Sharkbait

I looked up to see Emily approaching. She looked young and successful; pencil skirt, white blouse, and three-inch pumps. The vampire smiled and hurried over like I was an old friend. “Thank you for meeting me,” she said. She spoke in barely a whisper, knowing I would be able to hear her clearly above all the background noise.

“I probably shouldn’t have,” I said just as quietly. “Your boss tried to take out my boyfriend and me. He’s in the hospital, and I could have died.”

“I wasn’t a part of that decision. When I found out about it, you were already in the hospital,” she said. The waitress came over, and she ordered a vodka martini. “I wish you weren’t in the middle of all this, but Alexander is like that. When he sees something he wants to add to his collection, he does whatever it takes to get it.”

“He wants me,” I said knowingly.

She nodded. “If there is a ‘type’ Alexander looks for in a woman, we are both it. It’s why he turned me and kept me as his lover for so long, and why he keeps me around long after I’ve moved past being in his bed. You are young, beautiful, and powerful. Once he tasted you, nothing else mattered. You were going to be his.”

Stupid mantle blood! My life would be SO much simpler if I were a Beta. “I’m not like you,” I said.

“That’s part of the attraction. Your blood makes Alexander all-powerful when he drinks it, and the forbidden fruits taste the sweetest. If either Council objects too much, he can turn you into one of us,” the beautiful vampire said. “It has happened before. You lose your wolf, but gain our powers and immortality.”

Like hell. “Couldn’t he just send flowers or jewelry or something?” Emily giggled at my reaction; Alexander was the creepiest stalker EVER. It didn’t make sense. “Why send Detective O’Meara out to California if he was trying to lure me into his bed?”

“Two big reasons. The first is that Alexander is possessive; he doesn’t like you getting close to another man.”

“I’m NOT HIS WOMAN,” I said a little too loudly.

A few people looked our way, but a glare from Emily had them turning their eyes back to their plates. “Alexander is insanely rich, attractive, and used to getting his way with women. If there is competition for a woman he wants, he doesn’t compete; he eliminates the competition. If James had moved, O’Meara would have shot him.”

“I’d have killed him if he got out,” I said. Even as I said it, I knew I was talking trash. Motorcycle racing suits didn’t tear when you shifted like most clothing, and I could barely sit up after I stopped rolling.

“Get in line. Alexander wasn’t happy James survived, and he was furious about how close you came to getting killed. He was supposed to kill your boyfriend and scare you into thinking you were the real target.”

I was going to fucking KILL this vampire. “Is James in danger?”

She nodded her head. “Hospitals present challenges, but a man like O’Meara can still get to at target. If he doesn’t, he’ll end up in his hotel room with a bullet in his brain by Sunday. A Master Vampire can always find more familiars.”

I needed to tell Susan and make sure he got a protective detail. Holding up my hand to Emily, I sent a quick text to her, telling her my boyfriend was still a target. “And the second?”

“You turned down his deal, and with that, his leverage with the Werewolf Council. The second part of the deal was just as important as the first. He didn’t think you’d call his bluff, and now he’s got a big problem.”

We were right. “Alexander had Timothy and Traci under his control before he even contacted me.”

Emily’s eyebrow raised along with her glass, and she slipped me a grin as she realized we figured it out. “Yes. Alexander has contacts in the supernatural world, and he knew the pair was rogue. When they moved to the Boston area, he had Maximillian and Louis capture the pair and put them deep underground.” It was my turn for an eyebrow to go up. “Louis is another vampire in our Coven, forty years turned. You know a coven is limited to five vampires, right?”

“Yes, that’s what Adrienne taught me.”

“Alexander runs the coven. Maximillian’s turn was in 1864; he was one of Alexander’s familiars during my time as a newly turned vampire. When I survived my first ten years, Alexander received permission to turn him. He brought our coven up to five. Maximillian is smart and ambitious, and Alexander has been playing us against each other for a long time. We both want to take over the Coven and are equally powerful, but he has Alexander’s favor right now. Maximillian is doing everything he can to see Alexander wins the Supreme Vampire position so he can take over in Boston.”

