by Tiana Laveen
“I can’t believe this. You saw her when Fawn did, too? I thought that had been a solo act.”
“Never trust the help who possess ulterior motives.” He took a puff from his cigar and grinned. “Why would I send a cat out to chase my mouse?” He handed Whiskey the remainder of the bottle of wine, and the man tilted it up to his lips and took a swig. “But who is better to catch a mouse than a cat, huh? She was the perfect woman for the job and Fawn led the way. I knew she’d find her because she was driven and so arrogant to believe that I was wrong, that her discovery would cause me to drop this matter at once. So, I had to plan accordingly. The beauty of it all, Whiskey, is that Fawn mistook my bride for a rodent… easy prey.
“She believed I’d agree with her, so she was eager to show her report. She wanted me to see the photo of this downtrodden woman who didn’t wear designer clothing and clung to her human past. But oh, no.” He shook his head adamantly. “That’s not the true reflection in the mirror. Venus is far from what meets the eye. Whoever had heard her mother’s prayers is her mistress. There has to be a reason why my mate was so easy to train, heals so quickly, and when we fuck…” His eyes rolled and his fangs descended. “Just the thought of her body near mine gives me a contact high. And that reason is tied to her past… the last night she spent on that plantation.”
“Do you know who turned her yet?”
“No, but someone was thinking ahead. Venus had to have been marked as an infant. Whoever turned her was patient, methodical, and did an incredible job, to say the least. I barely had to do anything, in the grand scheme of things. Venus is like no one I’ve ever spoken to or fucked. She’s taught me so many things…” He swallowed and hung his head. “And I know there’s so much more to learn.”
“Venus still won’t tell you who turned her, huh?” Whiskey picked up the bottle of wine and licked the rim, fighting for the last drop. “She’s a stubborn one.”
“No, she hasn’t told me. I am no longer obsessed with trying to make her tell me. Now, I want to find out on my own. See who this vampire was… because I know now that not only did they plan all this out, there was far more to the story. When they were done with her, they sent her my way…”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
They Come in Threes…
Teaching online classes did not prove as bad as Venus had once believed.
Alexandre appeared genuinely surprised when she announced she was leaving the university job, though she explained her contingency plan, at least until the dust settled. Perhaps one day, she’d return to the brick and mortar scene. The thought of owning an art store, or perhaps, a museum of sorts was appealing, too. If she were honest with herself, that was where her passion lay, but things had gotten incredibly complicated; it was time to make the tough decisions.
She parked her new blood red Mercedes at the number 9 pump at the Mobil gas station on E 10th Street in Manhattan after spending some time at the public library doing a bit of research and enjoying a few hours of retail therapy, too. It had been a while since she’d shopped for herself, taken a pure pleasure trip, and a sales clerk had complimented her on how gorgeous the colors blue and taupe looked against her skin tone. It was time to freshen up her wardrobe—a new start on all counts.
She stood outside under the glow of the gas station lights, enjoying the cool night air. Clad in her blazer, bright high-low top, black leggings and boots, she pumped gas and watched the numbers go around and around, racking up the coins. As she stood there, she took in the sounds of people chatting on their phone, tossing trash in the bins, slurping loudly on straws filled with fizzy drinks, walking in then out of the small one-story store holding bags of beverages, snacks, cigarettes and beer. All of this overwhelmed her, made her distracted.
This is overload.
She could even hear people around her breathing or picking up change from their car console with the door closed some five pumps away. Everything came through in stereo. It seemed, since her lover had bitten her during their first time making love, he’d given her a gift—heightened senses like she’d never known.
Almost full…
She noted how much gas she’d pumped as her mind whirled from absorbing all the different sounds around her. Loud, crazy … but why was this affecting her so right at moment?
Her cellphone rang. She answered the call with a smile on her face.
“Hi, baby.”
“Bonjour, où es-tu, mon amour?”
She could hear what sounded like a printer in the background. He was probably in the home office, burning the midnight oil as he worked on another case.
