”But.” I looked around. “Where am I?”
”You’re home. This used to be Johan’s place, but now it’s yours.” He opened the door and walked out. “I’ll be back later.” He shut the door after him.
Well, for fuck’s sake. I stared at the closed door in confusion, but as soon as Paul left, Monica came in.
She looked relieved. “You’re awake. We didn’t know what to expect.” She wrung her hands. “I’m so sorry, Kim. We didn’t know. We thought that it would be as good to you as it was to Johan.”
I shrugged. I didn’t care about that right now. Tony wasn’t talking to me, Paul had just walked out, and I might have killed one of my donors. “How is Mara?”
Monica stared. “You’re not upset?”
”Yeah. I’m really worried about Mara. If she doesn’t recover …“
Monica stared at me. “Johan would have punished us.”
I frowned. ”Why? He was the one feeding you drugs. Monica, understand this. You’re dealing with a person who is more human than Vampire. And I will tell you now that there are going to be some changes.”
She sighed. “Thank you. Mara is going to be fine. How do you feel?”
”Anxious, wired.” I looked around. “So this is Johan’s bedroom?”
”Johan?” She smiled at me. “Who’s Johan? This is your bedroom.”
We both grinned.
Monica took me on a tour of my new home. She told me that the ladies had gotten rid of most of Johan’s personal effects so the home was pretty much a blank canvas.
I liked it, The house had everything that I would normally love. There were gardens and a Rookwood floor in the solarium. It was a traditional home versus Tony’s modern mansion, but it was way too big. There was like twenty-two rooms! Yeah, I should have been hoo-ha! But I still couldn’t help feeling that there was no reason why this should all come to me. It didn’t seem real. So when Monica told me my liquid assets were fifteen-point something, something million, she might as well have said, “You have a gazillion trillion dollars in the bank.” It was too overwhelming to think about.
”Tony was here,” she said after showing me the fifth guest bedroom.
This time I did a better job of hiding my reaction. ”Why?”
She looked at me in confusion. “You two are an item, aren’t you? I thought ... at the Council meeting he said you were under his protection.”
I looked at her. “It didn’t mean anything more than that.”
”Oh. He was angry and took away the pills that Johan had been feeding us. Paul has been at your side constantly. Tony wasn’t happy about that either, but he couldn’t make Paul leave.”
Yeah. I was the one to do that. I sighed.
Monica’s brow lifted.
”What?”
”Most Vampires don’t do that. Breathe.”
I chuckled dryly. “Yeah, I can’t seem to stop doing it. Especially when I’m anxious, which is all the time.”
”Kim, I know that Paul is your assistant, but I hope you will keep us all around.”
“Monica, don’t worry about that. If you want to stay and work with me I’ll welcome it. You understand my predicament. I have no idea what to do in this role. I’m going to rely on you and the other ladies to help me.”
”Then honestly, there are a number of issues for you to decide on.” She led me to my new office.
I enjoyed this room as it had an oversized desk made of some old, antique furniture redone into a desk. The walls were covered with bookshelves, and there were three computers. I knew there was some significance to having more than one computer, but I didn’t ask.
I sat in a plush leather chair and got comfortable.
She gave me a sad look. “First the bad news.” The pretty blond woman met my eyes. “Your family was informed of a fire in the apartment that you used to live in. It was contained,” she added quickly, “but unfortunately not before you met your demise. Your funeral will have to be closed casket, and I’m sorry to say that your family is not taking it well. Luckily you had just opened an accidental life insurance policy that left your mother, brother and sister, as well as your best friend, extremely wealthy.”
I blinked.
“Tony secured some of your possessions, which you will find in the lower level. He feared taking too much or it might appear suspicious. But pictures and personal effects have been saved. In time the money will be a source of comfort to them.”
I nodded, happy that I had at least taken the time to call my mom that one last time. ”What other issues do we have to discuss?”
“There are over three hundred appointments that need to be made to resolve human and Vampire conflicts.”
“Wait … I thought you just said that my death was the bad news. This is the good news?”
She shook her head. “No. This is the worst news.”
I scratched my head and scowled. “What kind of conflicts?”
”Mostly breaking contracts. Slavery, theft …“
”Go back to slavery,” I said calmly. “Explain that.”
Monica told me that Seconds sometimes forced their donors to give all of their wages to them, which essentially equated to slavery. I had Monica explain how Johan handled these things. Mostly he made decisions based on how he felt that day.
”Do you all give him input?” I asked.
”No.” She gasped. “He never asks for help.”
”Well, we’re going to form a committee. With an accountant, attorney, personal secretary, and international affairs coordinator we can rule the world.” I couldn’t remember the name of the lady who would be doing the interior design, but I was going to make sure she was going to be kept busy redoing the house. And, of course, I was going to need a wardrobe. I loved the clothes Tony had picked for me, but I wasn’t there to be his eye candy. I needed to look like, well, me.
We spent hours considering how to tackle the most immediate needs. Monica was going to set up the appointments starting tomorrow. The easy ones would be scheduled first, and I’d mainly observe and let the others do the talking.
