by Nina Walker
“Black it is,” Armondo says.
Hugo smirks. “Not much for gambling?”
“No.” I fold my arms and glare.
By now we’ve attracted a crowd of onlookers. There’s got to be at least ten thousand dollars on that single bet, and people are excited to see the result. I spot Adrian and Kelli standing not too far off. Adrians face is an unreadable mask. I can’t tell if he’s happy to see me or wishes I were dead. It could go either way, and I wouldn’t want to bet on that, either.
Mom levels me with a hard look. “Eva, whatever happens, I want you to know this isn’t your fault.” But it feels like it. If I win, I double the money and get Armondo off our backs. I don’t even want to think about what will happen if I lose.
The dealer spins the wheel and the little ball goes plop, plop, plop with no concern for what its movements mean for the future. It slows and slows, until finally lands on thirty-six, red. My heart plummets. At the last second, it bounces once more, and lands solidly in number eleven.
Black.
I crumple to my knees as the crowd explodes in cheers. I’ve never been so relieved in my life, every ounce of anxiety leaving my body in that moment. Mom crouches and wraps her arms around me. “I’m so sorry, baby. . .so sorry,” she whispers over and over. She promises to get better, promises things will be different. But I know nothing will change unless Adrian comes through with the compulsion and gets her to stop.
We stand, and I wipe away tears.
“It’s your lucky day.” Armondo sounds disappointed, but he’s a man of his word, collecting his winnings and moving on to another table.
“That money isn’t much to him,” Hugo says, pulling me up to standing. “He’ll blow it by the end of the night. If only you’d made a better bet you could have pocketed some of that for yourself.”
Like I care about that right now.
“Then why did he do it? Just to punish my mom?”
“In part, but mostly to prove a point to me. The vampires and the mob have been at odds in this city for years. This wasn’t about the money so much as it was about honor and asserting dominance in front of vampires. He knows he’ll never have what we have.” His fang extends and he sips from a glass of blood. My stomach churns. “Immortality.”
“When does this thing dock? I’m ready to go home.”
“The party is just getting started.” He retrieves his wallet and hands my mother five crisp one hundred dollar bills. “Go have fun, Virginia. I have business to attend to with your daughter.”
I expect her to tell him off, to insist that she’s had enough excitement for tonight. Once again, my expectations break my own heart. Mom takes the money. Avoiding eye contact with me, she heads in the direction of the Texas Hold’em table. I see her sit down and place her first bet, then rub her hands together as if she’s preparing for a fun night ahead. If my heart was broken before, now it’s in absolute shatters. I can’t believe it. And yet, I can. And lying to myself is the worst part. She took the money from my room. My eyes burn with tears––I force them back.
“Come. . .” Hugo places a hand on my lower back and leads me toward the dance floor. “Let me cheer you up. Aren’t you happy to have that mafia trouble behind you?”
I can’t answer that.
My body follows even though my mind is back with Mom, begging her to reconsider. It doesn’t matter that she is now gambling with Hugo’s money. Soon it will be hers again. She’s been in hiding for days, and now she’s back to doing the thing that landed her there in the first place.
We end up on the dance floor where the music is a loud noxious riot of instruments. I can’t keep up as he swings me to and fro like a paper doll. I have no idea what I’m doing and I don’t want to be here. “Can I go home now? I don’t want to dance.”
“This isn’t about what you want, Eva, it’s about what I know.” He laughs. “Don’t you realize that by now?” I try to leave but his hands hold me back, fingers biting into my flesh. He’s too strong. I’m confused by his statement, what he knows. It doesn’t make sense.
The music slows, and a silky voice brushes across the back of my exposed neck. “May I cut in?”
“You’re so predictable, Adrianos.” But Hugo hands me over to Adrian and takes Kelli in his arms. “Let me guess, you were responsible for what happened back there at the roulette table?”
Adrian doesn’t say anything. The music is a slow sultry tune and he pulls me against him, the steps taking us farther and farther away from Hugo and Kelli.
“I didn’t expect to see you here,” he says at last.
