The priest shrugged. “I see many things I’m not supposed to see. No one pays attention to old men.”
“What have you seen lately?” Baojia asked. “Anything unusual?”
“I’ve seen more girls going than coming,” he said. “G he who askeirls who have disappeared. There’s always some of that—most of them go back to their families or move along when they realize the city isn’t all they want—but there’s more now. More missing girls. And some of the regular girls… the ones who know about your sort, they look worried.”
He was hiding something. The old man was telling them part of the story, but not all. Carwyn must have sensed it, too.
“Father Andrade, I hope you know that many of our kind have no quarrel with you or your work. In fact, Arturo Leon gave me your name if I ever needed help in this area.”
Baojia didn’t recognize the name, but Father Andrade must have, because the priest’s face suddenly relaxed and his shoulders slumped.
“I have no idea what do to for her,” he said. “She came to me months ago. Begged me not to take her to the hospital. She says it won’t help anyway. I’ve called doctors to the house. Prayed for guidance…”
Baojia leaned forward. “Who? Who are you talking about?”
Father Andrade said, “Constantina Rosales. Ivan’s former mistress.”
Baojia stopped breathing. He’d thought the man harbored some affection for the human. He’d been wrong.
Where’s Constantina?
Some ridiculous illness. Not sure. You know how they complain.
Constantina wasn’t sick. Ivan had given his own mistress the Elixir.
“Where is she?”
She was lying on a narrow bed in the basement. No cords or monitors were hooked up to her, though she obviously needed to be in a hospital. The stunning woman who had dazzled all of Ivan’s associates lay wasting away, the formerly lush curves of her body nowhere in evidence.
“Constantina,” Baojia said softly, kneeling down next to her as her eyes flickered open. “Do you remember me?”
“Ernesto’s man, Baojia.” She smiled weakly and put a hand up to his lips. He could smell the sickness radiating off her skin. “All the girls loved having you visit. I heard rumors about that mouth for years. Sorry you have to see me like this.”
“What happened? Was this Ivan?”
Her eyes rolled back and her body arched in pain for a moment. Father Andrade knelt beside her, placing a tablet between her lips and offering her a sip of water. “She goes in and out. The doctor who came said it looks like she is starving to death, but even a feeding tube didn’t help her. We tried.”
Her blood held none of the sweetness of the other girls. It smelled of fermented fruit baked too long in the sun, pungent and on the way to sour. “Constantina, did Ivan give you a formula? An elixir of some kind?”
“The Elixir of Life…,” she whispered. “He didn’t drink from me after that, even though I could tell he wanted to. He stayed away. Said it was too soon. If it worked, he would be able to keep me for much longer.” Her smile was bitter. “I was aging. He couldn’t have a wrinkled mistress to introduce to his guests. Ivan was too proud for that.”
“Who gave him the Elixir, Constantina?”
She gave a weak shrug. “I don’t know. I always thought I would die very quickly or all alone. Even if I survived him, he’d shove me off somewhere when I became too old.” The thin woman sighed. “And I had peace about it. I loved him. Stupid, I know. But I did. And I enjoyed the power and attention I had, for a time.” She reached for Father Andrade’s hand. AndradehanI hBut the wages of sin are death, aren’t they, Father?”
“Please, Constantina.” The old man had tears in his eyes. “Let me take you to the hospital. Let me find you proper care, my dear. You are too young to waste away like this.”
“It won’t help. I could tell by the look on his face when I first started to lose weight.” She looked straight into Baojia’s eyes. “He knew. Ivan knew what was happening.”
“Who else did he give it to?” he asked.
“Some of the waitresses. And he told some of his men—not the good ones, the stupid ones. Told them to drink from the girls. They became… addicted. Those girls were the most popular at the club. All the men wanted to drink from them. Ivan let many of them, but not all. That’s when I knew that it was a poison for your kind, too. Then the girls started disappearing, but no one noticed at first. There were always more girls. I noticed the ones who had taken the same drug I had disappeared after only a few months. More showed up in their place. They would pick a few and give them the drink.”
