Baited Blood (8 page)

“Yes.” A veil of wariness fell down over Keleta’s face. He turned and fussed with the stereo, popping out the Usher CD and replacing it with the Black Eyed Peas.

“Tell me about it, Keleta?”

“They all want to know.” He turned back around and looked at Madison. “Byron and Ricky, Samuel—they all ask.” He paused, his face clouded over. “Why should I tell you? You are not one of us.” He gave her a boyish grin. “Maybe if you were my consort…”

“Forget it, pal. Get your mind off your pants. And your fangs.”

Madison patted the sofa next to her, but not right next to her. “Sit down and talk to me, Keleta. We’re all just trying to help you. Someone tried to kill you. Just this morning, they dumped another vampire’s body in the Dedhams’ pool, just like they did you.”

At the news, Keleta’s eyes grew round, like two bowls.

“But he didn’t make it, Keleta. This vampire died.”

“Who was he?”

“We don’t know.” Then Madison remembered something. Thankful she’d brought her bag into the den with her, she dug through it and found a copy of Doug’s sketch. She’d brought a few copies along to show Keleta and to leave with Byron and Ricky. She held it out to Keleta, who took it. “But this is a very good likeness.”

After studying the sketch, Keleta dropped to the floor and sat cross-legged, his back against a bookcase. His eyes were closed.

“You knew him, didn’t you?”

Keleta nodded but did not speak or open his eyes. Madison moved off the sofa and joined him on the large Persian rug that covered the glossy wooden floor, placing herself directly in front of him. Reaching out, she touched his hand.

“Who was he, Keleta? Please tell me.”

NINE

W
ithout looking up from his hands, Keleta said, “His name was Parker.”

“Was that his last name or his first?”

Keleta shrugged. “We only went by one name at the castle. His was Parker. I was simply called Keleta.”

“The castle? Was that where you lived after becoming a vampire?”

He nodded, still not looking up. “That’s what she called it. It was a large house that looked like a small castle on the outside.”

A house that looked like a castle. Madison stored the information away; she’d ask Notchey about it later. If it was in Los Angeles, he might know about it. “This Parker, was he an American?”

“Yes. But he did not speak like you.”

“He had a noticeable accent of some kind?”

“To me, you all speak with accent.” Keleta looked up at Madison. The comment could have been said in amusement, but one look at Keleta’s face and she knew it wasn’t. “The others made sport of him. Called him something.” He closed his eyes, then opened them. “A redneck?”

Rednecks usually came from the southern part of the United States, but not always. But with a noticeable accent, Madison was betting Parker was originally from the South.

“How many vampires lived at the castle?”

He shrugged. “Maybe seven or eight of us at a time. Some came. Others left.”

“Men and women?” Madison didn’t know how long he’d allow her questions, so she plowed through them, keeping her warm hand on his cold one, trying to convey that she was on his side.

“All men, except for the consorts.” Keleta looked past Madison, focusing on the wall behind her where there hung an original oil painting of a fruit and flower arrangement. “And her.”

“Her? You mean the woman who branded you?”

He nodded, looking back down again.

“Was she the one who made you a vampire?”

Again, a nod.

“Do you think she was the one who tried to kill you?”

Keleta remained silent. Not even a nod.

“How about Parker?” Madison pressed. “Do you think this woman killed him?”

“No. Parker was liked very much. He was a favorite.”

“How about other vampires? Any go missing?”

Keleta gave it some thought. “Maybe there were others. I do not know. If a vampire left, he was replaced with a new one.”

“Did they say why they were leaving or where they were going?”

“No. They just left or disappeared.”

“Why didn’t you leave, Keleta? Did you like it there?”

He turned his face to her. His eyes were hard, his jaw set. “No, I did not. But where would I go? I couldn’t return to my family.” He flashed his fangs. “Not like this. My parents are good people. Christian people.” He sheathed his fangs and banged his head gently against the bookcase behind him. “What would I tell them? That I stupidly went off with a strange woman and am now a
sheitan
… a monster?”

