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Stevie cleared his throat and banged a fist against the table, drawing every eye. “Let’s get back to business, unless you two need us to leave for a few hours,” he said dryly, glaring at Natalie. “Unless you are now under his thrall.”
I shook my head firmly. “She is her own woman. I did not enthrall her.”
Natalie shook her head slowly, lowering her eyes. “Oh, don’t worry, Stevie. This is me being independently dependent. I’m sure I can talk to Sorin at a later time,” she said with a smile.
Stevie rolled his eyes before taking a puff of his cigar and stabbing a thick finger down onto the table again. “You would like our help for your raid.”
“I would like your trust,” I clarified, “while I risk my life for a mutually beneficial operation.”
“Oh, he’s good,” Benjamin murmured, leaning closer to Victoria.
She elbowed him sharply, eliciting a grunt before she strolled up to the table to study the map. I watched as her face grew pale. “You’re kidding me.”
I waited until she lifted her gaze to stare at me before shaking my head. “Best way to weaken them. Cut off their blood supply and watch them starve or grow desperate.”
I had to struggle to focus against the buzzing sensations coursing through my body as Natalie’s blood empowered me—making me feel stronger than I had since waking from my slumber.
“Growing desperate would mean a hundred or more vampires getting hungry at exactly the same time. In New York City,” Victoria said, frowning.
I nodded. “Unfortunately. Which is why I asked the werewolves to step up and be ready to catch them in the act and eliminate them. The vampires will break up into smaller factions, making them vulnerable, while they selfishly hunt for their own food. In war, there are risks. The consequences for doing nothing are to let them run amok and eventually do it anyway.”
She pursed her lips, nodding slowly. She knew we were both right. “Unfortunately, I think he’s right. How many wolves could you call to help?” she asked Stevie.
He shook his head. “That remains to be seen. If he’s successful, I will call all of them. From outside the city if I must. If he fails…”
Victoria narrowed her eyes at him. “Come back with your shield or on it,” she said. I blinked, surprised to hear a reference I knew—the Spartan Goodbye, a phrase often told to their soldiers before battle. Be successful or die trying.
I leaned forward, noticing that I was decent again. “This was my idea, Victoria. Stevie deserves no judgment on the matter. I want to hear about his so-called compromise. Because if it is useless, I have work to do.”
“You and your fledgling vampires,” Stevie murmured, not sounding best pleased. Victoria shot me a sharp glance and the alpha nodded. “Sorin has begun turning the residents of New York’s underground community into vampires.”
“I can assure you that I wouldn’t risk turning anyone with questionable morality or addictions. And I can easily enthrall any of them since I personally turned them. In that event, they wouldn’t be able to do anything I didn’t deem acceptable, and I’m an excellent judge of right and wrong. Besides, I only offered the opportunity to those who turned down my cocaine or jewelry.”
Every single head turned to gawk at me, but Benjamin spoke up first. “Cocaine?! You’re a drug dealer?” he asked, stunned.
I frowned. “I was charitable and gave it away for free, so I don’t believe you could call me a dealer of any sort. And I didn’t know what it was, at first. I just saw that it was valuable.”
“How in the hell did you get cocaine your first day in NYC?”
I shrugged. “I acquired a backpack of cash and cocaine packets when I was out getting food this morning.”
“Jesus. How much cocaine are we talking about? Do we need to be worried about the cops?” Benjamin asked, glancing back at the door nervously.
“There were at least thirty little bags,” I said, trying to think back. “The policeman told me how valuable it was, so I used it to meet my neighbors.”
“The policeman?” Stevie sputtered.
Benjamin stared at me in awe. “You’re my new favorite person.”
Stevie shot him a furious glare and Benjamin wilted. “Who the hell left you unsupervised and why?” the alpha demanded. Then he held up a hand and closed his eyes. “That’s it. You need a chaperone. My plan is no longer a request but a requirement. And for the record, you are a terrible judge of right and wrong,” he added in a humorless tone.
