Blood Moon: A New Adult Urban Fantasy Vampire Novel (The Superiors Book 1)

by Lena Hillbrand

  Cali had run a few times. Brainless, sure. She’d been a kid, though. Now she knew more about Superiors. Running away usually only caused more problems. Bad things had happened when she’d run away. First she’d gotten sent to a blood bank, then to a restaurant. Neither of which had been at all fun. In the Confinement, she didn’t have it so bad. She had food, and her family, and only a few Superiors bit her every night. She didn’t need anything that she didn’t have. Everything here was good enough, as good as it would probably ever get. Asking for more seemed greedy when she was already so well cared for. As long as she didn’t do anything dumb, like kick a bloodsucker, she’d be okay.

  That night, they came while she slept. Not just one of them, but lots of them. She woke when the lights snapped on. Everyone started sitting up and blinking and rubbing eyes. The Superiors came down the center aisle, familiar guards and others, all wearing the same uniforms. They pulled people out of the bunks, shouted, marched them all outside. Cali stood with the others in a group, all of them sleepy and silent and staring. The babies were all fussing or screaming. Inside, the Superiors started pulling the thin mattresses from the bunks, now unrolled for sleeping. They dragged every mattress on the floor, flipped them over, sometimes scanned them or felt all over them and tossed them back up.

  “What are they doing?” Maypull asked. Cali took her sister’s hand and watched the commotion inside.

  “It’s a raid,” one of the older men said. “They’re looking for contraband items.”

  “Like what?”

  “I don’t know. Stuff we’re not s’posed to have. Anything that could be a weapon, I guess. Or something could be used to escape with.”

  Cali’s heart began to hammer, first slow and hard and then faster. What if they were looking for that thing she’d stolen? What if they’d found out, if he’d missed it? She didn’t even know what it was for, but she knew she shouldn’t have it. It must be a contraband item. She’d stuck it in along the seam of her mattress and sewed it back in, but they could surely tell. They had an instrument to wave over the mattresses to see things.

  But they passed her mattress without scanning it, just felt it with their hands and threw it on the floor with the others. Cali relaxed a tiny bit. But then she thought of Pat and Patty, and she drew closer to her sister and held tighter to her hand.

  One of the Superiors inside scanned a mattress, and his little scanner started beeping. He grabbed the sides of the mattress and pulled, and it tore down the middle. A knife of some sort fell out and clattered to the floor. “Got a weapon,” the Superior yelled to the others. He scanned the mattress code to match it with the bunk and the person. The group outside pulled tighter together. But it was too late.

  The Superior came out and yelled, “Cord Jeffries. Someone give me Cord Jeffries, or I’ll come in and get him.”

  A murmur went through the crowd, and then a man came forward. No one spoke a single word. They all watched the Superior bind the man’s hands in a plastic cable, and then he felt all over the man for weapons, and then he snapped the cable onto one of the bunks and continued searching. When they had finished, they all came out, one of them holding Cord by the elbow. Cali didn’t know Cord, but she had a good idea where he’d go next. Blood bank.

  “All right, fun’s over,” one of the Superiors said. “Go back in, find your mattress, go back to sleep.”

  The Superiors moved away towards the houses, and a minute later the loud bangs came as they tore into the houses, sometimes demolishing the rickety buildings in the process, usually just knocking down a door or roof. Raiding the houses would take longer than the barracks, where nothing but humans and mattresses and bunks stayed the night.

  “Do you think they heard something?” Maypull whispered. “Do you think they found out someone might escape?”

  “No, I’m sure it’s just routine,” Cali whispered, still holding Maypull’s hand. She thought about her mama, about the sisters in the house out there, about Jonathan in his house. And Patty and Pat and Leon in their house.

  “I wish your bunk was closer,” Maypull said. “I don’t want to go back to sleep by myself.”

  Nobody would get to sleep for a while—it sounded like about fifty babies were crying in Cali’s barracks and outside. The clangs of the metal houses collapsing or being pounded on or disturbed made a pretty steady racket for a long time, too. Was Poppy’s baby crying out there? Had their house gotten knocked down? Had anyone gotten in trouble? Cali wished she could run out and check, but she’d have to wait until morning. Maypull finally went off to find her boyfriend and crawl in his bunk, and Cali surveyed the huge disaster on the floor. She decided not to wade into the tangle of people looking for their mattresses. She’d just wait, and the last one left on the floor would have to be hers. She could always check for the picture to make sure.

  27

  Draven met Byron for games in a café a few nights later. They had gone back to the usual routine since Byron had heard from the doctor on Cali’s condition. Still, a distance had developed between them, a small but noticeable rend in the fabric of their new friendship.

  Byron offered Draven wine, but Draven declined, remembering the unpleasant taste and effect of it from his evening at Byron’s. Byron grew relaxed, perhaps a result of the second glass he sipped while they played checkers.

  “I have some bad news for us, my friend,” Byron said, trapping one of Draven’s pieces at the edge of the board.

  “Oh?”

  “I’m leaving.”

  “Where are you going? And may I ask why?”

