by R. J. Blain
“She is. In a few days, you can send someone to the estate for questioning, but until she’s settled, I’d rather not take any risks. She’s not acclimated to interacting with humans of any stripe.”
“Loner?”
“Set loose by an irresponsible maker,” Emerick growled.
“Another one?”
“Indeed.”
“If you get a lead on the master, call me. I’ve got a task force in the works itching for a good hunt.”
Emerick smirked. “Is your task force ready to handle a few test runs? I have a few in the brood who’d love to play a game of cat and mouse with your officers. Just make sure they’re not squeamish about being bitten. They’ll take a drink or two to remind your humans why they need to be the absolute best.”
The chief grunted. “I’ll call you. When’s good?”
“Tomorrow night. I owe you a favor for putting this together. How many of my brood will you want?”
“As many as you can spare. I need this team ready to deal with an entire brood if necessary. If they’re training with your vampires, they’ll be prepared.” Chief Owens glanced at me. “Think your new girl will be up for joining the hunt? I’d like to see her take out a fugitive myself.”
“I have a recording. You can visit in person instead of call if you’d like to have a look. As for her joining the team, I’ll see after she’s integrated with my brood. It all depends on how long it takes for her to transition.”
“Sounds good. Midnight tomorrow?”
“I’ll let the guards know you’ll be paying me a visit, and I’ll call you if I need to change the time. Midnight should be all right, but I need to get my little lady settled first. Take care of yourself around those protestors, Chief Owens.”
“They’re all bark and no bite tonight. I’m tossing them a bone to make them feel like they accomplished something for a change.”
“A temporary stay on demolition?”
“Conditional to them letting the street workers renovate the sewer system. Either their moat or the building goes. The construction workers won’t touch the building as long as their efforts to dig up the streets and handle mass repairs remain unimpeded. The instant they start protesting the construction, the Mink Building comes down at the order of its new owner, who already has the permits to begin demolition. He also has the permits to do a full renovation and restoration should other plans for Harlem go uninterrupted.”
Of the contenders for the Mink Building, my father was the kind of man to cook up such an underhanded scheme, spending millions to save millions down the road. To him, time and money were birds of a feather, and a six-month delay would cost him more than paying the ridiculous amount required to gut the Mink Building and renovate its interior while preserving its exterior.
Emerick drummed his fingers against his knee. “What am I going to owe you for that gem?”
“We’ll talk about it tomorrow.”
Ben waited until Chief Owens stepped away from the vehicle before navigating through a maze of parked cars, metal cordons, and protestors doing their best to preserve a part of their dying heritage.
In their determination to cling to the Mink Building, they’d lose a lot more than one historic building. I gave it a year before Harlem transformed from a ghetto to a construction zone. Once the infrastructure was complete, the sewers and other foundation work repaired to my father’s satisfaction, the entire neighborhood would become a haven for vampires. At first, it would appear safe.
I knew better, as did my father’s other attorneys.
“That’s an interesting expression,” Emerick murmured, relaxing into his seat. “What do you know that I don’t?”
“What makes you think I know anything you don’t?”
“I’ve been around women for hundreds of years. That is the expression of a woman who knows something, has learned a new piece of important intelligence, and is trying to figure out what to do about it. I might be old and old-fashioned, but I’ve learned it’s unwise to underestimate the fairer gender.” Emerick’s tone turned wry. “Never has there been a worse misnomer. Women do not play fair because the only way they can succeed when the cards are stacked against them is to employ their cunning to win. That’s a dangerous situation we men have created for ourselves. We simply refuse to learn.”
I shrugged. “They might win the battle for the Mink Building, but they’ll lose the war. Revitalizing the base infrastructure of the area will let the builders complete other projects.”
“You’re even more interesting than I imagined. Why do you think there are other projects in the works?”
I needed to be careful, else the vampires would clue in I knew more about the situation than some miscreant out on the streets should. “Harlem’s a ghost town. I’ve been living here because few humans are brave enough to stick around, and the fugitives are too scared they’ll be discovered by contractors preparing for demolitions. It seems obvious to me.”
“It’s not as obvious as you seem to believe. But yes, you’re correct. Most of the humans have left Harlem, and the preternatural foolish enough to stay run a higher risk of being caught every night, just like we caught you. Of course, we were specifically looking for you, which made a difference.”
“How did you find me?”
“I had you followed after your last kill, watched where you went, and kept the location monitored. I asked Chief Owens to put together a cordon to make it harder for you to escape and hoped you picked the easiest route for a vampire to leave the Mink Building. You did as I expected, although I overestimated your jumping ability. You came quite close to missing the roof altogether. We’ll need to work on that. For someone capable of taking out fugitives without help, your physical condition is alarmingly poor. You shouldn’t have had any trouble making that jump.”
“Great. Vampires are the humanoid equivalent of jumping spiders.”
When Emerick said nothing, Ben snickered. “That’s one way to think about it. Yes, we are. We’re ambush predators. While we can run fast, our ability to jump is what gives us an edge in combat against other preternatural. You’ll learn.”
