Blood Bath & Beyond

  “Is Thierry here?” He glanced around the small café.

  “No. He’s back at the hotel.”

  “Will you be here long? I’d like to speak to you for a minute.”

  I watched him a bit warily. “I’ll be here for a little longer.”

  He nodded, then went to the counter to order his drink. He returned a couple minutes later to find me at a table in the corner. I eyed a discarded copy of the newspaper with today’s date on it. There was no mention made on the front page about the murders, nor in the first few pages I flipped through.

  He sat down across from me on a padded black leather chair. He also had two cups, one with what looked like a regular brewed coffee, and the other that had been filled with blood but was now empty.

  “Laura raved about you last night,” he said. “She likes you a lot.”

  “Glad to hear it. I like to be liked. She was great, too.”

  “When you truly connect with someone else with whom you have many things in common, it’s something that should be cherished as much as possible.”

  I crossed my legs and swirled the thick espresso in the small cup. My body language practically screamed: I am uncomfortable! “I totally agree.”

  “Thierry and I were once very close friends. He helped me out shortly after I was sired with advice and guidance. It was a confusing time for me and I’ll never forget that kindness.”

  I grimaced a little. “Look, I don’t know what caused the recent friction between you two, but I have to say, it feels a bit weird to be talking to you behind Thierry’s back.”

  “Did he discuss our argument with you?”

  “No.”

  “Please don’t feel strangely about what you saw last night. It had nothing to do with you.” He leaned back in his seat. “Many friendships are torn apart because of money.”

  My eyebrows went up. “You were arguing last night about money?”

  “Is that so hard to believe?”

  “Actually, yes.” I knew Thierry had a lot of money, but it had never been an issue or anything he got upset about.

  “So he didn’t fill you in on any of the details? None at all?”

  This just reminded me of how secretive my fiancé was. “Thierry isn’t much of a sharer.”

  He nodded. “Those who reveal too much about themselves are often the ones who get into the deepest trouble. It’s always been one of my faults—perhaps I share too much. I don’t keep many secrets from Laura. Well, except for the one Thierry and I share.”

  Color me intrigued. Whenever there was the slightest chance of learning more about Thierry’s very long history, I was practically drooling. He was a constant enigma to me—one I’d come to trust, but had never stopped being insanely curious about.

  I studied Bernard’s face as he watched my reaction to what he’d said so far. “Okay, so tell me.”

  “Tell you what?”

  “It’s obvious that you’re dying to tell me something horrible about Thierry. Do you think that you can say anything that will make me dislike him? Are you trying to get some sort of revenge on him?”

  He laughed under his breath. “Is that really what you think I’m doing?”

  “Well, after overhearing you and him screaming at each other—”

  Bernard cut me off. “He was the only one upset, if you’ll recall.”

  I regarded the centuries-old vampire in front of me with caution. “He’s never normally like that. He keeps his emotions under control almost all of the time.”

  “That must be frustrating for you. To be involved with such a passionless and secretive man.”

  That only got my back up and made me want to defend Thierry. “He might be secretive, but there’s nothing missing in our relationship when it comes to passion.”

  “Glad to hear it.” The comment had earned me the edge of a leer to the vampire’s gaze.

  I closed my mouth, feeling I was being a little too open with somebody I barely knew. This wasn’t about my relationship with Thierry; this was about whatever secret Bernard wanted to tell me. And I wanted to hear it. Of course, I would be taking anything he said with a three-carat-sized grain of salt.

  “So tell me whatever you sought me out here to tell me, Bernard,” I said. “I’m all ears.”

  He watched me for a few moments as if trying to figure me out. “My finding you here was a coincidence.”

  I just looked at him. “Sure it was.”

  He snorted. “You’re a very good judge of character, Sarah.”

  “Actually, I’m a lousy judge of character. I tend to see only the good in people until they prove otherwise. It’s my Achilles’ heel.”

  My Achilles’ heel had many blisters on it. Blind trust and wanting to see the good in people had led me into trouble time and time again. Still, I preferred it to being jaded, cynical, and guarded about everyone all the time.

  “You want to know why Thierry threatened to kill me last night,” Bernard said. “Well, it’s very simple. I hold one of two keys to a safe-deposit box that contains a small fortune in diamonds.”

  “Diamonds.” I couldn’t help but echo him like a surprised parrot.

  He nodded. “When Thierry and I were close friends, we got into some trouble together. Or rather we tended to cause trouble. Two hundred years ago things were much different. The Ring didn’t exist to govern the behavior of vampires. Hunters believed us to be murderous villains whether or not we gave these beliefs just cause. And sometimes we liked to play with that reputation.”

  “Meaning what?”

  “Frustration can lead to bad choices, Sarah. And revenge upon those perceived to have caused us pain can lead to much worse. I regret it now, as I’m sure Thierry does, but what’s done is done. And the diamonds could do a great deal of good for so many people.”

  I shook my head. “You’ve lost me already.”

