Blood and Mint Chocolates

by Adrianne Brennan

  Merideth fought to prevent herself from laughing. Now she could see what Babalon saw in the magistra.

  Chapter Eight

  “Come join us.”

  Merideth still didn’t know what Kalia had in mind when she invited all three of them back to her hotel room. While they walked to her place, the magistra mostly hung all over Steve, nibbling on his neck and rubbing his jean-clad crotch—in public, no less!

  It shocked her, but she didn’t notice it much, as she had been preoccupied with discovering how well Erin kissed. It had been all Erin’s idea; the woman looked at Merideth with such a forceful expression. Before the vampire could react, Erin’s mouth clamped on hers. Merideth was taken aback by her intense passion, but warmed up quickly. Her lips tasted nowhere near as sultry as Kalia’s, but the woman’s mouth reminded Merideth of a silky red wine with a spicy note. Cloves, maybe… . In spite of her initial shyness, Merideth drank of her kisses with an eagerness that surprised her.

  She knew just what the magistra had in mind when she at last turned to Erin with that oh-so-sexy casual smirk—which Meredith loved—and asked her in a sweet voice, “Erin dear, I’m all out of Camel Lites—do you know where I can get myself a pack?”

  “No, but I know where you can score some. I can get them for you.”

  Kalia’s eyes lit up. “Could you really?”

  “No sweat. I’ll meet you at your place.” With a wink, Erin sauntered off.

  Disbelieving what she had seen, Merideth shook her head. TOO EASY. I THINK SHE WANTS TO GET RID OF HIM.

  A low chuckle echoed in her mind. OF COURSE SHE DOES. WHO WOULDN’T? BESIDES, NOW WE CAN GET THE DRINK WE’VE BEEN EARNING ALL EVENING.

  YOU GOT IT.

  Kalia’s hotel room contained a queen-sized bed, a bureau, and an entertainment unit. The room was of a reasonable size and practical, not too extravagant—well suited for the magistra.

  WE’LL HAVE TO DO THIS AS CLEANLY AS POSSIBLE—NO STAINING THE SHEETS. JUST SOME SMALL DRINKS FOR EACH OF US, THEN MAYBE WE CAN GET A NIBBLE FROM ERIN.

  Merideth gave her a discrete nod. Not knowing what else to do, she put her arm around Steve—who didn’t seem to mind in the least.

  She sensed things speeding up at a pace that made her slightly uncomfortable, and in strange territory on top of it all. She spent too much time cooped up in the Sanctuary’s library and almost never went hunting. Instead, she often wound up breaking into blood banks and storing the containers in her fridge. Janius never commented on it, but she could tell he often thought that she spent too much time sorting collections and looking after her students and not enough time enjoying her existence as a vampire. The idea of not only seducing someone for their blood but engaging in a threesome between him and another vampire—even one as delectable as Kalia—intimidated her.

  The irony. Who was the stuffy, no-fun-and-all-work vampire now? How much did she resemble what she saw in Janius all along, and how sheltered had she been this whole time? The idea made her cringe. What did Kalia see in her?

  “Ever been in a threesome, Steve?” Kalia’s smile reminded Merideth of a cobra about to strike, but all that she guessed went through the young man’s mind was images of lust. The front of his trousers showed a very visible and expanding bulge, and his face grew red.

  “I—um—”

  “Here, let’s warm you up a little.” Kalia grabbed Merideth by the waist and gave Steve a knowing grin. He watched, slack-jawed, enthralled as the two women passionately embraced in front of him. Merideth went up in flames once Kalia’s fingers gave her nipple a squeeze. With a sigh, the magistra released her and turned towards Steve.

  “Come join us,” she purred.

  Merideth had to hand it to Kalia—she knew men. With great eagerness, Steve crossed the distance between them and began to kiss Kalia hard, one hand clenching her hip as the other undid the top of Merideth’s dress with a surprising amount of expertise. His hand slid over her skin, sending a frisson rocketing through her back. Steve isn’t so bad after all, I guess.

  With equal proficiency, Kalia managed to slide Steve’s shirt up to his armpits, running her hands over his smooth chest muscles. Merideth watched out of the corner of her eye as Kalia’s tongue caressed his chest, her fingers tracing invisible sigils on his back, taking great care to appear innocent as she did it. These sigils ensured that once they finished with Steve, his only memory would be of a fantastic but wild, drunk night out. He might feel woozy and slightly hung over, but otherwise not harmed in any way. The wound would be gone, leaving behind no evidence—only pleasant, fuzzy memories of the night he had spent.

