by Judith Post
"And you thought I'd create a scene."
"No, I was worried you'd start a brawl."
A pretty, mocha-skinned vampire came to take their orders. "What can I get you?" Her smile was open and inviting, but she recognized Enoch from his first visit to the bar, he could tell. She narrowed her eyes at Ulrich. "I've never seen you here before."
"I'm just passing through. Ready for a little fun." Ulrich gave her the full, Viking grin. It almost always worked, Enoch knew.
"Then you came to the right place," she told him. "We're having a special tonight. A mortal's asked to be changed. One of the world's top vampires won the auction to sire her. Afterwards, for the right price, guests can visit her."
Enoch's stomach churned. Visit her. What a nice way of putting it. Feral must have chosen this mortal to take Lucinda's place.
Ulrich licked his lips. "How much?"
"Five thousand dollars a visit."
Ulrich slapped Enoch on the shoulder. "I'm in, if my friend here will sponsor me!"
Enoch scowled, but nodded, and Ulrich held out a hand for his debit card, then added his name to the list.
The bartender smiled, happy with herself. She probably got a kickback for each customer she signed up. "What can I get you to drink?"
"I'd like a tall brunette," Ulrich said. "There are too many blond Vikings."
The bartender looked at Enoch.
"Drambuie for me. I don't drink blood."
She frowned, sniffing. "I've never smelled an angel before."
"They stink, don't they?" Ulrich burst out laughing. "You should see your face, old friend!"
Ulrich was enjoying himself way too much. The girl brought Enoch his drink and motioned for someone to lead Ulrich upstairs.
Enoch turned to study the patrons of the bar. The mortals seemed to have come in groups of two or three, but they were scattered around the room, mingling with vampires at different tables. They leaned forward, clinging to each word a vamp said. Their expressions were star struck. They must consider vampires the ultimate celebrities, defying death. The vampires encouraged it, smiling and touching. Why not? Vampires were allowed to drink from willing mortals, and these mortals would be happy to oblige them.
When Ulrich returned a half hour later, Enoch was nursing his second drink. He grimaced at Ulrich's healthy glow. "Well?"
"Top quality merchandise," Ulrich said.
Enoch sighed. Not what he wanted to hear, but Feral obviously supplied the best of everything. "Was she a mortal or a vampire?"
"I paid extra for a mortal, but this girl was no victim. When I licked her neck to close the puncture wounds and she tasted my venom, she was all over me. I barely escaped with my undead life."
"You're probably one of the oldest vampires she's had." The older the vampire, the stronger he grew—Ulrich's venom must be like a top grade drug, compared to what the girl usually got.
"Feral was telling you the truth about her servers. They like their jobs." Ulrich nodded for a beer. He leaned back and took a few sips before the lights dimmed and a spotlight shone in the center of the room. As they watched, a round stage rose from the floor until it was visible to everyone. The music stopped, and Feral gracefully stepped into the bright beam of light.
"Friends, I promised you a special treat tonight, and I never disappoint. You are all honored to witness our club's first turning." As her gaze swept the room, it settled on Enoch at the bar. She smiled playfully. "We're even graced by the presence of an angel, but he'll have to agree that everything we do is legal. Welcome, my friend."
Enoch scowled. Feral wasn't his friend. And he didn't like one thing about this club. She raised an eyebrow at him and must have decided not to push her luck. She raised a hand instead and motioned for a woman to join her on the tall platform.
The spotlight followed the woman's entrance into the room and her slow journey across the floor, not dawdling out of fear, but enjoying the attention. Every vampire's gaze was locked on her. Pheromones filled the air. If sex had a smell, Enoch was inhaling it.
Feral said, "Friends, let me introduce you to Exotica."
Ulrich grimaced. "Really? What's with the name?"
"It's a trend now." Enoch kept his voice low. "When a human turns, she chooses a new name for her life as a vampire."
Ulrich shook his head, unimpressed. He motioned to the pretty bartender for another beer.
