The Hunt (3 page)

“Jon will be with the werewolf guests.” I add. “How big is the pack that’s coming?”

The rugged, outdoorsy-looking man perks up at my question. “I spoke with my old pack alpha, Romeo, earlier today.” He checks some hand-written notes on the inside of his folder. “He confirmed they have six coming and we’ve also got a lone werewolf from England, Melvyn, on the roster as well. Jet Natsuhara, our one vampire-master who prefers to be in his wolf form when hunting, may team up with the loner. The pack won’t welcome either wolf to join them out in the woods, but they won’t pick a fight either.”

“That’s good to hear,” Rafe says. “You spent a lot of time with Jet when we hunted Ivan. Think he’ll do okay with this unknown wolf?”

“I can’t see why not. The dossier on Melvyn appears sound. Typical wolf who needed to strike out on his own because of differing pack attitudes—or perhaps he had no desire to challenge the current alpha.”

Asa points out a detail Jon misses. “Yeah, well, it says here his old pack leader was his father. No wonder he wouldn’t fight him.”

“The primitive animal way of you dogs always makes my head spin,” Joanna quips to Jon.

A pin could drop, and sound as loud as a gong, in the ensuing pregnant silence. I thought for a fifty-year-old vamp, she’d have developed more grace by now.

“Joanna,” I begin while my blood slowly boils. “I would prefer to be the one to insult my servant, if it’s required. Not have a junior member of my seethe do so.”

She whips around to face me, wearing a stunned and horrified expression.

“Please apologize to him now, before I get ugly,” I say.

With a contrite expression, she looks at the handsome man sitting across from her, “S-s-sorry, Jon. I meant it as a joke.”

She’s a child, love. Let it go.
Rafe coos softly in my mind at the edge of my building anger.

You’re the only one I know who’d categorize a being who’s been walking the planet for seventy-three years as a child.

I call ‘em like I see ‘em. She’s a kid to me.

Over thirty when we married, Rafe hasn’t aged since our mate-bond ceremony sixty-five years ago. Most of our seethe seem like kids to him.

“I’ll let it slide this time, blondie,” Jon smiles at Joanna. “But keep the claws in, would you? Not all wolves act with brains first.”

“But,” I can’t help but add, “if you slip up like that in front of one of our Were
guests, I will not be happy. Got it?”

Joanna looks down at the table, “Yes.”

“Good. Moving on. Paul, do you have any questions about what is expected of you during the next week?”

“Um… ” The once-plump chef has slimmed down with his new all-liquid diet, he looks like a completely new man since his turning. “I wondered about my cooking duties.”

A groan goes up from Jon’s side of the table.

“Hey—I’m getting better at choosing the right amount for spices,” Paul says. “I’ll be back to my old self in no time.”

“Uh-huh, sure.” Jon’s wry expression pins the two-month-old vampire. “Do me a favor and don’t attempt your Bolognese sauce again until you’re sure you remember the recipe right, okay?”

“Focus, people!” My hand slams onto the table as my words snap out over the small space. “I’ll have you on rotation a few times in the kitchen during the week, Paul, but not like your normal shifts. We need you reporting to Asa and Drew this week and letting them direct where they need you on the property to monitor the hunt, okay?”

Paul’s face seems to clear with a direct assignment. “Yeah, that’s fine.”

“Vivian, will we be using Jerry’s help at all this week?” Asa asks. “The canny old guy earned sniper status back in Vietnam.” The young vampire’s voice takes on a hint of awe as he continues. “I heard from one of the employees, Jerry’s father was part of a special forces team during World War II known as Castner’s Cutthroats. Have you ever researched those guys?” Asa looks excitedly around the table to see if anyone else shares his passion for history.

Jerry, the salt-n-pepper haired engineer, has worked here since The V V Inn opened back in the early ‘90s. The cagey old bastard also maintains a supply of silver bullets he casts himself.

I hide rolling my eyes at his enthusiasm, but just barely. If I were to offer any encouragement, he’d tell us everything he’s found out, I’m sure. “Thanks, Asa. I am aware of all the workers’ pasts. Jerry will be stationed at the employee apartments, just like last time. Obviously, at his age, he won’t be on guard the whole time, but he’s organized some excellent big-game hunters from the employee force to rotate shifts. They’ll watch over everyone during the mandatory curfew.”

Drew clears his throat, drawing eyes with the sound. “How are the employees handling the ‘stay at home unless it’s your shift’ regulation? Did you pull a vamp-whammy on them all?”