  His jaw tightened. “I told Laura about this, but I glossed over many of the more unpleasant details. I know quite a bit about your history, Sarah. I know you’ve faced death several times and have fallen into dangerous situations, so you know that the world is not a safe place. It is one thing that Laura hasn’t experienced, that you two don’t have in common. She’s never come face-to-face with a hunter. She’s never felt the pain of true hunger. She’s never seen death before her very eyes. But you have.”

  His words haunted me and brought back more than one unpleasant memory. “I have. But that was then and this is now. I’ve learned a lot from my mistakes.”

  “As have we all.”

  “So tell me what you didn’t tell Laura.”

  He went silent for a moment and the buzz of the small café around us filled my ears like a hive of fanged and caffeinated bees. “There was a group of hunters who staked vampires and stole their fortunes, feeling they were the good guys, the white hats. This was in England in its Regency era.”

  “Pride and Prejudice,” I said. “Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth and Jane Austen—the version without the zombies.”

  “Yes.” He smiled wistfully. “Laura loves to read Jane Austen as well as modern-day historical romances, so I don’t like to tell her that it wasn’t all parties and courting, dukes and duchesses. For those not part of the upper crust of society, it was a very bleak and miserable time.”

  “Glad I missed it. I much prefer cell phones and flush toilets. So these hunters that stole from vampires—what happened to them?”

  “Thierry and I decided to show them that they couldn’t walk over us anymore.” He shook his head. “Funny, we were so similar back then—so different than now. That he has agreed to take over my job as consultant amazes me. He never struck me as someone who was interested in the welfare and safety of others.”

  I gave him a sour look at the passive-aggressive insult toward Thierry. “He says they made him an offer he couldn’t refuse.”

  He cocked his head. “I wonder what it was. Money?”

  “I doubt it.” Thierry would never take this job for a ba
sic paycheck. That much I knew for sure.

  “I know that he has assets tucked away in many hidden places—apart from the diamonds. Even if on paper he appears bankrupt, there is a great deal of money he has stored away for a rainy day. Does that make you happy, Sarah?”

  I shifted in my seat and tried to hold back my glare at what he was implying. “Do you think I’m a gold digger?”

  “Are you?”

  “No. Money’s nice, but I know it doesn’t buy happiness. Thierry’s money isn’t the reason I’m with him. I’m with him because I love him.”

  “That’s good to hear. As much as I have my differences with him, I don’t like to think that he’d let himself be taken in by someone who doesn’t really care about him.”

  “What did you do to the hunters?” I asked, feeling a bit of anxiety creep in at the sides. I wanted to keep this conversation on track so it could be over with quickly. Out of the corner of my eye I saw the coffin open up, and two new people entered and headed to the counter. “I’m hoping it was a strict talking down to, explaining the situation and telling them to stop being stake-flinging jerks.”

  Bernard took a sip of his coffee before putting the cup down on the table between us. “We planned to kidnap the leader so we could talk to him and rationally explain the situation, but it didn’t turn out that way. He fought us, his friends joined in, blood was spilled. And Thierry…” He trailed off.

  I watched him tensely. “Thierry what?”

  His gaze flicked to mine. “I’m sure you know by now that he has difficulties with his thirst.”

  “He’s a master vampire. I heard you all have issues in that department.”

  “That’s not true.” He nodded at his empty glass. “As you can see, I can drink whenever I like—although I don’t need it nearly as much as a fledgling would.”

  I glanced around the café. Nobody seemed particularly interested in listening in on our conversation at the moment. The gathered vampires were all minding their own business, which was a good thing. “So the hunters were bleeding and you’re saying that Thierry lost control of himself because of that.” I said it simply. I could put two and two together and come up with something vaguely close to four.

  He nodded. “There were ten hunters in that house and when we were done, none were left alive.”

  A wave of nausea swept over me at that carnage-filled mental image. “That was a long time ago.”

  “Yes, it was. And to be quite honest with you, Sarah, I never felt a great deal of guilt over it. They were horrible men who’d done horrible things. That I was partially the cause of their deaths did not keep me awake that night or any night afterward.”

  I swallowed hard. “And Thierry? How did he feel about it?”

  Bernard smiled, but it lacked any trace of humor. “He didn’t want to talk about it, but he never showed any regret. I think for the first time in a very long time his thirst had been totally satisfied. I don’t know for sure, but I think he might have even enjoyed himself.”

  I struggled to keep my expression as blank as possible. “You think he enjoyed helping to massacre ten humans trapped in a house with two bloodthirsty vampires?”

  He noted my look of disgust and had the grace to look ashamed. “That is a question only he could answer. But it wasn’t the cause of our argument last night. After the hunters were dead, we found the stash of diamonds that the hunters had stolen from their previous victims. We hid them away and agreed to meet again in the future to decide what to do with them. We eventually placed them in a safety-deposit box to which we both hold a key. The box can’t be opened without both parties present—or, as far as the bank is concerned, their descendants.”

  I looked at him with disbelief. “So you’re telling me that these diamonds are the reason for your argument.”

  “I asked Thierry to come with me to get the diamonds and to donate them to a good cause rather than let them sit in a box where no one can benefit from them.”

  My mouth was dry. The last cold sip of the bitter espresso didn’t exactly help matters. “I find it hard to believe that Thierry would have a problem with that.”

