“How can you tell?”
“I can smell them.”
I didn’t look too closely at my surroundings. I kept my eyes ahead, focused on a door in front of us marked “VIP Access Only.”
Our guide silently eyed us, then pushed the door open to let Noah and me through into the next room.
It was darker in here—so dark I could barely see my hand in front of my face until my eyes adjusted a bit better. Hotter, too—easily over ninety degrees. The room was smaller than the previous one and there was no music playing, apart from the muffled throb that could be heard coming from the previous room.
In here I smelled blood as well as sex. My gut twisted with fear. Out of the corner of my eye I could see the outline of a naked woman, tied to a pole with her arms above her head, a look of bliss on her face. A fully nude man fed from her inner thigh and a half-dressed woman fed on her throat.
“Vampires,” Noah said. “Lots of them.”
“No shit.”
And suddenly, every eye in the house went to me.
“Keep walking,” Noah said.
“Trying to.” I stumbled on something on the ground and a cool hand reached out to steady me. I didn’t see who it belonged to, but it slid up my bare thigh under the edge of my skirt and headed north. I slipped away from whoever it was before they got any friendlier.
“She’s for Alex,” our guide snapped. “Hands off unless you want it permanently removed from your body.”
That helped save me from any more groping, but I still felt the curious stares weighed down with hunger as I moved through the hot room, silent except for the sounds of feeding or grunts and moans of pleasure.
There was a mirrored wall in front of us that reflected the darkly lit Hieronymus Bosch scene behind me. The Silver Cross was my first vampire sex club. I sincerely hoped it would be my last.
My own image was reflected before me—heavy makeup, midnight black hair and eyes, and a tiny tight dress to match. Long bare legs, stiletto heels. I looked like someone who belonged in a place like this. The thought wasn’t much of a comfort.
Our vampire guide opened a door hidden in the mirror that led into another dark room. Noah was about to walk through, but was stopped.
“Just the human,” the guide said.
“Jill—” Noah began.
“It’s okay.” I swallowed hard and took a deep breath to steady myself. “Wait out here for me. I’ll be fine.”
Noah frowned. He might be acting as if he was totally in control, but just being in a place like this had pushed him a little further over the edge. His eyes were black and hunger had branched over his cheekbones.
He nodded. “Try not to die.” It might have sounded like a joke if he didn’t look so serious.
I stepped through the door and it slowly closed between us. I then realized that the mirror was two-way glass, and from this new room I could see everything that was going on right next door. This was an observation room.
“I was told to expect you.”
I stiffened at the smooth, deep voice and fear snaked through me.
Showtime, I thought.
Time to be a killer.
17
THE ROOM WAS LIT WITH CANDLES. HUNDREDS OF them. There was a huge room with an enormous bed to one side. On the bed were several naked bodies—at least three: two men and a woman—tangled in the bloodstained white satin sheets. They weren’t moving. I hoped they were only sleeping after a completely consensual threesome.
The rattle of chains to my right grabbed my attention and my head whipped in that direction to see a monster dhampyr straining against its bindings. It was naked, with pale translucent skin, thick pockets of which drooped from its protruding abdomen. It had an alien appearance—slightly human, but mostly not. It was bald, with a large flat face and enormous eyes that were entirely black. Thin white lips peeled back to show ragged, sharp teeth and a thick black tongue. At the end of its long thin arms, each of its tapered fingers was tipped with a razor-sharp talon—the same talons a monster dhamp used to claw its way out of its human mother’s body.
I shuddered with fear and disgust at the sight of it.
“Blooooddd,” it moaned in a hoarse whisper. “Waanntt bloooddd.”
“Ignore him. He’s always hungry.”
Be strong, I thought as I pushed down a sob rising in my throat. I found myself frozen in place unable to look away from the monster toward the man who spoke. This is about survival, nothing else. As soon as you can kill this vampire, the sooner you can get the fuck out of here.
“Seems like something that’s hard to ignore,” I said.
“He won’t hurt you if you don’t get close to him. Come here.”
I swallowed hard and finally tore my gaze away from the chained monster to focus on the direction of the vampire’s voice. Through the darkness of the room I could see him seated on a metal chair.
A wheelchair.
I forced myself to move toward him, straining to see what awaited me. The high heels pinched my feet. My heart drummed painfully in my chest, and a cool trickle of perspiration slid down my bare back.
“I can smell your fear,” Alex said. “Practically taste it.”
As I drew closer I stifled my shock as I finally saw what was in front of me. There had been one time when this vampire had been devastatingly attractive. Dark hair brushed his shoulders, his face was akin to a male model’s with sensual lips and high cheekbones. Broad shoulders. Square jaw. The works.
But he had no legs. And he had no eyes.
I inhaled sharply.
He smiled. “Kristoff didn’t warn you about what I looked like?”
“The subject didn’t come up.” My voice sounded weak.
“I lost these in a war a very long time ago.” He touched his thighs that had nothing below the knee. Then he touched his eyes, sunken and blackened. “And I lost these in a fight a bit more recently than that.”
“A fight.”
“The sun isn’t a friend to my kind.”