“Doing so was tedious,” I answer, “but necessary.” Implanting an urge in all one hundred and forty of them to follow the instructions of the curfew took about two weeks, but had to be done. All vampires can mind-control humans, but only Rafe’s aware of my master-manipulator abilities with other vampires.

Rafe presents a big, toothy salesman-grin. “There’s a big bonus for them if they listen and a refusal to pay death benefits if they don’t.”

I smile at the ingeniousness of the encouragement. “Clever suggestion you had, hon. Positively wicked.” Pushing my thigh up against his under the table, I give him a loving nudge. “Here’s to hoping it works.”

Manipulating people to do something for their own safety doesn’t twinge my conscience as much as some of the other things I’ve done over my long, undead existence
—
that’s for damn sure.

“Okay, so far we’ve covered: One—some of the whackos participating.” I raise my hand, starting to count each item off on my fingers. “Two—the major jobs you all will be doing. Three—employee safety.” My last finger comes up, “And the wolves. So that leaves…” I check my notebook lying open on my file folder, aware that all eyes are on me and it’s obvious what we haven’t spoken of yet.

“Ah… yes. The rogue vampire.” A wave of excitement ripples around the table with the mention of the soon-to-be-hunted criminal. “Any news yet from the Tribunal, Asa?”

“Nothing. They’re holding their cards close to their chest with the identity. Do you think they’re going to make us wait until they arrive to find out?”

I snort inelegantly at his last question. “The Tribunal answers to no one. They’ll do as they damn well please, and yes, I have a feeling they plan on surprising us at the last possible moment.”

“Be sure to contact Cy as soon as we get a name,” Rafe instructs Asa. “He’ll be able to do a thorough check without any of the Tribunal members aware of what we’re doing.”

“Why all the subterfuge?” Joanna asks.

Innocent thing, she hasn’t been around long enough to see even close to as much as I have during my nearly six centuries on earth. “Because, darling, you should never trust an ancient vampire, let alone a ruling class of them.”

Before anyone has a chance to fire questions at my daring closing salvo, my cell phone vibrates on my hip. Caller ID indicates it’s Bob, one of the ground crew working the airstrip to maintain its clearance for the arrivals today.

“Yes?”

“The first plane landed. We’ve got a group of six on their way up to the main building.”

“Thanks, Bob. Let me know when more arrive.”

“Will do.”

And so it begins. The hunters have come.

As the others file out, I
lay my hand on the sleeve of Dria’s jacket.
Wait, my love. Let them all go ahead.

What’s on your mind?

Joanna worries me. Are you sure her obsession is connected only to the blood lust?

All young vamps want the blood of master vamps to increase their own power. What else could it be?

Has her mind been damaged permanently by your prolonged occupation and control?

No,
Dria’s voice comes through loud and firm.
Angie suffered worse for a full year before I rescued her from Ivan’s sadistic dual raping of her mind and body. She came out fine.

She did not come out fine,
I gently remind her. Best not to anger her before greeting the guests.
Your considerable skills repaired her mind and you saved her.

Are you suggesting I go back in and try to fix Joanna more?

I back off from the topic; happy I’ve planted the seed.
No
liebling
, it was just a thought. Give her more time before you take such a risk at exposing yourself.

Reaching out, I pull her forward with a gentle tug on her glorious long hair. My mouth molds to her fuller one and lingers over a kiss. Snaking my tongue between her lips, I graze the sharp peaks of her canines, deliberately urging the involuntary reaction of her predatory nature.

Dria’s hand comes forward, her fingers run through my short hair grasping it to pull me closer and deepen the kiss. In return, she draws a base reaction from me. Blood rushes from every portion of my body to my cock. It never fails to amaze me that no matter how often we make love, she can still pull a reaction from me at any time.

I break off the exchange—despite my growing physical discomfort, this is not a good time. “Later. We’ve got work to do.”

The pout underneath her cute button nose is almost comical. “Fine. For now. But you know I’d make them all wait for a chance to break in the new conference room.”

The urge to satisfy the lust in her eyes makes me almost give in. “How about we do so when this week ends and no one is manning the control room, like they are now?”

“Good point. You win.”

As we rise to leave, I reach down to readjust myself before moving on. Goddamn dress pants; they never look good with an erection. Why does she make me wear this shit?

I heard that. And it’s because you look damn good in it.

“Yeah, yeah, whatever. Lead on, dear. Let’s get this show on the road.”

Dria heads down the hall past a holding room for Paul—designed for a young vampire’s darker moments while learning to control the blood lust—and a few other empty rooms that haven’t been assigned yet. The work Asa and Drew have done down here, and in such a short time, really has been miraculous. The dingy, concrete-block basement with hidden escape tunnels and ladders leading up to guestroom closets now looks like a modern office building—but one with no windows.

