Black Market Blood (The Lazarus Hunter Series Book 2) Page 21

  As he sat down, he realised a fatal flaw in his plan. He had nothing with him to use. He had been so determined that he wouldn’t partake, that he hadn’t even furnished himself with a decent cover. He kicked himself. It was unlikely he would be able to sit there, doing nothing, for long. Someone would start to ask difficult questions.

  The female vampire continued talking as she rolled up a joint. Light on the tobacco, heavy on everything else. He doubted it would make much difference to the stench of the room. It wasn’t her first that night. It was unlikely to be the last.

  She lit up and took a drag before handing it to the vampire next to her. Garth watched in morbid fascination as she exhaled slowly, the dark cloud of smoke curling like a purple-grey tribal tattoo into the air. He did the same, holding it in his lungs and enjoying the hit it gave. He inhaled a second time then stretched his arm out to Garth, offering it to him.

  Garth knew he couldn’t refuse and hoped that if nothing else, he wouldn’t choke and show his hand. He needed them to trust him. What other choice did he have but to take a drag and let them believe that he was one of them?

  47

  Lance had never been in the company of so many important people before in his life. It seemed as if the highest members of the family order from all over the globe were there. That’s probably because they were.

  He knew that it was a privilege to be allowed into the room on an occasion such as this, but he also knew that he had earned it. Last night had proven that.

  Unfortunately, it hadn’t been entirely victorious. He wasn’t sure how that was going to go down with everyone once the meeting began. He knew that the true leader of the family had probably been promised high things by the leader of the American branch. Total victory possibly. If so, he had been foolish, but there was nothing wrong with being optimistic. And they had come close. Closer than any of them would have thought possible a mere six months ago.

  Now they would have to discuss how it had all played out. He was worried that he would be called upon to give his version of events. It was an honour, but it was still terrifying. He felt like he was holding his breath as the leader of his family stood.

  ‘My brethren, we are gathered here today for a most momentous occasion,’ his voice was thick with an accent that Lance had spent many years trying to lose. He wondered what it would be like to talk in his mother tongue again. It felt like it had been decades since a single word of it had crossed his lips. Which it might have been. ‘Last night was a momentous occasion in our family’s history. Never before have we been so close to becoming more than strangers in this land.’

  He paused and looked around. He wanted to know that every single person in the room was hanging onto his every word. All eyes were on him. Then it happened. He turned and beckoned Lance to the front of the stage. To speak.

  Lance opened his mouth and closed it again. His palms began to sweat. Locked away in his lab, he had dreamed of this moment, rehearsed it over and over again in his mind. This was no time for stage fright. He had no friends out there to anchor to. He thought of the girl who doled out the blood in the stores, but his eyes saw no flash of pink hair as they scanned the room.

  Only weeks before, he would have been down there on the floor with the rest of them. Years had been spent at family meetings looking up at those on the centre stage and knowing his place. Middle of the line, he would never make it up there without an extraordinary stroke of luck.

  As a scientist, Lance believed in making his own luck. He wet his lips and tried again. ‘It is a great honour to be up here tonight to speak to you all. You may be wondering why we are here tonight. You may have questions about the new rules and edicts our noble leaders have proclaimed over recent weeks.’ He paused to nod at the men to his left out of respect. They had no need for him now. His only backup was that the antidote to the virus was under lock and key. They were not aware of it, but it remained his ace to play. ‘You will also have questions about the many rumours going around about a plague that affects our kind. Tonight, there will be answers to it all.’

  He looked around the room again. In his fantasies, they had all looked up at him with rapturous fascination. In reality, most of them looked bored. Weeks of abstaining from live blood had dulled their enthusiasm for life. His body still thrummed with his own kill. The antidote made him god and not even those standing next to him had that power. Those on the floor were used to grand statements from this platform that amounted to nothing in the end. It would be hard to convince some of them this was different. He couldn’t wait to see them shocked. For once, they were the family in charge.

  ‘Those of you who have followed the order that there was to be no feeding from the humans will have remained fit and healthy, despite what you may have heard about this disease. For those of you who have disobeyed, then there is a chance you may suffer as a result. This is your choice and has been your responsibility. From tonight, the blood supplies in the store will double rations, to get you through the weeks ahead. Our leaders have thoughtfully prepared for our survival.

  Many of you were present last night when the great Giordano family,’ he spit on the stage at their name, a dramatic flair, but it felt right, ‘claimed their leader was absent from the house. I have it on good authority that she was too weak to fight. No leader accepted our challenge and we could have taken their headquarters. However, that is not the custom of things. She has until tonight to appear. She will not fight. By dawn, the most prestigious territory in America will belong to us at last.’

