Dead and Everything (Eve Benson: Vampire Book 2) (24 page)

Eve
got that it was a trick too, and not a good thing.

If
she knew who the Greater Demons were, and they didn’t like her knowing, they
might just try to get rid of her.

Darla
smiled and touched her again. There was no tingling this time.

“Exactly,
Eve. The world is a far more dangerous and deadly place than you ever imagined.
It always was, so I think you can survive this, if you’re careful enough. Now,
how about that blood?” Almost as if she didn’t have bones, the other girl rose
up, and headed toward the kitchen.

Eve
just sat there, wondering, for the first time, if she’d made a mistake trying
to be anything other than what she always had been.

It
was too late to change up now. Which meant that she needed to get up to speed
fast, didn’t she? Except that it was clear that no one was just going to tell
her what she needed to know.

Like
they wanted her to think of it all on her own, or something.

Darla
was remarkably unhelpful after that, but did feed her some new links, which
were all Human, from the feeling of them. Of course, since part of her new
reality was that she couldn’t really trust anyone, the second that Eve got back
to the yogurt shop she was going to have to drop them all and get new ones from
even different sources. Thinking that was a bit mean, since she loved Darla,
but her friend didn’t seem upset when she realized that Eve had been thinking
that.

In
fact, it was pretty clear that she was impressed.

“That’s
the spirit! Once something like that is pointed out to you, not acting on it
would be foolish. Not that I would have used that against you. After all, I
don’t really have to, since if I want you to perform a task for me, I can just
ask. Not everyone will be that kind though, and you have some enemies already.
You
know
that however.”

She
did.

“Gene,
from the Council? Um… I don’t really know why, or who else. I’m sure that I’ve
pissed off someone over the years. I bet there are twenty Mages that feel like
the world would be better without me. I sort of let that kid get killed. His
parents…” That was a real thing, she knew. They couldn’t touch Zack after all,
or Darla, so that left Eve the baby Vampire to blame for the brat getting
himself killed.

Darla
shook her head and then patted her arm gently.

“Surprisingly,
no. They were told about what you did to protect the others, and think of you
as an ally of sorts. Many of the Mages are like that. The thing is…” Then,
maddeningly, and clearly on purpose, she stopped talking.

Which
was a hint, but of what, Eve couldn’t tell.

Finally,
her head starting to hurt a bit, she simply asked.

“I
know
that I’m not getting what you mean. Is this important, or can I
just phone it in? Do I really need to know, and if so, what am I supposed to be
doing? Thinking for myself, clearly, but what am I supposed to be going for?”
She waited.

Nothing
came. In fact, Darla got up to get a drink for herself. A soda, it seemed,
except that the scent of it was too strong. It was a glass of syrup, basically.
Orange in color, and too dark to be something a Human would enjoy.

Looking
at the glass, the blonde nodded.

“There
are a thousand tricks to passing as Human. This is one of them. Soon, if all
goes as it is, we won’t have to do that at all, unless it fits our current
plans. That… It isn’t what the main body of my kind want. Some of the insane
think it’s a great idea. Then, that’s rather what not being sane means for one
of us. Thinking that things are one thing, when they are actually another.”
Then she drank the whole thing down without stopping, not even making a face at
the cloying sweetness when she was done.

Eve
sort of understood then.

Something
that was going on was really
being pushed by some of the Greater Demons? She focused as well as she could,
staring at the far wall, which was a nice and even white color. There was a hand
painted picture there, of a barn, as seen over a field of wild flowers. It was
pretty, she thought.

Finally
she started to nod, not knowing why she was doing it, since nothing was coming
to her consciously. Nothing did, until she spoke.

“So,
all of the sane ones of your kind are holding back, and not breaking into
what’s happening, which is… Everyone being outed to the Humans? Because…” She
let her face screw up, a bit surprised that she was saying anything. “Because
they stand to benefit from it too? There’s no real reason for Humans
not
to know about it all, Vampires and Mages, or even Greater Demons. In fact that
has to be good for business. The normal people just have a problem remembering
that things other than their day to day reality exists. I was always told that,
but I didn’t
get
it until I was a Vampire for a while. So much of the
world is different than I thought it was, and I’d known about it all. That… So,
the, um, good guys of your kind are standing back and letting the crazy ones do
all the work, so that…” She didn’t know. It was probably all wrong, but Darla
let her face light up.

