“Did… did Rufus send you?” asked the woman, her voice shaky. “I told him that I’d have his money by the end of the week. I still have a few days. I’ll get it, I swear.”
“Turn around,” said Jack.
The woman slowly turned around. She had a scar on her face, and there was a glassy dullness to her eyes that made her look almost like an old children’s doll.
“Do you recognize me?” he asked.
The woman shook her head. He shouldn’t have been surprised by that. It’d been dark out, and she didn’t have the same level of night vision that he did.
“What happened to the woman?” asked Jack.
“I don’t know what you’re—”
“The woman from last night,” said Jack. “The one that you tried to mug. The one that nobody has been able to find today.”
The female mugger took a step back, shaking her head.
“Nothing,” she said. “We didn’t do shit.”
Jack took a step forward.
“You should come clean,” he said.
“Or what?” said the woman, looking him up and down. “I thought you were one of Rufus’ guys, but instead, you’re just some stupid little shit. I bet if I called the cops, you’d run away like a little bitch. You’re the one breaking the law right now.”
She flashed a self-satisfied smirk and turned to walk away. Jack moved without thinking, grabbing her arm before she could reach for her phone. The action brought her close enough to him for him to get another whiff of her scent. She was clean and she was young, and it made his bloodthirst surge.
“Hey!” cried the woman. “What are you…?”
What was he doing? His fingers traced along the nape of her neck. The woman’s towel fell to the ground, exposing her nudity, but he wasn’t interested in her like that. He did let himself plant a single kiss on her neck, but only to mark the perfect spot before sinking his fangs in.
The woman shuddered, letting out a gasp that sounded more than a little orgasmic. Her blood was smooth and sweet, though it tasted a little dirty. It wasn’t as clean and pure as Katie’s blood. And yet still, it managed to instantly sate Jack’s thirst, and he felt the same rush of intoxicating, erotic desire.
There was more to it than just that. The feeling, the thrill, was as much of control as it was of satiation and pleasure. It was the same thrill he’d felt when he’d fought and killed Bert and the ghouls. It was dark and seductive, like a call from the abyss.
The woman pushed her naked butt against his crotch, moaning and shivering as he continued to drink her blood. Jack was just lucid enough to keep in control, to resist the feeling that called to him. He wasn’t about to compound one rash decision with another. But if the circumstances had been only slightly different, he wasn’t sure if he would have been able to resist.
He was still drinking her blood. The woman’s shivering was less pronounced now. He was still drinking her blood, and he needed to stop before he took too much. Jack forced his arms into motion, pushing the woman away from him as he pulled his mouth back. She fell onto the couch, and he licked the last few drops of her blood from his lips.
“That…” The woman stared at him, her expression hazy, one hand rubbing against her crotch. “That was… incredible.”
Jack cleared his throat, feeling a little embarrassed now that it was over and done with. She was still naked, and the way she was looking at him made her seem like she was waiting for instruction. And that was exactly it, he realized. He’d just enthralled her with his bite.
“What’s your name?” he asked.
“Gina,” said the woman.
She looked hopeful. Out of all the possible reactions, Gina looked him with hope in her eyes. It made Jack feel ashamed of himself, until he remembered the missing woman, and the fact that if he’d enthralled Gina a day earlier, she might still be alive.
“Gina,” said Jack. “Did you kill the woman you tried to mug last night?”
Gina nodded. Jack took a slow breath. That woman’s blood was as much on his hands as it was hers. He felt like a naïve idiot. What had he been expecting would happen?
“Gina, I want you to go to the sheriff first thing in the morning,” said Jack. “Tell the sheriff what you did. Confess your crime, go to prison, and behave when you get there.”
“Okay,” she said. “If you want me to, I will.”
She looked so vulnerable sitting there, naked and complying to Jack’s will. He felt conflicted, unsure of whether he was doing the right thing even though it seemed to be leading to a just outcome.
