“I fold,” Loki said.
“Me too. I’m going upstairs.” Zoey laid down her cards and pushed away from the table.
“I call.” Andre stared after her and when he turned back to the table, Pedro revealed his losing hand.
Pedro shoved all the chips at Andre and stood. “Loki, there’s something I need to show you. I’ll be right back.”
Ever since Lucas had re-drawn a picture from an ancient Hunter book that showed a Hunter and a vampire marrying under an arbor of grapevines, Pedro spent his sleepless nights next to a slumbering Lucas, reading every academic article and encyclopedia he could find about wine. He’d pretty much given up finding anything, and studied because he didn’t know how else to rest. So it was a surprise when what he’d been looking for turned up in his tattered copy of Una Historia de Vino y la Cultivacion de la Uva, written by his former wine-making teacher in Argentina. Pedro dashed to his room and back quickly. He did love being fast.
When he put the book on the green felt card table, Andre said, “You finally found something?”
“I think so.”
Loki cocked his elf-like head. Did his ears just twitch? Maybe not, but he sure seemed eager to listen.
“I’ve been wondering about the Blood Vine,” Pedro began. “Why does it work like Hunter blood?”
“Yes, I’ve been pondering that little mystery myself.” Loki rubbed his chin.
“Look.” Pedro opened the fat tome to a page he’d dog-eared. He pointed to a thumbnail-sized picture of ripe grapes on the vine.
Loki and Andre leaned in, barely avoiding a skull collision. “It’s Zinfandel,” Andre said. “Like Blood Vine.”
“No, it’s a wild grape. It’s native to the Eastern coast of the Black Sea, near the Caucasus Mountains.”
“Near Turkey, where Uta’s mysterious ancient lives?” Andre shook his head. “Son, it is merely a picture in a book. It means nothing.”
“Look at the leaves,” Pedro said.
Andre and Loki bent their heads together over the book, but said nothing.
How was it possible that Andre didn’t notice?
Pedro pointed. “Look at the gold outline on the edge of the leaves.”
“I see nothing,” Andre said.
“What do you mean? It’s distinct, like a metallic sheen.”
“Pedro, you are hallucinating.”
“Am I hallucinating it here too?” Pedro slid a close-up photo he’d taken before the fire onto the page.
“This is from Andre’s vineyard?” Loki asked.
“Yes.”
“Pedro, I don’t see a thing.”
“Nor do I,” Loki said.
“Really, even when you compare it to this?” He had tucked the second leaf in the front half of the book. “It’s from the Zin vines over at Rock Fall Winery.”
“I don’t see a thing,” Andre said again.
Loki’s mouth pressed into a grave line as he looked first at the leaves, then the picture. Pedro leaned forward, anticipating the little guy would see what Pedro saw and exclaim amazement. It didn’t happen.
Instead the chief vampire said, “Bring in Leo and Lucas.”
No way. No fucking way. Could it be?
Without giving voice to the thoughts racing through his mind, Pedro went to find his lover.
Lucas sat on the bed, slipping on his shoes. “What’s up?”
“We need you to look at something.”
“Okay.” Reaching up to pull his sweater on, he bared his torso. He’d lost so much weight. Lean before, he was skinny now. One more reason to kill Ethan—all the stress he was causing Lucas.
They found Leo in the kitchen, holding a steaming cup of coffee and scouring the Internet. The three of them filed into the dining room and stood around the table where Loki and Andre waited.
“What did you tell them?” Andre asked.
“Nada.”
“Perfect.” Loki clapped his hands together with apparent anticipation. “Lucas, can you see a difference between the two grape leaves?”
“Sure. This one has a gold rim.”
“Leo?”
“Well, like he said, they look the same to me besides that gold edge.”
“What about this one in the book?” Andre asked. “Which does it resemble?”
“It has a gold edge too,” Leo said at the same time that Lucas touched the Blood Vine leaf.
“No. It can’t be,” Andre said. “Pedro, why didn’t you notice the leaves looked different when you became a vampire?”