  Once the spell cast from the sigils set in, Kalia nicked his chest with her fangs. Leisurely but greedily, she licked the blood that pooled to the surface of his skin. Transfixed, Merideth gazed at Kalia’s lips and tongue, which worked their own magick on the dark drops of blood that clung tantalizingly to Steve’s body.

  Her mouth still crimson with Steve’s blood, Kalia pulled away and yanked Merideth’s face towards hers for an open-mouthed kiss. The sweet tang of his blood mingled amidst Kalia’s enticing perfume almost caused Merideth to swoon with delight.

  DRINK, MY GREEN FAIRY.

  Kalia disengaged herself from Merideth’s eager lips, her movements soft and sensual, and pulled Steve closer to her and the other vampire. She glanced at his face, flush with excitement, his pupils dilated. The sight of his handsome features displaying such blatant ecstasy invited Merideth to sample what he had to offer. She tasted the salty sweat of his skin underneath the blood, smelled his hormones emanating from his pores. The overall package proved to be delicious and intoxicating.

  I THINK WE SHOULD PUT HIM TO BED SOON AND PREPARE FOR ERIN’S ARRIVAL.

  Merideth managed to nod, lightheaded from the bliss of feeding from Steve. She had forgotten the experience of drinking fresh blood from a human—the intimate sensation of their flesh beneath her lips, the way they sighed as she drank from them…

  BESIDES, I BET THAT ERIN’S BLOOD WILL BE EVEN SWEETER.

  The idea of drinking from Erin made something deep in Merideth’s lower stomach twinge with excitement. She thought of the way she kissed earlier, and the moisture between her legs grew.

  Kalia pulled her close for a kiss, her gentle fingers sliding down her stomach to rub at her clit through the dress. The kiss deepening, she slid her hand up Merideth’s dress, her fingernails grazing the inside of her thigh with a light touch. Gradually, Kalia parted Merideth’s inner lips with her fingertips and with even greater caution placed her finger on her clit. Kalia then pierced Merideth’s lower lip and at the same time, lightly scraped her clit with her fingernail. Merideth moaned against her lips, her hips grinding into the magistra’s skillful hand.

  Having a nice night out with me, my little green fairy?

  Fuck, yes.

  Chapter Nine

  “A night to remember”

  An apologetic Erin arrived much later carrying not only a bag filled with Kalia’s Camel Lites but also two bottles of champagne for the three women and a six-pack for Steve. Kalia, never doubting her own resourcefulness, had already managed to procure enough plastic glasses from the supplies left in the room by the hotel staff.

  “I grabbed a few extra earlier,” she explained with a smile. “You never know when you may bring over some company for a drink or two.”

  Merideth tried but couldn’t keep the smirk off of her face. She turned to see Steve’s reaction, but he didn’t appear conscious enough to notice Erin’s arrival—if he was awake at all. He lay motionless on the bed, sated but exhausted.

  Erin shook her head at the sight. “Figures. I knew he had a lot to drink tonight, but… damn. Oh well. When he wakes up he can have more beer.” She gave an apathetic shrug and put the bag on the desk next to the entertainment unit.

  “That’s okay,” stated Kalia, her tone light but conspiratorial, “that means it’s just more fun for us girls.” With a naughty look in her eyes, she winked at
Erin, who grinned back.

  “Well then, I can’t complain about that, now can I?” She grabbed a bottle of champagne out of the bag and opened it with a loud pop. Merideth glanced at Steve to see if it woke him up, but his eyes remained closed, his body unmoving.

  HE’S SLEEPING NOW, MERI. GIVES US SOME PRIVACY WITH THE LOVELY GAL.

  While Erin’s back was turned, Merideth raised an eyebrow at Kalia. She must’ve accelerated—and perhaps also strengthened—the spell on him just after Erin arrived. The sigils shouldn’t knock out a human until a few hours had passed, leaving them either drunk or high.

  Erin passed the champagne bottle to the two vampires, and the three of them drank as they talked. Merideth noted that Kalia’s skill at making people feel at ease worked well on Erin—alcohol notwithstanding. The more they talked, the less tense she looked. With a huge grin, she leaned back in her chair and swung her legs back and forth, chatting with the two women intimately even though they had just met.

  “I’m glad Steve’s out like a light,” she remarked. “I wouldn’t be saying this without a few drinks in me, but he really wore me thin today. I really thank you both for stepping in like you did.”

  Kalia gave a nonchalant wave of her hand. “Aw, hon, it really wasn’t—”

  “No, I mean it. Thank you. I don’t know what would’ve happened otherwise.” She bit her lip, and a distressed expression crept over her face.

