Fresh Blood (7 page)

“He went back to Europe. It’s a better place
for an old vampire. Things are too liberal here for the ones that
were turned before the 1900s.”

“That’s where you’re from, isn’t it?”

“London. But I haven’t been there in years.”
He didn’t dare tell her how many.

“What’s the new king like?”

“He’s American ... young too. There was a bit
of an upset when he took over. He does things differently. I don’t
understand the upsurge in new feeders. It could be they’re stocking
up before new rules are put in place.”

“What kind of rules?”

The waiter floated into view then and Max’s
voice dropped. “Enough talk for now. When you’re finished eating,
we’ll take a walk around and see if we come across anything
interesting.”

Erica nodded as the waiter brought her
appetizer. Max was right about the food. It looked and smelled
wonderful. If only her stomach would settle enough to let her enjoy
it. She wasn’t over the adrenaline rush Max had caused earlier. Her
body still thrummed with desire for him. Food, even fabulous food,
wasn’t going to fulfill all her needs tonight.

While she ate, Max sipped a glass of dark
wine. The liquid looked like blood but smelled sweet, like candy.
She found herself wanting to ask for a taste, but afraid he’d
admonish her for stepping out of line. It bothered her more that
she liked the feeling. She was actually worried about pleasing him
and doing the right thing. What was wrong with her? Why did she
crave his approval--and worse, his demanding touch? This wasn’t
normal.

Max talked idly about his day while Erica
studied her food. Filet mignon with a medley of baby vegetables,
prepared to perfection. She wished she didn’t enjoy it, wished she
could push the plate away and demand they get on with their mission
to find Elena. What would happen, she wondered, as she savored a
bite and gazed into Max’s eyes, if she did just that? Would he
punish her? Would he take her home and teach her an unforgettable
lesson in obedience?

She reached for her own drink and gulped. She
would have put the icy glass against the heated skin of her neck,
but that would be crass.

“Is there a ladies’ room?” she asked finally.
A few moments out of the spotlight of his heated gaze might give
her a chance to compose herself.

“I’ll escort you.”

“To the ladies’ room?”

“You’re not to go anywhere alone. I’ll wait
outside, of course.” He rose and she waited for him to pull her
chair out before she stood. With his hand on her waist, they walked
through the gilded mid-level of Gregori’s to a fountained portico
where a sign in gold leaf pointed to the restrooms.

“I’ll be right here,” Max said. “Inside,
you’re to talk to no one.”

She nodded and let herself through the heavy
oak door. Inside the quiet, perfumed staging area she regarded her
reflection in the full-length mirror. In the tight black sheath,
she looked perfectly calm, utterly in control. She saw no outward
sign of the waves of nervous anticipation that rolled through her
every time she looked at Max.

In the sink area she re-applied her lipstick
and ran cold water over her wrists. After a few deep breaths she
decided it was time to get back to work. As she slung her purse
strap over her bare shoulder, one of the toilet stalls opened and a
woman sauntered out.

She was beautiful in an exotic way with
almond shaped eyes of jade green and long black hair. She smiled at
Erica, showing her flat human teeth as she took her place in front
of the wide mirror.

“You’re new,” the woman said as she leaned
forward to brush her long lashes with an unnecessary touch of
mascara.

Erica nodded.

“He told you not to talk to anyone,
right?”

She nodded again and smiled demurely. What if
she spoke to this woman? Maybe ask if she’d seen Elena? What would
Max do to her?

“Don’t worry. This room is soundproof. He
won’t know you’ve said anything. I’m Vera Nighe. I belong to Benton
Carlisle.”

“I’m ... Ricki. I ... belong to Max Hart.”
The emotional tumult that followed her reply left Erica dizzy.
She’d promised Max she would speak to no one. Should she have told
this woman she was here with him? Did it matter? Why did it give
her pleasure to say she belonged to the handsome man waiting for
her outside the door?

“It’s nice to meet you, Ricki. I hope you
enjoy yourself here.”

“Thank you.”