  “I guess you don’t know him as well as you think you do. He erupted when I even made mention of it. He now denies that anything ever happened with that group of hunters.” His tone shifted to one of bemusement. “Although I wonder how many times that happened—that uncontrollable bloodlust—and how many have died horribly because of it.”

  It was something I rarely thought about, but it did exist in the back of my mind. Thierry had been a vampire for six centuries. How many humans, or even vampires, had come across my fiancé when he was feeling less than his perfectly controlled self?

  Or, in other words, just how many people had Thierry killed?

  Normally, I didn’t like to think about how many women he might have been with over the centuries, but this was disturbing on a whole other level.

  I exhaled shakily. “So I guess now is when I ask you why you wanted to tell me this, Bernard. Because none of what you’ve said changes how I feel about Thierry. Everyone has skeletons in their closet—some just rattle a little louder than others. I forgive him for his past mistakes, even the more unpleasant ones.”

  He scanned my face with his pale green eyes. “You can accept a man that is so completely different from yourself and expect to have a long and healthy relationship with him?”

  “You’re with Laura and you two seem to be doing all right.”

  “I’m a very lucky man.”

  I forced a smile. “So is Thierry.”

  He mirrored my expression. “I’ll admit, I did follow you here, because I wanted a chance to talk to you alone. I didn’t want you to have the wrong impression about me after last night.”

  “Why do you care what I think?”

  “Just the kind of man I am. As a consultant it’s my duty to get to know those around me, those who hold influence over others.”

  Did he think that I had some sort of sway over Thierry’s decisions or actions? “You’re not a consultant anymore.”

  “Thierry hasn’t signed the papers yet. Once he does, my job is at an end.”

  That surprised me. I thought this was a done deal. “There are papers?”

  He nodded. “He’ll have to sign them today or tomorrow. The Ring will be very unhappy if I let them know he hasn’t.”

  I tensed at the unspoken threat. “Wouldn’t want to make the Ring unhappy, would we?”

  “No, trust me. You definitely wouldn’t want to do that.” His smile became strained. “Please let Thierry know that they’ve decided to intervene when it comes to the local murders. I won’t be their main representative in this matter any longer.”

  I pushed the newspaper forward. “You mean the murders that nobody seems to know about?”

  He glanced down at the front page. “The police are keeping the details secret so there isn’t a lot of fuss made about a potential killer vampire in town. It would make national headlines and cause things to become…complicated. The Ring wants to avoid that at all costs.”

  My heart pounded faster than normal. The Ring seriously freaked me out. “What do you mean they’ve intervened?”

  His knuckles whitened on the arms of his chair. “They’ve sent an enforcer to investigate.”

  “An enforcer.” I’d only heard the term a couple of times and it already made a shiver of fear race down my spine.

  “I told them it wasn’t necessary, but they disagreed. He’ll be arriving later today.”

  “So what does that mean?”

  “Nothing to you, but it would probably be a good idea if both you and Thierry stay out of his way. Enforcers can be very particular when it comes to their investigations.”

  I shuddered. “So an enforcer is basically a vampire with a license to kill…vampires.”

  “Exactly.”

  “Sounds charming.”

  “I’d tell Thierry myself, but I have the feeling he doesn’t want to speak
with me again if he can help it.”

  “I’ll tell him. But what about the diamonds you mentioned? Do you think I can help you with that? Is that why you told me all of this?”

  “I’d appreciate it if you tell Thierry that handing over his key to me would do more good than bad in the world.”

  I stood up and my legs felt shaky. I was dealing with a case of information overload. “I’ll think about it.”

  “Thank you.” Bernard stood as well. “Have a good day, Sarah.”

  I watched as he left the blood bank, leaving through the coffin-shaped door that led back into Blood Bath & Beyond.

  I looked over at the listing behind the counter. I really wished they served something a bit more potent than lattes and Frappuccinos.

  After everything I’d just heard, another shot of B-positive sure wasn’t going to do the trick.

  Chapter 5

  When I returned to the suite, Thierry had recovered from his black-eyed state and even changed his shirt to an identical but stab-free one. He hadn’t buttoned it up, so I could see that his chest wound had healed to become pink scar tissue. In a day or two it would vanish completely. It was one of the perks of being a vampire.

  I didn’t say much to him, since I was still absorbing everything I’d learned today, but I was relieved that he was feeling better. Laura called after I’d been back only a couple of minutes and I made plans to go shopping with her for the rest of the afternoon.

  It would be a good opportunity to think about what Bernard had told me—as well as learn how to spend money like the wife of a wealthy master vampire. It involved a platinum American Express card and salesgirls who fell over themselves to get the commission. If I hadn’t been so distracted by tales of diamonds, dead hunters from days of yore, and lethal enforcers, I would have been mightily impressed.

  When I finally returned to the suite at six o’clock, Thierry was seated at the large black desk studying the screen of a new laptop computer.

  “Watching YouTube?” I asked.

  He frowned at me. “YouTube?”

  “It’s a Web site where you can watch videos of people and animals doing stupid things.”