Single White Vampire (13 page)

Realizing he'd thought she was going to ask another question, Kate opened her mouth to correct him, then decided against it. She really did want to understand.

“My great-great-grandfather was from what you people call Atlantis.”

Kate recoiled. This was the very last thing she'd expected him to say. He sounded like a nut.

Lucern ignored her reaction. “As some have speculated, Atlantis was far advanced scientifically. My great-great-grandfather was a scientist. Just before the city's
fall, he developed what people today call nanos—tiny little computerized gizmos. I won't bother explaining the whole of it, but suffice it to say that he combined the science of nanos with microbiology to create microscopic little nanos—a virus of sorts—that when shot into the bloodstream, live there and replicate. They're a parasite of sorts,” he explained. “They live off the host, but in return repair and regenerate the host. Which keeps the host, and in turn themselves, young and vital for an indeterminate length of time.”

“A virus?” Kate asked with disgust.

“It cannot be caught by touching, and it cannot be caught by kissing.”

“What about biting?” she asked, her hand going unconsciously to her neck.

“No. Not by biting. The nanos have to be either shot directly into the bloodstream or consumed.”

“Like when Dracula cuts himself and presses his wrist to Mina's mouth?”

“Dracula!” Lucern heaved out a sigh. “Bram's character was based on a cruel, boastful, barbarous bastard. And if he could have kept his mouth shut whilst drinking, Bram Stoker would have never written that damned book—which was mostly wrong due to the fact that his informant was dragged off before he could say too much.”

Kate stared, wide-eyed, unsure whether she believed Luc or not. Perhaps they'd both lost their minds.

“I am alive, not dead. I have a soul. I can smell, eat and touch garlic. Crosses have no effect, and I can go into churches as you very well know since you attended my brother's wedding.”

“But you can't go out in the sun,” Kate said.

“I can,” he corrected. “It is just that the sun does a great deal of damage to flesh, which means more blood is needed for the nanos to repair it. Tanning isn't really good for people. It ages the skin. Our bodies won't tan, and the nanos try to replace the skin as it ages. That consumes quite a bit of blood. The more skin exposed and the longer the exposure, the more blood is needed. In the old days there were no blood banks, which meant we had to take the blood from humans and increased the risk of our drawing attention. It was easier to avoid the sunlight and limit our blood-intake requirements. It was also easier to hunt at night.”

“And you hunted ‘humans.'”

He nodded.

“So you're not a human?”

“Yes. Well.” He frowned. “I'm an Atlantian. Same species, different race.”

“Oh.” She breathed out a sigh, then just sat there digesting it all until her eyes drifted to Lucern's leg. His very pale leg. She supposed a tanning salon was out, and recalled how sometimes he was terribly pale and other times flushed with color. “So when you're really pale it's because—”

“Because I am in need of feeding,” he finished. “I'm dehydrated, and the blood has all moved closer to my organs to keep them functioning. When I am flushed, I have fed.”

“Dehydrated.” She nodded. “Why can't you just drink lots of water? Why do you have to have blood?”

“The nanos use blood to repair and reproduce themselves. The body can't make blood at a fast enough rate.
The nanos cause the hunger for blood when they need more by creating some sort of chemical reaction in the body.”

“And the teeth?”

“They create those first. It's some sort of genetic encoding.” He sighed wearily. “Kate, I've entrusted you with my life and the lives of my family by telling you this. Were you to tell anyone…well, most people would think you mad. But it's possible someone might believe, and just one person is enough to endanger all my people.”

“How many of you are there?”

“Under five hundred.”

She let her surprise show. “So few?”

“Yes. It would be dangerous to have too many. Each of us is only allowed to have one child per century to keep the population down.”

“But there should still be more of you. If there are five hundred now, and all of them have children—”

“The five hundred include men, women and children. Out of those, there are perhaps one hundred couples. And then we have a certain number of deaths in each century, too.”

Kate was surprised. “I thought you couldn't die.”

“We don't age. Everything dies,” he explained patiently. “Diseases and viruses have no effect on us—the nanos see to that—and we don't age. But there are other ways to die. For instance, many of us were burned at the stake during the Inquisition.”

“What about a stake to the heart?”

Lucern nodded.

“A bullet to the heart?” she asked.

He shook his head. “The nanos would repair the damage quickly.”

“Then why does a stake kill?”

“Well, it will kill if you leave it in long enough. The nanos will try to repair the heart around it, but can't force the stake out. The heart won't beat, there will be no fresh blood or nanos brought to help, and they and the body will die.”

