Last Vampire Standing (32 page)

Phil’s eyes bulged. “You want us to keep him?”

I shrugged. “It’s better for someone to have an eye on him than for him to go completely renegade.”

Reggie and Phil exchanged a look. “You have a point, but Gorman is stuck on half-cocked. We don’t want to be blamed if he attacks you again.”

“What if,” Saber said, “you demand that he surrender his weapons, and tell him he’s not allowed to restock until you tell him to?”

“Knowing Gorman, he’ll start screaming about his Second Amendment rights.”

Saber shrugged. “Tell him it’s that, or he’s out of the club, and that you’ll inform me that he is conspiring to commit murder.”

Reggie gulped. “You’d trump up charges against him?”

“I’ll do what I have to do to keep Cesca safe.”

Reggie jerked a nod. “All right, but let me ask you something. Gorman is riled up about this Jo-Jo fellow coming back to town, and about rumors that a whole lot of vampires are moving here. How much of that is true?”

I couldn’t help rolling my eyes. “Jo-Jo,” I said firmly, “is doing a benefit here Saturday night and leaving again on Sunday. As for the other, there are no masses of vampires moving to St. Augustine that I know of.”

“And if more vamps were to move here,” Saber said, “they have the right to live where they want so long as they comply with VPA regulations and obey the same laws all of us do.”

Reggie and Phil reluctantly agreed, then turned their attention back to me.

“You really have no intention of setting up a nest?” Reggie asked.

“Mr. Princeton, even if I wanted to, which I don’t, my cottage isn’t big enough to house a vampire nest.”

Phil hooked a thumb over his shoulder. “What about the big house?”

“That’s Maggie’s home, not mine.”

“It seems Gorman has misinformed us about a lot of things, Ms. Marinelli.”

“Will you keep him in the fold?”

Reggie cracked a wry smile. “As long as you remember this was your idea.”

“Or until we get fed up enough to knock him off ourselves,” Phil added.

Reggie and Phil said cordial farewells and had just closed the gate when Hugh Lister stormed through the jasmine hedge. I braced myself for his onslaught.

“What did those two Covenant men want?” Hugh demanded.

I blinked. “You know them?”

“Know of them. Did they threaten you?”

“Uh, no.”

“Good.”

“Good? I thought you hated us.”

“I hate your loud parties and your late night shenanigans, and I don’t trust you one little bit, missy.”

“But?” Saber asked.

“I’ll be goddamned if some two-bit hate group gets away with scaring you off.”

Mouth open, I watched Hugh slam back into his house before I looked at Saber.

“Bless his holy name.”

TWENTY-ONE

028

Friday night’s tour went off without a hitch, other than that I again spent as much time signing autographs as I did telling ghost stories.

Kevin, Caro, and Leah showed up and made three more than we were supposed to have, but I didn’t complain. I introduced them to Mick and Janie, and Kevin showed off some of the video he’d shot during the tour. This time, he’d caught a few white shadows hovering around me and other members of the group, but nary a hint of a black shadow. Saber teased me about Kevin as we walked home hand in hand.

“I think you’re starting to take the wounded under your wing like Neil says Maggie does.”

“Kevin’s a little weird, but he’s not wounded.”

“And Jo-Jo was wounded and a lot weird, but he grew on you.” Saber grinned. “And then there’s Snowball.”

“Oh, no, bud. I’m not taking the fall for Snowball. I felt sorry for her, but you’re the one who named her.”

“Okay, you’ve got me there.”

I grinned. “I’ve had you a lot of places.”

“Yeah, you have,” he said, drawling out his words. “Want to go for a new one?”

Saber
said
he had to check on Neil’s place, but what he
did
was seduce me into Neil’s solar hot tub for a romp. Even with his arm still in the cast, the hot tub was another reason to love Saber’s soon to be new house. Later, while Saber slept back at my place, I killed time before picking Jo-Jo up at the regional airport by first working on my design classes, then playing with Snowball. She spooked me a few times when she stopped batting a toy to stare at the door, arch her back, and hiss, but I sent out feelers and didn’t sense anyone there.

