The first orange wedge went down with no problem. It was sweeter than the oranges that we got in Low Town. Less bitter and acidic. I waited, tensed to see if my stomach would reject what I had just eaten. Chang was a reliable source of goods, but this was also the first time I had ingested anything the man had given me.
“You okay?” Bronx asked as he threw the Jeep in park on the side of the road a block over from the entrance to the nest. This street ran behind the house, nearest to the woods.
“Not killing me yet,” I murmured as I picked up a second piece. Pulling at the rind with my fingertips, I tore off the pulpy interior with my teeth and sucked it down quickly. As I was chewing, I considered offering the last two wedges to Bronx. He didn’t know what it was other than it was protection against the vampires. I changed my mind, putting the bowl on the floor of the car. I wasn’t sure the mixture would react the same in a troll’s bloodstream and I didn’t want to take the risk with Bronx’s life.
The trek through the small wooded strip behind the vampire manor was quiet and uneventful, but nonetheless left me itching for a weapon. For the most part, vampires avoided violence and confrontation. They had fought too hard for their rights over the years and knew too much bad press might see those rights revoked. However, all that flew out the window when you trespassed within their domain—not that I could blame them.
My heart was pounding in my chest when I raised my hand to knock on the back door. Bronx was close behind me, standing on the stairs leading up to the small wooden porch. No one answered. I glanced over my shoulder at Bronx, who shrugged. Vampires had great hearing. They heard me, but I suspected that they were a little confused. Who knocked on the back door at a vampire nest in the middle of the night? I raised my hand to pound on the door again, when it swung open. A vampire poked his head out, a confused expression on his young face. He was a couple inches shorter than me, looking to be barely over twenty with short black hair, dark brown skin, and nearly colorless eyes that were bright beacons against his skin.
“Chester,” I barked before he could open his mouth.
The vampire slammed the door in my face, but he didn’t go far because I could hear his voice raised on the other side of the door as he argued with someone. I lifted my hand—the more off-balance I could keep them, the better chance Bronx and I had in keeping the upper hand. Before my knuckles could touch the door, it swung open again; this time wider so I could see part of the kitchen.
“Is he expecting you?” the vampire demanded.
I stepped into the opening, taking note of the female vampire leaning against the door frame leading into the rest of the house. Bronx followed behind me, forcing the vampire at the door to take a couple steps backward. “If Chester’s smart, he is,” I said. “He took something that doesn’t belong to him.”
The female vamp stiffened as she looked at her companion. That quelled my last doubt. I’d rip the place apart to free both Trixie and Jo from Chester and the rest of this nest.
“Did this . . . thing . . . he supposedly took belong to you?” the woman asked with a thick Eastern European accent.
“Belong? Doesn’t matter. I want to see Chester.”
“How did you find us?” the male vampire demanded.
“The white pages. Now where is he?”
The two vampires stared at each other for several seconds. I didn’t know whether they were communicating telepathically or if they were just waiting to see who would dare to speak. The woman finally gave a dramatic shrug as she pushed away from the wall. “What do I care? Is his problem.”
As she walked away, I looked over at the guy leaning against the back door with a scowl on his face. He looked like an angry, angst-ridden teenager in his baggy jeans and faded T-shirt, but he could have been old enough to be my great-great-grandfather.
“Look, I didn’t start this.”
He made a sound in the back of his throat as he straightened. “Don’t doubt it. Chester’s a fucking ass,” he muttered. He waved his hand at the ceiling as he headed toward the hallway. “Upstairs. Top floor.” He walked away, grumbling under his breath. “I’m gonna have to fuckin’ pack again. Where the hell am I going to go now?”
“Well, I guess that’s one less thing we have to worry about,” Bronx said softly beside me. He was right. We had both thought that getting in the place was going to be a problem, but it didn’t seem like many of the vampires in this nest were willing to jump to Chester’s defense. That still didn’t mean that we were in the clear, but it was a start in the right direction.
