A Hunger for Darkness (5 page)

Chapter
Nine

Connor took away the Russian pimp, and eventually Kenzi found the peace of sleep. She woke again in Conner’s bed, but there was no sign of him. She stared at the bare polished concrete where the man called Dmitri had lain, but there was no sign of what had happened. Kenzi tried for a moment to believe it had all been a dream, but the effort sputtered before it could take hold.

She stood and walked to the bathroom. The tatters of the white silk shirt still clung to her, though most of the buttons were gone. It did very little to preserve any modesty. A red stain smeared the collar and the front of the shirt, even her skin was speckled in red drops. She shrugged her way out of the shirt and looked at herself in the mirror, almost smiling for a moment at the old legends that said a vampire cast no reflection. She started up the shower and stepped inside.

The hot water revived her, and memories of the feeding flashed through her mind. She felt the shame and disgust well up again, but those emotions were quickly drowned in something stronger. The memory of the power she felt, and the near erotic thrill of tasting the rich blood set her skin tingling again. She had thrown herself at Connor, and had he wished she would have taken him, or let him take her, right next to the body. She rinsed her body and felt it responding to the images in her imagination….

“I’m glad to see you’re up,” Connor said from the open doorway. The steam clouded the clear glass walls of the shower to hide her form.

“Where have you been?” Kenzi asked.

“I dropped our Russian friend with the police and hit a few stores as soon as the sun went down. I thought I’d pick up some clothes for you,” he answered.

“The police?” Kenzi turned the water off and reached for a towel.

“Yes, Dimitri has been wanted by the police for some time, they just didn’t know where to find him.”

As Kenzi wrapped herself in the towel she stepped out to face Connor. He was now fully restored, although his skin did look a little darker than it had been. His face carried the serious and focused expression she was coming to expect. His rare moments of dry humor flashed of light against his dark manner.

“I see you’re looking better yourself,” he said.

Despite his claims to the contrary, Kenzi was starting to believe he really could read minds.

“You were quite a gentleman last night,” she said.

Connor shrugged and turned away. “You were intoxicated, it is easy to lose control when you feed.”

“You fed too, and you seemed to remain in control very well.” Kenzi padded out to the living area, still in a towel, and began searching through the bags.

“I have a lot more experience, and I learned self-discipline early. You will as well.” He sat in the armchair and watched her sort through the clothing.

“You did well, with the clothes that is,” Kenzi said as she turned her back to him and stepped into plain black underwear. Connor had even selected the right bra size, though she put it aside. Instead she slipped a white T-shirt over her head and sat on the couch opposite Connor. She folded her long legs under her.

“Do vampires really have sex, or does feeding take the place of it?” She asked without shyness, her gaze direct.

“You’ve studied us, what did you learn?” Connor asked in return. His eyes were hidden in shadow, but by the slight smirk Kenzi could see he was amused.

“We were taught that vampires could perform sexual acts, although they, I mean we, are sterile.” She corrected herself reluctantly.

“That is correct, we can have sex. Remember the essence of what we are. Humans have both an animal side and a higher nature, with reason and a conscience, however rarely shown. Vampires have the conscience and most inhibitions stripped away. The animal within us is fully empowered and always struggling to have every desire fulfilled.”

“I felt that last night. Every part of my being wanted to kill and feed and fuck until I collapsed,” she said and watched to see if her profanity impacted Connor at all.

Connor leaned forward and his eyes caught the light. Kenzi saw the flash of green and felt the intensity as her eyes met his. “I know that feeling every day.”

Kenzi held herself steady despite her urge to flinch. The words had sounded raw, as though he had allowed a glimpse of himself through the cool demeanor he wore as armor.

“But I control it, that’s how we will survive and how we will destroy vampires like Gabriel Sands,” Connor continued.

“You mentioned that Sands has some kind of plan to make more vampires,” Kenzi said and was glad to change the subject.

“That’s right. Vampires have held their numbers steady for over one hundred and fifty years. As society and technology have evolved it is not as easy to make people disappear without being missed. In much of North America and Europe a large city can no longer feed more than one vampire safely, and even that requires extreme caution. Many of the oldest among us have fled to South America and Africa, where crime and warfare cover our tracks.”

“And Gabriel hopes to change that? How?” Kenzi asked.