  A surge of sympathy rose up in Merideth. “Um, if you don’t mind my asking—and if it’s not too personal—what were you two fighting about? I mean,” she added, “if you don’t mind talking about it, that is.”

  “Oh, that.” Erin laughed, but the sound was hollow. “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”

  Kalia’s eyes narrowed with great interest. “Try us.”

  “Well… “Erin chugged the rest of her champagne and licked her lips. “He uh, wanted me to turn in a few friends of mine to this, um, magickal order. An order that probably would’ve persecuted and killed them, but would’ve paid us both a lot of cash. I refused to do it.”

  Kalia and Merideth gave each another measured glances. This sounded familiar, a past echo haunting them.

  NO, IT COULDN’T BE—

  HUMANS HAVE PREJUDICE JUST AS WE DO. IT COULDN’T POSSIBLY BE THAT, MERI. BESIDES, WHO WOULD POSSIBLY KNOW—

  “You see, um, my friends have this special… medical condition. And this crazy group thinks that makes them evil.”

  Kalia’s eyes bugged.

  Mistaking her reaction for revulsion, Erin’s hands flew up in protest. “Oh no, it’s nothing like that. They’re not disabled or deformed or anything. They just can’t go out in the sunlight and they… well…”

  Sunlight? KALIA, IS SHE PUTTING US ON? SERIOUSLY, I THINK WE SHOULD TRUTH-SPELL HER.

  WAIT, MERI. LET HER FINISH.

  “Anyhow… I’ve been acting as a helper for them. They need certain, um, resources.”

  “Blood,” supplied Kalia.

  Merideth gave her a glance she hoped was piercing. This woman had to be delusional, and she didn’t approve of the magistra encouraging her. Not a single vampire whom they knew of would ever admit what they were to another human. At least she only knew of their own order which shrouded themselves with oaths of secrecy, spells to hide under, and one single, horrible but effective method of punishment threatened those who would reveal their identity to a human without either some sort of memory removal afterwards, or permission from the Grandmagus.

  That method was a swift death sentence.

  Erin blinked at them. “Oh. Wow. You believe me. You know what I’m talking about.” She reached into her bag. “Anyhow, I belong to this magickal order and I managed to learn this spell that enables me to be able to tell whether or not I’m dealing with a vampire. See, I have this stone, and when it glows red that means I’m in the presence of a v—” As she took it out, it glowed a brilliant crimson. She fell silent, and even under her makeup Merideth saw her face grow ashen.

  Erin looked up at the two women and gulped. “Well… that wasn’t supposed to happen. But that explains… quite a bit.” Her hands shook as she put the stone back in her bag.

  Merideth’s insides turned to ice. Shit, Kalia. Now what?

  YOU KNOW THE RULES. EITHER WE’RE DEAD, OR WE TURN HER. UNLESS WE CAN MANAGE TO WIPE HER MEMORY—BUT GIVEN SHE’S A MAGICIAN TOO, I DON’T KNOW HOW EFFECTIVE THAT WILL BE. WHAT I WANT TO KNOW IS HOW THE HELL SHE MANAGED TO GET A HOLD OF SUCH A SPELL, AND WHAT VAMPIRE OR VAMPIRES ACTUALLY LET HER KNOW WHAT THEY WERE. IF THEY’RE FROM THE ORDER, THEY’RE DEAD.

  “So… was Steve right after all? Were you guys sent to spy on us because of what he wanted… us to do?”

  Kalia’s brow furrowed, but she said nothing. For once, the magistra appeared to be lost for words and a plan. Seeing no other alternative, Merideth struggled to speak. “No… we… I mean… we didn’t even know that you knew. This has been a horrible coincidence.”

  “If you drank Steve’s blood… don’t feel bad about it. He honestly deserved it after what he tried to make me do. I have no desire to see anyone get killed, let alone people whom I care about.”

  “Unfortunately, that’s what we face now because of you,” Kalia said. Erin’s eyes widened in alarm, but Kalia continued. “We belong to a group that forbids us to speak of what we are to outsiders. If we get caught for talking to you—and it becomes known that you have knowledge of who and what we are—we are dead.”

  Erin’s hands flew to her face. “Oh, shit. Oh no. I had no idea. The vampires I know—they’re my friends—but they never mentioned belonging to any groups or orders or anything. If-if they’re with you, would they be killed?”

  Kalia nodded.