I wasn’t sure I liked the sound of that. “Why?”
Emerick chuckled and shook his head. “No matter how you were turned, you’re a vampire now. As such, you must learn. Tonight, you’ll be spared from further education. You require a bath before I begin the process of taking you from your maker. As you’re cooperating, I’ll make it as pleasant for you as possible. It depends on how tightly you’re bonded to him. I won’t know until I locate his mark and take you from him. We shall see soon enough.”
“Will it hurt?”
“It might. It depends on how stubborn your maker is. Mark my words, lady. Should this hurt you, it is the fault of your maker for refusing to let you go into better hands. We shall see his mettle—and yours—soon enough.”
I could handle a little pain with pride, and no matter how much it hurt, no vampire would get any satisfaction from me. “Will it hurt him?”
“Indeed.”
“What would I have to do to make it as painful as possible for him?”
“That would only make it hurt you more.”
I stared into Emerick’s dark eyes. “How?”
“Fight me when I take you from him. That is how you make my victory sweeter and his suffering worse.”
Some invitations I couldn’t refuse. “Do your worst, vampire.”
“Most would be afraid in your shoes.”
“My shoes are battered and broken. If killing me would kill him, then I would carve the stake to save you the hassle and hope you made it as brutal as possible to make his last moments hell.”
“That would be a waste, and I dislike waste. But I can promise this much: this is only the beginning.”
I liked the sound of that.
Two
Not pizza!
Despite my involvement with my father’s plans to transform Harlem into a neighborhood for overly wealthy v
ampires, I knew nothing of how the preternatural lived in New York City. My father and his human ilk liked Tribeca, and after I’d moved out of his home, I’d wasted too much of my money to live in Midtown to be close to work.
Emerick Lowrance lived in SoHo in a massive warehouse converted to loft apartments, the type of property even my father shied away from purchasing due to their astronomical expense.
According to the sign, Emerick owned the entire building and had dubbed it the Lowrance Estate.
As a homeless gutter rat wouldn’t know anything about New York real estate, I asked, “You own the entire building?”
I started counting floors and determined he had six stories of apartments in his converted warehouse, easily worth millions upon millions of dollars should he desire to sell.
“I purchased several warehouses during the decline, and this is the largest of them. While they’re worth a fortune, I keep the condos for my vampires. The more favor you hold with me, the better your condo, of course. Those who have fallen out of favor enjoy a stay at my building in Tremont. If I’m really annoyed with those out of my favor, I send them on errands across the city and require them to come here every night until they’ve earned their way back into my good graces. There’s always at least three of the brood maintaining my property in Tremont. If no one has fallen out of favor, I offer a lucrative bonus to live in the area for six months. When it’s voluntary, it’s considered an honorable job.”
“Vampires work?”
“Your master has truly done wrong by you, I see. Every brood has its specialty. My brood plays the market. We buy and sell businesses. We also buy and sell stocks. We meddle in real estate. Should there be a financial crime the police can’t solve, they’ll come to us asking for assistance. Every member of my brood is offered a chance to learn the trade. If you require schooling, arrangements will be made. However, I typically don’t welcome a new vampire into the brood until after they’ve completed their education. College and university are challenging when sun exposure is a risk.”
“Less yapping, more getting out of the car, please,” Ben said, thumping the steering wheel. “Unlike you, Emerick, I do have real work to do tonight.”
Emerick scowled. “Do you want to join the triplets in Tremont?”
“You wanted me to wade across a broken sewer line to go into the Mink Building. Tremont’s safer. It’d be like a vacation. I already drive across the city most nights anyway. You’re going to have to up your game, Emerick.”
“Heaven forbid I continue to damage your delicate sensibilities.” Emerick unbuckled his belt, opened his door, and slid out. While I fumbled with mine, he slammed his door, circled the vehicle, and offered his arm.
“Won’t people get the wrong idea if you walk into your building with someone like me dangling off your arm?”
“You have nothing to worry about. For now, you’ll stay in my home. That’s the safest place for you. It will give you a chance to properly transition to life as a vampire without anyone giving you incorrect information. I do this with all new members of the brood, so any who see you with me will make assumptions, yes. These assumptions are not what you think.”
Closing the door, Emerick thumped the hood and guided me around the back of the vehicle. The glass-fronted building startled me. I’d learned early glass did nothing to protect me from the sun, and I’d developed an aversion to windows. “Windows?”
“They’ve been treated. They filter the sunlight to make it tolerable for us. As you get older, the sun won’t hurt you as much. I expect you’ll spend a lot of time in the lobby. It’s common. The youngest members of my brood often struggle to adapt to a life at night. By the time you’re twenty, you’ll be able to go outside for short periods without being burned.”
The windows distracted me from the hardwood floors, a rich, golden tone perfect for warming in the sun and walking over in bare feet. I stepped harder than necessary to listen to the thump of my heel, pleased when the planks seemed thick and natural.
Not only had Emerick purchased in SoHo, but he’d also spared no expense on the renovations, which boded well for the rest of his operations.