“Oh. I see.” Kate dropped her gaze and found herself staring at his flaccid penis. All this explaining had ruined the mood somewhat—which was a damned shame. Clearing her throat, she lifted her gaze to his face again. “So…Bastien sent you blood, but because I left your name off the registration it was returned, and now you're…” She hesitated. He was as pale as death. She would have looked like hell had she been as pale as him. He still managed to look strong and sexy, though. It really didn't seem fair. “What happens if you don't get blood?”

“The nanos will start to eat tissue to get the nutrients they need,” he admitted reluctantly.

Kate's eyes widened in horror. “That sounds painful.”

“It is,” he said simply.

“Would it kill you?”

“Eventually, but there would be a lot of pain first.”

“And I hung up on Bastien last night,” she realized with horror. “Were you able to tell him to send more before—”

“No.” Lucern suddenly sounded a little testy.

“Did you call him back?”

“I don't know where he is. All he said was that he was in Europe before you hung up.”

“Oh, dear,” she said faintly. “How long until it starts to hurt?”

“Four o'clock this morning.”

Kate closed her eyes.
Great!
That meant the nanos were eating him already. She had a hungry vampire on her hands. One who was so hungry he was in pain. And she had him in a hotel with over two thousand romance fans waiting to throw themselves at him. It would be like bringing a lion to a hog farm. Kate heaved a sigh. This was all her fault, of course. She supposed she had better fix it.

“All right. How much blood do you need until we can think of a way to get you more?”

He looked surprised. “A full pint would be enough to get me through the day, maybe. But I need—”

“A pint!” Kate shrieked.
Dear Lord
. “A pint? That's like a milk-bag full.”

“Roughly, yes.”

Kate considered the matter seriously, it hadn't hurt when he bit her last night. Actually, it had felt damned good. But a pint?

“That's how much they take when you give blood,” he told her helpfully.

“Is it?” She had never given blood. But she had seen footage of people giving blood on the news whenever they had those big drives. She supposed he was telling the truth.

“Yes, it is,” he assured her. “I really need a lot more, but that's all that it's safe to take without side effects. And it would get me by for a bit.”

Heaving a sigh, Kate held her arm out, wrist up toward his mouth. “Go ahead.”

Lucern blinked, his nose quivering slightly. She wondered if he could smell her blood. The idea that she smelled like dinner to him was rather distressing.

“Go ahead?” he echoed uncertainly.

“Go ahead and bite me,” she said impatiently. Turning her head away, she squinted her eyes in case it hurt this time. It was her wrist, after all, not her neck. Maybe she should have given him her neck.

She stiffened as he took her fingers in his. Kate held her breath, waiting for the bite. Her heart stalled, and she nearly snatched her hand away when she felt his lips touch the sensitive skin of her wrist. But there was no great sharp pain; it just felt like he was nibbling the skin.

Well, she thought as the nibbling sensation moved slowly along her wrist, this wasn't so bad. Much nicer than giving blood at the blood bank, she was sure. Much nicer. Exciting even. She squirmed a bit when the nibbling reached the sensitive inner curve of her elbow. Obviously, he hadn't bitten yet. Or had he? Blinking one eye open, she peered at him. All she could see was his head bent over her arm. He had nice hair. Thick and dark and—

“Oh,” she breathed as he took a little nip at her skin. It didn't hurt, just startled her in a sexy kind of way. But Kate didn't think he'd drawn blood or anything. He was already moving further up her arm. The vein must not have been good there, she thought vaguely, watching his head rise farther and farther. When he got to the inside of her upper arm, even with her breast, he suddenly shifted to the side and latched onto her nipple. She started in surprise. She almost protested, but as he
drew on her sensitive skin, she decided it might be better if he bit her there anyway. It wouldn't show. He laved and suckled her, then drew her deep into his mouth, and Kate decided that if he was biting her, he could do it anytime.

One of his hands slid up along her stomach to find her other breast. Kate slowly drifted back on the bed, telling herself that it was to prevent feeling faint after he took the pint, but the truth was her body was shaking horribly, her muscles quivering with excitement. She didn't think she could have stayed upright under his sensual onslaught had she wanted to.

Lucern followed her down and braced himself with one elbow as he continued to pleasure her. Kate closed her eyes and let her hands drift into his hair. They knotted and tugged there of their own accord. She didn't mean to interrupt his meal, but she had a sudden hunger of her own—she desperately wanted him to kiss her. When he raised his mouth from her nipple, Kate saw that her flesh was still intact. No biting yet. It appeared that feeding was a rather involved ordeal. She should have known. Lucern wasn't the eat-and-run type.