“The one that Alexander is planning to challenge for on Halloween,” I said.

“Yes. I was able to plant a listening device in Alexander’s office, and I know their plan. They are collecting as much blood from the werewolf pair as they can before it becomes too dangerous to keep them. When that time comes, they will drain them dry and dispose of the bodies. Alexander gets the blood from Timothy, while Maximillian gets blood from Traci. Both of them will be strong enough to win their challenges after ingesting the stored blood.”

Stored blood? “Why would they use stored blood? Why not keep the rogues alive as long as you need them?”

Emily took a sip of her drink. “The offer to you was a desperate attempt to get the Werewolf Council to accept the idea of Alexander keeping werewolves, even if they were rogues. Adrienne made it clear to him that the Council would NEVER allow it, no matter the circumstances. The Vampire Masters will destroy our entire Coven if they find out, as it risks war with the Werewolves and is against our Laws. The longer they stay alive, the higher the chance of discovery. Alexander is betting he can keep them hidden for another month or two. That is long enough to store six to eight pints of their blood. That would give each of them enough power boosts to withstand any challenges that may arise in their first year in power.”

I despised Timothy for rejecting me, and Traci was a rank-climbing slut, but I’d never wish this on them. Imprisoned and drained by vampires while you are pregnant? Horrible. “Timothy is mantled Alpha blood. Why isn’t his blood enough? Why me?”

“Timothy’s damaged goods. Even among mantled Alphas, there are grades of power. His blood is better than Beta blood, but it’s not as good as yours. In wine terms, Timothy’s blood is Boone’s Farm in a box, while yours is Beringer Private Reserve. Both are red wines, but one is far superior.”

I couldn’t believe how they thought of blood as we thought of wine, but I understood what she was saying. “Why tell me this? You must be putting yourself in danger, going against your Coven leader and rival.”

“The only way for me to survive is to have the Council take out Alexander and Maximillian, without destroying me along the way. I can’t talk to the Supreme Vampire without Alexander sending me. Instead, I’m sending you.”

I just about choked on my dessert. “You think I’m going to walk in and demand an audience with the most powerful of your kind?”

“Exactly. You might want to bring Adrienne along, but that’s up to you.” She reached into her purse and removed a memory chip. “These are the recordings I made in Alexander’s office. It is proof of what he has done and what he plans.” Emily handed me a small card. “The first address is Maximillian’s hideout in South Boston. He’ll have the two hidden there. The second is the Supreme Vampire’s home in New Orleans.”

I thought about the risks to me. "I want something in return for the risks I'm taking, both in believing you, and going into that nest of vipers," I said.

"What do you want?"

"When Alexander is gone, I get half of the antiques and artwork in his office. I'm sure you'll be redecorating, and you won't miss the money. After all the time he's owned them, they will be untraceable." Alexander was a billionaire, after all, and she would inherit his kingdom.

"Agreed," Emily said as she stood up. “I have to catch my connecting flight. Put an end to this, Vicki.” She shook my hand, then tossed a twenty-dollar bill on the table and walked off.

I stared at the card. Making a decision, I picked up my phone and called Luna Adrienne. “I need you to fly to New Orleans on the next available flight,” I told her when she answered.

“New Orleans?”

“There’s a man we need to see. It’s an emergency.”

She didn’t say anything; she was probably linking to Leo. “Are you all right?”

“I will be after this. I’ll meet you at the airport, text me your flight information.”

“I’ll be there as soon as I can,” she said.

“I’ll fill you in during the drive.” I let her go, then wrote a note on a napkin and dropped it at Ben’s table. “Thank you for the drink, but I have a boyfriend,” I said as I walked off. I found a ticket agent and changed my flight to New Orleans.

That vampire was going to die, and I wanted to do it.