Bloodguilty (5 page)

Inaho yawned and got up, grabbing her ball again.
I need to catch a nice big mouse. Come and find me when you're ready for me.
She jumped across to the window ledge and was outside before Casimir could open his mouth.

"I will," he said to the empty room, and eased back down to the bed. He needed blood, was already starting to feel weak, but he could see the sun beginning to come up over the horizon. For now, he would rest and let his body repair itself as much as possible.

The next evening, Casimir woke to find that while his wrist and ribs had done a lot of healing, they still ached. He was also sick with hunger. The Jewel Box couldn't be the only brothel in town; he would have to find Mikki and ask him.

Tucking his gun and a new stake into his pockets, he headed outside. It seemed that the universe was looking to help him today, because Mikki was in the alley across from the inn. Casimir lifted a hand to wave but stopped when he realized Mikki wasn't alone.

A man in faded jeans was taking money from him, and in return, he handed over a small, black, plastic bag. Mikki shoved the entire thing into his pocket and walked out of the alley, jumping a step back when he noticed Casimir.

"What, are you following me?" he demanded.

"I just left the hotel," Casimir said. "I wouldn't have had to go far to follow you."

Mikki hooked his thumbs on his belt loops. "… You look pale today."

That wasn't a good sign; his complexion was usually a warm brown. Casimir lifted a hand and studied its color in the blinking neon lights. He definitely looked pale. "Lack of blood. I wanted to ask you if there was another place like the Jewel Box in town."

Mikki shook his head. "There's streetwalkers, but they come and go. You'd have to really hunt around for one."

"I'm going to have to." Casimir would have to find someone soon; going too long without blood would be the same as a human starving to death. Which reminded him. "You know, I still owe you a meal."

Mikki's dark eyes narrowed. "And you get to have a meal after that?"

"No, I really do just want to thank you."

After a moment of rubbing the back of his neck, Mikki said, "Okay. I guess you were decent to the people at the Jewel Box. But if you try anything, I'll kill you."

"Noted." He wasn't carrying a Molotov cocktail today. Casimir wondered what he was armed with. "Where do you want to eat?"

"This way."

Casimir fell in step with Mikki. The streets were narrower here, the buildings all the more dilapidated. The neon signs and florescent lights were so chaotic and crammed together that they made his eyes burn. "Where are we going?"

Mikki looked at him, his face blue from the sign overhead. "There's a fish place down this road. I don't get fish much."

Casimir imagined he didn't, considering the only body of water nearby was the lake Inaho had talked mentioned. "What kind of fish do you like?"

He pursed his lips then shrugged. "Whatever. Perch, salmon. I'll eat just about anything."

"I used to live in a fishing village. When I was human, I mean. My father was a commercial fisherman. I remember him bringing bream home, my sister rolling them in breadcrumbs…" Even though he couldn't eat anymore, the memory still made Casimir's mouth water.

"Not your mom?"

"She worked late at the hospital—she was a doctor—so we never saw her at dinner," Casimir explained.

Mikki was quiet as they passed a few more buildings then said, "My parents worked in the same diner. They both cooked. They disappeared when the place burned down."

"I'm sorry."

He shrugged before stopping in front of a building with a white neon fish over the door and pulling it open. Casimir walked inside. It was a small place, the floorboards aged and the blue paint on the walls faded. They did have a fish tank near the front, filled with what looked like dashes of silver from across the room. As he drew closer, Casimir could see a dozen or so what looked like tetras darting about.

Mikki flopped down in a chair near the tank, long legs sprawling, and picked up the datapad on the table. Casimir looked over his shoulder to see that it was the menu. "It changes all the time. Depends on what they can get," he said, handing it to Casimir to read.

"I understand that." Casimir sat down across from him.

"Are you just gonna watch me eat the whole time?" Mikki asked, looking up.

"I'll try not to." Casimir read off a few items before Mikki stopped him.

"I'll do the pike." He took the datapad and set it down. He sat up straighter. "Can you even drink water?'

Casimir shook his head. "Just human blood. Anything else will make me sick. Believe me, it would be easier if I could live off of animals."