I frowned, feeling my shoulders tense at his tone. “I don’t do well with orders or judgments, Stevie. I do, however, work quite well with mutual respect and constructive debates.”
He leaned forward, biting the cigar between his teeth. “You just told us how you were an excellent judge of character, and then proceeded to tell us that you were handing out cocaine in the underground. That you killed a drug dealer and a cop. I fail to see why this needs to be explained as a constructive debate.”
“I didn’t kill the policeman,” I muttered. “I just enthralled him. He doesn’t even remember meeting me,” I said, folding my arms.
Stevie puffed furiously at his cigar, shrouding him in a fog of smoke. “Because brainwashing a policeman is so much better.”
“He lived,” I said stubbornly.
Victoria slapped her palms on the table. “Pipe the fuck down and get on with it. What is your proposal, Stevie?” she demanded, enunciating the word.
He turned towards her with a dark grin. “That you team up with the Wolf of Wall Street on his adventure tonight. Be my eyes and ears, and make sure he’s not a pawn for the vampires running this city. Convince the pack that he’s on our side rather than his own side.”
She blinked, looking like she was momentarily at a loss for words. “You think he will betray you?” she finally asked, her voice utterly calm. “The man who just killed Mina Harker?”
Stevie sighed, waving a hand. “That came out wrong. What I meant to say was that I have to think about the pack, first. If he was trying to set us up, it would literally mean the end for us because the vampires will immediately retaliate, assuming the raid was done by us.”
Her anger cooled, her face growing somber. “Well, that is a fair point.”
“I offered to move them into the underground with my fledgling vampires. They will be pretty worthless for a few more days as they get a hang of their new diet.” Sensing the sudden tension in Stevie’s shoulders, I held up a hand, forestalling him. “Don’t worry. They are incapable of killing anyone. They are all heavily enthralled at the moment, but they will need blood in a few days. Like the bags of it that I’m about to steal. All I need from you are vehicles to transport it back underground.”
Victoria nodded absently, processing my words, but I could tell her mind was on more immediate concerns. “If you’re asking whether I’m willing to go vampire hunting, the answer is yes, but we’ll have to be careful about it. I’m betting they’ll have at least two dozen vampires on site.” She shot me a quick look, gauging my concern. I shrugged with an easy smile.
She arched an eyebrow at my confidence. Then she folded her arms. “You’re really the father of vampires, above Dracula, and you can’t think of any other way to get him out in the open?”
I shook my head. “He was always a sneaky little shit, but he followed my rules—even when he didn’t have to—but I think the power got to him as the decades stretched on. He began to subtly indoctrinate my vampires without my knowledge. He became my voice. To be fair, I was growing tired of the game, and he must have sensed it. It became obvious that there was a coup forming and that I could either get out of the way or wait to be executed. No matter how strong I was, I was vastly outnumbered. So, I came here to the Americas with Lucian and a warlock named Nero. Gave Dracula my crown and left with a satchel of gold and treasure buried all over Europe in case I needed to return.”
Victoria frowned. “How were they able to rise against you if you were their Mast
er?”
I grimaced. “I believe Dracula was feeding them his blood. If it doesn’t outright kill them, it can slowly degrade a bond between a Master and said vampire. That’s the only explanation I can think of. It’s not like there was a handbook on vampirism.” I glanced at the room. “No offense, but the werewolves are also a far cry from those I knew in my past. History changes us all.”
Stevie bristled, but didn’t comment. He knew I was right.
Victoria finally sighed. “Fine. But why now? What is so important about this journal? You show up, the journal goes up for auction, and now we’re on the brink of war. What the hell is this thing?”
I shrugged. “I really wish I knew. The only thing I can say is that it chronicles my time in the Americas with Deganawida and his tribe, and that Deganawida wrote down powerful Shamanic spells. I’m not sure if the vampires are after those spells or information about me. My guess is a bit of both.”
