Her Vampire Temptation (Midnight Doms Book 8) Page 9

  I come over and glance at the website. It’s black with an intricate skull and crossbones pattern overlaid in a faint gray and reads: “The finest, more delicious blood in the world, fresh harvested, delivered to your door in minutes.”

  “What the hell? Scroll down.”

  I read aloud as Martin flashes over, curious to see. “Desire young healthy blood? The best, most exotic flavors in the world? Currently on tap we have three perfect vintiges. All from women in they’re 20s, all hand-picked to have the best tasting and smelling blood in the world. Supply limited. Auction forthcoming for their L.D.s.”

  “L.D.s?” I frown.

  He shrugs. “That’s all it says.”

  “Contact information?” I lean in.

  Slash continues reading the last part. “Want to find us? So find us. You’ll now who to talk to…”

  “They don’t spell very well, whoever it is.” I snort.

  Slash nods. “It’s an abandoned website from the wayback I research periodically on dark web stuff. They thought they deleted it, and they made a mistake. Their mistake was not knowing that I exist.” He smiles to himself. “I think I can trace it.” He types furiously.

  “Well?” I hover over his shoulder.

  “Leads to a different IP address here in Arizona.” Slash looks up at me. “But from there it gets tricky. It will take me awhile.”

  “Ok, keep at it.”

  I say the thing I hoped wasn’t true. “Regarding the blood bank break in. I think Karl had someone steal the samples, so he could screen them, find the most delicious blood. Then he tracked down his top leads…and took them. Is using them as blood sources against their will.”

  “That’s horrific.” Martin seems appalled. “We all need to feed. But not like that.”

  Slash shakes his head. “It’s insane. We don’t treat humans like that. It’s just…” he trails off. “I don’t have words.”

  “Karl has worsened over the past century.” I frown. “Instead of getting kinder and more mellow, he’s allowed cruelty to rule him.”

  “Why don’t you just eliminate him?” Slash raises his eyebrows.

  “He has helpers out there, and I can’t get rid of him without finding out more, first. If I dispose of him too quickly, it may be like cutting the head off the mythical Hydra. Get rid of one head, and two more grow back stronger."

  This is entirely true.

  However, I don't add the other, more uncomfortable truth: If I have to kill Karl, it will be proof of my failure as a vampire, my inability to choose good people to turn. I’m trying to remake myself right now with my medical research, and death isn’t supposed to be on the agenda. If I can avoid it, I will. Maybe a small part of me still thinks—hopes—that Karl can be saved.

  “Well.” Slash looks over to Martin, who’s listening to our conversation while twirling his iPhone on the smooth tabletop. “I’ll see what I can find.”

  “And so will I.” Slash can check the ones and zeroes. I’ll be rooting around in the vamp and supernatural underworld, trying to find more details, so I can figure out how to stop Karl…before things get worse.

  Alain

  “Lucius.” I bow my head in respect. It’s a strange coincidence: I needed to talk to him. Before I reached out, he summoned me to meet at Club Toxic. The Vampire King himself, the most powerful vampire in Tucson and probably the whole United States.

  “Alain.” He raises a glass and gives me a knowing look. “I hope your ventures are well.” We’re seated at the bar, our voices low and muffled, so none of the humans or other guests can overhear.

  His keen eyes have already noted my urgency, either in my gait or my expression. He’s renowned for his reflexes and his skill in reading other beings, human and not.

  “My medical facility is on track. It pleases me. Dr. Albright’s progress is astounding.”

  “Good.” He nods to the bartender. “Your project intrigues me. I enjoy hearing the updates as you send them.”

  “And I appreciate the fact that you help me keep it safe.” I smile.

  Part of the reason I built the facility just outside of Lucius’ range of ownership is that he keeps tabs on what goes on in the vicinity. It’s not like he stops caring because something is a half mile outside his territory.

  I wanted to be in my own zone, but close to a trusted ally. Plus, there are excellent doctors at the Banner Hospital. The top-notch research nearby at the University of Arizona makes it a slam dunk.

