vampires of san francisco 07 - suckers lost and found

by mcbrayer, jessica

  Suddenly, Julian puts his hand on her shoulder and she jumps.

  “It was never a mystery why you bought that house, my dearest one,” he says kissing her neck. “It is going to put a crimp in my day to have to go out in the sunlight to visit with these two, though.”

  “We will be over too. Probably so much that we should build a connecting doorway,” I say. “But let’s not tell anyone else until we get back home, okay?”

  “Deal. I think some hearts will be broken. Andrew will probably try to butler both houses,” Julian laughs.

  “Oh merde, I didn’t think of that. He is quite attached to you, ma petite.”

  “Well, we’ll deal with that later. We’ll figure something out.” I sigh.

  LILITH

  We start stopping in our ports of call. Each one is exotic and exciting. Our plan is that when we stop in ports along the way, Julian and Aidan will make their daily hunting excursions. All of our searching has turned up only traces of the system that took Manda. They remain one step ahead of us. My biggest hope is we find her in time, before the three month time table the Queen gave us. Even that is generous to think we have that much time. I can literally see Aidan start to waste away. I beg Julian to take him somewhere he can rejuvenate when they go searching. He promises he will.

  After several days at sea, our first stop is Gibraltar for the day. The history of the area is interesting and the shopping is good. So many countries are represented here. Officially a UK territory, Gibraltar has voted overwhelming to stay that way. Spain has been trying to acquire them for years. At one point they shut down their borders to Gibraltar in a fit of pique. The Gibraltarians are very friendly and have diverse backgrounds. It was a truly pleasurable day of shopping and sightseeing and under the secrecy of the night we jump off the yacht to swim.

  Thank the Goddess for Aidan. He assured me that he would send all my purchases home. I’m shopping for the new house and I’m finding all sorts of things to commemorate our wedding cruise. Aidan looks at me funny when I ask him to send vases and rugs home. I find some local artists and buy original artwork for the walls. He doesn’t ask me why I am buying it; he just says my room is going to be full when I get back.

  After Gibraltar, it is Monte Carlo for some gambling and time in the sun. We spend the day at one of the hotel’s private beaches, basking in the sun or under umbrellas like Helena and the babies. That night we go to the ballet. Barcelona is next and the market there is amazing. We have a day at sea after the whirlwind tour of the last few ports. Next we head to Greece and take a couple of days to tour the islands with their wildness and beauty. After Greece we are in Istanbul, Turkey, and back to Athens before we are at sea again headed to Italy and the end of our trip. I have shopped with Helena and Hannah til I almost tired of it. Amazing art work, Persian rugs of the softest wool and of course I slip in some clothes too.

  “Hannah, you’re spending hours on your laptop. You need to rest, girlfriend. Your babies hardly remember you,” I tell her as I find her nose buried in the computer up on deck.

  “Ha ha, funny Lily,” she quips, still not looking away from the computer screen.

  “I’m serious, Han. You’ve got to take a break.”

  “Manda doesn’t get a break,” she says looking me square in the eye. I drop my head. “Hey, I didn’t mean you aren’t doing enough. You’ve been right next to me most of the time I’ve been looking.” She blows out a big breath and cracks her knuckles, putting the computer to the side.

  “I feel like I should be doing more.”

  “You’ve still been talking with Aidan everyday?”

  “Yeah, we have a few minutes to ourselves every day.”

  “I think that is the only thing keeping him going, Lil,” she says to me. Hannah frowns

  and pulls her lip in between her teeth.

  “He’s been taking the guys with him to search. He alternates them every day. He says that he’s trying to keep a fresh approach to his tracking, that the guys each may offer a different perspective. He still prefers Julian because of his hunting and tracking experience in the wars.”

  “I just can’t not look for her online. You know? I can’t explain it but I feel like if I’m not searching then something bad is going to happen to her.”

  “Oh Han, that’s survivor’s guilt. I’m ordering you to take a break to go and play with your babies. You’ll feel better afterward. Go, scooch. I’ll search for a while.”