Exotica started up the stairs to the platform. The ivory gown she wore hugged every curve. Its neckline plunged to her navel, revealing ample cleavage along the way. The woman's skin glowed, golden-tan. A long mane of sun-kissed hair cascaded down her back. When she joined Feral on the stage, a smile played on her full lips. Then the woman looked to the same doorway she'd entered from, and a tall, lean vampire glided across the room to stand before her.
Feral looked directly at Enoch and asked, "Exotica, are you offering yourself of your free will to Aurelius?"
"Yes!" Her voice held lust and excitement.
Feral turned to the vampire. "Aurelius, do you promise to sire Exotica according to vampire standards?"
Ulrich elbowed Enoch and leaned close to whisper, "She's doing it right this time, not taking any chances."
Aurelius glanced around the room and smiled. "Yes, she will be mine, but I'll share first, before I take her with me."
The reek of lust ratcheted a step higher.
The woman spread her arms to the audience. "There's enough of me for everyone!"
The musk saturated the room.
Feral once again locked gazes with Enoch. "Then we've met the rules of shifting. Let the change begin." And she exited the stage.
The room went absolutely still. Mortals held their breaths. Vampires didn't need them. Aurelius ever so slowly slid his hands up Exotica's arms to hold her in place. He pulled her gown off her shoulders, revealing even more skin, and she offered her neck to him. Slowly, teasingly, he lowered his head. His fangs lengthened into long, needle-sharp barbs. He flicked out his long, supple tongue and licked her throat. She moaned. His tongue ran up and down her neck, and she came. The scent teased every nostril in the room. And then he gently sank his fangs into her skin, lowered his mouth, and began to suck.
Exotica could have been a porn star. She ground her breasts against Aurelius' chest, wrapping a leg around him while he held her firm. Her want smelled consuming. Aurelius drank. His gaze turned from lustful to satiated. He looked dazed until Exotica's body began to shake. She spasmed, a rapturous expression on her face. Aurelius took one, long, last draught, then flicked out his tongue to close the puncture wounds. Exotica's wail of pure pleasure filled the room. Enoch grimaced when he offered his vein to her, his shirt rolled up to reveal his inner arm.
Exotica's teeth lengthened to short fangs—the sign of a newly turned—and she gouged them deep into his skin. She sucked and slurped until her color returned. When Aurelius pushed her away, she hissed, hungry for more. Aurelius laughed at her. "You're going to be insatiable, aren't you?"
She leapt onto him, wrapping her legs around his waist, and sank her fangs into his neck.
He knotted his fingers in her long, beautiful hair and yanked her head away. "Not me, my beautiful, horny one. There are many here, anxious to play with you."
Incisor stepped onto the stage, grabbed her, and started for the basement.
Feral waited until he left to issue instructions. "Her chains will be long. Feed her as much as you want and have your way with her. She wants to receive pleasure. If you satisfy her, Incisor will let you enjoy your full twenty minutes."
Vampires began lining up. A mortal hurried to join them, but Incisor shook his head. "No humans allowed."
Enoch hunched his shoulders. "That will only make mortals want to turn more."
"Where else can they see a show like that?" Ulrich sighed, and Enoch glanced his way. "I think I'll wait to be last," he said. "I want to see how much fun this girl's had once everything's finished."
Enoch nodded. He'd fou
nd the entire spectacle disturbing. Worse, he'd watched the mortals in the crowd as Aurelius drank from Exotica. The show didn't repel them. They could hardly contain themselves. Feral would have no problem finding new recruits for her special events.
Feral crossed the room to him. "Did you enjoy the show?"
"No." Ulrich was right. Feral was a cold, brutal bitch. She enjoyed flaunting the rules. He'd have to be cautious of her.
"If you didn't come for the show, did you come to see me?" She leaned closer to him.
"No." What was her problem? Did she really think any decent person would spend time with her?
She gave up playing flirty and narrowed her eyes. "Give me Crystal and I'll stop offering shows."
"Why would I give you Crystal?"
"So that we can strike a bargain, call a truce. I'm willing to compromise."
"What would you do to her?"
Feral's lips curled into a cruel smile. "I'd make her my lover. She'd take Desya's place."
Enoch's skin crawled. Even Ulrich looked shocked. Enoch shook his head. "I couldn't do that to anyone."