“How do you feel right now, Gina?” he asked.
She frowned at him. “What do you mean?”
“Are you happy?” he asked. “Do you feel angry at me, for what I’ve done to you?”
“I liked it,” said Gina. “I want you to do it again. It made me feel… incredible.”
She brought her hand up to one of her naked breasts and bit her lower lip, letting out a low moan.
“If anybody asked you about this,” said Jack. “About me biting you. What would you tell them?”
“I wouldn’t tell them anything unless you told me I could,” said Gina. “Not even Johnny.”
“Johnny?” asked Jack. “Is he your husband?”
“My boyfriend,” said Gina. “Though it’s more like an open thing…”
“Was he the man who helped you with the mugging?” he asked.
Gina nodded. “He lives here, but we’ve been fighting a lot. He doesn’t come home every night.”
“And he killed that innocent woman with you?” asked Jack.
“Yes,” said Gina, her voice emotionless. “Johnny was the one who got rid of the body.”
Jack had already suspected as much, but something about that detail didn’t fit. Mira had bitten Johnny, meaning she’d enthralled him just as Jack had enthralled Gina. Why would she let him return to his normal life after that?
“Will Johnny be back tomorrow?” asked Jack.
“He said he’d sleep here tomorrow night,” said Gina.
“Good,” said Jack. “Don’t report yourself to the sheriff until he gets back. I want you to call my cell phone when Johnny comes back, and then make an excuse and turn yourself in.”
He spoke his number out loud to her until she could remember it, not wanting to write it down and leave any evidence of his presence.
“All right,” said Jack. “Until you next see Johnny, just go about your normal life.”
He frowned, glancing at the drug paraphernalia on the table again.
“Okay,” said Gina. “Can you do the thing again, before you leave? The way you kissed my neck?”
She stood up and took a step toward him. She was still very naked, though her smell seemed more muted than it had before. Jack shook his head, feeling no impulse to drink her blood, now that his bloodthirst had been sated.
“You can do other stuff,” said the woman. “Johnny’s not here, and he won’t care anyway. We’d have all night.”
She pressed her body against his. Despite everything he knew about the woman, Jack felt a sudden temptation to throw her down on the dirty couch and ravish her. Katie had explained to him how feeding had an erotic component to it that was oftentimes hard to resist, and he could still feel the afterglow of it, like a half-finished sexual encounter.
“No,” said Jack. “You should get into bed and go to sleep.”
It didn’t feel right. He’d enthralled the woman, and it felt too much like taking advantage of her. Even if she did end up enjoying it. It was a path Jack wasn’t interested in going down if he could help it.
He watched Gina following his command and heading into her bedroom, and then slipped out through the front door.
CHAPTER 25
The walk back to the mansion left Jack time to be alone with his thoughts, which forced him to think about what had just happened. He felt guilty, not because of what he’d done, but because of how easy it was to imagine himself doing it again.
Katie had been against him feeding off innocents, and Gina, a serial mugger and accomplice to murder, was no innocent. Jack suspected that Katie wouldn’t see the distinction if he admitted to what he’d done. Which meant that he wouldn’t be able to tell her, and that only fed into his sense of guilt.
It had been so easy and natural. When Katie had let him bite her, it had been an experience of forced restraint. He’d felt like a dog carefully eating a scrap from a human’s palm, trying to avoid nipping the hand underneath. Biting Gina had felt like fending for himself, finding food that was his by right, and feeling confident that he could do it again.
He wouldn’t let himself do it again… would he? He couldn’t decide if the question made sense to ask himself or not. He and Katie were still hunting Mira. It was possible that they’d find her and put an end to his curse before he needed to feed again. He wasn’t supposed to fall into the rhythm of being a vampire.
The lights were off in the foyer when Jack arrived back at the mansion, and as far as he could tell, Ryoko was asleep. It saved him from having to explain where he’d been, though he doubted that she would have asked, even if she’d caught him.
