by Hayden, Sean
"Did you kids have fun?"
"Yes, ma'am," Marcel said and laughed, dropping his share of the loot on the floor by the door. "We got you two presents, too," he said and grinned.
"Did you get me a G.I. Joe with the kung fu grip?" I looked over at Thompson and he had a serious look plastered on his face. Damn he could act. Or at least I thought he could until Marcel reached into a bag with a clown stenciled on the front of it and pulled out an action figure. He tossed it to Thompson who plucked it out of the air and started laughing.
"Really," I said in complete disbelief. They had to be kidding, right?
"Old joke from many years ago, young one. Your partner doesn't play with action figures, right, James? James? Jim!" He kept repeating uselessly. Thompson merely sat engrossed reading the back of the blister package. I started laughing and couldn't stop. It beat the hell out of crying.
Vic dropped her packages on the ground and started rooting through them, looking for something in one of the larger bags. I had no idea what she could be looking for, but walked over to her anyway. She found whatever it was and held it out to me like a kid giving their parent a Christmas present. I furrowed my brows and gave her a disapproving look, gingerly taking the long white box from her outstretched hands. I pulled the lid off and saw a chain of thick silver links with a green gem in the center. I looked closely and saw it had a line through it giving the gem the effect of looking like a cat's eye, or my eyes. I gasped and gently plucked it from the box and held it in my hand.
"Do you like it, master? It's called a Cat's Eye. I loved wearing silver as a human and now I can again." She held out her wrist. She wore the exact same bracelet, but hers had a blue cat's eye set in it.
I looked up at her eyes and smiled. "I don't think I've ever had a more thoughtful gift." I wrapped my arms around her, gave her a hard squeeze, and kissed her cheek.
"Thanks, Vic. I love it." I held it out for her to put it on me.
My skin tingled every time she brushed my wrist with her fingertips, but the effect lasted only as long as it took her to get it on and I sighed in disappointment when she finished. She beamed with pride and held hers up to mine for a moment to get the full effect. She gave me another hug and picked up the empty box I didn't realize I'd dropped. She ran to the trashcan and tossed it in, and then ran to the rest of her bags and picked them up, taking them into the bedroom.
"Thanks, Marc. That meant a lot to her," I told him.
"Little one, when you have lived for centuries, money usually isn't an issue," he said and started rooting through his bags. He pulled a large wooden box labeled "Cohiba" and took it to Thompson who dropped the action figure to take the box from Marcus' hands reverently.
"Oh-ho-ho-ho." He tore away the paper seal with his thumbnail and pried the box open. Immediately, I smelled tobacco. I walked over and peered inside and there amidst torn up tobacco leaves lay twenty-five hand rolled cigars. Or at least that's what the top of the box said.
"You smoke," I said disgustedly.
"Only the finest of cigars when Marcel buys them for me," he said. "God bless you, Marcel."
"A small repayment for the grief I caused you last night, old friend. I just wish I could find Cuban's in the mall. I'll give Fidel a call when I get home and arrange for a few boxes."
"You actually know somebody in Cuba named Fidel? That's funny," I said and started to laugh. They didn't join in.
"You know him too, little one. He's been on the news enough," he said and returned to his bags.
I stared at his back, sure he was teasing me, but Thompson merely gave me an affirmative nod. I shook my head in disbelief and went to check on Vic. I knocked on the doorframe as I entered and she glanced up from putting clothes in the dresser, giving me a peculiar look.
"What?" I looked at her, uncertain as to why she looked at me the way she did.
"Master, um…can I tell you something?"
"Of course," I said, my confusion growing.
"I haven't been a vampire long, so I remember what it's like to be human. Please don't be mad at me for saying anything, but you're too polite," she said and walked over to me, putting her hands on my shoulders. "I am yours, body, mind, and soul, if I even have one. You need to stop treating me as if I would mind if you did anything to me. Do you get it? You could slap me in the face with a two by four and I would be happy you noticed me. You don't knock when entering your own room," she finished and bowed.