Feral's ebony eyebrows arched. "Then watch sorry, little mortals get stupid on venom."
Enoch grabbed her throat so fast, she wasn't ready for it. The room went silent, all eyes turned on them.
Before he shook her like a rat, she wheezed, "I haven't broken one rule. Ask your general. He knows."
Ulrich shrugged. "Sorry, I didn't hear you, and my memory hasn't been too good lately."
Feral hissed, but Enoch released her.
"Don't push me too far. I abide by vampire rules out of respect for them, not because I have to."
She smiled. "But you believe in free choice. You believe in mankind. A waste, but you do. Do you want puppets? You could make them follow your rules."
His voice a growl, Enoch said, "My palms are starting to itch. This would be a good time for you to get the hell out of my sight."
She turned and slowly climbed the stairs, her hips swaying seductively.
Ulrich let out a deep breath. "That woman loves to play with fire."
Enoch's gaze scanned the room, and vampires quickly looked away. "It's a game to her, watching mortals destroy themselves."
"Do you want to leave?" It was going to be a while before it was Ulrich's turn to walk down the red carpet to the basement. "I've seen new vampires before. They're nothing to brag about."
"No, I'm curious how the girl weathers all her attention." Would she be as hungry and lustful after the line of men finished with her?
While Enoch and Ulrich waited, female vampires formed a steady stream to visit them. At first, Enoch suspected that Feral had put them up to it, but then a petite vampire with short, spiky, black hair rested her hand on his thigh and cooed, "I've heard that one taste of you can satisfy a girl for weeks." Her blond friend placed her hand on Ulrich's crotch. "And your venom's supposed to sing through our veins." That's when Enoch realized that he and Ulrich were almost as appealing as morsels as the newly turned Exotica.
Ulrich pushed the girl's hand away. "I only bite women who love me for who I am, not just for my venom."
The blonde laughed. "Like the brunette upstairs?" So that's what had called attention to them. "And you?" she asked Enoch.
Ulrich answered. "He's taken."
She shrugged bare shoulders. "If you change your minds, just crook a finger, and we'll be at your sides."
Ulrich slapped his hand on Enoch's thigh when she left and gave it a playful squeeze, mimicking the girl. "I don't know when I've had this much fun. You always know how to show a friend a good time."
"We usually battle together." Enoch motioned for the bartender and ordered a glass of red wine.
"See what I mean? Fighting. Flirting. Free sex. What more could a guy want?" The line dwindled and Ulrich tugged at Enoch's arm. "I'm not going down there alone. I had to fight the last girl off, and she was human."
There was no way Enoch was visiting Exotica. "You're on your own. I paid. You do the research."
"What if she hurts me?"
"I've heard pain can be pleasurable. Have fun."
Ulrich pushed off his stool. Gazes followed him as he crossed the room and disappeared down the stairs. When Enoch turned to sip his wine, the vampire with short, spiky hair jumped out of her chair and leapt onto his back. She slammed her fangs into his shoulder, and the room abruptly went silent for a second time.
Damn. If he called on the Light, he'd crisp anyone close by. Besides, he didn't want to kill the girl, just get rid of her. He controlled himself so that the Light rose to his skin, but didn't burst from him. The girl screamed in pain and crumpled to the floor. She held out her hands and stared at the burn marks. She glanced in the long mirror to see blisters covering her lips and chin.
"You just ruined my silk shirt." Enoch made his tone flippant. "I know you got turned on by tonight's show, but get a grip. If I'd have called for more Light, you'd be ashes. No one drinks from me unless they're invited."
Vampires stared. Eyes wide, Miss Spikes blurted, "You could have killed me. Why didn't you?"
He shrugged, his gaze sweeping the room. "I don't hate all vamps, just bad ones. Tonight's show didn't do you any favors. It brings out the worst in all of you."
Feral came to the top of the stairs and glared down at him. She smirked. "Let me guess. You spared her. You're an angel with no balls, aren't you?" Then she turned on her heel and stalked away.
The room stayed deathly silent.
Ulrich came up from the basement and blinked at the holes in Enoch's shirt. "You too?" Ulrich's blond hair flew in all directions. Claw marks raked his face, and shreds of his white tunic clung to his chest. "Maybe it's time for us to go home."
