Thirst

by Jacquelyn Frank

  Simone’s eyes darkened as she glared at the hapless vampire. “Because we will finally be cooperating across political lines. We will be unified against the sycophants. And as you know, unifying to defeat a common enemy also unifies us to do other things. No more backbiting and infighting. No more wars between this country and that country. Bad enough we have to fight the sycophants. Fighting one another only makes it worse. It has taken a lot to get enemies and friends alike to come to this table for the signing. I don’t need my own people questioning the validity of what we are doing.”

  “I-I did not mean to—”

  “Then what did you mean?” Simone snapped.

  “Only…what’s to make them all behave? What makes them adhere to the signing?”

  This was the flaw in Simone’s plan. Everyone knew it. Simone most of all.

  “We need to make the authoritarians the enforcers of this treaty,” Rafe said suddenly.

  “But each principality has its own authoritarians and they will be biased to act on their native country’s behalf. They won’t police themselves,” Simone said.

  “Then take them out of their countries.”

  Simone’s head swiveled so she could narrow her eyes on Danton. “What do you mean?”

  “Implement an authoritarian exchange program as part of the treaty. Take authoritarians out of their comfort zones and insert them in other countries and city-states. It will force them to expand their views from the narrowness of home to include the grand scheme of things. They will be fighting for the laws in general as opposed to how those laws suit their country. Take them out of their homelands. Make the world their homeland.”

  “That’s a brilliant idea. But will the treaty signers go for it?” someone asked.

  “They are going to have to. The princes may rule their cities, but I rule the princes. It is about time they were made to remember that,” Simone said.

  “It’s hard for you to exert control over so many at such a distance. I wish we didn’t need the princes at all. Perhaps then there would be less in the way of personal grudges between city-states,” Rafe said.

  “This treaty is meant to eradicate those grudges. If it does not, if the authoritarians fail to enforce these new laws, then we will have to find a more forceful way. I would rather avoid that at all costs. I don’t want the vampire world at war with itself,” said Simone.

  “You mean any more than it already is,” Rafe added wryly.

  “I mean I’m tired of all this infighting. In less than a week there will be a final end to it, or I and my army of authoritarians will put down anyone who doesn’t step in line. But I do not wish to be a dictator. I want everyone to see the usefulness of peace among us all. We have enough to fear from the sycophants. Not to mention having to hide our existence from the human world. Can you imagine what the human world would do if it found out we were feeding off them?”

  “That’s always been a fear. Even more so now in a world of digital surveillance and the threat of our firewalls not protecting us as they should,” Danton said.

  “Have you thought any more about coming clean with the human world? About announcing our presence in the world before we are found out in other ways? There is bound to be less fallout if we got ahead of the story,” Rafe asked.

  “The logistics of coming clean and announcing ourselves to our one and only food source would be nightmarish. Humans will consider the act of feeding an assault. They won’t care whether we live or die or starve. And I’m sure I’m not the only one who fears suffering the agonies of torpor—I can’t imagine being alive but unable to act or move from lack of energy. All they will care about is themselves. In their eyes there would be no difference between us and the sycophants, even though there is a great deal of difference. No. They would lump us all in together and wage an all-out war to eradicate us. We just have to hope we can remain invisible for as long as possible. We have been skilled at remaining so for centuries. We should be able to continue to do so.”

  “There are two very different camps on this topic,” Rafe said. “The movement to expose us to the human world is a very small one, but it is gaining momentum. We need to keep a close eye on those with these beliefs. They have the power to expose us anytime they like. Maintaining the secret is difficult, but exposing it would be all too easy.”

  “They know that such an exposure would never be successful unless we had political footholds in place to protect us. I know we are cultivating those footholds just in case but it is best we keep to ourselves for the time being.” Simone looked into each of the faces surrounding her. “Let’s not lose focus on what we are striving for. Unity. Once we obtain that, then we can consider other things.”

  “Well said,” Rafe agreed. “One thing at a time. Unity and an adherence to that unity. Then together we can start making decisions that will affect the whole of the vampire nation.”

  “Thank you. That will be all for now. I will let legal counsel decide on how the treaty should be worded as pertains to the authoritarians. I expect the rough draft as soon as possible so I may go through it with the rest of you. We’ll schedule a meeting for tomorrow late afternoon where we will review the treaty and make any last-minute changes. Time grows short, ladies and gentlemen. We need to be able to send revised treaties out to all the signers as soon as possible so we can address any issues that might arise before the ceremonial signing on Monday.”

  “We’ll have it to you ASAP,” Skye said. “A change this late in the game is bound to rouse protests and give some excuses to withdraw from the summit.”

  “They do so at their peril,” Simone said darkly. “I am willing to give a little leeway and take input as far as refining the language of the treaty is concerned, but I will not accept bald refusal or posturing.”

  “We’ll work it out,” Rafe assured her. “I’ll start by sending out a precursor letter about the changes being made. That way we can sort through the responses both negative and positive as quickly as possible. A last-minute change like this can expose those who are just giving the treaty lip service. Anyone who is serious about this treaty and what it means will see the exchange of authoritarians for what it is—a means to help.”