”Be prepared to knock a few heads,” she said matter-of-factly. “They’re going to test you. No doubt about that.”
”How do I knock heads?”
She smiled. “I’d start with wearing a crucifix during the meetings.”
”I like you, Monica.”
”Good, because we’re going to be together for a long time.”
It turned out Monica lived with me. She had a suite of rooms in an entire wing of the house that looked comfy. It was only the two of us other than a maid who came twice a week.
Monica retired to her room at around midnight, and I roamed around the neat lower level, going through the last of my old life. I frowned when I came to my collection of Blaxploitation movies, and an urge to be human again nearly overwhelmed me. This is not my life. This is not who I am.
I returned to my bedroom thinking about the cruelty that I’d inflicted on the two men who cared about me. I couldn’t do anything about Tony, but I could make it up to Paul.
Without bothering to change, I decided that I would go to him. When I thought of Paul—his essence—he was easy to trace. I suppose he could have blocked himself from me, but he had probably never thought to do that even though he obviously knew how.
Realization hit me like a ton of bricks, staggering me. I sat heavily on my bed. Paul would never block me out. I put my head in my hands. I felt utterly disgusted with myself. I had pushed that man aside so many times it was a wonder that he hadn’t walked out on me before.
Paul was always there for me.
He was the one I could count on with the important as well as mundane things. Paul was the one who made me laugh. And even though he didn’t have any otherworldly power, he never hesitated to stand by my side to protect me. Let’s face it—Paul looked awesome in a towel.
I felt elated that I had come to terms with my feelings. I still felt something for Tony, but it was cloud
ed with distrust. It wasn’t that he kept secrets from me. I felt that this Vampire was too much of a mystery for me. Paul felt safe. I smiled, stood, and thought about him—his taste, his smell, his looks. I recalled his quiet cries as he came against me, and then I clearly had his link in my grasp. If he still wanted me, I would be his.
I sped to his home. When I felt overcome with the sounds of the outside world, I found I could push the voices into the background and eventually ignore them. It was Paul’s technique that helped me. Later, we could practice with my teeth.
I found myself standing outside of his building looking up to his balcony. Making sure no one was watching, I jumped and landed dead center on the balcony. I thought about projecting myself into his house, but I didn’t want to scare the shit out of him.
I raised my hand to knock on the glass and looked through the slats of the blinds.
Paul was making love with a pretty girl who was riding him wildly.
I felt as if a fist had knocked everything loose in my body and plummeted to lodge heavily in the pit of my stomach. I closed my eyes to block out the sight of them. I needed to get out of there. If he sensed me outside the door, I’d just die.
~***~
I thought about Johan’s house, and with barely any memory of movement found myself back in my bedroom.
I kept my mind blank. I refused to think about Paul, or Tony, or Alexis. I wasn’t going to think about the three hundred appointments that needed to be made or how I was going to keep my new family safe during them. I wouldn’t think of the pain that my old family was experiencing. I told myself that I would not think about Mara in the hospital recovering from a bite that I had inflicted on her. But most of all, I didn’t want to remember the way Paul had felt pressed against me and his soft cries of pleasure as he came against me ...
I only wanted peace.
I went to my new master bathroom and ran a hot bath. I lit the candles that had been set up in the corner of the Jacuzzi tub. Johan had a hidden sound system, but when I scanned the channels and only found sad opera music, I turned it off.
I stripped out of my clothes and eased myself into the super-hot water. It was too hot, but so what? It couldn’t kill me. I closed my eyes and tried to revel in the blankness of my mind.
I felt the tingly, prickly feel at the back of my neck and knew that Tony was there even before I opened my eyes.
He knelt beside the bathtub and studied my face. “How do you feel?”
I didn’t bother to cover myself. He’d already seen my breasts anyway, and I just didn’t care about anything right now.
”Better.” I let my head roll back against the tub and closed my eyes.
”I didn’t know about the blood thinners or the drugs. I didn’t know that Johan was doing that to them.”
What about the abuse? Did he know about that?
Tony’s voice grew soft. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
I nodded without looking at him. It was quiet for a while.
I felt the water ripple against me. I opened my eyes and looked at him.
His fingers were making small waves in the bath. ”I owe you an apology.”
“Apologize, then.”
”Will you forgive me for my behavior these past few days?”
”You kept my hunger even after you said you’d give it back to me.”
“Yes.”
”Then I forgive you.” I felt him trying to understand what I was feeling, but I didn’t want him to understand. I wanted to be left alone.
”Believe me, I wouldn’t have left you while you were sick if it weren’t really important. I have to tell you something because I promised myself that I wouldn’t keep anything from you again.”
What in the world could he have to tell me that would be important to me? Damnit, was he planning to force me to care about something? And something bad, I’m sure.
“What is it?” I asked.
”We found Tige.”
”Ohh,” I moaned. “No.” I sat up and brushed past him to reach for my towel. I got out and wrapped it around my body. “Is he okay?”
Tony sat on the edge of the tub. “He’s alive.”
I tucked the towel securely around my body. “What’s going to happen now?”
