Gamble
GAMBLE
Celine
“Blackjack!” shouts the woman in a well-tailored pantsuit, throwing her arms in the air. The dealer flashes her a charming smile and pushes the large pot toward her, increasing her earnings for the night at least threefold. “I’m on a lucky streak tonight!”
“ Very good . You’ve got excellent instincts, Madame Mayor,” I tell her with a nod of my head. I make a gesture to a nearby server, who quickly brings over another glass of Bordeaux to replace her almost-empty one. All complimentary, of course. “You always know when a risk is going to pay off.”
“You’d know a thing or two about that,” she says slyly, holding up her glass to me before taking a sip. “Mmm, how do you always know my favourites?”
“Only the best for you,” I reply. “If you need anything else, please don’t hesitate to call for me.”
“I may take you up on that,” she says with a wink.
I rise from my seat, taking in the casino floor with my heightened senses. It’s one floor higher than the club, but even more secretive. The word “GAMBLE” is splashed across the back wall in neon lights. The lights are a bit brighter than the club, but still dim enough that our guests forget what time it is. They spend hours here, spending their hard-earned money on a chance to make it big.
As I turn past the blackjack dealer, I whisper in his ear. “Make sure she keeps winning. ”
What can I say? We’ve got to keep our customers happy, especially the politicians who turn a blind eye to the illegal casino and speakeasy we’ve operated for decades. It’s in our family’s best interest to keep our operations underground, but this requires discretion. Since the election of the new mayor, I’ve been focused on ensuring that we bring her into the fold, and we keep her happy. A mafia boss’s work is never done.
And it’s likely to get more busy now that Tudor’s off to Elmwood Integrated Magic Academy, teaching Introduction to Blood-Sucking, or whatever ridiculous class he’s been assigned. Although a secret part of me is glad that he’s somewhere else. He was not happy when he found out that Renata and I had staked two more of the Lazarus gang’s vampires. At least they weren’t his direct progeny this time. But ultimately Tudor understood that we were protecting Hallie. Newborn vampires are very vulnerable. Vampires don’t like other vampires creating too many progeny, because it reduces the number of live humans there are for the rest of us to drink from. And since vampires can continue to exist indefinitely, it’s inevitable that we’ll all be staked eventually, usually by another vampire. So getting them out of the way quickly when they’re young is just a good strategy. In many ways, I’m also glad that Tudor is taking Hallie with him. He’ll keep an eye on her, and so will Amrita Vyas, the infamous vampire-witch and principal of Elmwood Academy.
I have no idea why Amrita is starting up the magic school again. It’s only going to worsen the tension between the magical clans. And now that it’s clear that the Hecate witches are suspicious of us, Tudor has been on high alert. There’s no way this is going to end well.
I’ve seen this cycle so many times. Witches and vampires get along for a while, then one gets suspicious of the other, then they launch a preemptive strike, then it blows up into an all-out war, then we lose so many that we’re forced into peace talks, then there’s a tentative peace, then the cycle starts all over again.
It’s exhausting. As though I don’t have enough on my plate.
I catch a glint of a gold hoop earring out of the corner of my eye, and I eagerly look toward the bar.
But it’s not her. She must be working down at the Succumb club.
I’m surprised at my disappointment. Usually I keep my escapades to one-night stands. No names, no attachments. It’s easier for everyone that way. But the bartender has popped up in my thoughts from time to time since our first night together. Perhaps it’s because she didn’t want me to drink from her. Maybe it’s just my vampire instincts, a vestigial hunger. Bloodlust.
I’m considering going down to the club, when I spot Renata coming out of an elevator. She approaches me with the ferocity of a football coach disputing an umpire’s call.
“Celine! My god, do you ever leave this casino?”
“Nice to see you too, Renata.”
“I don’t have time for formalities, C. Xia just told me that she had to kick out three breathers from the club tonight because they were snorting glow…”
“They were what ?”
She shakes her head, the severe ends of her blunt haircut bobbing impatiently. “ Glow , Celine. It’s a nightclub drug, the newest variant we’ve seen.”
“What’s the big deal?” I shrug. “They come and go all the time, you know how breathers are, always looking for their next fix.”
“This is different. The effects of glow make breathers extremely susceptible to being taken advantage of by vampires. The rate of non-consensual drinking has gone up at the same rate we’re seeing the drug dispensed. And it’s everywhere . We can’t seem to control its use. It’s cheap and easy to get. I’ve been hearing about other cases of vampires draining breathers because they can’t be stopped. Luckily it hasn’t happened as much at Succumb, but it’s not good for business. We’ve already noticed our numbers going down.”
I furrow my brow in concern. “Where it is coming from?”
She sighs. “Well…we managed to track down one of the dealers, outside the hotel. It wasn’t hard to get them to reveal their source. It actually seemed like they wanted to tell us.”
“Who is it?” I have a sinking feeling I already know.
“It’s…Cedric.”
“That bastard ,” I hiss. “I knew he would do something like this!”
