Cruel Stakes: Vampires & Vices No. 2, page 7
Canal Street separates the city, the old from the new, and we’re on the newer side of town. It’s all shiny black surfaces and purplish-red lights here, unlike the casino which has obviously been renovated but still clings to the old charm. Kelly leads me to the back of the club where a spiral metal staircase twists up to the top floor. Another bouncer lets us through to what must be the VIP area. We climb, and I become acutely aware of how underdressed I am.
“I need to talk to Adrian about something,” I say, uneasy. “And then I can leave.”
“Oh, did I forget to tell you?” She laughs. “You’ve been invited to a special coven meeting.”
My face burns. “This is the first I’m hearing of it, and you know it.”
“Too bad Adrian didn’t give me a deadline to inform you about it,” she muses, “but I’m telling you now.”
She has to do as her master says, but she found a way to make it harder for me. I wonder how Adrian will respond when he finds out what she’s done. “And what were you going to do if I didn’t happen to walk into the casino tonight?”
She lifts a shoulder. “I know where you live.”
“I moved.”
She only laughs at that. Of course these suckers are going to keep tabs on me wherever I go. I’m not surprised that she knows about the new address, but my stomach hardens anyway.
“By the way,” she goes on, “what’s the deal with my fledgling? I went to pay him a visit last night and he practically tried to kill me.”
“There’s a reason for that and it’s exactly why I want to talk to Adrian.”
“I guess it’s your lucky night.” But her tone has darkened, and I wonder how important it is that she gets Cameron to follow through with his promises. Brisa loved the idea of having a hunter working on their side. If Kelly’s lost that, Brisa won’t be happy. Does Kelly know Cameron’s already long gone?
“I don’t think it’s anyones lucky night,” I mutter.
The top floor is two stories above the rest with a balcony looking over the dance floor. It’s a little bit quieter up here, and less packed, with black velvet couches placed around the edges of the room. In the middle are three long metal poles. Dancers swing around them, their toned bodies moving to the music. They aren’t nude, they’re in tiny bras and underwear, but once my eyes catch on Adrian, I can’t look at anybody else.
And he’s staring right back.
“Remember, Eva,” Kelly whispers, “you’re his now. This is what you wanted.”
I brush past her and go to Adrian, sitting next to him on the couch. I can feel the sets of at least fifty pairs of eyes on us. All the vampires who took fledglings this year are here, as are their humans. Kelly sits on his other side and leans back, appearing disinterested.
“Where’s Cameron?” he asks her.
“He’s out.” Two words and his entire demeanor goes frigid.
“And this is the first I’m hearing of it?”
“Sorry,” she mumbles. “I don’t know what happened.”
“I can tell you what happened,” I speak up, “and it’s not Kelly’s fault.” I don’t know why I’m helping her when she continues to treat me like trash, but maybe I feel bad for her.
“Is that so?” Adrian turns back to me. “I see you didn’t bother to dress for the occasion, nor have you taken care of your little problem, like I asked.”
I narrow my eyes. “It’s my choice, asshole. It’s my body and I decide what goes on it and who touches it.”
“Come.” He stands, hauling me up. “We need to discuss this in private.”
When Kelly stands, he points to her. “You stay here. Keep an eye on things.”
There’s a little hallway at the back of the room and he leads me into one of the unmarked doors. It’s some kind of VIP suite for privacy. I can only imagine what it’s usually used for, and my cheeks flame. I don’t want to be alone with this guy anymore. I shouldn’t even be here.
I turn on him. “You need to be nicer to Kelly.” Here I go defending her again when she screwed me over.
“Oh, you mean the woman responsible for your poor choice in outfit tonight?” He motions to me. “Because I can assure you I’m no fool. I know she didn’t tell you to dress up.”
I shrug. “I like how I look.”
“Is that so?”
I square my shoulders. “Yes.”
“Very well, though I find it strange you’re defending Kelly. Do you realize she’s mad that you’re my fledgling?”
