20

Tastings

 

Dante finally called late Sunday night. So late I’d already brushed my teeth and gotten into bed to rest up before a full week back at Hell High.

“Finally,” I said in place of “hello.”

“I’m back, baby!” Dante said.

I propped my pillow against the headboard and leaned against it. “Melcher said there was some activity in Fairbanks?”

“We went panning and came up with gold,” Dante said with barely contained excitement.

“Did it have anything to do with the death of Crist or Mike?”

“Melcher said you all solved that,” he said. His voice dropped an octave. “I loved your last text, by the way. Almost as much as the other ones. Humor is highly undervalued in our line of work.”

So he thought I was joking, did he? “I wasn’t kidding.”

“Really?” Dante didn’t sound alarmed in the least.

“Yeah, really. Jared tried to kill Valerie and me, and now she’s taken off.”

The line was silent a moment before Dante said, “I bet she tries for France. She’s got that French chic thing going on.”

Not to mention the attitude. “Hopefully when the agents catch up to her they’ll be as lenient as they were with you.”

Dante had once split for Amsterdam. Lucky for him, the agents gave him a second chance to prove himself, otherwise he might be stuck working in some underground lab. I couldn’t picture Valerie confined like that any more than Dante.

“So cool, Jared’s a bloodsucker. Must be Melcher’s secret weapon. Did he show you his fangs?”

I’d almost forgotten how nearly impossible it was to have a serious conversation with Dante.

“What made him go after you and Red? Did he skip a meal? Get hungry?”

“I don’t know. He’s denying it, of course.” I sighed. “Things just sorta spiraled out of control.”

“That’s field work for you.” Dante chuckled. “Well, I’m glad you made it back in one piece.”

I rested my cheek against my shoulder and suppressed a yawn. “Me too. I’m glad you made it back, too. So you struck gold?” I didn’t want to talk about Jared anymore. Not right before bed and not over the phone. This was a conversation Dante and I need to have face-to-face.

The excitement returned to his voice.

“If only you’d been there, Sky! We started out taking tabs on this dude, Buck, who was at that party you went to. Melcher’s like ‘This is a stakeout, no engaging with the enemy.’” Dante stopped to chuckle. “Anyway, we accidently bumped into Buck. He and Noel had their “Oh wow, what a coincidence running into you here” moment and next thing you know we’re drinking brewskis together, chilling.”

So while Valerie and I were being terrorized in Sitka, Noel and Dante were sitting back drinking beers in Fairbanks? Damn, why did I always have to draw the short end of the stick?

“That’s only the beginning,” Dante said, voice dropping. “So Buck’s this good looking dude with an even better looking girlfriend—human. They start telling us how Nicole, the girlfriend, makes the big bucks working these ritzy vamp parties. Tastings, they call them.”

I scooted up in my bed. “Tastings?”

“Tastings,” he repeated. “Upscale shindigs for fancy pants vampires who like their blood laced with fine wine.”

I shivered and pulled the covers up to my neck. “That sounds messed up.”

Dante laughed. “And I didn’t even have on my lucky bear claw. You still have it, right?”

“Right here in my nightstand.”

“You should keep it.”

“What?” I sat up straighter. It wasn’t exactly a sapphire necklace, but it still felt a little too much like a boyfriend gift.

“I want you to have the claw. I don’t need luck charms. I attract luck all on my own.”

“Oh boy,” I said, and laughed. “It’s a nice gesture, Dante, but you earned it, not me.” I cleared my throat. “So you were telling me about tastings.”

“Right, tastings. There’s this master organizer who sets these things up all around the state. It’s more of a winter and fall thing. Buck said we lucked out because it was the last one of the season.”

“Lucky you,” I said, rolling my eyes even though Dante couldn’t see.

“What did I tell you?”

“Let me guess? You attended the party.”

“We did.” His voice was filled with smug satisfaction.

“Just like that? You show up in town and they roll out the red carpet for a couple of curious humans who just happen to be passing through?”

“I didn’t go as a human,” Dante said.

“What does that mean?”

“I went as a vampire.”

“Say what?”

“It was Harper’s idea from the very beginning when we first approached Buck. I posed as her vampire boyfriend.”