"It's going to take me a while to get used to this, but thank you for your honesty," I told her and she rolled her eyes.
"See?" She gave a throaty chuckle. "Trust me, master, I don't mind, but watch how you treat me in front of another vampire."
"The other vampires will make fun of me?"
"No, they'll think you are weak and attack."
"She's absolutely right, little one," Marcel called softly from the door behind us. "Between your young Victoria and me, I think we might be able to turn you into a proper vampire. You left before I could give you your gift," he said changing the subject.
"Marcel, you didn't–" He cut me off with his upheld hand.
"A gift isn't something you give out of obligation, a gift is a token of love, appreciation, or esteem," he said and picked up a large gift-wrapped box from the floor outside the door. He crossed the room and handed it to me. I slipped off the large ribbon, keeping the corners secure, and set the box down on the bed to slip the large cover off. Inside the box, a large expanse of black silk wrapped in tissue lined the bottom. I gingerly picked up the corners and lifted it free. The dress, as it turned out, fell to the floor and shimmered under the overhead lights. I gasped at its beauty. Never before had I seen its equal.
"Marcel, it's beautiful." I stared, too stunned to say anything more.
"When you are presenting yourself to a master of the city, it is proper to dress nicely. Plus, I noticed in your closet that your wardrobe needed a lot of work." He sniffed disgustedly.
I flushed and ran into the bathroom to try it on. I slipped my clothes off and pulled the dress over my head. Looking at myself in the mirror, I got the shock of my life. I'd never considered myself beautiful, pretty maybe, but never beautiful. The black silk dress made me look like a woman and I couldn't believe it. I tried to imagine what I would look like with my hair done and makeup. How had Marcel gotten the exact size right? I barely knew my dress size.
I debated taking it off and slipping back into my skirt and shirt, but figured Marcel would want to see what his gift looked like on me. I held on to the doorknob and counted to ten to build up my courage before stepping out into the room. Marcel and Vic stood there quietly conversing about something. I saw Marcel's eyes go wide over Victoria's shoulder. Seeing the change in his expression, she spun and gave me the biggest smile I've ever seen in my life.
"Master, you are beyond beautiful." Vic walked up to me and gave me a warm hug.
"I am going to have to agree with young Victoria. You look amazing, little one," Marcel said from his spot by the door.
"Thank you, both." I tried really hard not to beam. It's a shame they were the only two people who would get to see me in my beautiful dress, unless… "Hey, Thompson and I have to leave for a few days. In fact, we're leaving tomorrow night, but we seem to have the evening off. Would you like to do something?"
"I want to go dancing," Vic said sheepishly. It kind of surprised me; I didn't think anybody who danced for a living would get any pleasure from doing it in their time off. I looked over at Marcel and he nodded affirmatively at her suggestion.
"You two go, enjoy yourselves. I think I shall stay here and rest," Marcel with a small smile.
"Hey, Thompson," I hollered through the door. "We're going dancing. You wanna go?" I never expected a response.
Chapter 12
I glanced up at the name of the club and made a face that caused Vic to laugh heartily next to me. "NOS4A2 Nation" glared at me in gothic styled neon. I glanced over at Victoria and rolled my eyes. "Are y
ou kidding me?" I pointed at the sign glaring above the door.
"Be nice, I used to come here a lot before Santiago gave me a job at the club. The nosferatu that own the place are cute in an ugly sort of way and they have killer, killer music." Vic opened the heavy glass door letting said music hit us full force. Not being a fan of techno, I avoided rolling my eyes at her a second time and walked into the club.
My mouth dropped open in surprise. The building housing NOS4A2 Nation looked pretty nondescript and almost shoddy in appearance, but when you walked through the door, you literally stepped into another world. Since I joined the FBI, I've been to some pretty remarkable places and some pretty cheesy clubs. This one topped the remarkable ones exponentially. The far wall of the room wasn't a wall at all. Whoever decorated the club imported enough stone to build a castle, literally. It wasn't a fairy princess castle either. Imagine the gloomiest castle in all of Europe, and then make it tenfold darker. I expected the dark knight to come charging from its depths, but it was just a façade that stretched thirty feet in the air.