"Huh."

He knew it wasn't his business what Mikki had been doing before, but curiosity got the better of him. "So, what did you buy?"

"What?"

"Before you saw me. Looked like a drug deal, but you don't seem the type," Casimir said. As soon as the words left his mouth, he cursed his bluntness. He wouldn't have been surprised if Mikki got up and walked out.

Mikki stiffened, his chin jutting out defiantly. By inches, his pose dropped until he was slumping again. "Testosterone. You can only get it on the black market here."

Casimir was surprised; he'd thought he was going to be told to fuck off. "Trying to build muscle?"

Mikki picked up and fiddled with the datapad. "Nah." His jaw worked, eyes darting around the room before they settled on Casimir's face. He blew out a hard breath. "I was born in the wrong body. It freaked my brother out. That's the real reason we don't talk." Mikki was still trying to sound casual, but this time, it didn't work.

"Sorry to hear that. About your brother, I mean, but I'm sure it sucks not feeling comfortable in your own skin," Casimir said. He had a faint feeling of that himself; he'd never wanted to be a vampire, but he didn't have a choice.

Mikki shrugged. "It sucks some days more than others. The T helps." He was still watching Casimir's face. Casimir had no idea what he was looking for.

Casimir glanced away, towards the kitchen door. "Is service usually so slow?"

"Not really." Mikki looked the same way and called, "Hey, is anyone here?"

Finally, the kitchen door opened, a woman in a gray dress stepping out. Her clothing was plain, but her face was strikingly beautiful—too beautiful to be human, with no flaws or blemishes on her skin, everything perfectly symmetrical. "Sorry for the delay," she said. "What can I get for you?"

"Water. And the pike," Mikki said, setting the datapad down again.

"And you?" the waitress asked Casimir.

"I'm just here for the company," he replied, giving her a close-lipped smile.

After she disappeared into the kitchen, he looked at Mikki. "What sort of monster is she?"

Mikki shrugged. "Never seen her before. She did look kinda off, though. A guy and his wife own the place; they're the only ones I've ever seen here. Maybe they hired some help—they're both pretty old."

"Hm." It didn't really matter that much to Casimir what she was, but every different type had their own customs and temperaments. He'd studied as many monsters as he could once he became a monster himself, but this was the second type in Brightgate that he didn't recognize. When he had some time to relax, he would have to do more studying.

Mikki drummed his fingers on the tabletop, keeping beat with a tune that must have been playing in his head. "You staying in Brightgate long?"

"That depends on a few things. Mostly the other vampires."

"Yeah, I kind of figured, considering the one kicking your ass last night. So what's the story there?"

Casimir hesitated, but Mikki had been honest with him, and he liked that Mikki was opening up. Despite how distant he could be, Casimir found himself really liking Mikki. "Jared… Well, we have a lot of history. We used to be lovers, actually."

Mikki stopped drumming and leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms. "So, what? You're here to take him back?"

"Hell no. We just have unfinished business. I'm here to take care of it."

"And then you're gonna leave?"

"Oh, I don't know. I actually like it here. There's not a lot of places I've found where you can be open about being a monster and no one really cares." Casimir saw something move out of the corner of his eye, but when he turned his head, there was nothing there. He let his eyes sweep over the room, trying not to look paranoid, but he had an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"Yeah, I guess." Mikki scratched the back of his neck. "What are you gonna do for food?"

Casimir sighed. Talking to a vampire about how they hunted was considered rude, but practicality was far higher on the list of priorities than manners at the moment. "That's a real problem, especially long-term. I'm hoping that I can talk Adeline into letting me come back, but I know that's not going to happen while the other vampires are still fighting with me. I guess I'll have to look for the streetwalkers in the meantime."

"Does it hurt? When you bite people, I mean."

Casimir thumbed his chin. "It can at first, but the bite has a narcotic effect. I prefer to do it when someone's about to come, or in the middle of an orgasm. You can take more pain when you're turned on, and if you're coming, well, your body is distracted."

