Vampire Vacation Part 24

She's right, I could, but it would take longer. Not willing to waste anymore time on chit-chat, I ignore her. I reach out to brush her long hair back off her neck, flipping it over her shoulder. We're almost the same height. I lean in, gently tilting her head to the side with my hand. The hunger overwhelms all else.

My lips settle firmly on her skin. Something trickles through the ache within me. Her smell. It feels off. The red haze in my mind clears enough for me to register an important fact-she's been marked.

The scent of Antonio drifts up to tease my senses. The self-centered jerk must have given her some of his blood when he emerged from the gym this afternoon.

It's considered a grave offense in the supernatural community to feed from someone's servant without permission. The insulted vampire could issue a challenge if they felt the deed was meant to poach. Will he flex his right or will he bend, understanding my need?

Knowing in my mind what awaits me if I do this. Knowing I need to regain my strength before Ivan attacks again. Knowing all of it doesn't change a thing. My teeth nip the taut flesh. Olivia's blood rushes forth to coat my tongue. I greedily drink down the glorious red life force.

d.a.m.n the consequences.

Chapter Twenty-four.

I'm not going to pleasure Olivia with my bite. It was obvious she's uncomfortable with the exchange, based on her comments. There's no need to freak her out more by having her enjoy it too. Instead, I help her feel a sense of comfort. Giving her the feeling she has done a charitable act.

In a way, she has. I could have taken what I needed, but that isn't me. Or at least, it isn't me anymore. I refuse to ever go back to the mindless pit I put myself in prior to being an enforcer for the tribunal. That darkness is a cloak I can comfortably wear. One I must always be on guard against slipping back on for convenience sake.

I've consumed all that I can safely take from Olivia. I pull back, licking the small wound to seal it.

"When did you drink from Antonio?" My voice slips out like a purr.

Olivia's body is no longer tense with fright. During my feeding, she relaxed against me. She stands back a bit, the awareness creeping back into her gaze.

"I... umm... after lunch. He asked me if I'd be his. It's what I've always wanted, so I gladly accepted." She looks a little confused now. "Was I allowed to let you bite me?"

Hmmph. Fool thinks she had a choice. "I'll handle it, Olivia, not to worry."

And handle it I will.

"Asa?" He snaps to attention. "Take Paul and lock him in the bas.e.m.e.nt. We need to wait to hear what Bunny says to decide his fate."

Asa nods as he walks over to where Paul lies sleeping on the ground behind me.

I project my next directions to Rafe. Hon, can you catch Olivia and carry her? Without waiting for an answer, I lock gazes with the beautiful blond.

"You need to rest after donating all that blood." I push my will over hers. She promptly falls asleep where she stands, tipping back into Rafe's waiting arms.

Rafe picks her up. "Was that necessary?" He asks.

"Yes, it was." I answer. "I need to talk to you and Asa on the walk back. I had some time to think during the last twenty minutes."

Asa comes up next to me with Paul slung over his shoulder in a fireman's carry. The three of us head in the direction of the main building. "One thing is very clear to me now," I say. "It's going to be impossible for the four of us to catch Ivan on the property."

"I don't think it's impossible," Asa's tone sounds speculative. "It will take us a long time. And possibly, more weapons with lots of planning."

"Yes." I answer. "At what cost in lives?" I glance down at my watch. It's almost nine. "In thirty hours, he's managed to rape and mind-wipe Sheba, kill John Pierre, sabotage the power for the whole resort, slaughter one of Jon's dogs, and drain Paul to near death." I allow the disgust and frustration I'm feeling to leak into my tone. "Right now, I could care less about tribunal retribution." Another thought from earlier occurs to me. "We don't have time to wait for Romeo with backup wolves either."

"Where does that leave us?" Asa asks.

Rafe answers the young vamp; this time he's on the same page as me. "We'll have to tell the guests what's going on and enlist their help."

"How?" Asa asks. "These people are on vacation."

I laugh out loud. The irony of the plan is not lost on me. "We'll organize a hunt. What else would you do with a bunch of predators who never get to have fun at home?"

The cacophony of excited voices in the theater overwhelms me. The sound presses in at every side. Rafe, Asa and I have explained all that has happened and who we need to hunt. The one redeeming point since we walked in was Antonio not giving me any s.h.i.+t about Olivia. I think I would have gone bonkers on him if he had. Instead, he graciously attributed me with helping him to see the light and bind the young woman to him before another vampire could.

I've had a hard time taking part in the conversations swirling around me due to the fact that I'm ready to leap on someone and feed. While I'm happy to see the other vampires are eager to go on a hunt, I'm dismayed to find none of them have ever been enforcers at any point in their undead lives.