“Keep
going… You almost have it all.”

She
did
? Eve thought for a long time, her friend getting up to get food for
herself. It wasn’t rude, since Eve didn’t need to eat, and really couldn’t,
unless it was an all protein and fat snack. She hadn’t even tried that yet.

“Okay,
so, the insane Greater Demons, they’ll want a return on investment. That, I
guess it could be increased Human slaves. A lot of people are miserable enough
that selling themselves for fame, fortune, sex or whatever probably seems like
a good deal. I can understand that. I mean, it’s kind of what I did.” She waved
at her body, meaning the whole Vampire thing, which got a single nod.

It
had been a move meant to get her power, after all.

Plus,
she was right, she thought. At least she wasn’t told that the others hadn’t
done that, or for those reasons.

She
shook her head.

“That
doesn’t explain the rest of it though, does it? Someone trying to kill Troy
Lopez for instance? Or whoever set me up to go into a box for six months. Was
that Keels do you think? Or Zack?” Or, and she didn’t say that part, Darla? It
would just be denied if it was the case, all of it would. That was really what
the message for the day was, so she held up her right hand and wiggled her
fingers.

Then
didn’t say anything for a long time.

“I
know, you won’t tell me that. Let’s see… Who would bother even messing with me
in particular? If it wasn’t one of you… Well, or someone just acting at random,
trying to get at Bey or Ed… Um, Finias? But really, he’s kind of like the rest
of you, isn’t he? If he needed me to do something and it wasn’t going to get me
killed or hurt too much to take, then wouldn’t he just
ask
? That, or
offer to trade something that would be a big deal to me that he wouldn’t care
about at all… So, not him?” She glanced at the stony, and totally bland face in
front of her.

That
wasn’t a fair assessment though. She was smiling gently, as if pleased. That
could be due to Eve getting things finally. At the same time it could be about
a thousand other things, one of which was that she was bothering to try and use
her head as more than a platform for giving a blowjob. Life had been easier in
a way, when she could simply do things like that to make friends. Really, she
probably could now, she knew. Her self control was good enough. She’d just been
putting off trying, in case she messed up and bit someone.

She
wouldn’t. Not on accident.

Eve
thought for a few moments again, and then went on.

“So
who does that leave? I know Ann, kind of, but haven’t seen her for years.
Xenses? I guess I always got along with Barb well enough, but he was a real
piece of work. But… If I was being messed with by The Defiler, I’m sure that my
ass would have been stretched out a few times already. That’s his thing, isn’t
it?”

Darla
went still, a bit like a Vampire, then nodded.

“It
would have been. He’s dead now, however. Keeley, Zack and I killed him. Several
times, to be exact. So you may cross him off your list as well.”

Who
did that leave?

“So,
Ann, and… Um, Fram? Again, if he wanted something though, wouldn’t he just
ask
?
So, maybe not.” She stopped suddenly, as her friend jumped up, clearing her
throat.

“Well!
It seems like that’s a good point for you to be leaving on! I loved our little
talk. We need to do it again. Far more regularly. You know, if you don’t mind,
I am in town several times a week. I have to see to my charge, Zack, and I’d
love to hang out. We could go to a club, or take in a show? That, or plot to
make his life far more interesting. Speaking of which, you and he have a
contract in place, that he hasn’t been using. Unlimited sex, I believe, whenever
he wants to use you?”

“There
are
limits, actually. I’m not really that into things of that nature
anymore. You have a point though? I should get used to practicing on him,
maybe?”

There
was a shrug then.

“It’s
a good enough idea. Sex is too powerful a tool for one with your goals in life
not to use. Besides, it wouldn’t hurt for you to be closer to him. He’s broken,
and insane, for a Greater Demon, but given that you seem to be looking into
that side of things, perhaps it would be useful to you, to have an in there?”

Eve
stopped and then raised a single eyebrow at the pretty girl.