  The goth woman groaned. “Figures. Well, I’m their donor—I don’t mind, honestly. Maybe if you guys had donors, it’d be easier.”

  Merideth agreed, but decided to keep her mouth shut about it. Ordo Draconis et Rosae in its stubbornness stuck to traditional methods of obtaining blood, and while she often got food by sneaking into blood banks, she had blamed that on her lack of time to go out and hunt. Now she wondered if she had been avoiding the whole process altogether, but never before admitted it to herself.

  None of that mattered now, however. A bigger dilemma loomed over their heads.

  KALIA, WHAT DO WE DO?

  YOU KNOW THE RULES. THE ONLY WAY AROUND THEM IS TO GET SPECIAL DISPENSATION FROM THE GRANDMAGUS, AND I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT HE’D MAKE OF A HUMAN AND MAGICIAN WHO KNOWS OF OUR EXISTENCE. WE HAVE VERY FEW PEOPLE ON THE DAYSIDE WHO KNOW ABOUT US, AND THEY WERE CHOSEN WITH GREAT CARE AND ONLY AFTER A LONG EXAMINATION OF THEIR CHARACTERS. ERIN HAS THE POTENTIAL TO EITHER BE A VERY USEFUL ALLY AND LINK TO THE OUTSIDE WORLD, OR A HUGE INCALCULABLE RISK THAT NONE OF US CAN AFFORD TO MAKE.

  I SEE YOUR POINT. BUT EVEN WORSE, WHAT OF THAT OTHER ORDER? COULD THEY BE—OH NO—

  MERI, IF SHE KNOWS OF THAT ORDER SHE’S ALREADY IN DANGER—JUST AS MUCH AS WE ARE NOW. WE NEED TO FIND OUT EXACTLY WHAT SHE KNOWS.

  “That other order,” Merideth blurted out, “are they called Ordo Aureae Crucis, by any chance? I mean, the Order of the Golden Cross? Please tell me they’re not.”

  Erin’s jaw dropped. “You know of them?”

  “Course we do,” Kalia cut in, her tone showing a degree of irritation. “We’re vampires. They’ve hunted us and our order for over a century. Some claim they were doing it in orders in the past long before they even existed.”

  Merideth couldn’t believe it. Was she dreaming? Were they spilling their guts to a mortal about their order and its history? Must be the champagne. Dammit. Janius’s words about moderation rang in her head, and she cringed.

  “And further,” Kalia went on, “how do we know you’re not a member of the Golden Cross?”

  Her hands shaking, Erin poured herself more champagne. Some of it spilled on her lap, but she didn’t appear to notice or care. “Good question,” she answered, her voice unsteady. “I have no
idea how to prove that to you. I mean, that I’m not.”

  “Well, I do—and I happen to like you, so I hope for your sake and mine that you’re telling the truth. And not only that, but you need to know whether or not you can trust us.”

  KALIA… YOU’RE NOT… Merideth only knew of one way to ensure this, and that was a blood exchange. Not a complete one—that involved taking a huge portion of Erin’s blood and replacing it with one of theirs—but she would have to drink from Erin, and in return have her ingest a small drop of their blood. Both amounts would have to be small, magick would be used as additional insurance that Erin would not Turn, and it would mean creating a psychic link between them.

  It would also force Merideth to lower her shields and thus her control over her Sight. Once that happened, she couldn’t control what she saw from Erin—or anything around her, for that matter.

  Her stomach got a little queasy. What had they got themselves into?

  MERI, I HAVE AN ENTIRE CLAN TO LOOK AFTER, AND SHE LIVES IN YOUR CITY, NOT MINE. THIS IS YOUR CALL TO MAKE. The magistra’s neutral tone shocked Merideth, but she knew her words made sense.

  Swallowing down her nervousness, Merideth went over to where Erin sat. The young woman wrung her hands in her lap, looking terrified.

  “Please don’t hurt me,” she whispered. “I didn’t want anything bad to happen to them, honest. It’s why—” she choked and struggled to continue, “it’s why I fought with Steve to begin with.”

  Unable to restrain her impulsiveness, Merideth put her arms around her. “Shh. It’s okay. Really. Listen, you um, you spoke of being a donor. How do you do that?”

  “They um… they usually bite inside my wrist. I don’t know how they do it, but the wound closes afterwards. No scarring.” She exhaled a long, shaky breath. “It’s not bad, really. Better a willing victim, right?”

  Kalia’s sultry voice resounded from across the room. “Of course. Me personally, I like to give whomever I feed from a wonderful night. A night to remember. I figure, hey, I owe them that much, right?”