I follow Dria’s silk-covered ass, barely registering the many flat screens and keyboards set up in the large command center at the end of the hall.

“Come on, boys. Let’s go greet the new guests,” she calls out, walking by.

Asa and Drew look up from their posts as we pass, exchanging a look.

“Both of us?” Asa asks.

“Yes,” comes Dria’s reply from halfway across the old basement workroom. “You’ll learn a lot more from observing the arrivals than you will from their pretty dossiers. Trust me.”

The four of us head up the stairs leading into our personal suite. I’m not happy with this current entrance to the basement. Expanding the seethe was my idea, but when I first suggested it, I hadn’t bargained on a bunch of vamps coming and going through my personal space at all hours of the day. I’m seriously considering Asa’s expensive idea to cut a hole in the hotel kitchen’s floor and put in a secret spiral staircase.

Dria’s energy feels even and low key. She seems like she’s in a good frame of mind to meet the newcomers. I wonder…
You don’t plan on touching these hunters to read them, do you?

Hell no! Not if I can help it. They can keep their freaky-ass desires—to maim, rip-apart, kill, and drink the blood of a rogue—all to themselves, thank you very much. Ugh. Why did we do this again?

We pass through the small-scale commercial kitchen of the hotel and cross into the dining room.

Not only to earn our new members some huge pocket change, but hopefully to track down which member of the Tribunal wants you dead.

The list of vampires who want me dead is way too long, my dear. I made a lot of enemies during the two decades I was an enforcer.

I’ve always wondered exactly how much of Dria’s life she’s hidden from me. At times, I see a lot when she rests from the sun—her emotions and thoughts roiling close to the surface. The disturbing images I
do
see make me wish I could take all of the pain away from her and take it on myself.

Well then
, I assure her,
rest easy that no matter who you face in the future, you will always have me by your side to help defeat them.

With my own
Wolf Killer
at my side, I know I’ll be fine.

I stumble but catch myself easily.
You haven’t referred to me by that nickname in ages. Any reason to bring up my slaughter of those heartless Nazis now?

The horrible part of my life when I became a crazed man bent on revenge—stalking down the men responsible for my daughter and first wife’s death—seems like a lifetime ago. One thing I love about Dria: She knows all my demons and accepts them fully.

Dria’s voice, sounding cold and detached, comes through my mind,
Facing anyone from the Tribunal always makes me think of slaughter.

I think she’s still worried there are parts of her past so horrific, I would be repulsed to learn of them. Nothing could keep me from loving her, no matter what.

Our private conversation comes to an end as we enter the lobby. The entire seethe lounges in deceptively calm poses around the large space. Each one positioned to watch the interchange between Dria and the hunters as they arrive.

This is one time I wish Dria had a telepathic bond open with all of the seethe vampires. It would be a good way for all impressions to be shared instantaneously. But I doubt I could stand more than five minutes of hearing that damn werewolf lust after my wife – and no doubt opening a communal bond would include the furball too.

From outside the main entrance comes a screeching metal-on-wheels sound of the van door sliding open to release our new guests. A moment later the front doors burst open; the chill Arctic temperatures flood the area like a tidal wave of frost.

“Good afternoon,” Dria addresses the arrivals. “Thank you for coming to share a unique week with us at The V V Inn. My name is Vivian and I’m one of the owners.”

I notice Dria’s habit to shake hands is omitted. Her stance appears welcoming, but her hands gesture the guests forward rather than to her. The six people shuffle into the vaulted three-story space toward the front desk as the door behind them closes.

A man who reminds me of Ricardo Montalban from the
Wrath of Kahn
, minus the mullet and clothed in a sleek suit, stands closest to Dria. He extends his hand to her in greeting.

Damn!
Jumping forward from my spot next to her, I quickly grasp his hand while Dria pretends to not see his offer.

A flicker of surprise crosses his face as the warmth from my human hand encounters the slight chill of his vampiric one. As we shake, a tingle of power sparks between the two of us.

“Thanks for staying with us. I’m Rafe, Vivian’s mate, and co-owner of the inn.”

“I’m Donald Swanson. I’ve heard a lot about your previous properties and this one as well. I’m looking forward to this trip.”

Nearly two centuries ago, Dria started running vacation properties for the undead. She realized it was a great way to use her power as a master manipulator without exposing herself to her fellow vampires. Manipulators are still captured, hooded in silver, and put to death when discovered to ensure no vampire can ever mind-control another.

