Damned if I Do (18 page)

Edie

I have a vampire in love with me.

Not only that, I have a vampire who’s been in love with me for a while now. He asked if telling me sooner would have changed anything. It probably would have. It probably would have scared me off. I’d have been so intimidated and scared at the prospect of another person’s feelings for me, I would have pushed him away.

It definitely would have changed things. And now, the emptiness that I feel is amplified by the thought that we may never get to try this out. Lord knows I need some sort of hope.

As we pull up to the valet at the Ritz Carlton, I feel my heart in my throat. I want this to work out. I want to reverse this infection more than ever before. I have so much more to live for now.

If Maria and Zhi can have a relationship, then why the hell can’t Jude and I?

I unbuckle my seatbelt and take Jude’s proffered hand to get out of his side of the car. The Honda Accord looks out of place among the Lexuses, Mercedes, and other luxury cars that probably cost more than the house I burned down last night.

A white-gloved valet shuts the door behind me. I’m certainly not used to service like this. Meghan and I have been invited by vampire-hunting billionaires to go take care of a few unruly vampires in the Hamptons, but even then, it didn’t seem to sweat absolute extravagance like this place does.

"If the Progenitor thinks he's not drawing attention by staying at the Ritz Carlton, then he's gravely mistaken," Carl observes as he shuts his car door. "In fact, this is fucking ridiculous."

The valet near him in an expensive suit glares at his language.

I look up at the luxury hotel. It's nearing seven o'clock, the sun is beginning to set, and the light is fading. Most of the squat hotel is thrown into shadows by the surrounding buildings. Standing at the entrance, I'm hyper-aware that it's almost nighttime and we're about to walk into a nest of vampires.

What is that famous saying?
Don't disturb the shit to make it stink?
I wonder what they'd think of this plan, whoever coined that phrase.

I don't sense any vampires yet, though that doesn't mean anything. I imagine that this particular group of vampires is good at hiding. You don't live for millennia in hiding without know how to conceal yourself.

I swallow hard, my nerves taking over. Last night I ran into a building that I knew was full of vampires. This…this is different.

This is running into a building where you don’t know what kind of monster is in it.

Before we pulled up, we had all armed ourselves. I certainly have plenty of weapons, including stakes and knives strapped all over my body. I have a pistol with silver bullets holstered to my back, arm sheaths, and more. I also have Glimmer as a last resort, although I can tell that the blade desperately wants to be used. My left hand itches, and it’s not from the scar.

Zhi hands the valet his keys, and I feel like we're handing over our only escape route.

"How may I be of service to you?" the doorman asks suspiciously as we walk up the steps. We don't look like his normal clientele. His eyes rake us up and down, judging us in that one look. He lingers on Jude and Maria; he knows exactly what they are.

"We're here to see a friend who works here," Zhi says in a calm voice. "William."

A flash of recognition crosses the doorman’s face at the name. A thin smile comes to his lips and I don’t see the hint of fangs. He’s human, which makes me feel more comfortable, as I thought my vampy sense wasn’t working.

Then, to my surprise, he pulls the door open. "You're lucky, he just arrived for his shift. I'm sure he'll be happy to see you."

Zhi nods his thanks and we enter the lobby. Marble floors and columns greet us, and a table decorated with an ornate flower arrangement is blocking my sightline to the front desk. People are scattered throughout the lobby, a bellhop stands by idly with a baggage carrier, and a group of elderly women are chattering in an enclave of chairs. Visitors flit by, on their merry way.

Only a few eyes turn our way.

Now
my vampire sense twitches and my insides churn. Jude glances at me, clearly unhappy about it.

"We don't have to do this," he says, turning his head so that only I can hear him.

“Too late now.”

Zhi strides past the table with the rest of us following behind him.

“
Puto,
” Maria spits under her breath.

At first, I don’t know who she’s referring to, then I notice a very pale vampire behind the desk, whose eyes bulge at the sight of the Chinese vampire hunter. I slow, noticing that the vampire is young. He was turned probably only a few years ago, which is mere seconds in the lifetime of an immortal vampire.

At one point in his life, the vampire would have been considered a bit of a nerd, a thin man in his early twenties with curly ginger hair and a bad overbite. With his fangs, which look like they’re perpetually out, unlike more experienced vampires, the overbite is exacerbated and his teeth look too large for his mouth. A bad thing if he's trying to hide his overly-long incisors.

"M-Mr. Zhang," the vampire stammers. He lifts his chin and I see the same character tattoo on his neck as Maria’s.