  The bartender slides me a glass of Pinot. I lift it to Lucius. “To your health.”

  He smiles. “A vampire’s health is binary. It either is, or it isn’t.”

  “On the surface.” I take another sip. “But if you open the onion, there’s more to it. I know you agree.”

  “Care to elucidate?” He sips his whiskey.

  “Vampires can rot from the inside out. Metaphorically speaking.”

  “And I suppose you have a particular vampire in mind?” He takes another sip of his drink.

  “Karl.”

  “Yes.” He nods. “Your spawn.”

  I tense. “We all make mistakes.”

  “And are required to fix them.” He leans in, voice stern. “Karl made a mess last month in Tucson when he murdered that whole family.” A beat. “Although I am pleased you fixed it with minimal collateral damage before I needed to involve myself.”

  I incline my head. “Is this why you wanted to speak with me?”

  “He is not allowed permission to hunt on my property. He needs to be stopped.” He raises a brow. The implied part is that if he needs to fix my problem, it won’t be good for my reputation. Or my standing here in Tucson.

  “I have no problem stopping him. But I may need more time.”

  “Time in which my citizens are terrorized and my vampires put into danger of being found out?” He raises a brow.

  “I suspect he’s doing something far worse than that recent murder.”

  Lucius puts his glass down on the bar, a decisive move. “We’ll continue this discussion in private.”

  I follow him to the guarded, locked staircase to his private office upstairs. Seated in his chair behind his massive wooden desk, he looks even more majestic than usual. I wonder at his powers; surely, they’re far beyond mine and any vampire I know. It’s critical that I convince him to help me.

  “Tell me what you mean.” He fixes his stare on me.

  “Have you noticed Karl’s robust qualities of late?” I pause to find the right words. “Like he’s full to the seams with energy. With blood. So much of it.”

  “I have. Go on.” Lucius tents his fingers.

  “It’s unnatural. So it made me wonder why.”

  “And you found out?” Lucius raises a brow.

  “He’s got access to a supply of top-notch blood. But it’s not…” I hesitate. “Not from a good source.” I wince, thinking about what I uncovered just a day ago.

  I continue. “There are rumors of a members-only blood store with limited amounts of exquisite blood, all from sexy young women. The blood is full of adrenaline and pain endorphins. Exotic. Delicious beyond compare.” I sigh. “And it’s true.”

  “It’s not a novel concept.” Lucius stares at me. “I have blood at my bar.”

  “I know you do. Delicious. Scarce. And ethically sourced.” I emphasize the last words.

  “This new blood bar isn’t?”

  “I believe they are stealing young women and holding them hostage. Draining them over and over again, like blood cows.”

  There is a silence.

  “Possibly torturing them to ensure their blood is full of adrenaline and endorphins. It’s bad.”

  “If that is true,” Lucius says, “then it’s not sanctioned by me. Or anyone I know. I didn’t even give him permission to hunt personally on my territory.” He looks fierce.

  As the local leader, he controls much of Tucson and has built a fragile alliance with the other supernatural creatures here, especially the wolf
shifters. You want to do something in Tucson, you clear it with Lucius. It’s how it works.

  “We need to shut it down.”

  “Where is the facility itself?”

  “I don’t have the exact location. My sources estimate outskirts of Phoenix.”

  “That’s not within my territory.”

  “It’s in mine.” I snap it out. “And I must stop him.” I take a breath. “But neither you nor I can just kill him and be done with it. Because he has helpers that could continue even if he’s gone.”

  Lucius nods. “He’s neither smart enough nor organized enough to do this on his own.”

  “Exactly.” I agree. “He’s got allies who will simply move the facility if Karl is killed. I need to get him to reveal the location and his partners, so I can cut this down at the source.”

  “If his facility is in Phoenix, why is he taking women in Tucson?” Lucius toys with his glass.

  I shrug. “My best guess is that he wants to make me look bad because I can’t keep him in check. He wishes to make you angry at me. Cast me out. I think he cares as much about hurting me as he does about his actual operations.”