His mouth came down on hers as she'd wanted, and Kate sighed into the kiss. She also allowed her hands to drift down over his back to find his behind, and she pushed him tight against her even while arching up to meet him. He ground against her without entering, but it seemed to excite him as much as her, because his kiss grew hard, his mouth demanding.

Kate moaned when he tore his lips away and shifted to her neck. Somehow, she knew the time for biting
had come and felt herself tensing in preparation. Then she was distracted by the way he moved over her, urging her legs apart. He settled in the cradle of her thighs, his hardness pressing against her.

“I want you,” he whispered in her ear, then nibbled at the tender lobe, a sharp tooth running lightly over the skin.

Kate suddenly had the mad idea that, were her ears not pierced, he could have done it for her.

“Kate?”

She forced herself to concentrate. He was asking permission. She wasn't sure for what exactly. To bite her, or to sink his body into hers? Probably both. Kate opened her mouth to vaguely tell him to go ahead when there was a knock at the door.

“Hello? Hey! You two!” Chris called through the door. “Look. I hate to bother you, but the welcome brunch and RT awards start in about fifteen minutes. Are you guys ready?”

“Is Lucern okay? He looks awfully pale.”

At Allison's comment, Kate glanced worriedly at her author. Luc
was
awfully pale. She'd thought so in his room, but he seemed even more so under the lights here in the large reception area of the welcome brunch. She should have insisted that he bite her.

She had tried, of course. She'd told him to just do it, but Chris had been knocking insistently on the door, and Lucern had refused. He'd feared she might be faint afterward, and he didn't want her trying to get ready, suffering a dizzy spell and perhaps falling. Besides, there wasn't time, he'd said. He'd do it later.

Now, as she took in the pallor of his skin, she could have kicked herself for not being more insistent.

“Kate?”

She turned and forced a smile for her boss. “He's a little jet-lagged. He'll be okay.”

Allison accepted the lie and turned her attention
back to her meal, leaving Kate to fret over Lucern. She was going to make him bite her first thing upon leaving the brunch; they could run upstairs for a quickie before going to the reader hospitality suite. And then she'd have to find a way to get him a real supply of blood. She'd considered the matter, and even if they were able to get hold of Bastien today, she was sure it would be tomorrow before he could arrange another shipment to be delivered.

Kate frowned as she realized that Bastien could be calling right this minute, and there was no one in their room to answer the call. And there wouldn't be all day. Or tonight either if they attended the cover model reunion. Perhaps they could skip that. Lucern wasn't really needed there. The fans would all be interested in the male cover models and might not notice his absence. Allison and Chuck would, however. Kate frowned down at her plate. Allison wouldn't mind, but Chuck would. As far as he was concerned, the company had paid for Lucern to be there and he would want his money's worth.

“Does he speak?”

Kate glanced sharply up at Chuck's acidic question. She had made sure that Chris was on one side of Lucern and she on the other. Allison was directly on her right, and Chuck was next to Allison, but the publisher was leaning in front of the editorial director, his chin practically resting on her chest as he spoke. Allison was seething, and Kate couldn't blame her. Chuck was something of a pig, hitting on all the women in the office and trying to look down their tops. He wasn't well liked by the staff, and they could hardly wait for him to
be replaced. As a rule, presidents at Roundhouse were changed almost yearly. Kate just hoped Chuck Morgan wasn't the exception. No one at Roundhouse had been happy when he had arrived to replace George Sassoon. Their last president had been an exceptional man who had moved to publishing from radio and television, bringing all of that savvy with him. He had done wonderful things for Roundhouse. No one had been surprised when he had been snapped up by a bigger company. Chuck Morgan was a poor replacement.

Her gaze drifted past his sneering face to Jodi Hampton, the writer who sat beside him. Jodi was throwing curious glances at Lucern. Kate wasn't surprised. Aside from him being an attractive man, Lucern was receiving an unusual amount of VIP treatment. The editors and personnel of Roundhouse were supposed to be spread out among a couple of tables so that all their writers felt included. But Chris and Kate weren't going to leave Lucern's side all week, and Allison and Chuck had wanted to meet the mysterious Mr. Argeneau, so they were all grouped around him. Which left only Deeana Stancyk and Tom Duchamp, the VP of Promotion, to circulate among the thirty other Roundhouse writers in attendance.

“I said, does he speak?”