He slipped into bed, and after a few minutes, he managed to fall into a deep, dreamless sleep.
***
Ryoko and Katie were in the dining room when Jack made his way downstairs the next morning. Katie had on a white tank top, black yoga pants, and a grey zip up sweatshirt. Ryoko was in her maid uniform, as usual.
“You slept in late,” said Katie. “It’s almost ten.”
Jack shrugged. “I guess I needed my rest.”
Katie whispered something to Ryoko, who bowed and immediately headed toward the kitchen.
“Let’s talk in the lounge,” said Katie, frowning at him. Jack resisted the urge to scowl and followed her into the next room.
“I know that tone of voice,” said Jack. “You’re annoyed at me.”
“It’s my normal tone of voice,” said Katie.
“Exactly.”
Katie set her hands on her hips and let her gaze meet his. She didn’t say anything for a couple of seconds, almost like her goal was to force him into a guilty admission.
“Ryoko said that you went out last night,” said Katie.
“I did,” said Jack. “I figured I might be able to track down Mira on my own.”
He’d considered telling Katie the truth, or at least most of it, and then decided not to. She wouldn’t be all right with him biting and enthralling someone, even if they were a mugger and a murderer. And if he told her the rest and omitted that one detail, she would have still had a chance at connecting the dots after hearing about the strange circumstances Gina would eventually be confessing to the sheriff under, through her fiancé.
“Are you fucking stupid?” snapped Katie. “Did you not stop to consider why that might be a horrible idea? She’s a powerful blood mage. She could have killed you outright, or used any number of spells to do, well, essentially whatever she wanted.”
“Fair enough,” said Jack. “But it went okay. At least, in the sense that nothing happened. I didn’t encounter her.”
“I don’t think you’d be here if you did,” said Katie.
She didn’t say anything for another few seconds, and the weight of her suspicious gaze only grew harder to endure.
“Why are you giving me that look?” he asked, shaking his head.
“Because you’re a vampire,” said Katie. “And I don’t think you’re getting the dangers and risks associated with, well, existing. The Order of Chaldea has an incredibly long reach, Jack. They could get tipped off to your presence, or hell, to Mira’s presence, and come to the island.”
“You’ve mentioned the Order of Chaldea a few times now,” said Jack. “Mind explaining to me what it is, exactly? Because I can only guess, based off what you’ve told me.”
Katie glanced back into the kitchen, making sure Ryoko was still occupied.
“The Order of Chaldea is an ancient organization dedicated to the research and control of magical forces,” said Katie. “It was born in the wake of the Chaldean Dynasty, a line of ancient kings with the Potential that briefly ruled over a small corner of Mesopotamia in 10th century BC.”
“10th century B.C.,” said Jack. “You’re trying to tell me that this Order is 3,000 years old?”
“Not exactly,” said Katie. “The Order has fallen and been re-founded several times over its history. The only things tying the current order back to ancient Chaldea are its philosophy and a few historical texts, but not many. Along with a bunch of archaic spells recorded in stone tablets and artwork depicting demons being summoned from the Other Realms.”
“Okay.” Jack scratched the back of his head. “Uh… what are the Other Realms, exactly?”
“If I keep giving you answers, you’re just going to keep asking more fucking questions,” said Katie with a sigh. “The Other Realms refer to the ethereal dimensions where magical essence and power come from and return to. And where most of the true demons come from, the ones that nightmares are made of. The ones that make vampires and ghouls look like annoying bugs.”
“The Other Realms,” repeated Jack. “Can people travel to them?”
“They can,” said Katie. “There are several spells that can open the required portal. But nobody who has ever gone through one has come back.”
“Wow,” said Jack.
“We’re getting off topic,” said Katie. “My point is, the Order of Chaldea is kind of like the United Nations of the supernatural world,” said Katie. “It consists of wizards, witches, shapeshifters, summoners, illusionists, and, well, basically the whole spectrum of people with the Potential who are willing to cooperate and organize with each other.”