Vera smiled, finished touching up her perfect
makeup and left. Erica waited a few more minutes while two halves
of her psyche battled each other in her head. The logical side of
her brain wanted out of this entire situation right now. She still
had time to escape with her dignity intact and salvage her
precarious self-image. The other, darker side of her mind was
shamelessly begging for release. She pictured herself strolling out
of the bathroom and baiting Max with a defiant look that would
challenge him to put her in her place. She replayed the moment in
her apartment, when, clutched in his arms as he siphoned her blood,
she’d silently wished for him to tear her dress off and make love
to her.

That part of her could not be allowed to take
over. If she gave in to those abnormal desires, she’d be lost.
She’d never find Elena if she became enthralled by a vampire.

The answer was simple. She had to get away
now. Max would take her home if she asked him to--he’d probably be
relieved by the request.

She’d almost reached the bathroom door when
she heard the sound. The tinny, distant melody of voices trickled
through the ductwork. That, by itself, wasn’t unusual. Restrooms in
public buildings often had excellent acoustics. She remembered back
in grammar school when she and Elena were taught in separate
classrooms, sneaking into the first floor girls’ bathroom while her
twin hid in the one on the second floor. They would whisper into
the heating vents and share gossip and secrets.

Drawn by the memory, and the voyeuristic
spirit that had awakened in her unexpectedly the night before,
Erica moved toward the air conditioning duct. Covered with an
ornate gold grillwork, it looked more like a wall sculpture,
designed to blend effortlessly into the décor.

She listened just for a moment and what she
heard made her blood run cold.

“I need you to help me. Ricki, I need you to
help me.”

Max crossed his arms over his chest and
leaned against a marble pillar next to the indoor fountain. It had
probably been sixty years since he’d waited on a woman this long.
In his London years, if a female had kept him waiting longer than
ten minutes, she’d have found her own way home.

He tapped his foot. Was Erica playing with
him? He’d seen that galvanizing flash of mischief in her eyes and
it made him want her that much more. As frightened as she was, as
focused on finding her sister, there was a part of her that enjoyed
the game. He’d seen it once too often to believe it was a fluke.
She wanted to test him, to tease him and see how far she could go.
She wanted him to lose control with her and if only she knew how
close he was to doing just that--and how he would ravage her if his
desire took flight unchecked--she’d probably climb out the bathroom
window and catch a cab home.

Maybe that’s what she had done.

When a raven-haired beauty strolled out of
the bathroom, a new worry assailed him. Had the two women spoken?
Max vaguely recognized the woman--her name was Veronica--or Vera,
something with a V. She belonged to one of Gregori Nachevik’s upper
echelon, one that had stayed behind to keep tabs on Jake Beaumont
when the new vampire king assumed power. She was about as powerful
as a human got in the vampire world. Her influence probably
surpassed even that of the king’s concubine, whom Max had heard was
also human.

It made a strange sort of sense. A powerful
male vampire would be wise to avoid a liaison with a vampiress.
She’d be more apt to stake him while he slept and assume his power.
A human ‘mate’ or even a privileged feeder was a much wiser choice
to keep a man’s secrets and to warm his bed--considering that
humans actually had warmth.

Where was Erica?

When she came out, he’d give her exactly what
she wanted. He’d upbraid her, gently but with a promise of more to
come, and he’d detail how he was going to punish her for
insubordinance. He could tell her things that would bring that sexy
blush back to her cheeks and make her tremble under his touch. He
licked his lips at the thought.

Did she know how much power she had over him?
He’d known her less than twenty-four hours and yet she was burned
into his psyche deeper than any of the women who had shared his bed
and fed his hunger for decades back in London.

He was one breath short of barreling into the
ladies’ room when she appeared. Her hazel eyes were wide and her
honey-toned skin had gone deathly white.

He crossed over to her and grabbed her elbow
more to hold her up than to admonish her. “Are you all right? What
happened in there?”

“Elena--I heard her voice through the vents.
She’s trapped here.”

“What? You heard her?”

“She begged me to help her. Max, she’s here.
We have to find her.”