“Ah, yes, Mr. Swanson,” I say, using a respectful address of the master vampire hailing from Bath, England. If I remember correctly from the dossier, he’s the one connected to the string of murders spanning five decades. “How was your flight from across the pond?”

“Good, thank you. I must admit I didn’t expect you to have
power
with such an average mate.” I know he’s referring to the spark when we shook.

Dria’s head whips around while greeting the next guest in line. Hiding her true age from the guests comes second nature to her—but my own shielding skills are lacking. The small amount of blood I drink from her not only keeps me from aging, but infuses me with some of her extensive power as well.

“Yes, well,” I wink into the killer’s eyes with a calmness I can’t completely claim, “I never said she was my first vampire.”

Donald nods his head, accepting my lie over sensing there might be more to my curvy wife, and then proceeds to move past me to check in.

Dria throws me a quick look before turning away,
Whew! That one was close. Perhaps you shouldn’t touch some of the guests either, studly, eh?
My wife’s shock colors her mental voice, but her outward appearance is calm and refined as she pretends she didn’t hear the entire exchange.

Yes.
Agreed.

“Rafe, darling. I’d like you to meet Stephen and Stan as well.”

Christ. These two appear to be average guys, until you look into their eyes. There’s no way that mask of crazy stays hidden all the time. I guess they’re letting it all hang out on vacation because the average neighbor must surely be able to see what I see, right?

Nodding my hello to Stephen, I’m surprised the Johnnie Depp look-alike from
Sweeney Todd, The Demon Barber of Fleet Street,
didn’t have a thicker dossier. Despite his skinny frame and the fact that I outweigh him by seventy pounds, he scares the shit out of me. Wow, Dria is right. This is going to be one odd week.

Stan, the next vampire, breaks into a good ol’ boy grin. His relaxed I’m-your-friend expression makes him look safe at first glance. He stands shorter than me, a little stouter, and has a receding hairline. Stan is the one with a squeaky clean, no-info-found dossier. I can see why—the insanity lurks in his eyes, but you could honestly think it’s part of his act.

Nodding hello is my only required action in our greeting, thankfully. I’m not even sure what to say to either of them. “
Hi, glad you whack-jobs paid half-a-million to visit our hotel to hunt a fellow vampire?”
This is not a normal setup for us, to say the least. I can only imagine what hell is going to break loose over the next five days. It won’t be anything like the sexcapades we normally get from the vampire guests. Those I can handle fine. Dria runs a great show with her master illusions, mental projections, and subtle manipulation of their minds.

Once they walk past me, I’m able to take in the next two vampires. The woman stands slightly in front of her male companion. Both are Indian and so good-looking, they could have walked off the set of the latest Bollywood flick, which is one area my film knowledge is sadly lacking.

“Pleasure to meet you both,” she says. “I’m Sanji and this is my companion, Vikram. He will not be participating in the hunt, but has come to relax instead.”

At the mention of his name, Vikram steps forward with an offer to shake my hand in greeting. The calm expression of the man triggers an automatic response of manners and before I know it my hand is in his. There’s something about him—he has charisma.

Instead of a spark, his peaceful energy flows up my arm in an almost subtle flare of warmth. I can see why the bloodthirsty Sanji keeps him by her side. When she can no longer control her urges, he could bring her back from the edge of darkness – just like I sometimes do for Dria.

“Welcome, Vikram.” Our hands drop. “The inn was designed as a retreat for relaxation and decadence. I’m sure you will enjoy yourself while Sanji is on the hunt.”

As the pair moves past us, the last hunter by the door shrugs off her floor-length fur coat. She’s a stunning woman, nearly as tall as me. Her dark Brazilian good looks, palm-sized breasts, and round, fuckable ass make me think of an Amazonian porn goddess. I quickly slam my mental guards up into place.

No need for Dria to know what I’m thinking all the time.

Approaching us both, the woman does the absolute worst thing she ever could have done. She ignores Dria and offers her hand to me.

“I’m Bebe.” She pronounces it like
Beh-beh
. “And I want to know if the redhead shares.”

Dria’s control remains in place and the freaky calm she sometimes gets before she explodes into violence spreads across her face. She grasps the younger vampire’s hand in what looks like quite a firm grip—that is if I’m reading the flare of annoyance over Bebe’s face correctly.

Dria stares into the woman’s irritated eyes. I can tell the moment my wife slips into the exotic beauty’s mind. Bebe’s haughty expression slackens and a timid smile replaces her earlier predatory look.

“Welcome, Bebe,” Dria’s strong voice carries out across the room. “What an amusing thought. I never would have pegged you as one with such an amazing sense of humor. Please check in, the gentleman at the front desk will be going over the house rules for feeding shortly.”