Hunger

by Lillie J. Roberts

Anton eyeballed me. “You bet your ass I would have. That was my grandchild. Me and Michela might not agree on much, but I’d never let anyone hurt her. You gotta know that.”

  My sunglasses slipped to the bridge of my nose, and I gazed at him over their edge. “Are you trying to convince me or yourself?”

  “Shut up. You don’t know as much as you think you do. Besides, that has nothing to do with what’s happening now.”

  But still he brooded. He hadn’t known about Bobby’s abuses, and I could see how disturbed he was by the idea of one of his men doing something beyond his knowledge.

  Dismissing the subject of Bobby Jennings and forgetting Anton Vintonie had tried to order me around, I glanced at Donny. “Where are the bodies you found?”

  He peered at Anton in the rearview mirror, and I saw a slight nod of his head. “We’ve got them on ice in one of the warehouses, Mr. Draco. We’re headed in that direction now.”

  I relaxed in the car seat, then said loud enough for both to hear, “See anything of Paulie lately?” Both men paled, glanced in the mirror at each other and tensed, but neither said anything. Wondering if one day he’d appear, ready to work.

  Smiling, I clapped Donny on the shoulder. “Don’t worry, if he’s still around, I’m sure he’ll stay away, having abandoned you all like he did.” Yeah, right. He’d be dining on them in an undead heartbeat.

  A few minutes later, we arrived at the warehouse. Anton had more guards around the building, not that it was necessary. As soon as I took a look, they’d be disposed of. I didn’t ask how, I didn’t want to know. We pulled up to the building. Donny opened the door, and I glanced at Anton. “You coming?”

  “Nah, I’ve already seen them, don’t need to do it twice. We’ll wait here.”

  Climbing from the car, I turned to Donny. “Don’t go anywhere. I’ll only be a few minutes.”

  He eyed Anton again. “We’ll be here waiting, Mr. Draco. No worries.”

  Turning back, I grinned at him. “I wasn’t worried, just didn’t want to have to hunt you down later.” Winking and popping a little fang, I turned around and entered the building housing the dead.

  Anton was right, there wasn’t much to see, because there wasn’t much left of the bodies. But the fang marks confirmed the work of a vampire. Loupgarin had become suddenly active, something triggered his violence. Was it us? Was he drawing us out? And then, what had he been feeding on during his downtime? Paulie wasn’t there either, and I had a feeling he wouldn’t be showing up, not in a bunch of body parts anyway.

  Returning to the car, I glanced over at Anton. “If I were you, I’d increase the guards around your house. Someone should be watching your daughter’s home too, even if she doesn’t want it.”

  He nodded and picked up his cell, roaring orders, demanding a quick response. When Anton Vintonie requested something to be done, he wanted it ten minutes ago. His thugs would be rushing around like cockroaches suddenly found in the bright light.

  Donny dropped me back in the neighborhood where the bodies had been found. Loupgarin’s new home? Wandering through the yards where the grass had been worn away, I tried to pick up his distinct aroma, and instead, finding a scent far more familiar. Blood, someone had fed recently. This was a newly made vampire, maybe Paulie.

  Searching through another broken-down house, the presence of valerian could still be found, not as strong, but still noticeable. I pulled out my phone, speed dialing Lucius’s number. “New neighborhood, same old problem.”

  Lucius sighed tiredly. “We can’t catch a break. What do you have in mind?”

  I paused before answering, “I think it’s Paulie.”

  Lucius cursed under his breath then said, “I’m on my way.”

  Together, Lucius and I were a deadly force, but I hated to leave the rest of our family and Michela Jennings exposed, I didn’t like it, not even a little bit. I’d have to depend on the newly employed vampires and humans Jon-Paul, our old friend from New Orleans, had found to serve as guards to watch over them all.

  Lucius arrived in a blur of speed. I was fast, but he was faster, deadlier, stronger. My beast just happened to like the violence better. Together, we approached the dwelling, it reeked of valerian-stained copper.

