BloodlustBundle

by Margaret Carter, Crystal Green, Erica Orloff, Patricia Rosemor

  A few minutes later, standing at the window and watching sunlight on the waves, Linnet heard footsteps in the hall. She dashed to the bed, groped in her purse and switched on the miniature tape recorder. Just in time, hoping that she looked innocent enough and that Nola would attribute her nervousness to simple fear, she crouched on the bed with the purse open beside her. The bolt clicked, and Nola opened the door.

  Her hair hung to her waist in a single braid. It looked damp at the edges, as if she’d taken a shower. Over white slacks, she wore a loose blouse embroidered with a fern pattern. She closed the door, leaned against it and surveyed Linnet with a thin smile.

  Linnet didn’t have to fake the quaver in her voice. “Are you going to kill me?”

  “I didn’t say that. I only said I could.”

  “Max told me you have a rule against killing people.”

  “If he said that, he fudged the truth to keep you quiet. We have a rule against killing conspicuously, leaving evidence that might make ephemerals suspect us.”

  “Yeah? Then what about Deanna and Anthony?” She clenched her fists around folds of the bedspread, half expecting Nola to fly into a rage.

  Instead, the woman just arched her eyebrows in apparent curiosity. “Deanna? What’s she to you?”

  “My niece. You murdered her. Max’s brother, too—one of your own people.”

  Nola folded her arms. “You’re mistaken. One of my young friends killed them.”

  “I know. Fred. But he was following your orders.”

  “Not quite. He exceeded them.”

  “Are you trying to claim you didn’t order him to commit murder?”

  “I didn’t, if it matters now. I just told that idiot boy to teach them a lesson. If I had him here, I’d—” She bared her teeth. “Thanks to him, I had to abandon a perfectly good setup in Maryland.”

  Linnet felt a rush of heat to her face. “That’s all their lives mean to you? A little inconvenience?”

  Nola shrugged. “All ephemerals die sooner or later. As for Anthony, he had to be punished, but I regret his death.”

  “Punished, why?”

  “For trespassing. He stole one of my donors. That violates our custom.”

  “Deanna wasn’t a thing to steal. She had free will. She wanted to get away from you, and she loved Anthony.”

  “Love.” She emitted a laugh like the ripple of icy water. “He seduced her the same way I did, except that he was more successful. They had a mutual addiction.”

  “I don’t believe that. He wouldn’t have risked his life if he hadn’t loved her.” Linnet felt a cold lump in her chest, though, recalling Max’s mention of that same dependency. Could vampires love at all? “I met Anthony a few times. He wasn’t like you. He didn’t collect human victims like—like bottles in a wine cellar.”

  Nola shook her head in mock pity. “You romantic dreamer! Anthony hovered around the edge of my little group to pick up my leavings. I didn’t mind sharing. The young ephemerals didn’t mind, either. They came to my home to immerse themselves in the glamour of the vampire lifestyle. I couldn’t drink from all of them every time. Anthony was welcome to feed on the ones I wasn’t using at the moment.”

  Linnet still couldn’t imagine kids like Dee wanting to be used that way. “They didn’t know you were a real vampire, did they?”

  “Of course not. How stupid do you think I am? Most of them would have run screaming into the night if they hadn’t thought it was a game. A few would have begged me to convert them, which is impossible, and they would’ve caused even more trouble. Fred figured it out. That’s why he knew how to destroy Anthony. I don’t think Jodie guessed until we left Maryland.”

  “I’ll bet they still don’t understand the whole truth. More likely they think you’re some undead demon like in the movies.” Linnet felt a little better knowing that Jodie hadn’t acted as even a passive accomplice to the murders. Discovering what Nola was capable of had probably incited the girl’s desire to escape.

  “So Max has told you the truth about us?” Nola frowned. “Incredibly careless of him.”

  Linnet’s heartbeat stuttered. She shouldn’t have dropped that remark. Now Nola would consider her more dangerous than if she’d appeared ignorant. “If you’re not planning to kill me, what are you going to do?”

  “Hold you here until Max shows up, naturally. You’re my bargaining chip.”

