Lacey joined me in the hotel lobby as I was hanging up.
“Everyone still asleep?” I asked her.
“No, that’s why I’m out here.”
“Let me guess—Bryan?”
“And dingbat, yeah. She’s in your room now. The walls are thin.”
“Seriously? Sometimes I wish I had no dignity.”
“Why, so you could have done Megan on the floor in front of us? Trust me when I say that we are all thankful you have some dignity. But next time let’s get more rooms; this has been a little too crowded for my liking.” Lacey was the one who had reserved the rooms. She had gotten two so Bryan and I could share one and the girls the other. Megan and Lacey were roommates, so I assumed that the overcrowding she was referring to could be entirely attributed to Marie.
“We’ll see if we can grab another one tonight.”
“Or, better yet, let’s lose the dingbat. Maybe you could stake her when no one’s looking—I wouldn’t tell. Speaking of which, you might have to, after what you told her. That wasn’t smart, Chance, letting her know why we’re here. I mean, even you should have the sense not to tell strange vampires that you kill them for a living.”
“You know she’s a plant, right?” I said.
“She looks a little like a stinkweed if you squint a bit in the right light.”
“I mean a spy. Do you actually think any woman could fall for my brother?” I gave her a sideways glance as I said it.
“Maybe; I don’t know. Do you really think so?”
“You’ve seen him. He’s an idiot.”
“No, not Bryan. He’s not that bad. I mean Marie.”
“Well, it was certainly a coincidence that she ingratiates herself with my brother, decides to follow us around, and then happens to know where Christian has been hiding. What I’m wondering is, who is she spying for— Christian or Reginald?”
Lacey ignored my question. “You know, you’re right! Seriously, did you see the way she latched onto him at the club? I mean, could she be any more obvious? And now she thinks because she’s banging Bryan, she can tag along with us everywhere we go and report to her undead overlords, and we wouldn’t catch on?”
“I suppose she figured that she’d attach herself to one of us, be as unassuming as possible, and hope we wouldn’t notice the extra vampire hanging around. It’s not a bad plan, really. I might have bought the act if it wasn’t for her aura.”
“Why? What’s wrong with it? You’re getting a serious evil vibe, am I right?”
“I don’t get good or evil. All I get is species and a rough idea of power. And that’s the kicker. Her aura is strong. I mean, really strong.”
“The bitch lied about her age, huh?”
“Don’t most women? But in this case, it’s the order of magnitude that has me worried.”
“So she wasn’t born in fifty-two.”
“Oh, I think fifty-two might be accurate; she simply neglected to include the century. She’s old.”
“That’s not good, Chance. Exactly how old is she?”
“A lot older than Megan, but younger than Christian. Maybe Donovan’s age? Give or take a century. I’m not sure, it’s not an exact science. Honestly, before I met you guys, all of the vampires I came across fell into the weeks-old category.”
“Terrific. Well, for what it’s worth, I’m voting the tramp is one of Christian’s. I agree with your point: it is a little too convenient that she shows up and just happens to know where Christian is. She’s leading us into a trap.”
“That’s why I wasn’t worried about telling her why we’re here. She already knows.” Had either of us been thinking clearly, we would have seen the giant hole in our assessment of Marie. As it was, I was too focused on getting my mom back, and Lacey was too busy looking for any excuse to hate on Marie, for either of us to be giving it enough rational thought.
“Well, I still think it was a bad idea to tip our hand. I can’t believe Bryan is sleeping with her! Hasn’t he figured it out?” Lacey said.
I declined to point out that Lacey hadn’t figured it out until I told her. “He’s too busy thinking with the wrong head. And if I tell him, he will do something stupid like immediately confront her and get eaten.”
“I suppose you’re right. So what’s the next move?” asked Lacey.
“Go rescue my mom before it gets dark. I was hoping Marie would still be asleep so she wouldn’t be able to warn Christian we were coming.”