Tony looked away. “He’ll be put to death.”
I groaned. “I have to see him.”
”I know.”
I hurried into the bedroom and threw open the closet doors, hoping that someone had left me clothes. Good. They’d sent my clothes from Tony’s house. ”Did you kick me out of your house?” He had been so mad at me. I didn’t quite know how I had ended up here.
”No,” he said. “I didn’t want you to leave. Paul ... he brought you here.”
I glanced at him. “Why?”
”We don’t see eye-to-eye when it comes to you. So ... he whisked you away.”
I frowned and shook my head. “And when did Paul become the boss of me?”
His mouth formed a straight angry line. “He is your lover.”
I rolled my eyes while pulling on underwear. “You have to be the most jealous Vampire in history. I’m not having sex with Paul. And for your information, I have not had sex with Alexis, either. I don’t want to have sex with anybody right now.“
”But the other night. You and Paul were ... I heard you cry out ...”
I felt the blood rush to my face. “I ... needed help with my teeth. That’s all.”
Tony stared at me openmouthed then turned so dark I thought he would explode because of all the blood in his face.
”Now why are you pissed?” I asked.
”I’m not pissed,” he growled. “I …” He concentrated on the floor. “I wanted you to come to me for help with your teeth, not others. I could have shown you easily how to control them.”
I pulled on black pants. I was happy that it had all backfired on him. “I don’t think I’ll be needing that kind of help anymore. Alexis has shown me some things.” I planned on taking my next available moments to practice—on my own!
His teeth clenched. “I’m sure he did.”
”Tony,” I said while buttoning up a blood red blouse. “He let me join with his mind. Then I could understand things better.”
Tony didn’t look quite as angry as before. “I heard that Elders could do that with each other. I didn’t know they could share memories with younger Vampires.” Tony’s eyes swept over me before he looked away. “I heard there are a lot of talents Elders can share with their minds.”
I shrugged, ignoring the innuendo. “Where is my comb, brush, makeup, perfume?” I asked, anxiously opening up drawers. I could see how Paul might not have remembered to bring those things, but how in the hell didn’t the ladies know to send me my personal care products? Maybe it was because I looked like such a grunge the first time they’d seen me. Never mind.
Tony was sitting on the edge of the bed watching me.
I grabbed his hand. “Take me to Tige.”
With a nod he stood, and then the sickening movement began. When it stopped, I wasn’t surprised to be in the Council house. Of course Tige would be here. It was the place I hated most of all.
We were in the lower levels, but I had never seen this room. It was fairly small, and there was a man sitting in a chair outside of a small shiny door. I knew that the man was a human. His smell reminded me of Paul and Mei Wah, and he, too, was someone’s donor.
Tony held me back. He pointed to the door. “That is silver. Jonathan is going to open the door for us, and once we go in we will be in a hall that is lined in silver. Don’t worry. You will be able to touch the walls since they are layered in stone. In the hall is another door that leads to a cell. The door that leads to the inner cell has fine silver mesh embedded in it. We can touch everything within this area, but understand that you will not be able to transport from inside. If that door locks with you on the inside, you will be a prisoner.”
I nodded.
Tony nodded to Jonathan, who
slid the pocket doors back into the walls. Once they were completely within the wall, Tony led me into the hall. Jonathan closed the door after us. Tony didn’t even seem to notice. When the door was closed, I saw that it was sheathed in wood on our side so we could knock if we needed to.
Tony produced a key from his pants pocket. Once he unlocked the door, I stopped him.
”I want to see him alone.”
Tony frowned.
“I need to talk to him privately.”
He drew in a long breath. He seemed to do that a lot with me. ”Okay. But you do understand that you cannot break him out of this prison.”
I nodded.
He turned away. “Call me if you need me. You’ll have to speak. The metal prevents us from linking psychically. And don’t try projecting yourself out of the room, because even if you could you’d be dead before you got to the other side.”
I nodded and opened the door.
Tige was sitting on the floor with his back against a cement wall. The room was totally bare. He watched me.
He looked just as I remembered. His dreads were tied behind him by one long lock looped loosely around the others.
”I heard that you have done well,” Tige said.
The sound of his voice brought shivers up and down my spine. It wasn’t how I felt with Tony or Alexis or even Paul. It was much more intense but without the sexual overtones.
Tige felt like a blood relation.
I knelt in front of him “How long have you been here?”
”Since yesterday.”
”Have you fed?”
”Why? Are you going to offer me your neck now?”
I noticed he had a slight Caribbean accent. “If you need it, then yes.”
”There is no need.” I closed my eyes and inhaled him deeply. I felt his hands touch my cheeks. “You have many questions.”
I opened my eyes. “Yeah, I do. Why did you leave me with no answers?”
”It wasn’t my intent to leave you alone,” Tige said. “It wasn’t even my intent to turn you. I was going to drive you home when another car hit mine. You were badly injured and I ... I didn’t want to be the cause of your death. I gave you the kiss of life. Once I had made that decision I knew I would be hunted. There was no reason to give you that death sentence, too.”