Hunger

by Lillie J. Roberts

  “Lord Draco, as maddening as it may be for you to believe, the Council has been known to misplace a soul or two.” The Magistrate used his old name and again examined his hands, folding them neatly into his lap. “Or are you suggesting the Council decided to let this one vampire roam free, randomly killing and turning younglings, then to leave them unattended? A fool’s mistake to make.” His eyes lessened to a red tint surrounding the gold. The draw of old power filled the room as he used his bloodlust, goading Lucius to say more.

  “Neither is my suggestion, sir,” Luc replied, “but it hardly seems likely that a vampire of Loupgarin’s antiquity would go unnoticed.” The sarcasm dripped from his words, bleeding through the room.

  The Magistrate chuckled. “It would hardly go unnoticed, that is correct, but the Council doesn’t have the ability to solve your problems for you, and this is your … difficulty. I will allow we believe he may have followed you to the Americas. We suggest you find your old master and tend to the problem. We won’t ask again. Nor will you have the opportunity to explain yourselves twice.” Then he made a dismissive gesture, but before the guards could be called, Lucius staunchly confronted him.

  Followed us to the Americas? He was here before us, as evidenced by our own knowledge. How could the Magistrate expect us to believe him? How could we refuse him?

  “Magistrate, do I understand you correctly—you and the Council expect the Draco family to hunt down and eliminate Loupgarin?” Incredulousness filled his voice. Loupgarin was involved with the Council, somehow, someway. We’d battled him ourselves and nearly lost. The Council had either grown too weary to control him, or schemed to use him to bring death to the Draco family … and more. I wondered how many were involved in the Magistrate’s sick plan. Anything was possible with the Vampire Hierarchy.

  It was now that all the pieces started to fall into place. Loupgarin was here, but the question was, would he make a direct attack or continue to amass dead bodies in an attempt to force Lucius’s hand? To tempt humanity? The other question was would the Council truly allow Lucius to kill one of Loupgarin’s antiquity? Again, with the old vampire’s resources, it seemed unlikely.

  “You have assumed correct, Lord Draco. It was by your actions your maker lost what was left of his sanity. The valerian you used to escape him corrupted his mind, depraved his actions.” The Magistrate looked him in the eyes with the lie. “We will not take care of the problem you created all those years ago. It is your responsibility, if you fail, unfortunate consequences will result. Do I make myself clear?” The Magistrate glanced back and forth between us.

  “Crystal, Magistrate. It will be taken care of.” He bowed again and the guards were called to escort us away.

  Did I share the Magistrate’s plan? The visions of slavery? Would it put my entire family in jeopardy? No, it was my secret to bear.

  *

  We returned to our apartments with a renewed purpose. The Magistrate revelations were as we assumed, but with the Council, deceit was the rule.

  “We’re being used,” I said as we made our way home.

  “Correct.” Luc sighed. “Let’s hope it doesn’t bring us to the true death.”

  Loupgarin had somehow gone rogue, his sanity in question, and the Council had no idea of his location. Quite unusual circumstances. It also explained their demand for the Draco family to take control of Chicago. Loupgarin required a solution we’d be forced to supply. Many of Loupgarin’s children had met true death, only a handful had escaped with Lucius. To our knowledge, only Luc remained, Loupgarin had kept the promises he’d threatened. Except for David.

  With the memories pilfered from the Magistrate, and the war sure to come if Loupgarin exposed us … he had to be stopped.

  It was no secret that the child of a vampire had the ability to locate their maker and vice versa. Lucius had cut those ties centuries ago, but now he was supposed to ‘take care’ of the problem presently a thorn in the Council’s thick hide. If he failed, it would mean the end of his life and of all those in the Draco family as well.

  “I’m sorry I’ve dragged everyone into this mess.” He rubbed his hand across his face both weary and worrisome. “If I’d kept track of Loupgarin, if I’d kept tabs on him in Europe, maybe I could have prevented all this. I could have gone after him myself, drawn him out. Now he’s dangerous, maybe in pain. Only the Gods know what the Council allowed to happen to him.”