“He seeks to create that kind of environment here. For that he needs new recruits to sow the seeds of chaos. A few years ago such a plan would have gotten him killed by the older ones, but they can see that eventually there will be nowhere to hide. They have given him their support.” Connor leaned back into the shadows, but Kenzi still felt his eyes searching hers.

“How would he create the kind of chaos he needs?”

“Vampires have long had relationships with criminal organizations, although most of these criminals had no idea who they were dealing with. He hopes to exploit these more openly, and coerce these organizations into the kind of violence not seen here since Prohibition, if then. Out of that chaos he and his kind hope to take control of the criminal world, and later, who knows?”

“And how do you know this? Did he tell you?” Kenzi allowed the slightest of mockery into her tone.

Connor leaned back in his seat. “I convinced one of his associates in Boston to share his plans with me.”

Kenzi jumped to her feet and began pacing. Suddenly she felt like a caged animal in need of something. She quickly realized what she was craving.

“How can I help you if I want to go screaming through the street tearing the throat out of everyone I meet?” Her voice was almost pleading. “How do I make this stop?”

With inhuman speed Connor was next to her, and pulled her into his arms.

“Calm yourself and take deep breaths. Feel the urgency in you, feel the size of it. Now slowly expand your mental picture of it, and examine it.” Kenzi closed her eyes and let his soothing tone support her. For a moment she felt small and childlike in his embrace. Against his powerful shape she felt sheltered from the storm within her.

The hunger was as much a mental as a physical force. It shifted around her defenses, and she longed for any kind of distraction. Subtly, she shifted her core to press against Connor.

Connor stepped back from her and held her tortured face near his. “This is about the control of what your body wants. The virus that has changed us wants an opportunity to feed itself. Giving into any desire increases the chances that we succumb to the desire to feed. We must fight for control constantly.”

“Don’t we ever get to give in, even for a little while?” Kenzi felt a new wave despair.

“Every time we feed we give in a little, because we have to,” Connor answered and Kenzi saw a flicker of anguish cross his face for a moment.

“Did you ever give in with Rebekah?” The instant Kenzi asked the questions she regretted it.

Connor’s head snapped back and he stepped away from Kenzi. “I gave everything to her. When we mate, we give ourselves with an intensity and intimacy a human could not comprehend. I lost that when I lost her, and I have never sought anything like that since.”

Kenzi nodded and turned away, relieved and disappointed in equal measure. She questioned the source of her interest in this vampire before her, and realized it was the virus that was prompting it. She was not ready to surrender this last shred of her humanity. The virus would not compel her into anything more intimate than a partnership designed to destroy her life-long enemies. Her body had changed, her purpose had not.

“What’s our plan?”

“First, you need to get a job,” Connor said.

Chapter
Ten

“I don’t think I’ve ever had a little black dress before,” Kenzi said in the back of the town car hired for the evening.

“Really? They never let you have any fun at your Center, did they?” Connor kept his tone light. “You have to look like a hostess at an ultra-lounge. You’re lucky they hired you without seeing you in full costume.”

“The mini-skirt and the tight shirt did the trick. The manager never looked in my eyes the whole time we were talking, and I’m sure he didn’t hear anything I said.”

“I’m sure,” Connor nodded with a hint of a smile.

That had spent several days developing this plan while Connor continued to coach Kenzi in her new skills and curbing the ever-present craving. She would get close to latest human accomplice in the hopes of finding the vampire’s lair.

“What’s the next step?” Kenzi pulled the hem on the dress. Seated as she was, it rose perilously up her thighs. Below she wore black stockings with a diamond pattern and four-inch heels. Beneath the dress she wore nothing, which left her feeling exhilarated and exposed at the same time. The underwear Connor had purchased showed plainly in against the tight material, clearly he knew nothing about the finer points of dressing a woman.

“Be confident. You will make a perfect hostess. Just catch Maksim Bulgarin’s eye. You might not meet him tonight. He keeps a low profile around the place publicly, but he shows up often enough and likes to have first choice of the women that work there.”

“So I just lead him on?” Kenzi asked nervously.

“Yes, he’ll lead us to Gabriel. Somehow Maksim hands the young people he drugs to him, and once we figure out where and how we will take them both out.” Connor sounded confident.

“What if I can’t control my urges?” Kenzi asked.