“New girls?”
“Or annoying ones,” she said with a weak smile.
“How long ago was it?” Baojia was still trying to figure out a timeline. Were the effects immediate? If a girl was taken by Ivan’s people, how long did she have? They had to know how much time they had before another hunt would take place. “How long did it take the waitress’s blood to become affected?”
She frowned. “Only two or three days, I think. So…”
“So if a girl was taken—”
“If they gave her the drug right away, she’d only have to wait a couple of days before she’d become everyone’s favorite drink.” Constantina’s lip curled in disdain. “I was only Ivan’s woman. No one else drank from me. These other girls… they fed anyone who asked. Putanas. I left around the time the lock showed up on the basement door. He was keeping women down there. I didn’t want to know why. I left.” Her eyes flickered closed. “No one came after me.”
Father Andrade said, “When she came here, I tried to take her to a hospital, but she refused. Constantina, please let me call someone. I beg you.”
Baojia had a feeling that there was nothing the human doctors could do. Carwyn only confirmed it.
“Just make her comfortable, Father.” He sat in a chair next to the woman and brushed a bit of hair from her forehead, looking down on her sadly. “There is nothing the human doctors can do for her. We are still trying to find a cure ourselves.”
She had fallen asleep, and in that rest, Baojia saw a shadow of the beautiful woman who had charmed so many. Had Ivan intended to kill his favorite mistress? Somehow, he doubted it. But the vampire seemed to have no hesitation about using the knowledge he had gained to further his own ambitions. He was not mourning his woman or seeking a cure, he was spreading it for his own benefit, whatever that might be. Perhaps he had truly intended for it to be good, to keep her young and at his side. Perhaps. But he had still used Constantina as a test subject. He hadn’t fed from her, and that told him Ivan knew the drug could be harmful.
“Father Andrade, does she have any family?”
“No one.”
Baojia rose from his knees. The sick woman rested uneasily, her eyes jerking under her lids as she dreamed. Baojia backed out of the room, certain he would not see her alive again. They climbed the stairs and took their leave of the priest, exchanging phone numbers so Father Andrade could call them if any ll the room, more useful information became known. As they were leaving the house, a teenage girl came running up the walk.
“I can’t find her, Father!”
“Carmen?” The priest’s eyes widened in alarm. “You can’t find Carmen?”
Carwyn walked over to the girl’s side. “Who is this?”
Words tumbled out of the girl’s mouth. “I told her not to take that job. I told her—” She eyed Carwyn suspiciously. “I told her they weren’t like us. That they couldn’t be trusted. But the money was too good. She needed the money. That’s the only reason she went there. We have to find her!”
“Lena, I don’t know—”
“Who is Carmen?” Baojia asked, keeping his distance from the distraught child.
“My sister!” she sobbed. “Carmen is my sister!”
Father Andrade said, “Both Lena and Carmen have been in my church since their parents died. They support themselves.” He patted her shoulder. “Th
ey are very hard workers. Carmen went to Bar El Ruso to take a job. We both told her it was a bad idea, but she ignored us. She’s been working there for two months now. She keeps to herself and hasn’t had any problems, but Lena has been checking on her every night. Every night, they meet each other. To be safe.”
“But she wasn’t there. I snuck in the club. The other girls said she didn’t show up tonight, but I know she went to work.” The girl was sobbing, fat tears running down her face.
“Has the truck been there?”
“I don’t see it.”
Carwyn asked, “What truck?”
“There is a truck that shows up sometimes,” Father Andrade explained. “It doesn’t deliver anything, just sits outside the club for a time, then is gone again. There are no markings on it.”
Baojia and Carwyn exchanged worried looks.
“How long?” Baojia asked. “How long does the truck stay behind the club before it leaves?”
“Sometimes one or two nights. Never more than that.”
“We need you to call us, Father.” Baojia stepped closer. “As soon as a truck shows up, you will call this number. Do you understand?”
