Live Girls (25 page)

The woman's gaze grabbed Casey and held.

“What's your name?"

Casey opened her mouth, intending to curse her, but all that came out was, “Ca ... Casey Thorne."

“Thorne,” she said, hissing the name. “Pretty as a rose, but your name is Thorne.” She placed a cool hand on the side of Casey's face.

Shideh's pale, animal-like face seemed to fade away until all Casey could see were her red eyes and her tiny black pupils that seemed to open to her like waiting arms.

“I was going to kill you, Casey Thorne. You made me very angry. But you have such a pretty face. Such lively eyes. You must have a beautiful smile, Casey. Will you smile for me?"

Casey felt the hand slide down her face, over her throat, to her breast. The thumb lightly brushed her nipple and it hardened instantly. Unable to resist, Casey smiled at the eyes, at the same time repulsed at herself for giving in. If she could only look away from those eyes...

“A beautiful smile,” Shideh whispered; her voice was like the caress of a skinless hand. “I won't harm that smile. Would you like to stay with me awhile, Casey?” she asked, pressing her fingers between Casey's legs.

No!
Casey heard her own voice scream inside her head, but the eyes held like a silk-covered vise.

Shideh leaned forward and kissed Casey's throat.

Casey closed her eyes, but the image of those two red orbs, deep and unblinking, remained.

“I can teach you things,” Shideh whispered, flicking her tongue over Casey's ear. “I can do things to you that you never thought were possible.” She nibbled Casey's earlobe, sucked on it. “I can make you into something you never dreamed you could be.” She touched her tongue to the corner of Casey's mouth.

“Immortal...” and kissed her gently

“...undying...” then slid her tongue into Casey's mouth, around and around

“...and
sooo
powerful..."

Casey's mind reeled at Shideh's touch, at her deep and lingering kiss, at the odd sensation of her sharp teeth against her upper lip. She was vaguely aware of the sickening disgust inside her, the urge to bite and scream and pull away, but it was weak as a distant memory.

“It's been so long,” Shideh hissed, moving her mouth down Casey's throat, over her breast, to her nipple, “since I've taken a lover."

Shideh's cool tongue swirled over Casey's nipple, pulled it into her mouth, and sucked on it with vigor.

Casey couldn't speak. Tears welled in her eyes and she sobbed once quietly as the woman's mouth moved over her stomach and settled between her legs. The tongue slipped out again and wedged itself inside her, where it lapped slowly, dipping in and out of her opening. She could hear the slurping and sucking sounds the woman made, the moan of pleasure that came from her as she continued to lick and gulp.

In spite of herself, ripples of pleasure passed up through Casey's body, but she remained unaffected by them, tried to suppress them, ignore them.

Shideh's teeth flicked over Casey's clitoris and the rush of feeling that came was warm and thick.

The woman spoke and her words were muffled:

“...none like a woman's..."

Casey shuddered and involuntarily lifted her pelvis, pressing it to Shideh's mouth.

Her lips writhed over Casey's pubis, the tongue was relentless, and she sucked, and sucked...

Casey's orgasm made her cry out with pleasure and anger, frustration, helplessness.

Shideh moved over her, slid her tongue back up Casey's belly and over her breasts, stopping now and then to kiss her skin gently, until her face was above Casey's, her breasts pressing to Casey's breasts. Her white hair draped down around Casey's face.

In the candle's shifting light, Casey watched Shideh lift a hand to her own throat and press her thumbnail against her flesh until it cut through. She pulled her thumb downward, cutting a slit that immediately began to bleed. Locking her hands together beneath Casey's head, Shideh lifted it to her throat.

Casey's lips slid over the warm, sticky wound and her tongue slipped into the gash. Instinctively, she tried to pull back.

“No!” Shideh breathed, holding Casey's mouth to her throat. “Suck it! Suck it
now,
before it closes!"

She tasted blood and gagged once, but then found herself doing as she was told.

Like whiskey, the blood was pleasantly hot going down. A relaxed warmth spread through her body and she whimpered at the luxurious feeling that clouded her head like a drug, pounding thunderously through her veins, eating its way into her bones.

“Isn't it
gooood,
Casey Thorne? You'll have more, as much as you want."

Casey sucked and gulped furiously.

“Yes, keep sucking ... don't stop."

Unable to hold it in, Casey pulled her mouth away and laughed a girlish, gargling laugh, feeling drunk and strong and
new
.

Before opening his eyes, Davey felt a burning emptiness inside. The sickness was gone, the cold certainty that he was dying had passed, but the hunger was strong and pressed hard up into his throat.

He opened his eyes and rolled over, staring up at the ceiling.

“Davey?"

Davey turned his head and saw Walter Benedek sitting on the bed smoking a cigarette.

“How do you feel, Davey?"

Davey blinked and tried to move his arms but found his hands and feet had been tied.

“How long...” His voice was a rasp, like rusty pipes rattling in the walls. He coughed a few times. “How long have I been like this?"

“I got here about an hour and a half ago. It's almost midnight."

“You found me ... did you come in and..."

Benedek put his cigarette out in a drinking glass and walked over to Davey, looked down at him. “When I found you, you were ... unconscious."

“Un ... un..."