I narrow my eyes. “Well, tell her it’s not really going to happen. That’s what you said, right? You’d entertain this game but didn’t actually plan to turn me.”
He slaps his hand over my mouth and pushes me against the wall, glaring. “Keep your voice down. Do you know how many listening ears are around anytime I’m in public? If that got back to Brisa, you’d be dead.”
I push him off. “Fine, but don’t touch me.”
“What is this about Kelly’s fledgling? What do you know?”
“Tell me what you know about Tate,” I return. “Why is he messing with people’s memories?”
“I suspected this but you just confirmed it for me.” He begins to pace the little room. “I knew they could sometimes wipe minds like that, but I didn’t think anyone had developed the ability in over a century.”
“What are you talking about?”
His eyes land on me. “It’s better that you don’t know.”
“Says you, maybe.” I frown. “But am I safe going there? Are my friends safe training underneath Tate?”
“Probably not,” he supplies, “but they’re humans, so they’re not safe anywhere.” He comes closer. “And neither are you.”
Closer. Closer. Closer. I’m back up against the wall, and he’s leaning into me. I think maybe he’s going to bite me. My heart rate speeds up, and my mouth waters. I kinda, sorta, maybe … want him to bite me. It must be the venom. It’s reaching out, clearing my mind of any objections.
He runs the cool tip of his nose along my neck and then up to whisper in my ear. “What have you seen him do?”
“Huh?”
He chuckles and pulls back. “What have you seen Tate do? What else do you know of him?”
“He returned last week. Everyone’s acting like he never left. Nobody questions him. He brought me into his office and told me to trust him. I did, but part of me fought back, I think because of Hugo’s venom.” I whisper that last part. “So I followed him to a hospital ICU. He did some kind of energy exchange thing there. Do you know what I’m talking about? Where they steal energy from humans?”
He nods once.
“So, what are they?”
“Like I said, it’s better if you don’t know.”
“You’re really annoying.”
Someone knocks on the door.
“Come in,” Adrian says, albeit a little reluctantly.
I’m expecting it to be Kelly.
It’s not.
Chapter 11
“I’ve been looking for you,” the man says.
Hugo.
Not Hugo. Hugo is dead.
Hugo is dead.
But this man looks eerily like Hugo. I want to run, to scream, to fight––anything. But I’m frozen to the spot. My senses grow the most they have since I was bit, almost drowning me with smell and sight and … I can’t think. I need to go.
“Sebastian, I didn’t expect to see you here,” Adrian says. His voice comes at me loud and fast, but also like he’s speaking through a wall of glass.
“Brisa is allowing me to investigate my twin’s death.” The man saunters into the room, his lip curled up like he just smelled something rotten. So that’s why I thought it was Hugo. Sebastian looks exactly like the dead vampire––Italian, broad-shouldered, handsome, middle-aged, and creepy. And now he’s here to investigate?
“That’s good,” Adrian says smoothly, “I hope you can catch the hunters who did this. I’ve been looking for them myself but so far have no leads.”
Sebastian’s eyes flick to mine. “Why do you smell so good?” His fangs begin to extend. Oh, so maybe not rotten.
“Virgin blood.” Adrian positions himself in front of me. “She’s mine.”
I’m his––it’s the same thing Kelly said. What have I gotten myself into?
I flash back to how Hugo figured out I was connected into his line. My blood had spilled, and that’s all it took. That could happen again. One wrong move and it’ll all be over. Being here is more dangerous than ever. I never should’ve pushed for this. What do I really think I’ll learn that can help the hunters? So far all I’ve done is put myself in danger.
Sebastian’s fangs retract, but his pupils stay dilated and his eyes remain on me. “You know, I’ve always found it frustrating that so much of the archaic vampire lore happens to be true. We can’t go in the sun. We’re allergic to silver. We’re killed with a stake to the heart. We’re even adverse to garlic––it smells horrible and I’m Italian. Such a pity.”
“And you’re born in cemeteries,” I add, trying to make my voice sound light.
