The Vampire's Seduction (10 page)

“Jack, where’s Huey with Mr. William’s Jag? I was expecting him an hour ago.”

“Shit,” I muttered.

Now, this was a fine howdy-do. Me driving my ’Vette and William sitting in the other bucket seat with a blond vamp on his lap. And Huey missing. Just damn, damn, and damn.

“Maybe he stopped at a pub for a lager,” Olivia offered.

“Not Huey,” I said. “He didn’t drink. He used to, but his wife had a voodoo queen put the juke on him. If he ever drinks again, he’ll puke his guts out.”

“That’s what happens to a lot of humans when they drink too much,” she said.

“He’ll puke his guts out,
literally.
I believe her exact words were ‘crows will feast on your entrails.’ Problem is, his wife died about ten years ago. Now he’s stuck with it.”

Olivia thought about that for a moment. “Brilliant,” she said.

William was showing signs of impatience. I couldn’t imagine why—he was the one with the gorgeous vampire babe in his lap. “Are you sure this is the route he would take?”

“Yeah. I told him to go straight there and back. Wait a minute. What’s that?”

Up ahead, a town house was under renovation. One of those Victorian affairs being restored to its former glory. A large, professionally painted sign in the yard read
FUNDED BY THORNE HISTORIC TRUST
. One of William’s little projects. What I saw on the front steps sent a shiver up my spine. There was a handwritten sign that said
WET PAINT
tacked to the porch post. Underneath it was Huey, his chest bathed in blood.

I stopped the ’Vette in front of the house and we all vaulted out. “Oh, no.” I muttered. “Poor Huey.” He was sitting on the top step, leaning against the porch post, his throat ripped out, viscera gaping, startled eyes wide open as if looking into the great beyond, which I guess they were at this point. I reached out and gently closed them.

Olivia bent down and ran one of her elegant fingers through the blood that was still oozing from Huey’s neck. Then she tasted it. “Not more than thirty minutes, I would say.”

“Leave him be!” I ordered. It made me sick to think of anyone eating Huey. I couldn’t even look at her.

I heard Olivia whisper to William, “Jack befriends many mortals, does he?”

“Yes,” William said softly. “This is a calling card directed at me.” He put his hands on my shoulders as I knelt in front of Huey. “We’ve got to move him, Jack. Now.”

I nodded and walked back to the car to open the trunk. William was right behind me with Huey cradled in his arms. He laid the body carefully in the trunk, then looked at the keys in my hand.

“Can you drive?” he asked.

I must have looked stunned. I sure felt like it. I wiped a sleeve across my eyes. “Sure, I can drive in my sleep.” Even through a nightmare.

“Good, I want you on your way.”

“William, what about you? We have to find the creep who did this. He’s got your Jag.”

“Yes, I know. But right now you need to look after Huey.”

William

How typical of Jack to worry about my car. Blast the car. It was Jack I was worried about. I could feel Reedrek’s unholy gaze on us. The sensation so strong it made my blood itch. The challenge so loud I wanted nothing more than to search the darkness until I found him. Or almost nothing more. I wanted Jack safe first.

Olivia was in danger as well, but at least she had some idea of what we were facing. If we split up, I was fairly sure that Reedrek would be more tempted to follow Olivia and me.

I rested a hand on Jack’s shoulder, again using all my persuasiveness to get him to follow orders without an argument. “Take Huey home,” I said. I glanced toward the nearest street sign. “We’re only a few blocks from Eleanor’s. Meet us there with some sort of transportation when you’re finished. And, Jack, remember that old beaded charm I asked you to keep for me? The one from Lalee?” I didn’t wait for him to answer. “Bring that with you when you come.”

Jack’s gaze shifted to Olivia. “You’re taking her to Eleanor’s?”

“Yes, now go. And don’t forget the charm. Find it. Put it on.”

It was a testament to his dazed condition that Jack simply nodded and got in his car. As the sound of the red beast faded in the distance, I signaled Olivia to silence; then I made a slow 360-degree turn, searching for my own personal boogieman. There was movement in the bushes near the half-built foundation of the house, but it turned out to be a sleepy guard dog, too tired even to bark. Reedrek was more elusive—well hidden or long gone. Since this was his game, he would make the rules. And he would take his own good time to reach the conclusion.