The dance floor sat nestled about three feet below the main entrance in a sunken pit. I don't think one more person could have occupied the floor without a good coating of butter. A sea of people undulated to the throbbing pulses of the trance music pumped out through speakers that looked like they'd been ripped from a major league baseball stadium. My ears hurt, but I found my head bobbing to the music. I gained a little insight into Vic's fascination with the club.
Vic grabbed my hand and led us to one of the very few unoccupied spots at the rear of the club and parked her butt on a stool at the high top table. I half expected her to drag me out on the dance floor and gave her a quizzical look. She held her hand up and began looking around for someone, or something.
I decided to engage in a little people watching. As soon as I glanced around, I realized I should have just kept my eyes in my head and saved myself some serious embarrassment. Every guy within a ten-table radius stared at Vic and I as if we were a couple of T-bones. I felt more than a little self-conscious and wished Marcel or Thompson had deigned to come with us.
I glanced back at Vic and she smiled and waved at someone. I glanced in the direction she stared and saw a tall, gangly, bald man, who could only be a nosferatu, wave back and start making his way to our table. I could only stare more as he got closer to our table. I'd seen pictures of the elusive nosferatu, but never met one in person. The pictures didn't do them justice. They weren't ugly; but they were scary. Even when he smiled at Vic it didn't erase the fear factor from his face.
"Viktor," Vic said with a little squeal and launched herself into his arms. I giggled a little at the "Viktor, Victoria" thought that flittered across my mind and I smiled at the utter exuberance Vic showed at seeing her friend. Then jealousy reared its ugly little head. Only for a moment, but I recognized it at once and mentally swatted myself.
"Hello, sunshine," Viktor replied with a deep accent and a small smile. I tried to place the accent with little success. It wasn't Russian, and for some reason it struck me as older, much older.
"Viktor, come meet my new master," she said and released the nosferatu, dragging him closer to the table. I stood and made my way around the table and held out my hand.
"Hi," I said and watched the smile fade from his face as he looked at my eyes. He slowly raised his hand and grasped mine without ever taking his gaze from me. Before I could feel his cold flesh, the club fell away. I broke my cardinal rule. I never looked vampires in the eye anymore; when I did bad things happened.
The club vanished and Viktor and I hovered in the air, illuminated from within. As usual, I hovered over the massive body of water I'd learned was the embodiment of my power. Every other vamp I captured with my gaze usually did the same, hovering over their own ocean, lake, or pond depending on their strength. Viktor hovered, but it was over a dry, barren desert, bereft of life. I watched as the waves of my power lapped at his sandy beach. He looked around him and sighed. Just when I formed the first of my questions, he disappeared.
I came to standing in the club and the mysterious Viktor still holding my hand. I avoided his eyes and looked down at my hand in his. My talons I'd seen a million times before, but his hand I stared at intently. It looked like somebody had taken every bone in his hand and fingers and stretched them until they doubled in length. His handshake literally wrapped around my hand. His skin held a rough quality, and if anything, his body temperature appeared colder than mine. The nosferatu held the honor of being the oldest of the vampire races, and now I understood why people truly thought us the undead.
"Pleased to meet you," Viktor said and turned around, walking into the crowd of people I'd completely forgotten about.
"What just happened?"
"I don't know," Victoria replied and gave me a small smile. "I'm going to find out." She left quickly, following Viktor into the crowd. That left me sitting at the table, alone.
"Great." I sighed and turned around, taking my seat while I waited for Vic to come back.
I avoided looking around and found myself faking great interest in the surface of the table I sat at. Mid stare, I heard them come in over the droning noise of the music.
