A Kiss of Blood(31)

The clouds had broken up a bit since their first ride tonight, allowing the moonlight to filter through. Why the moon and stars were visible through the Vamp City bubble, but the sun and sunlight, not to mention the real world, weren't, she didn't know. It scrambled her scientific mind. Despite the moonlight, she couldn't see much-her companions were little more than dark shadows on either side of her-but at least she didn't feel like she'd fallen into a well.

"So, what else do I need to know before we get there?" she asked the two vampires. They'd convinced her to leave her gun and stakes behind since both could be construed as weapons of aggression against a rival vampire master. But they had no objections to her switchblade. Everyone in Vamp City, apparently, carried a knife.

"Bring your patience," Micah drawled. "Especially with Fabian."

Arturo clarified. "I shall claim to be searching for the sorceress, which will be expected. But there are protocols to be followed in vampire politics and one does not simply march in, demand access to another kovena's stronghold, and march out again. I will be invited to partake of the festivities, if there are any, cara. At the very least, I will be expected to dine with the vampire master. It will take time."

"Something we don't have."

"I am aware. I will speed things along as quickly as I can, but he cannot become suspicious."

"While you're dining with Fabian, I can try to find Vintry."

"Absolutely not. You will stay close to me at all times. If for some reason that is not feasible, I will find a safe place to lock you away."

"I'm not helpless, Vampire."

"Perhaps not, but you are human. Once we've located Vintry, we will approach him together."

Arturo pulled up. When she'd managed to stop her horse, he turned to her. "We have reached the Crux. Traveling through will save us time if we can trust Savin."

The last thing any of them needed, especially Arturo, was a repeat of their time in Wolf Land. But she believed Savin had been sincere.

"Let's try it and see what happens."

"You're both insane," Micah muttered. But he followed as Arturo and Quinn started forward.

They'd gone no more than a hundred yards when three wolves appeared on the hillside not far from where Quinn thought they'd said good-bye to their previous escort.

"Savin!" she yelled. A moment later, one of the wolves shifted into a man, though it was far too dark to recognize him. "We need an escort across. Can you provide one?"

"Stick to your path, human. We'll accompany you."

Quinn lifted her hand in thanks.

As they started forward, Micah grunted. "That was either brilliant, or incredibly stupid. Then again, you promised them food, didn't you?"

"I also promised to share my power with them when I come into it. The alpha has seen what I can do."

"When you almost killed him? What exactly did you do?" Micah asked.

"I made a bubble."

"A bubble?" Arturo sounded confused. "Explain."

"I created a miniworld. Like Vamp City."

The protracted silence that met her revelation had her wishing she could see their expressions.

"How?" Arturo asked, clearly stunned.

"I'm not sure. The wolves were performing some kind of ritual to steal, or borrow, my power. It hurt, and I tried to make them stop, but my usual power didn't rise. The Alpha got mad that I wasn't cooperating and started crowding me. All of a sudden the two of us were standing in the dark, alone. The light was gone. Everything was gone-light, sound, the rest of his pack. I didn't know what had happened at first."

"You have the power of Phineas Blackstone," Micah breathed.

"I have the ability to do one of his tricks, at least. The bubble was small, no more than six feet by six feet, and it collapsed on us pretty quickly. But Savin was trapped, which gave me the leverage I needed to secure his promise to free Arturo and me. I told him that once I had my full power, I'd return and share it with them."

"What do you mean by the bubble collapsed?" Arturo asked slowly.

"It shrank in on us, then exploded." She decided to keep a few of the details to herself, for now. Like the fact that she'd nearly suffocated. And the fact that only when she was facing death was she able to find the power to save them.

The two vampires fell silent. At first, she wondered what they were thinking, but soon the silence, the soft breeze, and the rhythmic gait of the horse began to lull her to sleep. When her head fell, jerking her awake, she decided that silence wasn't her friend. She'd better do something to stay awake, or she was going to wind up in the dirt.

"You called Fabian a rival. Where does rival fall, exactly, on the spectrum between ally and enemy?"

"Smack-dab in the middle," Micah told her.