  This seemed to perk up the crowd at last. They had been reluctant last night to walk away, but it had been the right thing to do. The Giordano family would believe they were buying additional time to recover and gather. In reality, the passage of even twenty-four hours would be enough to weaken them further. ‘Make no mistake, you need not fear this disease if you behave as our leader instructs. Only we know how this disease works because it is our creation. My creation.’ He paused. A hushed gasp passed through the room. Those who failed to pay attention before looked at him now. He felt the thrill rush through him. This power wasn’t as consuming as the thrill of a true hunt, but it was close. All his life he had waited for this moment when he was no longer alone with his thoughts. ‘Our enemies have been weakened by our own hand. Within seven days, we will have power over all families here, not just the Giordanos. All will submit to us and our way. Our time has come and we will seize it.’

  A cough to his side drew his attention. Their esteemed leader looked at him with a frown. It was his job to explain what had happened, not give the rallying war cry. Lance blushed. He had got carried away in the thrill of it all, the feeling of what it was like to lead people rather than hide away. Rather than have people look through you. The moment, it appeared, was over. He stepped back.

  ‘Thank you Lance. The words you have heard,’ he addressed the crowd, ‘are spoken with truth. We have seen from the wasting of our enemies the effectiveness of this disease. A disease that is ours and bends to our will. From within these walls we have created authority over life and death once more. Do not feed from the humans. Collect extra supplies from the warehouse to sustain you. I know this is not the same as the hunt. I know many of you feel as though you are starving for true blood. Tonight, in honour of our dead and those who will fall before we rise again victorious, we will celebrate with fresh blood. As was custom when our forefathers ruled the Nile, so it shall be again tonight.’

  The back doors of the room swung open. Women in ceremonial robes entered, small goblets on golden trays. Lance gasped. He had only heard of such treasures. They were rumoured to have come with the first adventurers from their family a century before. Anywhere else, they would belong in a museum. Here, they marked the sign of the old world becoming the new world once more.

  He knew what the goblets would contain. He could smell it from here. It could be felt in the ripple of pleasure that flowed through the room as people also realised they were part of somethi
ng magical tonight. The serving women brought it to the centre stage first and their leader took the first sip. His would be warmest, but even Lance, up there with them for one night, would be honoured with the freshest of the blood.

  As the first sip passed his lips, he thought of the women locked away in the stores. Disease was unpredictable, despite what both he and their leader had proclaimed tonight. Unable to survive in its human hosts for long, Lance had calculated that they would only need to do this for six weeks more. But six weeks was a lot of blood and if it turned to more, then they would need a contingency plan. The women, selected carefully to cater to all tastes, lay under lock and key. He had assumed they were only to ensure the supplies in the stores remained stable and stocked. Never in his wildest dreams did he think they would be available for a blood ritual such as this. So many of them bled in such a short space of time. It would take them a day or two to recover.

  Such practicalities mattered to a scientist, but no one he shared the stage with would put that above the power and ceremony that came with declaring a blood feast like this. He let the last of it slide over his tongue. A day or two to recover would not impinge on the plan too greatly. The stores would remain plentiful long passed then. In two days, the women would be put back to work, until they were no longer needed and the family would be free to hunt once more. They would remain under sedation for that time, unable to feel the pain of being bled dry.

  There was no need to be cruel, after all.

  48

  Elizabeth decided that the upside to all this crazy was that at least she got to glimpse the luxury lifestyle. She had flown in a private jet — twice in one day — and was back in a hotel room with a piece of hired muscle walking the floor outside her door. It was the closest to being a celebrity she would ever get.

  Right now this celebrity needed a long hot soak in the tub. She had slept on the short flight back but it hadn’t helped. There was a difference between recovery and passing out from exhaustion. The first thing she had done was order room service and selected anything on the menu that took her fancy. Her stomach growled as her body began to repair itself. The damage it had suffered over the previous twenty-four hours was significant. Alone in the room, she no longer needed to put on a brave face.

  Elizabeth dumped in the entire complimentary bottle of bath foam and turned the water on high. The bubbles filled the air with the scent of chamomile and jasmine. Her shoulders dropped an inch lower as she inhaled.

  It was reckless, but she walked back into the bedroom and pulled a bottle of wine from the mini bar. Monica had told her to do whatever she needed, that she would take care of the bill. It was a miniature, she told herself. Just enough to take the edge off. She took a swig straight from the bottle. Classy could wait for another day.

  She slipped her shirt over her head and threw it on the floor. The rest of her clothes followed until she stood naked in front of the full length mirror.

  The only things left on her body were the pendant around her neck and the bandage around her wrist. Both symbols of the mess she had found herself in. She slipped the pendant over her head and placed it on the side of the vanity basin. The last time Monica had fed from her she had been covered in bruises. A broken rib. Other than her wrist, the marks she saw now on her body were old scars. So why did she feel as damaged as she had before?

  She took another swig of wine. She could no longer delay the inevitable if she wanted to climb into the water. She unclipped the safety pin holding the bandage in place and began to unwind. The closer she got to the end, the more reluctant she became. She didn’t want to see what lay underneath.

  A vampire bite on a normal human would have disappeared by now. Nature’s way of securing survival of the species. It scared Elizabeth that she might be different. She took a deep breath and peeled the last of the material away.

