“I called myself Mary Frankenstein for quite some time. I tried Carmilla for a bit, but it didn’t quite suit me. Which is a shame, because I quite enjoy that little YouTube series of it. You’ll find that I like to stay up to date with popular culture.” Morticia swept her long, black hair over her shoulder. She wore a stunning black gown with cutouts in the abs and a split in the side that went all the way to her hip. A hint of lace peeked out there. “As for changing my name… Oh, I’d say that I change it every fifty or so years. Names get boring after a while.”
“I see.” Angelina’s gaze drifted to Rainer.
He was wearing a tux. It hugged his body, emphasizing the triangular shape of his body. The pants clung to his tight ass, his strong thighs and his calves that were the perfect shape for a man. His biceps flexed as he lifted his glass to drink from it. Angelina found herself staring at his waistband, as though hoping for his crisp white shirt to ride up a little and expose an inch or two of those rock-hard abs she remembered.
Her cheeks flushed as she remembered staring up at the mirror, watching his strong body as he thrust into her. Heat started to build between her legs, and she hurriedly gulped another mouthful of champagne and turned back to Morticia. Morticia's nostrils flared.
The vampire licked her lips and moved a little closer. “Any other questions for me?”
Oh, God! She could smell it and thought it was her. Angelina cleared her throat and backed away. “Um… just that if you, um, keep up with popular culture you must spend a lot of time with humans, then.”
Morticia snorted. “Never in your life. Humans are cruel and callous and always assume I’m out to tear out their throats. I’ve been alive for three hundred years and do you know how many times I’ve narrowly escaped being staked? I have never drunk from anyone without their permission, and the only person I killed was a vampire hunter who decided to rape me before cutting off my head. I am quite certain you’ll agree that doesn’t count.”
Angelina flinched. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to—”
“It’s quite alright.” Morticia frowned at her own glass of champagne, clearly not alright. “I saw you come in with Rainer Weiman. Are you one of his reporters?”
Angelina glanced at Rainer again and sighed. “Not exactly. He helped me out in a tricky situation yesterday, and the next thing I knew…”
She gestured at the party, biting back choked laughter. She wasn’t the only human here. There were a few others, men she recognized as ambassadors from various governments. A couple of them had uncomfortable looking women with them, another few had wives that were chatting eagerly with the vampires. Two of them, who she knew were married, were currently attempting to grope the female vampires.
“What sort of tricky situation?” Morticia asked, arching a delicate brow.
Angelina hesitated a moment, but what could it hurt? Morticia had opened up to her, it seemed only right to repay the favor. “My two-year-old son is half vampire and he has a condition which means he needs to get on blood early. I didn’t know what was happening, and when I took him to the hospital, they just said it was a cold. But Rainer recognized the symptoms and helped us.”
A well of gratitude rose in her again as she sought him out once more. This time he was looking at her. When he grinned, she couldn’t help but grin right back.
Morticia hummed. “Half-vampire. Interesting. And how did you and Rainer meet?”
There was an edge to her voice now. It reminded Angelina of some of the reporters she talked to, the ones that were on the verge of a breakout story. The ones that would do anything to see their names in big, bold letters at the top of the page.
“He hired me a few weeks ago to work with him as a temporary receptionist.”
“Oh. Just a few weeks ago?”
Angelina smiled, noting the disappointment in Morticia’s gaze, though she tried to hide it. “Yes. Just a few weeks ago.”
Was Rainer the reason Morticia had come to talk to her in the first place? Angelina had to admit that it was kind of disappointing. She might not be interested in going home with the beautiful vampire but that didn’t mean she disliked the attention.
“I wonder why he chose you, then, if you’ve only known him for a few weeks.”
“He said he wanted a new perspective on vampire-human interactions.” Angelina shrugged. “I know that he’s working hard to improve the situation for vampires in the human countries. Even in the paranormal community, it’s bad… but you know that. I guess that’s why you don’t have anything to do with humans normally.”
