How polite am I willing to be? I’m all for getting along with my boyfriend’s pals, but where’s the line?
“Laurence!” Devereux scooted a little toward the end of the booth and pulled me along with him. He rested his arm on the back of the cushions and draped his hand on my shoulder.
“Sorry, Dev.” Laurence held his hands out in front to show he was no longer touching me. “I just couldn’t resist. Her blood is tantalizing.” He gave a wicked grin and turned his vibrant green gaze to me. “I am sorry, Doctor. And because Devereux will kick my ass if I don’t behave, I will – or at least as much as I can.”
“Try harder,” Devereux said with a scowl.
My blood is tantalizing? I didn’t know how I was going to make it through the evening with these two. If Devereux really wanted me to trust him, he was going to have to start telling me a lot more about the vampires he expected me to spend time with. Since I couldn’t count on them to behave in any conventional way, I was once again forced to face the fact that I might not be able to hang out in this new world. It just wasn’t healthy to have to be on guard all the time.
No doubt all the vampires at the table picked up my fearful vibe, because their gazes locked on me.
“So, Dr. Knight,” Elliott said, “we’ve been very excited to meet you. You know of course that Devereux has been waiting for your arrival for centuries.” He toyed with a large, ruby ring on his middle finger. It looked like one of those with a hidden compartment for poison. “I suppose that does put a lot of pressure on you. Talk about performance anxiety.”
Performance anxiety? How about every-day terror?
His eyes widened. “Anyway,” he continued, “Devereux tells us you counsel both humans and vampires. Quite frankly, I don’t know how you can stand to listen to all those sad, negative stories all day and night. Don’t you get overwhelmed? I could tell you stories that would curl your hair. Oh, wait.” He lifted a section of my hair. “Too late.”
He and Laurence high-fived again.
I focused on counting backward from one-hundred, so I wouldn’t have any stray thoughts.
“That is a good question, my love. Do you feel depleted by the unhappy tales your clients tell?”
Devereux really was patient with them. I was grateful he’d brought the conversation to something I could actually discuss. “No. I’m not burned out yet. I still enjoy the challenges of my work. I’m accustomed to human diagnoses and neuroses. Nothing about mortals really surprises me anymore. But vampires? Stress city.”
Reality check: I’m sitting at a table full of vampires, talking about how stressful counseling vampires is.
“Oh, my,” Lawrence said. “Diagnoses, neuroses. I just love when you speak psychology. It’s such a turn-on.” He fanned himself.
“Excuse me, uh, Mr. Devereux?” said a throaty, female voice.
We all shifted our attention to the bald woman resting a hip against the edge of our table. Her shiny scalp, along with the rest of her exposed skin, was covered with tattoos: colorful, mystical symbols and vampiric images. A rendering of two round dots dripping blood decorated the side of her neck. She might have had the biggest breasts I’d ever seen on a non-airbrushed woman, and the tiny bra-top she wore wasn’t likely to survive a deep breath. It was amazing she could even move in the skin-tight leather pants that completed her ensemble.
Here we go again.
It never failed. Whenever Devereux showed up at his club, or anywhere public, women couldn’t control themselves. They felt compelled to get close to him. Even he didn’t know exactly what caused the phenomenon: whether it was because he was a Master, and one of the older ones, or if it was simply his own specific energy. Or, more likely, his obvious attributes. I’d quickly gotten over any initial jealousy after noticing how cold – no pun intended – the encounters left Devereux. But, I did find it rude and annoying. On the other hand, if certain, suggestible women couldn’t help themselves… I knew how it felt to be under someone else’s power.
The woman locked eyes with Devereux and her breathing quickened.
“Yes?” he asked, his gorgeous face a polite mask. He removed his arm from around me and folded his hands on the table.
Hmm. Does he expect to have to wrestle her down?
“My friends and I,” she pointed behind her to a group of giggling women, all tattooed and pierced like the speaker, “we’d really like to kiss you.” She leaned in, her bodacious mammary glands leading the charge, lips pursed in anticipation.