“I assume that’s the fifty-thousand-foot version of your plan, and you’re sparing me all the intricate details on how you plan to pull that off.”
“Um…sure.”
“’Cause I seem to remember last time you ran into Christian, it didn’t go so well for you. Besides, it wouldn’t matter if Marie was still asleep. You’re going to have to wait until dark before you go, anyway.”
“Why the hell what I do that? Trust me, I know better than anyone that vampires can be awake during the day, but an off chance still remains that they’d be sleeping. Plus, if it’s daylight I can get my mom and make a run for it without them following.”
“I thought you wanted to kill Christian?”
“After everything he’s done, believe me, I do. But I’m a realist, and I figure the best shot I have is to find my mom, then run like hell. I can deal with Christian later on, once everyone else is safe.”
“You’re going to have to run fast, considering Megan would be after you, too. Do you know how pissed off she’d be if you up and left again?”
I hadn’t thought about that, but she was right. After the last time, Megan would kill me if I went off on my own.
We had several hours to kill before dark. I had no intention of watching the Bryan and Marie Show so I headed back to the girls’ room, a somber Lacey in tow.
The shower was running when we got in the room and, had Lacey not been with me, I would have seriously considered popping in for a visit. Instead, Lacey turned on the TV and cranked the volume until it more or less drowned out the rambunctious activity in the next room.
The two of us sat watching Scooby-Doo until Megan joined us, scooping up the remote and turning down the volume. That lasted all of thirty seconds, until she cast a glance at the wall behind her and then thumbed the volume button up several clicks.
Needless to say, I was apprehensive when we finally left for the Holiday Inn. I wasn’t happy about waiting until dark. I was even less happy that Marie was tagging along, despite my attempts to get her and Bryan to stay back at the hotel.
I had expected Bryan would have jumped on the opportunity for more “alone” time with Marie, but I was wrong. He reminded me that she was his mom too. I’m sure part of it was that. I’m also sure part of it was that he wanted to look like the hero and show off in front of Marie.
I tried unsuccessfully to think of ways to use Marie to my advantage. If I could somehow spread misinformation through her to Christian, I could catch him off guard.
I hadn’t been able to come up with anything. Now here I was about to walk into another ambush. To make matters worse, the sun had set, and one thing you never do as a hunter is go after vampires at night, especially with a double agent in tow.
Jacob called with his intel before we reached the hotel. It wasn’t much. As far as he could tell, it was an ordinary business, with no secret affiliations to any malignant groups, vampire or otherwise. He’d even gotten hold of the building plans—it had no cellar and no secret rooms, at least according to the public records.
The hotel was downtown, right on the lake that cut through the city. My phone rang when we pulled into the parking lot. It was Kevin, Jacob’s nephew. I was unpleasantly surprised to hear he was waiting for us in the hotel restaurant.
We found him at a table, typing on his laptop. He jumped in his seat as we sat down, having been so engrossed in whatever he was doing that he didn’t hear us approach.
“Kevin, what are you doing here? Jacob is going to kill me if he finds out I brought y
ou with me on a run.” I had spent the walk over trying to come up with ways I could explain it to Jacob, and failing.
“You didn’t bring me; I came on my own. I figured you guys could use some help.” He took a sip of a half-finished glass of Coke.
“How can you help? By making us sit in the middle of a restaurant, where we can be spotted?” I asked.
“You’re the only one they know, Chance. Besides, vampires don’t eat—why would they be in a restaurant? It’s the safest place around.” His logic was hard to argue with.
“I think it was a great idea,” said Lacey, opening a menu. I silently agreed. I did function better on a full stomach, and dinner gave me some additional time to think of ways to send Kevin home.
“You’re new,” Kevin said, as Marie sat down.
“Aw, if only that were the truth. I’m Marie.” She extended her hand across the table, and Kevin shook it.
“Kevin.”
“Hey, bats!” said Megan.