“It is.” Morticia studied her for a moment longer then moved a little closer. “So, the potential king brought you here to show off how well he interacts with humans. The whole basis of his campaign is improving relations, you know. And you… the mother of a half-vampire child. Perfect.”
Angelina knew that Morticia was trying to provoke her now. She could only assume that Morticia was one of his rivals or working with one of his rivals and was hoping that she would cause a scene and hurt Rainer’s position.
Honestly, it was giving Angelina way too much power. She laughed and waved her hand. “I don’t pretend to know what Rainer is doing, really. Although, come to think of it… do you know if there is any way that I could start bringing my son to one of the kingdoms? I don’t want him to be cut off from his culture, and I could use some extra education myself.”
Morticia’s brow creased. “You’ll find that humans are not welcome in most vampire kingdoms. Your heart is in the right place, but I’d be worried they’d take your child away from you… unless his father is still in the picture?”
Angelina looked back at Rainer, a pang hitting her heart. “No. He’s not.”
“Then I would stay away from the kingdoms. Most of us vampires would see a human raising a vampire child and think… Well. How can a human possibly understand what it’s like to be a vampire?”
“I don’t understand, that’s why I want to have other vampires in Tommy’s life.” Angelina sighed. “He needs a support network as he grows up. One person isn’t enough…”
Morticia put her cool hand on Angelina’s bare shoulder. “Before I was a vampire, I had a child. A little girl. She was fathered by a vampire. The vampire who would eventually turn me…” Pain flashed in her eyes and Angelina had to wonder what her story was. “She died very young, with her father in a fire.”
“I’m sorry.” Angelina’s heart ached for her.
“You are, aren’t you?” Morticia smiled briefly before looking away. “Let me give you my number. Maybe going to the kingdoms is a bad idea, but I can at least be available to answer questions.”
“Thank you. I would really appreciate that.”
Morticia nodded. She scribbled a number on a piece of paper and handed it to Angelina. Then she frowned, staring intently at her. “Do you think times are changing? That if Rainer was made king, someday we could walk in the sunlight safely again?”
“I don’t know.” She found him again and put her arms around her waist, wishing they were his arms. “But I know that he’d try. And maybe… maybe he would be able to. I don’t know. I think it’s bigger than one person… but one person can start that sort of change.”
***
Morticia wasn’t the last vampire to talk with Angelina. After the tall, willowy woman slinked off in search of other entertainment, she was quickly replaced by Brandon, a vampire who liked the scene of the rich and famous but had no desire to become one himself. His old widow of the week clung to his arm as they spoke to Angelina and eventually Brandon went off—probably to put his wife to bed.
“Your guest is very popular tonight.” Antony, one of the other contestants for the throne, noted as he came to stand beside Rainer. “I believe that Morticia turned all her charms on for her. For a human, she’s very resilient. The straightest of women usually fall for Morticia after a few words. Is she in love with someone, then?”
Rainer laughed. Subtle, Antony was not. “Mayb
e Morticia just isn’t her type.”
“Morticia’s everybody’s type.”
“Not everybody. But do you really want to get into a discussion on the complicated scopes of sexuality right now, Antony? I know that you’re from the Roman Empire, surely you know that it’s not as limited as what seems popular these days.”
Antony graciously bowed his head. “I will concede to that. I should say that it’s simply unusual for Morticia's bait not to be snatched.”
Rainer rolled his eyes. “If you’re trying to ask if Angelina and I have a relationship, the answer is merely a professional one. Sorry to disappoint you.”
“Not at all!” Antony winked at him. “That means I still have a shot with you. What do you say? We could make our case a lot stronger by being co-kings rather than rivals. And I know how to please my men.”
“So I’ve heard. And I am certainly flattered, Antony. I know that you are selective with your prospective mates. But I’m not looking for a forever thing right now. I’m afraid that it would be a rather unbalanced marriage. And if it didn’t work out…” Rainer gave a tremendous sigh. “What would we do with the children?”