  “Agreed,” Simone said. “Very well. Have at it. Let me know what the responses are like, Rafe.”

  “I will,” Rafe said, pulling his phone out of his pocket and glancing at the screen. There was a message.

  Looking forward to tonight! :) Renee

  Rafe smiled. The message pulled him away from the seriousness of what he would be doing in the next hours. In a way it bolstered him. He gave Simone a nod and exited the conference room. He hurried to his own office, giving a passing nod to his assistant as he went in.

  “Oh, Mr. DaSilva, there’s a phone message from the Turkish prince and the London prince,” Rachel said as he passed.

  “Connect me to Leopold first,” he said. “I’ll let you know about Bayram.”

  “Yes, sir. I’ll get him for you.”

  Rafe entered his office and sat behind his desk. The desk put his back directly toward the south-facing windows, allowing as much unobstructed sunlight to touch him as possible. That is, when there was sunlight to be had. Right then the sky was overcast and it was still snowing. The trouble with inclement weather was that it deprived e-vamps of a vital source of energy. It made it twice as likely the vampire would have to hunt to replenish his energy. How long it took to show signs of torpor varied from vampire to vampire. It could be anywhere from a couple of days to seven or eight. Usually, the older a vampire was the longer he or she could go without replenishing vital resources. Also, it depended on the weather. The sunnier the week, the less the need to feed.

  Generally Rafe only needed to feed once every five days or so, depending on how much sun he got. After feeding from Renee, he ought to be good for a while provided the weather broke and the sun came out to play. Unfortunately, according to the app on his phone, the weather wasn’t going to break until Saturday and
the sun wouldn’t show itself until Sunday, the day before the vampire summit meeting. That meant there would be an extraordinary influx of potentially hungry vampires arriving in Manhattan all at the same time. Between each diplomat and their multitudinous entourages, it was a logistical nightmare.

  However, they had taken all of this into consideration. The summit would last only three days. Each vampire had been instructed to feed in their home territories before boarding the plane to New York. For those who could not make it three days without feeding, assistants had been supplied who would share their own personal resources with the diplomats as needed. As one might guide a visiting friend to a favorite restaurant, the assistant would guide to a favorite human to be fed from. This negated the nightmare of having hundreds of hungry vampires hunting in the streets for clean energy sources.

  Yes, New York was a big city with millions of people in it, but still, those who lived the clean lifestyle required in order to be considered an appropriate food source were rare if one didn’t know where to look for them. This was why it was always wise, as well as courteous, to announce your arrival in a city to the prince of that city. True, vampires moved in and out of New York constantly without announcing themselves to the queen or her retainers, but that did not mean it was smiled upon.

  The accepted protocol was to visit immigration in the city you were visiting. You were then handed the visiting rules and laws pertaining to that city—including what areas it was wise to avoid and what were the best hunting areas. It also included where the densest populations of sycophants were so that they could be avoided. Immigration had its own department in the busy office building they were currently in.

  Rafe’s phone buzzed on his desk.

  “The prince of London is on line one,” came his secretary’s voice over the speaker.

  Rafe picked up the line.

  “Leopold,” he greeted warmly.

  “Rafe. It’s been too long.”

  “You’ll be seeing me Monday. Why are you calling? Is something amiss?”

  “Nothing at all. I was wondering how my cousin is holding up as the big day approaches.”

  “Why don’t you call Simone and ask her yourself?”

  “You know Simone. She’d just pretend everything is smooth sailing and that nothing bothers her the least little bit. I’ll get a more honest perspective from you.”

  “Simone is all right. She is obviously under a great deal of stress. This is very important to her. She just made some last-minute changes to the treaty that she knows some are going to try to use as an excuse for not signing, but the changes were necessary.”

  “Would you care to enlighten me?”

  “It’s merely giving more power to the authoritarians as far as enforcing the treaty is concerned and forcing an exchange program on native authoritarians so that they are spread across the world rather than stagnant in their home countries.”

  “Oh my. That won’t be popular at all. Authoritarians in the eastern European territories are especially loyal to their homelands. They won’t take to being uprooted.”

  “We’re not asking them to be disloyal. We’re asking them to open their minds and discard their biases. That is all.”

  “That’s all? That’s all? That’s a lot. Sometimes that’s everything to these people.”

  “It’s time we stopped fighting amongst ourselves and started focusing on the real problem. The sycophants.”

  “Obviously a great many of these countries and city-states agree with you or we would not be having this summit. I only hope my cousin’s last-minute changes don’t spoil the effect.”

  “They are necessary changes.”

  “I agree. But not everyone will.”

  “It is a small request in the end, compared to asking long-standing rivals to put aside their differences for the good of the vampire nation.”

  “True,” Leopold said. “When I think of the Hungarians finally burying the hatchet with the Polish, I can see a lot of good and progress coming out of that.”

  “Closer to home for me is putting the rivalry between Los Angeles and San Diego aside. They have more in common than they realize, they just have old grudges that blind them to it.”

  “Do you have all the arrangements for putting up so many foreign and local diplomats in one city?”