  We didn’t have to wait for long. Paulie came loping up to the house, looking worse for wear. As we approached the sick vampire, he seemed incapable of speech, covered in someone else’s blood. Maybe he recognized us as a threat, because he staggered, baring his fangs. We drew small wrist-laced crossbows, triggered with hand releases, and loaded with wooden spikes, especially made for the thing we were about to do.

  Before Lucius released his spike, he tried reasoning with the newly made vampire, in a low voice filled with the power and strength of a master. “Paulie,” he called in his hypnotizing timber, “stop, I don’t want to bring true death to you.”

  Paulie stood mesmerized for a few seconds before he roared and lunged for Lucius’s throat.

  Before he could touch Luc’s flesh, my spike sailed through the air, piercing his heart, dropping him mid stride. My arm fell to my side, my job finished for the night. In moments, there was nothing left but an unrecognizable dried husk. Paulie was no more.

  Digging out my cell, I placed a call to Anton Vintonie, but Paulie had already been there this evening. A body had been found, one of Anton’s nameless guards to be disposed of with the rest. The threat of Paulie was over, but Loupgarin remained undead and at large, a force much worse than the newly made vampire. Michela was my next call. She needed to be warned, to keep her eyes open. Anton assured me the guards would remain, though unobtrusive. She still wanted no part of her father’s ill-gotten gains, even if it meant her safety.

  She answered as I was preparing to hang up, breathing heavily. “Michela Jennings?” I questioned though I knew the sound of her cultured tones from memory.

  “Yes, I’m kind of busy right now …” she started, wanting to hang up the phone, but I couldn’t let her slip away that easily.

  “Hi, it’s Ben Draco. I’m in your neighborhood, and I was wondering if I could stop by?” Even though I knew I shouldn’t be, I was pleased to hear her voice.

  Taken by surprise, she sputtered a little, “Why, of … of course, Mr. Draco, if you could give me thirty minutes or so …”

  “That will be perfect, see you then.” I ended the call. Michela Jennings was very much at risk, if not from one vampire, then from another, me.

  Lucius peered over at me. “Are you sure this is a wise thing to do?”

  “No,” I replied, “but I can’t seem to help myself.”

  “You could be drawing unnecessary attention to the lady.”

  Knowing he was right didn’t soothe my conscience. “I need to make certain she’s all right. I’ll leave as soon as I have a look around.” It was a well-laid plan with the best intentions, and it was also a lie.

  *

  I arrived at the house in Lake Park, noticing for the first time, the lilac branches that bristled in the breeze, releasing their fragrance. Her neighborhood seemed to breathe in casual relief. A peaceful respite, and I liked it. I knocked on her door.

  “Mr. Draco, it’s so good to see you again. Please come in,” Michela Jennings said with pleasure.

  Right away, I noticed she no longer hid her wrists or her throat, which was long, lovely, and slender. When I took the time to look around at her home, it was almost as pleasing to the eye as the young woman. The room where she led me was cozy with well used furnishings. Comfortable, nothing like the gaudy items scattered around her father’s house. Gemma Hayes sang Bob Dylan’s Lay Lady Lay softly in the background.

  “You have a lovely home, Ms. Jennings. May I call you Michela?

  “Please.” She beamed.

  “And please, call me Ben.” It’s hard to resist an invitation from a vampire, and I returned her smiled. The music seemed to fit the new ease her home contained.

  “Sure.” She glanced around. “Anything is better than th
e monstrosity of my father’s home. It’s nothing fancy or special except that it’s mine, earned with my own money.” She frowned slightly. “I’ll never accept a penny of the money Bobby earned working for my father. That’s his money, tainted by whatever he did to earn it. If he doesn’t return, whatever he has in his accounts will go to charity. My mother left me enough money to live comfortably, and I supplement my savings with my art work.”

  “I had no idea you were an artist. What medium do you work in?” My eyes wandered around her home. It was decorated with nice old paintings, landscapes and seascapes.

  “Mostly clay pottery, but I paint a little, sculpt a little, enough so I get by. I’ll never be famous, but I don’t need to be. My father draws enough attention for the both of us.” She laughed in a self-depreciating way. Since Bobby wasn’t around to abuse her, she’d blossomed. She quirked up an eyebrow. “I never talk about myself, but you make me chatty, like I’ve known you for years.” Her dimples flashed.

