by Lexi Blake
When I shut the bedroom door behind me, I heard Daniel walking around in the kitchen. I listened to the opening and closing of the fridge. I stood in the doorway and watched as he squeezed blood from the bag into a mug. He carefully sealed the bag and placed the mug in the microwave. The whole time he was waiting for the microwave to finish, he watched that mug go round and round while his right hand shook slightly. I could only guess what he was thinking. He couldn’t wait to get that blood in his mouth, couldn’t wait to taste it, to feel it slide down his throat and start to work on his body.
The oven dinged, and Daniel poured the contents down his throat. It was over so quickly, and then Daniel used his index finger to scoop out the last bits. It shouldn’t have been that hard for him. Marcus promised me if Danny had a regular supply of blood, he wouldn’t be this way. He should be calmer, more in control.
“Do I need to give more?” I would give a lot to not have to see him so desperate.
“Nope,” he said firmly. I watched as he forced himself to put the mug down.
“Danny, you aren’t getting enough,” I replied. “It’s obvious. Please, I’ll just let the nurse know you need more. It’s not like it’ll kill me. I barely notice it now.” I’d been taking vitamins and a horse pill I was assured would keep my iron level up.
Daniel steadied himself against the counter. His hand tapped on the granite, and he dragged in a long breath. “I don’t need any more. I’m trying to get off the shit.”
“What? You can’t.” I walked to the refrigerator and pulled out the donation bag. This late in the week it should have been almost empty, but it was half full. Anger started to flood my system. What the hell was he doing? “I can’t believe this. I need you to be strong. Do you remember where we’re going?”
He turned on me and flashed his fangs. “Of course I do, Zoey. I know exactly what’s on the line, but you have no idea how hard this is. You don’t know what it’s like. I crave it. I’d do anything for it. I fucking hate it. The first time it took years before I could stop thinking about it every minute of every day.”
“You didn’t hate it when we were together.” Even as I said the words, I regretted them because we were both thinking about what it had been like. I’d never been closer to a person in my life than when I shared blood with my Daniel. If only it hadn’t turned out to be a lie.
Daniel’s blue eyes were hot with the memory. “That was different. That was love and intimacy. It meant something. This is just an addiction. I have to be stronger.”
“You want to go back to what you were before?” He’d been cold and distant. I couldn’t stand the thought.
“I don’t think it will come to that.” He frowned, his mouth a stubborn line.
“But you can’t be sure.”
“Zoey, let it go,” Daniel warned, and if I had an ounce of sense I would have. Unfortunately, when it came to Daniel, I’d never been known for my sense.
“No, I’m not going to let it go. You need blood and I have it.”
“Then take off your clothes and meet me in bed,” Daniel said harshly. “Start being my wife, and I’ll take the blood. I’ll open a vein and let you suck me until we’re both high. You ready to do that, baby? I didn’t think so. So if you’re not my wife, stop bitching at me like you are.”
I felt my face flush with anger and no small amount of shame. I was his wife, but I didn’t act like it. I was openly having an affair with another man, and I knew Daniel thought I was just fine with that. He couldn’t understand how torn up I was about the whole mess. Sometimes I felt like my own stubborn rage had put me in a corner, and I had no idea how to get out of it.
Yelling at Daniel wasn’t going to solve anything. I leaned against the fridge and let the worst of my anger go. “I’m just worried about you, Danny.”
He shoved a hand through his hair and turned away from me. “Don’t. I’m a big boy. I can take care of myself. I’m not going to slide back into what I was. I just need other coping mechanisms. That’s what my shrink says. I spent too many years denying myself. I’ve started indulging certain other hungers, and I’ve found it helps.”
I didn’t think he was talking about D&D. Daniel spent his first years as a vampire denying his own wants and needs. He’d only taken as much blood as he’d needed to function, and for the most part, he’d avoided my blood like the plague. He’d also denied himself sex. I got the feeling he wasn’t denying himself anymore, and I couldn’t exactly play the offended wife. But I suddenly wanted to. God, I wanted to. The idea of someone else letting Daniel sink those delicious fangs into her smooth neck made me want to kill.
