Kiss of the Vampire (The Vanderlind Realm Book 2) (12 page)

It could have been a coincidence. Vampires weren’t the only fiends in the world. But it was a little too much of a coincidence for comfort. After that I slowly, yet persistently put some distance between Ilona and myself. Eventually she became distracted by another man and ended our relationship.

I wish I’d thought of the model incident before I’d wandered home with Ilona the previous month. I was very caught up in my own misery at the time and obviously not thinking clearly. I wondered if sleeping with her would have made a difference.

The model’s death wasn’t actually all that uncommon. Ilona wouldn’t have been the first vampire to let jealousy of a mortal spiral into bloodshed. They were our food, after all. It was frequently a challenge not to think of them as chattel. At least for some vampires. I had never struggled with it that much, but I knew that wasn’t always the case. Each vampire was different. And Ilona was very much on the opposite end of the spectrum from me about a lot of things.

“I wonder what happened to Haley,” I said, frowning a little as the grandfather clock in the front hall chimed, announcing it was five in the morning.

“I hope she didn’t go overboard and kill her little snack,” Ilona said, her eyes starting to glow with the mere thought that Haley might be in trouble. “Or even worse, what if someone has discovered her?” she asked, putting her hand up to her mouth as if the idea was just too horrible to contemplate.

“I’m sure she fine,” I said, like it was no big deal. “Maybe she felt like lingering over her meal. Or even decided to go back to his place.”

“And that wouldn’t bother you?” Ilona asked, her eyes scrutinizing me through her long lashes.

I shrugged. “Why should it? As long as she’s careful.” I stretched my arms and feigned suppressing a yawn. “It is getting rather late, though.” I said, getting to my feet. “I appreciate you dropping by. It’s been delightful having time to chat. Would you like some AB negative for the road?” It wasn’t a very subtle hint, but there seemed no other way to get her out of the castle.

“It is rather late,” the vampiress said, not budging from her chair. “I’m not even sure I have time to fly back to my lodgings.”

“Good point.” Rather than getting sucked into asking her where she was staying and then becoming obligated to having to invite her to spend the day at the castle, I grabbed her hand and hauled her to her feet. “I guess you’d better hurry, then,” I insisted, bustling her to the door. “There’s no reason to meet the dawn just because you’ve spent too long chatting with an old friend.”

I shamefully shoved her out the front door. “It was so nice catching up with you, Ilona,” I told her. “Enjoy the rest of your journey.”

She was about to say something. I had no idea what it was, but I wasn’t about to wait and find out. I gave a cheery little wave and called, “Sleep well,” before firmly shut the door, even though she was scarcely over the threshold. My behavior wasn’t very gallant. Under normal circumstances I would have insisted that she stay as my guest. But I really didn’t want her to continue prying into my life. And I definitely didn’t want to sleep with her. Sometimes extenuating circumstances dictated ungentlemanly behavior. I would have to try not to make it a habit.

That dawn I didn’t go to my coffin as usual. Instead I slipped into the room where I’d slept the day before, when I’d held Haley in my arms. I didn’t want the staff to see me, so that was why I did it stealthily. The linens had been changed — there wasn’t the scent of Haley on the pillow or anything like that — but being in that room was the closest I could come to being with her.

I felt pathetic. I was turning into as big of a sap as my cousin, Jessie. But I also felt contented. I remembered how Haley felt snuggled up against my chest. It had been so wonderful to be able to smell her skin and touch her hair. Haley snored softly at intervals while she slept. I knew it was just old muscle memory — and nasal passage memory, for that matter — but I found it adorable.

I really way pathetic.

But I was also a man who got some rest. I was able to let go of my concerns over Ilona, and the strange absence of my family, and even thoughts of Haley. I lost myself to oblivion and it was heavenly.

The next sunset I was completely refreshed. It felt like all of my troubles were manageable, if I only kept the right attitude. Ilona wouldn’t hang around the middle of Ohio forever. She was too cosmopolitan not to be lured away by some undead bacchanal.

My family was probably safe and simply enjoying a little time away. Maybe there had been some kind of tiff between them. Or some near brush with the sun. I really had no idea. But they had all been around too long to be in any real danger. They knew how to take care of themselves.

And then there was Haley. I still didn’t know what to do about Haley. But I knew I was tired of making a fool of myself over her. There were plenty of members of the undead who weren’t in love with their progeny. In fact, many vampires felt the whole maker / progeny relationship was more appropriately viewed as parent and child. I did not feel fatherly toward Haley, that was for sure. But I didn’t have to play the fool. I could behave in a dignified manner and mentor my progeny until she was fully fledged. That was the right thing to do and that was my intention.

Watching a young mortal arrive to retrieve Haley for a date was an unexpected twist in my plans for dignified behavior. I immediately visualized ripping the boy’s heart from his body. But that was just a momentary slip. I had no argument with this child. He simply believed he was on a date with a beautiful young female. He had no idea he was caught in the web of a newly minted vampiress.

But what was Haley up to? Feeding off of the seedy men she stalked in the alleys behind bars was one thing. Some people might even think it was noble. But using her vampire wilds to lure a young man on a date was another thing altogether. What was her plan?

I followed them at a discrete distance as they headed into the center of town. And then they pulled up outside the local movie theater. It was such a weird thing for Haley to do. If she was planning on feeding off the boy, then she should have been leading him away from people, not into a crowd.