A big burst of air rose in my chest. It came out of my mouth as one big gasp of a laugh. Better to laugh myself to sleep tonight than cry. “You’re kidding?”

“Nope. Harper ain’t squeamish. I’ll tell you that much.”

Harper? Dante’s use of Noel’s family name meant she’d earned his respect.

“And they bought it?” I asked.

“Well, I mean, I had to do some biting.”

“Dante!” I gasped.

“Hey, I was undercover. My hands were tied.”

I rolled my eyes. “And I’m sure you didn’t enjoy it in the least.”

“Don’t be jealous, Sky. You know I only have eyes and teeth for you.”

A chill went through me. “That’s not funny.”

“Come on, what did I tell you about humor being a key ingredient to this job?”

Right, humor and blood. Funny how Dante had brushed off my question of blood cravings and here he was biting people.

“Anyway, we attended the party, and I got on the list.”

“The list?”

“I’ll be receiving invites starting this fall to tastings around the state.” Dante pumped his fist in the air. “Can you believe that, Sky? You should have seen Melcher’s eyes light up. Damn! I should have asked for a promotion.”

“Congratulations,” I said sarcastically. “I’m glad you’ll have something to keep you busy. I plan on starting college this fall.”

“This won’t get in the way of school,” Dante replied.

“Of course not.”

“Melcher wants us working together again. They already think I’m a vampire. We just need to get the organizers to hire you as one of their wine girls.”

“And how exactly does that work?”

“The way Nicole explained it to us is that each girl is assigned a vintage. You drink several bottles, enough to knock you out, but not make you sick, lie on top of a bed in your designated room, relax, and let the vamps filter through one at a time sucking the wine from your blood. Bam! You poison them, I pop them.”

I gathered my blanket in my free hand while Dante spoke, squeezing the edge inside my tightening fist. “Why me?” Noel’s the one who made the discovery with Dante. She didn’t have the poisoned blood, though. Still, there had to be other vampire hunters Melcher could put on assignment. I wasn’t even twenty-one yet. I shouldn’t be drinking. Scratch that, I was done with drinking.

“Because Melcher wants the A-team on this one,” Dante said proudly.

“I don’t want to drink myself into a coma,” I said. “More importantly, I don’t want a bunch of vampires drinking from me. How many are we talking about anyway?”

“I don’t know. Maybe fifty total?”

“Fifty!”

“Don’t worry. There are strict rules about not overly puncturing the bodies. The vamps have to drink from the same watering hole, so to speak.”

I let go of my blanket. An instant visual of a group of sexy male vampires licking and sucking my naked body flashed through my head. For some reason one of them looked like Jake Gyllenhaal. I shuddered, and it wasn’t purely out of disgust. “And how much did you partake in these tastings?” I scrunched up my nose on the last word. That was something I couldn’t and didn’t want to visualize.

“I wasn’t on the list at that point. I got to attend the party but wasn’t allowed to sample any of the offerings. I mean, there is a limit. Can’t have too many vamps sucking all the juice out of the women. Then there’s the price to taste…fifteen hundred dollars.”

“Fifteen hundred dollars!” If Dante wasn’t exaggerating about the fifty tasters, that thing brought in seventy-five grand in one night.

“I told you we struck gold,” he said smugly.

“You said you had to do some biting.”

“Oh, that,” Dante said and laughed. “Buck bit his girlfriend in front of us, so I bit Noel. I just sorta got caught up in the moment and went with it.” He started laughing again. “We told him I was a newbie vampire. We all had a good laugh when Noel had to point out a vein. Buck insisted I give Nicole a bite. That was a couple nights before she got juiced up for the party. I wonder what wine-laced blood tastes like.”

“Dante!”

“Buck says they should do a beer spinoff. October Blood Fest. What do you think?”

I groaned and rubbed my forehead with the palm of my hand. “I think I should go to bed and try and process all this in the morning.”

“Good idea,” Dante said. “Let it soak inside your brain a bit.”

“Yeah, sure.”

“Sooo,” he said, changing his tone. “Are we going to talk about the sexting?” I groaned again. Dante chuckled. “Where are you right now anyway? Did I catch you in bed?”

“I’m not having this conversation with you.”

“Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed your dirty little messages, but you know what’s even better than texts? Phone sex. And know what’s better than phone sex?”