Personality disorder? Hypersexuality in a manic phase?
Devereux signaled his club manager Luna. Dressed in her usual tight, black leather, she oozed hostility and sensuality. Her long dark hair moved like silk, her silver eyes painted in a multi-hued extravaganza. She stalked like a predator toward our booth. “Luna, please escort our guests out of the club and make sure they arrive home safely.”
“Yes, Master.”
“Are you sure, Devereux?” Laurence ogled the uninvited woman’s cleavage and licked his lips. “Perhaps Elliott and I could walk them to their cars. We wouldn’t want them to get lost…”
Devereux raised a brow at the two vampires and spoke to the guests. “Ladies, it is time to go home now.” His voice took on an even more mesmerizing tone than usual. The group of women turned and walked stiffly behind Luna, as she led them toward the front door.
“Perhaps it is me,” Devereux said, frowning. “But regardless, I do wish I could find a way to dampen the effect. It seems to be getting worse lately. My aura is changing. I not only attract unwanted female attention, but also violent reactions from males.” He shook his head. “It is not wise, no matter what the reason, for any vampire to shine a spotlight on himself.”
“I’ve heard that’s what happens to older vampires, sometimes,” Elliott said. “Especially Masters who’ve ingested so much powerful blood for years.”
“Yeah,” Laurence agreed. “It’s good that you’ve now limited your food supply to humans and vampires. Maybe you won’t turn into the Vampire Pied Piper, having humans follow you around constantly.”
My stomach tightened. Limited his supply to humans and vampires? Oh. My. God. What else is there?
Devereux glanced at our concerned faces, and I got the sense he said something telepathically to Laurence and Elliott. “Ah, I apologize. This is a celebration and I have darkened the mood. Let us return to a happier discussion.”
“Wait a minute.” I took his hand in mine. “You didn’t say anything to me about these situations getting worse. Would it be best if we didn’t go out in public for a while? Maybe give you a break?”
Maybe give us both a break.
“No,” he said, his words crisp and hard. “I refuse to allow myself to be controlled by outside circumstances. I will simply think of a way to resolve the issue, and we will go about our normal lives.”
There’s that word again: normal. I can’t even begin to imagine what it means to a vampire.
Devereux put his arm around my shoulders again and squeezed gently. He turned to me. “I am eager to tell you about my surprise. You will love it. We seldom get to travel together, and—”
“Master?”
We all turned toward the purring female voice.
“Luna, my little sex goddess. You’re back.” Laurence patted his lap and leered. “Who’s your daddy?”
She ignored him except for raising her middle finger, and focused on Devereux. “Master, one of the new vampires broke out of his cage and captured a couple of humans. He’s made a total mess of the holding area – blood everywhere.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “A complete waste of good food. The newbie must have been turned by someone powerful because we haven’t been able to control him. Could you come?”
There are cages for new vampires?
“Yes. I will meet you in the sub-basement.”
Luna gave a quick nod, then hurried away.
Devereux turned to me, frowning. “I apologize, my love. I will retur
n as quickly as possible.” He lasered his gaze onto Laurence and Elliott. “Please keep Dr. Knight company, and behave yourselves.”
Before I could even formulate a thought, or say “Hell, no!” he vanished.
Chapter 3
I blinked at the empty place at the table next to me. Since Devereux didn’t usually pull a disappearing act in his club where customers might see, the situation must’ve been serious.
“Don’t worry, Dr. Knight. This sort of thing happens all the time.” Elliott stretched his arms, then cracked his knuckles. “New vampires can really be monsters.” He opened his mouth wide, exposing his fangs, and they both laughed like demented fiends.
I can’t believe Devereux left me in a vampire club with two unpredictable, unhinged bloodsuckers. And he wonders why I have trouble trusting him?
Laurence and Elliott stopped laughing.
Shit. They heard that.
Laurence angled his body so he could face me, all the mirth wiped from his expression. “We’re sorry for making you uncomfortable, Doctor. We were performing for Devereux’s benefit. As frustrated as he gets with our behavior, he also laughs more when he’s with us. He carries heavy burdens on his shoulders, both in the vampire and human worlds, and we like to lighten him up once in a while.”
