Real Vampires Know Size Matters (4 page)

“I can’t imagine. What do they say? A sucker is born every minute?”

“I am worth every penny. As a life coach. People hear me speak and they are reborn. They leave my seminars and become successful, do great things.” She flicked a disdainful look at the back door to my shop. “Some people are satisfied with a little life. My clients are not. Check out my Web site. Read the testimonials.”

“You know nothing about me or my life.” Why didn’t I just rip out her throat now? But that would make me as evil as she was. And then there was that cold, malignant wall surrounding her. I’d be stained by it, my soul tarnished, if I gave in to my urge to kill her.

“You have worked your vampire wiles on my Jeremiah. But I will put an end to that. Then he will realize that I am his soul mate. The only woman to make him truly happy.” She ran a fingertip down her throat. “You should see him when he drinks my blood, Gloriana. The pleasure, the passion—”

“Shut the hell up!” I vibrated with the need to tear her apart. Her smile was so sure, triumphant. Had Jerry actually kissed that mouth? I wanted to retch, or launch myself across the alley and obliterate her face so that she’d never kiss anyone, ever again.

No.

I forced a laugh. “Seriously? Don’t you realize vampires will do and say anything to get mortal blood? Jerry played you, bitch. Used you as a donor and then moved on.” I took a step toward her. “You were handy when he was in Miami, but that’s over. He’s lusty, I can attest to that. Obviously you were easy.” I gave her my own cold smile. She didn’t take it well, her teeth snapping together. If she’d been a vampire, she would have been snarling, her fangs down. “Now he’s got his number-one lover back. Me. You are old news, Mel. He’s throwing you out with the trash.”

“Old news? I’m not the one with hundreds of years invested in a failed relationship, Gloriana.
Pobresita.
” The air around her swirled and pushed at me, frigid and menacing. “You are a bad habit that Jeremiah needs to break. But once you are gone, he will be all mine.”

“Get a grip. Jerry’s not some trophy you can pass around, the prize in your pissing contest. He’s a man who knows what he wants and it’s not you. Now, why don’t you go back where you came from? Find some other man to terrorize.” I shoved at her creepy air and met resistance. I hated that I was even arguing with her, sounding desperate. Damn it.

“You’d like that, wouldn’t you? For me to just leave him to you?” She raised her arms and howling creatures appeared around her. Spirits? Ghosts? Whatever, they gave me the creeps. “As long as you are between me and happiness, Gloriana St. Clair, you will never have peace of your own. This I vow.” She muttered an incantation and the restless things around her wailed louder, rising and falling as she got more agitated. They zipped past me, tearing at my hair and snatching at my clothes.

Okay, I admit it. I hit at them like they were real and got nothing but air. It was all I could do not to dematerialize, just vanish the hell out of there. I reminded myself that I was dealing with nothing more than a mortal playing with the dead. Yeah, dead. How much could they really hurt me? The ghosts I’d dealt with before had been benign, helpful. But the chilled air brushing against me when one of those howling creatures darted past made me jump in spite of myself.

“All right, you want to play hardball? It’s on.” I showed fang. “I don’t think you know who you’re messing with.”

“We will see.” She threw her arms wide and my ears rang as her followers screeched a final time, twirling into some kind of otherworldly dust devil before they disappeared. “He will be mine, Gloriana. It is decided.”

Decided? I couldn’t stand it. I threw myself at her, finally giving in to my hatred. I landed on empty concrete. She’d disappeared, just poofed. I jumped up and took a quick look around. She must have had an escape route figured out because she was really gone, nothing left of her but that stench of bad news.

I leaned against the back door into the shop, my stomach doing a pitch and roll as I hit the code for security and practically fell into the storeroom. I needed a bottle of synthetic blood. The first gulp helped, the second felt even better. A voodoo priestess. What next? I should know better than to ask that question.

Two

My
phone buzzed in my pocket. I was almost afraid to answer it. Here it came. Cosmic payback. Caller ID made me feel a little better.

“Ray? That duet tonight was amazing.” I smiled as I said it. A good memory to wipe out the bad.

“Glory, babe. I’m in a shitload of trouble here.” Ray’s voice shook and I could have sworn he sobbed. I sank down in my one chair in the back room.

“What is it?”

“It’s Sienna. We came back to my place after the concert. Hit the sheets, had some fun and then I did the whammy on her so I could drink her blood. You know, my idea of a nightcap these days.” He sniffed.