“I’m hanging up!” I hit “end” on the call but not before hearing the rumble of Dante’s laughter.

Right. Time for bed. I turned my phone off in case Dante had the bad idea to call me back. I pulled my pillow down and moved around, trying to get comfortable under the covers. Problem was, the moment I closed my eyes I saw myself lying naked, wearing only a black lace thong, atop a king-sized bed with crimson sheets. Candles blazed from dozens of pillars surrounding the room, casting dark, sensual shadows against the walls.

My hair spilled over the covers as though it, too, was a shadow in the room. The cool, dry air touched every part of my body. I felt as though I’d slipped into a blissed-out state of relaxation.

A vampire stepped inside the bedchamber, moving slowly around the bed. He bared a striking resemblance to Tom, and he was on the bed with me before I knew it, crawling toward the center where I lay sprawled across the sheets. My nipples hardened before he reached me.

“Have you come to suck my blood?” I asked breathlessly.

“Blood is overrated.” The Tom lookalike smiled seductively. He made his way to my legs. I felt his breath and then his tongue as he ran the tip from my thigh to my knee then back up.

The sheets rubbed against me when I squirmed.

Tom lifted his head and grinned before dipping back down. All I could see was the thick waves of brown hair at the top of his crown. His fingers brushed the thong’s narrow strip of lace aside and then his tongue was on my clit, flicking and biting gently.

I nearly levitated from the bed, moaning as I did.

Tom looked up with a wicked grin before returning to his prize. I balled the covers inside my fists, thrashing from side to side. Tom gripped my thighs firmly and pushed his tongue inside me. I gasped and clutched at the sheets.

I turned my head and saw Henry watching us from the side of the bed.

“Henry,” I rasped in surprise.

He leaned forward. “I have a confession to make, Aurora. I’ve been waiting for this moment since the night we met.”

I swallowed. “You have?”

Henry nodded slow and sensually. He lifted his knee onto the bed, followed by the other. I felt the mattress dip down. “I’ve been waiting a long time to bite you.”

“But you can’t.” I gasped when I felt Tom’s tongue extend deeper. My eyes closed briefly. When I reopened them, Henry was on all fours at my side.

“Can’t I?” he asked. He lowered his lips to my breast and bit down gently on my nipple.

Waves of heat shot through me. I cried out. My body stretched over the covers as though reaching for more.

Henry wet my other nipple with his tongue then blew gently on the tip. It tightened in response. Not to be outdone by Henry, Tom’s tongue flicked inside me faster and faster. A blissful cry rose from my lips.

I lifted my head. The sight of Henry at my breast and Tom between my legs nearly drove me over the edge.

Then I noticed Fane. He stood leaning against the back wall, arms crossed over his chest, watching me. The moment our eyes met he smirked and shook his head. “You’re not ready to cross that line.”

“Don’t listen to him.” Dante stepped in front of Fane and walked to the foot of the bed.

Henry and Tom lifted and turned their heads simultaneously. “Hunter,” they said in low, hostile voices.

Dante’s grin widened. “Scram.”

They moved aside, disappearing into the shadows of the room. Dante lifted a brow, flashing me one of his cocky grins.

My heart rate quickened when he climbed onto the bed and walked toward me on his knees. I could no longer see Fane. Dante suddenly filled the entire room. He straddled my legs, not stopping until he’d positioned himself at my hips.

“I know exactly what you want.” Dante looked down at the bulge in his pants and grinned.

I propped myself up on my elbows. “Get over yourself.”

His grin widened. “I’d rather get over you.” He leaned beside my ear. “Over and inside of you.”

A raspy breath left my lips at the same time my eyes rolled back in my head. Fuck me, Dante. Fuck me hard. I didn’t have to say the words. He read my thoughts. Dante went for his zipper and this time I didn’t clench.

 

          

 

I jumped in the shower first thing before breakfast the next morning. It looked like a rash had spread over my cheeks. I put on my clothes as soon as I’d dried off and stared at my reflection in the mirror while I yanked a comb through my wet hair.

You’ve got a sick mind, I told my reflection. Sick, sick, sick.

Once downstairs, I shoved a piece of bread into the toaster and poured myself a glass of orange juice. I pushed aside a stack of magazines on the table and took my first bite of toast.