“I’m at the gas station. You should know where I am though, nosy ass. Don’t you still have that tracker on my phone and Whiskey following me somewhere around here?” She chuckled as she looked about the lot, half way expecting to see the big guy’s Harley and him leaned over it, jamming a hotdog in his mouth.
“No, no, no… I told you that I understood it made you uncomfortable and honestly, you need to be able to handle yourself without intervention. Please remember that, in three days, we are leaving for Paris and as soon as we arrive, due to my brother’s report about me, they are asking to first see me alone. I attempted to speak with them on the phone but that, according to the Council Cardinal, was not sufficient. It’s no big deal though. I would’ve had to go anyway to speak to them regarding our nuptials.”
Her heart beat a bit faster, her blood pulsed in her veins. It was time she asked the man about something she’d had on her mind.
“Alexandre, what if… what if they don’t approve of me?” Her heart sank at the thought of this. He was king, so there were just some things they would not allow. She may be one of them.
“This is a process, my Love. Look, each part of the world, every country, is run by a vampire monarch. Each monarch has a Council, which is, for all intents and purposes, like congress here for the U.S. government. I essentially have to answer to them and go through them for certain decisions, but, unlike the U.S. government, I have final say and can overrule many of their judgments unless I am ruled unfit due to mental or physical deficiency. I am the monarch for France, naturally, via the royal bloodline of the Marseille Clan, which has ruled for centuries, but I had to fight in order to prove myself worthy.”
“So you’re telling me your opinion can’t be just overlooked, swept under the rug.”
“Exactly. My opinion does more than hold water… it is the water. This isn’t something that is simply handed to my family due to our lineage. Under my governance, we’ve won the majority of our wars with other countries, and trust, there have been more than a few, triggered by everything from land to money. Our trade deals have been airtight and any problem that is brought to me, I have handled expeditiously and effectively. The only thing that has not been done in what would be deemed a timely fashion according to tradition is—”
“You getting married.” She grabbed the pump once it stopped then placed it back in the holster.
“Correct. There is a certain time period during which it is expected for a king or queen of any jurisdiction to be married and mine had expired long ago. I’ve had several extensions, but those have run out as well.” He sighed loudly. “I have explained to the Council the reason for this and requested their patience. They relayed that they understood how important this is, especially with me being one of the last survivors of my bloodline. Unfortunately, that has caused some people to try and infiltrate themselves into my love life with an overzealous preoccupation in regard to old traditions, and the idea of keeping the family intact, genetics wise. I told them that I was looking for my Bloodmate and refused to settle… I have finally found her. YOU.” She smiled at his words. “So, now that I’ve explained in depth how this works, you should be at ease.”
“But I’m not.” She chuckled as she slid back into her car and sat there for a moment with the radio playing ‘More Than Words’ by Isabella. “They can still make an issue about it and cause all sorts of problems�
�� and I knew most of what you told me, baby, but I also know they want all monarchs to marry another Royal, especially one that is a Pure Blood.” She started up her car and began to make her way out of the station.
“There aren’t enough of us left… the Coven is quite small. We have to diversify. I’ve been saying that for decades and as long as we find a suitable mate with a strong mind and heart, a Vamp that understands and respects the Council and the monarch, and can produce quality offspring, then that is a good start. My Life…” She grinned… loving when he called her that. “Please leave this up to me to worry about, okay? I’m not what?”
“Sloppy, stupid, or one to be fucked with…” She smirked. It seemed to be his favorite thing to say as of late.
“That’s right. I keep abreast of every fucking thing. Now come home to me… I need to fuck you.” He abruptly disconnected the call, leaving her there with her cheeks hot and her pussy swelling with desire.
“I hope you’re right about the Council,” she mumbled under her breath as she got on the road. At times she worried that Alexandre wasn’t cautious enough, but that also could be due to the fact that he kept so many damn secrets. “He must know more than I do, just hasn’t said anything… of course he does.”