“Ray, what the hell happened?” I gripped my phone so hard the pink sparkles on the case cut into my palm.

“I drank too much blood, Glo. I can’t wake up Sienna. I think, I think she’s dead. Come out here, Glory. Quick. Help me.” He took a shuddery breath. “I might be able to save her if I turn her vampire but I can’t do it alone.”

“I’m on my way.” I stuck my phone in my pocket and threw open the back door, barely taking the time to lock it again. If Sienna was already dead, we were too late. If she had a little life left in her . . . I shifted and flew into the night sky. Either way, Ray and I were in a hell of a mess. And I’d thought voodoo was my biggest problem.

• • •

I
landed next to Ray’s front door. One of his bodyguards, Will, met me and let me in immediately. I knew all of them, thanks to my history with the rocker. Will Kilpatrick was a Scot, and knew me better than most.

“He’s really shook up, Glory. They’re in the master bedroom. I tried to help him, but he insisted we wait for you.” Will stayed right on my heels as I ran through the house.

“What do you think? Is there hope for her?” I hesitated in front of the closed door, dread making my stomach churn.

“Maybe. But you never know. We should have done something right away. But Ray wouldn’t hear of it. Had to call you.” Will reached around me and opened the door. “Good luck. You need me, give a shout. I don’t have to tell you what this means if the girl doesn’t make it, do I?”

“Either way, Ray’s really screwed up this time.” I took a breath of courage and ran into the room. It was bathed in moonlight, the centerpiece of the large room a king-size bed with black satin sheets in a tangle, the dark comforter in a heap on the floor at the foot. Ray jumped up, his eyes wild as he dragged me over to where Sienna lay in the middle of the bed.

“I think she’s got a faint pulse but I can’t rouse her.” He jammed my finger against her pale throat. “Feel. Isn’t there a heartbeat?”

“Ray, calm down.” I could see that she wasn’t breathing but that didn’t mean she was dead. I concentrated, listening for that subtle thump that meant her heart still beat. Yes, she was in there somewhere but didn’t have long.

“God, Glory, I never meant for this to happen.” He hovered over me, his hand on my back as I leaned closer, trying to feel for a whisper of breath.

“Bring me a mirror, Ray. I think she may be breathing after all. Hurry.” I reached out and he slapped a silver hand mirror into it. Sienna’s. Ray would never own a feminine piece like this. I held it over her nose and got just a bit of cloud. “Good news. She’s not gone yet, but there’s no way to avoid it. We have to give her blood.”

“Can we take her to the hospital? Or give her some synthetic? Or is this it? Will we have to turn her?” Ray sagged onto the side of the bed, his shoulders drooping. “I swore I’d never do this. Never turn another person. Not after what was done to me.”

“We don’t have a choice, Ray. Look at her. I can almost see her soul leaving her body.” I leaned down and put my head to her chest. “Her heart’s starting to skip beats. We can’t take the time to get her to the hospital for a real transfusion, and synthetic won’t save her.”

“How do you know?” He picked up Sienna’s hand then shuddered. “She’s so damned cold.”

“Synthetic isn’t real blood. It can keep us going, but a human’s not equipped to metabolize it.” I was quoting one of the vampire doctors I knew. “You want me to do it?”

“Please. I’m sorry, but I just can’t.” He wouldn’t let go of her hand. “Save her, Glory. I hope to hell this is the right thing to do.”

“Me too. Right or wrong, I don’t see an alternative.” I picked up her other wrist. First step, drain her completely. I’d done this once before, when I’d come across a woman bleeding out in my alley. It had turned out I’d have been doing myself, Ray and the world in general a favor if I’d left Lucky Carver to die. Instead I’d played Good Samaritan and saved her skinny ass. At least I knew Sienna for a decent person who deserved to live.

But how would she feel about waking up a vampire? Ray had been horrified, waking up with fangs, and still hated some aspects of being a vampire. I guess we’d find out what Sienna thought about this deal when—oh, God,
if
—she woke up. I fought back a wave of nausea and tried to remember I was the old pro here. Ray and Sienna were counting on me.

“Stand by, Ray. Watch what I do. You never know when you might need to know this.” I said a quick prayer, then set about making my second vampire. Saving Sienna’s life or not, this was so permanent. There would be no going back.