He closed his eyes and tried to remember what the world looked like before. His mouth went dry. “Give me a break. I felt like a microscope on Ritalin. Everything was blindingly bright and sharp. How could I have missed that little gold line? Yeah, right.”
“It seems those golden eyes serve some purpose,” Loki said. “And, Andre, your vines are apparently a part of Uta’s story, and we must investigate further. Now, I would like a shower before the meeting.” He stood up and departed with Andre at his side, leaving Pedro alone with the two ex-Hunters.
“Hey.” Leo shifted his weight from side to side. “So when’s the big day?”
“What day?” Pedro traced the outline of the Blood Vine leaf, his mind sprinting laps around all the new questions about wine and blood.
Next to him, Lucas framed the textbook between his hands, meticulously aligning its spine with the edge of the table. “He means, when are you going to turn me?”
“Oh.”
“I’m happy to help.” An eager grin spread across the kid’s face.
Pedro wanted to ruffle his hair, pat him on the head and say good boy before sending him on his way. “Thanks kid. That means a lot to us.”
“And Lucas already explained this is a hands-off kinda thing. Right?”
A lump clogged up Pedro’s throat and he jerked his gaze to Lucas, who continued to fidget with the book.
“Yeah. Strictly blood. A blood bond pretty much makes me a one-man kinda vampire. Plus, my man’s likely to get pretty jealous when he turns all predatory.” Pedro laced his tone with laughter he did not feel.
Lucas sat up straight and his yellow eyes flashed with something ominous.
It only took a second for Pedro to form a plan. “Leo—” he steered the kid into a chair “—I think we need a test run. Make sure your blood will work before Lucas does the deed. You good with that?”
He frowned. “Uh, sure.”
Lucas remained stoic, nodding.
Pedro came to stand behind Leo’s chair and pressed gently on his shoulders. “Ready?”
“Go for it.”
Pedro darted his tongue out to lick Leo’s skin. His fangs dropped and he struck fast and clean—no foreplay and none of the problems he’d had trying to feed from non-Hunter humans. The kid groaned at the first pull and Pedro followed suit. Yeah, just as good as Lucas’s sweet blood.
Lucas. Pedro’s eyes popped open to find him watching, his impassive mask shattered. His mouth hung open and his eyes bulged. When he caught Pedro staring back, he shook his head and Pedro got the message loud and clear. He broke the bite and licked Leo, sealing the wounds.
“Kid, this isn’t going to work.”
Lucas recomposed his face and walked out without a word.
“Did I do something wrong?” Leo asked.
“No, Leo. It’s not you.”
This time, Pedro did pat him on the head before he slipped out, and caught up with Lucas. Taking his hand, they walked upstairs together in silence. All out of words, Pedro stripped Lucas of his clothes and took his off just as fast. They climbed into the shower, and their soapy bodies slipped together. Pedro tried to push his worries out of his head, and offer Lucas the reassurance he needed. Even skinny, Lucas was all he wanted, so he dropped to his knees before his golden-eyed man and went about showing Lucas just how much he loved him.
Chapter 27
THE NIGHT WAS CLEAR and cool with stars twinkling above. For once they did not mock Uta.
Crickets chirped, owls hooted, the soil shifted quietly as earthworms and insects wriggled underground. The trickling of water came and went as she passed over places where it dripped through the soil into the aquifer. The air was thick with the scent of minerals in the loamy dirt, gassy cows in a distant field, the odor of car exhaust that lingered wherever humans lived. Her body thrummed, newly alive in sexual afterglow.
For long moments, her heart followed suit, rejoicing in the beauty of the night. She found herself singing old Croatian folksongs at full volume into the night sky.
And then she remembered.
At least for a moment, she had tasted what it might really be like between them.
But then he’d rejected her, and who could blame him? She hadn’t earned that love. If anything she’d stolen his freedom. But she’d lost hers too—and the selfish man didn’t have a shred of sympathy for her.