Though not a vampire, Madison understood clearly that everyone who became a vampire had suffered the heartache of leaving those they loved behind. Doug never saw his two daughters again. Colin had yet to talk about his life before turning, but she knew it saddened him and would forever. Madison only knew one person who had turned vampire by choice, and that had been Dodie. Those who were turned against their will were forced to live a different existence in the dark. But even Dodie missed parts of her old life. One of the reasons she cooked so often for Madison and Notchey was to have familiar smells in the house, even though she and Doug could never eat anything besides blood. Colin kept bowls of citrus fruit in his condo to remind him of the past. Stacie Neroni did charity work for the homeless. Kate Thornton had married a beater, even knowing she would outlive him. They all did things to make themselves feel normal and natural, even if they weren’t.

Keleta stood up and walked over to a large window that looked out onto the back yard of the house. Exterior lights showed a tidy patio with a table and chairs. The patio was edged with redwood boxes of thickly planted perky flowers. Patio lights illuminated the base of the hillside. Beyond the light, the hill was swallowed up in the dark of night.

“I didn’t even know how to feed myself,” Keleta continued to explain. “The consorts gave us blood to drink and a body for pleasure. We were taught nothing about being a vampire—at least none of the things Byron and Ricky are teaching me. We were taught to fight. Nothing else. Before I came here, I wanted to die but didn’t know how.”

“The woman provided the consorts?”

“She provided everything—our clothing, our beds, everything. All she asked in return was devotion and our presence in her bed when she requested it.”

“So she made you a vampire so that you could be her consort?”

“I didn’t realize it at the time, but now I see clearly. I was no different than the women she provided for us.” Keleta took a deep breath and dropped his head in his hands. Suddenly, being a consort didn’t seem like such a fun idea to him.

Madison got to her feet and joined Keleta by the window. “We’re here to help you, Keleta. All of us. Listen to Byron and Ricky, learn everything you can from them. That’s the most important thing you can do right now.” She put a reassuring hand on his strong but drooping shoulder. “Who did this to you? What’s her name?” When Keleta didn’t answer, she added, “Was it Ann Hayes? You know, the woman in the other room?”

Keleta dropped his hands and turned from the window, staring at Madison in surprise. “The woman Samuel just introduced?”

“Yes. If it was her, you can tell me. You don’t need to be afraid.”

He laughed. It wasn’t a happy laugh. “No, Madison, the woman who turned me into a vampire was not the lady out there.” He stopped laughing and held up his arms, turning his large, strong hands into fists. “If she were, I would have tried to kill her with my bare hands.”

“So he gave you no name?”

They were back in Samuel’s car, just Samuel and Madison, with Hyun up front driving, separated by a soundproof partition.

“No. I asked him several times, but all he said was that they called her Lady. I believe he may not have known her name. I asked about the other vampires, too, but he wouldn’t tell me that either. I couldn’t tell if he was afraid or protecting someone, though it didn’t sound like he was trying to protect her specifically.”

“And he has no idea why she wanted him dead or why she dumped him at the Dedhams’.”

“None. The last thing Keleta remembers before coming to at the pool was going to bed—with her, I might add.”

Samuel took off his glasses and stared at Madison. “She bedded him, then tried to kill him?”

“That’s what he remembers.”

Samuel turned toward the front and blew out a gust of air. “Man, that’s cold. Even for a vampire.”

“How could that happen? Do you think she drugged the blood he drank? Is that possible to do to a vampire?”

Samuel went silent for a moment. When he spoke, it was in a low voice, despite the partition. “Have you ever heard of the plant called bloodroot?”

Madison shook her head but gave him her full attention.

“It’s a flowering plant found almost entirely in the eastern part of North America from Canada to Florida. Sap extracted from its root resembles blood. While it can be toxic to humans, for vampires it’s more of a knock-out drug. It can be administered by adding the sap to our food source or by distilling it into a liquid to be used much like chloroform.”

“Does Dodie know this?”

“Of course. She even stocks it in her medicine bag. Had Keleta been unruly the day you fished him out of the pool, she no doubt would have administered it to him.”

“So you think that’s what Lady used to drug Keleta?”

Samuel shrugged. “Hard to tell. For all we know, there might be other substances that can do the same thing, but in all my years I’ve only heard of bloodroot—and only in the past few hundred years. Because its growth is not widespread, most vampires in the world have no idea about it.”

“And it won’t kill a vampire, not even a large dose?”

Samuel turned fully toward Madison and fixed his eyes on her. “There are only three ways to kill a vampire, Madison. Do you know what they are?”

She nodded. “A stake or hole all the way through the heart.” She ticked the answer off on one of her fingers. “Beheading.” Another finger snapped to attention. “And fire.” A third finger straightened, completing the trilogy. “Dodie told me.”