  “You’re talking about impossibilities and maybes. You and I both know someone has been poisoning him over the years. I hardly think your actions have been the only ones affecting him all these centuries later. He’d have surely recovered from a onetime exposure.” Taking a deep breath, I gave him a calculating look. “Someone else has a grudge to settle with your old master, and maybe with you as well. I wouldn’t be surprised to find Council entanglements.”

  He thought for a few moments. “I’ve tried to be fair in my long life, but I’ve made a few enemies. Not everyone sees humanity with my vision.”

  I now knew that to be true, truer than my father knew.

  “Some see only prey,” Luc continued, “and if a death should occur, so be it, as long as the body can be disposed of quietly.”

  Sitting back, I pondered what he had said. “Do you know of anyone here in America who’d like to see you and the rest of us wiped out?”

  “No, we’ve kept a pretty low profile until forced to come here.”

  For a few moments, my thoughts returned to New Orleans, and the promises from the vampire singer. No, Jon-Paul would have warned us if any of the Le Sanguis Frais family sought retribution.

  He stopped and thought for several minutes. “I’ve put everyone in danger to destroy what should have died long ago. If I can’t take care of the situation, the Council will take care of us.” He frowned, his forehead furrowed. “There has to be more going on here. How in the hell did we end up in this position?”

  I said nothing of the knowledge I’d gained. There would come a time to tell my father, but not until I had to.

  “I’ll start a quiet probe, talk to some of the other families in the area, find out if other rogues have been found. If we find a direction to search, I can track him. Recent unexplained deaths will be my starting place. David was held captive for months, so there’s no way he could be responsible. But maybe Loupgarin took others and discarded them as well. He’s insane, but what he’s doing isn’t all the work of a madman. He’s waited for the Council to call you out.”

  “You don’t have to risk yourself. This is my problem. I can track Loupgarin.” He narrowed his eyes, but I had to argue with him.

  “No, you can’t. Not alone. The Council has taken the matter out of your hands, putting us all in peril, and I have no doubt they’ll follow through with their threat.” I gazed over at my maker, my father. Then, my thoughts turned to the entirety of my family. I’d give myself to protect any one of them. “Besides, you have more to worry about than your old master. The Council will monitor your every move. They’re waiting for a mistake, a weakness. David and I can help you. We’re all you’ve got.”

  He grimaced. “I know you’re right, but I don’t like it. Loupgarin will hope to catch me unaware … like before.” He didn’t have to mention when, we both understood what he meant. The jungles of South America. “We need prepare, the new guards—can they be trusted?”

  “There’s no way to know for sure.”

  “Do we have a choice?”

  “Not that I can see.” I thought for a moment. “David is newly turned, his tie to Loupgarin will be strong. He might be able to help close in on a location. Loupgarin left him for dead, he’s our secret weapon. If Loupgarin is as far gone as we think he is …”

  “He’ll never know.” Lucius frowned. “I hate to drag David into this mess, but his ability to drive the bastard from his hideaway may be useful. There won’t be a way to keep him out of this battle. It’s his fight too,” he acknowledged, nodding. “Vengeance is a sin we’re all capable
of.”

  Lucius’s need to keep his family safe was understandable, I felt the same, but it still left us with the Council’s warning. We’d need to use our wits to survive, to locate and dispose of Loupgarin, and outlive Council justice. And, possibly the exposure of the vampire race.

  I glanced over at the man who’d become my father. “There’s one more thing.”

  “I don’t know if I can stand to hear more, but continue.”

  I told him a bit about the images I’d seen while in the Magistrate’s grip. Not of the enslavement, not of the death brought by our hands. But, the blood cows … and the breeding camps.

  “Impossible.” Luc’s voice showed his disbelief.

  “Maybe it was only wishful thinking, hoping to go back to an earlier time?” I replied.

  “He can’t be trusted, and if Loupgarin’s old enemy is here … if Rafael is in league with the Magistrate …” He shrugged.

