Chapter 52
CHAPTER 52
Though Roger hated to leave, he managed to slip out of the Chateau a little ahead of his schedule. Seeing Zack and Takashi continued to grant Roger a sense of peace, even as he had to drive away from them. By the end of the night, he would have them back in his life for good.
But first, he had to make certain there were no traitors in his midst.
Rather than following his plan, he made a quick detour. Josefina was leading her own team, and their initial gathering place was in the parking lot of a mega-chain store.
Roger parked beside her car, hopped out of his, and got into hers.
“What are you doing here?” Josefina asked. “Did something go wrong at the Chateau?”
“Things went as well as they could,” Roger replied. “Maybe better than you were hoping.”
“I don’t?—”
“I know Nell wants Zack dead,” Roger interrupted.
Josefina went silent.
“You knew,” Roger said.
“Of course I knew.” Josefina slumped in her seat. “She and I have been fighting about it all week.”
That was promising, for Roger at least. But he didn’t want to gloat or delight in her problems. Josefina was an old friend. She might value her loyalty to her friends over the love of her immortal life, and doing so was a sacrifice that Roger had to honor.
“She ordered you to kill him?” Roger asked.
“Yes. I told her she’s making a mistake, but she doesn’t seem to care.”
“Takashi thinks that she wants to kill him for revenge in addition to tactics. Seems Zack upset her scheme.”
Josefina frowned. “What scheme?”
“The one where I come back to the GLC and cause a civil war that destroys the coven.”
“No, you were supposed to become the master, and then we wouldn’t have to worry about Seamus’s expansions anymore.”
“Then why was she pushing a faster timetable on me? Why did she ask Takashi to come along?”
“She released Takashi from her coven,” Josefina pointed out.
“And if the GLC splits into pieces or falls apart entirely, she could adopt him right back,” Roger countered. “You were in charge of her security. Didn’t you ever wonder about the vampire sleeping in a coffin in a basement in the heart of your love’s territory?”
“I …” Josefina straightened in her seat, and her frown turned into a deeper scowl. “I did bring it up. A few times. She always told me not to worry. And so I didn’t. She … God, Roger, do you think she was messing with my desires? Making me want to accept her answers?”
Roger took Josefina’s hand in his own. “I hope that she didn’t, but I don’t know the answer.”
After a second, Josefina squeezed Roger’s hand. “My problem for another night. Know that Zack has nothing to worry about from me. I care about him. I’m actually looking forward to him being an annoying little know-it-all for centuries to come.”
Roger leaned forward, and Josefina met him, resting her forehead against his. He didn’t have to probe her emotions to feel the sincerity in her words. “Thank you.”
“How were they?”
“Distraught, but nothing time and love can’t mend,” Roger replied. “I was able to warn Takashi, but Zack says that he can speak telepathically to Seamus, that Seamus reads his mind when he doesn’t mean for him to. Have you heard of that?”
“I haven’t,” Josefina said. “I know you want to liberate him tonight, but if he is that bound to Seamus?—”
“We will find a solution. I will not leave him again.”
“I like this confident side of you. Optimism is a far better color than despair.”
“Don’t count despair out yet. We have to make it through the night.” Roger backed away, putting his hand on the door handle. “See you on the other side.”
“You better be there,” Josefina replied.
Roger managed a smile for her and a nod. Then he got back in his car and headed for his meeting place.
The crowd politely clapped as Katie pulled away from her victim. The mortal boy she’d fed from wavered where he stood, but he’d live. Katie curtsied like she was taking the final bow of a theater production.
Since leaving the bathroom, Zack had an urge to vomit. His hunger warred with his nausea, only intensifying the crawling in his stomach. But he had to eat. Everyone was expecting him to before they could claim their blood for the night, and Seamus clearly wasn’t going to permit disappointment.
After Katie was done accepting her congratulations, Zack took her place in the middle of the room. Dryden, one of Candide’s pets, led a line of five mortals to stand before Zack. They wore only underwear, but they weren’t terrified of him like all the mortals Seamus had dragged in front of him. These humans—Zack could tell from their scents there wasn’t a shifter among them—all radiated lust at looking him over. They were giddy about the possibility of being chosen.
They had no idea he was going to kill one of them. That he couldn’t control himself. That he was a monster.
You’re not being fair to yourself , his rational voice declared. With a furtive glance, he checked to see if Seamus was clued in to his inner dialogue. No words came, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t hear him.
Choosing no one wasn’t an option, so Zack started to read each of the mortals as closely as he could. Maybe he could figure out which one was the worst human among the group, and that way, he wouldn’t have to feel guilty about not being able to control himself.
Or maybe the reason you can’t stop killing them is because you can’t let go of the fear that your loved ones will despise you , his rational voice continued.
