Dancing Dragon (10 page)

“I think Doug would like a word, mistress,” Jett replied, loud enough for others to hear. An intentional move to show me respect in front of the line.

I glanced over at the bartender, he nodded in acknowledgement and went on serving the customer in front of him. For Doug, I could spare a few minutes, I considered him a friend. I walked over and slid into a vacant stool at the bar, within seconds another
Bacardi and Coke
appeared in front of me and the smiling face of the world's fastest and quietest vampire barman. Doug's a vamp of little words. His hand went through his short goatie beard as he leaned against the counter top.

“Luce. Good to see you.” I believed him when he said it.

“What can I do for you, Doug?” I asked, giving him a genuine smile.

His eyes scanned Michel's newest mark on my neck briefly, but he didn't show any outward signs of excitement or otherwise at it, just flicked his gaze casually back to me.

“It's what you can do for me.” Oh this should be good. “I need someone I can trust to run the bar from opening at 5pm until about nine, when I come on board. We usually rely on humans, but I think right now we need to tighten security a bit.”

Understatement, but why me? He looked at me searching for a reaction, I was doing my best just to keep a simple smile on my face and nothing more.

“Heard you gave your day job away,” he said, picking up a glass and starting to clean it with a white cloth. “How about it?”

Well, this was a coincidence. Hadn't Amisi said I should work at
Sensations
? Somehow though, I couldn't imagine Michel would be impressed with his kindred being a bartender. So, of course I wanted to do it. And as far as hours went, it would work. No rogues would be feeding that early in the day, so the need to hunt locally would be minimal if non-existent and any Dream Walking hunts could be managed around those hours. Exactly what I needed, but...

“I've never worked behind a bar before, Doug. I count coins or stake the evil undead. It's not much of a resume, but it's all I got.”

He chuckled. “Just about perfect then, at least I know you'd provide the right change, the rest I can teach you.” He reached under the bar and tossed me a cocktail recipe book. “Learn this, be here at 4pm tomorrow and I'll teach you rest before opening. It's not rocket science, you'll get it in ten minutes flat. Wear black and keep your stakes on you at all times, oh and the pay will be better than good. Just call it danger money.” He winked and then simply turned away to serve an impatient customer.

I'd just been hired and I hadn't even said yes. Damn, you gotta love the over-confidence of vamps.

I shook my head with a rueful smile and slid off the stool. Marcus and Matthias slipped in beside me as I headed across the dance floor and out the back. In the garage two other vamps were waiting. Tall, bulky, dressed in commando fatigues and armed to the hilt. Both dark haired, dark skinned, both impressive on the
Sanguis Vitam
scale. I knew them by sight, but not name. Michel's line had got really big recently, it was hard to keep up. I stopped in front of them, some five feet away.

Matthias did the introductions. “This is Antonio and Ricardo. They'll be tailing you from a distance. You shouldn't see them, but you'd no doubt feel them, so we thought an intro would be best.”

I took in their
Sanguis Vitam
signature and let myself
seek
out their Dark, recording it all for future reference. I nodded to them both and they simply evaporated into the shadows. I couldn't even get a handle on their
Sanguis Vitam
anymore, they had just disappeared.

“Impressive,” I said with a little unbridled awe.

“Only the best for the master's kindred Nosferatin,” Marcus offered with a straight face.

I rolled my eyes at him and suppressed a yawn. Matthias saw it though.

“Want me to drive? Marcus can follow in the Rover.”

I wouldn't normally, but I was starting to get that beyond tired feeling and driving whilst like that was never a good thing. I chucked him the keys and went around the passenger side. I was asleep before we had even left the CBD.

I woke up to the phone beside my bed ringing and groaned as I realised I didn't remember making it home, let alone being put to bed by one of my guards and a quick glance at the clock beside me told me I'd been asleep practically all day. It was three in the afternoon. Shit! Just enough time to get dressed and to my new job.

I sat up straight and picked up the phone.

“Yep,” I said down the line.

“Yep? That's no way to answer the telephone, Lucinda, hasn't your mother taught you good manners?”

“Don't bring my mother into it
Angel of Light,
” I answered, settling back into the pillows and emphasising Amisi's new nick-name.

“Arghh! Don't you start. Half the bloody vampires in this city know all about that now. Anyway, that's not why I rang. Soooo, how'd it go? Has Michel been suitably reminded?”