Arturo, appearing to understand her need for conversation, gave a more detailed explanation. "Cristoff and Sakamoto are the strongest of the V.C. vampire masters and are mortal enemies. Since one is as powerful as the other, if in different ways, they maintain a balance. Two others-Fabian Neptune and Jean-Luc Oubre-are strong both in numbers and in power, if not as strong as the first two. The remaining five vampire masters and their kovenas have aligned themselves with one or another of the strongest four."

"So, since Fabian is aligned with neither Cristoff nor Sakamoto, does he maintain diplomatic ties to both in case one or the other attacks and tries to take his territory?"

"Precisely. Gonzaga maintains ties to all the kovenas except for Sakamoto's and the two smaller kovenas aligned with him, one of which, unfortunately, is Castle Smithson."

As they traveled through the empty lands of the Crux, Quinn saw the occasional home, lit by candlelight. It should be a welcoming sign, she mused. But vampires didn't sleep, and a lit house in the small hours of the morning probably meant Rippers.

They rode in silence, passing it without incident, and soon she recognized the bright swirling lights of the Focus in the distance, the dead center of Vamp City. It was the very spot where Phineas Blackstone had stood when he created this place. And it would be the spot where she would stand to save it.

The reminder of the potential threat of Rippers kept her awake better than any discussion, and the miles passed quickly. Finally, several wolves appeared on the opposite rise. Their escort howled, and the wolves took off the other way.

"We're leaving the Crux," Arturo told her before she could ask the question.

"I'm officially impressed," Micah said. "I'll be leaving you kids soon, but I might need a little assistance before I go."

His tone had her questioning the request, especially when Arturo replied with silence.

"What kind of assistance?" she asked finally.

Arturo grunted. "Micah needs to feed to ensure he has the energy to create his own glamour."

"He needs blood?"

"Sorry, Quinn," Micah said sincerely. "I'd rather not ask this of you. And . . . I need more than just blood," he added quickly.

"You're a pleasure-feeder." Surely he wasn't asking for sex.

"He will drink your blood," Arturo said. "I alone will be sharing your pleasure."

Which wasn't a huge improvement. "And just how do you plan to do that? I'm not into threesomes."

"Nor am I. Not with you."

She thought her mind might explode from the pictures his qualifier sent flinging through her skull. With a thorough shake of her head, she pulled her thoughts back to the problem at hand.

"No sex." She grimaced as she looked at the shadow she knew to be Arturo.

"Agreed." And by the sharp tone of his voice, she had no doubt he did. The jealous one had no more desire to touch her in that way in front of another male than she had to be touched.

Micah pulled up in a small copse of dead trees, dismounting. Arturo and Quinn followed, and the vampire took her reins, securing their mounts.

"Remove your jacket and give him your wrist, cara."

"I'd prefer her neck," Micah said, his tone telling her he was poking the tiger just as Neo had.

"You'd prefer to have her all to yourself for a few minutes," Arturo countered. "Or an hour. But you're not getting that, either."

Quinn slid her jacket off and felt it taken from her.

"You never did share well, Ax."

"With Quinn, I never will."

Micah took her hand, sliding her sweater up to her forearm. As he lifted her inner wrist to his mouth, the moon came out fully, and she saw the light gleam on the white pupils of his eyes and his growing fangs. He'd never looked less like her neighbor the writer. He was all vampire, now.

Arturo cupped her cheek, turning her to face him, pulling her gaze away from Micah as she felt the pinch of fangs in her arm. Arturo's eyes began to change, too, his pupils turning white.

"I am going to drink from you, cara. A very little. But enough."

Enough to make her orgasm.

"You're going to embarrass me in front of Micah," she countered, already feeling the heat of it in her cheeks.

"Your orgasm will feed him quicker and faster than anything else. And time is of the essence, do you not agree?"

Taking a deep breath, she let it out slowly, shedding her inhibitions along with the air. At least it was dark out here. "Go ahead."

Arturo stroked her face with his thumb, but his words were for Micah when he spoke. "Pull me off of her if I get lost."