  It was in that moment I lost my heart to Michela Vintonie Jennings. What an odd match we’d make if our relationship came to be, the daughter of a mobster with her vampire lover. Shaking the thoughts out of my head, I cleared my throat. “Are any of these paintings yours?”

  She pointed to one of the seascapes. “That one, it’s mine.” She looked a little embarrassed, but also proud, as she ran her finger over the raised paint of the waves. “I’ve always loved the ocean.”

  “It’s beautiful with the sun shining off the water. You’ve captured it.” I walked closer, gazing into the waves that broke across the sand. “You have real talent.”

  She flushed a bit more. “Thank you, Mr. Draco. You’re very kind.”

  “Not at all,” I said, gazing into her eyes. “Please, call me Ben,” I asked again. “Why don’t you let me take you to dinner, I’d like to talk to you, get to know you.”

  “Look, I don’t know how you and my father …” she paused, “I won’t be involved.”

  “Why don’t you give me a chance?” I could have influenced her decision, but I didn’t want to. “Besides, how else do you expect to get to know someone, and wouldn’t you like to get to know me?” I wheedled and cajoled. “We really do need to talk.” Seeing capitulation in her eyes, I pressed the point. “Come on, what are you waiting for, it’s only dinner, everyone eats.” Everyone except the vampire.

  Sighing, she reached for her jacket. “All right, but I’ll buy my own dinner.”

  “You don’t want to think of this as a date?”

  “Is it, Ben?”

  “I don’t know … maybe.”

  We went to one of the local restaurants. I used to be a red meat kind of guy a long time ago. Now, I sipped a little red wine, reminiscent of the other red liquid in my life. While wetting my lips with the wine and my uneaten slab of meat cooling, I watched her eat, enjoying her pleasure. To my surprise, she ate with a gusto not often seen with women, who in my opinion, tried to starve themselves into body perfection. But I’d known the old masters, paintings where the female body was glorified for its curves. Michela had splendid curves, though lithe and wiry, and she must have seen me notice.

  “I work out hard to let myself indulge in what I like. Life would hardly be worth living without a few treats.” She smiled and waggled her eyebrows, and I laughed.

  “No, I mean … I’m glad you’re eating. I’ve seen women who barely touch their food. Happy to see you’re not one of them.” I smiled.

  “No, not me, I enjoy good food too much,” she said, taking another bite. “Why throw money away? And you’re right, everyone has to eat.” She grinned and pointed. “Isn’t yours good?”

  “Oh. It’s fine.” I pushed the food around my plate, pretending the portions were getting smaller.

  As the evening progressed, I told her of my fears. “Your father has made some powerful enemies, and I think one of them is zeroing in on your family and killing his people. I’m afraid whoever it is might come looking for you too. If anything should scare you, I want you to call me.” I reached inside my jean pocket, removed a card, and slid it across the table. “Here’s my home and cell numbers. I can be reached any time of the night or day. Call if you need me.”

  “I know my father has had some problems, and he still has guards around my house, but really, I’ll be fine. Don’t worry.” She pushed the card back toward me.

  “Keep the card. You never know when you might want someone to talk to.” I picked up her hand, turning her palm up, and placed the card along her lifeline. “Would you like me to give you a reading?”

  She choked a little. “You’re full of surprises, Ben, but no, at least not now. Before I let you see too deeply into my life, maybe we should get to know one another better.” But she laughed, either in nervousness or the ridiculous thought of having her secrets revealed.

  “Let me know, I’m actually quite accomplished at the art. I learned a long time ago from a close friend.” Nodding toward her hand, I saw her blush. “Call me sometime and you’ll find out how good.”

  “Really? You don’t strike me as a man who believes in the supernatural, silly superstitions, and legends.” She shook her head, twin dimples slipping into place.

  I brought my wine to my lips. If she knew me better, she’d change her mind. And maybe that’s exactly what I wanted.

  We returned to her house where she feathered my cheek with a good night kiss. Though I’d been a vampire for more centuries than I cared to remember, it still thrilled me, the touch of a woman’s soft, full lips. Maybe I was a romantic, maybe a fool, but Michela fascinated me. “I’d like to do this again.”