Except for the third time when I heard Pandora chuff on the patio. If Snowball had been a dog, she’d have gone on point. I scooped her in my arms and cracked the door. Pandora in her full panther size sat smack on the threshold.

“Where have you been?” I spoke softly enough not to disturb Saber. “I thought you were supposed to stay nearby.”

Old Wizard had need of me, but you have been safe.

“Old Wizard?” Then I remembered. “Oh, the guy who’s at the big meeting. The guy you, um, live with. Right.”

The time of the first resolution is near. Be prepared to claim your power, Princess Vampire.
Pandora rose and turned.

“Come on, Pandora, give me a straight answer. What the hell is the first resolution?”

I will be there when you need me.

She padded toward the gate.

“When I need you for what?”

Silence.

“Pandora, it really ticks me off when you do this.”

More silence. Snowball relaxed and batted the feather toy I forgot I held.

At three forty-five by the light of the full moon, I drove to the airport. Jo-Jo bounded into the all but deserted terminal toting a fancy piece of carry-on luggage.

“Highness! Good to see you!” he gushed, then gave me air kisses.

Air kisses? This from the vamp who’d been prostrate at my feet two weeks ago?

Jo-Jo dropped more surprises on me en route to his hotel.

“Vince is negotiating a deal to star me in a remake of
The Court Jester
. You know, that movie? The original starred Danny Kaye. Anyway, the shooting schedule could be tricky, what with me only up at night, but Vince says if this company wants to do it bad enough, they’ll work it out with the unions. They might even shoot part of it here.”

“The tourism bureau will love it.” And they would, but Gorman wouldn’t. Might have to call my new Covenant contacts with a heads up.

“I hope I don’t have to sing,” Jo-Jo went on. “That could be trickier than night shooting. Now, guess who I looked up?”

“In Vegas or L.A.?”

“Daytona. I called Donita and offered her a job as my personal assistant. She took it, and she’s coming up to meet me tomorrow night before the gig. Isn’t that a stroke of genius?”

“It’s perfect for both of you,” I said, grinning to myself, “but I didn’t think she had her car back.”

“She doesn’t. She’s catching a ride with someone who’s coming up for the show at the Riot.”

“You said there were other acts, Jo-Jo. What time does the whole show start?”

“At eight, but I go on at nine and ten thirty. You will be there, right, Highness? For at least one show?”

For all the air kissing, that little bit of insecurity reassured me Jo-Jo hadn’t gone completely Hollywood.

“We’ll be there.”

I felt jumpy all afternoon on Saturday but figured the cause was either the full moon or simply anticipating Jo-Jo’s performance. When it was time to get ready, I paired black jeans with a lime green top and sandals, and put my hair in a ponytail. Saber wore black jeans, too, but with a blue shirt that made his cobalt eyes look like a stormy ocean. We were headed out the door at eight fifteen when Candy called. Saber took the call with the speaker feature on as we hustled to the car.

“Vlad’s dead,” she said tersely. “He was startin’ to look ill, so we decided to move him while he slept. Son of a bitch woke up, broke out of the building, and ran into the sun. He fried before we could put out the fire.”

I shuddered and blocked the scene my imagination conjured.

“So much for getting his cooperation.”

“We lost the offshore account, too. It was closed at the last minute yesterday.”

“Did the investigators get enough to trace it?”

“I’m not sure yet, but the whole thing with Vlad is buggin’ me. He seemed to weaken and age while we had him in custody.”

I immediately thought of Rico, the black fog Void sucking his life force.

“You two have any idea why that would happen?”

“He was being energy drained,” I told her as we reached Saber’s car.

“How is that possible? We didn’t let anyone near him.”

“You didn’t have to,” I said. “Something is getting to vamps wherever they are.”

“What?”

I looked at Saber, waited for him to tell her, but he shook his head.

“Candy, our intel on this isn’t confirmed. We’ll do some checking and call you later.”

“All right, but keep me in the loop.”

