Bliss (The Custos) (35 page)

Preacher set his guitar down and stood. "I don’t like this Cookie. You need to wait till later."

Oh how I hated the talk we were about to have. "Preacher I need to go now, not later. It's a girl thing get it?"

Preacher stepped back and if it were possible would have blushed. "Don’t you have a calendar or something to keep track of this type of thing so it wouldn’t be urgent?" Was he getting snippy with me?

"Oh sure we all do, but see when the psycho Nex came after me and you guys rushed me to Vegas I forgot to grab said calendar." I stood and yanked my arm from him and walked to the door.

"Cookie, call me and talk with me while you drive there, in the store and in the car on your way back." He held his phone up and mine immediately rang.

I flipped it open as I walked from his room. "Hi Preacher."

*

London

Ok so as
convo's went with Preacher this one was epic. He had proceeded in getting so high that we were now discussing what clubs had the freakiest, scariest, stupid, rich and easy Vamps all were most likely Nex.

"So you see Cookie, they may look and act like us but we are all masters of costume and danger lurks in every corner."

"Uh Huh." I said but I was beyond listening. I was finally to the drug store and to avoid more lifeless conversation with Preacher I would make it fast.

As I reached for my package of Always I decided on a few packages just in case. Preacher was now rambling about Ireland this time of year and though I was mildly interested I wasn’t looking to have these monthly phone chats with him. I paid and stepped out and headed for the car.

"London?" I heard someone say, so did Preacher who stopped and asked. "Who is that?"

"I don’t know." I said and felt every nerve creep alive and slam into my spine.

"Get to the car." Preacher said and I heard rustling as if he were rising from bed. His high was gone, he healed it from his system and now he was Preacher the killer.

"London it's me Jerry, I used your phone." My stomach sank and I wanted to run but fear froze me.

"Preacher oh God, it’s him." I said and finally had my feet moving.

"London wait up." He laughed. He knew I was terrified and that his real name was Conlin.

"Who London?" Preacher said using my real name for the first time ever. I could hear him pounding on a door and Cash opening with a "what the fuck." Preacher must have handed him the phone because he then said. "What who is this?" 

"Cash Oh God, it's Conlin he's here and following me to my car."

A series of curses streamed from the other line but I was focusing on staying alive. "London...." Conlin chided as I rushed to my car. How was this possible? It was daylight. Daylight meant he would be dead. I could hear Cash screaming from the other end but I was feet from my car.

"Hold on ok." I whispered so low only Cash could hear me. He was so not interested in holding on but I slipped the phone in my pocket and used one hand with my keys and the other held my bag as I opened the door.

I could still here Cash screaming from in my pocket but I made sure the doors locked and looked out the rearview as I put the key in the ignition, but Conlin was sitting beside me. Of course, nobody but me would get abducted in plain site on the fucking Las Vegas strip in broad daylight.

Fucking poetic.

Before I could think of what happened I was jerked by the hair so quickly, as air rushed my lungs as if I hung my head out of a speeding car. When all the rush stopped and I was able to breathe I knew the scent. Only one person would wear this much cologne, I looked up into the white, blood swirling eyes of my Brother. "Conlin." I breathed and Cash went quiet, or maybe not, Conlin’s cackle filled the sunny morning light in the front seat of the car and then he lunged.

I didn’t scream
, I didn’t get a chance. He struck at my carotid and drained me in seconds and all I seen was black, my last thought was Cash telling me I was beautiful. The only sound I could hear was the slow beating of my heart.....
Thump
. Oh god he is going to turn me......
Thump
. Oh god Cash, I just want Cash................
Thump
. Ye though I walk through the valley.... of the shadow... of death.......
Thump
. I will... fear... no evil.........
Thump
. For thou...................

*

Cash

Never in my long life had I been entirely helpless. I was now. I called Leushus the minute London's phone went dead and he and Bastian made it back in record time, the little waitress from the PALMS in hand.

"Bastian you are the only day walker here you have to go try and find her scent." I said and paced the floor, the walls, and the fucking ceiling if I could.

Leushus shook the waitress by the arm. "Speak now or I will let him kill you."

To her credit she was terrified as she should be but I would kill her anyway. "You won’t find her scent. He will mask her the same way he can mask his."

Leushus shoved her towards a chair and she sat. "Tell him what you told me." He said a truly frightening voice vibrated the walls as he spoke.

"Walter gave him everything he needed to create a new and better army. He made creams for skin to walk in sunlight, nasal spray that would allow him to mask his scent in human colognes and not be affected by the smell. He knows how to mask her, to mask anyone he wants and he
will
kill her, turn her I'm certain he did already."

"And how do you know this?" I asked my voice matching Leushus.

"I've been masked, you thought I was human in the club because of the heartbeats and scents around me, only now can you sense that I am a
Nex
."

"Fuck me." Preacher said and pulled at his hair the way I do.