A rock jutted up from the soil, round and the size of a tennis ball. She drew back her foot and kicked the thing, dead in its center. Her eyes traced its path through the night sky and watched it land a quarter of a mile away, stirring up dust.
In many ways, he was still a petulant adolescent, refusing to grow up. Maybe what he needed was a slap in the face. Maybe, instead of hiding from him, as she had for decades, she should grab him by the lapels—figuratively, since he only wore T-shirts—and demand he give her a chance.
A narrow strip of light appeared on the horizon. How long could she wait it out? Or maybe this was her chance. She could simply sit here, watching the dawn until it burned all her problems away. But for the first time in more than a hundred years, she did not find the idea a relief. She wanted to be alive to smell the night and see the stars glinting like slivers of diamond in its sky. She wanted to be alive to prove her love to Bel, and attempt to earn his in return. No more freedom for him—he’d had his chance and it had not worked for him any better than it had her. She was done watching him from afar, drowning in her self-pity. It was time to show him what she was made of.
She flew to the kitchen and slipped inside.
“Uta!” Lena crossed the kitchen to embrace her.
Uta tensed. Besides Loki, no one hugged her, and he knew to restrict such affections to their private hours. But with some effort, she relaxed in the woman’s arms.
After a moment, she stepped back and pressed her hand to Lena’s belly. The girl’s eyebrows flew up. “You can’t…?”
“No. Not until there is a heartbeat. That will be next month, if it worked.”
“Did it work the first time, for Mila?”
“Yes. And she said she had the very best sex of her life when she conceived Bel. Something about Andre’s blood being very…hot.”
Poor Lena blushed, far beyond pink. “Yes, it’s…fun. You should try it.” Then her mouth opened so big she might have fit her foot into it. “Oh, Uta, I’m sorry.”
“Don’t worry. I intend to get my chance.” She patted her Lena’s hand.
Uta hastened to her room. After a quick shower, she put on a slim cut pair of slacks. No jacket either. Why leave anything to his imagination? She would put her tiny tits and ass right in his selfish face—that was the extent of her plan. Over her shoulder, she looked at her backside and spanked the firm curve.
“My fickle Illyrian gods, I entreat you. Please give him to me.”
In case they failed her yet again, it was time to ask Loki for help. Pretty please.
Chapter 28
IN HIS IMAGINARY UTA-PROOF BOX, Bel tried to pretend he wasn’t hopelessly aroused. He hadn’t been able to wank or drink his erection away. All that was left for him was work, a puzzle of epic proportions that left him banging his head against the wall. He let his left brain out to play, doodling angry crosshatches on a piece of notepaper.
Longing. Nostalgia. Osjećaj. He wrote the words and underscored them, twice.
What happened when a bond was satisfied? The blood bond, the bond to the homeland, whatever creepy symbiotic shit went on between Pedro and Lucas—any bond would do. That was the real question. He wasn’t going to figure out the how any time soon, but the what…he could work with the what. He needed to observe a vampire go home—the before and after, with a battery of tests on both ends.
The door shook with a knock.
“Come in.” Bel stood, wearing only his warm-up pants since his hard-on wouldn’t zip into his jeans.
Loki swung the door open and looked him over. The little vampire rolled his eyes. “I need you at the meeting this morning. And please do cover up that monstrosity. Otherwise, it will inevitably catch someone’s eye and then Uta will shed blood.”
Bel made of show of pulling on a T-shirt and zipping up a sweatshirt. Neither of them covered his monstrosity much at all.
Loki slapped his scalp. “Bloodshed may be unavoidable.”
Bel winked, channeling a little of Uta’s brashness into a whogives-a-fuck smile. “Kind of you to notice, Loki.”
“There is something else.” Loki pulled a black plastic case from his pocket and popped it open to reveal a thick syringe.
Only large animal vets used such giant needles. Bel took an instinctive step back. “What the hell is that for?”
“Uta.”
“Please tell me that is some kind of cure for our bond.”
