The First Vampire Part 22

Looking away, she scooted up onto one of the chairs at the kitchen counter and shifted her attention to her dinner. At least he'd brought her a soda.

"So what have you found out?" Luc said after two more tremendous bites.

Ariana swallowed a French fry. "Quite a bit, actually," she said. "Looks like there's a particular vampire James was focused on. Does the name Keller mean anything to you?"

Luc nodded. "Yeah, he's a prick," he said, his mouth once more full of hamburger. "Thinks he's some kind of mystic. He took one look at me the day I showed up at Council House and started yammering on about the end of time."

"What?" Ariana halted her hamburger halfway to her mouth.

"You know," Luc said, looking up at her, "frogs, locusts, the four horsemen. I'm telling you, he's off his rocker. And his little tent revival didn't help my social standing any." Luc turned his attention back to his burger. "Nothing like being a sign of the apocalypse to put a damper on your social life," he muttered.

Ariana didn't really care about Luc's social life. "And you don't know why James was looking into him?" she asked.

"I didn't even know James was looking into him," Luc said.

"Well, I think I might." Ariana took her Coke over to the computer and resumed the same pose she'd held for the last few hours.

She clicked open the file and hit print. "This list of passwords that we found came from Keller's computer. It looks like James found a way to hack into the account management functions of the Council's network. The accounts of many of the missing had been accessed by the same user-Keller." She looked up to make sure Luc was following. "James got Keller's password, and when he accessed Keller's account, he found this file and downloaded it to here."

Ariana grabbed the pages from the printer and turned to face Luc. "I think this is a hit list, and this Keller person is behind it somehow," she said.

Luc took the pages from her hand.

"Look at the last page," Ariana instructed.

Luc flipped back and Ariana saw the surprise she'd expected. "What does this mean?" he asked. "Why am I on this list?"

Ariana shook her head. "I don't know. Maybe someone intended to get you, but grabbed James by mistake?"

Luc thought it over. "Maybe," he said, "but Keller knows us. If you're right, then he's not doing the actual taking, which means someone else is involved."

Ariana looked at him. "I think I've done all I can here. Can you talk to this Keller person? It seems like he may have answers to a lot of our questions, including what's happened to James."

"My thoughts exactly," Luc replied, already heading for the door.

CHAPTER 50.

Luc parked his bike around the corner from Council House and was standing on the sidewalk contemplating his next move when a black sedan pulled past him and slowed to a stop.

When Ash Samson stepped out of the car, Luc felt his jaw drop. He put up his hands, and began moving in the other direction. "I... I didn't hurt her," he stammered.

Ash advanced slowly toward him, the light breeze fanning his dark gray overcoat and making him look for once like the powerful vampire he was. Luc retreated another step.

"I'm glad to see you, Lucas," Ash responded. "This will save me an unpleasant confrontation with Toria-for the time being." He took another step. "Now, tell me where Ariana is and what you are doing here."

Luc's brow furrowed. "Ariana's at my apartment, safe and sound." He tried a tentative smile. "Like I said, I didn't hurt her."

Ash's eyes narrowed. "Your apartment? You've been keeping her prisoner in your apartment?"

"Umm, no, not exactly." Luc hesitated, searching for the kernel of truth that would save his skin. "Once I figured out who she was and she figured out that I knew James, we decided to work together to figure out what had happened to him. That's the reason I'm here. Ariana came up with a lead."

"Lead? What are you talking about?" Ash demanded. "What's happened to James?" He took a half step forward then froze. "Wait," he said. Luc saw his face fall. "Ariana knows about James?"

Luc nodded. "I'm not sure how she found out, but, yeah, she knows you turned him into a vampire, and now he's missing."

"Shit," Ash exclaimed, glaring. Luc thought he wanted to say more, but held back. Instead he ran a hand through his hair and turned to look up at the dark mansion rising behind the stone wall next to which they stood. "Well, maybe Keller will be able to shed some light on that, too," he said finally. He turned and started toward the mansion.