  Lucius’ face is grave. “There are rumors that he has a vendetta against you. And if you leave, he may back off Tucson. Leave the city alone.”

  I shift in my seat, anxiety pricking at me. “Karl wants you to turn on me. I’m asking you to trust that I can stop him and shut down his venture in Phoenix and his killings here in Tucson.”

  “I can’t risk any more missing women in Tucson. It’s too much. It’s going to endanger all of us if he continues. I’m not turning on you. I’m telling you how it is.”

  “I understand. And I’m just asking you to let me take care of it. My way.”

  Lucius looks across the room, then back at me. “I’ve learned through experience that you don’t begin a battle unless you already know you can win.” He stares into my eyes. “Are you ready?”

  “I’m working on that.” I meet his gaze. “I will get together what I need. I just want to know that you will back me, if I need it.”

  “I will back you.” He speaks slowly. “I will let it be known at this club and within my circles of influence that we side with you.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Karl is a fool if he thinks he can manipulate me so easily. And a brash idiot to endanger all of vampires with his plans.”

  “I agree.”

  He smiles. “Let us share a drink.” He doesn’t say anything, but an assistant immediately enters, bringing a silver tray with a bottle and two glasses: Lucius’ favorite whiskey, a drink he offers only to those he trusts.

  “I saw you at the club the other week with a human.” He smiles.

  He means Bri. “She was good.” Understatement. “But it’s nothing.”

  Lucius tilts his head. “Just good? You were happier than usual. You were even ecstatic.” He takes a sip of his drink.

  Damn his perceptive nature.

  He adds, “Be careful,” as if I didn’t already know that.

  “I haven’t stayed around this long by risking things.” I sip from my glass and raise it to him. Try to hide my guilt because I didn’t even properly wipe her. She will most certainly remember more than I wanted her to keep in her brain.

  Lucius is about to respond when his mate, Selene, walks into the room.

  She nods to me. “Alain.” I see her scent the air, testing me. She’s both a shifter and a vampire, making her even more powerful than Lucius. Together, they’re an unstoppable force.

  “Selene. Greetings.” I bow my head to her, showing respect. And admiration.

  She’s one of the sexiest females I’ve ever seen, and it’s easy to see why she mesmerized the king himself. Her ethereal beauty coupled with her strength make her impossible to ignore. In fact, she’s a little frightening.

  Apparently having vetted me, she comes right up to Lucius and plants a kiss on his lips, hers red and luscious, and a sudden longing spirals through me.

  Not for her—she’s taken, and she’s not my type, amazing as she is.

  No, my desire is directed at Bri.

  “One second.” Lucius turns away from me to speak to Selene.

  As I watch Lucius pull Selene closer and whisper into her ear and see how her face lights up with desire and humor, I wish that I had a female to tug into my body like that. Someone whom I could trust implicitly with my body and my mind—a creature to partner me through the rest of my life. Someone who could turn at least a fraction of my eternity from a drag into a multicolor delight.

  Because even though my medical research gives me purpose and pleasure, it doesn’t give me the kind of joy that these two obviously share. And despite my powerful friendship with Martin, the relationship with him doesn’t complete me.

  Sometimes I wonder if I could accomplish more if I had such a partner, the way Lucius and Selene have each other. But good luck finding someone like that.

  “Are you coming to the club tonight?” Lucius turns back to me. “Downstairs?”

  “I hope so.” But I’m not interested in playing with anyone but Bri.

  Fuck one-night stands.

  With my mind I try to summon Bri. Come. Meet me.

  Of course, this isn’t one of my main skills—mind-bending humans to my will, at a distance. Only the oldest and most powerful vampires have inklings of this power.

  But something about her just clicked. Like we belonged together. Like her brain and mine could meld together so beautifully, just like our bodies. And she did seem quite amenable to my more pleasurable suggestions during sex. Her mind might not be the type that can handle a wipe, but she was more than capable of following my instructions and commands…and loving it.

