Brick smiled, finishing a sip he’d been taking of the champagne. He lowered the flute casually to his thigh, smiling wider.
“Entirely unnecessary in this case, my dear. Your husband required such a crude means of psychic restraint, it is true... but that was mostly due to the specific parameters of the work I intended for him. And the environment of the prison where I’d housed him, of course.”
He motioned politely towards a tray that held a second champagne flute, standing right next to an ice bucket holding the bottle.
“Do have a drink, won’t you?” He smiled that wolfish grin of his. “I promise this glass isn’t drugged... and it’s really quite good.”
My jaw hardened as I listened to him talk.
I tried not to think about what Black was doing right then... or how he would have reacted to my disappearance. He was probably losing his damned mind right now. I know I would be.
“Black,” I began, my voice cold. “Where is he? Why am I––”
Brick held up a hand, shushing me.
“Please, dear heart. Try not to concern yourself with your husband right now.” His wolfish grin grew more prominent. “...I did, after all, leave him a note.”
I stared at him, fighting to think, to determine what my options even were.
He seemed like the type to get off on emotional displays of whatever kind, good or bad. I strongly suspected it would only feed his ego more if I started yelling at him or threatening him at this point. He also clearly wanted me to know he’d deliberately left Black in a panic. Any emotion I showed about that would only please him.
Asking for an explanation definitely wouldn’t yield me one. It would just give him something more to use to toy with me.
In the end I remained silent, watching him.
“Interesting,” he said, his eyes growing more shrewd. “You are a bit of a different animal than your husband, aren’t you, Mrs. Black?”
I didn’t answer.
Either he’d tell me why he’d taken me... or he wouldn’t.
I strongly suspected he liked to talk enough that he’d probably share more if I gave him nothing to work with.
When he burst out in a laugh, I couldn’t help but flinch.
The smile on his lips was more open that time, almost affectionate. I knew he couldn’t read my mind, being a vampire, but he must have read something in my face.
He leaned forward, balancing his arms on his thighs, twirling the champagne flute between my fingers. That time, he studied my face openly.
“I was warned you were a clever one, Miriam Fox,” he said, his voice nearly a murmur. “And not only by your husband.”
When I only looked at him, not changing facial expression, his smile faded.
Once it had, his glass-like eyes grew infinitely more serious.
“Well,” he said, placing the champagne flute on the silver tray and leaning back once more in the chair. “I certainly won’t waste time trying to learn your emotional triggers then,” he said. “Truthfully, I require your services only in the short term, so I likely wouldn’t have time to explore those triggers to the extent that would please me, anyway.” Glancing at his watch, he added, “I strongly suspect your husband is already desperately looking for you.”
I bit my lip. I wanted to ask him what he’d told Black, even as fear caught in my throat, a mind-numbing terror at the idea of Black being trapped by these things again. The very real possibility that Brick was using me as bait blanked out my mind. I had to fight every impulse not to scream at him, to demand he tell me what the hell was going on.
Brick continued to talk, seemingly oblivious.
“My need for your particular area of expertise is rather urgent, I’m afraid... and, dare I say it... of a personal nature. As a result, I’m unwilling to risk alienating you any more than absolutely necessary, Miriam Fox, for I truly require your help. Moreover, I am willing to provide generous payment for that help. To your husband, at the very least... and to you by proxy. Under terms I hope you will both find agreeable.”
That time, I couldn’t help but stare at him.
Seeing that probing look still in his eyes, along with the sharper veneer of intensity that made me almost believe him, I let out an amused grunt.
“You want to hire me... and this is how you do it?” I said.
“Would you have come, had I approached you in any other way?” he countered.
Frowning, I started to answer, then didn’t.
I wouldn’t have, of course. I might have shot him, though.
I looked over at the blond female vampire watching us with dark red eyes.
I looked back at Brick.
“What do you need my help with?” I said, my voice still cold.
“You are a psychiatrist, are you not?”
My frown deepened. “Psychologist,” I said.
“Well it just so happens I require a psychologist,” he said. “...And, coincidentally, a seer. Your reputation precedes you, my dear, in both areas. Moreover, you already know of my kind, so any fears pertaining to exposure are negated.”
“I work with humans, Brick. Not...” Frowning, I motioned at the woman without looking at her. “Whatever the fuck this is.”
“True. Yet, I imagine the same basic principles apply,” Brick said, adjusting his back in the leather chair. Tilting his head to the right, he pursed his lips. “Well. More or less. If it was entirely the same, you are correct... I would not need to hire you at all.”
I bit my lip, fighting the flush of fury that went through me.
“You didn’t need to kidnap me if you wanted my psychological opinion, Mr. Brick. I’ll give you that right now. You’re a psychopath. Therapy probably won’t help, but there are some pharmacological solutions you might want to look into.” I leaned back on the couch. “There, diagnosis complete... free of charge.”
Brick smiled, watching me shrewdly with those glass-like eyes of his.
I couldn’t help noticing how handsome he was, even though everything else about him made that fact entirely irrelevant. His dark hair was tied back in a partial ponytail now, the rest of it falling over his shoulders and framing a strong jaw and narrow lips. He wore a black suit, like the first night I’d seen him, and a midnight blue shirt, open at the collar.
