Fangs for Nothing (Vampire Hunting and Other Foolish Endeavors) (17 page)

Chapter 23

I was already not feeling
uber masculine, thanks to my Xander disguise. Being grabbed by a shirtless hulk and goose stepped into the vampire’s lair wasn’t helping. There was some type of old-fashioned jazz music playing on a phonograph, and several kids were trying to figure out a dance that I suspected to be the Charleston. A couple dozen more people lounged on various antique couches and settees looking glassy eyed and languorous. One girl in a deep purple dress jerked to attention when she saw me. Our eyes locked. It was Violet Girl. “Maureen?” I mouthed. She just stared back at me, wide eyed.

“
I don’t see Rini anywhere,” Xander whispered.

“
Great.” It would figure that we’d rushed in to be slaughtered when Rini was probably safe at home sulking.

The vampire
, reclining on his throne, took notice of our forced approach. He called to the beefy boys, “My darlings, there is no need for this. Please, let them go.” The hulks restraining us took his request to mean they should shove us so hard that we fell at the vampire’s feet. Short Vincent smiled as if nothing could be more delightful than us paying him an impromptu visit. “Is it too much to hope that you have come to join our little party?”

“You bet your sweet ass it’s to
o much to hope,” Xander growled as we got to our feet.

Vincent gave him a look of
complete amusement. “My darling, what have you done to your hair? You look positively theatrical.”

This statement caused Xander to burst out with a short derisive laugh.
He gestured at the vampire’s brocade jacket, knee breeches, and buckled shoes. “That really hurts coming from a guy who looks like he’s next in line for the guillotine after Marie Antoinette.”

The vampire visibly stiffened. “
I do not find that funny. She was a beautiful lady who was horribly maligned.” Aerony slinked out of the shadows and placed a soothing hand on the vampire’s cheek as she leaned against the arm of his chair.

Sensing he’d hit a sore spot, Xander drew breath to continue his snark attack.

“So,” I blurted. “How did you end up in Cleveland?” It was the first neutral topic that jumped into my head. I knew if I let Xander keep doing all the talking, we were going to end up dead for sure. “I mean, it sounds like you’re used to more… um… statelier venues.” I hedged. “I mean, I would have thought a vampire living in America would, you know, be in New Orleans or San Francisco or something.”

The vampire chuckled, obviously amused.
“New Orleans was just a ploy we set up in the nineteen seventies. We had some small history there back during the revolution, but it was mostly just people’s imaginations, mosquitoes, and swamps. As far as San Francisco, there were several years back after the Gold Rush when the city was positively infested with vampires, and I must admit, the parties were really quite good. But after a few decades, it just became intolerable. Too many eager people throwing themselves at your feet and begging to be bitten. When I enthrall someone, I want there to at least be a small amount of challenge.” The vampire’s eyes glittered in the dimly lit room.

I nodded
my head several times. “What’s the point of trying to enchant people who are falling over themselves to be enchanted?”

“Exactly
.” Short Vincent smiled. He leaned forward, his eyes locked onto mine. “There’s something very intuitive about you, isn’t there? You see more than other people see. Something more than your friends, perhaps? You’d make a wonderful vampire.”

“Thank you.” I felt my face flush.
“Maybe I would.” I actually didn’t want to be a vampire, but somehow having Short Vincent compliment me made me feel rosy all over. Rini was right, he was very handsome. But it wasn’t just that. There was something about him that made it very hard to look away.

“Sherbie, you’re not seriously falling for this, are you?” Xander fwapped me
hard on the arm.

“
Um… no,” I said, rubbing my bicep. Truth be told, I was kind of falling for it just for that brief little minute.

“
But there was always some problem,” the vampire sighed. “Something that made people cause a fuss. Like when that horrible television show came out.” He lightly touched his forehead. “Oh, I can’t even bear to say its name. I have pushed if from my memory.” He tilted his head back to look at Aerony. “What was it called again?”

“
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
,” the beautiful woman said in her low, treacly voice.

“Ah, yes. That is right
.” The vampire gave a little shudder. “Suddenly, everyone thought it would be fun to stake a vampire. An entertainment, like fishing or laser tag. Tourists flocked to the major cities with sharpened sticks in their carry-on bags.”

“Sounds good
.” Xander grinned until I gave him an elbow to his solar plexus.

Vincent ignored
the comment. “We vampires discovered that it was easier to live in places that were not so high profile for our kind. Detroit, Baltimore, Erie. And I must admit…” He gave a little shrug. “I have always loved Cleveland. The people are so nice. Almost everyone is polite. No one chasing after you with the torches and the pitchforks.”

“
Gee, I’m glad you’re enjoying our city.” Xander sneered, his voice heavy with sarcasm.

The vampire laughed
. “It is my city more than yours. I have been here for much longer, and I will be here long after you are gone.” His glittering eyes met mine again, and I had to look away.

“But it seems like you just appeared,” I said, still keeping my head turned. “I mean, I never
saw anyone running around with bat necklaces before. And they’re really cool. I definitely would have noticed. What’s up with that?”

“I
would think it should be obvious to someone like you,” the vampire said, and against my will, I felt the shame of having fallen in his estimation. “It’s because we are not stupid. We only recruit once a generation. Last time it was… When?” He looked to Aerony again to goose his memory.

Aerony’s eyes drifted
toward the ceiling as she too was trying to remember. “Late eighties, early nineties? Anne Rice, I think.”

“Oh
, yes. She was very helpful to our cause. As is Stephenie Meyer today.”

“Did you enthrall them?” I asked. “Entrance them into writing romantic books about vampires?”

“Oh, no.” Vincent shook his head. “They did that all on their own. Humans have always found something fascinating about our kind.” Leaning back in his ornately carved chair, he smiled. “Are we to be blamed for taking advantage of the romantic pap created by you silly creatures?”