With a shake of my head, I led the way out of the kitchen and down the narrow hallway to the front of the house. The residence was in beautiful shape with honey-wood floors and the walls painted warm, muted colors. Everything looked like it was kept polished and clean, as if they were expecting guests at any minute. It was well-known that the majority of vampires possessed some obsessive-compulsive traits, but I hadn’t thought about it resulting in an immaculately kept house. I guess I had read too many of those ridiculous horror comics about vampires in spider-web-covered caves and rat-infested crypts.
At the main entrance, I glanced in both the parlor and dining room to find more vampires, sitting around a large table or lounging on delicate furniture that looked antique. All conversation stopped.
“Chester?” I demanded. After several seconds, one vampire on a red chaise looked up from a book and pointed toward the ceiling. “Jo?” The same vampire pointed toward the floor. Apparently my ex was in the basement. I could only assume that Chester was upstairs with Trixie. Most likely, the vampires slept in the basement, where there were no windows, while Trixie was taken to the upper floors, away from where they were most vulnerable.
“Do you want to split up?” Bronx asked.
I shook my head. “We’ll get Trixie and take care of Chester first, and then find Jo.”
Bronx followed me as I jogged up the stairs to the second floor and then hurried across the landing to the stairs leading to the third floor. The top floor of the house held only two doors to my relief. I didn’t want to waste more time kicking down doors as I searched for Chester. It was my hope that he didn’t know I was in the house. The others didn’t seem too keen on protecting or even trying to warn him.
The first door I tried was unlocked, but the room was also empty except for a small bed and a bureau. My mouth went dry as we neared the only other room. Behind the door, I could hear soft footsteps on carpet, moving back and forth through the room as if someone was pacing. Cautiously I tried the knob but it was locked. Stepping back, I nodded to Bronx. I was hoping he would put his foot through the door, busting through like an overzealous SWAT team taking down a drug lab or a drunk minotaur in heat. Instead, he merely placed one hand on the door just above the knob. With one firm push, the wood cracked loudly and the lock popped under his superior strength and weight.
Chester jerked toward the door as it swung open. He looked like he was about to snap at the intrusion, but his mouth instantly clamped shut when he saw Bronx filling the doorway with me hovering close behind. A single light burned overhead in the room, empty except for Chester and Trixie, who was tied to a chair. Her brown hair looked a little disheveled but I could see no bruises on her. Either Chester hadn’t hurt her, or the glamour she used to hide her real features was covering it.
“What are you doing here?” Chester snarled when he recovered from his shock.
“Reclaiming something that belongs to me,” I bit out as I stepped around Bronx to enter the room. I glanced at the troll. “Get Trixie down to the first floor. I’ll meet you there in a few minutes.”
Bronx hesitated, staring at me with his intense blue eyes. He obviously didn’t like my plan to be alone with Chester. But he walked over to where Trixie was seated in the middle of the room. Chester moved out of the way, letting the troll pass. Sure, the vampire was faster than the troll, but they were pretty evenly matched when it came to strength and trolls could take a beating.
/> “You’re trespassing,” Chester said with a sneer. “I could have you arrested.”
“Go for it, Chet.” I gave him a big grin. “I thought I would have to come up with some elaborate scheme to get you kicked out of this nest and Low Town, but you did it for me. Kidnapping is illegal and I can’t imagine your Elders are going to look kindly on it.”
“Kidnapping? Who? Her?” The vampire waved one hand at Trixie as Bronx knelt behind her, freeing her hands. “She came here of her own free will. Didn’t you?”
I looked at Trixie and she hung her head down and sighed heavily, sending a shaft of tension screaming through my stomach. “Trixie?”
“Jo was with him,” she murmured. Her shoulders slumped and she forced herself to look up at me. Tears glistened in wide brown eyes. “He said he would accept a trade.”
“What kind of trade?”
“He would punish me instead of Jo as long as I came quietly. I had to go. It was my fault.”