“As much as I do appreciate your concern for my mental health and wellbeing, Miriam,” he said, smiling. “The services I require are not for me... as you already rightly surmised.”
I frowned, glancing at the blond woman again. “Are you going to tell me anything about her? Or am I supposed to guess?”
“You tell me. You are the clinician, are you not? Is it better for you to come to this with an unbiased first impression? Or would you like some background first?”
I sighed in annoyance. “I have absolutely no idea of a ‘base normal’ for a vampire, Brick. What are you concerns, exactly? More to the point, why does she need help from me?”
He held out his hands in a kind of prayer position, as if the answer to my question were completely obvious.
“As I said, you know about us, Miriam. And you are a seer. If I were to compel a human with your education and training to help me in this matter, he would be incapable of telling me anything I didn’t want to hear. I require brutal honesty for this... as I am quite committed to assisting my friend in any way that I can.”
I stared at him, fighting to read through the subtext I could sense.
Seers couldn’t actually read vampires, not in the usual sense, meaning using our psychic ability the way we did with humans. So I tried to read his facial expressions instead, his choice of words, the seeming sincerity in his eyes.
With one graceful hand, he motioned towards the blond woman in the indigo-colored dress. Again, his voice grew serious. “I will tell you the basics, shall we start there? She was held captive in the same vile butcher’s lab I asked your husband to infiltrate. In fact, it is her I went there primarily to rescue... in addition to the broader duties I
performed for my race in destroying such a disgusting temple to torture and cruelty.”
He frowned, looking at the blond woman directly for the first time.
I swear I saw what might have been worry in his eyes... maybe even fear.
Whatever it was, it melted into something a lot closer to anger when he next met my gaze.
“They have broken my darling girl in some way, Dr. Fox,” he said, his voice murderously cold. “I need your help to bring her back to her vibrant, lovely self... to bring her back to the light, as it were. And I am willing to do just about anything you ask to attain that goal.”
That time, I could only stare at him in disbelief.
Chapter 5
Do What You Have to Do
I never actually agreed to do what he asked.
But I never fully refused him, either.
We were in the air for another two hours or so before I was told we would need to ready for landing soon. Brick assured me he’d set up a place where I and his companion––the vampire he called “Lila”––could talk privately.
As for the other person in that cabin––the man covered in bite marks with the sword tattoo on his neck––it turns out he was the payment.
Well, he was part of the payment, at least.
Brick assured me he intended to pay me for my services as well, meaning with actual money, but the man with the sword tattoo was compensation for Black’s “troubles,” as Brick put it. Apparently the guy was a friend of Black’s. In other words, if I did as Brick said, the other man would live, and Black would get him back more or less intact.
If not, he’d be vampire food.
When I pointed out that wasn’t so much a payment as it was blackmail, Brick only shrugged.
“Po-tay-to... po-ta-toe,” he drawled, holding up his hands with a languid smile. “I knew financial compensation alone would not hold adequate appeal for either of you, given how much money your husband has already. I suppose this individual...” He sniffed, indicating towards the man with the sword tattoo. “...Is more of an attempt at a peace offering for your husband than payment in the truest sense.”
I didn’t bother to try and unpack his ethical gymnastics.
Brick did imply he’d “rescued” the man in some way, but I had no idea what that meant.
Either way, I did strongly suspect Brick was telling the truth about the important aspects. Meaning, Black did know the guy, and he’d likely prefer if his friend wasn’t killed. He was probably an old military buddy, since Black seemed to have a lot of those.
As for the man himself, he definitely seemed to know who Black was.
After he’d finally regained consciousness, he’d stared at me for a long few minutes, dirty blond hair falling over his eyes. He’d looked me over like he was trying to determine what I was doing there, what my purpose was in all this. Then, after hearing Brick call me “Mrs. Black” in addition to “Dr. Fox,” his gray eyes widened.
He spoke up, his voice abrupt, despite his thick Southern accent. His accent was different from Brick’s––more rural somehow, and maybe from a different state.
“You Black’s wife?” he said. “Did I hear that correct?”
I nodded, frowning. “Yes. How do you know him?”
He didn’t answer me. He only shook his head, giving a low whistle as he looked me over, a faint smile in his gray eyes.
“Damn. Well, that explains a lot.”
My frown grew a touch harder, but I didn’t ask what he meant.
Anyway, I was forced to focus most of my attention on Brick, who was still talking, basically ignoring the human he had chained to an airplane chair across from me.
“...I don’t expect you to fix her, mind you... I’m aware that’s unrealistic, particularly under our accelerated timeframe. But she won’t speak. I need you to tell me what’s wrong with her... what you think her problem is.” He smiled, but that harder, more piercing look never left his eyes. “...I can perhaps help her, if I know what is bothering the poor dear.”
I turned from the man chained to the chair and frowned.
“I can’t read vampires,” I reminded him.
“I’d like you to try with her.”
“But I can’t,” I said, frowning harder. “You must know I can’t!”