His eyes had been burned away because he’d gone out into the sunshine. I’d heard about the results of this, but I hadn’t seen it for myself. Alex had been blinded and that made him much more vulnerable now.
“I can smell your pity,” he said. “Trust me, it’s not necessary. My senses are much more acute now than they ever were before.”
“I don’t pity you.”
“Disgust, then?”
“Just surprise, that’s all.”
He leaned back in his wheelchair. “How do you feel about being given from one vampire to another? Is this your thing?”
“My thing?” My shoes pinched me. It was distracting.
He leaned forward a little. “Are you a whore, Jillian?”
I stiffened. I guess that was what this seemed like—me being sent out from Kristoff like a fruit basket in a tight black dress. “I’m not a whore. I’m a prisoner.”
“So you have no choice.”
“Pretty much.”
“But you’re not fighting it. It makes me believe he’s blackmailing you in some way—perhaps keeping someone you love captive to make you go along with his plans.” He absently played with a large gold ring on his index finger that was set with a huge ruby. It was the ring Kristoff wanted me to take as proof of his death.
I eyed him and the ring warily. “Sounds like you know him.”
“It’s been a long time since I last spoke with him, but some acquaintances leave a lasting impression. Kristoff is one of them.” He cocked his head. “Come closer. Since I can’t see you I’ll need more evidence that he sent me an acceptable gift.”
I wanted to stay hard and focused right now, but I couldn’t help the disgust, and, yes, pity I felt for this once handsome and once human man. I cast a glance over my shoulder. The monster dhampyr was silent and watching me, its chest moving in and out. A line of drool slid down the side of its mouth to the floor.
I got close enough that Alex could smell more than just m
y fear. This time he was the one to inhale sharply. “My God. Your scent . . .”
I tensed. “I’m kind of special.”
“He sent word that your blood is ambrosia—food for the gods. That I’ve never tasted anything like you in my entire existence.”
That was an understatement if ever I’d heard one. Kristoff really wanted this guy dead, but for the life of me I couldn’t figure out why. He didn’t seem to be any threat. He might be the leader of the Amarantos Society, but he couldn’t function without assistance. He was blind. He couldn’t walk. He was helpless. Why send me to do Kristoff’s dirty work when anyone willing to kill would do?
Then again, why not? I already knew Kristoff enjoyed his experiments. I was yet another experiment. He didn’t think I could do it and I wasn’t entirely convinced of it myself.
“Closer,” Alex said.
Any closer and I’d be sitting on his lap.
I forced myself to lean toward him and I willed my sympathy for him to go far, far away. This wasn’t a normal veteran of a war who’d sustained serious injuries fighting to keep his country free. This was a vampire who owned a sex club and had three unconscious—possibly dead—humans in his bed no more than twenty feet away from us right now, not to mention a monster dhamp chained to his wall. He was a sightless predator on wheels.
Feeling sorry for this guy I had to kill wasn’t going to make this any damn easier.
“Yes, you smell good.” His lips curved. He placed his cool fingertips on my face and slid them over my forehead, my cheeks, nose, chin, and jaw. One hand slid into my hair, which he brought to his nose so he could inhale its scent. “You’re warm, too.”
“Ninety-eight point six.”
He touched my hands for a moment, my short nails, my palms. His touch wasn’t rough, but it did nothing to relax me. Apart from my fear, I didn’t like being inspected like a slab of beef to determine my quality. He touched the silky material of my dress, his hands skimming down my sides. I stiffened and he stopped at my waist.
“Nice dress.” His smile looked slightly wicked at the edges. I’d assume blood was not the only thing Kristoff had promised from my visit.
“It’s borrowed.”
“Color?”
“Black.”
“What color is your hair?”
“Black.”
“How old are you, Jillian?”
“Twenty-eight.”
“You’re different from what I expected.” His hands moved back up to tangle in my hair and he brought my face down level to his.
“Am I?” I felt sick to my stomach. How far was I willing to go to make this work? I would have thought he’d already have bitten me by now, but nothing had happened, only a light groping that I hoped was over. “What were you expecting?”
“I’m not sure.” He leaned back in his wheelchair a little, his face tilted up as if he was gazing at me. “Assassins are usually a bit more forward than this.”
I froze. “What?”
“I know who you are, Jillian. I know what you are.”
I shifted back, but he had my hair so tightly in his grip I could barely move. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“You’re the woman with the poisoned blood. And Kristoff sent you here to kill me.”
Busted. The thought was like a physical blow. I’d expected many things from this encounter, including putting myself directly in harm’s way, but I hadn’t expected that he’d already know about me. If I ran, I’d never get out of here alive.
I swallowed. “Are you going to kill me?”
His lips thinned. “That depends on how you answer my next question.”
I didn’t struggle any more. I watched him carefully. “What’s the question?”
“Did Kristoff’s immortality ritual work? The one he shared with Matthias?”
“I don’t know.” I didn’t trust Alex. He was the leader of the secret society that initiated the ritual in the first place. Sara’s safety was in jeopardy if anyone knew about the ritual’s effectiveness. I couldn’t let that happen.
“I think you do know. Matthias drank your blood. He still lives, doesn’t he?”