“You can, just remember what I’ve taught you. Stay cool and distant, it will turn him on more, and will keep you from devouring him.” Connor reached over as though to pat her hand, but froze before he completed the gesture.

Kenzi lifted her chin and set her jaw. She needed no one’s comfort. She placed her hands in her lap, disgusted by her weakness.

“I’ll be fine. How long are we prepared to give this operation?”

Connor took a moment to carefully study Kenzi. After an exaggerated pause he raised an eyebrow,

“I’d be surprised if he doesn’t rise to the bait within a few days.”

The car pulled to the curb. The sun had just set, and there was not yet a line to get in the nightclub. Above the door was a simple black square with a smaller, red neon square inside it. Underneath were small red letters that read “Kremlin”. A man of impressive size stood outside with arms crossed and a discrete earpiece.

Kenzi left the car and turned to the bouncer. “I’m here for work, it’s my first day.”

He looked at her impassively for a moment before opening the door.

“Next time go around to the back,” he said in a low rumble. Kenzi thought she detected an eastern European accent.

The club hadn’t yet opened and had the atmosphere from the backstage of a burlesque show, or at least what Kenzi imagined that might be like. She’d never been in an ultra-lounge before. The space was large, but divided into distinct spaces. Along most of the perimeter were individual booths with curtains along the front, once pulled they became small, private rooms. Tables were scattered around the room, some with club chairs, many with facing sofas. The lighting was indirect, and the color scheme black and red with occasional accents of gold and neon. A hammer and sickle was prominent on one wall, with Soviet-era artwork celebrating the revolution scattered on other walls.

Kenzi found a bartender who directed her to another hostess for training. Tasha was a tall blonde with cool blue eyes and a manner to match. She carefully looked over Kenzi, pursed the dark red lips once and began to train without any small talk.

Kenzi had pretended to have experience as a club hostess. In fact her preparation for the job had been a few minutes reading some online blogs and Connor’s succinct instruction; “Act like you’re pleased to see everyone who comes in, but also unimpressed. Not familiar, but slightly bored.” Kenzi wondered how Connor had learned the finer points of running this kind of establishment.

As Tasha demonstrated the various seating charts and reservation systems Kenzi was careful to concentrate. This was the best way to ignore the nagging hunger that had become her constant companion. The tall blonde next to her had such a perfect and athletic form. Kenzi caught herself examining the other’s body for places she could feed. She shook herself as the images became increasingly graphic.

The club opened, and a stream of well-dressed patrons filled the lounge. This was not a place for dancing, but the music was loud and aggressive, and people found the space to move against each other as alcohol worked its magic.

“Be careful with the drunks, they’ll take any chance to grope you. If it gets too much, raise a hand and security will take care of it. Just remember, our guests are here to have fun, don’t be too flirty, but let them have a little leeway.” Tasha advised.

Kenzi shadowed her mentor as she greeted and seated guests. From time to time a favor was requested with a discrete tip. The money vanished elegantly and without a trace. Reservations were upgraded, and guests were moved to tables with a more advantageous view. All the time the music pumped and the liquor flowed. Beautiful servers, both men and women, brought bottles of expensive spirits and champagne to tables of expensively-dressed patrons. In time the curtains on the booths began to close, and body contact began to get more intimate.

Always there was the smell, at once intoxicating and maddening. As her senses heightened, Kenzi knew she could expect all of her perceptions to become keener, but the smells in this club were driving her wild. The press of humanity, the delicate scents of clean, fresh skin, the saltier tang of sweat as they danced and the rich musk that drifted out between the curtains of the booths were driving her wild with desire. She couldn’t yet separate the hunger-lust into its different elements, so she watched with fevered eyes the beautiful bodies that swirled around her. She felt a flush of arousal creep through her as she began to wonder if she could slip behind a curtain and just take a sip…

“Are you listening?” Tasha asked in annoyance.

Kenzi snapped back to the moment at hand.

“Are you on something?” Tasha peered closely in Kenzi’s eyes. “I don’t care if you want to take a little something on your own time, but not here, understand?”

“I’m not on anything, just a little caught up in the vibe here,” Kenzi answered and tried to slow her racing heart.

Tasha glanced down at Kenzi’s dress, “I can see that, but try to calm yourself. You’ll attract the wrong kind of attention.”