“And I’m telling you, there are... anomalies... with my darling girl since she returned from that facility.” He checked his watch, frowning as he motioned in my direction. “Try it now, so you can see what I mean before we arrive. Once we do, I suspect we will be on the clock.” Smiling that wolfish smile at me, he inclined his head. “Oh, and did I mention that if you do not do this thing for me, I will kill you, Mrs. Black?”
Is stared at him, feeling my jaw harden. “It was implied.”
“I do not wish to hurt you, Mrs. Black. I truly don’t. I wish for your help.”
Still frowning, I turned, staring at the woman with the blond hair and the indigo dress. Reaching out tentatively with my sight, I ran up into the same blank nothingness I had before. Frowning, I looked at Brick.
“I can’t read her,” I told him, frustrated. “Why would you think I could?”
“Mrs. Black,” Brick said, warning. “You cannot read her because I am still blocking your psychic sight. I will lift that block presently, but I do ask that you keep a few facts in mind first. One,” he said, holding up his smallest finger.
“...I am aware of the RFID device your husband implanted in your flesh to find you. You may have already noted that it has been removed...”
I stiffened, looking down at my arm.
Sure enough, a bandage had been taped over part of my upper arm––the same part where Black used an injection gun to implant the RFID capsule. I pressed my hand over the bandage with a wince and frowned at Brick, who smiled.
“Two.” He held up his ring finger along with the pinkie.
“...You do not currently have any way to tell your husband where you are. You have no idea how long this plane has been in the air. You have no idea which direction we are going. I will not allow you any information about either of these things.”
He held up his middle finger with the other two.
“Three. Your husband appearing prior to my getting what I require from you would not work out well for either of you, Dr. Fox.”
He held up his index finger with the others.
“Four, and most critically... if you do not determine whether you can read my darling Lila’s mind within moments of my lifting this psychic shield, this little partnership of ours will quickly come to an end. In case that is too abstract for you, let me be crystal clear: if you try to contact your husband or your uncle instead of doing this task for me, I will break your pretty neck, Dr. Fox. Then I will sit here and look on while my sweet girl feeds on your still-beating heart.”
Pausing to let his words sink in, he gave me another of those enigmatic smiles.
“Apologies for the crudity of my threat, but I feel we must be clear with one another, Miriam. Moreover, I wish to impress upon you my utter seriousness in this endeavor, as well as the lengths I will go to get what I want.”
His eyes grew still as glass.
“For that reason, I strongly recommend that you attempt to read my darling Lila first, Dr. Fox. If you behave yourself, I will then allow you a short period of time without the shield to reassure your husband... if you should so desire it. Are we agreed?”
Looking at him, seeing the emotionless, borderline empty expression in those scarlet and glass eyes, I found myself nodding.
“Are we in mutual understanding then, Dr. Fox?” His voice still carried that bite. “For I am afraid I cannot lift that shield until I am certain that we are.”
After a bare pause, I nodded again.
He continued to stare at me a second longer, then he nodded, too.
As he did, that nothingness around me... that strange cloud that made me feel deaf and blind all at once, blocking me from the rest of the world... vanished. It
dissipated from around me like smoke hitting a fan. The effect was like having the sound and the lights turned up at the same time. It brought my pulse up, causing my heart to pound in my chest.
Every part of my light wanted to strain for Black.
Biting my lip, I forced myself to turn towards the woman instead. Reaching out with my psychic sight, I focused on her, on her mind, her eyes, everything about her.
Immediately, I flinched, getting a strange, muddy murmuring in my mind.
...never do it again... never do it... said so before but I mean it this time... I mean it I mean it I mean it. Never do it again because I do it again and everything is bad and I’m bad and everything is bad and there is no light...
She looked at me in that space, and her eyes were pleading with me.
Kill me, she sent, as if she could see me reading her. Kill me... please. Kill me... don’t tell him. Please don’t tell him... just do it... just kill me...
When my eyes swam back into focus, I stared at her.
Her expression hadn’t moved at all. She stared at me blankly with those red-tinted eyes, her mouth a little slack, her expression vacant. She couldn’t seem to see me at all.
I turned my stare towards Brick.
I tried to read him, as well, maybe just to reassure myself I wasn’t losing my mind. Instead of that murmuring, however, with Brick I got... nothing. Well, not nothing precisely, but no words, nothing I could make sense of or even use to glean an overall impression of his mind. Instead, I got a low-level, dense vibration or droning sound, like tuning into a large motor or an underground train. It was like the sound of elephants lowing in the distance, somehow intense and filled with meaning, but also outside of human comprehension.
I blinked my eyes back to focus, then looked back at the girl.
“I can hear her,” I said, confusion in my voice. “But not you.”
A faint smile touched the corners of his lips. Relief touched his expression.
“Good,” he said. “That is very good, Dr. Fox. I was very much hoping you would be able to read her, so I’m quite relieved to know that is true... for all of our sakes.”
Taming the Vampire: Over 25 All New Paranormal Alpha Male Tales of Contemporary, Military, Shifters, Billionaires, Werewolves, Magic, Fae, Witches, Dragons, Demons & More Page 143
