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I felt something akin to terror coming from one of Marco’s vampires, and I walked down the aisle. I couldn’t help myself. I stood in front of a woman who’d likely been sixteen when her creator gave her the precious kiss of death centuries earlier. Her terror grew, and I drank it in. I drank, and drank, and then drank some more. Fear, dread, horror. These are an elixir to me, and I drank and drank and drank. She tried to shrink away from me without standing, and I knew the instant she was going to run. I put a hand on her shoulder and froze the mortified vampire in place.
Other vampires in the room also called to me, and I looked around at them before I met Marco’s gaze.
“Did you know this one is an incubus?”
“Most of those I’ve turned are, my dear Etta. You know this.”
Our creator’s talents were unusual, and he often passed one or more down to his progeny. To me, he’d given the ability to eat fear. To Marco, he’d given the ability to eat lust. More than half of those Marco had brought over also fed on lust. His coterie was sometimes just one big orgy. I had no idea how he’d kept this a secret, but he had.
But this vampire was different. Her fear fed me, but her memories made me sick to my stomach.
I shook my head at Marco. “Non. This one drains humans, and she likes young boys. She doesn’t kill them; she drains them just to the point of...” I sighed. She was using modern technology and modern medicine to stay hidden. I sent Marco an image of what his vampire had been up to. Images of her at a middle school soccer game, at night under the lights, watching to see which boy was struck in the head, following him home, waiting until everyone in the house was asleep, and then feeding upon the boy until he only had a tiny spark of life left. She didn’t take his blood, she took his life force, dragging it out through sexual energy. The doctors would find nothing wrong with him except for whatever had been damaged during the game, and they would assume the concussion was a brain injury. I showed her watching basketball games, football games, rugby, and hockey, and then following the child or young teenager home who’d taken a hit to the head, going into the heads of the parents to keep them from locking the door, and then, later, entering the child’s bedroom as he dreamed — and then giving him sexual pleasure while she drank his bliss and then his release. She locked the door on her way in, and she usually left through a window, so there was no forced entry, and no curiosity of an unlocked door. Doctors don’t fully understand brain injuries, so in every case, the coma was blamed on the head injury sustained the day before.
Marco hadn’t known, and I sensed his disappointment along with his resolve.
“Etta has shown me Leesa’s thoughts and activities. She’s drank down dozens of young boys in the past year without alarming the human authorities, and I’m going to choose not to share how she managed this, but can all of you scent her fear? Do any of you doubt that she’s done something worth punishment?”
The room was thick with fear now, most every vampire present afraid for Leesa or themselves, and I soaked it in. I knew my eyes had gone completely black, but they’d glow with an eerie red light, soon enough. Glow with sheer power. Their fear caressed my skin, but I focused on the female vampire I was touching — and I drank her life force in, feeding my power, my soul, my magic, my very essence.
I drank her until she was so weak, it was safe to remove my hand from her because no way could she sit up, much less stand or run, and I looked to Marco. What happened next was his decision. Leesa was a dried-up husk, and every vampire in the room was now terrified of me, but it couldn’t be helped.
“I gift her to you, dear Etta.”
“Thank you for the lovely gift, my Master.”
I’d been created first — an anomaly in our old Master’s household, as few have my talents or abilities. I’d helped Marco survive during his first decades as a vampire, once he’d come out of the insanity. Later, I’d taught him how to hide his powers until he was strong enough to show them and properly use them. I’d taught him the art of survival.
And now he was trusting me to be his Secundo, when he knows exactly what and who I am. Behind closed doors, we’re friends — as close to siblings as two vampires can be. Around his vampires, I would call him Master. There were secrets I’d be forced to keep from him, but I hoped they weren’t going to come into play with us. So far, they weren’t secrets because the issue wasn’t on our radar.
