Sexiest Vampire Alive(103)
They fussed over her, and although she didn’t want to cooperate, the lure of a hot bath was too tempting after a night in a chilly cave.
“You done?” one of the young women approached her, the only one who knew some English.
“Five more minutes.” Abigail held up her hand to show five.
“No. We must make ready.” The young woman gestured to the other women who came toward her, carrying beautiful teal-colored silk robes and embroidered slippers.
“You will wear these tonight for Lord Ming,” the woman explained.
Abigail climbed out of the tub and grabbed a nearby towel. “Look, uh . . . what’s your name?”
“I am Mei Li.”
“Mei Li, I’m Abby.”
“Abby.” The ladies all bowed and murmured her name.
“Pleased to meet you. Look, I’ll get dressed since I don’t want to escape from this place naked. But there’s no way I’m going to let that creep bite me.”
Mei Li looked confused. “It is an honor to feed Master Han and the vampire lords.”
“I think it would be more honorable to let them starve.”
Mei Li’s eyes widened. “It is an honor to serve Master Han and the vampire lords.”
Abigail sighed. “They’ve done a number on your head, haven’t they?”
Mei Li motioned to the silk robes once again. “Come, we help you dress.”
Abigail slipped on the white silk slip, then wrapped the teal-colored robe around her and tied the sash. Her mind raced, trying to figure out how to handle this.
“Do not fear.” Mei Li adjusted her sash. “Lord Ming will be kind. He does not take as much blood as Master Han.”
“You’ve been with Lord Ming before?”
Mei Li nodded. “But tonight I will go with Ping and Genji. We will feed the American chiang-shih.”
Abigail’s fists clenched. One of these pretty women was going to offer her neck to Gregori? Over her dead body. “To tell you the truth, one of those American chiang-shih is my boyfriend. We’re in love.”
Mei Li tilted her head, her eyes narrowed. “Boy . . . friend?”
“Yes. Lovers. We love each other very much.”
Mei Li’s eyes took on a distant look. “I . . . remember.”
“You had a boyfriend?”
Mei Li nodded slowly. “In Kunming. But I went home to village to see family, and whole village now work in fields for Master Han.”
“I’ve seen that village,” Abigail said.
“They bring me here.” She stiffened, and her face went blank. “It is an honor to serve Master Han and the vampire lords.”
Abigail groaned. Just when she’d thought she was making progress with Mei Li, the vampire mind control had snatched her right back. “Don’t you want to escape from here? See your boyfriend again?”
“It is an honor to serve Master Han and the vampire lords.”
“Okay. Then why don’t you serve the vampire lord? We’ll trade places. You can feed Lord Ming and I’ll feed the American vampire.”
Mei Li hesitated. “Lord Ming will know I am not you.”
“Yes, but it is an honor to be bitten by him, right? No honor at all in being bitten by an American.” Abigail wrinkled her nose in disgust.
Mei Li shuddered. “I do not wish to feed one of them.”
“Great! Then we’ll switch places.” Abigail felt a twinge of guilt at manipulating someone who wasn’t thinking clearly. She was using poor Mei Li as much as the creepy vampires were. But she was desperate to avoid Lord Ming and his nasty nails and fangs. And she had to find Gregori and the guys. They needed to stick together so they could escape.
Five minutes later, Abigail, Ping, and Genji all filed out of the room, dressed in similar robes with identical veils over their heads. Mei Li stayed behind, wearing her robe and veil, awaiting the summons from Lord Ming.
Ping led the way down one hallway after another, then finally emerged outside. Abigail noted they were behind the Buddhist temple now. They crossed to a low building lined with heavy metal doors where three armed soldiers stood in front. The jailhouse, she figured.
Ping spoke to one of the guards. He slid a small window open on the first door, then nodded with a grunt. He unlocked the door and Ping went inside. Abigail caught a glimpse of Russell lying unconscious on a mat before the door was shut and locked.
The guard opened the next door. Abigail spotted J.L. and stepped back so Genji would enter.
The guard unlocked the third door, and Abigail slipped inside. The door slammed behind her.
She hurried over to see if Gregori was all right. He was still unconscious, but his heart was beating strong. The silver cuffs were gone. His boots were missing, since the soldiers had removed them, so his feet were covered with thick woolen socks. His sweater and jacket were still on. He was lying in the middle of the room on a thin mat. There was no floor, just hard dirt.