by Sloan Archer
“And you will give us your blood upon request?” asked the Japanese woman.
“As long as you leave me be and don’t threaten or kidnap me, I will give you my blood willingly. I don’t wish to be bitten, however, so a needle will need to be used. And you’ll need to bear in mind that I am human and will need time to recuperate between withdrawals, so we should set up a schedule. I live in San Francisco, so travel arrangements will need to be made. I’d prefer it if you came to me. What I’m hoping will eventually happen is that you use my blood to develop serum that replicates the effect it has, so that you won’t need to take mine anymore.” A few in the group frowned, so I added, “Only if you wish, of course. I just mean that it could be the most convenient arrangement for all parties involved.” Like I wanted to be under the VGO’s thumb forever.
“This is a very interesting proposal. Is there anything else you’d like to say before we make a decision?” asked Joseph.
“The one other thing I am requesting is the release of Seraphim’s mate, Nathaniel. I understand that you may have him here?”
Joseph nodded. “Is that all?”
“Yes. That’s all.”
The group made a vote, sixteen of the seventeen present voting in favor of my decision. The only one opposed to the decision was my girl, Serena. Why did this vampire I’d never met have a vendetta against me? The way she was eyeballing Robert, I had a guess.
“So . . . what now?” I asked to the group.
“Now we will need to verify the information you’ve given us,” said Joseph.
I gulped. “Verify?”
“You didn’t think we were simply going to take you at your word?” Joseph mocked. The group smirked along with him. Fantastic.
“No. No, I didn’t.” I did. “It’s just . . .” It’s just that what I’ve told you is conjecture—a theory that has been proven on only one vampire.
I am so dead, I thought, if this doesn’t work.
Joseph inclined his head. “Yes?”
“It’s just, um, whomever takes my blood will need to be over a thousand for the effect to be instantaneous. Are there vampires present who fit this bill?” Please say no.
“There are a few.” Of course there was.
Joseph stood and approached my chair. When he reached me, he took my hands into his and gently pulled me to my feet. “But since we cannot be certain that what you say is true until the deed is done, I will sacrifice my own body. It is my duty as a leader.”
I shivered when Joseph’s cool fingertips grazed my collarbone as he swept back my hair. I’d be lying if I said that it was only because I was frightened. (Hey, I’m only human.) He leaned me back in his arms, like he was dipping me at the end of a waltz. His full lips brushed against my earlobe as he whispered, “Really, it is no sacrifice at all. It will be my pleasure.”
“You want to do it right now?” I squeaked. “Here?” I stole a glance at Robert, who looked like he’d rather be anywhere on the planet except at the VGO headquarters, observing foxy Joseph whispering sweet nothings into my ear. Serena was enjoying every minute of our awkward exchange.
Joseph leaned closer and his deep brown eyes bore into mine. “Unless you have brought a syringe?”
Dazed, I blinked. Could the legend about vampires was true? Could they hypnotize a person with their gaze? It felt like it.
“Don’t worry. It won’t hurt too much.” Joseph winked and said, “You may even enjoy it. I know I will.”
“I’m ready.” I squeezed my eyes shut.
Joseph’s mouth was surprisingly warm as it closed around my neck. In truth, I could hardly feel his bite at all. His fangs were a lot gentler than how I remembered Robert’s being. Perhaps drinking blood was a skill that improved with age and practice, like writing or cooking.
Joseph released me and held me with his steady gaze. “Well?”
“It should happen any second now,” I said.
It was the longest ten minutes of my life, sitting there, waiting for Joseph to change.
But he didn’t. Nothing happened. Zilch. Not even a tremor.
They were going to kill me.
“She’s a little liar,” Serena hissed with her fangs bared. It was alarming. Unlike before, she was garnering crowd approval.
“I swear! I’m not!” I yelped, though I wasn’t sure what to believe.
“My patience has worn thin,” sighed Bowler Hat.
No! Et tu, Bowler Hat? I thought he’d had my back. Fickle, fickle vampire!
