Chapter 16
1723 Words
16
“Take a seat.” The vampire woman gestured to one of the deep, velvety armchairs that were oddly out of place in the sacristy of a church. Crosses, religious statues, old scriptures, everything that shouldn’t be in a vampire lair.
Sam hesitated in the doorway and shot a glance over her shoulder, back at the inside of the church.
The woman clicked her tongue. “Don’t bother, my guards will just detain you.”
“I suppose,” Sam muttered. Against her better judgement, she sat down opposite the woman, endlessly fiddling with her wedding ring. “Are you the vampire Master?”
“Catalina Gravita, at your service,” she said with a tone that made it clear she hadn’t served a day in her life. “Welcome to the C branch, Samantha Rain.”
“How do you know my name?” Samantha asked, stalling so she could commit the new face to her memory. In her line of work, it was always important to remember what name went with what face. Nobody needed her to keep track of all the people in the new world, but with everything happening around her and to her, this was the only thing she could control.
Catalina Gravita. Her tan, smooth skin stood out. It would’ve been more appropriate if her name was Tanalina.
“An appointment was made,” Tanalina Catalina replied cryptically. “Hmmm, Chris spoke the truth, your aroma is exquisite.”
“Excuse me?”
Catalina smiled, the light glinting on her sharp fangs. She retracted her teeth and waved Sam’s concern away. “What brings you here?”
Straight to the point, which was how Samantha liked it. She didn’t exactly feel like chit-chatting with a vampire who could rip her throat out.
She crossed her legs, drawing on the fake confidence that she used to interrogate people. “I’m searching for Tomas Carlton. My source says you’re hiding him.”
Catalina snorted as she sat down in the armchair. “Your source? That’s an eloquent way to say ‘Lilith’.”
“You know Lilith?”
Oh, we’re very well acquainted,” she replied with a smirk.
“Excuse me?”
“She didn’t tell you? We used to keep each other’s company.”
“No, she didn’t mention that.” Sam frowned. “If she knows you, why didn’t she just talk to you herself?”
“That’s an excellent question. I suppose she refused to see me, hmmm? What makes her think I know Tomas’ whereabouts?”
“We found the picture of you and Hairy Harry, I mean, the cobbler.”
“Hairy Harry. That’s a good one.” She rose from her seat and walked towards the side table where she grabbed a bottle with a suspiciously red fluid. “Care for a drink?”
Samantha gulped. “No thanks.”
“Suit yourself.” She poured herself a generous glass and sat back down. “Tell me… What horrible things did Lilith promise onto you and your family?”
“Excuse me?”
“I’ve always wondered why her Wardens never last that long.” She tapped her chin. “I suppose she gets bored of them quickly.”
Unsure what to answer to that, Sam decided to ignore her accusations. Instead, she made demands like she knew what she was talking about. “I want Tomas returned to Lilith’s custody.”
“Why? What’s it to you?” Catalina checked her out so thoroughly, Sam felt naked under her intense gaze. She clicked her tongue appreciatively. “You appear to be unclaimed.”
“You can tell?”
“Yes, I can see the night mark on your arm. Let me guess… A hellhound.”
“How did you know?”
“Tell me something, Samantha Rain…” She took a tentative sip from her drink. “What’s the appeal of a shiny but pathetic puppy?”
“Excuse me?”
Catalina drummed her fingers on the chair. “Blue wisp hellhounds are notoriously useless and weak. What makes you want to bind with it?”
“Because…” Sam paused. That was a good question. She was risking everything for a puppy she’d only just met. She put her life on the line, just so she could adopt the hellhound and why?
As she contemplated her decision, the image of her hellhound came into her mind. The cute eyes, the soft whimpers, and the way it made Sam feel when she played with her. A warm sensation filled her chest as she thought of her puppy yawning or trying to bark.
Catalina raised an eyebrow. “Well?”
“Because when I found her, she was all on her own. She needed someone to take care of her, to love her. We looked at each other and that was it. She was my dog. So now it’s up to me to protect her.”
“Hmmm…” The vampire Master shrugged. “Still… All that for a mere dog?”
“Yes. Maybe you don’t understand what it’s like to love an animal, but it’s worth it.” She took a deep breath and glared at Catalina. “Now can we get to the issue at hand? Tomas.”
A moment passed where neither of them spoke, just the ticking of the heavy stand clock and the crisp click as Catalina put her glass back down. “I’m afraid I won’t be able to help you after all.”
