Blood Therapy (Kismet Knight, Ph.D., Vampire Psychologist) (29 page)

“The gods? They were real?”

He laughed. “As real as vampires.”

I looked around and shifted my gaze to the extremely high ceiling, which—along with the walls—had been carved out of rock. “Where are we? I was told the library’s inside a mountain in the Andes.”

“Actually, calling it a
library
is quite inaccurate. We do house books, papers, and all manner of ancient scrolls and papyri, along with the largest collection of antiques and artifacts in the world. Some of the objects prove the existence of vampires, so they had to be removed from human circulation. We have thousands of mortal-created accounts of interactions with the undead, none of which can be allowed to fall into human hands. But yes—we are inside a mountain in the Andes. In fact, the complex is spread out through several mountains.”

My mind goggled. I was thousands of miles from my hotel room in New York City, on another continent, chatting with an ancient Greek alchemist vampire. And I thought everything I’d experienced so far had been as strange as things could get.

“Do you know why I wanted to talk with you?” I asked.

“Of course. I would not have brought you here if the elders had not approved your reasons. We believe you can be of service to immortals.”

“Of service?” My body tensed, and my brain was suddenly bombarded with horrible visions of myself tied to an altar while ravenous vampires sucked the blood from every part of my body.

Zephyr burst out laughing, then clapped his hands. “That was marvelous. Very entertaining. I am afraid I was not thinking of anything quite so … messy. The service I have in mind is your psychology practice. You can keep your finger on the pulse of the communal vampire psyche. Alert us to potential problems.”

I was so relieved my knees almost gave out. Realizing I’d stopped breathing, I coughed to open my throat so I could inhale.

“Come,” he said, holding out his hand, “let me amuse myself by showing you some of the wonders of this place. I do not often receive visitors.”

As if I have a choice.

The moment my hand touched his, we were in motion again. When we stopped, my head spun and I reached up in an unconscious attempt to catch my balance. Even though he’d muted most of the symptoms of my wine-fest, traveling via thought brought back a vague sense of discomfort. I made a promise to myself to remember how bad I felt and never to over-imbibe again.
Isn’t that what all over-imbibers say?

Zephyr smiled. “There is no real equivalent to getting drunk for us old vampires. When we are young, some of us can achieve a drug-like effect by ingesting too much blood, and some newborns become addicted for a while, but by the time one has lived for a few centuries, we are immune to such lunacy.”

He spread his arms wide, and hundreds of balls of light flicked on, suspended in thin air throughout the mind-boggling expanse.

He’d transported us to a rock outcropping. An overlook.

I sucked in a loud breath. The scene in front of me was impossible. I slowly turned in a circle. Stunned as I was, I still managed to determine that I was looking at miles—literally miles—of antiquities, stretching out in every direction. Some were so massive I had to squint to see their boundaries.

“Here,” he said, lightly touching the spot between my eyes. “This should help.”

Suddenly the vague outlines of statues, relics, and works of art I could barely distinguish from such a distance were made crystal clear, as if I’d donned super-magnifying glasses.

“Wow.” I pointed. “Is that a … cathedral? An actual full-size building?” The tallest spire jutted high into the air.

“Yes. One of many.”

“But, but, but …” I sputtered. “How did it get here?” I just couldn’t wrap my brain around the idea of moving an entire building without any humans noticing. “And why would vampires want a church?”

Vampires. Church. Those words just didn’t go together.

He chuckled. “I had forgotten how delightful it is to witness the appreciation of visitors. Unfortunately, it is not safe to bring many guests here, human or vampire, but I am thoroughly enjoying having you. What was your question? Oh yes—how and why?” He slid his arm around my shoulders. “Perhaps you would like a closer view.”

In the flick of a bat wing, we were standing in front of the beautiful Gothic church, complete with ornate towers and arches.