“I didn’t expect to be here. Hugo threatened my mother, so I came.” I look up into his blue eyes. They’re so reflective in the golden light that I can see myself staring back. “What did he mean about the roulette table?”
“It was nothing.”
“Please just tell me,” I sigh. “I don’t think I can handle any more deception in one night.”
“Then you’ve come to the wrong place.” Emotion shifts through his irises and they’re no longer blocked. Suddenly, I can see into the oceanic depths of them. I could get lost there if I’m not careful. I would drown and it would not be pleasant. At least, I don’t think it would be. I wouldn’t want it to be. What if it was?
“I’m the only vampire in North America who can fly,” Adrian relents. “I’m also the only vampire in North America with telekinesis.”
The reality of what happened sinks in and my mouth pops open in awe. “You saved her. You moved the ball at the last second to black. Thank you.” I can’t help it. I hug him. I never thought I would be grateful to a vampire but I am. I misjudged him.
Adrian freezes and doesn’t hug me back.
“That’s enough.” He dislodges himself. “Let’s go find out why Hugo really brought you here. I’m growing tired of his little game.”
“What do you mean? It was all to appease the mafia guy.”
“Trust me. I know my brother; we’ve been at odds for centuries. The only person Hugo cares to appease is himself.” He slips his hand into mine and tugs. “Now come on.”
“Centuries. . .” I swallow, once again questioning his age.
Adrian catches the question in my expression and tilts his head at me, his eyes narrowing. “As far as I know, Brisa is the oldest vampire alive and I’m her oldest son, Angel. I’ll let you guess what that means for my age.” But I can’t even wrap my mind around that kind of eternity. How many wars, how much pain and suffering, and how much technological advancement has this man experienced?
When we make it back through the dancers to Kelli and Hugo, Hugo looks at our clasped hands and smiles with glee. “This is going to be fun.”
Chapter 30
“Let’s go down to the VIP room and discuss a few things, shall we?” Hugo leads us through the maze of people and to the back of the boat. Along the way, we’re stopped several times by eager humans. Adrian and Hugo shmooze them over like it’s nothing, like we’re not on some important walk to discuss whatever. These guys really know how to turn on the charm, and it seems to take forever to shake off all the humans. All the while my mind is buzzing with thoughts of what could be coming next. Truth is, I haven’t a clue. I feel like all my cards are showing and none of them are aces.
We finally make it to a tiny stairwell that descends into the bowels of the ship. Kelli isn’t anywhere to be found. It’s just me, Adrian, and Hugo. I follow them down the stairs because there’s no other choice. What am I going to do, run away? Jump into the river? I can’t tell these creatures no. Their power is on another level.
We walk down a long thin hallway with little metal doors on either side. Some have words inscribed on them with “restricted” or “crew only.” One says VIP in gold lettering. That’s our target. The room is small, the lights are low, and we’re not the only ones in here.
A woman with shiny black hair is pressed up against a man in a police uniform. Her dress is hiked up around her waist and his hands roam her backsid
e. She groans and shifts closer just as I realize who they are. Mayor Cox and the police commissioner! To walk in on them engaging in an affair is so stereotypical that I almost laugh. Both have wedding rings on their fingers. Both have spouses upstairs.
“Get out,” Adrian deadpans like he doesn’t have the time for this.
The two jump apart and offer their apologies. Hugo smiles with even more glee than before, and all I can think is that this juicy piece of information is going to help him in his quest to control the city.
They scamper out of the room.
“And then there were three,” Hugo says.
I take in the small polished space and try to relax. The windows are the waterproof bolted-in kind, typical on boats. Outside, the top of the water laps against the bottom rims. The river is black and sparkling under the moon. On the near distant shore, the city lights crawl past. The room itself is wallpapered in deep maroon with black foil accents. There’s a minibar in one corner, a flat screen television on the wall, with two black leather chairs and a couch evenly spaced out.
Hugo closes the door and motions for us to take a seat. I sit next to Adrian on the couch and Hugo sits across from us in a chair. He lounges back and smiles. “I don’t think I’ve had this much fun at a party in a hundred years. You remember that time when we––”
“Why are we here, brother?” Adrian cuts in. “Get to the point.”
