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Even in the middle of the night, New York thronged with people and traffic. Yellow cabs sat bumper to bumper, ferrying late night business people and small groups of clubbers across the city. All night cafés housed party-goers, serving coffee and pie in equal measure. The city had a different feel than Los Angeles. While it still had the designer, metropolitan atmosphere, it was somehow less manufactured than L.A.; it was grimier, more real.
Demitrios’s club, The Danger Zone, was located downtown, hidden down a dark alley. Nightclub owning was popular amongst vampires for obvious reasons—they could live almost as a human would in the same situation, awake at night to run the business and asleep during the day. Though the club was frequented by humans, Sebastian noticed right away the two people guarding the entrance—a man, a burly creature with thick arms and a shaved head, and woman with short, spiky blonde hair and killer heels—were vampires. Both wore white button-down shirts, black pants and black bowties. Above the door, a red, neon ‘DZ’ sign glowed. The vibration of a low, fast bass traveled up through the soles of his feet.
Sebastian stopped short of the entrance. He’d hoped—and expected—to find Demetrios unaccompanied. Vampires were not known for their sociability. Like most other large predators, they preferred to hunt and live alone. Seeing Demitrios with two minions put Sebastian on edge
He wasn’t worried for Serenity’s safety—not yet anyway. These vampires were clearly used to mingling with and passing themselves off as humans. If something did happen, a group of vamps would always prove to be more of a challenge than one alone. Demitrios’s decision to have other vampires around meant one of two things: he either thought he was in danger from others and would be paranoid, or his opinion of himself was over-inflated.
A row of party-goers lined up, waiting to be allowed entry to the club, unaware of the lethal creatures standing in such close proximity. The vampires didn’t smile as they checked I.D.’s and granted patrons access past the velvet rope, allowing them into the cavernous depths.
The two immortals noticed Sebastian standing aside from the rest of the crowd. They turned simultaneously, two sets of eyes flashing yellow at the sight of him, but they couldn’t do anything about him for the moment. They had a job to do and clearly had been instructed not to cause trouble and to act as human as possible. Sebastian could wait, and the two vamps continued to allow the remaining clubbers onto the premises.
As the door opened, the bass grew louder, the music thumping. A few more people trickled up, ignoring the dark, brooding man with the waif-like woman on his arm. They laughed and chatted as they gained entry to the club.
Finally, the two vampires closed the doors.
Instantly, both were in Sebastian’s face, eyes glowing in the dark, the deadly glint of white fangs drawn.
“What are you doing here, stranger?” said the male. “This is our patch.”
Sebastian stood his ground. “I’m here to see Demitrios.”
“He doesn’t see just anyone.”
“I know Demitrios from the turn of the nineteen hundreds—before you were even created. He’ll want to see me. Now run along like good little pets and tell him.”
The blonde got in his face. “We work for Demitrios. We’re not his pets!”
“Is that why he’s got you both trussed up like turkeys?”
The male vamp leapt at Sebastian, snarling, his fang exposed. Sebastian shoved him away with one hand. The much younger vampire flew away, landing on the ground. The blonde paused, indecisive as to whether she should risk continuing the attack or simply do as Sebastian asked.
She made up her mind. “Who shall I say is visiting?”
“Sebastian Bandores.”
She disappeared and it was only a matter of seconds before she was back again.
“Follow me.”
The blonde pulled open the doors to the club, music blasting out at them, and slipped inside, the male vampire close behind. Sebastian followed, holding Serenity close. They entered a windowless corridor before the space opened up into the depths of the club and the volume of the dance music increased a notch. With Sebastian’s sensitive hearing it felt as though someone pounded a drum inside his head. He wondered how the other two vampires could stand being around this volume all the time; it would drive him crazy.
People danced; hot, sweaty bodies jammed side by side. The two young vampires pushed their way between the dancers and then finally ducked through a door marked ‘private’.
Once again, Sebastian followed, his arm still around Serenity’s waist. The clubbers ignored them as they moved between them, allowing him and Serenity through. The floor of the long corridor they now walked through had a distinct slant, leading them below ground. A number of other corridors branched off the main one; a labyrinth beneath the club.