First, I bit into her wrist, sucking on her vein. There was pitifully little blood, a sign that we really
didn’t
have a choice. No reaction, not even a moan, as I drained her. Ray? He was beside himself, cursing and pacing around the bed.

Once I was satisfied that she was empty, I sat up and bit into my own wrist. It hurt like hell, but I didn’t have a choice. This next step was important.

“Hold up her head, Ray. I’ve got to get her to drink from me.” I ran my bleeding wrist across her lips which were now almost blue. No reaction, of course. Mortals don’t have a natural hunger for our blood. A vampire would have gone for it instantly. Even Ray’s fangs were down and the idiot had already drunk his fill tonight. He sat behind Sienna and settled her head in his lap, tenderly stroking her short hair back from her forehead.

I had already noticed that he wore nothing but his trademark black silk boxers and had to remind myself that I wasn’t here to appreciate his beautiful body or remember . . .

“How will you get her to drink?” Ray didn’t spare me a glance. He couldn’t look away from Sienna’s pale face.

“Open her mouth, force it open if you have to. I’m going to drip it down her throat and make her swallow. Once we get enough in her, she’ll come alive, vampire style, and begin to drink on her own. Or at least that’s what happened with Lucky, when I turned her.” I watched while Ray jammed a finger into her mouth and pried open her teeth. It was like working on a doll. Sienna was still lifeless.

“That’s right, you did turn that skank. At least it gave you the experience to help Sienna.” He kept brushing Sienna’s hair back from her face. Rock star. Sienna had gone for platinum with pink stripes this year. “We’ve got to save her.”

“I know, Ray. Just keep her mouth open.” I squeezed my wrist to increase the amount of blood that dripped into her mouth. Then I rubbed her throat until I saw her swallow. She coughed and gagged.

“Hold her mouth closed now, we can’t let her lose that.” I watched her carefully. She settled down but was still unconscious. “Okay, open it again, I’m giving her some more.” I couldn’t remember how much blood I’d had to give Lucky back then. I’d been crazy with fear, caught off guard and forced by circumstances to turn a human I didn’t even know into a vampire. This was different.

I felt almost clinical, like a doctor myself, detached, watching for signs, waiting to see if this worked. It was a freaky feeling and I didn’t like it. I should be more upset, like Ray was, shaking and calling Sienna’s name as he cradled her head between his thighs.

“Are you feeling woozy? You don’t look so hot, Glory.” Ray finally spared me a glance. “Will, get in here!” he shouted as I swayed over Sienna. “Bring Glory a bottle of the premium synthetic. Quick!”

“Yeah. Good idea. I can’t keep giving her blood and not get some to replace it.” I’d been standing, leaning over Sienna. Now I sat down on the bed, hard. No wonder I hadn’t felt much about this. It had been almost like an out-of-body experience.

Will showed up on the run, a bottle of AB negative in his hand. He twisted off the top and handed it to me. “How’s it going?”

“She’s still not coming around.” Ray glanced from me to Will. “Maybe Will should take over. Give her his blood.”

“No, I think that might confuse her. I’m going to be her sire.” I wasn’t sure about that. Frankly I wasn’t thinking straight. But it seemed like the sire blood bond was kind of important. More important than any of us vampires wanted to admit. Switching donors in mid-transition didn’t seem like a good idea.

“I’m okay.” I drained the bottle. It really helped and gave me the energy to continue.

“She looks better to me. You guys probably don’t see it, but I think there’s a tinge of pink in her cheeks already.” Will stayed near the foot of the bed. “A little more should take care of it, Glory.”

“I hope you’re right.” I bit into my other wrist this time and pressed it to Sienna’s lips. Ray held her mouth open enough to allow another few ounces to dribble in. We all watched and waited as I rubbed her throat until she swallowed. Sienna should begin to drink on her own soon. If this was working. If she didn’t, then we’d been too late and it was time to admit she was dead, Will’s pink cheeks wishful thinking.

I felt a tickle against my wrist then pressure as her lips pressed against my wrist. Suction! “She’s drinking!” I blinked, startled to realize I was actually crying with relief.

Sure enough, Sienna suddenly grabbed my wrist with both hands and latched on, a growl of pleasure rumbling up from her chest. She took a deep pull, starving. It was the same reaction I’d gotten from Lucky. I remembered it now. I had to be careful. Too much and I’d end up a victim and she’d be more vampire than she needed to be at first. Wild, out of control.