The letter in his pocket said his real father didn’t hate him at all. Thomas was begging for forgiveness, not demanding it of Zack. He knew he was a vampire, and the only thing he was worried about was Zack giving up his humanity.
Becoming a monster was a choice.
And no matter what Seamus did, he couldn’t force Zack to be like him.
Instead of picking the human who seemed like the worst person, Zack scanned their desires until he found the one most excited about getting bitten. When he held his hand out to the young man, the guy gleefully put his hand in Zack’s.
“This might hurt. I’m still new at this,” Zack told the young man, not giving a shit about the audience around them. “I can try to raise your desire, but I might overdo it.”
“I’m game for anything, master,” the guy said with a wink.
“All right.” Zack put his hand on the guy’s cheek and let out his breath. The man was an open book, the words written in big letters. Zack trailed his awareness across them until he found his lust. The guy was really wishing to get fucked, to be overpowered and pleasured. Instead of plunging into that want, Zack pictured that he was pouring paint into the crevices, to fill every aspect of the word.
The young man gasped, and his heart picked up speed.
Zack took a moment to study where his pulse was fiercest so he didn’t rip open a vital artery. Then he pulled him in and bit his neck.
Every feeding on mortal blood before had been like drinking pure water on a parched throat. It worked. It sated his hunger long enough to forget about it for a while.
The first drops of this young man’s blood were sweet as sugar. Zack swallowed, and the hollow place in his stomach quieted. With a groan, he drank another mouthful, and another. There was no elixir like it. Nothing compared to the satisfying warmth—except being in bed, safe with his lovers.
The sweetness became overbearing as the thirst in his throat and the pit in his stomach eased to a muffled whisper. Zack tried to pull away from the young man, but the guy held him tightly. That was when Zack noticed the guy was grinding against his leg, panting and moaning.
Before Zack could do more than blink at what was happening, the guy let out a long sigh of relief, and a wetness darkened his underwear. The smell of spunk was thick. The guy shot Zack a lazy smile; the bliss from coming was heavy in his gaze. He slurred, “Sorry, master. Too good to stop.”
Applause burst out in the room while Zack struggled to keep his panic under control. He’d just made a guy come in a crowded room. He … well, he hadn’t really done anything sexual. I wasn’t the one moaning. He was . And people weren’t being rude with their praise. The applause for Katie had sounded polite. The one for him sounded genuine. Felt real.
Zack backed away from the young man and glanced off to the side, not sure what to do with a living donor. Thankfully, Dryden stepped forward and escorted the guy out of the room. Still stunned, Zack managed a tight smile and a bow to the other vampires.
As he stepped out from the center of the room, Candide walked into the focal point. She started talking about how pleased she was that the two young vampires were so promising. She was doing some kind of speech to introduce Seamus.
Zack made a beeline for Takashi, who was practically hiding in a corner. “I did it. I fucking did it.”
“You did,” Takashi said with a smile. “You still have a little of him on your mouth.”
“Want to lick it off?”
“You are in a good mood.”
The carefulness in Takashi’s tone reminded Zack of all the reasons he shouldn’t be. Seamus’s threat hung in his mind. Telling Takashi to run wouldn’t work if Katie remained in the mansion. She’d be able to lead Anton or Seamus right to him. And Zack wouldn’t be able to stop them.
There was nothing he could do except stay in this moment. The monsters couldn’t win if he found even a second of happiness. They couldn’t taint his love.
“I don’t have to be a killer,” Zack whispered to Takashi while Seamus droned on. “I did mean it. Do you want a taste?”
Takashi kissed him. Their kiss lengthened, and for once, Zack didn’t give a damn if anyone saw them. He was a hot vampire kissing his sexy boyfriend. Anyone who thought otherwise didn’t fucking matter.
“No wonder that boy came,” Takashi said with a gentle chuckle. “You’re basically glowing.”
“The glowing happened after. Shit, you don’t mind that I made that guy come, do you?”
“Sex and our bite can go hand in hand. I don’t care. Roger won’t either. After all, we did have our fun with Carver.”
Carver. The memory of seeing him at the open door, throat torn out, and the fight that had claimed Zack’s life flooded through Zack. He held on to Takashi. Something just as terrible was on the way after the party.
Zack couldn’t say nothing. But maybe if he felt his fears hard enough, Takashi would understand him.
Takashi murmured, “You don’t need worry so much.”
“You don’t know what I know.”
“I know something you don’t as well,” Takashi whispered. He squeezed Zack’s shoulders. “Everything is going to be okay in the end.”
Thomas’s letter had been filled with signals that he was prepping for something dangerous. Now Takashi was saying everything would be fine. Whatever the plan was, it was going off tonight. He could imagine—no. He had to trust Roger and Takashi. The best way for Zack to help them was to mentally sing annoying songs to keep himself from thinking something that would put them in danger.
Let’s see how many times I can sing “Row, Row, Row Your Boat” in a row .