“No.” Loki pursed his lips. “I had hoped you had guessed this tranquilizer may be a necessity, but I see I must explain.”
Bel crossed his arms and leaned against the door. “You can’t sedate a vampire.”
“It is possible, with an extremely high-dose cocktail of opiates, ketamine, and lorazepam. Injected near the spine, it will paralyze her. Temporarily, of course.”
“She does get on my nerves, man, but wouldn’t it be easier just to avoid her?”
Amusement sparkled in the vampire’s eyes for a flash, but then he grew grave. “I’m afraid this has another use. You may have to stop her.”
“From what?”
Loki sighed like an old woman. “Uta takes her responsibilities very seriously. To her sire. And to our species. Even to you, Bel, as I gravely hope you are beginning to realize.”
“So?”
“So she believes she has failed all of us, and that the continuing persecution of vampires is her fault.”
“That’s shite. It’s the Hunters’ fault, from the very beginning.”
The little vampire closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Have you ever tried to talk reason into her? She may be only the ninth oldest, but she is possibly the stubbornest creature alive. She will not listen, and when she despairs…”
“Spit it out, Loki.”
“Twice she has sun-walked. Both times, she came within seconds of her life.”
Fireworks went off behind Bel’s eyes, bursting flares of fiery red and electric blue fury. “She’s attempted suicide?” Abandoning him was a small betrayal compared to this. “I’ll fucking kill her.”
Loki tapped the toes of one foot. “I must insist that you do not kill her, and instead that you make every effort to keep her alive. I am very fond of her. And of course there is your own self-interest to consider. I am sure you remember your father’s suffering.”
“I don’t want this responsibility, Loki.”
“Boy, we rarely chose the burdens that become our own.” For the first time, the little creature actually sounded his age.
Bel regretted his childish whine. “It hardly matters. She’ll be leaving soon.”
“Regardless, you must keep it at the ready. And know this—it only works once. A second dose has no effect, not for the several weeks it takes for the drugs to break down in her system. So once you sedate her, you must secure her. In my experience, she awakens even more determined to end her life.”
She had no right to kill herself. Didn’t she know too many people depended on her?
“And one more thing.” Loki touched Bel’s elbow. “I know she is a royal pain in the ass, but I think you should give her a chanc
e as your mate.”
“I tried. I can’t do it. I just can’t make myself trust her.”
Loki clucked disapprovingly. “For your own sake, try harder, Lobel. Now, let us go.”
Everyone on the estate waited in the dining room for their fearless leader to arrive, even Lexi. She cast him a tentative smile. Bel stood behind the little boss-man, since there were no open chairs.
Uta looked his way, and he expected her to gloat over his still evident desire. But her face twisted in empathy, and he bolstered his defenses against their emotional connection.
Loki knocked on the table, and two dozen laser beams of attention were directed at him. Bel had to hand it to him—the guy knew how to command a room. “I have a plan and with your approval, I will set it into motion. It is contingent on the Hunter Derek William’s alliance.”
The vampire named Nceba and her blood servant flanked Derek, leaning close. Something about the way the three stood made them seem like a family. Derek looked remarkably good; not just better for being free of his jail, but better than when he had been captured in the first place, maybe than he ever had. For all the ways Nceba looked younger, plumper, her honey-brown skin glowing with good health, Derek stood taller and held himself at ease. The word that sprung to Bel’s mind was utterly unscientific—Derek looked whole.
Shite, what the hell did that even mean?
Bel hated the way his mind was leaping to conclusions, but Derek’s transformation astonished him, made it all too easy to believe this blood connection was a two way street—a full-fledged symbiosis of some sort.
Derek stepped forward. “I will ally with you.”
Loki bobbed his head. “Tell us why.”
“Because my life and the lives of thousands of Hunters is based on a lie, told by someone who feared the magic between your kind and mine.”
“Magic,” Bel scoffed, but no one paid him any mind.
“The connection I experienced with Nceba is unlike anything I have ever known.”
Blood Reunited Page 17