"Huh." Miki didn't seem offended, just thoughtful. Sexuality wasn't as taboo a subject as it had been in Casimir's father's time. Not with humans more concerned about survival than about modesty.

"Are you thinking about trying it now?" he teased.

Mikki rolled his eyes. "Because you want my blood, or you want to make me come?"

"Well, both, honestly."

Mikki snorted but didn't reply.

The waitress returned then, carrying a smoking-hot plate of fish on one hand and a glass of water in the other. When she set the pike down, Casimir could see that it still had the head attached. "Enjoy."

"Thanks." Mikki picked up his fork and began ripping chunks of flesh off to help the fish cool. He blew on a piece before stuffing it into his mouth. He swallowed and sighed. "Oh, that's good stuff."

Casimir chuckled. Despite what he'd said earlier, he was definitely watching Mikki eat. It was nice to see him enjoying something, considering how irritable he usually was. "It's been a while, I take it?"

"Few years at least. Usually can't afford it," Mikki mumbled around another mouthful.

"Well, enjoy." Casimir leaned back in his chair, and the back of his neck prickled. He still didn't see anyone else in the room with them, but he had the feeling he was being watched. Glancing around the room told him they were alone, though. He definitely felt paranoid now, but no matter how much he strained, he didn't see or hear anything unusual, nor could he smell anything besides fish.

By the time the fish was almost all bones, the waitress had returned. Instead of carrying a datapad, she had a folded piece of paper, and she set it on the table next to Casimir.

It was an oddly quaint practice when everything was digital and paper was scarce, but he found it charming. He reached for his card and flipped open the page at the same time. It wasn't a bill; it was a single sentence, written in familiar handwriting:

"You shouldn't have come."

Casimir slowly looked up to see the waitress's face had gone completely blank.

While Casimir watched, stunned, her skin went paper white, fingers turning into long claws. The bottom of her face split open into a wide mouth full of jagged black teeth, and he threw himself backwards as she lunged at him.

Casimir rolled away from her. He struggled to pull his gun, but she was on top of him then, sinking her teeth into his shoulder and ripping a mouthful away. He cried out in pain, automatically trying to staunch the bleeding.

Mikki was on her back then, the switchblade in his had flashing as he drove it into her neck. She screamed, the sound horrible and high, and slashed at him, opening ragged lines across his cheek.

The smell of human blood hit Casimir like a brick to the back of the skull, making his stomach twist. He heaved the monster off of him with all of his strength, scrambling back from her and digging his gun out of his pocket. He was running low on bullets, but he fired twice. Both shots opened dark holes in her blank face.

She reached behind herself and pulled the knife out of her neck, dropping it on the floor. She was swaying, but neither the knife nor the bullets had done much to put her down. Grabbing Casimir's leg, she sank her claws into his calf and dragged him towards her.

Casimir dropped his gun and went for his stake instead. When he was closer, he drove it through her forearm, putting all of his weight behind the motion to keep the stake going through to the floor below, pinning her in place.

By that time, Mikki had grabbed up his knife again. He circled around her and ducked under her next swipe, plunging his blade into her heart. She jerked, her cry of pain cutting short, and she collapsed to the ground in a heap.

Panting, Casimir put his foot against her shoulder and pulled his stake back out. A wave of dizziness washed over him, and his vision went black. When it cleared, he was on his back, looking at the ceiling.

"Holy shit!" Mikki was standing over him, absently wiping black blood off of his knife against his jeans. "You all right?"

Casimir closed his mouth tightly. Blood was still dripping down the side of Mikki's face, and the smell of it was making him sick with longing. "Wipe your face off," he muttered through clenched teeth.

Mikki looked confused as he lifted his hand to his cheek. He winched at the first touch, bringing his back back to look at it. "That's really going to hurt when the adrenaline wears off," he muttered.

Swallowing hard, Casimir sat up. His shoulder burned and throbbed so much that he didn't dare touch it. "Please. Wipe your face."

Understanding appeared in Mikki's eyes, and he wiped his face as best he could. It was still bleeding, and Casimir could still smell it.