“Well… yes,” I stammered. “Just because you see someone has a weakness doesn’t mean you have to
exploit it.”

Vincent and Aerony exchanged significant look
s. “I guess you wouldn’t make such a good vampire after all,” he said, and they both laughed like he’d said something remarkably funny.

“Like he cares
.” Xander came to my defense. “Why would he want to be a waxy-skinned freak that takes advantage of teenage girls?”

Vincent’s laughter was cut sho
rt, and he gave Xander a look of annoyance. “Careful, my darling. You do not want to provoke me too much.”

Aerony too was not amused. She turned her golden brown eyes upon him
. “Why are you here, anyway?”

“We’re here for Rini,”
Xander said. He glanced around the room. “I know she’s down here somewhere. We’re going to take her home.”

“Rini?” Short Vincent
glanced up at his second in command.

“Irene,”
Aerony told him. Then she leaned and whispered something in his ear.

“Oh
.” The vampire’s eyes took on a keen look of understanding. “I see.” He turned to one of the beefy boys. “Would you please bring Irene from the powder room? I believe she is convalescing there.” Then he turned his attentions back to us. “While we’re waiting, can I offer you some refreshment? Champagne, perhaps?” he suggested with a persuasive smile.

Xander gave him a flat look. “We’ve had your champagne.
It gave me a headache.” The vampire shrugged as if it was of no consequence.

The beefy boy returned carrying t
wo limp, dark-haired girls, one slung over each shoulder. He let them slither onto the rug in front of the vampire. “I wasn’t sure which one was Irene,” he said, his eyes cast down.

Short Vincent waved a hand at him, obviously not concerned. “
Turn them over. Let’s see who is so important that these two young men thought it would be a good idea to come down here and be so impudent.”

The beefy boy did as he was told
, and the girls were rolled over. He swiped at them a couple of times with his giant hands trying to get their hair out of their faces. One of the girls was definitely Rini, and the other was Lydia Sarducci.

“Rini,” Xander exclaimed, stepping forward. I put out a hand to restrain him.

“My darlings, is one of these girls your friend?” the vampire asked.

“Yeah
.” Xander went to point at Rini, but again I stopped him.

“They’re both our friends,” I told Short Vincent. “We were actually looking for both of them.”

“No, no, my darlings.” The vampire clucked his tongue. “That will never do. You said you were looking for your friend, and I have been very understanding about your concern. But you may not simply take whoever of my guests that you like from my party. No one has been forced to be here. If you are worried about your friend then you should take her home,” he told us. The affable look then melted from his face as he added, “But only one friend.”

At this, Xander hurried forward and gathered Rini in his arms. Her head lolled to the side
, and there was dried blood down her neck. “Rini,” he said, patting her on her cheek, trying to roust her. “Rini, we’re getting you out of here.”

“No,” she whined, m
aking a whimpering sound and struggling a little against him.

“Aah, you see?”
The vampire chuckled. “She does not wish to go.”

“That’s too bad,” Xander snarled as he hoisted Rini off the floor. “She’s going with us. And if you try to stop us, we’ll have the police down here faster than you can say
Stake through the heart
. Got me?”

One of
Rini’s shoes fell to the ground, and Aerony stood up from her perch on the arm of Vincent’s throne to retrieve it. “You can call the police if you like,” she said, scooping Rini’s heel off the floor and then bending slightly to secure it back on her foot. “But I wouldn’t recommend it. Police aren’t usually too pleased when hysterical teenagers call to report that there are vampires living in the city. In fact, they frequently get quite annoyed.”

“Do you think we can
have some of that white cake?” I asked, not looking directly at Aerony. Rini appeared blissed out of her mind, and I wasn’t sure what we could do to sober her up. The beautiful woman smiled at me, and I could feel the heat from her eyes even with my head turned.

“Take as much as you want,” Short Vincent said with a sweeping gesture. “Everyone deserves cake.”

Aerony reached out and tucked her hand under my chin. “You can have whatever you desire.”

Her fingers felt soft and
surprisingly warm against my skin. Her touch made my belly tingle. Staying under the bridge felt like a wonderful idea. It was so comfortable down there, and the people were so friendly. “Thank you,” was all I could manage to mumble. I glanced up and met her eyes. They were large and golden like those of a lion.

“Do you
really have to hurry off so soon?” Aerony purred. “Your friend is fine. She can go home any time she wants. Why don’t you relax for a little while and come talk to me?”

“Sherbie, what are you doing?” Xander
demanded. “We need to get the hell out of here. Grab some cake and let’s go.” He made a move toward the exit.

Aerony took a step backwards, her hand still cupping my face. Every fiber
of my body yearned to follow her, and if I’m being honest, I knew I was going to follow her. To hell with Xander and his irrational fear of vampires. I took two steps forward, the seductress literally leading me by the chin.

My foot bumped something
, and I glanced down. There was the limp body of Lydia sprawled on the ground, her hair matted with the blood seeping from her neck. “Come, little one,” Aerony whispered. “You know you want to stay with me.”

I jerked my face away from her grasp. “No,” I said. I’d meant to sound firm, but m
y voice came out in a high squeak. “I…” Fighting with myself not to meet her eyes again, I turned to scan the tables for cake. “I have to go.”

Stumbling over to where I saw a table piled high with pastries, I hacked off a large piece of white cake. There were no plates that I could see, so I grabbed a
linen napkin and wrapped it up. Xander was already hurrying with Rini toward the passageway and the steps. “Let’s go, Sherbie,” he called.

I couldn’t help but turn to look back
at the vampires with the Chosen gathered around them. “Um, thank you,” was all I could think to say.