  “Then you’re wasting your time. Max doesn’t care what happens to me.”

  “Nonsense. I tasted him in your blood. When he wakes up and realizes I’ve got his pet, he’ll come running.”

  “I’m not—” Linnet cut off her protest in the bleak awareness that “pet” was the most she could expect to be for Max. He might treat his “donors” better than Nola treated hers, but Linnet knew she herself was only one in a long succession over the centuries. “He won’t give you what you want just because you have me.”

  “I told you, we have a rule against poaching. He’ll want his possession back, whether he cares about you or not. It’s a matter of pride. He stole Jodie, so I’ve taken you in return.” She stepped closer to the bed and stared into Linnet’s eyes. “Tell me where that girl is.”

  She shook her head.

  “Speak!” Nola bared her teeth in a snarl, and the pressure of her mind bore down harder.

  Closing her eyes, Linnet reached for Max. She found only a void, but the attempt distracted her from Nola’s attack. The pressure faded.

  “Damn you, look at me!” When Linnet ignored the command, Nola’s voice continued. “So he’s somehow made you immune to mesmerism. Well, no matter, I can still use you.” The door opened and closed, and the bolt snicked into place.

  After she heard Nola’s footsteps disappear down the hall, Linnet opened her eyes. She turned off the tape recorder and collapsed onto the pillow, fighting tears. If her safety depended on Max’s caring enough to bargain for her, she might spend whatever was left of her life as Nola’s pet.

  To her surprise, only a couple of minutes later she heard steps in the hallway again. Two sets this time. Max? She sprang up, turning on the tape, and sat on the edge of the bed. Voices, male and female, argued in the corridor. Though she couldn’t make out the words, she felt sure she recognized Max’s voice.

  The bolt snicked again, and Nola flung the door wide-open. “There, you see, I haven’t hurt your pet. Satisfied?”

  Max stood beside her on the threshold. He glowered at Linnet from under his dark eyebrows.

  She gazed into his eyes, probing for his thoughts. She felt nothing, as if she’d imagined their union of the night before.

  He glanced away from Linnet toward Nola. “Given your track record with donors,” he said, “I had to make sure you hadn’t damaged this one. But that isn’t why I’m here.”

  “I know. It’s about your brother.”

  “You ordered his destruction. Can you give me one reason not to haul you before the elders?”

  “Hmm…” Nola pretended to think over the question. “Because I’ve got your pet? If you’re threatening me, think what I could do to her.”

  “She isn’t my pet, only a temporary traveling companion.” His casual tone chilled Linnet. “I could demand your death for murdering Anthony.”

  “Planning to tear me limb from limb for what Fred Pulaski did? How would the elders feel about that?”

  “Pulaski belonged to you. You’re responsible.”

  “What do you want from me? I can’t bring your brother back to life.”

  Linnet held her breath, waiting for his response.

  Folding his arms, Max turned sideways to face her. “Since I can’t have your death, I’ll settle for banishment.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I want you to disappear, somewhere I won’t have any chance of meeting you. Leave the country. Whatever remnants of a harem you may have in this area, you’ll have to abandon them. Start over anywhere you like, as long as I don’t see you again.”

  N
ola grasped the doorjamb for support, as if fighting the pressure of Max’s will. “How long?”

  “Let’s say a complete human generation. Twenty years.”

  With a quiver of anxiety in her voice, she said, “You have no authority to pass that sentence. The elders would never back you up.”

  “Oh, really? Would you like to check with Valpa on that? He’ll stand by me. He gave me permission to execute you if it could pass for self-defense. Consider yourself getting off easily.”

  “You’re lying.” Her voice turned shrill. “Drop your shield and let me read whether you’re lying.”

  Their eyes met for a second. Nola flinched as if lashed by a whip. “There,” said Max, “that’s all you’re going to get. Believe me or don’t.”

  “I believe you. I’ll go.”

  “Leave immediately. Don’t wait for nightfall.”

  “But—” She shifted her eyes away from his cold stare. “All right. But I’m taking the woman along. If you have a change of heart and decide to attack me, she’ll suffer.”