“It—it’s true. At least, the last time I saw him he was still . . . alive.”
A look of relief crossed Alex’s tense expression. “Good. Kristoff needs to be removed from the throne. He never should have been released from his prison.”
“It’s a little late for that.”
“It’s never too late.”
I watched the emotions play on his face. This wasn’t a subject that held any apathy for him. He was convinced that Kristoff was just as evil as Matthias said he was. “You were expecting him to make an attempt on your life?”
“Of course.”
“Why? What are you to him? Just a rival? An enemy?”
He smiled, but it lacked humor. “We have a long history. Kristoff sired me three hundred years ago. He, Matthias, and myself—we had a great deal of fun together for a very long time. But they had much more drive than I did. I was fine with simply existing. They wanted power.”
“So they killed the last king.” It was a guess more than anything.
“Yes. He was a fool, the old king. Half mad. He was easy to defeat since his subjects were ready for a change. Matthias and Kristoff agreed to share the power—they were so alike back then. Kristoff is the older by minutes so he was to be first, and after an agreed-to time, he’d hand the throne over to Matthias.”
“But he didn’t.”
“No. He changed his mind. Power had gone to his head, and it affected his and Matthias’s relationship. That’s when he discovered the immortality ritual. He hoped it would bind him and Matthias together eternally, so he’d be forgiven any of his sins. Matthias felt otherwise.”
To say the least. “That was the straw that broke the camel’s back. The ritual that killed Kristoff’s daughter.”
“Yes. But Matthias’s distrust and growing abhorrence toward his brother was a long time coming.”
“What did you have to do with it? And why does Kristoff hate you so much?”
He sighed and finally let go of my hair. I straightened up but didn’t back away. He was speaking quietly, as if afraid someone might overhear us.
“I sided with Matthias. But there was never any doubt about whom I would choose. I chose him over my own sire and Kristoff resented that. Matthias owned my heart and what remained of my soul. Kristoff saw himself and his brother as two sides of the same coin, interchangeable, but there was a difference. Both could be cruel and unforgiving when they had to be, but—” He shook his head. “Matthias was different. Better, in my opinion, than his brother in many ways.”
There was something more than simple respect in his voice. “You and Matthias—were together?”
“We were. Although, I was much more”—he smiled wistfully—“faithful to him than he ever could be to me. It’s something one has to accept when involved with someone like him. His hungers must be satisfied, and jealousy doesn’t fit into that equation.”
Matthias had hinted that, while he preferred women, he hadn’t been all that sexually exclusive over the years. This was the proof. It surprised me, but not as much as I would have thought. “Was it a fight with Kristoff that made you lose your eyes?”
His smile faded. “No. Matthias caused this.”
I actually gasped out loud. “Matthias did this to you?”
He touched the edges of his ruined eyes. “Twenty years ago he heard a rumor that I was conspiring to have his brother released from the prison he’d created for him. It was a lie, but he wasn’t thinking straight, and sometimes rage makes a man do horrible things. He had his blood servants drag me outside as punishment. I couldn’t find shelter. A few minutes I could have healed from, but it was hours before he realized his mistake. By then it was too late.”
The thought of this made me feel physically ill. Matthias did this. He’d had Alex dragged outside knowing it would fry the eyes right
out of his skull. “I—I’m so sorry.”
“Be careful with him, Jillian. He can be . . .” He hesitated. “Passionate to a fault. Be wary, especially since I know you’re bound to him now.”
I forced my nausea away at the picture of melting eyeballs and stupid, enraged vampires out of my head. “How do you know that?”
“The same informant who told me that you would be sent here to kill me tonight said that he’d claimed you to save your life, hoping to use your blood against Kristoff.”
“Your informant is full of useful information.”
The smile returned. “He is.”
“So you hate Matthias.”
“No. The contrary. I forgive mistakes, although I must admit it took me a long time. To help atone for this, Matthias bought me this nightclub so I could easily feed off the desire contained inside. It’s a nightly feast and I never have to worry about going hungry. In return, I’ve kept things with the Amarantos as quiet and controlled as possible. This hasn’t been accepted by all members. Some are still interested in the immortality ritual. I’m able to keep a lid on this, and any members who are out to make trouble are removed.”
I wasn’t sure if removed meant their membership was revoked, or if they were removed from being alive. I didn’t ask. “Sounds like you’re a good leader.”
“I’ve tried to be. I’ve seen what can happen when the wrong person has power, and that’s what I want to avoid at all costs.”
I nodded even though he wouldn’t be able to see it. “Fair enough.”
“If I let you leave here, Jillian, you must promise me something. Will you do that?”
I searched his face for deception, but saw nothing there. What disgust I’d originally felt toward him had faded into something more like admiration. This vampire wasn’t one of the bad ones—despite all evidence to the contrary. Over my shoulder I heard a sleepy groan as the occupants of the bed slowly woke. They weren’t dead. Just sleeping. The thought was a relief.
Maybe I could get Alex to give me his ring to prove he was dead. It would buy me enough time to get my nieces out of the house and back to my sister. Then I’d tell her to leave the city—get somewhere safe until all of this blew over. It made sense to me. It felt right.