“You know, Ardrianos, for someone who’s lived as long as you have, you’d think you would have learned patience by now.”
Adrian’s eyes narrow. There’s hatred for his brother in those eyes. It’s clear as day. “Believe me. I’m patient,” he says, “I’m more patient than I ever planned on.”
Hugo snickers and slaps the arm of his chair, then stands and crosses to the minibar. He pours two bourbons. “Would you like something, child?” he asks me. “What’s your drink?”
I’m parched, I could use water, but I don’t want to take a thing from Hugo. After the way he toyed with my mother, he’s my new favorite fanger to hate. “No.” My voice is clipped.
He smirks and hands the glass to Adrian, sits back down, and the two drink. I knew vampires could drink but it seems pointless. “It’s one human thing that we can still have,” Hugo says when he catches me looking. “Not that the alcohol affects us. It doesn’t do anything to our blood but it’s a different taste and it doesn’t make us ill. I’ll admit, I prefer my alcohol mixed with blood but sometimes it’s fun to switch things up every now and then.” Hugo smirks at me, lazilly swirling the amber liquor in his right hand before taking another sip.
“Vampires don’t eat food or drink water. Alcohol is a luxury, and blood is a necessity,” Adrian adds. “What’s your point, brother?”
Hugo raises an eyebrow in my direction. “Are you prepared for that, Eva? Are you truly willing to give up your humanity?”
My body goes hard. He’s calling my bluff.
I’m not going to become a vampire. I never had any intention of doing so, and it’s the last thing I want. I’d rather die than feed off of other’s blood and abuse their addictions so that I can survive. But this is a floating casino and I came prepared to lie and cheat and game my way out of here. “Of course.” I smile happily at Adrian and take his hand in mine. He flinches. “I trust you. From what I understand, I’ll be bound to you and unable to defy you.” I bat my eyelashes. “But I know you’ll take good care of me.”
“Lucky me.” He frowns, peels his hand away, and takes a sip from his drink.
Hugo laughs. “It will be a lucky man who has the opportunity to break a strong-willed woman such as yourself, Evangeline. It’s unfortunate for my brother, but that man won’t be him.”
I shake my head, confused. Adrian freezes.
“Do I have your attention now?” Hugo’s face turns stony. “Good. Listen closely. I take a new protégé every year as my queen allows. There’s a reason I’ve lost five of my protégés in a single month and that my queen won’t grant me more children, and that reason is you, Eva.”
A weight crushes down on me and I try not to sink under the pressure. How much does he know?
“What are you talking about?” Adrian asks sharply. “Do not waste any more of our time. Explain yourself.”
“First was my newest child, Roxy. She didn’t even make it past the graveyard. Hunters got her. Or the sun. Then I lost three more a few weeks later; those men definitely weren’t killed by the sun. And of course we know about what happened in the lobby with my bloodthirsty child whom you killed without consulting me.” He counts them off his fingers. “All deaths that were caused by Eva, here.”
The two exchange heated glares before turning them both on me. The pressure is too much. My hands are shaking. My heart is racing. I don’t know what to do.
“The lobby wasn’t my fledgling’s fault,” Adrian spits. “And the others have nothing to do with her. Do not make false accusations or I will see that you are punished. You have no proof.”
Hugo laughs gleefully. “Ah, but you’re wrong. I figured it out in the lobby when her blood was spilled. She’s connected to my line, but yet she’s human. So how can that be?” He leans closer to me and his voice goes low. “There is only one way a human can connect into a vampiric line and that is through venom. If our venom enters your human bloodstream it makes you able to feel, sense, and track the vampires within the family of the vampire who bit you. It also makes us far more attracted to you and your blood more desirable.”
“This is forbidden information!” Adrian growls. “Brisa has only allowed you to speak of this to Eva because you’ve made up lies. My fledgling is no hunter.”
“This is why you don’t drink directly from human flesh unless you intend to kill or turn,” I whisper breathily.
“Indeed it is one of the reasons,” Hugo confirms. “I knew it the second I smelled your fresh blood in the lobby, and I confirmed it when I tasted it for myself. So tell us, Evangeline, how long have you been a vampire hunter, and which one of my children bit you before you killed them?”