“We are.” His head tilts. “But being attracted to the blood of virgins? That’s one I’ve never minded.”
“What’s so special about it?” Adrian stiffens when I ask the question.
“Nobody knows,” the man smiles, “but it works both ways. Did you know that? We’re more attracted to you,” he steps forward, “and you’re more attracted to us. Back in the day, priests used to have virgins walk through graveyards at night looking for vampire graves. The girls could sometimes spot our newly buried prodigy’s graves, and the priests would dig them up and stake them before they had a chance to fully change.” His smile turns mocking. “Now, tell me, who’s more barbaric?”
I’ve always hated vampires, but maybe this explains part of why it was easier for me to track that one. I had venom from the same line and virgin blood. Maybe I really am special. I shoot a charged look at Adrian––no wonder he wanted me to “take care of it.”
“So what would happen if a fledgling was turned into a prodigy while still a virgin?”
“That’s––”
“Let’s go,” Adrian cuts him off, “we have business to attend to.”
I want to object and ask Sebastian to finish but the two are looking at each other now like they hate each other, like their history is even worse than Hugo’s, and it’s as if I’m no longer in the room.
“Ah, that’s right.”Sebastian wiggles his fingers. “Pretend I’m a fly on the wall.”
As if that were possible.
Adrian takes my hand and squeezes, his way of telling me to stick close. I wonder what the implications of Sebastian being here means for me. Is he going to figure out what happened that night? Will they turn me? Kill me? What will happen to Adrian? If Hugo was a prince, then surely Sebastian is one as well.
When we get back to the main room, it’s filled up with more vampires and their fledglings. Standing room only. Adrian sits me next to Kelly, who’s now got Cameron at her side. I gape at him. He forgot everything so why is he here? Kelly nods toward him. “He showed up here a couple minutes ago. Apparently it all came back to him and he’s on our side.”
But how? Is Tate’s ability not as strong as I thought?
“Hey,” Cameron whispers when he sees me.
“You remembered?”
He nods curtly. “Yup.”
I don’t have a good feeling about this. Something isn’t adding up.
“Get all the humans who aren’t prodigies out of this building,” Adrian instructs one of his minions who takes off in a flash––literally. These creatures can move so fast that sometimes they look like a flash.
We mingle for a few minutes, but I don’t offer much to the conversations. I’m listening intently though, hoping for something I can bring back to Seth. My eyes keep going from Adrian to Sebastian and back again.Sebastian is even more charismatic than his brother was, the creepiness factor not quite there. That’s got to make him more dangerous. People flock to him, and he engages a crowd with practiced ease, moving through them like I imagine a prince should. He’s a true diplomat.
Adrian seems annoyed. This is his territory, after all. And his coven. But he hides it well, or maybe we’re all used to Adrian being annoyed. The dancers have long been sent away by the time Adrian strides to the center of the room and then levitates, hovering above the busy crowd. Everyone falls silent, their leader commanding attention without having to say a word. Several of the humans gaze up at him like he’s a god or something. It’s hard not to glower at them.
“Thank you for coming,” Adrian says. “Many of you already know how this is going to work, but some of you have waited for me to explain it to your humans.” His blue gaze seems to glow as he surveys the room, making a point to look at us fledglings. Right now we’re nothing, but soon we’ll be their prodigies. Maybe. “You are not guaranteed a spot in our coven even though you’ve been selected to be the next prodigy to your masters. You must prove your loyalty and utility. When your master feels you are ready, he or she will petition the queen. Only Brisa can decide who joins our fold and when.”
Damn. I knew Brisa was controlling, but this is next level.
“There is no set rule in our coven about how, when, or where to test you. We do things a little differently each year so that the playing field stays level. Once you are ready, you will be turned. If you are deemed unworthy, however,” his voice drops an octave, “well, let’s just say you don’t want to find out what happens to you then.”
They kill us.