They turned several corners and reached the end of the passage, another set of black, double doors blocking the way. The two vampires paused briefly and then pushed the doors open, holding them ajar to allow Sebastian and Serenity through.
With every nerve on edge and Serenity hugged close to his side, Sebastian passed between them.
They walked into a huge room. Polished, dark wood floors stretched out before them and wood paneling covered the walls. Above their heads, an intricately painted ceiling curved into the center. Murals depicting beautiful, violent, and somewhat erotic scenes of sensual, half-naked women feasting on men and other women filled every part of the ceiling.
Only two items of furniture were in the room, positioned at the far end—a huge mahogany desk and an even larger, black leather chair. Seated in the chair, behind the desk, was Demitrios.
His appearance had changed little since Sebastian had last seen him. With the exception of a change in dress-style from the era of the nineteen hundreds—he now wore an expensive, black, three-piece suit—Demitrios looked the same. His long, raven hair hung in a sheet, the light above his head catching the sheen. His eyes were also black but around the edges were circles of yellow glow, like the sun during a total eclipse. His nose was large but strong, his lips full.
He rose from his chair as Sebastian walked in. “Well, well, Sebastian Bandores. How many years has it been?”
Sebastian smiled, trying to ignore the two younger vampires who now stood either side of the door, guarding the only way out. “Too many, Demitrios.”
“Please, it’s Demitri now. I found the shorter version fits in better in these modern times.”
“Very well. Demitri it is.”
His dark eyes turned to Serenity. “And who have you brought me? A present?”
Sebastian pulled Serenity closer to his side. “Serenity is mine.”
Demitri raised his thick, black eyebrows. “I see. So why are you here?”
“I need your advice. You’ve been around for hundreds of years and you’ve seen everything.”
He sat back in his leather chair and steepled his fingers. “That is true.”
“Did you hear of the creature who could walk in the light?”
“Yes, of course. It was interesting but not unheard of.”
“The creature used to be Serenity’s husband. Another vampire raised him from the dead and made him what he was. The creature took Serenity from me and fed from her repeatedly. I found them and killed the monster, but now she has no memory of her life before she was taken and her condition is getting worse.”
Demitri lowered his chin, his eyes flicking between Sebastian and Serenity.
“And what do want from me?”
“I want you to tell me how to bring her back again.”
He smiled and nodded. “First, we shall feed together, like old times?”
Sebastian stiffened, his grip around Serenity’s waist tightening. “I’m fine, Demitri. I fed only a day ago.”
“But you still love to feed, do you not, Sebastian? I mean, you come here with a human companion asking for my help. I don’t believe it’s polite to turn down a meal when it’s offered. The Sebastian I once knew enjoyed the taste of human blood. Are you even that same vampire anymore?”
“Of course I am. Who else would I be?”
“Excellent. In that case, we will feed together and then I will tell you what I know. Natasha, Vincent,” he addressed his two minions. “Bring us something to eat. Make them young and fresh.”
The two younger vampires each gave a brief nod and disappeared from the room. Seconds later, they were back again. In Natasha’s grip, a woman in her early twenties struggled helplessly. Vincent had hold of a slightly older woman who had her blonde hair tied up in a knot, wearing a skin-tight leopard print dress. Their eyes darted between Sebastian and Demitri. The older woman’s eyes locked on Sebastian’s handsome face, perhaps thinking someone so beautiful would be incapable of causing harm.
“Help me,” she begged him. “Please, don’t hurt me. I’ll do whatever you want.”
The other girl gave up her struggles and sobbed, limp in Natasha’s grip.
Demitri rose from his seat and shot over to the girls. The younger one screamed, only seeing him vanish from one place to reappear directly in front of her. He put out a hand, his fingernails long and perfectly manicured. He touched the girl’s chin, raising her face to him. She cried, her eyes squeezed shut, her breasts heaving in time with her sobs. Demitri leaned in and smelled along the line of her throat as though he were taking in the scent of a fine wine.