  “Do whatever you want with her. She isn’t my property. She’s been convenient, but I don’t need her anymore.” His cold stare scanned the room, passing over Linnet without meeting her eyes.

  Her breath congealed in her lungs. She mentally reached out, groping in a fog for any trace of Max’s thoughts. She hit a blank wall. Max, please, look at me! Tell me you don’t mean that! Nothing. Her eyes burned. She blinked to hold back the tears. Even if the two vampires could read her emotions, at least she didn’t have to make a spectacle of her humiliation.

  He flashed from the door to the bedside. “I need the keys to the rental car, though. I took a taxicab here.” With his hands moving so fast they blurred, he rifled through Linnet’s purse and shoved the keys into his pocket. In an eyeblink he returned to the doorway. “If you violate my terms,” he said to Nola, “I’ll know it. You’d better start packing.” He disappeared, his steps fading toward the stairs.

  Nola slammed the door. Hardly noticing the sound of the bolt being locked, Linnet swallowed an upsurge of sobs and dashed to the window. She couldn’t see the street from this point, but the window wasn’t locked. Pushing it up, she listened to the car starting in front of the house. When she heard the engine noise die away around the corner, she had to let go of the hope that Max would lurk nearby to rescue her.

  He didn’t care. She’d been only a “convenience” to him, as any other mere mortal would be.

  A couple of minutes later, Nola reappeared. “Well, you heard what Maxwell the Great said. We’re leaving. You have ten minutes to get ready.” She tossed Linnet’s tote bag, obviously empty, into the middle of the floor. “So you did have a telephone in here after all. But not in your handbag. What a sly thing you are.” She stalked to the window and stared down at Linnet from her willowy height. “Why can’t I mesmerize you? Is it something Max did?” Linnet didn’t answer. “Or is it this thing?” Her hand hovered over the ankh pendant but didn’t touch it. “Suppose I take it away from you?”

  Linnet stared back at her without moving. Nola’s fingers crept closer to the necklace, then retreated. “Never mind. I may not be able to hypnotize you, but I can still hurt you. Remember that and behave yourself.” She hurried to the door, repeating, “Ten minutes,” before she withdrew from the room.

  Picking up her bag, Linnet wondered whether Nola had a neurotic fear of religious symbols. Not according to Jodie, but Jodie couldn’t have known everything that went on in Nola’s head, and maybe the she-vampire had lied to her disciple on that point. Max had mentioned that some of his people suffered from such phobias. Immersed too deeply in human culture, some of them had become infected with superstitions about their own kind. Obviously Max had made sure Anthony escaped that problem.

  Linnet dropped the bag on the bed and glanced inside her purse before closing it. The key ring wasn’t the only item Max had taken. The tape recorder was gone.

  She suspected he meant to destroy it and the evidence of vampires’ existence that it contained. No time to worry about that now, though. The information on the tape meant little compared to her life. She rummaged in the bathroom cabinet and dresser drawers for any useful items she might be able to collect in the allotted ten minutes. Since she didn’t know how long Nola intended to keep her—she pushed the phrase “keep me alive” to the back of her mind—she might as well be prepared.

  She pitched deodorant, toothpaste and an unopened toothbrush into the bag, then gathered a few items of clothing. Bras and camisoles meant for Jodie’s slender torso were useless, but Linnet found some underpants that might fit. Keeping in mind the cool nights, she took three oversize sweatshirts, along with several pairs of white socks. As for a distraction to stave off panic through hours of helplessness, the paperback books on the dresser fell into the horror category, the last thing she wanted to read while in Nola’s clutches. She did take a few music magazines from a stack under the bed. After topping off the heap with a box of tissues from the nightstand, she couldn’t think of anything else worth packing. She certainly didn’t need makeup or hair spray.

  At second glance, the aerosol can reminded her of the garlic spray. Regardless of their inhuman nature, vampires needed to breathe, and their eyes must be as sensitive to caustic substances as anybody else’s. She dropped in the hair spray, too. As a weapon, if the chance arose, it would work better than nothing.

  Why am I bothering with all this? My hours are probably numbered.

  Just as she zipped the bag, Nola, wearing sunglasses and a broad-brimmed straw hat, opened the door and said, “Ready? Get moving.”