“And they don’t like vampires?” asked Jack.
“There are some that they tolerate,” said Katie. “To keep the analogy going, if the Order of Chaldea is the U.N., vampires are the terrorists.”
“I don’t like this analogy,” said Jack.
“Then maybe you shouldn’t have let your broodmother stick her fangs in your fucking neck,” said Katie.
Jack sighed and rolled his eyes.
“Fine,” he said. “What’s your relation to the Order of Chaldea, then? Were you and my grandfather members?”
Katie frowned and glanced over her shoulder, looking a little upset at the mere mention of Peter.
“No,” she said. “I wasn’t. I’m not a real mage, just a low-level alchemist.”
“Oh, right,” said Jack. “Because when I picture an alchemist, I think of crossbows and tight leather.”
“Enough with the jokes, Jack,” said Katie. “Your grandfather wasn’t a member either, but not because he wasn’t powerful enough. He had some… ideological differences. But he still worked with them from time to time, hunting and identifying threats whenever they popped up.”
“So that’s why you’re concerned?” he asked. “You think I’m one of these threats now? And they’ll come and arrest me if they hear that I’m up to no good?”
“They won’t arrest you, Jack,” said Katie. “They’ll kill you. And their standard for being a threat is basically not immediately surrendering, in regard to vampires.”
“Wonderful.”
Jack crossed his arms and leaned against the back of the couch. He wasn’t surprised by what she was telling him. It had felt so simple and rewarding to bite Gina like he had. In fact, the only downside he’d seen in it last night was how easy and tempting it would have been to do again in the future. It made sense that the Order of Chaldea would have issues with vampires running around unchecked.
“Now,” said Katie. “Are you ready to come clean with whatever you’re keeping from me?”
“What?” Jack frowned and tried to meet her icy gaze. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“You look good, Jack,” said Katie.
“Thanks?” he said.
“You look fed,” she said,
in a harsher tone. “It’s been almost two days since I last let you drink my blood. You shouldn’t look this healthy.”
Jack furrowed his brow.
“And that’s a bad thing?” He took a step closer to her, knowing that he needed a distraction. “I thought you didn’t like it when I fed off you.”
Katie’s resolve didn’t falter, though Jack saw a slight shiver run through her as he placed a hand on her shoulder. He leaned in a little closer, bringing his face in near enough to her neck for his breath to start tickling her skin.
“I am a little thirsty right now,” he said. “Do you want me to bite you?”
Katie hesitated for a second.
“I want you to tell me who else you’ve been feeding off of,” she said.
Jack hated lying, but again, it was better than the truth.
“I finally gave in and bit Ryoko,” he said. “The tea put her into a deep sleep, and I was as gentle as I could be. She didn’t wake up while I was doing it.”
Katie blinked a few times in quick succession. She started to say something and then stopped. She looked conflicted, and it wasn’t the reaction Jack had been expecting.
“Oh,” she said. “Well, good. It makes sense for you to start feeding off Ryoko, given how she works here at the mansion, and is around all the time, and… That’s good. You didn’t do anything weird to her at the same time, did you?”
“Like what?” he asked.
“You know what I mean,” said Katie.
Jack shook his head, resisting the urge to dig deeper into the slightly possessive tone of Katie’s voice. A few silent, awkward seconds passed by. Jack had to avert his gaze from Katie’s neck. The conversation was starting to trigger his thirst, but he knew that it would be exactly the wrong time to try to convince Katie to let him feed off her.
And he would have to convince her, next time. She wouldn’t offer her neck to him again, not after the lie he’d just told. Jack wanted to kick himself for being so stupid and not having a better excuse ready. If he wanted to feed again in the near future, he’d either have to talk Katie into it, or bite Ryoko while she was sleeping, against her will.
Blood Mage (Dark Impulse Book 1) Page 14