"William," Zhi says simply. He leans over the counter like he was born in the lap of luxury.

"We have a room reserved specifically for you," William says, his tone steadier after he gulps down some air.

"I trust it has all the amenities I requested?"

"Of course." William turns away from us and goes does the length of the desk to make a room key at the other end.

I resist the urge to roll my eyes. This is starting to feel like a poor imitation of a James Bond movie, and I trust James's intuition far more than Zhi’s when it comes to this kind of stuff.

Carl shifts from foot to foot as he looks around the lobby. "We shouldn't be here."

My gut tells me the same thing. "I've got your back," I reassure him.

He swallows nervously again and rakes his eyes across the hotel lobby. "Too bad we're not staying here though."

I laugh out loud. "If we get out of this alive, we can stay here sometime.”

"The penthouse suite," William declares with a curt, nervous smile as he returns to his desk. Instead of addressing Zhi, he shows me a keycard with a flourish. "Your acquaintance is expecting you, Miss Harker."

I blink in surprise. Wait, I thought this was a scripted thing between Zhi and his servants. So why was William going directly to me? I can see the flash of confusion in Zhi’s eyes as well.

"You’ve heard of me, I take it,” I say. “And you knew I was coming.”

“The Progenitor knew that you got his invitation,” William answers.

Invitation. For me. Hmmm.

“Penthouse, you said?”

“Yes. No harm will come to you or your friends, Harker.”

“Well, I wasn’t worried about being harmed, but I am now,” I say sarcastically.

I meet Jude's eyes, try to read his expression. He glances at the doors, conveying a message in that single gesture. I follow his gaze outside the window. The sun has set, and it's now a twilight world for the vampires. The Progenitor is probably up from his beauty sleep and ready for us. Our eyes meet again and his expression is gentle. It grounds me in a way that I didn't expect.

"Okay, lead the way," I say.

The elevator dings to signal the arrival of the cab. The doors slide open, and I step inside, along with the rest of my little group. I feel both protected and vulnerable. We’re going deeper into the nest of the enemy.

William leans in and inserts the keycard into the scanner above the floor buttons. He hands me the card.

"Penthouse level," he reminds me. "Oh, and Harker,” he adds, “thank you for your service.”

That’s a weird thing to tell a woman who hunts his kind. Zhi looks confused, as does Maria, so I’m not the only one who doesn’t know what’s going on.

Edie

The top elevator button is lit. I’m uneasy and my stomach is flip-flopping as we ascend upward. I feel like I'm at the top of the tallest room in the highest tower, like Rapunzel. No way out.

“Fuck,” Carl mutters nervously. “Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck.”

“Stay calm,” I say, even though I don’t
feel
calm. “We’re going to be okay.”

“I don’t get it,” Zhi mumbles, apparently still in shock. “William is supposed to be
my
servant, so why…?”

Maria leans in. “It would appear that the Progenitor trumps anything you have on him.”

Zhi looks up at her. “And you…?” he asks. “What if…?”

She smiles, baring her fangs in a playful gesture. “You’re never going to get rid of me, Zhang.” She kisses him in a way that makes me think we should stop off on another floor so they can get their own room.

Unnoticed by anyone else, Jude laces his fingers through mine and gives a quick squeeze. He couldn’t have known that that’s the thing I most need at this moment.

Reassurance.

Trust.

Love
.

When the elevator finally deposits us on the penthouse floor, there are bodyguards outside the double doors, waiting for us.

The curtains to the outside are open, revealing the glittering Uptown district of Dallas. I feel like I'm in a nebula by myself, light-years away from normalcy.

"Miss Harker," the smaller of the two bodyguards says, his smile baring his teeth. Another vampire. "You've been expected."

"So I've been told.”

“Expected for what?” Carl counters.

The bodyguard beams at him. “The truth.”

Jude gives my hand another brief squeeze before his fingers slip out of mine, and even though I’m backed by four people, some who I know and trust better than others, I’ve never felt so alone.

I stand idly for a few seconds thinking that they're going to open the door to let us by, but they watch us in expectant silence.

"You want all of our weapons, don't you?" Zhi asks.

The smaller bodyguard nods, while his partner glares at Zhi in hostile silence. "It’s a…precautionary measure, given that we only trust the Harker. You understand, don't you?"

"To a point," Zhi says unhappily.

“It’s all right,” Maria reassures him.