Max held her frightened gaze and a warning
tingle went off at the back of his neck. Whatever she heard, she
believed it was her sister, but the whole thing seemed so
outrageous. Was it possible that Elena Talbot had been taken
prisoner by a vampire mate and was actually being held against her
will at Gregori’s? It made no sense.

He tugged Erica behind the pillar where the
echoing gurgle of the fountain would drown out their
conversation.

“Erica, do you realize what you’re saying? If
Elena is here, there’s no way we can get her out. I’m going to have
to get back-up.”

“What kind of back-up?”

“I’ll call my partner and some of my
colleagues. We may have to get permission from the king to search
the place.”

“Just do it, Max. I have to save her. I know
she’s here. I know it was her voice.”

He didn’t dare tell her that he found it too
incredible to believe. He looked up at the ornately painted ceiling
above them. There were private dining rooms upstairs, and probably
a few special rooms below the main floor as well for guests with
unusual tastes. A vampire might hold a feeder in one of those
rooms--a feeder who had made agreements she wasn’t prepared to
keep.

“The only thing we can do right now is
leave,” he said, softening his grip on her arm.

“No! We have to--”

He clamped his hand over her mouth and pushed
her farther into the corner behind the fountain. “Shh!” He hissed
in her ear. “We cannot cause any kind of scene.”

She struggled against him and he felt her
teeth on his palm. If she broke his skin and drew blood, she’d feel
it instantly. The deadly desire to drink was overwhelming when it
hit. If she drew even the smallest amount of his blood into her
mouth she’d be compelled to take more until the change began.

He pulled his hand away and turned her in his
arms, then pushed her against the wall. “Don’t do that.” His breath
in her ear was ragged. “Don’t ever bite a vampire, do you
understand?”

She nodded but didn’t go still. She pushed
back against him and a small sound escaped her lips. In response he
held her tighter. “Erica, Erica.…” He wanted to hold her and
comfort her, but at the same time, if they’d been in private, he
wouldn’t have been able to control himself. He had to get her out
of here and get away from her before he did something she’d
regret.

“We’re leaving. Don’t make another
sound.”

Slowly he turned her to face him. The defiant
fire flickered in her eyes only for a moment, then dull fear
replaced it. Max straightened and swallowed hard. There was someone
behind him. A vampire.

* * * *

Erica held her breath as a shadow fell across
the alcove. She saw a man, broad shouldered and barrel-chested, in
a dark three-piece suit. She didn’t dare raise her eyes to his.

She sank back against the wall and tried to
quell her shivering as Max turned around.

“Everything all right, Maxwell?”

“Mr. Carlisle. Everything is fine.” He held
his hand out and Erica slipped her fingers into his. He brought her
into the light and into the scrutiny of the vampire who owned Vera
Nighe.

“Who is this sweet morsel? Maxwell, you’ve
been holding out on your friends at the club, haven’t you?”

“Her name is Ricki. She’s very new.”

“She looks it. No offense, but the lady is
shivering. What have you done to her, Max?” Carlisle laughed and
held his hand out to Erica. She glanced at Max who gave her leave
to step forward and allow the other man to kiss her hand.

As Carlisle brushed his cold lips over her
skin, he breathed in her scent and held it as one savors the smoke
from a fine cigar. Erica cringed and fought off a shudder of
disgust. Under other circumstances she might have found Benton
Carlisle handsome and perhaps charming, but the evil light in his
eyes left her terribly cold.

Vera hovered behind him. She wore a
sympathetic smile and briefly Erica wondered if she might find an
ally in this mysterious woman. If only she could find a way for
them to be alone together again.

“I was about to take Ricki home. She’s had
quite enough for one night.”

“Surely you have time to join us in the Round
Room for dessert.”

Max glanced at Erica and his look told her it
was an invitation he didn’t dare refuse. In a strange way, she was
glad. The longer they stayed inside Gregori’s the better her chance
of locating Elena.

“We’ll see you there.”

Carlisle nodded and gestured for Vera to
follow him toward the curving staircase that led past the fountain
to the club’s upper floor. With a quick glance over her shoulder,
his lovely companion sashayed after him.