While he closed the distance between us, Vlad made no attempts to reach for me. Not this time. He respected my mood by holding back and allowing me my pain. “No, it’s not. You have me to cling to… when you’re ready. In the meantime, I will honor your wishes. There are tunnels beneath this estate dating back to the times of the underground railroad. I found them last night when I was forcing myself to give Rau space to settle in. I will gather all those who accompanied us from Transylvania—your pup included—and we will guide the freed prisoners to safety. There, we will keep them hidden until we hear from you that it’s safe to return.”
A knock sounded at the door, most likely a member of the staff come to collect my suit.
Before turning to answer it, I rose up on tiptoe and dotted a quick kiss to Vlad’s velvet soft lips. “Thank you,” I breathed the words into him.
Cradling my face in his palms, he locked stares with me with a fiery passion that caused prickles of longing to dance up my spine. “Promise me you’ll be safe. That you will take no unnecessary risks. I couldn’t bring myself to go if I knew you were walking into a trap.”
Placing one hand over his, I gave it a comforting squeeze. “Of that, you have my word.”
I pulled away from the comfort and security he offered, grabbing my suit off the bed on my trip to the door.
“Vinx?” Vlad called as my hand closed around the doorknob.
I turned back, my eyebrows raised in expectation.
“When this is all over, when our people are safe, I’ll have you anyway you’ll allow me—mind, body, or soul.”
“When this is all over, I’ll give you them all.” That vow soured on my tongue as the bitter lie it was. The knot of dread in my gut told me when this was all over, there would be nothing left of me to give.
My all, my everything would be sacrificed for my people, and I would take out any who stood in my way in a fury of blood and smoke.
“Long live the queen… and God save them all,” the Dragon chuckled.
Chapter Four
Vinx
“Vincenza, do you plan to kill more people?”
“Was the slaughter some sort of political protest or were you just hungry?”
“Was that a designer gown? Follow up question, do you think you can ever get those stains out?”
“How were you able to break out of the DG Enterprise Holding Facility, and do you know where the other prisoners are now?”
Tugging down the bottom hem of my suit jacket, I shifted my weight from one sensible pump to the other. “Wow… that was a wide range of questions.” I glanced at Carter, who stayed by my side at Vlad’s insistence, and dropped my voice to a whisper. “Where did you dig these people up?”
Leaning my way on the ball of one foot, he tilted his face away from the cluster of mics in front of me. “A couple are from the big networks, one is from an entertainment news affiliate, and one runs a popular podcast. Not really sure how she got here, to be honest. But, if you feel another spree of any kind coming on, PR wise I would start with her.”
I slapped him with the full force of my glare. “How is that in anyway helpful?”
“It’s not. I realize that. I’m also beginning to think my vow of silence was a good look on me.”
Chest expanding, I pulled my attention back up to the patiently waiting reporters. Giant lights illuminated the lawn, offering a daylight feel for the cameras not designed for night’s heavy cloak of darkness. As I inched closer to the mic stands, I felt the heat of all their stares boring into me.
Swallowing hard, I launched myself into a future where I controlled my own narrative. “I’ll take questions later… or not at all. I’m not really sure yet. I’m pretty much winging things here.”
A nervous titter of laughter bubbled through the small crowd.
“First of all—” Just as I began, one of the mics screeched in protest.
“Take a step back,” one of the cameramen coached.
Following the tip with a gracious smile, I tried again. “There is no forgiving what happened in Transylvania. The blood of all the people that died that day is on my hands. But I am not the only one who played a part in that catastrophe. DG Enterprises, owned and run by Dorian Gray, has been imprisoning and drugging vampires with a pure form of sulfur. When that chemical is injected into their systems, it causes vampires to lose complete control. Gray has been using this method to arrange vampire against human attacks, such as the one many people witnessed in the tape implicating Rau Mihnea. Gray does this with the twisted agenda of starting a war between the humans and the Nosferatu. And it’s working. Vampires are being targeted and killed. Human lives,” I forced down the lump of emotion rising in my throat, “have been lost.”
My revelation was interrupted by four cop cars speeding up the drive and screeching to a stop close enough to kick up gravel on the news crews. Leaping out of their cars, the officers drew their weapons. “Vincenza Larow, you are under arrest! Put your hands behind your head and get on your knees!”
Glancing to Carter, I shrugged. “As times to have the cops burst in go, this is pretty ideal.”
Carter’s hands curled into fists at his sides. “Need I remind you that they have weapons not all of us are impervious to?”
“They aren’t here for you,” I said with a sad smile, and positioned myself between him and the flak vest clad officers. Dipping my head, I answered them through the sound system, “Yeah, I’m not going to do that.”
“We will open fire!” someone from the back of the armed cluster yelled.
Eyebrows raised to my hairline, I scanned the space between us. “There’s an awful lot of human lives at stake. I don’t think you will. At least not without hearing what I have to say first.”
A round-faced officer with a thick midsection and ridiculous handle-bar mustache grabbed a bullhorn from the backseat of his car. Clicking it on, his voice boomed across the yard. “We hear you out and you come peacefully. Is that how this is going to go?”