The ensuing proclamations confirm that Liam was a warrior prior to being turned. Jet is a martial arts expert. Salvador was a general at one point in his life. Drew has his rage powering him to avenge Angie's death. Antonio wants to prove himself to Liam and Olivia. And Joanna, well, she sounds like she can handle herself. I hope.

The hunger recently satiated with Olivia rears its ugly head again, screaming to me that I have not had enough to eat. The servants and companions crowded into the media room start to look incredibly appealing. I realize I must consume more or be a risk to everyone in the coming hours. My arms wrap around my middle, while I try to shove the hunger back down into a cage.

A touch on my shoulder brings me whirling around. My nostrils flare, my eyes bleed black and I feel my canines push down to feed.

"Vivian, are you okay?" Liam inquires gently.

"No," I answer bluntly. "I had to turn Paul, our chef, when Ivan drained him to die."

His face shows surprise at my admission. "How much did you have to give him?"

"Maybe half of my blood."

"Good G.o.d, woman, with no ingestion of his blood prior? I've never heard of that being successfully done."

I shake at the thought of Olivia's warm blood flowing down my throat. "Yes, with no blood. It can be done."

"How much have you recouped since then?"

I think back to the last time I did something so risky. When I turned Cy years ago, I was able to slip into his bar and prey on a dozen or so happy drunks walking to the bathroom. No such luck tonight. I answer Liam's second, more important question.

"About two and half pints."

"You'll be a danger to us out there if you're weak. You need to feed."

"I know!" I shout. "That doesn't mean I have to like it!"

Liam jerks back at the vehemence in my voice. "I don't understand. You have plenty of employees here. What's all the fuss?" Light dawns in his eyes. "You don't feed from them? Ever? But I have smelled you on them..." Understanding comes quick on the heels of his last statement.

Rafe! I need your help. My inner cage of power starts to stretch thin. Get the humans out of here as fast as you can.

Rafe looks at me from across the room. He nods his understanding, motioning to Asa for help. They spread out into the room to fulfill my request.

The first humans start to leave the room. I turn to Liam to continue where we left off. "I refuse to take the will of those who work here."

He smiles congenially at me, his expression one of superiority. "The bond wears off in time if you never feed from them again."

My aura starts to leak out. I'm beyond caring about what they know of my power. My secret will remain safe as long as I don't flip out in the next few minutes. By Liam's expression, I know he's starting to feel the energy against his skin.

"But it could take years and they would forever crave a similar exchange." My stomach growls loudly. I scan the room to see the last human leave.

Rafe, shut the doors and stand guard with Asa.

Yes, my love. Do what you need to. It will all work out.

I smile as I see the option I decided on, mirrored in his mind. He understands and supports me. Another reason he's perfect for me. He's never afraid of the monster I have inside. I wish I could say the same.

I release the power I always keep so tightly bound. It surges forward to touch on every vampire in the room. The tension ratchets up when they all sense my strength followed closely by my hunger. I meet the eyes of every one of them, one by one. Fear starts to creep into their expressions. I don't blame them.

My power signature, when fully released, is much greater than my actual age. That's in part thanks to the seethe I was first a member of centuries ago. While my master used me to control other vampires, I fed from them all, gaining in strength. My years as an enforcer just increased my chances of blood-taking from powerful vampires. I drained those two ancients from the tribunal before compelling them to commit suicide.

The ache within me becomes all-consuming. Rather than contain it these past three hours, I've barely held on to it with a very tight mental leash.

"It will take me less blood from a vampire to meet my hunger than it will from a human. You can donate willingly, or I'll take it from you. Your choice."

Liam, much to my surprise, comes forward and bares his wrist for me. His action lowers the tension in the room, bringing a sense of calm after my harsh statement.

"I would gladly give you my blood, Vivian. It's always good to have an old one owe me a favor." He smiles at the last, giving me a wink.

To a vampire master such as Liam, one who can read the age of another, I'm not sure how much older I appear than I really am. Having these vampires know my age, real or presumed, is not really a big deal. Considering how power-hungry we are as a species, it's no wonder some of us cloak our aura when among our own kind. As long as I don't have to mind control any of them to get them to donate, then it's a good day.

"I appreciate your generosity, Liam." I nod my head slightly to him. "Considering the gift I gave you yesterday on the fun floor, I concede-I will owe you a small favor."

He lets out a laugh, relaxing the others further. "Touche, dear innkeeper, touche."

The others line up behind him. Each one stands ready to donate two or three ounces of blood to me. If I wasn't afraid I'd bind them all, I'd offer free shots of vampire blood in the bar when this mess is done. As things are now, I'll have to tell them we're all out if they ask for it.