Benedek squatted beside him. “Davey, you weren't breathing."

“I wasn't...” Davey closed his eyes and gently tried to shake out the fog behind them.

“You had no pulse. Your heart wasn't beating."

Opening his eyes, Davey looked up at Benedek. He was serious. “I don't know what..."

“Davey, you were dead. When I came up here, I found you
dead."

What was it Anya had said? She'd said that tonight ... tonight he would ... would...

Davey nodded his head slightly. “She said I would die tonight."

“Who?"

“Anya."

“You went to her?"

“No. She came here. Through the bedroom window."

Benedek glanced over his shoulder at the window, then looked back down at Davey. “Did she make the scratches?"

Davey nodded.

“You're nine fucking stories up!"

Pulling against the ropes, Davey said, “Why am I tied up?"

Benedek put his hand on Davey's shoulder and squeezed. “Davey, did you
hear
me? You're nine floors up, how could she come to your Goddamned
window?"

“I don't ... I'm...” Davey wanted to be left alone. He didn't want to think about
anything,
but the image of Anya hovering outside the window would not go away. “She was just ... she was just
there."

“And you let her in."

Davey nodded.

Benedek stood suddenly and walked away from Davey, lighting another cigarette. “Jesus Christ,” he bellowed, “if you wanted to get laid, couldn't you have found a woman who doesn't
float?"

After a long pause, silent but for Benedek's pacing footsteps, Davey croaked, “Walter, why am I tied up?"

His question was ignored.

“Davey, there's a man at the Midnight Club by the name of Cedric. Tall, Hispanic, scar on his neck. Know the one?"

Davey nodded, flinching at a cramp in his stomach.

“About six months ago, Cedric was found dead in a trash bin off Broadway. He'd bled to death, but there was no blood around the body. Later, his corpse disappeared from the morgue. Because the idea of a corpse walking out of a morgue is too fucking ludicrous for
anyone
to swallow, it was assumed to have been stolen.” He stood over Davey again. “Now he's working in a nightclub where he fucks middle-aged women
—
and
men
for all I know
—
and, as far as I can make out, takes blood from them, which is stored in refrigerators in the back by my brother-in-law who, I suspect, has been dead for the last three weeks. Does any of that make sense to you?"

The cramp would not go away and Davey curled up on his side.

“Just leave me alone,” he grunted. “Untie me and go. I'm sick."

“Davey,” Benedek said softly, kneeling, the anger in his voice replaced by concern, “you should be
dead,
do you understand? I want to
help
you. If you can explain any of
—
"

“I'm
hungryyyy!"
Davey wailed, tilting his head back and opening his mouth wide.

Benedek suddenly jumped to his feet and backed away, gasping, “Holy Christ, your teeth!"

Davey blinked at him.

“Open your mouth again,” Benedek whispered tremulously.

Davey gingerly ran his tongue over them. They were long and very sharp. Davey groaned and turned away from Benedek.

“Just like Vernon,” Benedek muttered.

The emptiness inside Davey seemed to bloat his stomach until it felt as if it might split open. A pounding ring sounded in his ears and he had to close his eyes because the room had begun to spin. He couldn't think about what was happening to him, he couldn't give any thought to the teeth in his mouth which had not been there an hour and a half ago, because the hunger in him was eating him up.

“Walter,” he rasped, “in the refrigerator, second shelf, there's some hamburger. Will you bring it to me ... please?"

Meat, he craved meat.

“Do you want me to cook it?” Benedek asked uncertainly.

The thought of the hamburger being warm and brown made Davey want to retch.

“Just
bring
it!"

He heard Benedek's hurried footsteps, the refrigerator open and close, the sound of cellophane crinkling as it was torn away.

“Here,” Benedek said, returning to his side.

Davey turned onto his back and looked up at the man. He seemed as tall as a building.

“Will you untie me, Walter?"

Benedek slowly shook his head. “Afraid not, Davey. Not yet."

“Then put it in my mouth."

Bending down, Benedek tore away a chunk of the moist burger and touched it cautiously to Davey's lips.

Davey sucked the raw meat into his mouth ravenously, pressing it to his palate with his tongue. The cold, coppery taste of blood was faint and only fed his hunger like dry wood on a fire. He writhed, spitting the meat from his mouth and crying, “It's not enough!” He looked up at Benedek and saw fear in the man's eyes, fear and helplessness. And he saw something else...

Even in the dark, Davey saw the pulse beneath the skin of Benedek's neck. A steady pulse that made the flesh bulge slightly with each beat.

“Leave, Walter,” Davey said imploringly, unable to take his eyes from the vein. If he could just get close enough to brush his teeth over the skin, open it up, the blood would push itself out, onto his tongue and down his throat. His penis began to harden. “Get the hell out of here
now!"

“Davey, I'm gonna call my wife and have her come
—
"

“Walter, I'm hungry,” Davey hissed. “I'm not sure what's happening to me but I'm hungry and I'm going to hurt you if
—
"

“That's why you're tied up,” Benedek said confidently.

Davey moved his hands and without any effort at all the cord snapped and fell away from his wrists. He sat up, his eyes on Benedek's neck.

“Walter,” Davey said, his voice guttural and harsh, “I'm hungry and you have what I need."