Kate's gaze shifted back to Chuck. He was one of the few men whose features reflected his unpleasant nature. He had a pockmarked, florid face, a drooping gray mustache and a bespeckled, balding head.

Kate considered the question. Unfortunately, Lucern was rather taciturn at the best of times. At the moment, he was silent as stone. She opened her mouth to offer
an excuse for his silence, then just as promptly changed her mind. They had wanted him here; she had got him. Perhaps if they weren't happy with his performance, they wouldn't make her pester him in the future. She merely shrugged and said, “Not much.”

Chuck didn't seem pleased. Kate didn't care. It was the truth, and she couldn't be held responsible for Lucern's nature. Her gaze slid to the writer again. Chris was talking, and Lucern was nodding dully. There were lines of tension around his eyes that worried her. It made her wonder if he was in a lot of pain. She immediately began trying to think of a way to get him blood—and more blood than the pint he'd said it would be safe for her to give him. She briefly considered finding him a lineup of victims to bite, but as much as she enjoyed the idea of putting Chuck at the front of the line, there was no one else she wanted to feed to him.

Kate was still pondering the problem when the plates were cleared from the tables and the awards ceremony began. She listened halfheartedly as the nominees were named for each category, followed by the winner. Kate clapped when the others did, but she was mostly lost in thought.

“And the final nominee is Luke Amirault's
Love Bites.
”

Kate jerked upright in her seat as Luc's pseudonym was called out. She wasn't at all surprised that Lucern was doing much the same thing next to her. She'd forgotten to tell him that his book was nominated in three different categories. She winced when he turned an accusing glare on her.

“You're nominated. That doesn't mean you'll win,” Kate said soothingly.

“And the winner is…Luke Amirault for
Love Bites
!”

“
Merde
,” Lucern muttered.

“Shit,” Kate echoed in English. She hesitated for a moment, but when Lucern showed no sign of getting up, she leaned toward him to explain, “You have to go up and get your award.”

“I don't want to.”

Kate felt her heart squeeze at the childlike complaint. Six hundred years old and he still sounded like a baby. Men were the same no matter the species…or was it race? Whatever. Catching his elbow in her hand, she stood abruptly, forcing him up with her. “Neither do I. So we'll do it together.”

Much to her relief, he allowed her to force him to his feet and then toward the stage at the far end of the room. People were clapping and calling out congratulations, some yelling they really enjoyed his books. Lucern seemed oblivious to it all. The skin on his face was tight, his expression almost pained as he walked doggedly forward. Kate couldn't decide if it was due to hunger or a reaction to being the center of attention. She knew he must hate this sort of thing. She'd learned of his reclusive ways while in Toronto. And if she hadn't caught on after three days in his company, his mother and sister had revealed a lot about him at the wedding.

Kathryn Falk, Lady Barrow—the woman behind Romantic Times Book Club Magazine, the conference, and various other concerns—was waiting on stage to present the award herself. She smiled widely as Kate and Lucern mounted the steps to the podium; then con
cern flickered on her face as she noted their odd behavior. Kate tried for a brighter smile to reassure the woman, but she could have used a little reassurance herself. Lucern wasn't the speech-making sort, and some sort of speech would be expected.

“Congratulations, Mr. Amirault,” Lady Barrow said as she handed over the award. “I've very much enjoyed your vampire series.”

Lucern grunted, took the award and started to walk offstage. Kate gaped after him, then muttered under her breath and hurried after him to catch him by the arm.

“You have to say thank-you,” she hissed, urging him back toward Lady Barrow and the podium.

“I don't want to.”

Kate frowned at the weakness in his voice. She almost preferred his “No's” and had to wonder just how much the lack of blood could affect his mind. If she didn't find him some blood soon, might he lose it entirely and just go nuts? She cringed at the idea.

“Just say thank-you,” she ordered grimly, steering him to the podium.

“Is he all right?” Lady Barrow asked in a whisper as Lucern paused in front of the microphone. He stared blankly out at the sea of faces. Kate wondered if the crowd looked like a feast of steaks to him, then nodded.

“Jet lag,” she lied.

“Are you sure that's all?” Kathryn looked doubtful, so Kate added, “And a bit of a tummy flu, I think.” Then she gave in, admitting, “He isn't at all well.”

“Oh, dear,” Lady Barrow murmured.

“But we're hoping it passes quickly,” she assured the
woman. “We might miss the cover model reunion to go to the doctor.”

“Doctor? At night?”

“It was the earliest appointment we could get,” Kate lied.