“What?” I asked, turning to look at Marie. For a second I thought Megan had shortened Lacey’s nickname for her.
“Bats!” Megan repeated and pointed. I followed her finger through the wall of windows that lined the restaurant to the bridge that spanned the river. Masses of bats were emerging from under the bridge in columns that spiraled up into the night sky.
“Oh, those bats. They live under the bridge. There’s supposed to be a million of them.”
“Cool,” said Megan. We watched the bats pour out into the night in search of food.
“I don’t suppose they’re vampire bats,” asked Lacey.
“No, fruit bats,” I said.
“Ooh, fruit, that sounds good!” said Marie. I glanced at her, but she had motioned to a nearby waitress who came to take our drink orders. “I’d like a white wine. Something fruity.”
We watched the bats for a few minutes longer until Kevin spoke up. “So, Megan, can you guys turn into bats?”
“No.”
“Wolves?”
“No.” She picked up a menu and opened it up, strategically placing it between herself and Kevin.
Undeterred, Kevin addressed his question to the back of the menu. “Do you at least feel an affinity to them?”
Megan lowered the menu. “Kevin, I agree with Chance. I think it would be best if you headed home. Jacob has a narrow enough opinion of vampires as it is. It wouldn’t help if one of us killed you.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll stay here when the action goes down. Christian won’t get me.”
“He’s not the one I was referring to.” Kevin took the hint and shut up, at least until the waitress came by to deliver our drinks and take the dinner orders. He didn’t fail to notice that Marie had declined to order food.
Kevin’s next question was naturally directed at Marie. “I don’t suppose you’re a vampire?”
“Why, yes, I am.” She folded her hands in front of her, giving Kevin her undivided attention.
“Can you procreate?”
Lacey’s drink spewed out in an arc, covering both Kevin and me in Coke and whiskey.
“Aw, free love! That’s what I miss most about the 1960s. I think you and I were both born at the wrong time, Kevin. Especially me. I’m digging your offer, but you look a little young. Tell you what—call me once you hit eighteen and we’ll give it a go.”
“No, no, that’s not what I meant. I mean, can you bear a child, or do you reproduce strictly by biting?” Kevin asked as he patted himself, then his computer, dry with his napkin.
“Oh. In that case, then, no. No children for me, I’m afraid, at least not in that sense. It’s kind of a drag. Not that I want one right now, of course. They’re, like, a lot of responsibility. I mean, we could always adopt. But we normally don’t. It’s, like, really, really sad watching your kid grow old and die, you know? So we normally stick to turning someone if we get lonely or find someone we especially care about. That way it’s permanent.”
“Hey, Chance, what do you think? You and Megan, together forever?” asked Lacey, bringing up something that I had doing my best to beat out of my mind on the rare occasions it popped in.
I was going to laugh it off, but I saw Megan’s intent stare. I fumbled for an answer, but thankfully Kevin was insistently curious and had no apparent tact.
“How is it done? Turning someone?” Kevin plowed ahead, pleased he’d found a more receptive interviewee.
“Would you like me to give you a little demonstration?” Marie asked, leaning forward, her ever-present smile widening.
“No thanks, just a description would be fine,” Kevin said, the humor apparently lost on him.
Marie shrugged. “Well, the short answer is a blood transfusion.”
“Both ways?”
“No, one way is all that’s technically required. From the vampire to the human. Though both ways creates this cool bond that has to be experienced to believe.” She paused, and was lost in thought for a moment before continuing. “Like with most things, there’s a right way and a wrong way. If you do too much too quickly, they go into shock and can die. Even if done properly, sometimes they can’t adjust and, unless you’re on hand to help them, they go feral.”
“Like a rabid animal?”
Marie nodded. “Yep. Then they have to be put down. It’s best to do it slow. Most things are better when you do them slowly, don’t you think, Kevin?”
“So you mean one slow transfusion or multiple shorter ones?” Innuendo was lost on the kid.