Antony laughed and clapped him on the back. “A most gracious rejection. If you ever change your mind, Rainer, you know where I can be found.”
Rainer was about to reply when he saw another vampire stepping up to Angelina. Marcus Smith. The vampire was everything that vampire stereotypes were made of. Sleazy, greedy, with an insatiable lust for human women. What was slime like him doing here? Rainer launched himself across the room, ignoring the people who called out to him.
He reached them just as Marcus had wrapped his hand around Angelina’s arm. Even as she protested, he started to tug her toward the door. Rainer quickly stepped between them, breaking the contact as he put an arm around Angelina’s waist.
“Smith,” he said, keeping his voice controlled even though he really wanted to snarl at the other vampire. He shouldn’t be allowed near humans. “I see you’ve met my date.”
“Your date?” Smith seemed unfazed. “All I saw was a lovely woman standing over here all by herself. I would not leave such a juicy little tidbit alone.”
Rainer opened his mouth furiously, but Angelina quickly interjected. “One, I am not a tidbit. Two, I was hardly alone. And I can tell you that you were most unwelcome.”
Smith concentrated on her again, grinning as though he thought that she was flirting with him. “Oh, I could make myself welcome.”
“Listen—”
Rainer pulled Angelina a little tighter. Smith wasn’t going to take anything she said seriously, it was better if she didn’t say anything. If a woman breathed in his presence, Smith thought she was flirting with him. And while Rainer was certain Angelina could take care of herself in most situations, she was a little in over her head here.
“Smith, I don’t know how you managed to get yourself invited to this party but let me make one thing clear to you. You don’t want to piss me off.”
Smith’s lecherous smile slipped away. He glanced at Angelina again before scurrying off to harass someone else.
Rainer watched for a moment before setting his glass down on a nearby table. “Come on, Angel. Let’s get out of there. It’s late and I’m sure your babysitter is wanting to get back home.”
“Wait, what?”
He took her hand and tugged her out of the room. Abruptly, he didn’t want to have anything to do with any of these people. All of their hoity toity ways, the smiles, and the sneers. It was plainly obvious that everyone was trying to one-up each other. He didn’t want to have to deal with that, not right now. When he was king, he’d make an ordinance that he only went to one or two parties a month. Otherwise…
“Rainer, will you stop?” Angelina pulled her hand out of his and glared at him. “What’s gotten into you? That Smith man was just talking to me, it’s not like I stripped naked and started to dance on the tables.”
The image of her naked flashed through his mind and Rainer had to struggle not to let the effect it had on him show.
“I didn’t do anything to embarrass you—”
“What?” Rainer was startled enough that the image disappeared from his mind. “Is that what you think this is about?”
“Isn’t it?” Angelina’s cheeks were flushed as she folded her arms across her waist. “Whatever I did—”
Rainer held up a hand and shook his head. “No. That’s not it at all. I just didn’t want to be there anymore. It’s nothing that you did, Angie. This is all me. Were you enjoying yourself?”
“I was.” Her eyes lit up as her arms dropped and she leaned forward. “I was getting to know a lot about being a vampire. At least, I was learning their personal stories. I actually think it would be a great article… better than Isaac Fisher, honestly. Because that’s actually old news. I mean, you didn’t even give me a deadline for that one and—”
“And it was more of a test than anything else.” Rainer frowned at her a moment, then nodded. “Alright. That is a good idea.”
“Get to know a vampire’s individual story, not just have it about vampires as a whole. If I could get one of them to interview—"
“What’s wrong with me?”
Angelina flushed lightly. “Oh! Um… well, nothing. I just… you never have anything about yourself in the news, so…”
Rainer shrugged. “I am trying to become a king. What better time to start putting myself in the news?”
It wasn’t long before they were back at his office. Angelina assured him that she had arranged for the babysitter to stay overnight since she hadn’t known how long the party was going to last. Rainer gave her a glass of water, gulped down some for himself and sat on the couch next to her. She readjusted the wrap around her shoulders and set her phone on the cushions between them, tapping it on to record.