On my fourth bite, I heard Mom shuffle down the stairs. “Good morning,” she said, sleep clinging to her words.

“Good morning.” I bit back into my toast.

She shuffled to the kitchen in her robe and slippers. After she prepared her glass of ice and soda, she returned to the table. Mom moved a stack of unopened mail aside so that she could take the spot in front of me.

I crunched down on each bite of toast. Mom sipped her soda, blinking the sleep from her eyes. She looked at me, looked away, then quickly looked back. “Are you feeling okay, sweetie? Your face looks a bit feverish.”

“I’m fine,” I answered, feeling my cheeks get hotter.

“Are you sure you aren’t coming down with something?”

“Yeah.” Nothing to worry about, Mom, just a case of crazed vampire lust. According to Valerie it couldn’t be helped. Then again, maybe I was just a normal eighteen-year-old with raging hormones. At least I practiced safe sex. It didn’t get any safer than fantasy.

I grabbed my red scarf and wrapped it loosely around my neck before we headed out. Now that Mike’s jacket was no longer in my locker, the sick feeling in the pit of my stomach wasn’t as pronounced when I spun the combo on my lock. I still felt it when I went to history class.

During lunch hour I checked the library hoping I’d find Noel behind a row of bookshelves, but no such luck. I really really didn’t want to check the cafeteria. If I saw Henry I might combust on the spot. How could I have a normal conversation with him without blushing my cheeks off?

Guess I’d have to wait until film class to see Noel. I took my sack lunch into an empty classroom and pulled out a peanut butter sandwich. Bread and peanut butter was starting to get old. I’d spread a thin layer of blueberry jam on it to try for a different taste. I usually went for strawberry or raspberry. As I ate, I started on my class readings. I hadn’t missed too much the week before.

As usual, I went to film class early. I hoped that today Noel would, too. She didn’t. In fact, she didn’t show up at all. Weird. Dante was back in town, which meant Noel had to be back. She probably felt tired, but I wouldn’t think she’d want to miss any more school.

As soon as school ended, I tried calling her, but it went to voicemail. I sent a text while I waited by the pick-up lane in front of the office.

Hey. Missed you at school. Everything OK?

When I looked up, I saw my mom parked along the curb. I stuck my phone in my pocket and made for the car.

“Hi, honey, did you have a good day?” she asked before I’d buckled in.

“Yeah.” It took me a moment to notice that she’d put on a pair of jeans and a nice sweater. “You look nice. Is Dad coming over?”

Mom sniffed. “I haven’t heard a word from him.”

What is it then? A date? My mom didn’t appreciate jokes like that so I kept it to myself. I didn’t have to wait long. Mom had never been the secretive sort, except when it came to Agent Melcher. “Your grandmother called.”

“Oh?”

“She arrives in Anchorage this Thursday.”

I turned in my seat. “Isn’t that a bit early?” Like two months early. After Gramps retired, he and Gran became snowbirds. Unfortunately, Grandpa didn’t stick around very long to enjoy his retirement, but winters in Florida certainly agreed with Grandma. She’d made a vow never to set foot in Alaska before the month of May.

Mom nodded solemnly. “You know how she likes to meddle. She thinks I’m in need of her advice.”

“Can’t she give it over the phone?” I loved Gran and all but in small doses. When she smelled trouble I swear she made it worse.

“She’s given me an earful over the phone for hours every day,” Mom said tightly. “Now she’s on a mission to straighten out this mess with your dad.”

I nearly laughed. The only thing Gran would do is send Dad running for the hills. I was so lost in thought I didn’t notice Mom pass up the fast food chains until we were halfway home. I almost said something then decided against it.

The moment I walked into the house I felt a sense of space and order. The countertops were cleared, the carpets vacuumed, everything was put in place and clean. Mom had gone to town.

A feeling of panic shot through me. “Gran’s not staying here, is she?”

I swear my mom’s look of horror mirrored my own. “No. No. Thank God.”

“Okay.” My shoulders relaxed. Guess it was a good thing I hadn’t talked my mom into letting me live in Grandma’s apartment. I’d be moving right back out. My mom had her issues, but she left me alone for the most part, unlike Gran who got her kicks giving orders. As if I didn’t get enough of those in my life.