“A lot of shorter ones.” Marie sighed, giving up.
“Interesting. How many, typically?”
“Depends. If you want to be really safe, no less than three or four. In a pinch, it can be done with less, but that has risks. Sometimes you can drag it out if you want. Like with Bryan here, it should take another five or six times before he turns.”
“What? Hey! Screw that, I did not drink your blood.” He paused, scrunching up his face in concentration. “Did I?”
“Bryan, are you telling me you forgot our time together so quickly?” It was obvious that Marie was trolling him, but Lacey rose to the bait.
“You better not be turning Bryan into the walking dead, or you’re going to be all out of blood to give anyone,” said Lacey, her hackles rising.
“Why not? Oh, wow! Like, I’m sorry, do you have feelings for him? It’s okay if you do. I don’t mind sharing.” Marie grinned at discovering a new button she could push.
“There’s more than enough of me to go around!” said Bryan, forgetting all about being turned into a vampire and instead zeroing in on the chance for a threesome.
“So there’s a connection? Between a new vampire and the one that turned them?” Kevin continued.
“Yes. Like that of a parent and child.”
“Interesting. So do the children have to obey the parent, then?”
Lacey made a sound. “Not if Megan is anything to go by.”
Marie agreed, less judgmentally.
“But could the new vampire harm its maker? Do they have some sort of psychic link or mind control? Telepathic communication?”
“As far as psychic link or telepathy, no. On some occasions, especially if blood was shared both ways, a sort of empathy can exist. Like when one twin can feel the other’s pain or happiness.”
“Oh, poor Donovan!” said Lacey. “He must be an emotional wreck the way you’ve been lately.”
“Donovan and I never shared that type of bond. It doesn’t always work that way,” said Megan.
I hadn’t realized he had been the one to turn Megan. Though it made sense, and explained a lot of her loyalty. I chewed on the information, only half listening now to Kevin and Marie.
Marie continued. “Typically you would never harm your maker. Think of it like a parent to a child. Most children would never harm their parents, but there are always exceptions. When a parent has been particularly evil, or when a child is a sociopath. Same goes with us.”
“Huh.” Kevin settled ba
ck, and for a moment it seemed as if his insatiable thirst for knowledge had subsided. But apparently that was only intermission. He leaned forward again and asked, “So can any vampire make another one, or do you have to be a certain age?”
“As with humans, anyone can create spawn, though some probably shouldn’t,” Marie said. “Though the older a vampire gets, the easier it becomes and the higher the success rate.”
“You keep saying success rate. Does it fail sometimes?”
Marie nodded. “It’s a total bummer when it does, especially if it’s someone you really like.”
“So what happens to the human when you fail?” Kevin asked.
This was going to go on all night. “Well, this is all very interesting, yet not remotely related to getting my mom back,” I said. It was high time to figure out a course of action.
“Hey, I can help you on that one! I know where she is,” said Kevin.
“We do, too—she’s in the hotel,” I said.
“But I know which rooms. While I was waiting for you guys to show up, I hacked into the hotel computer.”
“How could you tell which room she’s in?”
“They used your mom’s credit cards for the reservations.”
“Tacky,” said Lacey.
“You said rooms? As in more than one?” I asked.
“Three suites,” Kevin said.
“Any way of knowing which one she’s in?” I asked.
Kevin shook his head. “All three are under your mom’s name.”
“Any of them order room service?” asked Lacey, always thinking with her stomach.
“Oh, hey, that’s a good idea. Let me check. Yup! Only one of them. Ordered it a couple of times in the past few days. In fact, had a dinner delivered about an hour ago. Man, these prices are crazy—your mom’s credit cards are going to be maxed when these guys get through with them.”
“That’s the least of her worries. How long have they been here?”
“Under a week. They have the rooms reserved through tomorrow.”
“They’re either skipping town or they found some-thing more permanent.”
Texas Hold 'Em Page 17