Ah, and of course the real reason behind the phone call, she was checking up on me.

“You could say that,” I replied, hedging.

“Oh, you'll have to do better than that, give. What happened and I want details.”

“Are you sure about that?” Amisi had always been the first to vacate the room when Michel started getting overly amorous.

“That good huh? I knew you'd reel him in, what with that dress he didn't stand a chance.”

“Well, let's just say he's been suitably punished. He now wears my
Sigillum
in the shape of my hand on his arse.”

Amisi choked back a sound, but in the background I heard the unmistakable deep manly chuckle of a certain Master of the City.

“Amisi! Is Gregor there with you?” Shit, now Gregor knew, I'd never live this down. Hell, Michel would probably never live this down, which would mean he would be extremely irate with me for letting this slip and there would be hell to pay when he found out. Great.

Amisi chortled and choked and then finally between great heaving sobs of laughter managed to stammer, “He was concerned for you, he wanted to know how it went. He's having an Apple Tea with me.”

Mm. Apple Tea. Yum. But,
never give an inch
. “Apple Tea huh? Is that what they call it now days?”

“Lucinda! I am not that kind of girl.”

Yeah, that's what has got Gregor so hooked. A challenge. “If you say so.”

“Oh really, you are incorrigible. So, getting back to Michel, it's all good? Really?” Her voice had softened at the end, she really did care.

I sighed. “Yeah, I think so.” I paused letting that sink in, I think more for me than her. “Hey! I got a job. Took your advice and I am now the bartender from five 'til nine at
Sensations.
Which reminds me,” I said looking at the clock. “Gotta run, the boss wants to show me the ropes before opening hours begins, I gotta dash.”

I was already standing up and heading for the bathroom.

“Great. We can compare notes.” Her voice lowered conspiratorially. “I'll give you a tip, if you really want to make an impression, work the top shelf liquors, steer clear of the beer taps, leave that to someone else. The tips are better down by the Scotch.”

“Not just the tips I should think,” I answered and heard a low growl from the background down the line.

“Um, gotta go, Gregor's turning feral.” The growl got louder. “I think I need to put him out.”

“Walkies!” I sang loudly down the line.

The last thing I heard before the phone went dead was Amisi's chortle and Gregor's ever deepening growl getting closer to the phone.

It wasn't rocket science, but it did take longer than ten minutes for Doug to show me the ropes. My job would not only include serving any post work Norms that entered the bar from five in the evening until when Doug decided to show, but I was also in charge of getting the float out of the safe and having the cash register ready to go. The bar fridges would be stocked the night before and all the glasses cleaned and shining brightly. I just had to empty the last under counter dishwasher, make sure all the lights illuminating the mirror and liquor shelves behind the bar were on and that the chefs had arrived and were setting up shop in the small industrial kitchen out the back and the bus boy had all the chairs down on the floor. Oh, and any entertainers were all good to go.

Then door open and I was ready to rock and roll. Doug went through pouring beers correctly, showed me where all the decorations and condiments were stored, you know, sliced lemons and cocktail umbrellas and the like, and made sure I knew how to pour a decent double shot. Half an hour later he left me to reading my cocktail book and then the first of my customers arrived. It was busy, but not manic. Enough clientèle to keep one slightly faster than human Nosferatin happy and occupied and only as the vampires began to appear in the corners as 9pm approached did it start to get a little popular.

Sensations
has groupies, but even if they don't know that vampires exist, or that that gorgeous guy sitting in the corner is actually eyeing your jugular, not your baby blue eyes, they still feel compelled to congregate. They also know, that the good looking ones who frequent
Sensations
only arrive when the sun has set. So, they do to. I knew instantly when the sun had passed the horizon and the stars came out to play and it had nothing to do with the
Sanguis Vitam
that began to permeate the air, or the increase in scantily clad customers, both male and female, but more to do with my natural Nosferatin abilities.

It's like I get a tingle between my shoulder blades, not uncomfortable, a little more anticipatory than hairs-standing-on-end-down-my-arm. I knew what the night can bring and it is not always nice, those monsters you thought hid under your bed when you were a kid, do actually exist, but they're out on the streets, sitting next to you at the pub, breathing down your neck as you suck back your mixer and nibble on a peanut. And I'm OK with that. It feels right, like a part of me wakes up when they do. Until that sun sets I'm kind of in limbo, waiting for when my life feels real again, when the monsters come out from under the bed and drink a Merlot beside you at the bar.