The Dragon awoke with a roar. “Kill them all and wear their skin as a cloak!”
“How about if we keep things nice and civil?” I responded more to him than the cops.
“Fine,” Officer Bullhorn bellowed, then turned to his fellow officers. “Stand down. We will hear her out… for now.”
My audience more than doubled, I pulled my grandmother’s silver nail file from my pocket and balanced it end from end by my index fingers. “As I stated before you stormed in and pointed numerous guns at my head, Dorian Gray is maneuvering humans and vampires alike as if we are nothing more than pieces on a chess board. He wants a war. Longs for the thrill of the body count.”
“What proof do you have?” Bullhorn interrupted.
For a beat, I considered the Dragon’s suggestion… then thought better of it. “I don’t need proof. Gray will reveal himself soon enough. He has no reason to hide. There’s nothing you can do to him. But when that time comes, you’ll need me.”
“Why you?” Under the lights, I could only recognize the reporter who spoke as a blonde female. She didn’t ask in a taunting way, but with genuine curiosity.
“Because I wasn’t sired by vampires.” As I explained, I drew the silver nail file down my arm, splitting it open in a ruby gash. The blood didn’t gush. My body didn’t allow for that. Slow and steady, a stream of crimson streaked down my forearm and dripped to the ground in fat splats. “After my family was killed by vampires drugged with sulfur, I was taken to the lab at Yale University where my DNA was changed. Now, I have all the strengths of the Nosferatu and none of the weaknesses. And that will make me your greatest weapon for what’s to come.”
A collective gasp resonated from all around. Cameras fixed on the gash in my arm that was healing at too slow a rate for any vampire.
I held my arm up to give the reporters a good shot at my bloody truth
. “Vampires don’t bleed. Their hearts don’t beat. Mine does, because I’m a glorified science experiment. One thing you need to take from this? When and if I bleed now, it’s of my choosing. You can try to arrest me, but I promise you the same thing that happened at the DG holding facility will happen again. Your silver cuffs and bars won’t even slow me down. And,” head tilting, I considered the team of officers with a wry smile, “no offense, but it’s going to take a lot more than the lot of you to bring me in. Because, this time? I’m not going without a fight. That said, it’s your choice. Do you want to take your chances that I’m bluffing? Or, do you want to talk this over with your superiors before risking life and limb?” For a little dramatic flair, I dropped fang and tipped my head just enough for the light to glimmer off my teeth.
The cops exchanged uneasy looks, hunting for a brave or idiotic man amongst them. The role fell to Officer Bullhorn, who holstered his weapon and nodded his head for the others to do the same.
While the rest of his men climbed into their cars and drove off, he and his partner hung back to deliver a stern warning.
“This isn’t over.” Bullhorn jabbed one fat finger in my direction.
“You’re absolutely right. It’s not. Things are going to get much worse now that Dorian knows I took his favorite toys away. And when that time comes, you’re going to want me on your side.” I held his stare without wavering until he ducked into his car and kicked up rocks behind his tires as he sped off.
From somewhere in the group of reporters I heard, “I know I should be terrified, but that was straight up badass.”
Fighting back a smirk, I got to the final point on my agenda. “I’ve touched on a lot of topics today that the world needs to know about. Vampires are being drugged. Dorian Gray is attempting to build an army. I freed some of his captive vamps, but he is a wealthy man with a wide reach. He could have bases stationed around the world. What I need is help exposing the Nosferatu truth to people. I ask that one of you join us, film our lives and broadcast it to the world. In exchange, you will be under my care and protection. Your safety will be entrusted to me, Vincenza Larow-Draculesti, Queen of the Nosferatu.”
“Oh,” hands behind his back, Carter rocked from his heels and mumbled out of the corner of his mouth, “you decided to hyphenate. How progressive for a chick who married a man a few centuries older than her.”
Silencing him with a glare, I turned back to the reporters and heard… crickets. Odd as it was, none of them jumped at the chance to be whisked into an active hive of vampires.
Weird.
It occurred to me that I needed to sweeten the deal. Unfortunately, I was completely unprepared for how to go about that. “We… uh, have free Wi-Fi.”
“Oh, girl, stop. You were owning this conference, but now it’s just getting sad.” The blonde reporter who commented on my badassery stepped forward, tossing back her curtain of platinum hair. She was a vision of femininity, with expertly applied make-up and beach-waved hair. The white skirt-suit she wore hugged her curves in a way that maintained her professionalism whilst hinting she was a smoking hottie. “I know a thing or two about being judged unfairly. I’ve lost friends and family members since I started transitioning. If you can guarantee my safety—and set me up with a baller suite because mama doesn’t do the Red Roof Inn—I’ll stay and report on your story. But I’m telling you right now, I will be completely unbiased. I’m not tailoring anything to paint you in a better light, because y’all drink blood and there’s no way to sugar coat that… or the fact that you went on a killing spree.”
“Oh, hell no.” Her cameraman with a bushy beard and flannel shirt lifted the camera from his shoulder and slapped it into her arms. “The union does not pay me enough for this shit. You want to mingle with the undead? Do it by your damned self.”