  “What? Watch me eat?” She looked at me quizzically, not fooled by my pretense apparently.

  “Sorry, I guess I wasn’t hungry after all. I suppose I was too entranced.”

  She scoffed and laughed. “Anyway, I did enjoy myself, it’d be fun to do it again.” She colored with her words, chewing her lower lip.

  “Great. I’ll call you.” And I intended to, even to my detriment.

  *

  Monsters waited inside all of us, mine was just more easily called, and prepared to do what was necessary to survive. To protect those I cherished, and that now included Michela Jennings too.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Lucius paced around the room, agitation rolled off him in waves. The occurrences of the evening taking their toll. Events snowballing out of his control. “Loupgarin paid a visit to the Council, decimating the Draugen, nearly gaining access to the Magistrate. Now the old bastard’s demanding an immediate meeting.”

  My mind quickly paged through the list of options, probable outcomes. If I were Loupgarin, I’d have committed a fast, bloody strike, taking as much as possible before slipping away, perhaps what happened in the Chicago area, how we now found ourselves forced into the leadership role for so many vampires. With the Council behind the continued poisoning of the age-old master, his mind registered little more than madness. A situation of their own making, reaping what they sowed. Now, they’d turn the tables, blaming our family in their place. But Loupgarin wasn’t so far gone as to misplace responsibility or his revenge. He would take it out against all those he considered enemies, imagined or not.

  “Lucius, this could lead to many more deaths. Suppose Loupgarin starts killing those he even suspects. The risk to the human population, the risk of our exposure, the risk of newly turned vampires contaminated with valerian madness … it’s beyond the scope of imagination.” The horror called my beast to roar, and for once, I welcomed it.

  *

  As a whole, our family traveled to the Council. They had secured a location in the basement of an old armory made to sustain a bomb blast. The Magistrate’s anger apparent, forcing Lucius and I to wait for him, before confronting the rest of our family, including our newest member, David. The Magistrate had already made his position clear where David was concerned. It made me wonder what the Vampire Hierarchy had in store for us this time.

  We
waited in one of the subbasement rooms with noticeably fewer golden-eyed guards. Loupgarin had devastated the Draugen. The remaining few showed new battle scars from tangling with the ancient viciousness. My memory served me well, in my mind, I bore his mark also. Whatever the Council had done in the past to Loupgarin, he had reaped his revenge fifty times over with the breach of the Magistrate’s stronghold. A feeling of foreboding brushed against my senses. The Council of the Vampire Hierarchal had been shaken to its very core, but had the lesson been learned? Or would more need to die, both human and vampire, before the Council realized it could no longer commit the mistakes of an era gone, and get away with them. The twenty-first century burgeoned upon them.

  When the Magistrate entered the room, his power surged through me, nearly compelling me to my knees. It was only by pushing the power away, I managed to remain seated, but it was difficult, draining. Glancing at Lucius, I could see I wasn’t the only one suffering from the Magistrate’s surge of energy. With a brush of his hand, and a twist of his head, the power flowed back toward the Magistrate. If it was going to be a battle of wills, Lucius might be the only one to leave this room unscathed. Isabella and David would be no match for the rebuffing at all.

  The Magistrate came toward us at a deceptively slow pace and in a relaxed manner. But anger was roiling through his body, flashing in his eyes as it bled into the sparsely furnished room, unlike the well-appointed ones he was used to. Loupgarin’s visit had wrought destruction in more than one way.

  “I can assume, by the recent attack we suffered, your old master still remains in his unnatural state,” he ground out, belying his casualness, pacing as he spoke. His face became even more twisted than it had on our first meeting where he demanded my subservience.

  “You assume correctly, Magistrate, but I beg to know how he knew where your offices were? The security of your location should have been a priority. Secrecy tantamount,” Lucius inquired with an innocent lift of his shoulders. “As I understand it, the Council values its privacy, rarely sharing the Hierarchal domain. Or is someone working against the Council, drawing the old rogue to your ranks?” Again Lucius shrugged. “All valuable questions to be answered if Loupgarin is to be contained.”