"You're here to see Keller?" Luc called out. "Wait," he said, running to catch up, "so am I."

Ash turned back to him. "Why?"

"James found some stuff on Keller's computer-passwords, addresses-that belonged to a lot of the ones who've gone missing."

"I... really?" Ash asked, his brow furrowing noticeably. "And now James has disappeared, too?"

"Yeah," Luc said. "He was on his way to tell Toria, but never showed."

Ash frowned again, and Luc held his breath.

"Come on, then," Ash said.

Luc felt relief wash over him as he fell in step.

The Council House mansion was set back from the street, its ornate barriers enough to deter the idly curious. Ordinarily, the place was quiet, but tonight it was ablaze with light.

"It's First Feast Day," Ash said as they approached.

Luc looked at him questioningly.

"You know, vampire Thanksgiving."

"The Donner Party?" Luc had been told of it shortly after his arrival at Council House. Even then, the anticipation had begun among the residents. Luc's eyes widened at the prospect of seeing it firsthand.

Ash's mouth twisted in disgust. "Is that what they're calling it now?" He looked sternly at Luc. "We are here for one reason. If you go off feeding, I won't be responsible for you."

Both Luc's pale brows shot up. "What the hell makes you think I need you to be responsible for me?"

Ash walked faster. "I don't know why I'm even letting you come along," he said. "Don't get in the way."

"Right," Luc said, his drawl dragging the one syllable word out into three. "You know," he called out, "you may think I'm not as good as you, but your precious Delilah seemed to like my warm body just fine."

Ash spun around. "What?" His hand wrapped around Luc's throat, lifting him off the ground. "Don't you even think of it, you-"

Luc couldn't seem to stop himself. "I don't have to think of it," he squeaked out. "I just have to remember it."

To Luc's surprise, Ash's fury faltered.

"It's not possible," he declared.

Luc raised one eyebrow at him. "Anything's possible, old man. Care for a few pointers?"

"But how?" Ash's other hand clenched into a fist at his side.

"Turn me loose," Luc demanded.

Ash took a step back and reluctantly let go of Luc's throat.

Luc swallowed and moved his jaw from side to side to get the feeling back. Once he did, he looked back up at Ash and took pity on his confusion. "Think about it, man," he said. "What kind of woman arouses real lust instead of bloodlust in vampires? You must have felt it yourself at some point. Or are you too old even for that?"

Comprehension dawned in Ash's eyes. "Ariana is a breeder?" he asked, seeming to test the words.

"That's right," Luc confirmed.

"And you and she...?"

Luc couldn't stop a huge, stupid grin. "Oh, yeah," he said.

Ash turned and resumed his march toward the door.

"That's it?" Luc queried.

"It changes nothing," Ash responded, his face a grim mask. "Come on," he intoned. "We have to finish our business here before sunrise."

Luc debated going for another dig, but the fun seemed to have gone out of it. "So, do you have a plan," he asked, changing the subject, "or are we just going to walk in the front door?"

"Yes," Ash answered.

"Yes?" Luc echoed. "Yes, what?"

Ash turned through the large pair of stone pillars and began striding across the courtyard. Crested double oak doors appeared up ahead.

"Front door it is," Luc said to no one in particular as he fell in step behind Ash. "I'm not sure that's the best..." He stopped talking because Ash was already opening one of the heavy doors.

Luc came to stand behind him and peered over his shoulder. The place was about as he remembered, except tonight it was lit completely by candles.

Lining the floor on each side of the marble foyer, they guided entrants deeper into the mansion toward the evening's promised delights. Gilded mirrors at the end of the passage reflected the light, making the room seem bigger than Luc remembered. A row of Corinthian columns adorned each wall, and between each of those, a young woman, each more beautiful than the last, hung mounted on a rack.

Six on each side, the racks were alternately gold or silver. At the top of each, two spikes poked through the wrists of the victim to hold her in place. The rest of the rack was adjusted so the girl could reach the footrest or a little seat. They weren't supposed to exert themselves. These beauties had been the first course, and all of them now hovered near death.

