Fresh Blood (6 page)

* * * *

At 6:00 p.m., Erica stood before her open
closet and drew out a black dress with trembling fingers. Half a
dozen times she’d picked up the phone to call Max and cancel and
each time she’d taken a deep breath and steeled herself to do
this.

When the doorbell rang, she smoothed her
skirt and her hair, and pressed her hand tightly to her stomach to
quell the butterflies. This is business, she told herself. Just
business.

* * * *

This is just business, Max told himself. He’d
had less trouble believing that all day while he worked from his
apartment. He’d spoken to his contacts and his colleagues and
circulated the details he had about Elena Talbot’s disappearance.
Since keeping a reluctant human from becoming a feeder was within
his job description, he felt less like he was using Erica for his
own perverse pleasure. The search for Elena Talbot was an official
case now, so he didn’t have to feel guilty about spending the
evening with Erica, even if he enjoyed it.

When he rang Erica’s doorbell, his
professional resolve wavered. It fled entirely when she opened the
door.

Just as he’d requested, she wore black. The
dress was strapless and the neckline dipped just a bit between her
breasts.

Her neck was bare, and now she wore her hair
in a loose chignon with a few thin corkscrew curls dangling here
and there, just begging to be touched.

Demure black stockings and sharp-toed pumps
with old-fashioned pedestal heels completed the look. Her makeup
was understated, and she smelled like almond soap and
indecision.

It occurred to him that if he made this
difficult for her, he might still be able to talk her out of
it.

“Can I come in?”

“Do you have to be invited?” She cocked her
head, baring the pulse-point in her neck to his view.

He swallowed. “No more than anyone else.”

She stepped aside, and he walked into the
apartment where her scent and her taste surrounded him. The
overstuffed bookshelves explained the librarian vibe he’d gotten. A
stack of hardcovers sat on a low coffee table next to a sofa that
begged for curling up and settling in with the latest
bestseller.

He smiled. “This is nice. It’s a comfortable
place.”

“Thank you.” She seemed unsure of herself
now. Despite the outfit and her determined stance, he wondered if
she really had the confidence to pull it off. “Can I get you a
drink?”

“I don’t want anything right now, thanks. We
should get started. I made reservations at 7:30 for Gregori’s. It’s
a private club that was owned by the prior vampire king. Since he
left the country it’s under new management, but they kept the
name.”

“The vampire king owned a club? Didn’t he
have ... kingly duties?”

“His last duty here was to choose a new
king.” Max thought of Gregori Nachevik’s chosen successor. Jake
Beaumont’s appointment as the leader of vampire society in this
area had shaken the vampire world pretty badly. Things were still
settling, like the aftermath of an earthquake, loose dirt filling
into the cracks.

“So how does vampire royalty work? If there
aren’t any ... bloodlines?”

“It’s sort of like a bloodline. The former
king chose a successor that he turned himself, and the rules are
stricter now than they used to be. We need permission from the king
to turn someone.” Max wished the rules had been in place a century
ago, but things were different then.

“What about a queen?”

“There’s no queen ... right now. Female
vampires usually aren’t interested in politics.”

“Tell me about the club ... What’s it like
there?” She surprised him by taking a seat on the sofa. He watched
her legs as she crossed them demurely at the ankle. Whatever had
stopped working for him last night with Kyra kicked back into gear
as his gaze traveled up her taut calf muscles. He forgot vampire
politics and concentrated on answering her next question.

“It’s elegant. The food is excellent, so I’m
told.”

“I don’t know if it’s Elena’s type of place.
I would have expected to find her somewhere more like After
Dark.”

“Gregori’s is for vampires who have regular
feeders that they like to show off. If she’s gotten into a
‘contract’ with someone, she might not be able to get out of it
that easily, and that may be why she called for help. Some vampires
pay their regular feeders good money for exclusivity, and they help
them maintain a certain lifestyle.”