Elliott nodded. “We worry about him.”
“What do you mean?” Maybe I really could learn more about the Master tonight.
“Though he’s relatively indestructible, sometimes he’s moody – as we’re sure you’ve noticed,” Laurence said. “He has a… darkness.”
“A darkness? What do you mean?” Are they talking about depression?
“No,” Elliott responded to my thought. “Not depression. Worse than that. He becomes barbaric, violent.”
“Violent? Devereux? I don’t think so.” Oh, I get it. They’re still playing with me. Time to go home.
“Wait, Kismet. Don’t go.” Laurence grabbed my arm before I moved a muscle to leave the booth. “Ordinarily, we wouldn’t interfere in our father’s plans for you, but we know he’ll regret his decision after he comes back to himself. And then he’ll really be lost.”
I looked down at his hand on my arm and he let go. “What are you talking about?”
Elliott turned to Laurence. “Should we tell her? Father will be angry with us.”
“We have no choice. It’s for his own good.”
My solar plexus clenched. Their energy became painfully intense. It was suddenly hard to breathe. “Tell me what?” Something was very wrong. My intuition flashed, danger, danger. Sweat trickled down the side of my face and my heart pounded erratically. Were they doing something to me?
“Did he mention anything about a surprise?” Laurence frowned and tilted his head to the side, waiting for me to answer.
He did say he had a surprise for me. Should I tell them?
Laurence nodded. “Reading minds does save time, doesn’t it? We suspected he used that ploy on you.”
“Ploy?” I licked my dry lips, trying to contain my anxiety. Why am I suddenly afraid?
“Probably because your intuition has kicked in. Devereux told us you have keen skills,” Elliott said. “We knew if we raised the issue, you’d begin to sense the undercurrents.”
I slid out of the booth and stood, trying to catch my breath, the air suddenly thick and heavy. “I’ve had enough. I’m going home now. Tell Devereux I’ll see him tomorrow night.” I turned and managed a couple of steps before Laurence spoke again.
“He’s going to take you to Paris, but not where you think.” His soothing voice sounded oddly compelling.
I paused and looked over my shoulder at him. “Paris?” I love Paris.
“Come back and sit, and we’ll tell you everything. We don’t have much time. He’ll return soon.” Laurence’s enticing tone caressed my ears, making me feel drowsy. He patted the seat next to him. “Devereux’s mind isn’t easy to read under the best of conditions, but Elliott and I have an advantage since we’re his offspring. We can intercept his thoughts and feelings if they’re powerful enough.”
For a few seconds I dithered, unsure what to do. My lizard brain ordered me to bolt out of the club, hail a cab and barricade myself in my townhouse. It was exactly these sorts of situations that kept me from easily trusting Devereux or anything about his world. But another part of my gray matter wanted to hear what Elliott and Laurence had to say, and to know why they were acting so serious and concerned. My Inner Scientist didn’t want to miss anything important, and since Devereux was always so tight-lipped about his life, maybe his friends would share something to expand my knowledge. And Laurence’s voice sounded so pleasantly hypnotic. Musical, even. I could listen to it all night…
“Okay.” Following his suggestion, I slid in next to Laurence again. “Tell me about Paris.” Wait! Why did I sit down again? I need to leave…
He stroked the back of my hand. “That’s right. Just relax. He’s going to say he’s taking you on a romantic trip to the City of Light. He’ll dazzle your mind with visions of Parisian pleasures. And he will take you to Paris, but to a very private place.”
“What kind of private place?” The idea of being alone with Devereux always appealed to me. I tried to breathe through the tension in my midsection.
“Have you heard of the catacombs, Dr. Knight?” Elliott folded his hands on the table.
“Certainly.” I studied his blood-red painted fingernails. “It’s a network of subterranean tunnels and an ancient graveyard. It’s been open to tourists for a long time.” It was getting hard to speak, as if my lips couldn’t form the words.