“I thought we were trying to be friends,” I pointed out, wanting desperately to defuse the situation. “I can’t be worried about you?”
He shook his head. “Well then, friend, if you want to worry about something, worry about the fact that I’m almost out of cash. We need a paying job.”
My eyes widened because unlike me, Daniel didn’t have to worry about things like a car payment or rent or food. “You went through a hundred and twenty-five thousand dollars in seven months?”
Daniel smiled what I’ve come to think of as his “big jerk” smile. He crossed his arms defensively, and I knew what was about to come out of his mouth would be nasty. “Well, baby, I don’t have a sugar daddy and hookers cost money. I’ve downgraded to the cheap ones, but papa needs to get paid to get laid.” He didn’t seem to mind my pissed-off stare and grabbed my keys. “I’ll drive. We need to pick up Neil.” He stalked out of the kitchen, but not before he got in a parting shot. “And, Zoey, nice shoes.”
I shook off the need to punch him in the face. We really were going to be late if I didn’t get a move on. We had a guy to see about a one-way ticket to Hell.
Come to think of it, maybe we should upgrade to a round trip.
Chapter Three
Daniel pulled the Audi into the parking lot of the Church of the Immaculate Conception with ruthless accuracy. His hands were steady and strong on the steering wheel, displaying none of his normal casual elegance. He was feeling the lack of blood, and I needed to figure out how to break through his wall. I really couldn’t deal with his self-destructive tendencies right now.
Neil chattered on in the backseat, talking about our new neighbor who he was sure liked boys. Neil thinks all hot guys really like boys underneath their thin veil of heterosexuality. “His name is Chad, and he’s so hot. He was jogging and wearing these teeny tiny shorts.” Neil sighed, and maybe he was right about this one. I didn’t know a single hetero who would be caught dead wearing short shorts. “You should meet him, Zoey. I think it would be a good idea to invite him over for dinner.”
“You invite him.” I pulled off one shoe and bit back a groan. My toes weren’t made to curl like that. “It’s your house, too.”
It wasn’t like he paid rent or anything but occasionally he would chip in for food.
Neil appeared to think about it for a moment. “I don’t think so. That would put me at a disadvantage. I need to play this one cool. You should invite him, Zoey, and then we can all be there, you and me and Daniel.”
Why Daniel would want to sit down to a meal he couldn’t eat and meet a dude he could never really be friends with since he couldn’t let him in on the whole “blood sucking vampire” secret, I had no idea. Daniel was silent as he pulled the car into a parking space.
“Holy shit! Is that what I think it is? Is that Christian Louboutin?” Neil pulled the shoe out of my hand, rubbing it against his face lovingly. “God, there are days I wish you didn’t have such freakishly small feet. This is the most beautiful twelve hundred dollar shoe I’ve ever seen.”
That got Daniel’s attention. “Those shoes cost twelve hundred dollars?”
“Well, I guess technically it’s only six hundred a shoe.” Six hundred sounded so much better.
Daniel wasn’t buying it. “He bought you twelve hundred dollars’ worth of shoes?”
I pulled the shoe out of
Neil’s clutching hands and regretfully forced my sad little toes back into it. “Neil, you’ll have to excuse Danny. He’s thinking about how many hookers he could buy with twelve hundred dollars.” Neil laughed, but I saw the thought go through Daniel’s head and I couldn’t help but punch him in the arm. “Asshole.”
Danny’s frown broke and a chuckle rumbled from his throat. “Well, Dev only bought one. Someone needs to give that guy a lesson in frugality. Hey, if I’m getting hit for thinking things, I might as well say it.”
Daniel got out of the car with a smile on his face. I was so glad calling me names could lighten his mood. I slammed the door, cursing when I realized the grass in front of us was wet. My heels were going to make it feel like I was walking through quicksand.