Which was true, but I was still leery about mentioning the fact that I had conceived a child and that Dracula might want to duplicate the process.
Not for the first time, I wondered exactly what the hell else Deganawida had written down in that cursed journal. The journal I had told him not to write in the first place.
“And Nosh Griffin can’t be seen with you for obvious reasons,” Victoria said, scratching at her jaw. “Is that why he isn’t here right now? Because his magic was impressive at the auction.”
I frowned, turning to Stevie. “He was supposed to call you to set up a meeting for us tonight. I grew restless so called you early. You haven’t heard from him?” I asked, glancing towards the door. “He said he would return to my hideout after sunset. He would have called me the moment he saw I wasn’t there. But you have my phone.”
Stevie snapped his fingers. “Get his phone, Benjamin.” Then he reached into his pocket and checked his own phone. “Nothing,” he said, frowning warily.
Benjamin trotted back and handed me my phone. I opened it up to see an alert that said I had a missed text, whatever that was. I pressed a button to try and find the section that showed my calls, and a short message popped up on the screen.
I’ve been arrested. Stay hidden. Vamps own the cops. Phones no longer secure.
Nosh had sent it ten minutes ago. I stared at the screen in silence, reading it several times. Then I snapped it in half, tossing the pieces in a nearby trashcan. “The cops have the Shaman, and he thinks they’re in league with the vampires,” I growled, clenching my fists. The one person who had stood by me when I first woke up. The only tie I had left to Deganawida. The only person who could verify that I hadn’t killed his parents. I locked eyes with Victoria. “I think I’m ready to go vampire hunting.”
She nodded calmly, but I could sense the rage deep inside of her. She was funneling it into action. Into a plan. “Right.” She turned to Stevie. “I’ve always found that the best way to prove loyalty was to collect some enemy heads. How many vampire heads will it take to prove his claims to your pack?” she asked without flinching. “Beyond a shadow of a doubt.”
Stevie considered her question, a faint smile on his bearded face. “A dozen. That will prove they weren’t murders of opportunity but that he went out of his way to hunt them down. No one will be able to dismiss that level of resolve. But let me state for the record that if it was up to me, the werewolves would already march by your side. This is simply a show of faith to remove all doubt, because we have all been deceived by vampires. Convincing them that not only are you the first vampire ever—which will be a hard sell—but that you want to overthrow your fellows…I don’t want to leave any room for doubt. A dozen heads for our partnership. Hell, I’ll put them on display in our new home,” he muttered darkly. “Because you’re not just asking us to pick a fight. You’re asking us to start a world war on American soil. Every vampire answers to Dracula, so this could very likely affect werewolves in Europe, too. And I don’t speak for them. A dozen heads will give them something to think about—both in backing up your wild claims and showing them that you are committed.”
I shrugged unconcernedly, knowing that I was going to eradicate every vampire in the building anyway. “I already took down four at the auction. Do those count?”
“No,” Stevie said firmly. “It needs to be twelve at one go. Also, you killed Ralph.”
Benjamin cheered. “Finally! That guy was a prick.” At least a dozen wolves nodded their agreement without any hesitation. “And Sorin just gave Natalie about four toe-curling orgasms,” Benjamin piped up defensively. “That’s gotta count for something.”
“Oh, it should definitely count,” Natalie purred. “And I had seven toe-curling orgasms, thank you very much,” she reminded us proudly.
“I like you, Benjamin,” I said, laughing suddenly. His comment had been just what the situation needed. A little levity. I turned back to Stevie, letting my laughter fade to address his statement. “I did ask him to stand down. I asked for a discussion and he attacked. You let him attack.”
Stevie’s face grew grim as the other wolves turned to look at him, frowning thoughtfully. So, he hadn’t shared the specifics. But he also hadn’t tried turning his wolves against me for killing Ralph. He was being very careful for some reason. Nothing like Lucian would have been.
“I stand by your actions, Sorin, but perception is all that matters. Especially to wolves overseas. They will only be reading facts, having to make a decision without meeting you in person.”