  We stood, staring into the dimming night, and honestly, didn’t know what to do next. The Council and their games baffled us.

  Chapter Twenty

  David’s control grew better with each passing day. My decision to spare the youngling proved correct by his actions. As he waited for another hunt, I explained the hard truths of his existence. I didn’t want to spook him all over again. It was a delicate conversation, and his eyes became guarded with the mere mention of his turning. It frightened him, brought a rage into his young body that was hard to deny. His life had been taken randomly. That he had been turned either on purpose or on accident was of little consequence. He was still a vampire and could never return to the family he’d lost.

  While hunting, I broached the subject Lucius and I had discussed. “I’m going to have to ask you to revisit the night of your turning.” Already the fear lurked in his brown eyes. “Lucius and I are going to go after the vampire responsible, but we’re going to need a little help. Do you think you can do that?”

  The boy before me stiffened, determination replacing the fear. “I can try. He needs to die. What he did wasn’t fair.” His voice was raw with emotion and loss, something I understood only too well.

  “Here’s an easy lesson, kid. Life is rarely fair. Good people get hurt, it’s how life happens. But, you’re right, he deserves the true death. We’ll make sure he pays. But before that, we have to figure out what’s going on, why he’s been allowed to run wild. Something else is going on here.” I’d seen a stark truth, one I didn’t want to believe. It had to be stopped.

  “I want to be there.” The toe of his Chucks scraped the ground, and he lifted his eyes to mine. I read the reality in his eyes. Our hunt started on a sour note, and now neither of us were inclined to feed.

  “I don’t know if that’s a good idea, but I’ll tell you what. I’ll talk it over with Lucius, see what he thinks. Okay?” The boy I’d found was becoming stronger with every passing day, and I realized he might be right. He needed to be there, or he’d be constantly checking over his shoulder, or worse, looking for revenge. “I’ll talk to Lucius, see what I can do.” And I meant it. David might forever look like a boy, but soon a man would stand in his place, and he had the right to confront his murderer.

  “Yeah, all right.”

  His eyes still worried me, hooded with that reckless look he could get sometimes.

  “Let’s hunt,” he said and the night began for us.

  We rounded a corner to find the thing we desired. Prey. Our quarry this night came in the form of wannabe gang bangers. Not all bad guys are bad, and not all good guys are good. But these small timers were trouble, killers in the making, following the orders of their leader. The murder of a rival gang’s head would spark a war, bloodshed in retribution for one of their own. An excuse. It was a bid for more territory, fresh customers, new recruits. We circled around the two, coming along side of them, flanking them. Funny how flies always wander into the spider’s web when it’s longing for a meal. These wannabes were little more than bothersome insects.

  “Hello, boys. Out kinda late tonight?” They glanced from David to me, sizing us up. They thought I would be the problem, but my beast was always under control. It was David they needed to worry about. His was the beast that wanted to come out to play, and it played hard.

  “Back off, white boy, this ain’t no stick in my pocket.” The first one lifted his shirt tail and showed me the hilt of a short knife. He made a kissing sound, and spit on the ground.

  “Damn boy, you’re really white. What’s the matter with you, you got some disease or somethin’?” The one without the knife turned to David.

  He grinned as his stare found mine. “Yeah, I got a disease. You want some of it?”

  “Back off, freak.” The one with the knife put his hand on its hilt.

  “Now, now, boys, we’re not looking for trouble.” Holding up my hands, my gaze moved to the blade.

  “That’s right, bitch, step off!” The other strode forward to help his friend now that he thought we were afraid of being cut, the true measure of a coward.

  David glanced at me with a tight smile. “What do you say, brother? Do we leave them alone?” He laughed but it sounded a little like a growl. His beast was free. These two, who thought they were the masters of their domain, were about to learn a hard lesson. About what it was like to be prey and who the real predators of the night were.

  “Gee, I don’t think so, do you?” Playing back to David’s game, I watched the two, waiting for them to make their move. My beast groaned. It had been caged too long and it wanted to play as well. The Magistrate’s threats and maneuvers had it smacking its lips. My sunglasses slid down, and I looked over the top of them, giving them a glimpse of hell. You’ll never get away, my eyes said, but my beast wanted them to try, a little bit anyway.