  “A city further north, first. They’re in need of some help with an investigation. I may move on from there, depending on where I am needed. Lots of Seconds live here, with the preferable climate. But up north, into the main continent, there aren’t so many, and the law enforcement in some cities is suffering. So I’ve been chosen to go north.”

  “Chosen? Does that mean you cannot refuse?”

  “Well,” Byron said, laughing. “Maybe I volunteered.”

  “Why would you want to go north? Isn’t it much colder?”

  “It is. But I was offered a good enough incentive. And my contract will end in ten years. A blink of an eye, really.” Like most Seconds, Byron had a better sense of time and found it more important than Draven’s generation. After all, Seconds had lived when time was one of humanity’s greatest obsessions.

  “That is bad news for me indeed,” Draven said. “I have quite enjoyed your company.”

  “As have I,” Byron said, sipping his wine. “But all things must come to an end, right, soldier? I’ll be sure to look you up when I come back and see if you’re still here.”

  “Where else would I be,” Draven said, not asking a question but stating a simple fact. It had been a long, long time since he’d gone anywhere, aside from an occasional work trip.

  “You may get an itch to travel, who knows. I get them now and then myself. To be honest, that’s part of why I took on this assignment. That and a small fortune was offered, plus two more homo-sapiens to add to my livestock, one before the assignment and one more when it’s completed.”

  “That is a lucrative offer, indeed, sir. No wonder you did not refuse. Will your family go with you?” Draven thought of Byron’s wife, her lascivious hairstyle. He pushed the thought from his mind and tried not to let guilt enter his expression.

  “Not until I know if I’m staying on in the mountain area. That’s where I’m going first. Once I’m done with that investigation, I’ll either move to another city for the remainder or stay there. Once I know for sure, I’ll send for my family, if they want to come. Or we’ll just visit each other until I come back.”

  “I envy your ability to take such assignments. For years I have longed to travel, perhaps leave here altogether. I keep telling myself one day I will, but it has yet to happen.”

  “You’re still young,” Byron said. This was true—a significant disparity existed in the men’s ages, both before and
after their evolutions. Byron had been old enough to be Draven’s father when he had evolved, at least a hundred years before Draven. So as humans as well as Superiors, they came from different generations.

  “Young, perhaps. But not wealthy. And travel takes money.”

  “You work, you could save.”

  “I could. But I haven’t yet,” Draven said, and both men laughed. Draven thought of the paltry savings he had begun to accumulate in his tin box at home. For Cali. It would be quite some time before he could travel, and having livestock would make it more difficult. He would have to transport her, too, and all the things that saps needed—bulky food, clothing for different climates, things of which he was not yet aware. Before he considered travel, he’d have to save enough money for a place that would accommodate livestock as well as a Superior. It would be years before he could begin saving for travel.

  “When do you leave on this assignment?” Draven asked.

  “Soon. Four to six months.”

  “That is quite soon. I will have to make the most of our short time left.”

  “Yes, we’ll have to do that. And once I’m gone, you’ll have to make due with the lady-friend you have been spending so much time with.”

  “Ah, yes. Hyoki. She is quite…stimulating.”

  “She looks like she would be,” Byron said, laughing. “I will see you again soon, soldier.”

  “Yes, sir. Quite soon.”

  28

  Draven arrived at the Confinement just before daybreak. He walked into the compound and right into Bonnie.

  “Look at here, if it isn’t our pretty little dream-catcher,” she said, engulfing Draven in her arms.

  “Hello, Ms. Bonnie. It’s been a while.”

  “Yes, it has, Mr. Draven. What’ve you been up to?”

  “Still bouncing at Estrella’s.”

  “Uh huh. Still wasting your talents, I see. When you coming back here, anyway? You know you’re the best Catcher we’ve had in years.”

  “I know, Bonnie. As soon as you stop sending the runaways to the blood bank, I’ll come back. How’s that?”

  “What’re we supposed to do with them? Put them right back in so they can run away again? Now you tell me, what earthly good would that do?”

  “I’m not arguing strategy with you, Big Bonnie. Just telling you my reasons.”

  “And I’m telling you, your reason don’t make one souldamned bit of sense. You’re the best Catcher we had, but you sure aren’t the best thinker.”

  “Thank you. I’ll remember that.”

  “Ah, now don’t you go being all offended. We can’t keep having the same saps running away every day, giving the others ideas.”

  “Perhaps you could keep them locked up.”

  “You think we got the resources for that? You’re a damn waste of a pretty face. Nothing going on in that head of yours, is there, Draven? I tell you what. You give us the money to make a little lock-in here, and we’ll build one, just for your personal runaways. Until then, we’ll lock them up right where they belong—in the blood bank.”

  “All right, you win. I’m only here to eat. I’m not looking for a job.”

  “So you aren’t here for some more Big Bonnie love? What, you got a partner now? Where you living, anyway?”

  “Same place I’ve always lived. Not everyone gets promoted like you did.”

  “Yeah, that’s true. So, you being elusive on me? That mean you got a partner now?”

  “I’m working on it.”

  “Aw, yeah. That’s what I’m talking about. Don’t hold out on me now, Draven. She got a name? She real pretty?”