And who was this young man? I scrutinized him as the two of them got out of the car. He looked vaguely familiar. And then it dawned on me. He was the brute that had shoved Haley at the Christmas Eve party. He was the one who had upset her somehow and caused her to crash into that tree. And now she was on a date with him, holding his hand, even. She couldn’t still be attracted to the boy. Could she? It was the tendency of some young females to be drawn to the males who were mean to them, but Haley couldn’t possibly be that stupid. At least I hoped she wouldn’t. I watched them from the shadows as the boy opened the door for her and ushered her into the theater. His behavior was so transparent. He was only being gallant because Haley had transformed into a stunning vampiress. That much was obvious. So obvious that Haley had to have known his motivation and had a few motives of her own. What the devil was she up to?

I jogged across the street and surveyed the theater through the glass. I knew Haley’s will was unusually strong for a fledgling vampire, but sitting in a crowded movie theater full of young mortals would have tested even the most experienced of the undead. Purchasing a ticket, I hurried inside.

Chapter 15

Dorian

I couldn’t believe Haley’s foolishness. Not only was she in a crowded theater with hundreds of mortals surrounding her, but she was about to see a vampire movie. She obviously didn’t realize that was an insane thing to do. From the images on the movie poster, the film wasn’t a love story between an undead and a mortal. I knew those stories had grown in popularity over the last decade. I even knew a few vampiresses who indulged in reading the genre. But this looked more like a movie with vampires feeding off mortals and humans trying to stake them in return. There would be lots of blood. It would just be fake blood ― karo syrup and movie magic ― but there would probably be a lot of it.

Even before the trailers ended, I could see Haley gripping the armrests of her chair. It was probably beginning to dawn on her that a room crowded full of mortals was no place for a vampire with an appetite. And then the film began. It wasted no time getting to the gore. Even before the opening credits, a crazed vampire was feeding off the half-naked body of a rather foolish young female. The filmmaker obviously didn’t want to waste time with things like building suspense or crafting a plot.

I was only vaguely aware of the movie. Instead I spent my time focusing on Haley. I knew that she was strong, but the film was not working in her favor. She was such an idiot for agreeing to go out with the boy in the first place. I couldn’t understand her reasoning. Was this somehow part of her master plan for revenge? If it was, then her plan had a few flaws.

I suddenly realized where the plot of the movie was going. There were mortals dressed in evening gowns and tuxedos, heading to some type of fancy event. That wasn’t a good sign. Directors loved having mortals die in evening wear. I could almost anticipate what was going to happen next. The party would be very lively and glamorous and the vampires would be able to keep their hunger in check for a little while. But then a minor calamity would occur. A mortal female would become slightly injured, the faint smell of blood filling the air. And then the vampires would lose control, slaughtering everyone so that no witnesses would survive. They would gorge themselves and then maybe even make love on top of some of the bodies. I never could understand Hollywood's perpetual need to marry sex with violence. It would seem more prudent for the human race to keep those two behaviors well away from each other.

I couldn’t say that vampires like the ones portrayed in the movie didn’t exist. Every society has an underbelly. But the Bishops did their best to keep the worst characteristics of the undead under control. Homicidal maniacs, be they living or undead, were bad news for everyone. And our ruling family was not tolerant of bad behavior.

The director must have been impatient for more gore. Before even I could anticipate it, the true savagery of the film began. Mortals were screaming and trying to flee the party. Blood soaked the fine clothing of the undead as they laughed with giddy delight. I saw Haley stiffen, her body starting to tremble. Her eyes were locked on the film as blood splashed across the screen.

I leapt to my feet and rushed down the aisle. “Excuse me,” I said, shoving past mortals who grumbled at my rudeness, having no idea their very lives were hanging in the balance. “Haley,” I said, clamping an arm on her shoulder in case she decided to leap out of her seat. Her eyes were glued to the screen. “Haley,” I said again, this time much louder while giving her a firm shake. She glanced in my direction and I could see the bloodlust in her eyes. She was on the verge of losing control.

Grabbing her by the arm, I yanked her from her seat. “Come with me.”

“Dude!” her date exclaimed. “What’s your problem?”

“Stay there!” I commanded him, scarcely having time to fix him with my eyes.

Haley’s eyes were so wild that I knew I didn’t have a second to spare. Locking my arms around her, I dragged her toward the exit.

“Let me go,” Haley hissed, struggling to return to her date.

“You just need some fresh air,” I insisted, strong arming her through the lobby. “I think you’ll feel much better once we’re outside.”

“No.” She flailed against me, trying to get free.

“Haley, I promise you that you just need some air,” I said, practically dragging her from the building. It was fortunate that the theater was between show times because I don’t know what would have happened if the lobby had been crowded.

We burst through the doors and a winter wind blasted our faces. Vampires didn’t really experience heat and cold in the same way as mortals, but we were still aware of the elements. Haley was still struggling in my arms. She desperately wanted back in the building.

“Haley, look at me,” I said, taking her by both shoulders. “You need to get a hold of yourself. Calm down.”

“No,” she said, practically wrenching herself out of my grip. “Leave me alone. I’m going back inside.”

“Haley, no,” I told her. “You can’t. You’d hate yourself forever.”

“I don’t’ care.” She fought against me. “None of that even matters anymore.”

I mentally kicked myself for not remembering to pack a flask. A few good slugs of blood would have calmed down her bloodlust, but I had none to offer her. Haley thrashed in my arms. People on the street were staring at us, not realizing that their very lives were in danger. I had to do something for her. I had to at least try to drag her somewhere. I had to find a way to break her out of her frenzy.