  The one without the knife gulped, turned away, hands loose at his sides. “Hey, we don’t even know you. We don’t want no trouble. Just back off and we’ll leave you alone.”

  His uneasy gaze took in his friend’s, but he had other plans as he dug out his knife, showing it to us.

  “See this, bitches? You come closer—you’re dead.” He jabbed into the air in front of us, but he didn’t get the pun. We didn’t have to worry about being dead, we already were. He was the one who should be frightened. Hell, he should have been running.

  Then my beast finally roared.

  The one with the knife dove at David, and with a speed only to be matched by the preternatural, he thrust back, pinning the gang banger by the throat.

  “Who’s the bitches now, boys?” David said, his voice icy, and he loosened his grip. The game was cat and mouse, hunter and hunted. His fangs came out to the bulging eyes of his prey, large with fear. The banger turned to run, but not fast enough. David stood before him, fangs glistening in the moonlight.

  “What the fuck are you, bitch?” the banger whispered as he retreated, being forced into the alley, a dark stain seeped down his pant leg. His back scraped against the rough concrete of the shadowed building he’d hoped to take refuge in.

  “I’m the monster who visits your nightmares, the one that makes you cry like a baby. The one you don’t want anyone else to know about.” David leapt on top of the banger even as he tried to scream. His fangs sank deep into the flesh of throat he held.

  The other made a lunge at me, but I grabbed him by his shirt collar, letting my beast’s reins free, my own fangs slipping out and finding a home in his flesh as I roughly twisted his head aside. Pulling deeply, his body sagged against me, and I gave in to my desire, drinking fully to appease my beast. I forced myself away, jerking back, breaking free. Slow and steady gulps of exhaust-fumed air inflated my lungs, and the boy slid to the ground. David’s eyes glowed red, but he followed my lead.

  The two lay at our feet and he looked at me. “Do we finish them?” His chest heaved, fast and hard. With a cruel lift of his lips, he licked them. His beast wanted to kill them. Hell, my beast wanted them dead, then to roll in their blood.

  “Pull
it back in, kid. If we give into the beasts, we’re no better than them.” I kicked out at the gang bangers as they cowered in the dirt.

  Sinking down on my haunches, I sniffed the air. The coppery scent still pulled at me, and I grabbed the boy closest to me and found his eyes. “If I see you here again, if I hear you’ve hurt anyone, if I even smell you, I’ll finish what I started. Do you understand?” He nodded his head, knife long gone. “If your boss wants to know why you failed, just tell him the monsters chased you away.” I smirked, tossing him aside.

  David did the same with the other, but he put a little more threat in his words, and the boy promised through his tears to not come back. Yeah, the kid could be freaky scary. A perfect ending to the night, or so I thought.

  My beast still called, but I shook my head, pushing it down, letting it be sated for the time, and we continued through the night. The kid was coming around, starting to trust, and I was glad to see it.

  Finally, we came upon a scene that brought hunting back into the equation. Not often did I run into the local mobster’s extended family, yet as I peered into the darkness, Anton Vintonie’s men stood in front of me. I blinked unbelievingly. What were they doing here?

  *

  The Vintonie family wasn’t known for coming into Draco territory. Strange things happened to those members who wandered onto our side of the river. We approached the men as they stood in the shadows. The shaded darkness was supposed to be a double threat, or so they thought, but we could clearly see their third skulking behind them in the alley. Their backup should things turn bad. It made me want to laugh. I chuckled and rolled my shoulders, fools.

  Nervously, they glanced around, as uncomfortable being in our presence as we were in theirs. Guns won’t kill a vampire, unless it’s a direct shot to the brain. Then, you better hope death truly came for the vampire—because when they healed, that vampire would track down their attempted murderer to extract revenge. The old wives’ tale about silver bullets being able to stop a vampire were rubbish. Silver had little effect, other than pissing us off.