“Yes.” The old priest nodded, gathering the crying girl under his stooped shoulder. “I can do that.”
If there was a delivery truck behind Ivan’s club, then another hunt was likely only two or three nights away.
“We have to get back to Los Angeles,” Carwyn said.
Baojia headed for the car. A truck could show up even as they left the city. Could they make it out to Ivan’s hunting grounds in time?
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Natalie woke in the dark room to the feel of soft lips against her neck and steady arms turning her over in bed. She was drawn to a hard, familiar chest and the smell of the ocean. Her eyes were still closed and part of her wondered whether she was still dreaming.
“Natalie?”
“Hmm?” she murmured as she burrowed toward his scent. The bed was warm and her arms felt too heavy for her body.
“I’m back.”
“Hey.” Her eyes fluttered open. “What time is it?”
Baojia kissed her forehead. “Don’t wake up. It’s almost dawn. Sleep more. I’m going to rest “Ho soon, too.”
“Okay.” She sighed and closed her eyes again, feeling herself drift as she was tucked into his chest. “Goodnight. Or… day. Whatever.”
She felt him playing with a lock of her hair, twisting it around his finger as he liked to do. His voice came as if in a dream.
“If I were human… would you want to marry me? Have children with me?”
Was he serious? She’d never met anyone more devoted to family, even one that didn’t appreciate him.
“Course, silly.” She sighed and snuggled closer. “You’d be an amazing father.”
The heavy press of sleep bore down on her, and she couldn’t seem to fight it off. Baojia’s hands ran up and down her arms, soothing her. Protecting… always protecting. Natalie hadn’t felt so safe or loved since her world came crashing down when her mother died. It didn’t matter if he gave her the words or not—she’d known it after the first time they’d made love—he’d give her everything else.
When she woke again, it was still dark, but the clock on the phone by her bed told her it was four in the afternoon. She blinked and untangled herself from Baojia’s limp arms. His complete stillness no longer seemed inhuman or frightening. It was just how he slept. The solid weight of him behind her was comforting, not strange. Again, she shook her head at how quickly and drastically her life had changed. It was only a matter of weeks, but everything she had planned for the future had been thrown in the air by the startling, unexpected man who lay before her.
Would you want to marry me? Have children with me?
Had she been dreaming? She really didn’t know. Natalie showered and dressed, locking the room carefully behind her before she walked upstairs. She stopped by the kitchen and made a sandwich before following the low voices into the den. Ben was there, along with Carwyn. The vampire looked groggy, but was still fairly awake. She smiled and plopped down next to him.
“Hey, stranger.”
He grinned. They’d flirted shamelessly the few times they’d met when Beatrice was in school, but Natalie had known it was just for fun.
“If it isn’t my other favorite redhead.” He tugged on her hair. “How are you, Nat?”
“Good. Feeling a little more rested finally.” She took a bite of her sandwich. “You were holding out on me, mister. A priest?”
His low laugh rumbled across the room. “As if that was the worst of it. It was up to B to decide who knew what. Don’t blame me. Is your man still sleeping? He’s a young one, eh?”
“Young? Riiiight. How are you awake?”
Ben piped up. “Because he’s old. Really, really old.”
“I can still beat your ass at Mario Kart, boy.” But Carwyn winked at her. “It’s true though. Brigid’s a young one, too. She has to have a full day’s rest.”
“But Beatrice can be up during the day?” Natalie frowned. “How’s that work?”
“She’s had Tenzin’s blood in a roundabout way,” Carwyn said. “Makes her a daywalker. Not unheard of, but rare. Not that desirable, to tell you the truth. We all crave sleep. Let our brains rest. As old as I am, I still sleep most of the day. Baojia will too. At least for another few hundred years.”
She must have paled, because he patted her knee. “You’ll get used to it.”
Natalie heard Ben leave the room, mumbling som, an>mething about a snack. She cleared her throat. “I… uh, I don’t know that I will, to be honest. It’s pretty hard to wrap your mind around, even when you…”
“You love him.” It wasn’t a question, but she nodded anyway. “Then you’ll figure it out. Brigid and I, we didn’t have the easiest go of it. Still don’t. But we do our best. You don’t have to be perfect, you just have to try and don’t quit.”