I grunted, knowing all too well the prerogatives of kings. They had rules to follow. Steps in a carefully choreographed dance that must be acted out without stumbling. “So be it.”
“And you have to do this without being seen. No witnesses or you will start an outright war. I want this Necromancer and his cronies to have no idea that they were even hit until well after the fact. And if he has the police in his pocket, you can’t risk drawing their attention.” I nodded, having already intended as much. Victoria was watching me curiously, not seeming remotely concerned. Stevie put out his cigar and let out a thick plume of smoke. His eyes glittered through the cloud. “If you really are the world’s first vampire, show us how good you are.”
“I’m going to get the Shaman back when I finish this errand. Whether it starts a war or not.”
Stevie studied me for about five seconds before he gave me a firm, approving nod. “Bring me the twelve heads and maybe I’ll help you.”
I nodded. “We hit the blood bank. Tonight.”
“What if this Necromancer is there?”
“I hope he is,” I growled. “Because I’m collecting his head after I save Nosh.”
“Are you recovered enough to face him?” Victoria asked. “If you waste all your energy collecting heads, the Necromancer could show up and take you down when you’re exhausted.
I thought about it and shrugged. “Only one way to find out, but I can’t risk drinking more blood right now. Drinking too much too quickly can send me into a bloodlust. I won’t know friend from foe—just my hunger. So, regaining my full powers will take time. All I can do is hope that—even weakened—I am more than a match for my descendants. I’ll be sure to take a few sips while we work,” I added, grimacing. “Even though vampire blood tastes foul to me, it still counts as a form of nourishment.”
She nodded warily. “There could be a lot of vampires there, not counting any mortals unknowingly working for them. Finding twelve should be easy. It’s the getting back out that concerns me.”
“Getting out will be easy,” I said firmly. “Because we’re not letting any of them survive.”
She stared at me, blinking slowly. “And if there are thirty vampires?”
“Then I will collect thirty heads,” I growled. “Betrayal has a price.”
She finally nodded, as if her entire line of questioning had been asked for the sole purpose of making sure that I was a competent partner and that I wouldn’t drag her down. “I’m going to need some more weapons,” she said.
Stevie clapped his hands. “I’ll keep an eye on the Museum of Natural History. Not sure if I’ll notice anything since they’re probably in the lower levels, but if I do, I’ll have someone waiting within range of the blood bank to radio you two.”
I frowned, cocking my head. “Radio?”
Benjamin walked over with a box and handed me a small rubber device. “Put it in your ear. You can talk to each other.” He helped put it in my ear and showed me how to tap it to talk.
“Hey, handsome,” Victoria’s voice slithered directly into my ear canal in a breathy whisper.
I jumped straight to my feet—startling Natalie—and rounded on Victoria. She burst out laughing, lowering her hand from her ear. Then she turned to Benjamin. “You upgraded. These are definitely military issue.”
“Fell off a truck,” he said, smirking suspiciously.
“It’s a phone without a phone,” I said, shaking my head.
Benjamin shook his head. “No. Whichever earbuds are on this channel can communicate together, but it’s not like you can make a call outside of that. Which is why Stevie will have someone close by on your channel. He sees something strange at the Museum, he will call them on their phone. They’ll immediately tell you on the earbud.”
I nodded, getting the main gist of it. “If I had something like this back in my day, I would have truly taken over the world.” I mused. “This is incredible.”
Benjamin nodded soberly. “Good chances that the vampires and guards will have them as well, but on a different secure channel. If you take your time killing them, or kill one too noisily, they could all be instantly alerted of your presence.”
Victoria nodded. “I’ll pick up one of their earbuds so I can hear what they’re talking about. That way we know if they start getting suspicious about why some of their cohorts aren’t answering their comms.” Seeing the frown on my face, she tapped her earbud. “Radios, comms. Same thing.”
I nodded, feigning confidence. “Got it.”
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