Vampires Dead Ahead

THIRTY



That day I slept like the dead.

Volod had ordered me to sleep in the coffin I’d been buried in, down in the basement. Perhaps forty of his Vampires and Vampire paranorms stayed there.

When I woke, I climbed out of my coffin and almost stumbled. I felt dizzy, light-headed. My stomach growled and my mind went to thoughts of blood and raw meat.

And sex. I wanted sex in the most intense way possible. I’d heard that Vampires associated sex with blood, and now I understood.

That need turned my thoughts to Colin. How could I have not thought of him sooner? It was as if being a Vampire was wiping out my past life.

What about my parents? What about all the people I loved?

“Change into this.” Elizabeth came out of nowhere and shoved a dress into my arms. “Volod wants you to wear this, and he wants to see you in his study.”

She put her face close to mine. “You’d better watch yourself, bitch. When your end comes, I’ll be the one driving a stake through your heart.”

“Good morning to you, too,” I said beneath my breath as she turned and walked away. “Or rather good night. I guess.”

I looked at the royal purple dress she’d handed me. It went well with my amethyst skin tones. I wondered why Volod was having me dress up as if I was in medieval times, like Elizabeth. Monique wore modern and sexy clothes.

The basement was empty save for myself and a whole bunch of open coffins. In the corner was a screen that I changed behind. I said “Avanna” before I put on the clean dress, and the magical cleansing spell of the Elves made me feel as fresh as if I had just taken a shower.

I didn’t know what to do with the dress I had been wearing so I folded it and laid it on top of my coffin to worry about later.

No doubt Volod wouldn’t be crazy about waiting, so I made my way out of the basement, up the stairs to the second floor.

As I stood at the doorway to Volod’s study, he looked up from paperwork on his desk and he frowned. “I do not tolerate those who do not do as they are told when they are told,” he said. “I expect no delays whenever I call for you. You simply drop what you are doing and come.”

I lowered my gaze. “Yes, Volod.”

He got up from his seat behind his desk and came around to where I stood. “You must desire sustenance.”

My stomach clenched and growled and I nodded.

“Good.” He said the word as if it was meant to be comforting. But I knew what he meant—my hunger gave him control over me.

“Here’s one of the paranorms like you requested.” A male voice came from the doorway, and I turned to see a middle-aged Doppler female beside a Vampire paranorm.

“Excellent.” Volod went to the doorway and took the Doppler by her shoulders. “Wait here,” he said to the Vampire paranorm who had brought in the Doppler female.

“Yes, sir.” The Vampire paranorm bowed from his shoulders and stood to the side.

“Come here, Nyx,” Volod ordered as he turned the Doppler to face me, holding her shoulders from behind. “Vampires understand instinctively how to feed, just as a suckling baby does with its mother. But I will show you the best way. I want to watch you the first time.”

My belly twisted as I looked at the Doppler he was holding. I could smell her fear, more intense than I would have smelled even as Drow.

But what called to me more than anything was her blood. My mouth watered. Pain made me wince as my fangs dropped from my gums, where they had retracted.

“Hungry, are you not?” Volod said in a soothing tone that I recognized as him manipulating me.

Yet I couldn’t take my attention from the Doppler. I imagined how good her blood would be as it entered my mouth …

My stomach twisted harder at the thought of drinking a being’s blood. I’d only liked char-burned steaks and super-well-done hamburgers, never anything even slightly pink.

And now I was visualizing myself drinking blood, and even eating bloody hunks of meat.

My stomach growled again. I felt sick at the thought of what I wanted to do. And sick at the thought of doing without.

Volod motioned for me to come closer. I took a step forward.

A look of impatience flashed across his face and I hurried to reach him. He ran a finger down the side of the female’s neck. “This is the carotid artery. It is very special. It is what we drink from.”

I couldn’t take my eyes from that spot. The Doppler’s fear excited me while I watched the pulse of her blood in the artery.

Volod traced the vein with his fingertip. “Feed, Nyx.”

“No,” the Doppler female whispered and began a futile struggle as I lowered my face to her neck. “Please, no.”

Every word she said and every struggle she made only made me want what she had to offer even more.

Like the way prey running from an attacker only heightens the instinct to attack. I wanted to attack. Wanted to jerk her to me and ravage her neck.

Instead I moved my head slowly toward the spot and drank in the smell of the sweat of her skin and her lifeblood.

I slid my fangs into the vein Volod had shown me. The taste was incredible. Better than anything I had imagined.

The Doppler female had gone slack but was making soft, almost erotic whimpers. The power of a Vampire’s bite was not only mesmerizing but sexual, too.

“Stop,” Volod said after I had taken only a few long draws from her.

The command brought me up short. I didn’t want to stop, but I couldn’t help myself. I had to do as he ordered—it was built into me somehow.

“I want you hungry for later,” Volod said. “This is only a dining lesson.”

As I drew away I noticed the two spots leaking blood. Hunger made me lick up the blood. The two holes sealed over, like they had never been there.

“Very good.” Volod’s tone held a note of approval. He turned to the Vampire paranorm, whom I had forgotten about. “Take her back to the holding cells.”