“Celine, don’t get yourself worked up!”
“How can you say that? He’s obviously trying to bait us, Ren! To throw it in our faces!”
She narrows her brown eyes. “He’s trying to rile you up, just like you’re getting riled up now!”
I huff back at her, but I have no defense. I am fuming right now.
“Listen to me,” says Renata, taking me by the shoulders. I glare at her but don’t stop her. If anyone else was trying to talk to me like this, they would find a dagger in their heart. “I understand how you’re feeling, and I’m upset too! We’re all upset. But you’ve got to get over it. Cedric has made his bed, and he’s going to lie in it. The longer you two are feuding, the more damage it does to everyone else…”
“ He started it, not me!”
“And you’ve got to be the bigger one and not let him get to you like this,” she says firmly. She squeezes my shoulder tightly before letting them go.
As much as I resent her right now, I’m lucky to have my sister. Nobody else knows me like this.
Well, nobody other than…
“Can’t I just stake him a little bit?” I ask her cheekily.
“No, Celine, stay out of it!” she says, tossing her hair back haughtily and checking her smartwatch. “The longer you bait him, the more he’s going to do things like this. Just leave it alone.”
“ Fine ,” I groan. “Just for you.”
“Good! Now, I’ve got real work to attend to.”
She spins on her heel and clicks back over to the elevators. Probably going to yell at some poor night manager about bleaching bedsheets or something.
I do appreciate her concern. But that doesn’t mean I have any intention of letting things go with Cedric. If she thinks I’m not going to strike back at him, she clearly doesn’t know me at all.
And now Tudor is going to be away…it’s perfect timing.
But that restless feeling is coming back.
I need a drink first.
The bar is full of dancing, partying breathers. But I can smell her immediately.
It’s strange, since I haven’t drank from her. There’s something about her blood that’s unique. Like an elegant signature, punctuating the thick club air.
I find the bar quickly. The crowd parts for me as they always do .
She shines, a glittering jewel in a chest of gold. She stopped wearing her uniform shirt several weeks ago. Tonight, it’s been replaced by a tank top that shows off her arms and chest. She wears a gold bracelet around her bicep, its curved edges tight against her skin. Her box braids are piled high up on her head, wrapped in a yellow silk scarf.
In the sacred moment before she spots me, I watch her unselfconscious, graceful movements. She takes a glass from a low shelf and polishes it, the hint of a satisfied smile on her lips. Her eyelids flutter in the dark as she inspects the glass for spots. She has lovely, curled eyelashes. With my night vision, I could easily count them.
“Oh!” she says. Her eyes widen when she sees me, her heartbeat picking up noticeably. I can almost hear the whoosh of blood pumping through her veins. But she doesn’t seem put off. She puts down the glass and rag and comes a little closer to the edge of the bar, as though approaching a lion’s cage at a zoo. Fascinated, but fully aware of the danger and power of the creature before her.
“ Bonsoir .”
“Hello,” she replies. “Can I get you a bloodwine?”
I smirk. “I have other ways of sustaining myself.”
She swallows. There’s a subtle twitch of her lip. “I’m sure you do.”
I wonder what she’s thinking. There’s something unusual about her. I’m used to breathers being wary but intrigued by me. But there’s something else. She looks at me as though she knows everything about me. She’s careful around me, but she looks at me as though we’re equals in power and strength.
Which is obviously impossible.
“Rum and coke, please!” shrieks a voice from the other end of the bar. I turn and glare at the customer who dared to interrupt our exchange. He jumps at my icy stare and quickly scrambles away from the bar. “Um, never mind! Sorry!”
The bartender looks at me with a raised eyebrow and a grin. “Not very good for business to scare all your customers away.”
“We’ve got plenty,” I wave my hand. “I’d rather speak with you uninterrupted.”
She bites her lip, but the expression of pleasure on her face gives her away .
I lean forward slightly over the bar. “Will you join me for the night?”
Her heart skips a beat. She glances over at the waiting customers. “I’ve got to finish my shift.”
“I can arrange another bartender to step in for you.”
“Listen…” she leans a little closer to me. The sweet smell of her blood fills my nostrils and lights a warm fire inside me. “I really liked our night together, but…I can’t date a vampire. I just can’t.”
“I’m not asking for a date,” I raise an eyebrow. “Just a night.”
She shakes her head, not meeting my eye. “I’m sorry, I’m not interested.”
Her words have a surprising sting. I’m not used to this type of rejection. But I respect it.
“I understand.”
She smiles tightly and turns away. I rise and merge in with the crowd.
Instantly, I hear the rush of heartbeats and the pull of dozens of eyes on me.
I could have any breather I wanted. Certainly any breather in this club.
So why am I feeling so…disappointed? The night I had with the bartender was wonderful, but I’ve had many wonderful nights. She doesn’t want me to bite her. She probably hates vampires.
I need to let it go.
Maybe that’s the theme of the night.
Unfortunately, I’m not good at letting things go.