  Trailing behind her, Linnet said, “Where are we going?” She noticed a strong aroma of coconut. It took her a minute to realize Nola had rubbed sunscreen on her exposed skin.

  To Linnet’s mild surprise, Nola answered her. “To Canada. I’m going to lose myself in the wilderness with Bigfoot for twenty years or until Max gets over his vendetta, whichever comes first. Damn him.”

  She led the way downstairs and out the front door, shutting it behind her with an emphatic slam. Gripping Linnet’s arm, she hauled her around the side of the house to a carport that sheltered a sky-blue sedan, adorned with large fins and sparkling with chrome in the midday sun. “Damn if I’ll drive eight hours in daylight. We’ll find somewhere to hide out until nightfall, then head for the border.” She shoved Linnet into the back seat, otherwise empty. Nola must have loaded her own luggage into the trunk already.

  “What do you need me for? You heard what Max said. I’m no good as a hostage.” Linnet made no attempt to soften the bitterness in her tone. Yet even though Max’s caring had turned out to be an illusion, she was in no hurry to die. If she had the slightest chance of talking Nola out of using her as a shield or a mobile blood bank, she had to make the attempt.

  “He wouldn’t let me read his emotions, so I’m erring on the safe side. Anyway, do you think I’d set you free to run to the nearest phone and call the police? I could handle them the way I did in Maryland, but I don’t want any more trouble.” With her lips curled in a snarl, she backed out of the carport, turned the car toward the street and used a remote control to open a vehicle gate in the wrought-iron fence. The well-tuned engine of the vintage sedan made surprisingly little noise. “Bad enough that I have to abandon both my homes and go live in the middle of nowhere.” She pulled onto the street with a screech of tires, pausing only to signal the gate to shut before she headed for the road. Linnet huddled against the luxurious leather upholstery and gazed out the side window.

  The car followed a coast-hugging toll road called Seventeen Mile Drive past expensive-looking gated communities and several golf courses. At Carmel-by-the-Sea Nola turned inland, navigating through narrow streets lined with quaint art galleries, shops and restaurants. When the first intersection forced a stop, Linnet watched the steady stream of tourists walking by. She considered leaping out of the car. With a hand on the door latch, she glanced at Nola, who seemed u
nconcerned about possible escape attempts.

  Linnet let go of the handle and sat back in the seat. She had some idea of how fast a vampire could move. If Nola jumped out and grabbed her on the sidewalk, would a scream for help do any good? Or would Nola just hypnotize any would-be rescuer into forgetting the whole incident? The most likely result of making a run for freedom would be that Nola would watch her more closely, spoiling any future chance to escape.

  Outside the downtown tourist district, Nola pulled into the parking lot of a convenience store, where she ordered Linnet to pump gas, standing over her while she did so. Nola then escorted her inside to the ladies’ room, standing guard at the door. Naturally the tiny, disinfectant-drenched cubicle had no handy window to escape through. Linnet used the facilities, on the premise that one should never pass up a chance, and soaked a paper towel to wipe nervous sweat from her forehead. When she emerged, Nola’s cold fingers grabbed her arm and kept hold of it while buying a sandwich, a giant-size soft drink and two bottles of spring water.

  Back in the car, she thrust everything except one container of water into Linnet’s hands. Taking a long drink from the water bottle, Nola said, “Don’t look so surprised. I have to keep my food source well nourished.” She pulled onto the highway.

  Linnet struggled to hold her voice steady. If she could resist expressing her fear, maybe she wouldn’t feel it so intensely. “How long do you plan to hang on to me?”

  “Until I get well away from civilization. I don’t trust Max not to change his mind and come after me. Cheer up, we’ll travel through the night and the end might come as early as dawn tomorrow.”

  “Then what?” Linnet’s throat felt dry despite the iced cola.

  “I’m not planning to rip your throat out.” The woman sounded amused. “We’re not supposed to leave evidence, remember? I’m going to drop you in the woods. If you find your way to a town, well and good. You’ll be too late to do me any harm. If not, the authorities will never connect me with your death from exposure.”