Saber disconnected and faced me. “You okay about Vlad going up in flames?”

“It’s gross, but the real question is how he awoke in the first place.”

“The Void gave him a super shot of energy?”

“I don’t want to think about it.”

But I couldn’t help it, and my jumpy feelings shifted into overdrive as we sped through traffic to the island. My nerves frayed to shreds when we found the parking lot near full but strangely quiet. No smokers stood outside as they had last time. And then we spotted Pandora in her house-cat form waiting at the club door.
The vampires you seek are inside. Go quickly. Help is waiting.

Stark fear ripped though me, and Pandora sprinted around the building before I finished relaying her message to Saber.

“Do you think Laurel and Marco have killed everyone?” I whispered.

“No, but they’re holding a hundred or more hostages we have to keep alive.”

“Please let them be in thrall.”

“Amen.” He drew his Glock, held it by his thigh, and reached for the huge half-moon door handle. I gripped his cast to stop him. “Wait. Do we have a plan?”

“We take whatever help is waiting, and we end it.”

“That’s the whole plan?”

“Honey, vamps don’t do hostage negotiation. We know the basic layout of the building. I’ll take the first clear shots I have, and you wing it for all you’re worth.”

Wing it, right.

He pulled the heavy door open, and we stepped from the lights of the street into the dim club foyer. The smell hit me first. Not death. A sweet orange tang that clogged my throat.

I glanced at Saber. Mouth clamped tight, he jerked his chin.
Move
, I heard him say in my head. I stutter-stepped, then stopped, eyes on Saber’s face. I hadn’t really heard him, had I? I’d read him. Had to. I didn’t have time for another shock now.

I eased into the club proper, Saber at my back, dread fisting tighter in my chest with each shallow breath. I scanned the humans frozen in place, figures in a wax museum. Grateful the thrall left them senseless, I edged deeper into the bodies suspended in time. Sudden movement on the stage drew my attention, and a man stepped into the glare of two spotlights. No, not a man.

The monster from my past. The vampire I’d convinced myself was dead.

Marco Sánchez.

Everything stilled in me. Blood. Breath. Life.

However he had disguised himself in Atlanta, tonight he’d stripped his mask. Midnight black hair the color of his soul. Dark, cruel eyes with the same glint of evil glee I remembered.

He stood on the stage dressed entirely in black, brandishing a short sword that flashed silver in the spotlights. As I watched, he paused, shielded his eyes, and made a pretense of seeing me.

“Ah, Francesca, Princess of the House of Normand,” he said with a mocking bow. “Welcome to my little reunion soiree.”

His voice made every drop of blood in my body go icy, but I controlled a shudder and looked at the others on the stage. Just out of the glare of the spotlights. Jo-Jo slumped in a chair, his hands bound behind him, Donita kneeling at his feet. She didn’t seem to be harmed, but neither did she seem completely in thrall. Shock waves of terror quivered from her. Another female hunched across the stage floor from Donita. Laurel. Half-clothed, a grotesque tattoo of burn marks on her bare arms, and an oozing slash on her upper chest. She still wore Saber’s silver handcuffs and cowered beside Marco, yet her eyes flashed with rage.

“Now, now, Francesca,” Marco chided. “Is this any way to greet an old friend? Come closer.”

I turned to Saber, but he was frozen, too. My heart seized.

“Do not look to your tame mortal for help, Francesca,” Marco said silkily. “He will do as I tell him. Shall I demonstrate? You, throw down your weapon.”

Saber complied, but I saw the spark in his eyes and remembered. He was immune to enthrallment. Playing along.

“Wing it. I’ll move in when you distract him.”

A rush of relief made tears prickle my eyes. Then Marco ruined the moment.

“Francesca, my love. I will let them all live if you will come to me.”

Manipulative hell spawn. He gave me no choice.

Raw nerves scraped against each other as I moved toward the stage, picking my way through standing waiters and seated patrons, all in suspended animation. Thankfully, the thrall over everyone in the club save Donita and Saber seemed total.