The Vampire paranorm bowed again. “Yes, sir,” he said before guiding the now dreamy-looking Doppler away.

“Find Monique,” Volod said to me, his tone dismissive. “She is to start your training at once.”

“Yes, Volod.” I bowed my head in acknowledgment. It was as if I had no control over my thoughts or my words or even my actions. “I’ll go to her now.”

“Most likely you will find her on the third floor in the bedchambers, the sitting room, or the library.” Volod returned to his seat.

“Yes, sir.” I got to my feet and left through the door I came in.

I had to pick up my long skirts to make my way up the stairs. As I went I thought about the Doppler female and how good her blood had tasted. Volod had left me hungry, wanting more.

When I reached the landing I heard voices down the hallway and paused at their intimate sound.

With curiosity, I peered around the corner and saw Monique and Rodán standing in the hallway just outside the door. Monique’s hair was a little messy—it had been perfect when I’d seen her earlier.

Rodán looked at her with an expression that was so familiar to me. Sexual and satisfied, in a way that was entirely sensual and always made a woman want to go straight back to bed with him.

The scent of sex met my enhanced senses and I felt myself grow warm. I felt like I was invading a private moment, and I started to turn to go back down the stairs, but stopped and pulled a glamour.

“Monique,” Rodán said, “I know I can trust you and I will.” She cocked her head, and he continued. “I’ve planned a coup against Volod.” At her surprised look he said, “We must stop him. The destruction he wants is not who we are, Vampire paranorms or not.”

“A coup?” Monique sounded stunned, but I couldn’t gauge how she felt about his statement. “What do you mean?”

I felt drawn to the conversation. I didn’t want to be seen watching, so I pulled a glamour then peeked around the corner again.

Rodán held both of Monique’s hands. “All Vampire paranorms are in danger. Volod does not plan to let any of us live once he attains his goal of taking control of the paranorm world.”

Monique frowned. “Why do you think this?”

“I have heard what he has said and I’ve read between the lines. I have watched his disguised disgust for Vampire paranorms. More than that, though, I have seen a vision of it.” Rodán reached up and brushed her hair over her ear. “If we do not stop him, it will happen.”

“Do you think he is powerful enough to destroy Vampire paranorms?” She was still frowning. “What are you going to do about it?”

“We can talk about all of that later,” Rodán said. “There is no time now. We are having the meeting on the first floor in the conference room. I will give you the details after the meeting.”

“Should I be at the meeting?” Monique asked.

“From what I have seen, meeting together is not all that unusual here,” Rodán said. “From Volod’s perspective we could explain in many ways that would be acceptable. It would be unusual for you to be there at this time, however.”

Rodán let his fingers trail from her ear to her lips. “I would prefer for you to keep Volod distracted while I meet with the others to avoid any questions at all from him. We won’t be long. We’re meeting in a few minutes. A brief overview and some planning of our next steps.”

Monique’s eyes did not leave Rodán’s. “Who is attending?”

“Kennedy, Vincent, Stephen, and Frederick will be present. I expect to add Nyx to our ranks, but I need to be convinced Volod doesn’t have a hold on her first.”

“I assumed Volod had a strong hold on all. How much control do you think he has of her?” Monique asked.

“I don’t know yet. I will evaluate her first. I do know that the hold is at its very strongest in the beginning,” Rodán said. “I have been observing and listen to many of the Vampire paranorms. The ones I am meeting with I picked out for various reasons. They have all quietly voiced the same concerns to me about Volod that I have had. I trust them.”

Monique ran her tongue along her lower lip, a movement that distracted Rodán for a moment. “Do you plan on adding others to your ranks?”

“We will consider who else to add to our group.” He continued to stroke her hair almost absently. “For now, the group must be small and restricted to those we know we can trust. Volod has a powerful hold on many who are intoxicated with the power they feel.”

Monique said nothing. I wished I knew what she was thinking.

“I can trust you, can’t I, Monique?” Rodán said.

Raising an eyebrow and reaching up on tiptoes, Monique kissed him. “Need you ask? Didn’t I prove in the bedroom how my feelings have never left you, Rodán?”

“Nor have mine ever fully left you,” he said softly.

“And now, just look at you … a Vampire.” Monique spoke with sensuality and excitement in her tone. “You saw what that does to me, didn’t you? Of course you can trust me. Anything for you.” Monique reached up and kissed Rodán again. “I’ll take care of Volod.”

He took her in his arms and gave her a long, lingering kiss. Old feelings for Rodán surfaced and I felt a moment’s pang. But that vanished as my thoughts turned for a brief moment to Colin. I pushed them aside. This was not the time.

Monique drew away from Rodán, and he left the opposite way from where I was hiding. I assumed he was heading for a back set of stairs.

Monique walked in my direction and I pressed myself up against the wall so that she wouldn’t touch me. She was a powerful paranorm, and I prayed that my new and improved glamour was strong enough. Thank goodness for Desmond’s help.

I felt a presence behind me and a shiver ran down my spine. I looked over my shoulder.

Elizabeth.