  So I wish it out into the universe because even just one more night with her, even if it’s the last time I see her, is something I crave.

  Chapter 12

  Bri

  The memories of Alain are stronger tonight. I close my eyes, and his face appears, hovering in my mind. His piercing eyes, his dark hair, his perfect physique. That sexy smile. His touch.

  I tilt my head up and breathe out, almost feeling his lips on my neck. My clit tingles with arousal.

  Fuck, I’ve never had such an intense fantasy! It’s like he’s here.

  I frown. The urge to go to Club Toxic is so strong, I want to drop everything and go right now, without bothering with hair and makeup. Just in my old jeans and sweatshirt.

  “One night only,” I whisper to myself.

  But even as I speak, I’m standing up and heading to my closet.

  You know what? I am going back to that club. Fuck my one-night rule.

  I want Alain, and if he’s there, I’m going to have him.

  “It’s me again.” I walk right to the front of the line, up to the handsome bouncer who let me in last time.

  I’m worried I’ll have to explain, convince, but he nods as if I’m expected. “Go right in.” He gestures and halfway bows, with a flourish of his arm, a graceful move. “Enjoy.”

  “I hope so.” I say the words under my breath, but the wide smile on his face lets me know he heard.

  He’s cute…but I’m here for someone else.

  Of course, I don’t know if Alain will even be at the club tonight. Any night. Yet I feel it in my veins, something pulsing, pulling me in. Like the iron in my blood is being tugged to a true North, an irresistible magnet.

  The club is busy, but I don’t see Alain. The bar is packed, so I make my way to an empty round table and perch on a tall stool, eyeing the clientele. Tonight, the band isn’t playing, and there’s nobody with a sexy guitar. Not that I wanted the musician anyway.

  I touch one of the scars on my arm, thinking of the way Alain’s fingers traced it. Softly. Gently. Like it was something special, not the mark of a freak.

  “What can I get you?” A bartender materializes at my elbow, her hair a bright blue, streaked with little flares of pink and gold, like flames of a settin
g sunset. She’s really pretty, almost model-like, but something about her is remote.

  I glance at her nametag, but it’s obscured by her long hair. Then she moves, and I see a piece of masking tape on the card with a name written in marker: Blue.

  “A glass of champagne, please. Blue.”

  “Moet et Chandon?” She smiles at me.

  I blink. “How’d you know?”

  She hums a little. “You seem like a M and C kind of girl.”

  She smiles and moves away to another client, weaving through the masses like she’s a fish in water, slicing her way without effort. I notice that others watch her, too—she’s got such a natural grace.

  I look around for Alain, but he’s not here. I can tell without looking, somehow—the room doesn’t have the vibrant air of expectant joy I felt when I was with him. Still, I keep checking, as if I might have missed him behind a couple. Lurking against the wall. Almost as if by continuing to look, I’ll eventually see him.

  When she comes back a minute later with my bubbly, Blue leans in. “It’s extra delicious tonight.”

  “Special vintage? Good year?”

  “All of the above and then some.” She smiles. “We add magic.”

  “By magic, you don’t mean drugs, right? Just checking.” I laugh.

  “No need for drugs here.” She raises a brow. “We make our own high on life.”

  “I guess me too.”

  “You guess?” Blue laughs. “Life’s short enough. Better do more than guess.”

  “Amen to that.” I raise my glass as she moves to another customer.

  Suddenly I get the feeling I’m being watched, but it’s not the sexy kind of feeling. It’s the unsettling one, the way I felt at work the other night at Dr. A’s.

  Something tells me to look over at a far corner because I need to know—the people obscure my view, like a brightly colored school of fish in a reef, darting and reforming. Then they part, like curtains before a show, and I see him.

  The man by my car. The man who wasn’t really there. The hallucination. And I remember everything about him.

  He passes something in an underhanded gesture to another man, who disappears into the crowd. Then he locks eyes with me and mouths words, like he did the other night, and this time terror spirals into my gut because I can hear them in my head.