The Way of Escape (20 page)

At first glance, I could tell that my friend was sober, which was a relief. Connor had obviously bathed and been given sharp new clothes, but no amount of silk and aftershave could distract me from the bruises caused by her merciless abuse. The classically beautiful fiend had been trying to break him for days and I prayed that she hadn’t succeeded in the little time since my visit. If Connor’s presence at dinner and fine new clothing were a reward for his submission instead of a bribe given to obtain it, I feared that Augustus and I wouldn’t be alive long enough to finish the first course.

“I see that the rumors are true,” Emmanuel greeted from his place at the head of the table. “Congratulations on surviving an encounter with Grayson.”

“Thanks,” I replied flatly. “My shirt wasn’t so lucky.”

The coven leader smirked as he gestured to Manuel, the Latino slave who stood nearby. Manuel poked his head outside and two female slaves, Becky and Tina, filed in with soup and feeding kits for the slaves and me. I couldn’t help smiling when I recognized the smell of miso soup. Since I adored Asian food, I hoped that the rest of the meal followed the same Japanese theme. Unfortunately, the sound of Grayson’s grating voice stole my attention along with the little joy the soup brought.

“Did I take so much blood that you need to take two kits?”

“No, you didn’t. I let Augustus drink from me.”

“How was it,” Emmanuel asked.

“Well, I didn’t feel like I needed therapy and a shower afterwards,” I muttered thoughtlessly.

“I think she enjoyed it,” Marie added before turning to Connor, who had been glaring at Grayson and Augustus. “You’d like it too if you stopped trying to resist me.”

I breathed a sigh of relief at Marie’s scolding. Connor clearly hadn’t given in to her yet, and I quickly prayed that he wouldn’t lose heart before our plan came into fruition. One slip of the tongue could cost all of us our lives.

“His problem isn’t with being bitten. He just doesn’t want
your
fangs in his throat,” Danielle said. “He wouldn’t have asked you to sell him to Clara if he did.”

I tried to make eye contact with Connor, but he’d turned his attention from the vampires to his soup. Apparently, I wasn’t the only one he’d voiced that desire to.

“What do you think about that, Augustus,” Grayson inquired. “It sounds like you have another rival.”

“The word ‘another’ implies that I had a rival to begin with,” Augustus pointed out. “You are not my competition in any arena. I would annihilate you whether in a battle over Clara’s affections or in a fight to the death — your death, that is.”

Grayson opened his mouth to shoot a no doubt snarky response in Augustus’ direction, but Emmanuel cut him off before a single syllable could escape his loathsome lips.

“Speaking of your impending vampirism, are you excited about tomorrow?”

“I’m more nervous than anything,” I answered honestly. “I know I can’t live here as a human, but I haven’t wrapped my head around becoming a vampire either.”

“You’ll love it. Not having to worry about death gives you great freedom.”

“It does,” I said.

Though I genuinely agreed with Emmanuel, my lessened of fear of death came long before I decided to become a vampire. I’d never been eager to experience the pain that came with dying or the seemingly inevitable wearing out process that came with aging, but believing in the afterlife made death itself a lot less frightening. If anything, I was more afraid of living as a vampire than dying as a human.

“So are you going to steal my pet away after you’re one of us,” Marie asked.

“Well, I know firsthand that feeding is a very intimate process, so I’d rather drink from someone I know than a stranger,” I lied.

“Connor has been a bit of a pain in the neck, but he’s a real dish and I’m quite keen on the little bugger. Forcing me to part with him won’t be cheap. I don’t think you have enough money to do it.”

“But I do,” Augustus pointed out. “If Clara wants to buy her friend, I will pay for the young man as a gift to commemorate her rebirth.”

“Then I guess I should enjoy him while I can.”

“Let’s not talk business at the dinner table,” Emmanuel said. “We can discuss that after tomorrow’s festivities.”

Marie sneered at me over her wine glass and a small smirk crossed my lips as I remembered that she would be out of Connor’s life in less than twenty-four hours. God willing, Emmanuel’s reign of terror would be over by sunset and all of the humans would be free to resume peaceful lives without even remembering the abuse they’d endured.

The remainder of the meal was relatively uneventful. We ate various gourmet Japanese dishes and sushi while the vampires gleefully exchanged barbs and discussed their plans for the evening. Marie and Grayson were going to one of the Haitian resorts with a few other coven members I hadn’t had the misfortune of meeting to add a little variety to their liquid diets. Danielle and Emmanuel were opting to stay home and enjoy another private concert courtesy of two musically inclined slaves. Neither option sounded appealing to me, but Augustus assured our host that we would join them for at least part of the intimate performance.

Once the meal ended, Becky and Tina cleared our plates and we moved into the parlor, where a curly-haired Latina slave, Alma, serenaded us with her sweet voice alongside the piano playing blonde, Selena, who had been Lazzaro’s accompanist during his trip. I sat with Augustus and he instantly placed his arm around my shoulders as we silently watched the performance. The young woman sang unfamiliar yet beautiful French songs that Emmanuel clearly enjoyed, tapping his fingers and toes to the beat as he took in the music from several yards away. The coven leader eventually stood up and pulled Anna into his arms to dance to what I assumed was a beloved tune.

The song inspired dancing for Emmanuel, but it awakened Danielle’s thirst and lowered her inhibitions. The vampire sank her fangs into Patrick’s throat and I averted my eyes. While I found her exploitation repulsive, I had to remind myself that I would be doing the same thing after my transformation. I would be the one breaking flesh instead of bread, and I prayed that my appetite wouldn’t lead me to be as barbaric and shameless as Danielle was. Aside from the occasional drunken make out session with David, I’d never been one for public intimacy in my B.C. days. I seriously doubted that aspect of my personality would change when I became a vampire.