Time stills. Everything slows. I don’t know how to lie my way out of this.
Adrian watches me closely. I expect him to defend me or keep denying this, but he does neither. Hurt crosses his features, then anger. He turns on me with a sneer, “Answer him!”
“I––I was defending myself.” Fear prickles over every inch of my body. “I followed a friend to the cemetery because I suspected he was a hunter, and then this new vampire attacked me and I staked her with one of his stakes. Her fang barely grazed my arm. I thought it was nothing. I didn’t know.” My voice comes out shaky. I hope they don’t think it’s because I’m lying. Surely, they hear the adrenaline racing through my veins and the pounding of my heart.
“And what of my other children?” Hugo snarls. “You were connected to them. You must have killed them.”
“That wasn’t my fault! We were at a party. Vampires came. I think they were following me. They had no place showing up at a human college party, but they were there and they attacked my friend. We were defending ourselves and––”
“It is not easy to kill vampires!” Hugo stands and flies at me. Adrian lets him. In two seconds I’m slammed up against the wall and choking under his stony hands. They grip my throat and squeeze. “They were following you because I ordered them to, I had suspicions about you from the beginning. You are a hunter! Admit it!”
Tears stream down my face. My vision blacks at the edges. There’s no choice. Either way I’m going to die.
“Tell the truth or I’ll kill your mother and then I’ll kill you!”
“Yes,” I mouth.
“Do you confess it?”
I try to nod but it’s hard. “Yes,” my voice is strained under his death-grip.
He drops me to the floor and my lungs burn as I gasp for breath. Adrian stands rock still and peers down at me like I’m a bug in need of squashing.
“So here’s what we’re going to do,” Hugo con
tinues. “You’ve already been approved by the queen to be a fledgling.” I look over his shoulder at Adrian. “She knows of my suspicions and said that if I can get a confession, then I can have Eva for myself.”
“And what do you intend to do with her?” Adrian raises an eyebrow. He stands back with his arms over his chest. Anger rolls off him in waves, filling every crevice of the small room. “Because I don’t care anymore, brother. I am tired of family drama. This is why I never want to take any children. They are a liability, not an asset, and I am done.”
He’s done. The words feel like a battle axe to my chest.
But wait… why is Adrian pretending not to know who I really am? He already knew I was a hunter. And why is he so quick to hand me over to the brother he so obviously hates? There’s something more going on here. With my eyes alone, I will him to save me, to intervene, to do something, because he’s my only hope. But he does nothing. He turns away, appearing well and truly done with me. Maybe this is it. Maybe he’d rather turn me over to his brother than deal with me any longer.
Hugo peers down his nose and his fangs extend. They’re like two little daggers––two little promises of pain to come. “I intend to turn her. Tonight.”
Chapter 31
Everything happens in a blur of blind panic. Hugo binds my hands and feet and mouth with thick black fabric and Adrian carries me off the floating casino and onto a speed boat that has been tied to the side of the ferry. My oversized flapper-style dress hangs around my knees and I pray that it stays that way. My life depends on it.
Adrian drops me on the floor and I lay there curled up in the fetal position as the boat flies down the river. I try to maneuver through the bindings at my wrists and ankles but it’s useless. I start to cry. My tears blur the stars, the moon, and the rare glimpses of city and freedom. Even though it should barely register on my list of worries, I’m cold and starting to shiver. Before long it consumes my thoughts. I let it, at least it’s something to focus on that doesn’t terrify me. My dress is loose enough and long enough that I can tuck my legs up into it. I make sure to stay on my left side even though it’s extra painful to lie this way. The beads of the dress bite into my flesh, many of them probably cracking where I lie on them. I can’t believe this stupid gown is what I’m going to be wearing to my death. That’s if I don’t find a way to get out of becoming a vampire. I’m going to fight to the death. But if they win, if I rise up as Hugo’s new child, I will join the sunrise. I don’t know if that’s possible, if the thirst will overpower me, but I vow to try to die before I hurt someone.