“Oh.” Lady Barrow shook her head, then seemed to realize that Lucern had been standing silently at the microphone for several moments. The room had fallen into an expectant hush.

Kate moved to his side and gave him a nudge. “Say thank-you.”

“Thank you,” he said dutifully. It was a rather ungrateful growl. And he immediately stepped back after saying it. Kate cringed, but Lady Barrow saved the day by stepping up between them and catching his arm. She urged him forward again, then took control of the microphone and said, “Ladies…and gentlemen.” She added the last with a grin toward the table of male models, the only males present other than the handful of male publishing personnel and the occasional writer's husband. “As you can see from his pallor, Mr. Amirault isn't feeling well, but he insisted on attending today's ceremony to thank you all for your support.” She allowed a moment to pass for that to sink in, then continued, “I for one am grateful he showed up. Let's all give him a round of applause and thank him for his wonderful stories. Thank you, Luke.”

Kathryn Falk turned to give him a hug, and the crowd broke into applause.

Relief coursed through Kate. Lady Barrow had saved the day! Then she noticed how Lucern's nostrils were flaring, and that he lowered his face to the woman's
neck. Even more disconcerting was the silver glow that had come into his eyes. His lips moved along Lady Barrow's skin in search of a pulsing vein.

Kate's eyes widened in horror. He was about to bite Lady Barrow right there on the damned stage!

“No!” The shriek left Kate's lips as she saw Lucern's teeth extend. It was a loud shriek. The entire room fell into stunned silence. But Kate didn't care, because Lady Barrow jerked out of Lucern's arms and whirled around in amazement. Lucern scowled at her for the interruption of his meal.

“Er…” Kate said into the deafening silence. Moving to the microphone, she added, “No. There's…er…no need to thank him. Lucern is…he's just grateful he…er…had this opportunity to thank you all. Er…thank you.”

The crowd began to clap again, but Kate hardly noticed. Lucern was moving closer to the unsuspecting Lady Barrow, that hungry look still in his eyes. Forcing a smile, Kate snatched his arm and marched him away.

“You were going to bite her,” she accused.

“I just wanted a bit.” He sounded sullen.

“Just a bit?” she exclaimed. “Right there on the stage for all to see?”

“They would have thought it a publicity stunt,” he defended himself. Then he sighed and admitted miserably, “I couldn't help myself. She has strong, sweet blood.”

Kate stared at him. “You didn't—”

“No, you stopped me in time. But I can tell by the smell.”

Kate grimaced, then noted that the lines around his
eyes had deepened and were around his mouth as well. “How bad is the hunger right now?” It was a stupid question. The man had nearly bitten Lady Barrow onstage. The hunger was bad. What she really wanted to know was, “I mean, are you in pain?”

He nodded grimly.

“That little bit of sunlight yesterday caused this much trouble?” she asked. If so, it seemed to her that vampires were weaker than humans in some ways. Rather fragile, in this respect at least.

“That little bit of sunlight yesterday, the guy seated next to me on the plane with a cold who kept coughing at me, the—”

“Being around sick people uses up more blood?” Kate asked with alarm. They were in a hotel with a couple thousand people—germs were probably rampant here. No wonder he was such a shut-in.

“Yes.” Lucern nodded. “The nanos apparently surround disease and kill it off, but it takes up more—”

“Blood,” Kate finished unhappily.

“Yes. And then there is the sunlight in here today.”

Kate peered around the bright room with surprise. The walls were solid without windows, but there were skylights overhead. They were frosted skylights, and it hadn't occurred to her that they might be a problem. She should have thought of it. Her gaze moved to the table they sat at, and Kate almost groaned as she realized that she had chosen a table positioned directly under a skylight.

“The alcohol last night didn't help either,” Lucern continued. “It dehydrates the body, too.”

Kate frowned. She'd noted the crushed beer cans, empty pizza box and piles of peanut shells around the coffee table in front of the television this morning. It looked as if Chris and Lucern had enjoyed a boys' night. Now Luc was paying for it in spades. It seemed his state was a result of a lot of things. The latest reason was her fault, however.

They had nearly reached the table. Kate steered Lucern away from it and toward one of the exits. “Come on.”

“Where are we going?” He sounded confused.

“To find you food.” She stepped out of the reception hall and peered around. There really wasn't time to go to their suite. Somewhere closer was needed. She dragged him toward the men's room.

“Go inside and see if it's empty,” she suggested. “If it isn't, make whoever's in there leave. You can do that, can't you? You know, control their mind and—”