“What’s on your mind,” Augustus whispered.

“I was just thinking about how I’ll be in her shoes soon.”

“You might be in the same shoes, but you won’t walk in them the same way that she does.”

“No,” I said with a smile, “I won’t.”

“I think it’s time to switch things up a bit,” Emmanuel announced once the song ended. “Would you like to dance, Clara?”

Even though Emmanuel asked me to dance instead of ordering me to join him, I had a feeling that saying no wasn’t an option. Suppressing my revulsion, I reluctantly took the smiling vampire’s extended hand and let him hold me in his arms as he spun me around the room. Despite my lack of dancing experience, I quickly realized that Emmanuel could give Fred Astaire a run for his money. Skill aside, I couldn’t shake the discomfort that rendered every muscle in my body rigid and made me itch as if I’d been attacked by angry mosquitoes.

“You really don’t like me, do you,” he lamented.

“Well, you’ve put me in an impossible position.”

“It couldn’t have been
too
impossible since you’ve decided to join my coven.”

I wanted to tell him that I wanted to dismantle his sick system of servitude one vampire at a time, but I kept my mouth shut.

“Why does even the most innocent touch from me make your skin crawl yet you can share a bed and blood with Augustus? He and I are very similar.”

“Augustus has shown more discretion than I’ve seen from anyone else here.”

“Augustus may be discreet, but he is
far
from innocent. Your precious future sire has probably killed more people than you’ve ever met. How is owning a few slaves worse than killing rivals and feeding from unknowing humans for centuries?”

“It’s not. I don’t condone what he’s done, but I’ve seen that’s there’s more to him than destructive appetites for blood and comfort.”

“Such as?”

“Compassion, a conscience, and the capacity to love for starters.”

“Doesn’t freeing your friend and the other two slaves count as kindness?”

“Doing me a favor doesn’t erase the fact that you’re still oppressing dozens of people.”

“That’s fair,” he conceded. “As for the capacity to love, it’s overrated. When you love someone, you expose your weaknesses and give your enemies the chance to control and distract you through your beloved. In the world we live in, those weaknesses can cost you your life.”

“But love is the only thing that makes life bearable whether it’s platonic or otherwise,” I argued. “Also, what’s the harm in loving the vampires you’ve sired? Isn’t it true that vampires can’t hurt or kill their makers?”

“They can’t do anything to
physically
harm their makers, but there are always loopholes. I’m not willing to take that risk and jeopardize the life I’ve built for myself.”

“You mean you’re scared?”

“No, I’m just wise.”

“Wisdom comes from fearing God, not from protecting your own selfish interests.”

“If you really believe that, why are you protecting
your
selfish interests by becoming a vampire?”

“Because I can have more influence on the situation as a vampire than as a slave. No one would see me as anything more than a piece of meat if I stayed a dhampir, so no one would listen to me even if I had the courage to speak up.”

“You’re very lucky that I find your piety compelling instead of aggravating,” Emmanuel chuckled softly as the song ended and we stopped dancing. “Do you want to know something interesting?”

“Sure.”

“I was going to keep you as my personal slave until I learned that you were a dhampir. While I’m disappointed that you’ve taken such a shining to Augustus over me, I hope that you’ll grow to appreciate me in the days to come. I’d love for us to actually take pleasure in one another’s company since we will be living under the same roof.”

Don’t hold your breath,
I thought as the vexatious vampire ended our dance with a wink and sat down with his slave. However, Augustus rose from the couch before I could take my seat again.

“I could use a drink,” he said. “Care to join me?”

“Sure.”

As Augustus and I left the room, he cast a baleful look in Emmanuel’s direction. The coven leader simply grinned in return before biting his slave’s neck. Despite my increasing familiarity with vampires feeding, I was still tremendously grateful for Augustus’ well-timed thirst.

The two of us fled to the ballroom, which the slaves had already partially furnished for the eclipse festivities. Tables with crisp white tablecloths and candelabras lined the longest wall and tall, glass-topped cocktail tables littered the area around the dance floor. Augustus and I walked to the wet bar and he immediately began making himself a drink.

“Would you like one as well?”

“What is it?”

“A sidecar.”

“No thanks. I’ll just have water.”

Within moments, I had a glass in my hand and Augustus had one in his. After taking a long sip of the refreshing drink, I noticed that my companion was spending more time watching me than enjoying his beverage.

“You didn’t just come here to have a drink, did you?”

“No, I didn’t. I wanted to speak with you about something in private.”

“Should I be sitting for this,” I kidded halfheartedly.

“Don’t worry. The subject isn’t that grave,” he said, coming from behind the bar to stand beside me again. “Or at least it shouldn’t be.”

“What’s going on, Augustus?”

“As I said earlier, you will feel the bond between us immediately after you awaken as a vampire. Though you may find the connection overwhelming at first, it will become more manageable in the days and weeks ahead,” Augustus reiterated. “Many vampires want to make love with their makers after awakening if they are of the desired gender, but because of the convictions you’ve shared with me, I won’t cross that boundary with you no matter what you say or do in light of your new devotion.”

“Thank you. I really appreciate that.”

I sincerely hoped that I wouldn’t turn into some embarrassingly desperate woman after my change, but I was thankful that Augustus wouldn’t let my undead arousal get the best of me. However, suspicion overshadowed my gratitude since he still hadn’t gotten to the point.

“Newborn vampires also tend to have a difficult time distinguishing any existing feelings from their new affection if they didn’t fully explore or at least acknowledge it before being turned,” he continued. “I brought you here tonight because I didn’t want there to be any question in your mind that something existed between us before your change.”

I tapped my fingers on the wet bar’s counter and bit my bottom lip as I mulled over what Augustus had said.