The older woman watched with wide, terrified eyes. The muscles of her neck stood out, her skin strained white. Demitri turned his attention to her. He grabbed her by the jaw, wrenching her face so it was only inches from his. More defiant, she pressed her lips together and dared to stare him in the eye.
Demitri laughed and released his grip on her jaw. “Yes, I think this one will do me. I like them with a bit of spirit.”
Sebastian was in turmoil. He didn’t kill the young, especially not women, but if he didn’t do as Demitri wanted, he may never get Serenity back. A war raged within him. How could he place this young girl’s life above Serenity’s? But then he thought of Elizabeth back home and how she needed her mommy back.
The fresh scent of the women spoke to something deep inside him, the thing he kept under wraps most of the time. Deep down he wanted nothing more than to sink his teeth into their sweet-smelling, succulent, young flesh. His forced diet of drug-dealers, pimps and hobos did little for the sensory arousal of feeding. In truth, feeding should be like any other kind of intimate connection. To desire the one he fed from was a natural instinct he’d kept under control for centuries.
“Natasha?” Demitri said, nodding in Sebastian’s direction.
Sensing his awkwardness, Natasha flashed a grin and shoved the young woman over to Sebastian. He let go of Serenity to catch the girl and immediately he changed. His eyes burned, his fangs elongating and protruding. He wanted to fight it, to fight Demitri, but in the back of his head, a voice spoke. You have to do this to save Serenity. He didn’t want to admit it, but the voice spoke to the part of him that wanted nothing more than to sink his teeth into the young woman’s luscious throat.
Sebastian felt Serenity’s eyes upon him. If it had been the old Serenity, he might have held himself back. She surely would have begged for this girl’s life herself, but the woman watching him had lived with Jackson as her master and she’d seen more death than he could imagine. Serenity watched the scene unfolding around her with dull, impassive eyes.
Demitri gestured at the woman in Sebastian’s arms. “Please, after you.”
“I can’t,” he said, fighting his instincts, his voice hoarse. “I don’t kill the young and innocent.”
Demitri’s eyes flared and he raised his upper lip, exposing the fangs that had killed hundreds of thousands over the years. “You will kill who I tell you to, or your human companion will remain a shell.”
The woman he held saw his face—now bone white, his eyes bright yellow, his jaw and fangs protruding from his face—and screamed. She renewed her struggles, but they were pointless. She was no more than a rabbit caught in a fox’s jaw. The girl in Sebastian’s arms glanced up and caught sight of Sebastian’s own face. He had changed in the same way Demitri had, ready for the kill, his normally smooth and calm features now the mask of a killer.
I’m doing this for Serenity; for her and Elizabeth.
Demitri roared, unwilling to wait for Sebastian to change his mind. He lunged down at the woman, his teeth puncturing the soft skin of her throat. The heady aroma of blood filled the room and Sebastian could hold himself back no longer. Roaring his own frustrations, he lowered his face, the girl’s soft hair brushing against his cheek, and bit.
Warm, sweet blood flowed and Sebastian moaned with pleasure, even as the girl screamed. So much time had passed he’d forgotten how much of a delicacy the blood of the innocent was.
Even as the sweet nectar flowed down his throat and spread through his veins, he couldn’t block out his inner turmoil.
This wasn’t who he was. He didn’t do this.
Sebastian wrenched himself away and the girl dropped to the ground. She scrabbled away, terrified, clutching her still bleeding neck, tears streaming down her face.
“No, I won’t do it! I won’t kill her!”
Demitri’s woman was already dead. He let her fall and the body slumped in a heap. The girl caught sight of her dead friend and her screams increased in volume.
Demitri snarled. “Damn you!”
The elder vampire launched himself at the girl, flying through the air to land directly on top of her. She didn’t get the chance to utter another scream. The vampire sank his fangs into her neck and tore. Blood gushed from the wound.
Demitri stood. “Your turn,” he said to Natasha and Vincent.
The two youngsters didn’t need any encouragement. They were on the wound in a flash, licking and slurping as the last of the life drained from the girl. Sickened at his part in this, Sebastian looked away. His eyes flicked to Serenity, still standing to the side, but she stared at the ground and didn’t meet his gaze.