I'm OK with it, as long as they behave.

My first shift at
Sensations
passed without incident and I have to say, I enjoyed it. I handed over the reins to Doug, feeling like purpose had been returned to my normal daytime life and my bank account would appreciate it. I had no idea what Doug would pay me, but no doubt in a week's time I'd get a pleasant surprise when I checked my on-line bank account. It didn't bother me in the slightest if he paid above industry standards, Michel could afford it and as long as I wasn't taking it as an outright handout, I could live with that too.

I hung around for several hours, well into the night, to make sure all of Michel's line who were going to turn up saw me. They needed to be reminded. They needed to see me and know the words I'd spoken last night had not been hollow, empty, meaningless letters strung together just for the hell of it. Surprisingly, it felt good to be surrounded by Michel's vampires again, it felt right. And I think it felt right for them too. I could tell they were more settled by the end of the visit, than when I had arrived yesterday. I had a feeling that this was going to be a pattern, at least until Michel returned. I'd work the first few hours of the night, then
commune
with his vampires for the rest and if my pull happened to occur during those hours, then I was in the CBD where I needed to be.

Samson turned up eventually and I managed to have a chat and drink with him, catching up on his current project for the Durand line. Michel, or maybe Jett, was using him well. Samson's expertise was in IT. He was a whiz with electronics and was currently in charge of making sure the line's computers were adequately protected.

Once I was sure I had made the necessary impression in the club, I headed home.

Marcus and Matthias had arrived not long after dark, the one downside of starting work before the vampires did was my guard couldn't shadow me in. But I'm a big girl, I can handle the daylight hours on my own, so it was a risk I felt confident in taking.

By the time we made it home, dawn was kissing the horizon and I was knackered. I showered briefly, dressed in some shortie cotton PJ's, black with hot pink kittens all over them, stake under my pillow and settled in to get some shut eye. I was just about drifting off to sleep, when the phone rang.

Bloody hell, if it was Amisi wanting a catch up at this hour of the day I would personally head down there and stake her.

“What?” I answered, none too friendly.

“
Ma douce
?
” Michel was not used to that tone, even from me.

“Michel,” I said softly in reply. His voice alone could soothe my nerves.

“Ah, that is better. Did I catch you at a bad time?”

“I was just settling in under the covers, it's been a long night.”

“Not too eventful I hope,” he asked, voice even.

“
No. I spent the entire sunless hours at
Sensations
catching up with your line.”

There was a soft purr over the phone, comforting and adorable at the same time.

“You did?” he said and then, “You are perfect you know that?” I didn't, but I liked hearing him say it.

“What's happening in your world” I asked, pulling the covers up around my chin and snuggling down under them, his voice lulling me into a sleepy, but safe, state.

“They are stalling, I will probably not meet with the Champion this night. Patience, it seems, is the order of the day.” He paused and I could hear material ruffling in the background, like he was getting more comfortable too. “I missed you,
ma douce
. I want you here with me.”

“I could Dream Walk. It's been 24 hours since my last Dream Walk to you.” I needed to allow 24 hours between each Dream Walk or run the risk of being out cold for three days. An annoying caveat of my talent, one I could not afford to forget. Especially without Michel here to protect my sleeping body.

“No,
ma douce
, just let me hear your voice. I do not want even your Dream Walking self in the
Palais
, who is to say that is not what they are waiting for.” They were, of course, the
Iunctio
and we still didn't know why they had called Michel to them. It could be a trap, just as he suspected and me Dream Walking to my kindred might be exactly what they wanted.

“So, how come you can read my mind from all the way over in Europe. It seemed pretty strong last night. Stronger than before.”

When Michel had been going through the claiming, he had been able to read my mind. We hadn't put two and two together at the time, but obviously the claiming believed his reading my mind would aid him in his task of claiming me as his own. It had done, it had made it easy for him to second guess my every move, to behave in a way that I had subconsciously wanted, just by being able to read my inner musings and deepest and darkest desires. The claiming had been successful, Michel no longer needed to read my mind. But now, all of a sudden, that talent was back. And it felt stronger.

“
I am not sure,
ma douce
, but it is stronger. Very much so.”