Daniel checked the clip in his gun and settled it in his holster. Before I could protest, he scooped me into his arms. “You should have worn boots. It’s this or you’ll slow us down.” He bent down and kissed me swiftly before I could stop him. “I’m sorry, Z. Be patient with me.”
“Hey, friends don’t kiss,” I said disapprovingly, even as I relaxed in those strong arms. He could carry me all day and never notice the weight. It felt so good to be in his arms.
Daniel started across the lawn. “They do in Europe. I’m trying to be more continental.”
I snorted but held on. Danny was the least continental person I knew. He had that slow Texas drawl I found comforting. When he was alive, he liked beer and burgers. He was not a man of sophisticated tastes. He set me on my feet when we reached the steps but took my hand.
“I don’t want you to break an ankle,” he said before leaning close to my ear. “And just for the record, if I had twelve hundred dollars to blow, I would totally buy you flooring, hand-scraped hardwood in Brazilian cherry.”
“That’s romantic,” Neil huffed behind us.
But it was. I really wanted that stupid flooring. I hated my carpet. If I knew Danny, he would have installed it, too. When he wasn’t playing D & D or working on mysterious jobs for the Council, he was usually at my place fixing something. I bought my house for a song, but it would have been a money pit without Daniel’s free labor.
“Ah, you’re here.” The voice came from the steps above us.
I looked up and put a name to the voice I had only heard over the phone so far. Father Francis had been the one to set up this mysterious meeting. He’d called this morning and insisted we be here at the church at midnight. He said he’d been contacted by people who could solve my little problem. He’d tried to convince me to come alone, but I didn’t do alone. Alone was stupid. Alone would get my ass killed.
“And you’ve brought company.” The good father stared down, shaking his head.
The trouble with clients is they often try to get the upper hand. The motto “the customer is always right” might work at Macy’s, but I’m not selling handbags. I’m an artisan, and far too often, I suffer for my art. I get shot. Sometimes I get shot by things that aren’t guns, and I’ll take a freaking bullet over an arrow any day of the week. The client is paying for a service they know nothing about, so while I am willing to listen to a client whine and complain, I will not allow a client to dictate how I run my business.
The first line of my mission statement, to put it in terms the good father can relate to, goes something like this—thou shalt not go into the night alone.
I knew what was out there, and sometimes the sweetest face turned into something with a bunch of teeth really fast. The good news was I had a vampire and a werewolf on my side, and like an American Express card, I didn’t leave home without them.
“This is my crew, Father. We’re a team, and if you don’t like it, I’m sure you can find someone else.” I was really hoping he wouldn’t just refuse us entry.
The father shook his head and sighed. “No, I’m afraid they’re very insistent. It must be you, but I don’t think they will be happy about the men. Come in.”
I started up the steps with Daniel at my side. He didn’t look happy, like some supercool vampire sense was tingling, but he remained silent. Neil took the steps two at a time and got to the door before we did. Neil’s senses were even sharper than Daniel’s, so he was our reconnaissance man. Father Francis held the heavy wooden door open but stared at Neil suspiciously as Neil did his thing. He let the air around him wash over his senses.
It was the first time a client had ever wanted me to meet them at church, and I hoped this wasn’t a prelude to some “save my soul” lecture. Over the last several months, I’d met with many people who had promised me they could help me with my particular problem. Every lead turned out to be a dud. Most of them presented solutions I’d already thought of but discarded for practical reasons. A few of them wanted something from me and promised way more than they could possibly deliver, and one had been a dumbass vampire looking for a mate. That particular meeting didn’t end well. It had been a frustrating couple of months as I was ready to do the job, but I couldn’t find the right tools.
I have stolen from many a dangerous place. I’ve broken into houses sealed with magic and locks and protected by some really scary things. I’ve been shot at, stabbed, attacked by more animals than I can count, and felt the awful effects of magic. But I was scared of this job. I also knew I couldn’t back down.