They’re probably waiting for me to make the first move. I take off my weapons that I spent so long prepping in the car. We all do, even though Carl’s eyes are a bit too wide and a bit too scared. Zhi looks like he’s about to have an aneurism, he looks so pissed off. Maria has a wry look on her face, but we all comply.

I hope that we’re not going to die because we’re weaponless. I hope.

It takes a good ten minutes to take everything off, and I feel oddly naked by the end of it. Everything is in a pile on the floor.

I hold up my left hand, mostly covered up by the sleeve of my hoodie. Glimmer’s there; I can never fully “take away”
all
my weapons. I stuff my hand into my hoodie pocket.

“Welcome to the penthouse, Miss Harker."

Together the bodyguards open the set of double doors and we walk inside. My first thought as I walk down the length of the hallway is that this is a bad place for vampires to hide during the day. It’s mostly all glass, and while there are curtains swept to the side, it’s still risky. The doors to each of the suites are open, allowing me glimpses of beautiful, huge windows and light, airy curtains.

“Shit,” Carl mutters, stating my sentiments exactly.

Graeme’s entire house would have fit on this floor if it were still standing. Every little thing has an insane amount of details. Gold accents on the crown molding; plush red carpets; solid oak doors with intricate designs; a sense of immense space.

“It’s…quaint,” Maria says.

“It’s ridiculous,” Jude argues. They both playfully bare their fangs at each other and I feel a twang of jealousy. It appears they’re bonding.

My vampy sense pings, meaning that there are plenty of vampires up here. The strongest one is dead ahead.

I hold my head high and stride all the way down the hallway, where it opens up to a living room.

Initially, the open windows take my breath away. A large, light blue couch sits in the middle of the space. A few matching chairs sit off to the side with an elegant coffee table in the center. A tray sits on top of it, with wine glasses filled with red liquid. From there, the living room windows open to a rooftop deck that overlooks the city.

“
Dios mio,
” Maria murmurs at the beauty of it all.
My god.

From this vantage point, I can see a lot of Dallas. My eyes take in the surrounding area, landing on a solitary figure standing in front of the windows with his back to me.

The first vampire.
The only vampire that really matters now.

When I enter, he turns to look back at me with strange eyes that glow golden in the low light. His lips part into a smile.

So he’s not a myth. He’s flesh and blood, as much as a vampire can be.

"Welcome, Edie," he says. His voice is calm, older, and it echoes around the suite. He sounds like a William Shatner that can actually act. In fact, the man before me reminds me of the actor too, with his sandy-gray hair, brown eyes, and charismatic frown, although he's much shorter. Shorter than even me.

The Progenitor lifts his chin and nods to each of my companions. “Carl. Zhi Zhang. Maria, offspring of Luca. And…” He looks at Jude and his eyes widen almost imperceptibly. “
You
.”

The silence that follows is uncomfortable.

“I’m Jude.”

“Yes,” the Progenitor says, nodding. “Yes, you are.” The Progenitor’s eyes linger a second longer before turning back to me.

What the hell was that?
Whatever he saw in Jude, he’s either trying to mask it and cover it up, or he’s back in control of everything. It is so quick, I’m not sure which it is.

“Welcome to the penthouse suite, Edie Harker.” He gestures with a sweeping wave of his hands, back in control of his emotions. “I see you got my invitation.”

I simply nod.

“Are you here to kill me?”

The question is so blunt, I flinch.

His lips curve up into an enigmatic smile and he holds up a hand to silence any response. "I hope you are. You'll find that there are plenty of reasons to kill me, Miss Harker. But hear me out before you do, and you’ll discover that there are many reasons for…a Progenitor."

"You’re talking in riddles."

He glances around. "You should all take a seat."

I hear the soft scrape of wood against carpet before I realize what it is and I'm swept off my feet as a chair scoops me up and pushes me towards him. I hear the surprised exclamations of everyone as the same happens to them as well. The vampire comes around the couch and sits in it facing only me.

A look of shock is plastered on my face.
Holy shit.

Zhi is the first to recover enough to speak. "Telekinesis. Impressive." He doesn’t sound impressed; he sounds
terrified
.

The Progenitor arches an eyebrow at him and a grin comes to his lips. “Yes. Yes it is. That's not even a tiny measure of my power."

Maria giggles uncomfortably.

"I believe you,” I say. I can do small telekinetic tricks, but nothing like moving a chair with my mind. Even with my amped up powers, it's way too hard. A pencil, maybe. An armchair? Several of them? No way.