I slipped a protective arm around Olivia. If my blood held any charm it would hide her as well. “This way,” I said, and pulled her along with me.

She seemed more entranced than worried. “This city is actually quite lovely,” she said. “Nothing compared to London but still . . .”

“There is probably a rogue vampire watching us right now. Aren’t you even a little worried for your survival?” I asked. It was painfully clear to me that Olivia was young and still in the discovery stage of her vampirism. Alger had obviously spoiled her. Fascinated by the exploration of her own feast of powers and her inability to die, she didn’t know the meaning of
reckless.
After all, she was half Jack’s age and Jack sometimes slipped back into his own version of adolescence. Yet another reason I felt compelled to protect him, even using his own ignorance when necessary. Back at the mansion, I’d ordered Olivia not to tell Jack anything she knew about me—or about being a vampire in general—especially how she’d been able to travel so far from the land of her making at such a young age. I had to remain the only rebel in the family for now.

Olivia gazed at me with admiration. “I’m not worried. I’m with you. You’ll find a way for us to deal with Alger’s killer.”

“Oh, yes, right, William the
legend.
Is that correct?”

She seemed confused. “Well, yes. Alger told me about all the times you’ve defied the old ones. That you formed the Abductors. He told me that you’re the strongest, smartest of the lot. That on several occasions you’ve stolen slave offspring from their sires and set them free.” She stopped to face me. “He said you were special. He wouldn’t have lied about that.”

How was I to tell her that Alger loved me in his own way and that he saw me with flawed sight because of that love? That in stealing offspring, I was trying to set myself free. That my strength, rather than being based on the number of my offspring, was instead based on my fury. Explaining would serve no purpose other than to confuse her more than I already had.

“No, I suppose not. He was a terrible liar, anyway. I remember once, when we were visiting Paris, he vowed to bring me Napoléon’s head as a souvenir. He brought me a head all right, but it looked nothing like Napoléon—it turned out that he’d snuck into Josephine’s bedchamber intending to find the great man busy with her charms and had ended up stealing one of her lovers instead.”

Olivia smiled into my eyes as though I’d given her a blood gift. In those few seconds I saw an offer of paradise, or the closest thing to it I’d seen in centuries.

“Keep walking,” I managed, and moved away. The very last thing I wanted was someone else to care about.

She fell into step next to me. “Where are we going?”

“To a friend’s. I need to think and you need to feed.”

“I’m fine, thank you,” she answered, but her voice had slowed and deepened. I could feel her bloodlust warming at the mere mention of feeding.

“I want you as strong as possible. I may require your help.” What I needed most was for her to be able to defend herself so that I could concentrate on Reedrek. I myself would not be able to feed. Since he was my sire, any increase in my own strength would benefit Reedrek—making him even stronger. In starving myself, I starved him.

I looked ahead to the next cross street—and as the light turned red, I saw my Jag cruise across the intersection headed for the river.

Even across the threshold, I could smell Eleanor’s confusion. She couldn’t quite cover her surprise at seeing me, especially in the company of a woman. I usually called beforehand to arrange our evenings, and I always arrived alone. Eleanor was dressed demurely in what looked like a business suit with tailored pants and jacket, her tumbling gypsy hair drawn back into a smooth chignon. She looked expensive and competent.

“I’m sorry to show up unannounced,” I said before she could speak. “We seem to have had a bit of car trouble and I wonder if you’ll humor us until Jack returns.” I kept my voice formal, without any of the sexual undertones Eleanor and I usually traded. “May we come in?”

“Of course, William,” my Eleanor said, recovering. “You know you’re
always
welcome here.”

“This is a . . . friend of mine,” I said. “Olivia, meet Eleanor—this is her house.”

“Hello,” Olivia replied as we stepped through the door. Briefly, she sized up Eleanor before her gaze moved on to the parlor where several scantily clad women amused the well-dressed men among them. It looked like a private party.

“What is this place? A whorehouse?”

Eleanor drew herself up, and the recent memory of her—naked, driving a stake downward—assailed me. Her voice was perfectly calm. “We prefer to call it a gentlemen’s club. But if you must get down in the gutter you could describe this as a house of pleasure.”

Olivia returned her full attention to Eleanor.