“Yes. And there’s an unknown, unexplored level of tunnels deeper underground.” Laurence lowered his voice. “These are utilized by various cults for dark ceremonies.”
My stomach muscles twisted. “What kind of dark ceremonies?”
They looked at each other. “Has Devereux ever talked to you about becoming his mate?”
Even though the question wasn’t particularly scary, my breath caught. How did they know that? Then I thought for a few seconds. Of course he would’ve told his closest friends about his romantic plans. “Yes, he mentioned the idea without explaining anything.” I bounced my gaze back and forth between them. Would I finally discover the secret? “Can you tell me about it?”
“Actually,” Elliott said with a sad expression on his face, “we feel duty-bound to tell you. The last time we didn’t warn the woman…”
“Elliott! That’s enough. She doesn’t need to know that.”
Know what? My body broke out in chill bumps. The pity in his voice triggered my fight-or-flight response, and I braced my hands flat on the table in preparation of a quick escape. “I don’t understand.” The room was spinning.
“The mating ceremony isn’t remotely as romantic as it sounds,” Elliott continued. “In fact, it’s strictly one-sided. The vampire benefits by draining both the blood and the life force of the loved one, and then brutally shreds the body with a ritual knife. The outcome for the human is death. The vampire gains power and new abilities through the process. Only the most powerful bloodsuckers – like Devereux – can perform the rite. That’s one reason there are so many bones down in the catacombs. He has had many potential mates.”
My mouth went dry during his description and I had to lick my lips repeatedly before I could speak, my voice thick, slow. “He would never do anything like that. You’re lying.”
“Are we?” Laurence asked, brows raised. “How well do you really know our father?” His tone was no longer appealing, but condescending. “He mentioned that you are quite naïve.”
“And gullible,” Elliot added. “Traits he usually looks for in his women.”
I sat, frozen, remembering all the times Devereux had refused to explain the mate idea or why it held such importance for him. My mind went fuzzy, like I’d imbibed more than a few cocktails, but I hadn’t had any alcohol all night. Could they be telling the truth? No! It isn’t possible!
/>
“Dr. Knight?” Laurence snapped his fingers in front of my eyes.
“I think she’s gone into shock,” Elliott concluded. “Maybe we went too far.”
Laurence smacked my cheeks lightly with his palms. “Well, damn. Who knew she was so easily entranced?”
I tried to move my lips to tell him to stop slapping me, but I couldn’t.
“Should we stop?” Elliott asked. “Snap her out of it?” He lifted my hand and dropped it onto the table top with a dull thud.
“What? You want to give up before the game is finished?” Laurence answered.
“I guess not. But we’d better hurry.”
I heard the words, that this was a game, but it didn’t register. Nothing did. Only fear.
Laurence returned his gaze to me. “Look at me, Dr. Knight. We need to make sure you understand how important it is that you run away. Under no circumstances should you go to Paris with Devereux. If you do, you’ll die. Do you understand?”
I wanted to laugh at them, and insist I didn’t believe a word, but my brain wouldn’t cooperate. Visions of dead bodies danced in my head. My eyes found Laurence’s and I couldn’t look away. Terror seized me. My jaw clenched and the sound of the bass guitar suddenly pulsed along the bones of my head, making me dizzier. Waves of fear crashed through my body and propelled me from the booth. With a silent scream, I elbowed my way through the club, heading for the front door. I have to escape. Get away from Devereux. Change my name. Move to another state – another country. Receive electroshock therapy so I can forget everything.
“Wait! Dr. Knight, come back!” Familiar offspring laughter followed me as I pushed frantically through the crowd.
Stumbling on rubber legs, I’d just reached the large entryway to the club, when a hidden panel slid open in the wall. Devereux and Luna stepped out. Quickly detouring so they wouldn’t see me, I pressed myself into a shadowy corner behind a coffin containing a life-like Bela Lugosi. Holding my breath, I waited for them to pass. But instead of moving on, he faced her, his voice stern.
Sex in a Coffin (Kismet Knight, Vampire Psychologist) Page 3