  “Thanks, Lily. I need to see Finn and Fiona to remind me about all the good in the world. It gives me hope.” She leaves at vampire speed to the other side of the deck where Helena and Andrew are holding the babies under Hades’ watchful eye.

  I search for the next three hours waiting for Bast and Aidan to return. Still no word, sign or indication that she still exists. Everyone is feeling the pressure to find her soon.

  Despite our search we are able to enjoy parts of the trip. Hannah, Liam, Andrew and I couldn’t get up until the afternoon, so we could dictate our own schedules. It made for lazy days and late nights.

  When we dock in Venice the cruise is over and we prepare for our visit to see the King of Italy.

  “What is the King like?” Andrew asks.

  “Like Zoe but much more ruthless, and less progressive,” Sebastian says.

  “He is much more ruthless and tied to the old ways than Zoe was. He rules with an iron fist, executing anyone, vampires or humans, that disagrees with him or stands in his way,” Sebastian tells us.

  I use my hand sanitizer ten times that afternoon while we get ready. I am obsessive-compulsive besides being a werevamp, but I’m working on it. My OCD only comes out when I am very nervous or stressed. Sebastian tries to reassure me, but mostly he carries my bottle of hand sanitizer around. Aidan often summons some of my favorite kind germ killer. It smells like raspberries and chocolate. I must have a hundred bottles of it around the house but never seem to find one when I need it. Even with Manda missing and his heart torn in two he makes sure everyone is taken care of. His capacity for love is beyond understanding.

  When we get to our rooms we find them decadent and designed to mimic the décor of the Italian Renaissance. Updated bathrooms with showers and tubs fill out each suite. Definitely not what you would expect from its outward appearance. From the canal, it just looks like some crumbling brown building. I am beginning to understand this goes for people too. There is more to a person than the image they project to the world, you need to open them up like you would lift the cover from a book and peek inside. I’m trying not to make any flash judgments.

  Quickly, I chose a black dress with a wide scoop neckline and elbow length sleeves by an Italian designer for our introduction to the King. Yves Saint Laurent sling back pumps work nicely. It is a perfect dress to show off Sebastian’s present, a beautiful swag necklace of emeralds and diamonds. Sebastian wears a tailored charcoal suit with an emerald-colored tie and a diamond tie tack. Even if we don’t worm our way into the King’s confidence, we can’t fail to impress him.

  Andrew, Liam, and Hannah are even more nervous than I am. They’ve fixated on the worst parts of the King. We never forget that we are responsible for killing a Queen and that it was done on Italian soil. Hopefully he never knew.

  “We’ve known Basilio for centuries, children. Don’t be so nervous, you’ll be fine,” Julian tells us.

  “Not that we care for him or the way he rules, but he is even-tempered and tries to be just. He lets his personal feelings get in the way of it sometimes,” Helena says. “Besides it will only last a few minutes. We’re being introduced and will ask to be able to be in Italy for the time being.”

  “I’m most concerned about what he thinks of hosting two werevamps on the night of their transformation,” Liam says.

  We will have to impose on the King’s hospitality to fulfill our feeding frenzy. Unfortunately, we have no control over our bodies’ metabolism as we go into the change. We need fuel and our craving for blood is still bey
ond our control. There isn’t any research to let us know if we ever will be able to handle it. If Julian has his way no one will have to wonder again. He is very dedicated to monitoring our disease and publishing the results for others that suffer like we do.

  The King is curious so has agreed to oblige the situation.

  We’re ready and are leaving our hotel on the canal. The hotel’s marble entry is so high I stop in the middle like a goof and look up at the domed ceiling.

  After we are sufficiently prepped on protocol, we get into the boat that will take us through the canals of Venice to a very old mansion. The vampire guards are indifferent to us and search us before letting us enter. If they only knew what Aidan, with his upper-crust British accent, could do.