With both girls dead, Demitri settled back in his chair. “Take the bodies away.”
Natasha and Vincent did as they were told, removing the bodies to dispose of in whatever fashion Demitri had previously instructed.
“So, Sebastian. You’ve gone soft on me.”
“I’m simply more selective in who I kill.”
“Why? Because you’ve fallen in love with a human?”
“I chose not to kill the young long before meeting Serenity. But I did as you instructed. You asked me to feed with you, not kill with you, and I did as you asked.”
Demitri waved a hand. “Semantics,” he sighed. “If I share with you the secret, Sebastian, you will be indebted to me. Should I want something from you, you will be obliged to give it to me.”
“Whatever I have is yours as long as you can help her.”
He gave a sly smile. “Are you sure about that?”
“Of course,” Sebastian snarled. “I’d give up everything I own to make her well again.”
“Very well.” Demitri rose to his feet and paced back and forth. “All you need to do to make, and keep, her well is feed her your blood.”
“What?” Sebastian reared back in shock. “I can’t!”
Demitri laughed. “Of course you can. It doesn’t have to be much, just a few drops. She’ll heal again quickly—become whole again—and remember who she was. You’ll need to continue to allow her to take your blood, a few drops at least once a month. If you don’t, you may find she goes back to the way she is now.”
“Serenity doesn’t want to become like us.”
“She won’t,” he said. “Your blood alone would not turn her because she hasn’t been drained. However, should something happen to her, should she reach the point of death and you feed her your blood, well then yes, she will turn. As long as she stays alive, she will stay human. She will, however, experience side effects from your blood—the aging process will slow, she’ll heal faster, she’ll be stronger. But if you want to keep her alive, she’ll be tied to you forever.”
He glanced her way. “As long as she wants me, I’ll always be there for her.”
Demitri jerked his head at Serenity. “Go on, then. I want to watch.”
“You mean I should do it now?”
“No time like the present,” Demitri grinned, flashing his lethal canines.
Sebastian studied Serenity’s face. “Do you understand what’s about to happen? I’m going to need to feed you my blood and it should make you well again, but I won’t do anything unless you’re absolutely certain this is what you want. You’ll be tied to me for the rest of your life.”
She gave a weak smile. “I can’t think of anywhere I’d rather be.”
A snort of laughter came from Demitri’s direction, but Sebastian ignored him. “Ready?” he asked.
She nodded.
Sebastian felt his face change once again—the muscle building in his jaw, his fangs protruding. Serenity’s eyes were trained on his and they widened as his face took on that of a predator. He lifted his arm to his mouth and bit into his wrist. His fangs punctured the skin in two perfect circles of beading blood.
His held his wrist out to her. “Quickly, Serenity. Before they heal.”
Her slim fingers wrapped around his arm and she lowered her mouth, her warm lips encircling the wound, her hot tongue licking the flesh in a way he found to be almost erotic.
She dropped his wrist and stepped back, drawing in a long, rattling breath.
“Serenity!” Sebastian stepped forward in alarm, catching hold of her. “Are you all right?”
Struggling to breathe, she couldn’t answer him.
He turned and saw Demitri watching with intense, fascinated eyes. “What did you do to her?”
Demitri grinned. “It’s not what I did to her. You were the one who fed her your blood.”
“Because you told me to!”
“Oh, pshh. If I told you to walk off a bridge, would you do it?” He laughed. “Actually, I suppose you would. It’s not like you’d be harmed.”
“If she dies, I’ll kill you.”
“Hush, now. Stop talking nonsense. Your little girlfriend will be just fine. Look.”
He turned back in time to see Serenity straighten. Before his eyes, her hair softened and sprang in loose curls around her face. Color flooded the pale orbs of her cheeks. Her flesh filled out—the curves of her breasts and hips rounded again. The remaining scabs and cuts on her throat melted away, the scars disappearing, leaving smooth, perfect skin.
She raised her dark eyes to his and there was a light behind them again, a recognition. The sad, vacant expression that had been present for so long had disappeared.