“There is a fascinating story to this particular acquisition,” he said, waving his arm in the direction of the breathtaking building. “This cathedral was erected in France in the nineteenth century. Shortly after construction was completed, one of our elders had a vision of its destruction due to an earthquake. At the moment the trembling began, we magically transported it here while creating a visual illusion for the mortals, letting them see the building actually collapsing into a rift that opened in that spot. Which is what would have happened had we not intervened. A day or two later we utilized the power of an aftershock to close the opening in the earth to prevent any enterprising explorers from noticing the lack of residue to excavate. It was an effortless rescue of an architectural masterpiece.”

“Damn,” I said, impressed. “But why just keep it here? Why not find a way to resurrect it somewhere? Hardly anyone gets to see it locked away inside a mountain.”

“You are correct, but no doubt you will soon realize that collecting—or
hoarding
as it is called now—is a vampire trait. We do not easily give up our acquisitions.” He gave me an odd look. “Things or people.”

I was tired enough to blurt out what was on my mind without censoring it. Not a great idea when talking to vampires. “Why did you look at me like that? Are you saying
I’m
now
your
acquisition?”

The corners of his lips rose. “No. Not
mine
.”

“What—?”

“You asked about vampires and church. You might be surprised to learn that many vampires are attracted to the energy surrounding religious sites. The vibrational field is permeated with the hopes, dreams, and fears of untold numbers of humans, not to mention an aura of death. Hiding in churches and temples was—and is—a common occurrence with the undead. Humans rarely have the courage to open the coffins of historical figures or loved ones to chase away a temporary bloodsucking lodger. Consequently churches are relatively safe havens for vampires. And of course Devereux has informed you that religion has no effect on us, one way or the other.”

A blur of motion off to the side startled me, and I gasped.

“There you are.” A tall, indescribably handsome male appeared on the other side of Zephyr. He was dressed in a modern dark-gray European business suit and matching shirt. His wavy ebony hair flowed inches past his shoulders. “I have been waiting to meet the charming and famous vampire shrink, and here you are, monopolizing her with one of your tedious tours. I should have known.”

“You are so impatient, Dracul,” Zephyr said. “One would think that someone as old as you would have figured out the meaninglessness of time by now.” He turned to me and nodded at the new arrival. “Doctor Knight, allow me to introduce the infamous Dracul.”

No way—Dracula? He doesn’t look anything like the pictures of the warrior he’s supposed to be based on. The live version is a vast improvement.

Since I hadn’t been able to tear away my attention from the gorgeous man since he showed up, my gaze remained cemented to his. An exotic aroma surrounded him, and I inhaled the enticing fragrance, which caused my heart to flutter. As I stared into his dark eyes, I suddenly thought about the picture I must have presented with my tangled hair pulled back into a messy ponytail and no makeup. For some reason not looking my best felt unacceptable. I wanted to please him. I had an overwhelming urge to rip off my clothes and press my naked body against him.

Uh-oh. What’s happening?

He smiled and stepped toward me, displaying even white teeth and dimples. He unbuttoned my coat and pushed it down my arms until it dropped to the floor. “In my time, there was much poverty. Women did not have the luxury of wearing makeup. I am accustomed to appreciating the natural beauty of the females under my care.” He lifted my hand and kissed it. “You, Doctor Knight”—his eyes scanned my body, lingering on my breasts—“are exquisite.”

“Er, thank you.” He was the most amazing-looking individual I’d ever seen: exotic, with perfect facial structure and features. I couldn’t drag my eyes away from his. And as I watched, his irises changed from almost-black to blood-red. I groaned and moved closer.

He wrapped me in his arms.

“Dracul! Stop it.” Zephyr grasped my shoulder and tugged in an unsuccessful attempt to pull me away. “We have business to attend to. I don’t think Doctor Knight came here to be seduced by the Dragon.”

“Do not be such a spoilsport, Zephyr. There is plenty of time for everything. Perhaps she would
like
to be seduced. Let us ask her. Doctor Knight?”

“Yes. I really would,” I said, without conscious thought.
Did I say that?

“You know full well she will not be able to make an informed decision. She is the prop— er … friend … of an important vampire,” Zephyr said. “You have already entranced her. Why must you arouse every female within miles of you? Surely you must be satiated by now.”

Dracul rubbed his hands up and down my back, pulling me tighter against his firm chest. “I am fully aware of whose property she is. And you know I cannot help it—I am a prisoner of my urges. You are lucky to be free of sexual desire. It can be a harsh taskmaster.”