"Where did he take her then?" I asked trying to stay calm but I had a good idea. I was right.

"Bliss. She'll be turned and will have fed before sundown." The little bitch smiled and all rational thought escaped me. I took her head as a justice.

"Bas...?" I motioned to the girls head and body and how I would appreciate the sight of the evil little bitch out to the sun. He was happy to oblige.

Good. Dog.

"Look its six hours to sunset. Bas and I will head out now and look for her. They won’t recognize us and Bas will faze if they do." Leushus said and Bastian snorted in glee of the statement.

Real good dog.

"I can’t sit here for six hours and wait." I said frustrated by my own prison. I hated the sun now more than ever.

"No choice. I'll call you if we get anything." Leushus said and he and Bastian dashed from the room. They traveled through shift spheres and I wondered how close one was. Bastian would have to travel through one but Leushus I hoped was
shifting
there now.

I looked to Preacher and he bore the same anger I felt. "We will find her mate."

I brushed my hands over my head and scrubbed my face but I couldn’t hold back the anger and roared. "Fuck, I think she was right. She'll be gone before we find her and so help me Preach I will kill them all."

*

London

I
woke in a room rich on comfort. A four post mahogany bed with a blood red satin duvet where I lay. The walls were a pale gold with marble molding at every corner. A large king Henry fireplace took up the main wall of the room where a fire blazed and softly lit my surroundings. I could see everything so clearly, the colors were so bright and the feel of them against my skin, was amazing. I had to be dreaming to have senses like this, so attuned to my body and mind. I could smell, literally smell sulfur, covered, masked by thick cologne that made my eyes burn. Maybe if I plug my nose.....

The second I thought the words I stilled, in fact I was far too still. I touched my skin, it was softer sure but not cold like Cash and Preacher so I couldn’t be a Vampire. I took a breath, by force and a searing pain shot through my body, it burned and my eyes became so sensitive. The cologne, it was too much for me, but why?

Then I felt it, or lack thereof. I had no pulse, no heart thundering in my chest and the thought of blood rushing in my veins made my throat burn and my mouth dry up. Jesus, God in heaven it all came back to me, every second of it. Conlin, my soulless Brother Conlin. He bit me outside of Walgreens, the town of perfect my ass.

He turned me.

I opened my mouth and felt my fangs for the first time and wanted to cry. I only wanted this from Cash, Preacher as a last resort but never a member of The
Nex
. What would they do to me? I couldn’t go too far to be in bloodlust. I needed to feed, oh God how could I do it though? I missed my Vampire more now than ever and hoped like hell he could feel my essence or something, anything that had him busting the doors to this room to splinters and using the wood as a stake.

I jumped and knew before my thoughts could process that Conlin was in the corner, squatting on the ground and that he held a wine glass with human blood in it. Jesus how did I know it was human?

"Because sister a Vampire knows."

*

Cash

I stood in the living room, strapped to the fullest and ready for war with Preacher at my side. We heard from Leushus a few hours ago and he confirmed that London had been turned. Every fiber in my being was itching to get to her but I was no good dead. Jesus the things that ran through my mind, I was beyond bat shit crazy and desperate to get to her.

We didn’t feed, what was the point? Where we were headed there would be blood and nothing took the taste of bitterness from a
Nex
like their blood did. the instant I felt the danger o the sun slip behind the shadow of day I looked at Preacher. "Make sure you kill first and send souls later Preach."

He laughed. "I'll send nothing into a good death tonight Cash."

I checked my weapons one last time and we disappeared landing a hundred yards from the door to Bliss.

I could feel her essence, I knew the minute I got there that she had been changed and I knew that I wouldn’t leave with anything less than the blood of Conlin on my hands, and anything else that stood in my way.

With Preacher to my right and a dagger at my left I stormed through the doors of Bliss and the wrath of hell came with us.

Cash

The club looked like something from a Vegas brochure for the Gothic and
Emo crowed. Though it was sheik and full of
Nex
it wasn’t a place to cozy up. The walls were blood red with black trim and the music was loud, almost too loud and Preacher and I had our guards up. Music that loud meant they were masking screams. Screams we could hear, coming through loud and clear from under the bass and distortion. It was easy to see our way, the club was dark with black lighting and red flashes over the large dance floor that was covered in leather clad women and men with black makeup and black hair. Everyone wanted to be a Vampire these days, none of them knew how close they were.

I spotted him immediately, not by scent but by sight. Walter Chase sat perched in a large chair in a roped off VIP section. That rope would do nothing to keep him safe from me. I walked to where Preacher stood by the bar scoping and using his senses to pick up on London.

"I found Walter." I said so low that not even a
Nex
would have heard me, Preacher only did because of the close proximity to his ear where I spoke it. Before he could answer the energy in the room shook and vibrated against any of the un-livings spine. But I knew who it was and I felt relief.