I feed from each wrist, thanking one vampire while I reach for the next arm. My ability to control my aura increases after the first two. I pull it all back in and lock the power down tight. Before I get to Antonio, I remember his shot in the bar last night. Joanna stands next to him, and while I would have liked to drink from her, I feign fullness to avoid binding Antonio to me.

"Thank you both for the offer. I believe I've had enough."

Taking a moment to read my hunger levels, I realize I'm telling the truth. It's nice to save Joanna as a back up in case I need it, but I feel like I'm back to my normal self.

"I'd like to ask all the masters a personal question. My strongest ability is one to cast physical illusions into an entire room or redirect it at an individual, even from a distance. What are your abilities?"

Revealing this small portion about what I can do is not dangerous to me. They will a.s.sume I mean on humans only, still having no idea that I can do so to vampires and that the final outcome of such glamour means I can mind control them. Most all vampires can do a little glamour; it walks hand and hand with their ability to control a human. The last true manipulator, like myself, was killed over six hundred years ago. Way before any of these youngsters were around.

Excitement charges the air as each master looks at the others near by.

Jet is the first to speak. "I can s.h.i.+ft to animal form. My favorite is the Bengal tiger, but I think a wolf might better suit the climate here."

I smile encouragement at him. "Thank you, Jet. That will be a great a.s.set with Jonathan's ability. You'll both be invaluable trackers."

Liam speaks next. "I can turn to mist and fly." A note of pride creeps into his voice. And well it should. Such a power is a remarkable attribute in a fight-an opponent can never land a hit on vapor.

"Can you speak mind-to-mind with Theresa when you are in such a state?" I ask.

Liam nods his head, a spark of surprise lighting his eyes. "Yes, I can. Kudos to you for seeing the tactical advantage in that."

"You'll be able to cover a greater distance from the air. This will be particularly helpful in the areas around all the buildings. That b.a.s.t.a.r.d has to eventually come inside one of them to warm up."

"I admit," Liam adds, "I haven't had a reason to mist in such extreme cold. I may not be able to hold it for as long as I'd like."

"We'll take what we can get. Thanks." I turn to Salvador, curiosity in my eyes.

"My bite can bring extreme o.r.g.a.s.mic pleasure to a human. I can make it last. Twist it to cover hours if I wish."

Shock fills my body. His reluctance to share blood with Sheba now makes perfect sense. That ability combined with the blood connection would render them all drooling love idiots. I bet Theresa, his wife, grew weary over the decades of all the servants trailing after Sal like lovesick puppies. It must have taken him years to find a woman strong enough to not lose herself in him.

"I understand more about Sheba now." My voice is softer now, with sympathy. "I can show you how to mark them to other vampires and help them to still maintain a sense of self. We'll talk later, okay?"

Sal nods his head in grat.i.tude. Apparently, my water trick is not as widely known as I would have thought. It would have helped his people to gain protection, while still allowing them independence. Of course, he'll have to cut down on the amount of love groupies he has at his beck and call, but it's a start in the right direction. No wonder my staff scrambles to donate when his group visits. He brings so many companions with him that my employees rarely get a chance, but it certainly makes sense now.

Drew, Antonio and Joanna are not master vampires yet, not by a long shot. Even though they all have the beginnings of a greater power inside them, I don't want to count on their mastery of it yet, not in a fight.

A movement near the back of the room swings every vampire head to the rear doors. Jonathan walks in, closing the door behind him. He looks at us all and stops dead in his tracks.

"Wow, talk about freaky. A bunch of bloodsuckers staring at me is not how I envisioned walking in here." His sarcasm drips in the air, making several vamps relax and smile at themselves.

I can always count on the werewolf's quiet strength in himself to prevail. That is, unless he's angry, of course.

I motion to Asa. "Did you bring the map?"

"Yes, ma'am."

He strides to the front of the theater, to the large table Rafe set up earlier. He unfolds the map to show a grid pattern overlaid on the resort and speaks to the room at large. "Here's what I was thinking on how we could locate the b.a.s.t.a.r.d with everyone's help."

Chapter Twenty-five.

With the plan in place, Rafe heads back to our apartment to get all the winter gear he can find. Thankfully, all of the guests came to the inn prepared with the proper outdoor apparel. Most of them antic.i.p.ated skiing or exploring the property while their human counterparts slept. The excitement level of the vampires is high in antic.i.p.ation of the hunt, it's like they've all been given a bonus within their vacation.

The companions and servants were allowed back in the room a few minutes ago and most are huddled around their vampire masters. The theater room is the most defensible. It has only one emergency exit door and no windows. Our employees are all retreating to their homes off and on site. I've issued the barest of details to keep everyone calm. I told them there was a criminal on the property and to arm themselves. I left off the parts about Paul, the murder, one of the dogs and the cause for the power outage.