Erica nodded. “I’m sorry I couldn’t get you
something that belongs to her. There’s an eviction notice on her
apartment, and the landlord wouldn’t let me in unless I paid two
months back rent. I can’t get the money until Monday morning so
....”

Max sighed. With Elena’s scent, his job would
have been so much easier. “Maybe we’ll get lucky and we’ll find her
tonight. I know I don’t need to ask but, you haven’t heard any more
from her, have you?”

She shook her head, and the glimmer of
vulnerability in her eyes clutched at him. He turned away from her
and covered his own uncertainty by placing his suit jacket on a
nearby chair.

When he turned back, he was in charge again,
ready to teach her what she needed to know.

* * * *

“Let’s go over the rules, and the
consequences for breaking them,” Max said as he turned. His voice
sent an unexpected shiver through Erica’s body, and her nipples
peaked beneath the satiny fabric of her dress. Oh, God, if she felt
like this now, what would happen if he touched her?

She held her breath while he unbuttoned his
shirt cuffs and pushed his sleeves up. He dropped a pair of gold
cuff links on the coffee table and gave her a dark look. When he
loosened his tie, she arched involuntarily toward him.

“Rule number one: I’m in control at all
times. Inside the club you literally belong to me. You have no
purpose other than to do as you are told.”

She nodded, afraid to speak, afraid that she
would sound too eager to obey his commands.

“Rule two: Don’t speak unless I give you
permission. If someone asks you a question--they probably
won’t--but if they do, you look at me before answering. If I don’t
respond, you say nothing.

“Rule three: You never leave my side. Rule
four: If you see your sister, don’t react to her. Let me know,
quietly, and I’ll decide what to do from there. There’s a chance
that even if she’s there, we will not be able to get to her
tonight. Do you understand?”

“Yes.” Erica’s response came out as a
breathless whisper. “Are those all the rules?”

“The major ones. Get used to doing everything
I tell you. You can start now by standing up.”

She complied, her eyes on him. When he moved
to stand in front of her, her stomach tightened, and the tingle
between her thighs intensified.

He brought up one hand and traced the healing
bite marks on her neck with the tip of his finger. His feather
light touch made something deep within her begin to pulse.

“This healed too quickly. It wasn’t deep
enough.” He ran his finger over her collarbone and across the
mounded flesh above the curving neckline of her dress. “There are
lots of places I could leave a mark. What would be best? Maybe the
other side of your neck?” He smirked and she swallowed hard. His
scent was intoxicating, like a warm summer breeze with a hint of
spice. She tilted her head back when he placed both hands on her
hips and guided her body toward his.

“How about here?” He lowered his head and
kissed the spot just below her left ear and she made a sound that
could only have been one of surrender.

* * * *

Max hovered over the sweet spot on Erica’s
neck, lost in the fatal scent of her. Another taste would be his
downfall. He wanted her even though he wasn’t hungry. Kyra had
sated his desire for blood. What he wanted now, he hadn’t taken
last night.

He told himself the scent of arousal would
make Erica seem more authentic. Feeders, as a rule, enjoyed the
sexual nature of the vampire symbiosis as well. It raised their
internal pressure and heightened their output. Sexual excitement
had the added benefit of releasing hormones into the blood that
made it sweeter. With that in mind, it was practically a necessity
to get her a little hot before he brought her to the club. The
anticipation would show on her face in the flush of her cheeks and
the swell of her breasts against her dress. He needed her in the
same state she’d been in last night, needed her fighting for
control so he could offer it to her.

“Turn around.” He loved that she didn’t
question his command.

He pulled her against him, positioning her
hips so she could feel his erection. He held her tight around the
waist and lowered his teeth to just above her flickering pulse and
bent her forward slightly.

The delicious sensation of her pushing
against him brought on the bloodlust. He bit down slowly, just
enough to let the blood well into a swollen drop beneath each fang.
As he licked those sweet drops, he slid one hand down the front of
her dress to cup the spot at the juncture of her thighs.