“Wait,
you’re totally setting me up here, aren’t you? You want me to infiltrate or
something stupid like that, so that I can get at their secrets? Except, you
have to know they won’t be telling me anything that will be of use to you… So…”

Darla,
chuckling a bit, moved her toward the door, pulling her up suddenly.

“Actually,
I’m trying to get you out of here before my uninvited visitors come. Tarsus and
a few others that I’d rather not have thinking about you, in particular. We’ll
talk in a few days? Keep thinking, Eve. It’s a useful talent.”

Then,
once the door was open, she leaned in and whispered a single word.

“Run.”
There was no emphasis in it, but it was the kind of thing that got her going,
so Eve moved as hard as she could into pain, heading back to the mall. It was
still dark out, but she decided to use it as a bit of exercise, and did the
whole trip as fast as she could.

It
sucked, doing that kind of thing, but she was sort of growing used to it. Why
not? If you did anything enough, it eventually became the new normal, didn’t
it? No matter how bad it was. That meant she was in the store at four, and not
expected to do anything, anywhere. Really, she needed to get herself a hobby or
two, since working all the time, while expected by her, wasn’t really going to
fill up all her time, not if she were going to be awake all the time.

Cormack
was there, and waved to her, when she got in, but no one else was expected back
until much later in the day. About seven. Worse, or better, the place was clean
and tidy already. That being the case, she listened to see if Zack was in, and
noticed that he was, so made up a nice full tray of goodies to take down to
him. She tried her best not to be sloppy, or get anything wrong. She’d hear
about it if she did.

Not
that he wouldn’t eat it all anyway.

When
she got in he was standing behind the main counter, talking to Ben, who was
wearing a nice red shirt. At first he didn’t react when Zack did, but after a
moment he smiled too.

“Hey!
I haven’t seen you in…
forever
. Not since I got those guys cursed by the
Mages, for, um…” He stopped then and looked away. Embarrassed.

Zack
laughed and patted him on the back.

“The
guys jerking off over you. It was
all
over the net and made the news.
Don’t worry, the curse was a sanctioned thing. Let’s just say they won’t be
winning any money gambling for the next few years? Or have much luck with
women.
I’d
been planning to get some of the Gym guys to go and pay them
a visit, but Darla figured that it would be enough for their lives to suck for
a while. Anyway… I can’t help but notice that you brought treats? Do I get
one?”

There
were twelve of the things, all large, stacked on the tray. It was enough that
she wouldn’t have been able to carry them back when she’d been a human.

“One,
or even
two
of them. Anyway, I had been thinking that I’d bribe you with
them and then give you a blowjob? If that goes well I could do you next, Ben? I
need to practice first. I want to make sure I won’t get bitey or anything.” The
man blushed and made a face, but Zack nodded.

“Sounds
like a plan. Come on Ben, you get things like that ten times a week working
here, so don’t be shocked to find out that Eve likes you too. Still, we should
find out why. It’s a bit sudden, isn’t it?”

He
was a bit suspicious, so she held her hand out, for him to get a reading off
of. It wasn’t lost on him what she was doing, either, and he took it, then
smiled at her.

“Oh,
so
Darla
put you up to it. Well, there are probably fifteen reasons for
it, all of them decently good. Just so you know, Ben, adding you in is all
coming from Eve.” He looked at the still chubby bearded man, and smiled. “She
actually likes you.
I’m
just convenient for her… I’d sigh over it, but free
sex, you know, what’s to complain about? Let me eat first? This all looks
really good. Almost like Lenore made it.” That wasn’t faint praise, she knew.

If
there was a master of the art of frozen yogurt making in the world, that
particular lady was it. To even be compared to her there was a good thing.
Really, given her resources, that kind of thing might be a good hobby for her
to take up. She could practice during the day and give the experiments away. No
one would mind.

The
eating took as long as the blowjobs did, and she didn’t feel at all like she’d
been about to bite Ben. Oh, he
was
delicious, and she did manage to
swallow and to her surprise make a link from that to the man, which she hadn’t
even known was a
thing
. It was harder to do than getting one from blood,
but she grabbed it anyway, after a bit of scrambling. It was nearly a reflex to
fight for the potential energy.