Zephyr finally managed to pull me away from Dracul and snapped his fingers in front of my eyes. “Doctor Knight.” He lifted my coat from the ground and held it out for me to put on.

Startled, I came back to myself. Shit! How had Dracul done that? Was he able to override my brain’s protection, too? I slipped into the coat and re-buttoned it.

“Yes,” Zephyr answered, “indirectly. Dracul has the ability to
borrow
vampiric gifts. In my presence, he is able to use my ability to access anyone’s brain. I apologize—I should have warned you. He is what would these days be called a
sex fiend
.”

“Um, probably not a sex
fiend
,” I said, grinning at the 1950s-type reference. “That’s a little dated. Maybe a sex
addict
, though.”

Dracul gave a charming smile. “I love it when people talk about me and my idiosyncrasies.”

Zephyr sent Dracul a frustrated frown then looked at me. “Ordinarily, perhaps, Doctor. But in Dracul’s case, I believe the word
fiend
is appropriate. Come.” He eased his arm around my shoulders. “Let us address the issue that provoked your visit.”

“Wait,” Dracul said, stepping in front of me, his expression serious. “The reason I wanted to meet you was that I wish to make a confession and to caution you, Doctor Knight. First, I believe I may be responsible for the insanity of the human who now torments you as the vampire who calls himself Lucifer. Rather an arrogant name, yes?”

Zephyr dropped his arm from around me and sighed.

At the mention of Lucifer’s name, my stomach twisted.
He knows about the psychotic’s behavior? And he’s responsible for it?
“What do you mean?”

Dracul took my hands in his. “No doubt you have heard the story of my old friend Renfield? How he went mad as a result of my influence on his brain?”

I nodded, uncomfortably familiar with the idea.

“Of course, that was not his real name. I asked Bram to disguise everyone except me.” He bowed. “I do enjoy being notorious. Consequently it will likely come as no surprise that I have had many human slaves in addition to Renfield over the centuries. A hundred years ago, I met a religious man when I was traveling through the mountains of the American south. Quite insightful and intuitive, actually, because he recognized my darkness immediately. He erroneously assumed I was a literal demon, but I became fascinated by his ability to sense me. I had to have him.”

“Brother Luther?”

Dracul looked up and to the side for a few seconds, remembering. “Yes, I think that was his name. His sensitivity worked against him because he lasted barely a decade before his mind completely broke, and he began displaying other personalities. Several of them. Being the mischievous bloodsucker that I am, I thought it would be fun to bring him over, to hold onto him for his entertainment value.”

“You turned him after he was insane?”

“Yes. It was very amusing, for a while. Just imagine how strong he was, since I sired him. But as so often happens, I quickly lost interest, and the last time he escaped, I did not bother sending anyone to find him. In fact”—he squeezed my hands—“I forgot all about him. He only came to my attention again a decade ago, when the elders met to share future visions.”

“Lucifer was in the elders’ visions? Does that mean you’ll be able to help capture him before he kills more innocent humans?”

He leaned in and kissed my cheek, his eyes still deep red. “We did see him, but no—according to the vision, everything must unfold as foretold. I’m merely giving you this information to help you understand the roots of his derangement, for your own edification. I thought it was the least I could do since my offspring has become obsessed with you and caused you so much trouble.” He released my hands.

“Do you know why he’s obsessed with me, or is that some mysterious secret?”

“I know exactly why he is interested in you, and it is not a secret at all. In fact, the reason is quite banal. It happens all the time.”

“
What
happens all the time?”

“Familiarity. When I met Lucifer in his human form as the religious man, he was already slightly mad. His wife had just died in childbirth, along with the babe.” He chuckled. “The poor sod actually sought me out and, believing I was a literal demon, asked me if I could bring her back. By the time he invited me to her body, it was too late. Her form was cold, and her crimson essence congealed.”

“That’s horrible.”

“Yes, it was. I would have enjoyed drinking her blood. What a waste. But the wife was quite lovely, even in death. She had dark hair and blue eyes.”