She reached for her radio and turned up the volume on ‘Automatic’ by The Bonfyre. Snapping her fingers to the beat, she flowed into the city traffic, blending into the bright, flashing lights and action, the pulse of the place. She was absorbed by her surroundings, so much so, her head began to spin.
Suddenly the hairs on her arms begun to rise, as if she’d caught a chill. She swallowed and looked in the rearview mirror, seeing nothing out of the ordinary. Shaking the hint of fear out of her head, chalking it to exhaustion, she kept on driving.
That was short-lived. Less than a few blocks away, that chill came upon her once again, this time worse than the last. She got a whiff of something off-putting, a stench, like rotting meat. As if there was a tape recorder in her head, she heard the words, ‘Look. Taste. Smell. Listen. But don’t speak…” It was her lover’s words, the ones he said to her multiple times during training, awakening her senses to a level she never deemed possible. They were words he shouted when they fucked… each time was like the first time. She looked alongside her at the various cars and buildings. Again, nothing appeared out of the ordinary. Yellow Taxi Cabs, honking vehicles with annoyed drivers eager to get to the bar or home, people moving about here and there along the sidewalks… She swiped her tongue quickly through the air, then grimaced.
Something was off. Something strange, unfamiliar was peppering the air around her, blending in with the expensive perfume her lover had bought her. Sickening. She listened closely, then turned the radio off when her heart started to pump faster.
Two heartbeats… one far more erratic than her own…
“SHIT!” The blade of a knife was shoved in front of her, at her neck, while a grimy hand wrapped tight around her throat. The blade scraped against her flesh. “What do you want?!”
“Keep driving, bitch,” said the gruff voice from the back of the car.
“Driving where?” She wrapped her hands tighter around the steering wheel, then looked through the rearview mirror once again. Her heart dropped. A man with a sunken in face covered in fresh and old scars, mossy green dead eyes, and straggly light brown hair sat behind her, hunched over like an ogre. “Ahhh!”
“Did I tell ya fuckin’ ass to look at me, huh?! Did I tell your ass to look at me, bitch?! Now shut up and just keep drivin’!”
He grabbed a fistful of her hair and tugged so hard, she was certain her head was bleeding, the scalp now instantly tender from the torture. She could hear him sniffing the air, then pressing his hooked nose into her hair, inhaling, exhaling. The warm breath from his nostrils made her sick to her stomach as it tickled her scalp. She looked back at the man and realized he was a damn Bottom Feeder… the type of vampire that was turned by another Bottom Feeder, one who wasn’t trying to salvage or help him. It would have been a mistake, a wreck job, an accidental ‘pregnancy.’ It would have been a vampire who’d simply messed up on their feeding and thus created their version of a derelict monster…
Then, said vampire would have abandoned the carcass of their creation. One had to raise their ‘turned’; there was a sense of responsibility, but not with Bottom Feeders…The problem with the majority of the Bottom Feeders was that they were often crazy due to the poison they ate. Because of this, they were habitually used and sent to do higher ranked Vamps’ work with no questions asked. This she knew from being on the street during her feedings. These grotesque creatures moved about like rats, pretty much staying out of her way, but they were always around, begging for things, threatening and making a ruckus. They killed not to just eat, but for the sheer joy of it.
She kept on driving and swallowed, knowing damn well that if he got her alone somewhere, pulled over in a dark, desolate place, he would not only attack her, he’d do vile, unspeakable things. Things so grotesque, this would bring her the type of end that she simply couldn’t accept. No… this is not how her story would end. Her lover’s bite had pumped some of the bastard’s personality into her as well, and this was the wrong time to resist it. Her veins throbbed with Alexandre’s brand of audacity, arrogance, pride. The beautiful bastard’s massive ego was deep within her.
Fuck this shit! She jerked the car crazily through traffic, almost running into a bus. The honking and cursing of nearby cars ensued.
“What tha fuck are you doin’?! Keep the car steady!” The guy sliced deeper into her neck and she hissed when she felt his sticky tongue lap up the flowing blood. She jerked the car again. “Stop it or I’ll jam this fuckin’ thing all the way into your neck! Crazy bitch!”