As they passed Incisor, the bouncer gave them a rare smile. Had they amused him? Voices didn't rise again until they walked out the door. They shrugged into their jackets when they reached the Jaguar and Ulrich fell onto the front seat.
On the drive back to the apartment, Ulrich said, "Next time I visit a newbie, you're coming with me. I didn't want to hurt her, but I had a hell of a time getting away from her."
"So she was all right after all of her visitors?"
"Her customers are lucky she didn't drain them."
Enoch nodded. He told Ulrich about Spike Girl and Feral.
Ulrich leaned his head against the back rest and sighed. "Do you know what our problem is, friend? We're just too damned nice."
"That's us, vampire nursemaids of the universe."
Ulrich laughed. "When we get home, I'm having a stiff drink and it's the couch for me."
"I'm going to sit on the balcony for a while to enjoy the quiet."
"Set your alarm," Ulrich told him. His tone was teasing. "You have to drive Angel to school this morning."
"Holy hell." Enoch had forgotten that, but Ulrich was right. Now he was nursemaid for a little girl, too.
Chapter 15
Angel heard Enoch's footsteps in the hallway before he opened the door to their room. She quietly slid out of bed so that she wouldn't wake Crystal. She'd had trouble falling asleep last night with visions of all the new purchases she'd made swirling in her head. But she couldn't wait to walk into her class today in a new outfit. She wasn't sure it had ever happened before. She was tall enough, she usually wore Crystal's hand-me-downs, even though there was a six year age difference between them.
Once she was in the hallway, Enoch closed the door behind her and led her to the kitchen. "Would you like me to cook you an egg or make you waffles or pancakes?"
She shook her head, too excited to eat.
"I'll put a Pop Tart in the toaster, then, so it will be ready after you shower."
She skipped down the hall to the bathroom. She folded her new pajamas and laid them on a marble counter. Expensive shampoos and body lotions lined a shelf. She sniffed a few of them and decided on washing her hair with something that smelled like strawberries. The hot water never ran out, not for her entire showe
r, and steam filled the room so that she had to towel dry the mirror to see to brush her hair. Last night, she'd chosen the outfit she wanted to wear and left the clothes on a shelf that held a basket full of fancy soaps. After she dressed, she turned round and round to see herself in the full length mirror on the back of the door.
Satisfied, she hurried to the kitchen to see Enoch's reaction.
"Hey, you clean up nice." He smiled. "You look wonderful."
Her heart did a happy, little patter. She held out a fabric hair piece for her ponytail. "Can you help me?"
Enoch eyed it suspiciously. "What do you do with it?"
With a sigh, she clumped her honey-gold hair behind her head and tugged on the stretchy band.
Enoch nodded. "Pretty."
She studied him. "You really think so?"
"Someday, you'll be as beautiful as your sister."
"No one's as pretty as Crystal." She regretted it as soon as the words left her lips. What if he got mad? What if he told her to learn some manners and wash her mouth out with soap, like Mom did? Instead, he smiled.
"Wait and see," he said. "There are all different kinds of pretty."
Her heart did that patter thing again. Could a person explode with too much happiness?
He pushed a Pop Tart to her. "Eat up. You don't want your stomach to growl two hours from now."
She never ate in the morning. Mom never had anything to make, but she bit into the pastry to please him. It tasted pretty good, so she munched on it while Enoch went to get her new zip-up hoodie. That's what all the kids wore now, but none of them had one like hers. It was a black, silky material with pink trim. He held it for her to slide her arms into.
She followed him downstairs, and her jaw dropped when he led her to a dark green Jaguar to drive her to school. "This is yours too?" she asked.
"I don't drive it in the winter, so I want to enjoy it now." He held the door for her.
Angel felt like a princess. She sat in the front seat and hugged herself as he drove her to school. When he pulled to the curb, he got out of the car to hold the door for her again. She'd seen men do that in movies and TV shows, but she thought it was just for effect. When she started into the building, she took a deep breath. This was going to be the best day ever! She couldn't wait for it to start.