I put my hand back on the vampire in front of me and decided she didn’t deserve a fast death. I drank her down until the spark that animated her flickered and sputtered, until her connection to Marco was broken, and then I put my life force back into her. Not too much, just enough to reanimate her. Enough she no longer looked like a mummy, but not enough she looked even close to healthy.
“Who is your master now, Leesa?”
Leesa’s eyes went to Marco, and I gave her a second to realize she was no longer bound to him. Leesa looked to me in terror and whispered, “No. It is not possible.”
I looked back to Marco and repeated, “Thank you for the lovely gift, Master.”
“You’re ever so welcome.” He looked around the room and touched the laptop before him. The screen behind him changed to a black background with bold white words. BETRAY ME AT YOUR PERIL. I WILL HAVE NO SYMPATHY FOR THOSE WHO CHOOSE TO BE DISLOYAL.
“Before Josef talks to you about the available positions in Chattanooga,” he said, changing the conversation and the screen behind him back to the original topic, “I’d like to talk about a few more changes you’ll see when we move. We’re going to focus on Chattanooga when we arrive. Most of the largest cities in our new territory have Masters who’ll be staying, and I don’t intend to make sweeping changes. If a city needs a new Master, I may allow one of you to take over, or I may promote the Secundo in that city.” He shrugged. “Or we could petition for a strong Master Vampire with experience who wishes to join my territory. The point is, I will need my people to hold Chattanooga so I can keep up with the other cities in our vast territory.” He looked to me, and then back to the room. “Those who’ve been with me more than a few centuries will remember Polly, who was nearly killed while fighting at my side during the American Civil War. She’s known as Moira now, and she’ll be working with Etta as liaison. She’ll focus more on the humans — the flock, as well as the girlfriends and boyfriends of my vampires. Etta will focus on shapeshifters and other supernaturals.”
I felt someone telepathically knock so all could hear it, and Marco turned and nodded to a dashing vampire in the third row, who said, “Rumor has it that Bran lives in Chattanooga.”
“He does. He had no desire to move to Alaska. He’ll stay as long as he can, and then I believe he’s moving to Scotland or Austria. He’s keeping his options open.”
It took five hours for everyone to be given a job. Josef described the establishments and the managers needed for each. One of the bars hosted a drag show every weekend and pulled talent in from all over the country, so a manager was needed for the bar, and another manager was needed for the show. Norris would not be performing in this new city with few professional entertainer options, so he’d manage the talent. He owned an off-Broadway theater in New York, which allowed him to dance and perform without worry of a boss requiring an early morning rehearsal. This would not be an option for him in Chattanooga.
There also would not be a market for high-end escorts who could pull in ten grand a night. New York’s bounties had spoiled Marco and his people, but it was time for them to move back into the shadows a little. Since the bikers owned what was locally called the whore hotel, Josef suggested we establish trust with them and eventually work towards going into business with them to expand this operation, rather than open our own in competition, should we wish to go this route.
Abbott owned bars and restaurants. His businesses were completely legal. Well, mostly legal. Did we want to keep to that, or add our own not-at-all legal specialties? Marco was going to wait to make those decisions.
Marco had turned an uber-hacker years earlier, but the new vampire didn’t have enough control for the meeting. We all knew his job title, though. Head Geek. Marco was also in talks to bring a hacker baby-vampire in from Australia, but she’d be working for a security company, and housed by them as well, though we’d still have access to her skills, should we need them. Every criminal enterprise needs good hackers, so we’d be set, if we chose to go those routes in our new territory.
I wouldn’t be night manager at The Billiard Club, thank goodness. Also, despite the fact I was getting Abbott’s old office and bedroom suite, Marco wanted me to find my repose in the coterie house more often than not.
I gave a small telepathic knock, asking to speak, and Marco nodded to me.
“Leesa wasn’t the only vampire who broadcast fear when you mentioned the slayer named Ryan. I’ve heard of him, but I wasn’t aware he was given a territory. Can we discuss why he might be a problem, Master?”