She pushed back father, and a moan escaped
her lips. That’s when he began to drink.

Erica found the hard muscles of Max’s thigh
and squeezed with shaking fingers while she rubbed against his
cock. His lips on her skin were like fire, his body like a wall of
steel against her back.

She’d never wanted anyone so badly. It wasn’t
like her at all to want to surrender, and it scared her. Part of
her soul that she never knew existed had burst free and was
clamoring for control. She wanted him to tell her what to do so she
wouldn’t have to wonder.

“Please ...” she whispered finally when he
drew his lips away. His teeth slide out of her skin and rather than
relief that he was finished, she felt suddenly alone and without
purpose. “You can take more ...” Had she really said that? Did she
really want him to continue?

“No, I can’t.” His voice was raw.

She turned in his arms and leaned against
him. “Isn’t there more I need to learn?” Shame heated her cheeks at
the request. She had to be losing her mind. Why did she want him to
do this, to own her? She’d been an independent woman for all of her
adult life. She’d spent more than a decade resisting the limits
anyone else tried to impose on her, and now all she wanted was this
man, this vampire she hardly knew, to claim her and command
her.

He grabbed her arms and shook her once, just
hard enough to remind her that giving her will over to him was a
dangerous idea.

“There’s a lot you need to learn. First, you
don’t tell me what to take. I’ll take what I want.” He brought one
finger up and tilted her chin so she had to meet his gaze. His
voice softened. “If I take everything I want from you right now,
there will be nothing left, Erica. We can’t play like this, not
here where there’s nothing stopping me from making you mine.”

Lost in his blazing eyes, she couldn’t
respond. Somewhere in her foggy thoughts a voice cried for him to
do it. She wanted him, and she hated herself for being so weak.

He let her go and she sagged a little, her
breath escaping in a shuddering sigh. “This isn’t me,” she said
finally, wishing it were true. “I’m not usually like this.”

“I know. Believe me when I tell you, I don’t
want to change you. I don’t want to turn you into exactly what
you’re trying to save your sister from.”

Erica glanced up sharply. “I may not know you
very well, but that sounded like a lie, Mr. Hart.”

A smile played at the corner of his mouth as
he rolled his sleeves down and retrieved his cuff-links. “You don’t
have to believe me, Erica. You just have to do as I say. Rule five:
Call me Max.”

* * * *

‘Elegant’ was too mild a word to describe
Gregori’s. Like the finest human restaurants, it seemed that no
expense had been spared to make the place sparkle. Chandeliers hung
in the center of every room, and the ornate windows held thick
beveled panes of leaded glass that captured the reflections of
dozens of candles. Strings of miniature lights decorated the potted
trees that lined the main entry hall and each pinpoint of light
gleamed off the polished parquet floor.

When Max and Erica arrived, an attendant took
their coats while the concierge checked their reservations and
showed them to a table that overlooked the huge central dance
floor.

Erica relaxed when Max pulled out her chair
for her. She sat down and he ordered her a wine spritzer. This
place catered to her more delicate sensibilities, not the part of
her that had been screaming for release since Max left her wanting
and wondering in her apartment.

She began to fantasize that after a sumptuous
meal, she might look down and see Elena swirling across the dance
floor with her escort. She’d always dreamed that one day she’d see
her twin happy and healthy and free of her addictions. The beauty
and charm of Gregori’s made her think it might be possible that
Elena could find happiness in this world.

With a start, she admonished herself for such
a foolish thought. If Elena was happy she wouldn’t have called for
help. Her words were burned into Erica’s memory; I need you to help
me ...

Max ordered Erica’s dinner and the authority
in his voice made her feel momentarily safe. He leaned forward to
speak to her after the tuxedoed waiter left them. “I put out some
feelers this morning. I found out there’s some fresh blood in the
upper echelons. Some of the people who work directly for the new
king have been taking on extra feeders. That could be an important
lead.”

“Tell me more about the old king,” Erica said
under her breath. “Why did he leave?”