Ash ignored them, making for the end of the hall. Luc stayed just a step behind. Their scent affected him, made him want to feed properly, with abandon.

"Don't even think about it," Ash growled.

"What's the difference?" Luc asked. "It's not like they're going to get better and walk out of here." He kept walking anyway.

The entryway opened onto a larger room. Here some vampires still lingered. The young men always lasted longer.

A few young vampires were clamped onto one particularly hardy fellow in the corner. One sucked from his wrist, one from his neck and a third from the large vein in his inner thigh. He couldn't have much blood left. Still, his eyes implored Luc and Ash for help.

They kept walking, crossing the room and rounding a corner into a long hallway. Luc knew the sets of double doors along the opposite wall all led into the main dining room.

In there, the residents of Council House and all the vampires who were anybody would be gathered at long tables in front of the finest silver and china, all quite civilized. Then a selection of bloody delicacies would issue forth.

The main course was the same every year. A scouting party would have gone out a few nights ago to find several dozen diabetic humans. A cell on one of the floors below the house held them until tonight, when the designated preparer drained them of their already sweet blood and mixed it with wine, warm honey, and fragrant or narcotic herbs.

Luc could hear the metallic scrape of flatware on china. That explained why the halls were empty. The feast had already begun.

He wondered if Keller was in there, but considered it doubtful. Resisting the sultry, metallic scent would provide him a rare opportunity for self denial.

Ash continued down the hall toward the elevator bay, and Luc followed in his steps.

A tiny bell sounded as the elevator car arrived. Luc and Ash both stepped inside.

CHAPTER 51.

It was almost time for the main course. The residents of Council House and a few esteemed guests sat and stood in various states of readiness around long tables.

Each vampire in attendance was clothed in rich, shimmering finery. Some opted for modern dress. Others wore the formal attire of their most beloved era. Toria stood alone, leaning against the wall and watching as the guests engaged each other in more or less interested conversation.

To the average eye, it might have appeared as any formal dinner party, but to Toria's other senses, it was a barely caged bacchanal. In each of them, underneath their pretty faces and polite facades, beat a drumbeat of bloodlust that grew steadier, louder, and faster with each passing moment.

There was a noticeable lull in the symphony of voices as the room's thirteen glass chandeliers began to move into place. Six hung above each long row of tables, with one in the center for the Elders' table. Like glass spiders, the chandeliers silently lowered themselves until they were about six feet off the ground.

Each fixture was a delicate marriage of long, curving glass tubes, dangling crystal ornaments and real candles. The crystals were just for decoration. The glass tubes and candles had real purpose.

The spiced blood that was to be the main course was poured into a heated vat in the upstairs prep room, and from there began an inexorable course down into the chandeliers, slowly filling each tube as it coursed toward their outer openings. The addition of the honey to the blood slowed its course, so you could watch its progress with perfect anticipation, and the lit candles heated it from beneath just before it made the final plunge into waiting glasses or open mouths.

Toria wanted to take her place at the center table with the other Elders. She wanted to forget all about Ash, but a black purpose had taken root in her. His love she could do without; she'd done without it for a thousand years. His trust, in spite of all their differences, she'd always had. Until now. Until her. Somehow Delilah had managed to undo in a matter of days the relationship she'd built with Ash over millennia.

She looked once more at the glimmering feast, and then backed out through the dining room doors and into the hall. Giving herself a shake, she took the main staircase up to her own room where she discarded her serpentine silver gown.

Black designer jeans, boots, a silver tank top, and a vintage black leather biker's jacket would be more fitting for the night she had planned. She caressed the smooth leather of her favorite jacket, loving its heavy feel against her skin. She didn't need it, of course. She had her rage to keep her warm.

Her reflection looked back at her from a long mirror. What did Ash see in that woman? The thought made her clench her hands into fists against the old leather. Knowing Ash loved something in that woman made the darkness inside her unfurl its wings.

She would see what it was, she thought, the thing that Ash loved. If it was inside that human woman, she would find it, she would touch it, and she would kill it.

Chapter end