She kept one hand on the wheel as he dug deeper into her neck. The knife was dull and jagged, creating an excruciating pain that radiated throughout her adrenaline-filled body. Over the next few minutes, she managed to inch forward as she turned corners, rocking her body in natural movements. When the time was right, she reached beneath her seat and pulled out the silver blade. Snapping her neck around as though it lacked muscle and tendon restriction, she smiled at the fucker then jammed the silver dagger with all of her might into the middle of his forehead.
“AHHHH! FUUUUUCK!!!! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK!!!”
The bastard fell back into the seat, writhing about, wiggling like an electrocuted worm. His own knife fell onto her seat. She grabbed it and tossed it on the floor by her feet, then turned her radio back on to drown out the motherfucker’s high-pitched wails. Alabama Shakes crooned ‘Sound & Color’ at the highest volume, which suited her needs. She laughed as she looked back through her rearview mirror. Her killer within was awakened… and it would not take ‘no’ for an answer.
The glint of the beautiful silver dagger her Love had given her shifted around in the car as he rolled back and forth, his misery a thing of beauty. The blade was imbedded so deep, his head looked almost split down the middle. He cried out, trying in vain to remove it. Minutes later, she pulled into what had been one of her favorite alleyways to take a john and feed back in the day… Ahhh, the sweet fucking memories. Fangs fully descended, nostrils flared as she sniffed the pungent air, she pulled the fucker from the back of her car with one hand, dragging him with the greatest of ease. He looked up at her, his complexion growing ashen and pale.
“That’s that good silver, motherfucker!” She cackled. “They don’t make them like that anymore. Made in 1592 during the French Wars of Religion. A little history for ya there, in case you were curious. Now let’s get down to business, you smelly piece of shit. Who sent you?”
He offered an evil, nasty grin before coughing up black, coagulated blood. She sniffed the air around him, listening closely to the wind around her… There was a thud, and then another. In record speed, she kneeled over the fucker, pulled the knife out of his head, and slashed it across his throat. He gurgled and his eyes rolled until there was no
thing but white, but he still tried to smile. Her heart beat like a damn drum…
I’ve got company…
She sniffed the air again and smelled the stench of more Bottom Feeders. They often ate bad blood, making them rotten from the inside out. She could hear their footsteps crushing on broken glass.
This was a set up! They followed me here!
Suddenly, a tall, thin one emerged, popping up from behind a dumpster like a willowy tree growing at rapid speed. A crooked grin spread across his face like poison ivy. His trench coat swung open with each step. The glint of a gun peeked out from his inner pocket.
“You’re going to be fun!” he roared.
“Heeey, Saturn, Venus, Uranus, Ur-fuckin’ anus! We’re going to fuck you in the ass before and after we kill you, bitch,” came a raspy female voice. Its owner emerged, sporting shoulder-length, wavy, light blond hair and dead black eyes. She had on a dark, knee-length dress, and her legs were covered in dirt.
“Who sent you?” Venus demanded as she kept sniffing the air, listening to the heartbeats, tasting her surroundings.
“We don’t have to tell you shit.” The willowy one spat as he drew slowly closer. The girl stayed close behind him, her eyes filled with craziness. “We just need to do our job, get paid, and uh, oh yeah, have uh good time with you, baby! Mmm, aren’t you a looker! Isn’t she pretty, baby?”
“Mmm hmmm.” The female showcased a black smile, only brought to light by the whiteness of two extended fangs tinged with what appeared to be old blood.
“They never told us how cute this bitch was, Lilith! Threesome for fuckin’ sure!”
“And you know she got money. Look at her car, and ’er clothes. Look at that ring…that’s gonna look nice on me. I wanna eat her pussy so good! I heard once you go Black, you never go back.” The woman cackled as she wiggled her long, pointed tongue in her direction then squeezed on her tit. The bitch shimmied her left breast up and over her bra, brought it to her mouth, and began to suck on her own reddened nipple.