The Progenitor cocks his head, once again watching me like I’m under some sort of microscope. It’s weird enough to make me feel uncomfortable. "You are such an interesting creature," he murmurs.

Jude stiffens beside me. "She’s not interested in you,” he says.

The Progenitor blinks and then bursts out laughing, a genuine, full-bellied laugh. "Neither am I. Not in that way, at least. But,” he adds, looking at Jude, “this is an interesting development.”

He sits forward and steeples his fingers. "Tell me, do any of you know what the Progenitor is?"

"The Father of all Vampires?" Carl asks, his voice hitching on the last word.

The Progenitor smiles, like he’s a teacher with a student. "Correct. Do you know
why
that is?"

"
Why
?" Maria repeats.

"Let me tell you a story.” The Progenitor closes his eyes, leans back in the couch, and rubs his temples. “Vampires have been around for longer than humanity knows. We exist because we have to exist for the greater good of the world.” He opens his eyes and looks directly at me. “Are you familiar with the term ‘Pandora’s box’?”

“That Greek myth?”

“Yes, the Greek Myth,” he answers. “There is a box that carries all of the evil, all of the bad in the world. When you open it, you unleash it. Imagine that vampires are…a living version of this. We carry a certain kind of evil, because without us, it would be left to ravage the world. As the Progenitor, the father of all vampires, I am the main vessel of this evil. I sacrifice myself to control it as much as possible."

"What, like a scapegoat?" Zhi asks.

"Exactly like a scapegoat." He actually seems giddy at the assessment. "Exactly. I'm the original manifestation of evil. Patient zero of vampirism, if you will. Without me to contain this darkness, all hell would break loose. These other vampires that you see," he gestures at Jude and Maria, "are simply extensions of this evil. They stem from me." He hesitates. "As I'm sure you've realized, it's like a virus, spread from blood-to-blood contact."

I slide my sweater sleeve up and hold my left hand out, seeing the buildup of scarred skin on my wrist where I was originally bitten. The red marks wrap around my arm like tiger stripes, invading the rest of my body.

"If it's a virus that's spread that way,” I say evenly, “it seems like you could have stopped it."

His expressions softens. "I've tried."

"Tried?" I glare at him. "From the sounds of it, if this
virus
is only spread through blood-to-blood contact and you are patient zero, then why the hell did you pass it on?"

"Moments of weakness."

I stare at him. "What?"

He casts his gaze out of the window, the reflection of the city glistening in those eyes. "I've been alive a long time, Edie. It gets lonely."

"You've turned people into vampires because you're
lonely
?" I snarl. I laugh harshly, combing my scarred hand through my hair. "Seriously? You just wanted some friends?"

"Don't judge me until you've been in my shoes. The Progenitor before me lived only half as long, and I'm sure the Progenitors before that lived far less.”

"Why are you telling us all this?" Carl asks.

The Progenitor looks at him. "Because you wanted to know."

I did. I
do
. However, this feels like something entirely huge, like a worldwide event that I'm not a part of.
No
. I blink furiously, as it hits me. No, I am a part of this. I was born into it.

"And I’ve also told you all of this because your ancestors have been a part of it for a long time," The Progenitor adds, and I flinch.

"The Harkers?"

"Correct." He leans towards me, and he smells like cigar smoke and whisky, not at all what I expected. "Why do you think that you're blessed with magical powers? Why is it that your family passes down the title of Harker from hunter to hunter? Why do you think you have the strongest supernatural powers when he—" he points to Zhi, “—doesn’t? And a thousand other vampire hunters are in his shoes?”

I have no response.

"You are my familiar," he tells me. "And you always have been."

I recoil at the term in horror. It's a concept that I know well, one that movies and books talk about. A
familiar
is a vampire's bitch, one who does their bidding. But no vampire has ever held sway over me or my family. Unless you’re talking about Jude, but that’s an entirely different matter.

“A familiar?” Maria asks. She scratches at the tattoo on her neck.

"That doesn't make sense," I say.

He sighs. "I've created the Harkers to help police the burgeoning vampire population. The vampires have replicated a lot more than I would have liked, so your kind comes in to keep their numbers at a manageable number."

"Prove it."

I see the slight movement in his face, tensing up the muscles around his eyes. Then I fall out of my chair and drop to the floor in a kneeling position, like I'm his servant.

I didn't want to do that. It's not like I've been glamoured into it—this is something stronger, like my muscles and spirit are responding to his whim. A strangled cry escapes my mouth and I fight the overpowering pull to my knees. I recoil, far more freaked out than I've been in a long while.