“Alright. So how do we do this?”
Rainer grinned at her. “Have you never interviewed anybody before?”
Angelina shrugged, biting her lip. “Well… Not since High School. And that was a little while ago. Plus, this is kind of unexpected, I don’t have any questions prepared.”
“Then just ask me anything that comes to mind.”
Angelina nodded. She adjusted how she was sitting and folded her hands in her lap. “How did you become a vampire?”
Rainer took a moment to consider it. “Well… It was roughly four hundred years ago. I was a merchant’s son, and I traveled quite a bit. In what’s now Romania, I got myself involved with a beautiful young woman. Her father was a local lord. Nothing big, just riding on his title to make everybody swoon about him. Well, one day her father caught us in her bedroom…”
“And he turned you as punishment?”
“No. He wasn’t a vampire. Her mother, however…” Rainer enjoyed the look of anticipation on Angelina’s face for a moment before continuing. “He was surprisingly cool about the whole thing. Said that he had plenty of dalliances in his youth and that he saw no reason why his daughter should not have the same freedoms. He asked my intentions and like a fool, I said I wanted to marry her.”
“You didn’t?”
“Lord, no!” Rainer chuckled as he shook his head. “Marriage has never had much appeal to me.”
Except for that one time. But Angelina didn’t need to know about that. After all, this was the story about how he became a vampire, nothing else.
“It turned out, she was madly in love with me. When I said I wanted to marry her, she was thrilled. So her father gave us his blessing and the next thing I knew, I was engaged to be married. I couldn’t say no, not to a lord and not after he’d been so understanding. And I did like her. Anyway, the week before the wedding, her mother crept into my bedchambers. Told me she had a gift for me. I thought she was there to seduce me and was terrified.”
Angelina laughed at that and leaned forward. “And was she?”
“No. It was even worse. You see, her daughter was a vampire as well. A born vampire. A
nd she didn’t want her to end up in a marriage like she herself had, watching the man she loved grow old… so she turned me. Turns out, her daughter didn’t want anything to do with vampires and promptly broke off the wedding.”
“Guess it was a gift for you, then.”
“Yeah. In that way. But… but there are prices to be paid for everything.” Rainer sobered as he thought about everything else that had happened to him since then. The things he’d seen. “I lived through the French Revolutions, the World Wars… Bloody days. And there have been times when I wondered if eternal life was worth it at all. I’m not going to lie. I have considered suicide in the past. There was one time when I almost did it, too.”
Angelina’s eyes were wide, the sympathy and horror in them almost too much to bear. She had leaned forward. The red dress she wore hugged her curves so perfectly that she looked like something out of a movie. The low-cut neckline pushed her breasts higher. And Rainer could feel that familiar pressure at the back of his mind. The demons and despair creeping up on him.
“How… how did you get through it?”
“Therapy. Lots and lots of therapy. And some unhealthy coping mechanisms that I’ve had to struggle to get out of, too.” Rainer shook his head. “You know the roaring twenties? I’m not sure I ever really left them. Parties, booze, free love. Social change, trying to figure out who you are and where you fit in life. Yeah. The twenties were good for me.”
“I’m sorry. It seems like all vampires have a tragic past.”
Rainer shrugged. He rested one of his hands on her knee, almost unconsciously. He knew he shouldn’t, that she made it clear she didn’t want him, but he craved comfort so much right now… “When you live as long as we do, you’re bound to see and experience the bad things. Statistically speaking, we have a greater chance of it happening at least once in our lives.”
“Is that why you decided to start amassing your wealth? Because you wanted to protect yourself?”
“No. It’s because I wanted to protect others. And I quickly saw that no matter where you were and what country you were in, money was the best way to do that. Money can buy nearly anything. Friendship, love, laws. Did you know, the only reason the US made same-sex marriage legal back in the eighteen hundreds was because of all the money I poured into the government? Not to mention the serious campaigns I ran to convince the people that it didn’t go against their faith.”
In Bed with the Vampire Page 5