A few of the vampires were rising out of their chairs. Frightened, I cast a pleading look at Robert. Suddenly, he was in front of me, arms spread wide, shielding me from the encroaching immortals. They were out for blood and ready . . . Ready to drink from me, the lying little human.
“There has been some mistake!” I screamed. “I swear! I’m legit!”
The whole group was out of their chairs now, swarming and hissing. Claws and fangs fenced me at every angle. The vampires cast surreptitious glances at Joseph—waiting, I realized, for his consent to attack. Serena was leading the outraged mob, directing her malice on me. All she needed was a pitchfork and torch.
Joseph beheld Robert and me with calmness I found disconcerting. He said nothing and stroked his chin. Basically, there were two decisions he could make: kill us or don’t kill us. Things were not looking good for Robert and me.
Robert knew better than to shout, “If you touch her, I will kill you!” We were outnumbered and the situation hopeless, that much was obvious. But Robert was geared to battle. So was I. If we were going down, we’d do it fighting.
“There is no mistake,” Joseph said, extending his arms out at his side. “I’m still vampire, am I not?”
“I don’t know why you didn’t change!” I cried. “Maybe . . . Maybe . . .” Think of something fast or they are going to murder you! “Maybe you’re like Nathaniel!” I had no clue where the idea had come from, but I was pretty proud of my quick thinking.
“How so?” asked Joseph.
“Could be that you’re immune to my blood, too.”
“Interesting theory. But it’s all too convenient, wouldn’t you say?”
“But I can prove my theory,” I said. Please, please let that be the case.
“I say we end her!” jeered Serena. The group was riled now, and there were hoots and hollers of “Yah!” and “Let’s drink!”
“Let me give my blood to another. Please! Give me one more chance to prove myself. I’m not lying.” I was begging pathetically, and I’d continue to beg if it gave us any chance of survival. “It will work this time. I swear.”
Joseph chewed over my offer. He signaled to Bowler Hat and said, “Grab him.” Bowler Hat seized Robert and awaited his command. Robert wasn’t happy, but he acquiesced for my sake.
“What are you going to do?” I screeched. “Don’t hurt him!”
Joseph raised his hand in a soothing gesture. “I will grant you one more chance, Mercy. I give you my word that your fiancé will remain unharmed if your blood does prove itself useful.”
“Okay. Thank you.” Thank you-thank you-thank you.
“But if it doesn’t, Kieran will have no choice but to execute Robert. On my order.” Joseph stared me down. “So, are you certain that what you are claiming about your blood is true? Because, if you are lying, the outcome will be very painful for your mate.”
“I trust you,” Robert murmured. “It will work.”
“Is there anyone here who would like to volunteer?” I asked. “Remember, you must be over a thousand.”
The Japanese woman stepped forward. “I will do it.”
I swept back my hair. And, just like that, this woman whose name I didn’t even know was at my neck, biting.
The changeover didn’t take long—about ten seconds—and it was vastly different from Robert’s encounter. It was far less dramatic, no pain or sickness involved. One instant she was vampire and then—poof—she was human: skin rosy, eyes faded from gold to sandy bro
wn, body softened.
Legs wobbling, I was so relieved that I nearly passed out. I thanked my lucky stars that it worked.
The woman lost her fangs like Robert had. She held them out on her palm for the group to see, like two pearl earrings.
“Better be careful with those,” joked Dreadlocks. “Unless you’d like to give them to me?”
“Hah!” the new human joked. “Not on your life!”
Everyone was in a grand mood now that my blood had been established viable. It was like we were all old friends, like their murderous threats a few moments ago had never taken place. Like they hadn’t traveled the world trying to kill me.
Well, everyone was happy except Serena, who was pouting by Robert’s side, shooting me hate eyes.
“I don’t understand the significance of the fangs—why she should be careful. Are you worried that they won’t grow back when she becomes vampire again?” Robert raised his lip so that the group could see his pointy incisors. “Because they do. They grow back during the changeover. No implantation required.”