  Our high heels give satisfying clicks as we are led through beautiful, blood-red marble hallways into a room with frescoes on the domed ceiling depicting the Garden of Eden. The building is a museum. Original artwork by the masters, Giotto, Rafael and others of Italy, line the hallways. How and when the King acquired them is an intriguing question. The amount of raw beauty depicted in the scenes makes them look like they were painted for a vampire. I have to stop and admire a certain painting of Klimt’s that has long been thought to be a vampire’s bite. It looks original. The owner of the other must have a copy that is a fake.

  A human girl, who doesn’t try to hide the bite marks on her neck, brings us wine while we wait. She tells us that the King is finishing dinner and it will be a bit of a wait.

  Julian starts to mumble under his breath about pretentious dictators and Helena casts a worried eye towards Julian. They have a certain status where they are never kept waiting. I wonder if the King is playing a game. Planning something in retaliation for Julian’s and his past scrimmage. Julian still won’t tell us what it was about.

  A man comes in who has an air of importance about him. He’s dressed in a black Armani suit and has the shiniest pair of shoes I think I have ever seen and that’s saying something. His narrow nose is crooked from a fight or accident that must have occurred before he turned. He also has a small scar just under his left eye.

  “My name is Armand. I am King Basilio’s personal assistant,” he says with a deep unexpected baritone voice. “Inform me of any needs you have while you are here and it will be my pleasure to provide for them. It is our esteemed honor to welcome you to Italy.” He glances at Hades furtively, and I can see his nervous tick. Good.

  “Thank you. Italy is a beautiful country. We are thankful for King Basilio’s hospitality,” Julian says formally.

  “He apologizes for being tardy. He was just finishing dinner and he thought it rude to invite you in. He is now ready to see you and to accommodate our guests with their special feeding needs.” He eyes Liam and me with rude directness. “They must be getting hungry?”

  “Yes Armand, I believe they are. We all feel protective of them during this time – though they could take care of themselves,” Helena answers for us.

  “Then please follow me.”

  We follow Armand through corridors that wind through the mansion like catacombs until we reach large double doors with the moment of creation cast in bronze bas relief. Hades waits patiently at the door to be let in. Thank the Goddess he doesn’t scratch at the door. I wonder if Aidan has had a little talk with him about appropriate behavior. He hasn’t barked fire nor has he tried to matchmake anyone since we got here. Good boy.

  Biblical themes run through the mansion. I wonder why? Vampires by nature are not religious. Basilio is old, though. No one claims to know what makes him tick. Armand opens the doors with a flourish revealing a grandiose ballroom. Inside, the king presides from an actual throne. He was turned when he was perhaps thirty and is devastatingly handsome. He has a small hook to his nose, brown hair and brown eyes. He is wearing a suit and tie and beautiful, gorgeous Italian shoes. I may have mentioned I have a thing for shoes. The walls depict battles between Angels and Demons. The colors are as clear and bright and in much better condition than anything I’ve seen before. How? Crown molding wraps around the room, framing another domed ceiling.

  The King rises when we walk in and meets us halfway across the room, dipping slightly in a semi-bow. The rest of us return the bow – dipping lower to the King.

  “Helena, Julian, my old friends. How have you been?”

  The King kisses each of them on their cheeks.

  “Very well, Your Majesty,” Julian says, his voice polite but cool. I know Julian is still pissed for something that Basilio did a long time ago.

  “I understand besides two werevamps, you have brought a jinni, a demon, a Hell Hound and two hybrid children with you. Is that correct?” the King asks.

  “Yes, Your Majesty,” Helena answers.

  “Excellent! I would like very much to see some of Mr. Aidan’s talents if possible. Now let me kiss these beautiful children.” He coos at the babies. The babies watch him, fascinated. He plays nice but I feel Hannah and Diel’s hyper-focus. We may be curiosities to him but we are dangerous curiosities.

  “Such a blessing to have children. Look at their cute little fangs! I must give them something. They must have presents to commemorate their inaugural trip to Italy.” He looks over his shoulder. “Armand, have two platinum rattles commissioned with our coat of arms. And get our Hell Hound friend some meat and a bone. A big bone.” He looks warily at Hades as he says this.

  “Yes, Your Majesty.”