A pair of vampires stood on guard at a large desk tucked off to the side, dressed in the sort of clean-cut suit my father would approve of, black with a white shirt and black tie. The men watched me with interest, and I fought the urge to hiss at them.
“I’m bringing her into the brood tonight,” Emerick replied, and the hint of warning in his tone was enough to make the pair avert their gazes back to the door.
Puzzled over Emerick’s behavior and worried about antagonizing him, I waited until we crossed the lobby and reached a pair of elevators to ask, “What was that about?”
“My brood has few women in it. Most women go to one of two brides broods in the city, and they’re fairly strict about letting their younglings out. They knew I was out hunting a vampire tonight to bring into the brood, but they hadn’t been told you’re a woman to prevent the brides from trying to get to you first. You would not have gotten a fair introduction to our life with them.”
“There are two broods entirely consisting of women? And they call themselves brides on purpose?”
“Indeed.”
“What sort of fresh hell is that?”
“You’ll find out soon enough, as the instant they learn I’ve brought you into my brood, they’ll pressure you to join theirs.”
“Why?”
“Women are harder to make into vampires. No one is really sure why, but we have theories. The younger the woman, the harder she is to successfully raise from the dead. That you rose unattended is astonishing.” Emerick pressed the button, and his expression darkened, as did his eyes. “There has been an increase in killings in the area lately. The victims have been found in shallow graves. A few of these graves were bloodied but empty, with claw marks suggesting the occupants escaped death.”
Like me. I clenched my teeth and remained silent.
“Lowrance vampires do not rise from a grave. They are kept with me in my home, laid to rest on a bed and provided every comfort possible, all to give them the best chance of rising into their second life. Should they fail to rise, I pay for all funeral expenses and ensure they are interred with dignity. I refuse applications from women, although I welcome any woman already turned to join my brood should she desire. I also invite human women to join the brood should she be married to one of my vampires. Their chance of survival is too low for me to risk turning.”
“How many women survive?”
“One in twenty if the master is old and skilled. I do not consider myself old or skilled enough for such good odds. Not even the mistresses of the brides broods have high odds. The last I checked, Leanne has buried thirty-five women without any survivors. Eliza hasn’t accepted any petitions I know of for a while. She’s buried fifty women within the past few years with no survivors. The numbers have gotten worse as of late. I wonder how many women your maker murdered before raising you.” The elevator door pinged and slid open. “There are theories on why women are harder to raise, but no one knows for certain.”
Emerick stepped into the elevator, held out his hand to keep the door open, and watched me, his eyes brightening to a glowing violet.
I loathed the idea I was a rarity, someone lucky to have survived—if I could call vampirism surviving. “What theories?”
“On why there are fewer women vampires,” he replied, probably to annoy me with a non-answer. Emerick waited for me to step into the elevator before pressing the button for the top floor. “The local brides, both broods of them, generally believe they are queens of the castle. Should a vampire wish to wed another vampire, they believe the union must go through them.”
“They dictate marriages?”
“Indeed.”
“Would I be breaking the rules if I rejected their proposal using my fist?”
“Yes, but if you write out your criteria for what you want in a brood and sign it in front of a law
yer, a brood that circumvents your will is breaking the rules. The trick is making sure you close as many loopholes as possible.”
“Wonderful.”
The elevator halted, and the door slid open, leading into a hallway ending at a pair of dark, doubled doors. Emerick chuckled and gestured for me to step out. “As I’m a vain, egotistical vampire, most of this floor is mine. This hallway gives security something to monitor and a buffer between the elevator, my home, and the executive offices. Today, I gave my brood the night off as I anticipated bringing you home with me, so you’ll have a chance to bathe, explore, and make yourself comfortable. Two hours before sunrise, I’ll bring you into the brood. When I’m done, you’ll be exhausted. It’s likely you’ll sleep through most of tomorrow night, especially as you want to put up a fight.”
“Whatever makes the bastard suffer as much as possible,” I muttered.
Emerick led me down the hallway and placed his hand onto a glass plate beside the door. A panel popped open, and he tapped in a code, which unlocked the door. Had I not known better, I would’ve assumed we’d stepped into the reception of an executive’s office.
“You have to go through this to get into your home?”
“I’m used to it. My brood gets edgy if they can’t keep track of me, and having to come through the executive offices makes it so the busybody security guards can monitor my location. It also keeps some of the cameras out of my personal suite. For the next few weeks, you’ll be calling one of the guest rooms in my suite home. All of your needs are my responsibility, including your clothing. Hungry vampires make poor choices, so I work to ensure everyone in my brood eats well, no matter what sort of job they have or their financial situation. There’s a cafeteria on the first floor everyone is encouraged to use at their leisure. It’s open through evening hours, and the fridges are stocked for those who do stay awake during the day.”
My stomach gurgled, and I worried it’d developed sentience and wanted Emerick to begin his vampire-feeding duties immediately. My face flushed, and I froze, holding my breath and waiting for his criticism.