I tore my gaze away from her tortured eyes. Good intentions. They always fucked you in the end. Trixie was only trying to help Jo, make it up to her friend for getting her in trouble with Chester in the first place. It was easy for me to shake my head and say that it had been a stupid choice, but if roles had been reversed, I would have done the same damn thing. Anything to spare Jo.
As Bronx dropped the rope from Trixie’s wrists, she launched herself at Chester, surging across the room with her fingers hooked like claws. Bronx moved faster than I would have guessed possible as he jumped up and caught her around the waist. She screeched angrily, fighting to be free.
“He lied!” she screamed. “He had Jo tie me up and then he beat her in front of me.”
“Bronx! Get her out of here!”
The troll hauled Trixie out of the room as she continued to fight him, slamming the door behind him as they exited the room. I pulled a knife from my pocket and started to circle Chester. He took a sidestep for each of mine, keeping me directly in front of him.
“You know, I thought I would be content with just getting you to leave town, but now I know it’s not going to be enough. You’ll leave town, and then you’ll fuck somebody else up, destroy someone else’s happiness.”
Chester laughed. “You think you can kill me?”
A wicked grin curled across my lips. “I’ve fought things far worse and lived. Just a walk in the park.”
I lunged at him, but he dodged me easily, sliding to the side like a leaf dancing on the wind. Twisting to the left as he moved, I cut through his shirt and drew blood. The laughter on his face disappeared at the slight wound, while my smile grew. Energy hummed around me, begging to be drawn in, but I fought it. Casting a spell or two was tempting, but I didn’t want to call in something that I didn’t actually have any chance of beating. The odds were grim enough against a master vampire without adding a warlock.
Chester attacked, pummeling me until I was kneeling on the ground, the blade clenched in my fist. As he zipped in close to my exposed neck, I rolled, slashing the knife at his face. There was an answering shout of pain and anger as I regained my knees. It was a struggle to get back to my feet. Ribs were cracked, if not broken, and my head swam like a drunk in a pool of warm molasses. Luckily, I didn’t think he had cut me yet. I didn’t want him to get a whiff of my blood before he bit me. I had forgotten to ask Chang if the poison changed the scent of my blood, which might tip off Chester that something was different.
Swaying slightly as I stood, I found Chester standing on the other side of the room. His pale eyes glowed while blood streaked down his cheek. The wound was already closing, but it was enough to completely piss him off. Apparently Chester had been playing with me, because when he came at me this time, I didn’t even see it. One second he was on the other side of the room and in the next he was in front of me, his fist in my stomach. As I doubled over, he moved behind me and grabbed a fistful of hair. Jerking my head back, he caught my right hand in a hard grip before I could plunge the knife home.
My heart nearly exploded in my chest as panic coursed through my body. Clenching my teeth, I closed my eyes and held my breath. I couldn’t cast a spell. Every fiber of my being screamed for me to defend myself with magic until the air crackled with untapped energy, but I cleared my mind. He had to bite me. I had to trust Chang. I would survive this.
Chester’s fangs plunged into my neck, expertly piercing my carotid artery like a surgeon. Pain lanced through me, bowing my body away from him, but I remained pinned to Chester’s open mouth. I ground my teeth together, fighting the urge to scream. If I opened my mouth, I might cast a spell and I couldn’t risk it.
The vampire suddenly jerked away from me with a groan. He stumbled a couple feet into the middle of the room, his hands pressed to his stomach as his face twisted in pain. Apparently my blood was poisonous. Chang was a fucking genius. Pressing my left hand against my neck in an effort to slow the bleeding, I walked toward Chester with the knife in my hand. The master vampire was curled in the fetal position on the floor, moaning softly.
I knelt on one knee, raising the knife to stab him in the heart. Reluctance. Fear. Doubt. They were all gone. He couldn’t be left free where he would harm someone else in the name of control and amusement. We had enough sick controlling bastards in the world. We could do without Chester.
The door burst open, halting me.
