself back down. “Thank you, Jacques,” he spoke softly.

  “Bon appétit!” Jacques set everything down and backed away with a devilishly handsome smile on his flawless face.

  He picked up the fork on the plate and cut off a bite of the honey cake as Jacques stood there expectantly. It was more savory than he would have thought possible of something quite literally glazed and dripping in honey. He took a hesitant sip of the latte, being careful not to burn himself. The temperature was perfect however and the flavors mixed in his mouth perfectly with the cake, just as the man had said. He looked up as he cut off another bite and smiled. “It is all fantastic. Merci,” Caleb decided to break out the only word he really knew in French.

  Jacques grinned, “Tu parles français?”

  Caleb’s eyes went wide as he shook his head. “I’m sorry,” he swallowed the bite of cake whole and straightened himself. “I don’t speak French. I just thought…” He trailed off uncomfortably.

  The half-Fae man scoffed, “Mais non. Thank you.” He laughed a little harder, but it didn’t seem to be at Caleb, though he flushed scarlet nonetheless. “You seem to have the ear for it,” Jacques calmed himself. “Didn’t sound like an American. Perhaps you should learn.” He took a step back, adding, “I could teach you if you’re ever interested.” He winked and turned back to the counter as the door jingled and a group came in, chatting loudly.

  Caleb watched the man for a moment, the blood slowly draining back out of his face as he turned his computer on and took another bite of honey cake. The wifi popped up and he panicked, thinking that he would have to go ask for the password and face the flirtatious baker again. Caleb was pushing his luck with interacting with Jacques, knowing that he was close to bumbling over something and completely embarrassing himself. He stood up and saw a sign near the counter that displayed the information. He typed in the password and pulled up the paper that was due next week, skimming through what he had already written. As he took another sip of his latte, he thought about how much longer it would be until the club opened and he would have the chance to see Rainer again. Clicking on his browser, he searched for the club’s hours. They would not open until eight and it was barely passing noon now.

  That was a lot of time to kill, he realized as his minimized the window. Caleb should be able to get a decent chunk of work done if he could focus. He glanced at his outline and started typing, but Rainer intruded on his thoughts once more not a minute later as he tried to expand on his point. He hoped that Rainer actually went to his own club more often than not. Had he struck out the previous night? Technically Rainer had been there to save him from Henri, Caleb just hadn’t been able to find him. What if tonight followed the same pattern? The chances were theoretically high for the owner to be there, Caleb thought. But, he was one of the owners, not the singular owner. How many others were there? Maybe they had designated nights that they each went to the club to put in an appearance and oversee whatever needed seeing to.

  He brought his browser up again and tried to look up the club and it’s owners. The only information of the club’s site was that it was owned and operated by the Nightshade Group. He clicked for a new tab and searched the group, finding that they were an international corporation that owned what seemed to be nearly everything. Clubs, hotels, casinos, an airline, a resort on a private island somewhere in the Pacific Ocean, and a host of other holdings listed in their short description. Nothing about the members or owners. It was all quite mysterious and seemingly private.

  Changing tabs once more, he typed in Rainer and Nightshade, hoping it would hit some kind of article or something. All that came up were hits of the nightshade plant. He huffed and switched back to his paper. He reached for his latte, realizing that he had forgotten about it, but that the drink was still pleasantly warm. He wondered if it was magic or him not knowing how much time had passed. He shook his head and switched to his research, looking for a quote. Caleb went on like this, losing track of time flipping around through tabs, writing, and looking up the random things that floated around his head in connection to Rainer. HIs phone chirped in his pocket and he pulled it out, choking on his breath as he saw that it was nearly six o’clock. How had he wasted nearly four hours? He looked at his paper and felt better that it was technically complete at least.

  He opened the text he had received from Dinah, asking how his studying and work was going at the library. “Shit,” he swore under his breath. He should have taken the bus nearly twenty minutes ago if he had wanted to be back for dinner and not have to walk further to catch a bus that ran late. He typed back that he was getting a lot done and was staying on campus for a group project. He hit send, hoping that Di didn’t ask too many questions.

  Caleb sat there for what felt like minutes, waiting for Dinah’s response as he picked at his thumb nail and chewed on his lip. He looked up sometimes later, noticing that the sun had set and that the city was slowly coming to life under the grey, dusky sky. The thought dawned on him that he hadn’t thought of what to do with his backpack if he was going to go to the club. He might as well head back to his sister’s. It was late and he was not prepared for the club. They probably wouldn’t let him in with a backpack.

  His phone still didn’t have a text back from his sister and he exhaled hard, trying to calm his rising nerves. He packed up his things and took the last swig of the still perfectly warm latte. Definitely magic, he decided.

  He took the plate and mug up to the counter. Jacques was washing some dishes at the sink along the wall, with his back towards the cafe. “Thank you again for your recommendation,” Caleb spoke up. “Everything was amazing!” He blushed at himself, feeling to eager and dorky.