  “Yes, and yes. Her name’s Hyoki.”

  “Hyoki Kamisake?” Bonnie didn’t hide her surprise, and Draven didn’t either.

  “You know her?” he asked.

  “Oh, yeah. I know her. Pretty little thing, slanty eyes, long teeth?”

  “Yes...”

  “I knew you’d pick a pretty one like that. I just bet you two look real good together.”

  “How do you know Hyoki?”

  “She was Mr. Vitrola’s little honey for a while. I do believe they spent some years together.”

  “Then I’m officially out-classed.”

  “You sure are. Now get on out of here before I get a good sunburn. I’ll see you next time. Unless things don’t work out with your lady and you need my comforting arms again.”

  Draven smiled. “Yes, you do have a way about you that makes a man forget his troubles.”

  “Sure I do. Now you come back soon and get your old job back. You know you’d be my number one guy.”

  “I’m always your number one guy, Big Bonnie. And you let me know when you change the policy on the blood bank, and I’ll be back on your payroll that very night.”

  “Keep dreaming, dreamboat.”

  “I will, Big Bonnie. Now stop distracting me before I starve.”

  He went through the doors into the compound, brooding over the news about Hyoki. He didn’t like thinking about his woman having spent years as a glorified mistress to the wealthy Second Order Superior who owned this Confinement and two others in the city. It did explain her expensive cigarette habit. But now he’d have to try even harder to impress her, and he could never spoil her the way Mr. Vitrola had. Draven would never have that kind of money.

  He found Cali still in her bed, again curled at the top, as far from probing eyes as possible. It was as good a disguise as she could manage. But he knew her number, and her scent. When he pulled her foot towards him, he could tell that the other man who preferred her knew it, as well. Apparently he visited every night, unlike Draven. Many unclosed bites dotted her legs. A volley of rage exploded through Draven. Not only did the man treat her in this inhumane manner, but he marred what Draven now considered his. In saving Cali, he had formed an attachment to her, as if he had claimed possession of her already.

  “Cali,” Draven said. “Awaken and come with me.”

  She sat up, hunched over in the small space between her bunk and the next one, and squinted out at him. He knew her eyes couldn’t make him out in the darkness. She reached out and touched his hair, then scooted along her bed and ducked out from under the next bunk to stand. “Where are we going?” she asked.

  “Outside.” They stopped while Draven registered her number and his own with the door guard.

  “Why you taking her outside?” the guard asked.

  “I do not like the scents in here, and I would like to eat in peace.”

  “All right. Make sure you check her back in when you come in. I get off here in a bit.”

  “Yes, of course.” Draven had responsibility for her if anything happened—if she didn’t show up at night he’d have to account for her absence. It would be difficult to sneak a human out of the Confinement, but it must have happened at some point. More common for a Superior to overdraw a sap and leave it out, too weak to come in. Even that rarely happened. When it did occur, the other sapiens would take care of one left outside. They looked out for their own—a rare admirable trait among sapiens. Most Superiors obeyed drawing laws because they preferred healthy saps more than healthy fines.

  Draven and Cali stepped out into the cool morning. As they walked to the garden in silence, Cali wrapped her arms around herself. Draven approached the stack of hoses and turned to her. She sat and held out her arms, wrists exposed, for him to choose. He sat down beside her.

  “Are you quite cold?” he asked.

  “Yeah, I’m cold. Why do you bring me out here?”

  “You don’t like it?”

  “I don’t know. It’s warmer inside.”

  He looked at Cali’s shivering body a moment and began unbuttoning his shirt.

  “What are you doing?” she asked.

  “I’m giving you my shirt. You are cold, and I don’t need it.”

  “You’re always cold.”

  “It does not bother me. Not unless it’s quite cold. It is never cold enough here to make me uncomfo
rtable.” He wrapped the shirt around Cali, and after a moment she uncurled her arms from around herself and slid them into the sleeves. Though it fit Draven’s thin frame, it hung loosely on Cali. The effect was quite charming.

  Draven smiled. “You look much better.”

  “I feel better.”

  “May I draw from you?”

  “Yes,” she said, thrusting her arm towards him. She met his eyes, smiling, but looked away quickly. “Thank you for, well, for asking me.”

  “You are welcome.” He slipped her sleeve up until his thumbs met the hot mounds of flesh inside her arm. “If you wish, I will draw on these three, to get the pain out. But it will hurt. Can you take it three times in one night?”

  “Just do it.” Her jaw clenched as she out held her arm. Draven sighed and bent over and began aligning his teeth with the bites. As he slipped into the first bite, her whole body tensed and she made the moaning sound through her nose, and he knew she was trying not to cry out. He could let the bitterness out slowly, and prolong the pain, or do it all at once. He thought she seemed more an all-at-once type. So he sucked hard, ignoring her series of quick gasps. When he pulled away and spit, Cali was breathing hard.

  “Did I hurt you too much?” he asked.

  She nodded, her eyes wide.

  “I can do it slowly, like I did before. But the pain will last longer.”

  “Then do it fast.”

  “You said it was too much for you.”

  “Well, I changed my mind. Just get it over with. I can take it.”