“Do you think the claiming is back?” I asked.

“No. I still want to let everyone know you are mine, but it is completely under my control.”

Michel had been, at times during the claiming, ruled by it. The loss of control had been new to him and he had battled with that. Michel never likes losing control. Probably why he was having trouble accepting his loss of control of Erika. She had been stolen from him by the King of the American Families, without even Michel being aware. That required some power on the King's part, but some serious deviousness on hers. She had acted like the blood bond she and Michel had, was very much still there.

He went on. “I am not sure, but I feel it returned when I needed to hear your thoughts the most. When I was at a crossroads and so close to choosing the wrong path.”

The choice of his words made me think of something. “You know Nut told Gregor that we all have paths mapped out for us in life, that we get some choice, but the end result is always the same. Kind of like fate or destiny if you like. When Gregor's path was taking him away from that preordained destiny, she stepped in and guided him back on the correct path.”

“Are you saying your goddess helped me, a Nosferatu, when I was about to step off my chosen path?” Michel asked, a little sceptically.

“Maybe it wasn't you she was helping.”

He was silent for moment, considering my words, then conceded. “Perhaps.”

I heard a knock in the background down the phone line. “What's that?”

“Ah. My scheduled dinner for the night.”

I tensed. Michel had been feeding from others than me during our estrangement. I had accepted it, what could I do? He fed from me last night and would normally feed only from me if we were together, but of course now, he was there, I was here and vampires need to feed daily, or risk growing too weak. But, that wasn't the only reason why I was having a mini conniption. The last time we had stayed at the
Iunctio's Palais
Michel had been under the influence of an
Iunctio
member's power and had not only fed from another but ended up getting up close and personal with her too.

Needless to say, I had been devastated at the time, but then I too had been under the spell and almost crossed a line with Gregor. I didn't then, that wouldn't happen until I was back in New Zealand and not under a spell, but instead extremely pissed off and lashing out laced with the Dark. Still, the images of Michel with a blonde French beauty in our bed at the
Palais
are still quite front and centre in my mind.

“
I feel your emotions,
ma douce,"
he whispered down the line. "I have requested only male donors for my stay and if it makes you happy, please stay on the phone while I feed.”

Michel is the most heterosexual man I have ever met, I simply can't see him attracted to a male. I let a breath of air out I had been holding.

“OK,” I said, quietly.

I heard the door to his chamber open over the line and Michel say something abruptly in French to whomever was on the other side of the door. I couldn't make out the conversation, as it was rapid and a little muffled. God knows where he had his phone, but finally he came on the line and was not a happy chappy.

“They have sent a female and
apparently
have no males to offer this evening.”

“
You have to feed, Michel. This was planned. They don't play nice. Just do it and think of me.”

“
That,
ma douce
,
will not be difficult.”

I heard him say
come in,
in French to the donor and then felt him open up his mind to me. I could see what he saw. Everything. He wanted me to be absolutely sure of his faithfulness. She was of medium height, slightly taller than me, but not by much and had long straight brown hair. A nice figure in a short skirt, dark colours. I laughed, she was almost a dead ringer for me.

“
Well, they couldn't be more obvious if they tried,” I said, amazed at the
Iunctio
's
audacity.

“Hmm,” was all I got from Michel. He was definitely not happy.

“
Assoyez-vous, s'il vous plaît,
” I heard him say and watched through the images he showed me as she curved her body into the couch, looking up all doe eyed and compliant.

Michel walked around the back of the sofa and simply leaned over and took one of her wrists in his hand, pulling it up and behind her head, so she couldn't see him feed and he wouldn't be looking at her. It would have felt uncomfortable too. Michel normally would make it a more pleasurable experience for the donor, but I was picking he was really pissed off at the
Iunctio
right now. No one likes to be a part of someone's games.

He instructed her to not move an inch, no touching, not a word. All in crisp, succinct French. I had no doubt he was saying it slowly, so I could catch every word and translate with my rudimentary French lexicon in my head.

He didn't waste time, his fangs bit quickly and cleanly, he tempered the sting with a feeling of warmth and safety and nothing else, and drained what he needed in thirty seconds flat. He stood up and stepped back several feet from her and said in a low growl, “
Vous êtes écartés
.” You are dismissed. A more palpable signal to the
Iunctio
to back off, there couldn't have been.