  Jacques turned to him with a smile, “Ah, bon. I am very glad!” He walked over, wiping his hands on the bottom of his apron before reaching out and taking Caleb’s dirty dishes. “Please come again, uh,” he hesitated, cocking his head to the side and narrowing his startling silver eyes on him, “I did not get your name.”

  “Oh,” his cheeks flushed once more, “my name is Caleb.”

  “A pleasure to meet you,” Jacques flashed a smile.

  Caleb smiled and nodded, turning toward the door before realizing that he didn’t know the bus schedule this late on the island or where the closest station was. He turned back and cleared his throat, “I am sorry to disturb you.”

  Jacques turned away from the sink once more, replying, “Impossible, dearest Caleb.” He winked at him. “What do
you need?” Jacques asked, placing his damp hands on the counter.

  “Do you know where the closest bus station is?”

  “Ah, oui,” Jacques nodded emphatically. “Turned right after my door, go down two lights, turn left across the street, and three blocks down is the South Isle station.”

  “Right, two lights, left, three blocks,” Caleb confirmed and backed up toward the door. “Thank you, again.”

  “A pleasure,” Jacques replied, watching him back out the door with a curious look.

  He kept the man in his peripheral as he turned out of the cafe and walked past the window. Jacques was obviously handsome and quite flirty, there was no denying it. Maybe Cal could come back and see it something more could more of that. He doubted Jacques was just being polite. The flirtatiousness went beyond just courtesy. Plus, he hadn’t actually made any money off of him. He played through scenarios in his head as he waited at the light to turn left, hating how inexperienced and unsure he was. Here he was getting flirted with by a half-Fae and obsessing after a vampire, and somehow, Caleb was able to talk himself out of the possibilities of both situations.

  Rainer. The image of the vampire standing barefoot in his condo, sophisticated, yet relaxed flashed through his mind. His thick, dark red brown hair had flopped over in an effortlessly messy and sexy way that Caleb had only seen on models in pictures. Not in real life. And not so close to him. He walked across the street with hurried steps, debating whether he should turn back to check the club. It had been his plan and there was something about Rainer that wouldn’t let go of his thoughts. He felt so intensely and inexplicably drawn to him.

  Lost in thought as he had been for days, he walked into the bus station, which was filled with a lot more people than the stations in Oldtown at any time of day. Caleb noticed a row of grey lockers to the left and made a split second decision, walking up and looking at the rates. He opened one of the lockers and stuffed his backpack inside, sticking the plastic key fob into his pocket with his wallet. He turned and looked down at himself. He was wearing his dark, tight fitting jeans with a forest green polo and brown golf shoes. It wasn’t the worst outfit to go out in, but it was a little preppy, or churchy. He would look like prey in the club. He shook his head and stepped back outside, heading for the club.

  He barely needed his phone’s map to bring him back to the club, feeling drawn to the alley and the now buzzing neon sign. No one was outside yet and he checked the time, remembering that they didn’t open to eight and it was still over twenty minutes till. He hummed to himself, deciding it was worth waiting near the door to the club’s lobby anyway. He walked down to the door, shuffling his feet slowly and then leaning against the wall, opening up a game on his phone to keep him busy.

  A few minutes later, two bouncers came outside with the velvet rope line and posts. One of them rolled the small carpet out for in front of the door, while the other set up the posts and connected the ropes. “You’re here early kid.” The bouncer looked up at him as he clipped the rope to a post.

  Caleb cringed at being called a kid. “Um, I’m hoping to run into someone I met here the other day.”

  “Oh, do I know them?” the bouncer asked.

  “Yeah, probably,” Caleb looked downward, feeling very self-conscious. “Rainer,” he offered up the vampire’s name.

  The bouncer laughed, “There’s no point drooling over that one.”

  “I’m not drooling over him,” Cal quipped defensively. The bouncer just laughed in response and shook his head. “You wouldn’t understand,” he added, crossing his arms, though he instantly felt childish for doing so.

  “Believe whatever you want, kid,” the bouncer scoffed and went over to the door.

  Caleb opened his phone back up, but he was too in his head to play solitaire or any of his regular games. He just wanted to run into Rainer and get closure on the whole matter. He watched as a few other people headed down the alley to stand in line behind him. Most of them wore dark clothing and seemed like they were vampire groupies with pale makeup and feigned looks of aloofness. He saw their kind on the news all the time, following and practically worshipping vampires. If any humans ever got killed by vampires these days, it was usually vamp groupies.

  At eight, two other bouncers, the werewolves from the other night, came out. They unlinked the rope, motioning for them to go inside without even checking any of their IDs. He piled into the red elevator with five other people, waiting in an awkward silence as the groupies maintained their disinterested, distant masks. Everyone stood just so as to not touch one another, and no eye contact was made nor was a word said. The elevator slid open of the quiet, low lit club granting a reprieve from the tight space.