Ever since I watched Lucas Halfer drag my friend to Hell, I’d been sure of one thing. I was going to get her back. I was going to do what I did best. I was going to steal.
“If you would please follow me,” the father said, his dark eyes imploring. “They are very impatient.”
Neil held up his hand. He wouldn’t be hurried.
“What is it?” Daniel asked, taking in a deep breath to see if he could figure it out.
“There’s one human, that’s you,” Neil said to the priest. “I can smell the remnants of many humans, candle wax, incense, and someone used a steam cleaner a couple of hours ago to cover up…ewww, vomit.”
The father took a step back, his eyes wide. “The Peters boy apparently has the stomach flu. They shouldn’t have brought him to mass.”
But Neil was continuing his litany. The harder he tried, the more his eyes took on a distinctly wolf-like stare. “You had macaroni and cheese for dinner, probably microwaved, and then some cognac, but that was the good stuff. Oh, and the faintest whiff of troll. Bet you didn’t know you had that in your congregation.”
“What is it?” the father asked, looking at Neil like he was something deadly. Neil might look like a sweet little club kid, but I’d seen him rip apart an enemy and eat the remains. He especially liked the second part.
“He is no concern of yours, Father,” I said with an emphasis on the “he” part. I don’t like my friends being treated like freaks even when they act like freaks. Besides, it just showed how little the father knew when he was terrified of Neil but had paid no real attention to Daniel.
Of course, the father was probably under the mistaken impression that vampires couldn’t enter a holy place. It was one of those myths vampires had started themselves to put humans at ease. It gave the false impression that one could identify a vampire because they followed certain rules. As Daniel pushed his way into the vestibule, I felt bad for the little priest. Vamps rarely followed any rule they hadn’t made themselves.
“That’s weird.” Danny sounded slightly disturbed, which sent a chill through me. If something spooked Daniel, it was usually bad—really bad.
“Yeah, you’re getting that, too?” Neil stood beside Daniel, both staring into the building.
“What?” I asked, trying to keep a professional demeanor. What I was really wondering was “when do we start running?” A thousand things ran through my head. When you live the kind of life I do, you can call up some real nightmares when you try hard enough.
“Nothing.” Daniel crossed his arms over his chest. “I’m getting absolutely nothing.”
“Not nothing, exactly,” Neil qualified. “More like an absence of something.”
“And the definition of nothing is?” Daniel replied with a sarcastic zing.
“We really must go.” The priest’s hands fluttered restlessly, gesturing down the hall and then clutching at one another. “They will grow angry.”
“You’re afraid of nothing?” I ignored the priest. Danny and Neil were still trying to figure out what was at the end of that hallway.
“I know something’s there, but it’s like there’s a hole in the church.” Neil pointed down the hallway. “About a hundred yards that way, my senses stop and pick up again a few feet later.”
“It’s weird. I think we should go, Z,” Daniel said. “Let’s take you home and Neil and I will come back and figure out what we’re getting ourselves into.”
I just stared because that was the stupidest thing I’d ever heard.
Daniel sighed because he knew when I looked at him like that, I wasn’t going anywhere. “Just stay close to me.”
“If you will please come this way.” The father walked, taking short, jittery steps. I felt kind of bad for the little guy. Even over the phone he’d seemed uncomfortable. I wondered what these people had on him to force him to act as a go-between when he so obviously didn’t want to. He didn’t seem like the type to be involved in anything unsavory, and I didn’t say that because he was a priest. I’ve met some badass priests who could chop the head off a demon without dropping their rosaries. And then there were those nuns…
The father stopped in the middle of the vestibule, right beside the holy water. He absently took some and made the sign of the cross. “You wouldn’t be armed, would you? This is a house of the Lord. There are no weapons allowed in the church. I must insist on it.” He looked nervously at the three of us as though he expected a fight.