  Dried blood caked her wrist, making it hard to see the edges of the wound. She dipped her hand in the water and watched as reddish brown swirls trailed from her skin. She rubbed the rest away and looked at the puckered skin.

  What should happen naturally had half done so. Her skin had knotted back together, no trace of blood on the surface. But instead of a smooth patch of lightly bruised skin, there was a silvery-red scar almost an inch long. She could see where one of Monica’s teeth had pierced and ripped through the flesh. A corresponding smaller puncture wound lay at one end. This scar would be with her forever. The ones on her neck were faint enough to only be visible if you knew what you were looking for. This was one she would need to explain away at some point.

  She climbed into the water and sank beneath the surface. Under any other circumstances, it would be perfect. A hot bath and a decent glass of wine. Yet on the other side of the country someone was playing with her blood in the hope of saving their species. How was she ever supposed to relax again?

  She toyed with the bottle and had a crazy thought about the guard outside her door. Was it so wrong to want the comfort of skin against skin? She was in a foreign city, alone, and she had been through more than one person should ever have to go through in a lifetime.

  Elizabeth shook the thought away in horror. It was just a hormonal reaction to the circumstances. After all the man outside her room was not all he appeared to be. Elizabeth wasn’t stupid, despite the day’s reassurances. Monica would kill him if she found out, no matter what easy denials she made about possession.

  She drained the wine. This was her life again now. And it was a real mess.

  49

  Despite the infusion of Elizabeth’s blood, Monica veered towards exhaustion. She and the patient had made it through the doors to Harlan’s lab minutes before sunrise. Whilst she would have been able to tolerate the early morning rays, in his weakened state it would have resulted in immediate death.

  The angry words of William DuMont still echoed in her ears. He had called her crazy — amongst other things — her brain still addled by the slow death of the disease. She hadn’t corrected him. As best as she could, she had acted out the role of weakened woman he expected from her. He hadn’t been angry about her impending death. No, his rage was because of her acceptance of the Sekhmet family demands.

  Monica was putting a lot of faith in Harlan. Faith that had allowed her to agree to a meeting of the families the following night. A full moon. She knew the symbolism would appeal to their old ways. William believed she led them to death.

  She hadn’t corrected him as she left. Another day would be all Harlan needed, she was sure of it.

  In the artificial light of the lab, the hours passed slowly. All she could do was watch Harlan like a hawk. The patient was situated in a lab down the hallway. She refused to allow him into the same room as Elizabeth’s blood. When it was time to do the experiment, they would take the vaccine to him. Their family doctor had given him no more than twelve hours to live. It made him an ideal candidate.

  A change had occurred in Harlan while she was away. Initial excitement had given way to intense concentration. He moved with a quiet confidence that reminded her why she had agreed to a date. Their semi-relationship seemed a lifetime ago. Things had changed.

  She had changed.

  She was pondering what this meant for her friendship with Dennis when Harlan stepped back. ‘I think…I think I’ve done it.’ He looked at her, excitement in his eyes. ‘I’ve come up with something we can finally use.’

  ‘Are you sure?’

  ‘No, but there’s nothing else I can do now. It’s time to complete the test.’

  ‘And if it doesn’t work?’

  ‘Then at least we’ve tried to save one life. I’ll have to feed before I begin again. This is using up some serious brainpower.’

  ‘Let’s do it.’

  Monica watched as he suctioned a small quantity of a clear liquid into a syringe and then capped it. He put it on a tray along with various other instruments. Finally he went to a freezer and pulled out a bag of blood. ‘Don’t worry, I’ve already tested a sam
ple to confirm there are no traces of the disease. The vaccine will need an accelerant. Feeding seems the logical way to do it.’

  Harlan led her down the corridor, vial and syringe in hand. Monica checked the door clicked locked behind them as they left. ‘What’s his name?’ he asked.

  ‘Max.’ He was two years younger than her. They had been loose acquaintances growing up. He’d been the vampire equivalent of a Jock and that put her off. He had always been strong and fit, but now the disease had reduced him to a withered old man.

  ‘Max. Good. I want to know his name before I do this.’ He steeled himself for what awaited them and pushed through the door. Monica followed and held back a gasp. Since they’d arrived, he’d weakened further. She placed a hand on his forearm, the skin beneath her fingers almost translucent. ‘Hi Max,’ she said, ‘it’s me.’

  ‘Is it time?’

  ‘Yes. This is Harlan. He’s the doctor who has been working on the vaccine. I’m going to hand you over to him now, but I’ll be right here if you need anything.’

  ‘Thank you.’

  Monica stepped into the corner of the room. She didn’t want to be a distraction for Harlan. Nor did Max need to see the fear on her face.

  ‘Hi Max. Nice to meet you. Let me explain a little bit about what we’re going to do here. I’m going to give you an injection in your stomach. It might be painful. You’ll feel a sharp pinch. Then I need you to drink some blood. You might feel queasy, but you need to drink all of it and keep it down. Do you understand?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Do you have any questions?’