I glanced up and saw at least thirty vampires pause at the entrance. They looked around the club as if they owned the place and tried to find a spot large enough for their party. The lucky streak that had been following me all night held as they made their way to the few empty tables in the club that just happened to be in the area I sat. Many of the patrons of the tables around me got up and vacated their spots as they saw the small army of vampires approached.
I debated doing the same, but the small stubborn streak inside me held me rooted to my spot. I glanced around, using only my peripheral vision, and held my breath. The sickly sweet smell of so many vampires really started bothering me. It also made me more than a little hungry. In human years, the vamps around me looked rather young. I wondered if they all were the result of an overzealous vampire in a fraternity house. The thought made me giggle a little. I fought not to look up from the very interesting nick I'd found in the surface of my table. Bringing my hand up from my lap, I started prying at it with the tip of my talon. A hand closed over my shoulder.
"Excuse me, beautiful. Would you care to dance?"
I couldn't help it. I stopped playing with my little hole in the table and in one motion, turned, grabbed his hand in a vice like grip, and snarled in his face. He backed away wide-eyed and tripped over his feet, ending up on his butt on the dirty floor. His friends erupted into laughter as he stood and brushed himself off. I hoped he would run away, but being surrounded by his friends made him bold and stupid. Instead of going back to his seat and brushing the incident off, he advanced on me and made a grab to pull me from my seat when Victoria appeared between us.
She grabbed his throat and neatly lifted him from the floor. I could see his eyes over her shoulder and he didn't look surprised, he looked pissed. She pulled his face closer to hers and whispered something into his ear I couldn't catch over the music before she dropped him to the floor for the second time that night. His friends started to stand up, but he held his hand up, motioning them to stop. That may have been the first smart thing he'd done since walking into the club. He lifted himself off the ground and walked back to one of the other tables.
"Thanks, Vic," I said and gave her a small smile as she turned and sat back down next to me, never taking her eyes from the group of vamps around us.
"Do you want to find a new table?" I rolled the idea around in my head and figured any show of weakness would just invite more trouble.
I shook my head. "No, I'm fine. Do you want to dance?" I really didn't want to, but I figured it would be a good reason to get away for a little while without looking weak.
"I thought you'd never ask." She reached out for my hand. I took it, stood, and followed her into the sea of dancers while trying very hard not to look around at every set of eyes I could feel sta
ring at us.
Vic led us to the exact middle of the floor and turned to face me. I watched her as a wicked grin played across her lips. She closed the distance between us and put her hands on the silky material of the dress covering my hips.
Slowly, she started to undulate to the beat of the rhythmic music. It throbbed in the very bones of my body. I offered a delicate smile and matched her movements as best I could. I might be a vampire, but Vic was a vampire who worked professionally as an exotic dancer. I tried not to feel outclassed as she snaked around me in suggestive movements, caressed me in places that shouldn't be touched in public, and basically let everyone in the club know I was hers. I didn't know how to feel about that.
She must have felt me stiffen because she paused in her more suggestive movements and looked straight at me. My eyes widened in panic, not wanting to enrapture her, but I could gaze into her icy blues without any problems. "What's the matter?" More comforted by the fact that I could share something as simple as eye contact with her than the level of discomfort I felt from her being a woman, I let a big smile creep onto my face as I pulled her closer.
"Absolutely nothing," I replied.
"You've never been with a woman before," she said in my ear, guessing at what caused my initial discomfort.
"I've never been with anybody before." I felt her stiffen in my arms. She pulled back and stared at me with a cute little incredulous look on her face.
"Truly?"
"Truly," I answered and nodded as well.
I expected her to pull away a little, but I watched as her sultry smile crept back and she pulled me in close again. "We're gonna have so much fun later," she whispered in my ear and gave my neck a little lick. I shivered and felt a chuckle rumble in her chest that just happened to be pressed as close as possible to mine without being naked. I could feel my blush creeping up to my face and I buried it in Vic's shoulder as she held me tight in the middle of the dance floor.