  I know he met Aidan when Hannah was pregnant and Aidan was searching for Manda, so I am surprised that he’s never seen Aidan do any magick.

  “Your Majesty, I will help Lilith and Liam by changing their clothes before they eat and again after. I am sure I can do a few other things,” he says as he glimmers up a set of diamond cufflinks for the King.

  The King looks stunned but delighted.

  “Bravo! Grazie!”

  “You are welcome, Your Majesty,” Aidan says. I don’t know what the King’s agenda is but I do know what Aidan is up to. He is determined to charm and if he makes Basilio feel obligated, all the better.

  “Which of you are Lilith and Liam?” the King asks.

  Liam and I step forward. He studies us for a bit.

  “My dears, you are truly unique and we cherish that. I wish to let you feed. I understand you must be hungry as the need is great for you on this first night.”

  “Yes, Your Majesty,” I say.

  The King nods at his man and Armand leaves. He returns with two men. Liam and I slightly panic and look to Julian and Helena.

  “Your Majesty, Liam and Lily each need a minimum of four humans to feed from tonight,” Helena says.

  “They can drain four humans?” the King asks, astonished.

  “Well no, Your Majesty. We usually don’t drain our donors,” Julian explains. It is obvious the King is puzzled.

  After a moment, King Basilio chuckles.

  “You Americans and your ethics. These two have requested to be turned, so as long as they are not drained completely, the young ones can feast to their hearts’ desire.”

  “I’m not sure if they will have the control, Your Majesty,” Helena says.

  “No matter to us,” the King says and shrugs. The humans exchange uneasy looks.

  Liam and I look at each other. The smell of fresh blood is growing difficult to resist though. I don’t know how much longer I can hold out and I am older than Liam and have better control. I see Liam clench his fists.

  “Your Majesty, we usually have help when feeding. Would it be possible for Helena and Julian to feel for a pulse on our volunteers to know when we should finish?” I ask.

  “That is acceptable.” King Basilio nods as if conferring a great honor. As if saving these voluntary humans is of no concern at all. “But please, eat now. Your young friend is biting his lip to keep from pouncing.”

  Aidan changes our clothes and then Liam pounces. Julian, Andrew and Hannah are with him in an instant. I approach my dinner and wipe his neck with a h
andi-wipe. The King laughs. Aidan has a grin on his face, instantly at my side to help me. Sebastian has the other side and Helena is standing behind the man with her hand on his neck, ready to take his pulse. Liam’s feeding is getting to me, my fangs are fully out.

  I bite into the man quickly and the blood lust takes over. I growl as I suck. I hear the King chuckle. The blood is sublime. I love foreign blood. It’s good to diversify your palate. It is time for them to pull me off but nobody is doing it. Then I remember that I don’t have to stop feeding and I relish it. I cling to my dinner and hiss as Aidan and Sebastian get closer. I lick the man’s neck and sink my fangs back in to suck some more. Oh Goddess it is good. I am starting to get full when Helena gives the word to stop me. Aidan and Sebastian grab me and I let go with a bit of reluctance. I’m still a little hungry.

  I am a mess and Aidan gives me a washcloth to clean up. After I am done with it he zaps it away. I notice he has done the same for Liam.

  “Have you had enough, piccolo?” the King asks me.

  “I’m still a little hungry, Your Majesty,” I answer.

  He smiles and motions for Armand. Armand quickly returns with two more humans for Liam and me. Liam and I readily accept them. Our eyes have turned silver and the humans are leery. We only drink about a pint more before we readily give them up.

  “Aidan?” I ask motioning at my blood splattered clothes.

  “Anything, love.”

  “Your eyes, Lilith are molto bella…” the King sighs.

  He touches my cheek. I sense Sebastian and Aidan’s tension. The King takes my hand and leads me back to a chair next to his. Armand motions for everyone to sit down.

  “I haven’t seen such a beautiful sight as you eating tonight in a long time. It was raw and powerful. Tell me, why did you wipe his neck off first?”

  I look down shyly. I hate to have to explain myself.