He doesn’t have to say more, it’s apparent. Maybe because we know too much. Probably because they can get away with it. Either way, my mouth grows dry. Nervous whispers ignite throughout the room, spreading to every corner. The fledglings are all young, athletic-looking, beautiful people. Everyone has a chance. And I hate them all. They’re here because they want immortality, even at the cost of human lives. If I look hard enough, I can see their auras. The colors are dingy, dark, and not bright and happy like so many other humans I’ve been able to see. I wish I could see my own aura, but I can’t. Would mine be pretty or would mine be dirty? At least I’m only here because I’m a double agent, sent to help the humans.
“Your first test starts now. You will go out into the city and bring back a human to do a willing blood donation within the hour. What we do with that donor is up to us.” The vampires laugh as we sit here, letting this challenge sink in. Shouldn’t be too hard, right? Except what do I have to offer someone to get them to come back here? It almost sounds like we’re supposed to go find someone to sacrifice. “Well, go on.” Adrian flicks his wrist. “The clock is ticking.”
“Come on,” I get up, nodding to Cameron, “are we going to do this or what?”
We go outside, and Cameron veers off without me. I shake my head and shoot a middle finger to his back. “Jerk,” I mumble.
I don’t want to do this.
I’m not really going to be a prodigy, I hate the fledglings, and I take zero delight in finding someone to become a vampire’s snack. What will happen if I go back there empty handed?
I don’t know what to do. If it were only Adrian here, I’d refuse this request. But it’s not only Adrian here, and there are eyes on him now, eyes reporting back to the queen, eyes looking to avenge their dead twin brother.
And I’m all alone. I’m keenly aware that I’m a young woman alone at night in a very dangerous city. This is not a place I want to be.
I can’t do this.
I can’t bring someone up there. What if they kill them? Sure, they may only get willing donations, but I’ve seen vampires kill before. I saw Adrian do it. I later figured out that it was a mobster he’d killed, and maybe someone who deserved it, but Adrian hadn’t wanted me to know that. He’d wanted me to believe that it was someone who didn’t deserve it. That he was a ruthless killer. He wanted me to see who he really was so that I wouldn’t be stupid enough to keep coming around. I should’ve listened.
That’s when the idea strikes me.
Chapter 12
I walk across the street to the casino, heading past the tables and right for the nurses’ office. “Hey, do you guys know who I am?”
The woman at reception stares at me blankly and shakes her head. I sigh and head for the tables, looking for one of the pit bosses. Sure enough, I find the very same guy who pissed me off the first day I met Adrian. Well, this is going to be fun. I motion to him with my finger and to my delight, he comes right away.
“You know who I am, right? You can vouch for me?” I ask.
He groans under his breath but nods.
“Great. Follow me. We have to do something for Adrian.”
I turn and stride back to the nurses’ station. I don’t bother to see if he followed because I can sense him at my back.
“Me again,” I say to the same lady from before. “He can vouch for me. I work for Adrian.”
She raises an eyebrow and the vampire answers. “Adrian instructed us to keep her safe and do whatever she needs.” With that, he shoots me a glare and then turns and walks away.
I don’t care. I’ve perked up at his confession, warmth spreading through me. More news and this time it’s actually good news.
“Right.” I smile back at the woman. “Adrian says I’m supposed to bring one of you across the street to do blood donations over there at the club.”
The lady frowns. “Are they short-staffed again?”
Okay, I can work with this. “Oh, you know how it is. There’s always another human in line. Can I walk someone over?”
“Hold on,” she says, “I’ll grab a nurse for you.”
Five minutes later, I’m walking back across the street with Nurse Giggi at my side, hoping this isn’t a huge mistake. My nerves are like a coil of angry snakes raging in my belly, but I can’t think about that right now. Technically, this is what Adrian asked for, and he should know I have a way with twisting his words.
When we get back to the nightclub VIP area, we’re one of the first to arrive. Adrian is sitting with Sebastian, their heads bent together in deep conversation. Nothing about Adrian’s demeanor exposes his guilt. He’s had how many years now to perfect his lying capabilities? I need to remember that next time I want to believe him about something.