Try and don’t quit. She could probably do that. Natalie tried to smile again. “Sorry. I’m being silly.”
“No, it’s a whole new world for you. Nothing to be embarrassed about.” He patted her hand and sat up a little straighter. “Tell me everything. I used to be a priest, and I have four daughters. I’ve probably heard it all at this point.”
She blinked in surprise. “You have… what? Four daughters?”
“Eleven children all together. And more in my human life.” Carwyn grinned. “I enjoy mayhem. Nothing says fun like immortal family dysfunction.”
Natalie snorted. “Wow, so… Wow! You have a family?”
“Course I do. Did you think that wasn’t going to be part of the picture?” He frowned. “Is that what’s been bothering you?”
She shrugged. “Kind of. I just… I always wanted a family. My mom and dad were really great, and I always figured that would be part of my life, you know? Eventually anyway. Husband, kids. I hated being an only child. I wanted a big crazy family the same as you, I guess. Well, maybe not exactly the same.”
“So what’s the problem?” Carwyn asked with a laugh. “There are ways—especially in this modern world—for you to have the family you want. I can see him wanting that, too. He’s one of the most loyal fellows I know. Trust me, I’ve known a few. And he’s crazy about you.”
The corner of her mouth lifted. “Yeah?”
“In his own quiet, try-to-guess-what-I’m-thinking, mysterious way, yes.” Carwyn’s eyes crinkled at the corners. “It’s completely obvious.”
She shook her head. “Oh yeah. He wears his heart on his sleeve.”
“He loves you, Natalie. Very much.” Suddenly Carwyn’s merry face turned serious. “He’s going to try to keep you out of this. Are you going to let him?”
She leaned back into the couch. “What do you think?”
“I’m going to say no.” He sighed. “Ah, Nat. I wish you would. I know I’m banging my head against the wall, but this thing is so dangerous.”
; “I can’t believe you’re even asking,” she said. “With your wife?”
“It’s got nothin’ to do with doubting you.” He nodded toward the hall again. “That one? Drives me out of my mind. Love her like mad. And she’s a frightening creature, Natalie. Powerful. Focused. Has a mind like a blade. Did as a human and she’s even sharper as a vampire. Bloody woman is a force to be reckoned with.”
“So you should know better than to—”
“And I’d wrap her up in tissue paper in the blink of an eye if she’d let me.” He smiled ruefully.
Natalie’s mouth dropped open. “You wouldn’t!”
“I would. She’d never let me and I’d probably be a fool to try, but if I had my way…” He shook his head. “Has nothing to do with doubting her, love. It has everything to do with my own fear. The fear of losing her makes me weak. When you’ve found your mate in this life, the thought of losing her—living the rest of this eternal night aloneernal n al’m-tit can lead you to a very dark place, Natalie. So don’t be too hard on him. He’s just found you, after all.”
“And, uh…” She took a deep breath. “If I don’t want to become a vampire? What then?”
Carwyn’s smile was wistful. “Then the time only becomes more precious, doesn’t it?”
She felt a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
He winked. “You do that.”
She watched him later that night, a map spread on the table in the library. He was pointing out the area where the hunt had been to Giovanni and Tenzin. Tenzin’s head was cocked to the side, studying the map intently, chiming in with a question in Chinese every now and then. Natalie didn’t think she even realized she was doing it. She asked and Baojia answered. Natalie made a mental note to learn Chinese.
“So this area is completely deserted?”
“I asked Beatrice to find satellite photos last night. It appears to be clear of any real development for approximately thirty miles in every direction. There’s an old mining road that leads to about here.” He pointed at the map. “Then the road ends. You’d have to have the right truck, but you could access this. The terrain is rugged, but passable. They must be knocking out the girls with amnis, transporting them out there, then dumping them—”
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