Kenzi looked down and saw what had attracted the other woman’s notice. Her nipples were pushing prominently against the thin fabric. She was surprised a blush didn’t come; perhaps she’d lost that ability. She smiled coolly instead.

“Like I said; the vibe,” she said.

Tasha stopped and listened to the tiny earphone hidden discretely in one ear. She scanned the club.

“The boss is here,” she announced and Kenzi followed her look.

The sight made her freeze. On the other side floor, near the hallway that lead back to the offices and dressing room was a tall, blond-haired man who resembled a Viking in a modern business suit, but it was the man he was with that had frozen her. Gabriel Sands stood with the Viking, whom she assumed was Maksim Bulgarin. Sands calmly studied the crowd, his seamless face inhumanly expressionless.

Kenzi quickly turned her back. She and Connor had discussed this possibility and steps to be taken should the need arise. Gabriel would be able to tell she was not human if he came close enough to smell her, but thanks to her recent transformation, he would have to get very close. As for her appearance, she now looked very little like the huntress he had taken in the woods. Her dark sable hair was styled in loose waves that reached down her back, and her hazel eyes were now accented to dramatic effect with dark eye shadow and eye liner. Using more make-up tricks her cheekbones now appeared much more severe. In short, she had used every trick in a woman’s arsenal to change her appearance short of resorting to a disguise.

With her heartbeat returning to normal she turned back to face her foes, even if they were across the room.

“So which one is the boss?” She kept her tone level, as though barely interested.

“The blond guy with the short beard, he’s Maksim. I’m not sure who that other guy is, but he’s been here a lot lately.” Tasha shuddered slightly as she turned away. Kenzi guessed she would never admit to being disturbed by anyone, but clearly Gabriel had that effect on her.

“So is Maksim cool or what?” Kenzi asked casually.

Tasha shot her a knowing smile. “I’m sure you’ll find out. He likes to get to know all of his new female employees.”

“So it’s like that, huh?” Kenzi asked with a smile of her own.

Tasha just shrugged, but made the gesture elegant. “It’s whatever you want it to be, but it pays to let him show his interest. He won’t be a pest and he is generous to his friends. It really is very nice.”

“Very nice? Is that all?” Kenzi affected a smirk.

The tall woman leaned down slightly to speak in Kenzi’s ear. “If you let him, he will melt your panties off. He knows his way around a woman’s body.”

Kenzi was surprised by the crass language combined with the cool tone which Tasha used.

“Just don’t get attached, Maksim doesn’t stay with anyone long, no matter how much you want him to.” Tasha began moving again, and left Kenzi jumping to catch up.

When Kenzi glanced back, Maksim and Gabriel were headed down the hallway and away from her. She breathed a sigh of relief and went back to following Tasha and trying to keep her focus off her nagging hunger.

It was nearly closing time when Tasha again stopped to listen to her earpiece. With a sly smile she turned to Kenzi after she issued a short affirmative to whoever was speaking.

“Maksim has asked to meet you. He’s in his office.” Tasha pointed the way and turned back to her position at the door, carefully monitoring the departing guests.

Kenzi felt her heart begin to race again. If Gabriel was there she knew she’d be discovered. There was no way to disguise her scent in a small room. She cursed the rise of non-smoking laws, maybe a heavy nicotine and tar smell would have covered her. As it was she squared her shoulders and made her way to the back of the club. Along the way she resolved to fight to the last if this was the end. She wouldn’t mind dying if it meant she could destroy the thing that had made her into a monster.

She knocked and answered the call to enter. Maksim was alone, sitting behind a large carved desk. The room held two black velvet couches that faced each other across a low table. Several large flat screens displayed the club from multiple camera angles. Kenzi was surprised to see some of the now-vacant private booths had cameras in them as well.

“Kenzi, it is good to meet you,” he said with a smile. He spoke with a mild Russian accent, and his smile seemed both open and charming.

“Mr. Bulgarin, it is nice to meet you as well,” she said coolly.

“You may call me Maks, and I just wanted to get a sense of my new hostess.” Maksim did not disguise his appraising study of her form.

“Do I meet with your approval?” Kenzi managed a tone that suggested amused annoyance.

“Yes you do,’ laughed Maksim. “I find you very beautiful, and I like how you carry yourself. Maybe sometime soon we can discuss where you’ve worked before and what you bring to this club.”

“If you’d like. Is that all?” Kenzi turned to go.