“Pussy!” the reporter shouted after him, before clearing her throat to a more professional cadence. “It’s okay, I can work the camera myself. That’s basically how I got through college.”
“The rest of you are free to go. Thank you for coming.” While the pack of reporters and camera crews broke off and returned to their cars, I turned my attention to the brave blonde and offered her my hand. “You can call me Vinx, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Balancing the camera on her hip, the reporter stabbed one hand in my direction. “My name is Natalie, and I’m trusting you not to get me killed.”
The remaining reporters and camera crews cleared out lickety-split. Most likely driven off by the fear I would revisit our recruitment needs. As Carter and I escorted Natalie into the manor, my thoughts drifted to our people in the tunnels.
The second I stepped inside, Elodie emerged from the shadows and fell into step beside me. “Contact Vlad,” I instructed. “Tell him to get all of our people back here at once. They’ve been away from medical attention too long already. We need the cots back out and lining the ballroom. Rau can have his own room upstairs, but only if we have someone positioned up there to watch over him at all times.”
“You picked up a straggler.” Posture ramrod straight, Elodie cast a sideways glance in Natalie’s direction.
“Elodie, this is Natalie. She’s a human reporter who kindly volunteered to help us educate the American people on what Dorian Gray has been up to. Natalie, meet Elodie. She’s a badass vamp and—although she’ll never admit it—I’m convinced she was a paid assassin before turning.”
“Never bothered to deny it.” Elodie shrugged.
“We’re trying to make her feel at ease here,” I muttered out of the corner of my mouth, fighting back a chuckle.
“You brought it up. I’ll fetch Vlad and the others.” Never one for small talk, Elodie broke formation to veer off on her task.
“I want blood bags waiting for them as soon as they get back.” Heels clicking over the marble tile, I skirted behind Natalie in my stride to the kitchen. Of course, I noticed how she tensed when she lost sight of me for even an instant. “Carter, will you please show Natalie to the room that will be hers while she’s with us.”
“Which one is that?”
Pausing mid-step, I stared back at him for a beat. “The one that doesn’t have anyone else’s shit in it. Help her get settled, and make sure she has everything that she needs.”
“Of course. After you, m’lady.” Carter waved her up the stairs with a roll of his wrist.
“And Natalie?” I called after her. “You may want to lock the door of your room tonight and avoid wandering the halls until sunrise.”
She flicked her hair over her shoulders that shook with laughter. “Like Jonathan Harker in Bram Stoker’s Dracula? I venture out and I’ll be at the mercy of the children of the night?”
Turning my full attention her way, I dragged my tongue over my lower lip. “The entire lower level is going to be filled with recently drugged vampires who got caught up in a bloodlust beyond their control. By all means, fear the creatures of the night. Lock your doors and windows. If it did any good, I’d tell you to string up garlic. You have my word as the Queen of the Nosferatu that I will do all in my power to keep you safe. That said, I advise you take the added precautions, for your peace of mind… and mine.”
Chapter Five
Carter
The room I found for Natalie had deep crimson walls and imposing antique furniture that gave the space a gothic feel. The two combined seemed to feed into vampire stereotypes in all the worst ways. If I had to guess, I’d say it was the room Rau would put his human guests in to give them the full “vampire experience.” Pandering to those with influence. A tactic older than Vlad.
Flicking on the light, I set Natalie’s camera on the desk in the corner. “I’m sure the bedding is clean, but I’ll send someone up with fresh sheets. What kind of phone do you have? I can get you a charger.”
Natalie patted the briefcase hooked on her shoulder. “I actually have one. But t
hank you.”
A reporter through and through, she had perfected keeping her expression at a calm neutral. That did nothing to hide the uneasy tremble of her tone, or the pheromones of fear I could smell wafting off of her in heady waves.
Hip leaned against the desk, I tapped the pad of paper resting on it with my middle finger. “Well, if there’s anything at all you need, just make me a list. I can acquire most anything within an hour.”
“Benefits of vampire magic?” She snorted a nervous laugh.
“More the benefits of having grossly wealthy benefactors. That said, please feel free to exploit the situation.”
“The entire spring collection from Sephora and pajamas from Beyonce’s new clothing line?”
“To expect you to make do with anything less would make us truly monstrous,” I chuckled.
“In that case…” Turning on the heel of one expensive looking pump, she joined me at the desk. She snatched up the pad, clicked the pen to life, and began her list of must-haves. “I have to say, Carter, you’re the only reason I’m here. The work you did in your underground investigating of the Nosferatu society was truly inspiring. The gritty, raw truth in those broadcasts was one of the main reasons I went into journalism in the first place. Plus, the way I see it, if you can live among the bloodsuckers for this long, they can’t be all bad, right?”
She looked my way with such a hopeful expectation, I couldn’t bring myself to lie to her.
With an apologetic cringe, I dropped fang.
Shoulders sagging, her pen paused. “Son. Of. A. Bitch. Seriously?”
“It hasn’t been long, but… yeah.”
All coloring drained from her face, beads of sweat suddenly dotting her hairline. “Fantastic. I’m going to go ahead and move straight to mind-numbingly terrified now. Any tips on making it out of this… you know, with a heartbeat?”
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