“I guess you haven’t heard the legend, since you are so young,” Joseph said to Robert.
“What legend?” Robert and I asked in unison.
“Anyone who possesses a vampire’s fangs has the power to control them,” said Dreadlocks.
Robert frowned. “But how can that be? When a vampire’s fangs fall out, it’s usually because they are dead . . . Am I wrong?”
Kieran chuckled, adjusting the brim of his hat. “No, you are right—partially. A vampire’s fangs will fall out when they die, which everyone knows. But if a vampire loses their fangs, it does not necessarily mean that they have died.”
“Why else would a vampire not have their fangs, then?” Robert asked, much to the VGO’s amusement. They started gathering around, like they were going to share a campfire legend.
“Have you never hear of pliers?” joked Kieran. “And you’re right about them growing back. If I were to pull my fangs out right now, they’d grow back by next sunrise.”
“I have heard of pliers,” Robert said. “Of course I have. But I have never heard of them being used on a vampire.”
“No, you wouldn’t have.” Joseph’s face was grim. “The last known fang extraction occurred centuries ago. It used to be a form of punishment for those who stepped out of the confines of vampire law. The practice of removing a vampire’s fangs with force is strictly forbidden in modern times, and is punishable by death.”
“You said that fang-pulling was punishment,” I stated. “Was it doled out by the VGO?”
“Yes. But others employed it as well. Why do you ask?” Kieran said guardedly, the implication being don’t forget that you are not one of us, human.
“I’m sorry, I wasn’t trying to pry. I was merely curious.”
“Why?” Kieran persisted.
I didn’t want to reveal the horrible possibility gnawing at my mind—not all of it, anyway. “I was wondering because . . . If it’s vampires pulling out the fangs of other vampires . . .” I flapped a hand. “Sorry, I’m babbling. I was curious if a human could control a vampire, if he—or she—possessed their fangs.”
“They could, but they’d never get them through physical means,” Dreadlocks scoffed. “Vampires are far too strong.”
“Ah, yes, but they could still get them,” added Kieran. “In the olden days, it was not unheard of for royalty to buy vampire fangs on the black market from so-called fang merchants.”
“So they could have their very own vampire to control,” I said.
“Let’s call it what it was: vampire slavery,” Kieran uttered. “When one possesses a vampire’s fangs, it’s . . . hmm . . .” He thought for a moment. “It’s all-consuming, I suppose you could say. Some kings had harems of vampire women—dreadful stuff. So you can imagine why the practice is outlawed now.”
Robert, who I suspected was starting to share my dread, asked, “All-consuming? In what way?”
Dreadlocks answered, “The possessor controls everything about the vampire: their decisions, their behavior, their—”
“They can be like oracles in reverse, too,” added Kieran. When Robert and I raised our eyebrows at him, he clarified, “Instead of seeing a future that has yet to happen, they can create a future and then make events take place.”
Oh.
My.
God.
Mathew.
Robert’s expression mirrored my thoughts. I knew it! I just knew that the incidents Robert had suffered—the car wreck, the paparazzi, the assassin stabbing him in the heart—had to be more than mere coincidence.
We had to get Robert’s fangs back before Mathew learned what he could do with them. If he didn’t know already. Mathew was a complete tool, and moron to boot, but even he could get a clue if the facts were shoved right in his face. And if he’d been reading the papers, they had been.
As casually as possible, I meandered over to Robert. I took his hand and he squeezed my fingers a couple of times, a fleshy Morse code, to show that he and I were on the same wavelength.
Simpering, Serena whispered to me, “Mathew is a pesky little thing, isn’t he, Mercy?” A few vamps furrowed their brows at her seemingly out of the blue comment.
Well, didn’t that just suck? It appeared that Serena had been snooping around inside my head. Or had she? I couldn’t be positive that she was a mind reader, though it would explain her hostility towards me—her knowing how I felt about her (not that I’d made much of an effort to mask my outlook). But it was difficult to tell if Serena was truly aware of our unfortunate Mathew situation or if she was merely stirring up trouble in hopes of starting conflict between Robert and me.