  Music started playing over the speakers as the elevators emptied out. He looked around the club as he walked in slowly, almost timidly. Only one bar was open with a tall golden skinned man wearing a black mesh shirt bartending, cleaning off the bar top before anyone even walked up. Caleb walked in the direction of the bar on the other side of the club, looking up at the VIP area. Only a few supes had filtered in upstairs, but none of them were Rainer.

  Caleb got a Jack and cola from the open bar and sat down in an oversized, modern black chair in the corner of the club. He had a perfect sightline to the elevators and the stairs up to the VIP area. Rainer would have to walk past him if he did come in tonight. Unless there was some secret entrance to the VIP area, but even then, Caleb would see him once up there.

  He sat there, sipping at his drink until it nothing but ice. Two drinks later, his phone chimed with a text. It was from Dinah and he blinked, shocked that it was already eleven seventeen. Her text asked when Caleb thought he would be coming home.

  Caleb texted back that they are going to grab something to eat and finish their project since the library would be closing in twelve minutes. He downed the rest of his drink waiting for her to text back. He drifted over to the bar, not really feeling his feet as he went and got another drink from the bar. He was definitely on the border of being drunk, but it kept him disconnected enough from letting his nerves build up. Dinah texted back that she was going to bed and would see him in the morning, telling him to be safe.

  He sat back down, vigilantly watching the elevators and stairs. Several Jack and colas later, Caleb felt only drunk and foolish. He checked his phone, seeing that it was four minutes till one in the morning. He sighed, polishing off his drink and getting up on his unsteady feet, deciding to leave the club. He had wasted his time pining after Rainer.

  CHAPTER 6

  Caleb paid the cab fare and stepped outside as it started to drizzle. He stopped for a second on the sidewalk, pulling his wallet back in pocket as the cab pulled away and he tilted his face toward the sky. The night was cool as the rain lowered the temperature, sobering Caleb more than the drink had as he stood there. He only moved as the rain picked up and started to soak through his clothes. He punched the code in quickly and hurried into the lobby. The elevator light showed that it was on the seventh floor, his sister’s floor. He pushed the up button several times, hoping to speed up the old thing, but it didn’t move. It must have been stuck. Wonderful.

  He started up the stairs with a groan, feeling like he was trying to climb while on a boat rocking out at sea. He was still tipsy and not used to the effects of alcohol. By the time he reached the seventh floor, he was out of breath, covered in a fine sheen of sweat and feeling marginally more sober. He leaned against the wall, trying to catch his breath several feet down from his sister’s apartment. He looked up and noticed that the door to the apartment was actually standing open ajar.

  He pushed forward, looking through the crack and seeing that the living room had been trashed, furniture turned over and tossed to the other side of the room. He pushed his way in and found Erica and his sister sitting in the middle of the room, tied to two of the kitchen chairs. He swore the rest of the alcohol left his system as he noticed that they were covered in trails of blood and looked horrified as their
eyes settled on him. Adrenaline jolted through his body as he rushed toward them, pushing against the door and causing it to slam.

  Before he could reach them, Caleb was sent flying backward, crashing into the dining room table. Dazed, he looked up and found Henri, the vampire from the club, standing between the two tied up girls, grinning at him maniacally. Blood was smeared across his lips and chin sloppily. It dawned on him that the vampire had been feeding on both Dinah and Erica. They had bite marks on their arms and necks, leaving a path of angry, dark wounds, spilling ribbons of scarlet down their bodies. Dinah in particular seemed to have suffered quite a bit of blood loss, looking grey and barely coherent as her head lolled to the side.

  Cal tried to stand up, but Henri flashed forward, pushing him back down easily. “Not so fast, lover,” Henri growled, leaning forward and licking up the side of his face. Caleb cringed at the coolness of the vampire’s icy tongue on his flushed skin.

  He moved his face away, protesting, “Don’t touch me!”

  Henri guffawed, “What?! What you do think you’re going to do, lover?” Caleb looked away from the vampire over him, trying to think of what he could do. He was no match for him strength or speed wise. He could try to outsmart him, but his mind was coming up blank on how to do that. He had no advantages presently.

  “Let us go!” Erica screamed blearily.

  Henri shoved Cal down and flashed over to Erica, backhanding her hard across the face. “Scream all you want, mon cheri! I already killed your neighbors and broke the elevator. No one would be able to get here in time even if they could hear you.” He cackled as he leaned down into her face.

  Cal staggered up to his feet as the vampire licked at a welling of blood on Erica’s face. He lurched toward the kitchen, desperately hoping to grab some kind of weapon. Was the legend about wooden stakes true? Or just myth? Guess he would find out. Not that they had wooden stakes laying around the kitchen for him to use. He grabbed a knife from the block, hoping it would have the same effect as a hand clamped down on his shoulder, spinning him around. He stabbed the knife blindly, slicing through the side of the vampire’s dark blue shirt, skimming the side of his pale stomach. Hot blood spurted onto Cal’s hand, but Henri just grinned, clamping a hand down on Caleb’s. The vampire squeezed and Caleb screamed as the bones in his wrist crunched, sending the knife clattering to the ground.