“Drugging would certainly explain why Keleta remembers nothing.”

“Wasn’t he also drugged when he was kidnapped and branded?”

Samuel worked the information around, trying to make connections. “Hmmm, seems this Lady is quite handy with
pharmaceuticals
. More importantly, I’d wager she’s originally from America or has spent a great deal of time here if she knows about bloodroot.”

He looked back at Madison. “And what about this Parker fellow? Did Keleta have anything to say about that?”

“Keleta has no idea why Parker ended up dead. In fact, it sounded as if he was one of Lady’s favorites.”

Silence filled the car’s interior again while Samuel thought further about what Madison had told him.

“And he’s sure this Lady creature isn’t Ann Hayes?”

“He’s positive. He did say that Lady was younger than Ann, and while she also has red hair, it’s much lighter in color.”

“Tomorrow, why don’t you fill Mike Notchey in on Parker and this castle building. Let’s see if he can provide any clues.”

“I’m way ahead of you. I called him while you were saying goodbye to Keleta. I asked him to meet me for a run in the morning.”

“Good.”

“You know,” Madison began, putting her own thoughts in order like cans on a shelf. “If Ann Hayes isn’t the one branding these guys, maybe she’s being set up, like she suggested at the meeting. Maybe someone knows she has bad blood with the Dedhams and is making it look like Ann’s guilty.”

“It’s a very good possibility. With her arrogance and past history, I’m sure she has a lot of enemies.”

Samuel’s cell phone rang. He glanced at it, then pressed a button to stop the ringing. He turned his attention back to Madison. “Tell me what you think of Keleta.”

“Before or after he grabbed my boob?”

Samuel threw her a look that let her know his question wasn’t a joke.

“I thought Ricky and Byron provided that feedback,” said Madison, not giving him a direct answer.

“They do, but I’m interested in your opinion. Keleta opened up to you, probably because you’re about the same age.”

“Which is why you brought me along, isn’t it?”

“One of the reasons.”

Madison gave it some quick but serious thought. “I like Keleta. Once we got over the consort misunderstanding and started talking about being a vampire and what happened to him, I could tell he was very disturbed and worried about his future. He’s also worried about his family and the pain they’ve suffered not knowing what happened to him.” She turned in the seat to look directly at Samuel. “Did you know Keleta was planning on becoming a doctor before this happened? A doctor, just like his father.”

“He mentioned something about that to Ricky.”

“It’s so tragic.” Madison sniffed and turned away so Samuel couldn’t see the tears welling in her eyes. “Keleta had his whole life ahead of him. A super family—loving parents and two brothers. And now that’s all gone.” She paused to swallow the lump in her throat. “You’ve all lost so much, even if you do get to live forever.” She thought about Parker. “Well, it seems like you live forever.”

“Even the living lose. Look at yourself, Madison. You lost your mother and your innocence, and at a much younger age than most of us become vampires.”

As usual, Samuel was right. Losing opportunities and loved ones was a part of life. It sucked, but that didn’t make it any less of an occurrence.

They were driving along Sunset Boulevard toward Pacific Coast Highway, heading back to Topanga. Classical music played softly from the car’s sound system. As the Mercedes sped along the curving road past very expensive real estate, Madison wondered how best to broach the delicate topic on her mind.

“Out with it, Madison,” said Samuel, interrupting her thoughts. “Tell me what’s on your mind.”

She huffed in frustration. “Why don’t I just let you read my mind and save us both a lot of embarrassment?”

“Because it amuses me to see you squirm.” He flashed her a smirk. “Besides, nothing embarrasses me, and it would be good for you to learn not to be, as well.”

“It’s just that this is rather personal. Not for me, but for Keleta.”

“That it is.”

“Dammit.” Madison stamped her foot on the floor of the car. “See, you already know what I’m going to say, so don’t make me say it.”

“Like I said, it amuses me.”

Seeing she was not going to win the argument, which was one-sided to begin with, Madison forged ahead. “Like I told you, Keleta hit on me when we were together.”

Samuel stared straight ahead, at least giving her some privacy from his prying eyes. But he still kept a smile plastered on his face. “Are you having second thoughts about rejecting his advances?”

“No, I’m not.” Her tone punctuated her words.

“He is a good-looking lad.”