“Mercy and I should be shoving off now,” said Robert, putting the kybosh on potential conversations on the topic. He began tugging me toward the door like a ragdoll, and I had no problem letting him.
“That’s a shame,” smiled Joseph, looking right at me. “We were only starting to get to know each other.”
“It’s best we don’t overstay our welcome,” I chirped.
Serena snorted.
“At least let me see you out,” Joseph said. “And I do look forward to seeing you again, Mercy.”
EPILOGUE
Outside the VGO, and finally on our own, Robert and I fell silent.
There were so many things we had to discuss, but the words wouldn’t come.
My life had been spared, but at what price? With one problem that had been solved, I’d gained another: a blood obligation to the VGO. And that was after Robert had been subjected to Serena’s relentless flirting . . . And what about the follow-up visit that had been threat-promised by Joseph? Of course, our biggest obstacle was getting Robert’s fangs back from Mathew.
Robert let out a long sigh. “That was a close one, wasn’t it?”
I took Robert’s hand into mine, answering him with a smile.
“Are you ready to go home?” he asked.
I nodded.
There was plenty of time for talking. Later.
But for now . . .
Now we would walk across the wet grass and through the fog, leaving the VGO headquarters far behind us. We’d go home to California and work on rebuilding our lives. We’d prepare for dark days to come.
These were plans we never spoke out loud. To do so would have been unwarranted. In our hearts we both knew this wasn’t the end.
READ ON FOR A SPECIAL PREVIEW OF
MERCY’S DESTINY,
THE GRIPPING SEQUEL TO Mercy’s Danger.
Mercy’s Destiny
1
Robert would wear a hole right through the rug if he didn’t stop pacing.
If vampires weren’t careful, they could destroy objects simply by engaging in activities humans tend to take for granted. On days he’d been distracted, I’d seen Robert rip a handle from a car door and crush fine crystal glassware in his bare hands. One time, when we were running late for a double date with my best friend and her husband,
he ripped the zipper clear off the back of my dress. I hadn’t minded the loss of the dress so much at the time, since the aftermath of that particular incident had been fun, though now I always thought twice about asking him to zip me up.
But Robert would be devastated if the rug were destroyed. A close mortal friend of his had bequeathed it to him over a century ago and it held great sentimental value. I, on the other hand, would be over the moon if the fringed abomination were wrecked beyond repair. I loathed its seizure-inducing burgundy and navy paisley pattern, which reminded me of amoebas, especially after I’d had a glass of wine or two.
Robert and I had very different ideas on what was considered “classic” home decorating. My tastes were modern and minimal; his were frilly and gilded everything. You could see why this would be a problem, with the two of us cohabitating.
“I don’t think it’s a good idea,” Robert said for about the twentieth time during our conversation. I’d stopped counting after around ten. “There’s got to be some other way around this.”
Poor Robert. I could hardly fault my delightful boyfriend for worrying about my welfare. He wasn’t accustomed to yielding to the demands of humans, unless the requests were corporate in nature. As a CEO, Robert had a great head for business, and he could compartmentalize his emotions like you wouldn’t believe. This, I’d learned, was pretty standard for most vampires. I imagined most vamps—the ones that had been around for centuries, anyway—couldn’t be bothered with sweating the small stuff. How ridiculous would they feel getting up in arms over minor inconveniences like flight delays and rude salespeople when they’d witnessed slavery and beheadings?
Matters of the heart, conversely, tended to be a vampire’s Achilles heel. They either dismissed love as a ludicrous human emotion or felt it so deeply that they went a little mental when frustrated by their mate. Guess which side of the fence Robert fell on.
There really was no way around what I had to do, and Robert was reluctant to accept that repeating the same hopeful sentence again and again would not change this fact. Robert tended to be very old fashioned in his ways because he came from a different era—he was born in 1820, to be exact. If he wasn’t partaking in an act of chivalry, it seemed he felt as if he were letting me down as my lover and protector, which in his eyes were one and the same.