“No!” Jo screamed. She rushed forward, knocking the blade out of my hand. “You can’t!”
I jumped to my feet. I started to cup her blood and tear-streaked face, but she lurched away from me, her eyes darting to my own bloody hand. With a frown, I lowered my left hand and grabbed her shoulder with my right. “Are you okay?” I demanded.
“Yes, but you can’t touch him.”
“Fuck! Jo, he’s hurting you. He got you to help him kidnap Trixie. Gods only know how many other people he’s hurt. It has to stop!”
“I agree, but you can’t do it. You’re not an Elder vampire and you’re not a part of the legal system. You have no right to pass judgment on him. Hell, you’re not even a warlock.”
Muscles jerked at her last comment, but I kept my scowl in place. “You’re right. You’re the one that should be doing something. Save yourself and anyone else from him hurting them.”
Her soft voice broke. “I can’t. He . . . he’s my maker.”
My mind jerked to a complete halt as it tried to comprehend that statement. He beat her, tormented her, controlled her every movement, and she allowed it because he had turned her. And now she wouldn’t allow him to be destroyed because of something that had passed between them long ago.
I looked down at Chester, who was still curled on the floor, but he was watching Jo intently. Pain lined his face. Jo placed her hand over mine on her shoulder, drawing my gaze back to her. Tears streaked down her face. She looked tired and worn, as if the night had cracked the vampiric spell and aged her several years.
“You know, it would have saved us a fuck ton of trouble if you had just volunteered that information sooner,” I muttered.
A small smile tweaked one corner of her mouth. “Fuck ton, huh? You know in all my studies to get my PhD in biophysics, I don’t remember the measurement of a fuck ton.”
“Slightly larger than a shit ton and way more than an ass load,” I said. Tension oozed from my shoulders and eased in my stomach at the sight of that smile.
“Good to know.”
“Wait! Biophysics? You’ve got a PhD? I thought you were a musician.”
Jo gently squeezed my hand, rubbing her thumb across my wrist. “I am, but I’ve been around for a long time. I’ve got to do something with all these nights.”
“Look out!” Trixie screamed. My head instinctively twisted toward the door in time to see her grab a stake off of Bronx’s belt and throw it between Jo and me. Following the stake, I saw it sink deep into Chester’s chest. The master vampire stumbled backwards, my knife falling from his hand. I hadn’t heard Chester get up and grab my knife. He
ll, I hadn’t even heard Bronx and Trixie approach. He could have killed one or both of us before we even realized what was happening.
Jo gasped, pulling away from me. She covered her mouth with both hands as she knelt next to where Chester had fallen on the ground. His head turned toward me, his eyes wide, but he seemed to be smiling. He whispered something before he slipped away into the black abyss. I thought he said “Thank you,” but I couldn’t be sure.
I sighed. A part of me wanted to be happy that Jo was free, but the whole thing had left a bad taste in my mouth. I looked over at Bronx, who was also frowning. “Call the cops.”
CHAPTER SEVEN
The last of the night sped away from us in a blur of flashing red and blue lights, yellow crime scene tape, and a barrage of questions from both cops and vampires. Representatives from the vampire Elders questioned all of us. Somewhere along the way, the vampire who had answered the back door helped me bandage my neck. The nest was strangely well stocked in first aid supplies, but I didn’t question it. Shortly before dawn, Bronx left to take Trixie to get her car, while I stayed with Jo and tried to answer more questions, but the more I talked, the more I realized that I had some unanswered questions of my own.
The vampires were the first to pack it in followed by the police. They had their answers and had no more need of us. In the end, Chester’s killing had been declared self-defense. While no one seemed happy with how things had been handled, they all agreed that there was nothing to be done about it now. It was over for the most part. Jo had been handed temporary leadership of the nest until the Elders could discuss the matter. No one seemed to be particularly heartbroken over Chester’s death. Well, no one except Jo.
The Asylum Interviews: Trixie Page 7