“Or pain,” Eleanor added with a slight smile. Again, I had to admire her lack of fear, although I wasn’t sure whether Olivia, child of a vampire, would shrug off the “gutter” insult or shed blood.

I stepped between them, moving close to Eleanor’s ear. “Might you arrange a swan for my friend here?”

“I might,” Eleanor answered softly, then lightly nipped my ear. “Will we get to finish our game?”

Her words set off my own heated reaction. I’d conditioned myself to her pleasures. “No,” I managed.

She pushed back to look at me. I could see disappointment in her eyes, and although she’d never admit it, I could tell she was hurt. “Why?” she asked. “Is she—”

“It has nothing to do with Olivia,” I assured her.

Eleanor held my gaze, looking for a lie. She had no idea how easily I could lie if I wished to. But in this case, I let her see the truth.

“Follow me,” she said.

She took us to a comfortable sitting room, although we chose not to sit. “Wait here and I’ll make some calls.” Then she looked at Olivia again. “What’s your preference?” she asked. “A man or a woman?”

Olivia licked her already swelling lips, which were warming and changing in front of us. She was becoming the predator. Her moist pout was more than any mortal could resist kissing, risk dying for. Watching her, I wondered if I had that effect on Eleanor when she offered me her blood. Olivia put out a pale hand and slowly slid her fingers up Eleanor’s bare neck, gliding along her jaw as though she meant to draw her forward for a kiss. Instead, she ran the soft pad of her thumb over Eleanor’s mouth.

“I love pretty bitches like you,” she purred, teasing Eleanor’s lips apart. I felt my Eleanor tremble under her touch. Even I was not unaffected. I had controlled my appetites for so long that this primal overload made it hard to breathe.

“I see why William likes to play here,” Olivia exhaled.

The three of us stood transfixed for a moment. I had the uncanny feeling of being touched, and had to clear my own throat and swallow against the urge to bar the door and drag both of them to the carpet. Then Olivia reluctantly released her hold on Eleanor. “But I also like to fuck my food, so I suppose a man would do.”

Eleanor nodded, perhaps unsure if she could speak, and disappeared through the door.

Had I thought of this upstart as a child? If so, she was proving to me that she could run with the big dogs, as Jack would say. What would he think if he saw her now?

Olivia laughed, her eyes bright with mischief and lechery. “You must satisfy her well. She’s all about you.” When I didn’t respond, she moved closer, rubbing herself against me like a cat. “You know I said I wasn’t hungry, but suddenly I’m
famished.
I hope your friend Eleanor hurries.” She smiled up into my face, running a knowing hand downward, caressing the arousal I could not hide. “Otherwise, I might have to take matters into my own hand.”

Jack

I drove back to the garage, trying to figure out how I was going to tell the guys about Huey. At least there was no next of kin to notify. Huey’s wife was dead, and he had no kin that he knew of, or would admit to. The passenger seat was loaded with a couple of twelve-packs of beer and some chips I’d picked up at the convenience store. I’d never planned a wake before, but I figured there had to be refreshments.

When I pulled into the garage bay, I could see all the regulars there. Rufus, Otis, and Jerry were playing cards, and Rennie was working on a transmission. Rennie, who knew me best, sensed immediately that something was bad wrong.

“What’s up, chief? Did you find Huey?” Rennie asked cautiously. Jerry and Rufus, who I’m convinced are not 100 percent, grade-A human, each put their noses in the air, their nostrils flaring slightly. They obviously could smell fresh kill almost as well as I could. Otis looked back and forth between the two of them as the card game halted.

“Yeah, I found him. Something got him. Something bad. It’s new in town and William and me are going to catch it.”

I paused a moment to let this sink in. Huey, who’d detailed cars, changed oil, and did odd jobs around the shop, had been popular with the regulars. He didn’t have two good brain cells to rub together but had been pleasant company and hadn’t asked questions. In the poker game of life, it wasn’t that he’d been canny enough to bluff about the weirdness of his compadres; it’s just that he hadn’t been blessed with a curious nature. If I’d wanted, I could’ve filleted a drug dealer in here, roasted him on a spit over the oil pit, and Huey would never have made a peep. You had to admire that in a human.

Finally I opened the trunk and the boys shuffled over to see their friend, who looked fairly peaceful now that his eyes were closed.