  “The local hotels will be bursting at the seams, but it’s been taken care of.”

  “Good. It must not have been easy putting up over four hundred spoiled princes and their entourages.”

  “Not easy, but not impossible. We found suites for all the princes and nearby rooms for their retainers. We were also very careful that the Polish prince not have more amenities than the Hungarian one. Also, they are not in the same hotel. Just to be safe.”

  “A wise idea,” Leopold said with a chuckle. “Well, it seems you’ve thought of everything.”

  “We’ve been planning this for the better part of a year. I don’t know why the detail with the authoritarians was left out until now. I suppose it was a matter of not seeing the forest for the trees. We were so focused on creating peace we lost sight of how to enforce it. This will rectify that mistake.”

  “At what cost is the question? Simone will have to exert all of her influence to keep these vampires playing ball.”

  “She will. And she’ll do it well. I have no doubts about Simone.”

  “If only others had the same confidence in her. Or at least gave the appearance of it. Our cousin Sensha for example. Of course she has her own agenda.”

  “Sensha will never be content just to rule Brazil. She has her eye on being queen. Simone knows she will have to watch her back very closely while Sensha is in town.”

  “Sensha thinks she is next in line for the throne. She conveniently forgets about me,” Leopold said.

  “I would not underestimate her. It is not beyond her scope to do away with all obstacles between her and the throne.”

  “As if we didn’t have enough to worry about with the sycophants lurking in the shadows. Tell me, any word on Draz?”

  “Last I heard he was in Mexico meeting with some of the drug cartels down there. But for all I know he could be back in New York planning some way to interfere in this treaty signing.”

  “I highly doubt the crime lord leading the sycophants would pass up the opportunity to cause trouble in the vampire world. Watch Simone’s back.”

  “You’ve already warned me to do so. I can assure you, security is at its highest. We’ve even pulled the bounty hunters away from their regular duties to help bolster the security at the event alongside the authoritarians.”

  “A wise allocation of resources. Plus, I’m sure there will be those like myself bringing their own security.”

  “You can count on it. In fact, it was encouraged. It lightens our responsibility to each individual delegate.”

  “Well, it sounds as though you’ve thought of everything.”

  “We have. Don’t worry. Your cousin is well taken care of.”

  “With you around I do not doubt it, old friend. Tell my cousin to call me if she needs me for any reason whatsoever. I have texted her once or twice, but hearing it from you might bring her around.”

  “I cannot make her talk to you if she does not want to,” Rafe said, his fondness for Simone coming through. “But I will make sure she is aware of the resource that you are.”

  “So clinical!” Leopold said with a laugh. “I won’t take offense since I know you measure everything very carefully before you take action and don’t commit to anyone in any way that can be held against you. It’s what I so admire about you. Tell Simone I am here for her. You too.”

  “That means a great deal to us both, Leopold,” Rafe said, smiling widely.

  “Farewell, my friend,” Leopold said before hanging up.

  Rafe hung up the phone, feeling good about how the conversation had gone. He always felt that way when it came to Leopold. He wished he could say the same for all of Simone’s cousins. B
ut there were more in her corner than not, so that made the others manageable at the moment.

  His next call did not promise to be half as pleasant. He hit the intercom.

  “Rachel, get me Bayram.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Rafe sat back and waited. As he did, he withdrew his cellphone and glanced at the last message Renee had sent him. On impulse he texted her back.

  Will you wear something sexy for me tonight?

  He waited as a thought bubble popped up on his phone. Then, moments later, a reply.

  I was already planning on it.

  Good, he texted back. Although I am sure you could make a parka look sexy.

  If this weather keeps up I may have to!

  Rafe laughed.

  I will keep you warm, he replied suggestively. He was probably pushing it with such a new and young acquaintance, but he was not a shy man. He knew what he wanted. The sooner he relayed to her that she was what he wanted, the better. He ignored the voice in his head telling him she was off-limits.

  She didn’t reply at first. Then, after a moment, she texted: I’m going to hold you to that.

  Chapter 7

  Renee put her phone down on her desk with a smile. She wondered at herself for a moment. It was a little soon to be seriously flirting with the man. She didn’t want him to get the wrong idea. But for some reason she couldn’t seem to help herself. She didn’t think it was because he was so foreign and exotic—she dealt with all sorts of cultures all day long.

  But she tended to deal with the worst of those cultures. That was simply the nature of being a homicide detective. It was refreshing to be dealing with someone who was intelligent, sophisticated, and respectful of her and her job. So what if he outclassed her? She could class up enough to meet him halfway.

  Besides. It was just a date. A date she shouldn’t be thinking about right then. She had done some legwork and had contacted the dead man’s next of kin and was presently examining his life for anyone who might want him dead. But the victim came from the same world Rafe seemed to come from. Upper class. Rarefied. The one percent. That, of course, made money the immediately obvious motive, but how could this possibly have been a plan? The heart attack and death were a by-product of the attack. It couldn’t have been predicted. It was a very inefficient way to plan a murder. Especially because the coroner’s report said nothing about a preexisting heart condition.