“What?” Sam frowned. “Why?”
“If I had Tomas under my protection or custody, there would be a good reason why I haven’t returned him to Clan IF.” She uncrossed her legs as she swung herself up from the chair. “Unfortunately, I don’t know his whereabouts.”
“But—“
“I’ve humoured both you and Lilith in receiving you as my guest, but I’ll have to request you take your leave now, Samantha Rain.”
“I…” Her protest was cut short by the man with white hair appearing in the doorway, his arms crossed in a way that made him look like a bodybuilder.
Catalina downed the last of her glass. “Casper, escort the warden to the exit.”
“Yes, Master.” He ran a hand through his white tips and grabbed Samantha by the arm.
As he dragged her along, Catalina spoke again. “Oh, Samantha.”
“Yes?”
“Tell Lilith I’m disappointed in her.” The vampire Master pulled her mouth down into a fake pout. “I really thought you were here to talk about Ian.”
“Ian?” Sam dug her heels into the floor, halting her escort. “You know where he is?”
“But, of course. He’s under my protection.”
“Why didn’t you say?”
A sly smirk tugged on Catalina’s mouth. “You never asked.”
Those damned Nox. Sam threw her hands up, sighing in exasperation. After all the years as a detective, she should’ve been used to dragging information out of people, but these people were something else. From everything she could see, these two Nox families seemed hierarchical like the mafia and they were all operating under a strict code of mystery, silence, and violence. Not exactly the kind of world she wanted to be part of.
She glared at Casper as she pulled her arm out of his grip. Determined, even if she didn’t know where her confidence came from, she sat back down in the armchair. “Let’s talk about Ian.”
“What information do you require from me, Miss Rain? Misses?”
“Miss,” Samantha muttered.
“Really? Hmmm…”
“Yes, really,” Sam snapped. “Ian’s presence is wanted by Lilith’s clan.”
Catalina cackled again. “Oh, that’s definitely not going to happen.”
“Then why did you bring him up?”
“To see how much she told you. I can tell you all about Ian Fatuus, but…”
Of course. There was always a but, Sam thought. She refrained from showing any impatience and decided to play ball. “But?”
“In return for my generosity, I think a little compensation would be in order.” Catalina swayed towards her, her heels clacking on the tiles.
What was it with the Nox and their impractical shoes?
Sam gulped as the other woman invaded her personal space. She pushed her back into the chair to get further away from Catalina, but that only helped so much. It certainly didn’t stop the vampire from walking her fingers up Sam’s forearm.
“What do you want?” Sam asked, glaring at her in the hope the other woman would move away.
She didn’t.
“You’re O positive, aren’t you?”
“Why is that relevant?”
Catalina clicked her tongue. “Oh, Miss Rain. I think you know why.”
Out of reflex, Sam pulled her arm back. “That’s not happening.”
“I wouldn’t require much. Just a sample, if you will.”
“No.”
“Half a glass will do.”
“What did you not understand about ‘no’?” Sam countered, pushing her arms behind her back. “I’m not letting you drink my blood.”
The smile on Catalina’s face evaporated and made place for a thunderstorm. “Is that so?”
“With all due respect, I’m not a drink.”
“That isn’t very kind. Especially not when I’ve been so generous in offering you my help.”
Sam gulped. There were many things she was willing to do, but allowing a nocturnal creature to drink her blood?
No. That was a step too far. Not even Lilith could make her do that.
She glared at the vampire Master, mustering up as much courage as she could to defy her. There was absolutely nothing she could do if they forcibly tried to take her blood, but she wasn’t going to give it willingly.
The tension crackled in the air and for a moment, she was convinced Catalina had ditched the idea of a sample and was thinking about draining her entirely. She certainly looked like she was ready to suck her dry.
She balled her fists, steadying the nerves raging through her. She had never been so aware of her heartbeat pounding in her ears, the rhythmic thud of blood rushing through her veins. If Catalina so wished, she could s***h her arms open and tap her like a beer keg.
“You’re not getting my blood.”
“Then you’ll never get close to Ian and you’ll have nowhere to hide after you disappoint her.”
Catalina’s threat had Samantha nervously twirling her wedding band. While Lilith seemed perfectly pleasant now, she had no doubt the woman could be vicious. Still, she wasn’t letting a Vampire drink her blood.
She stood up from her chair, trying to hide her shaking hands. “I’ll find another way.”
“You’re determined, I like it.” The vampire Master shot her a bemused look before she waved one of her guards closer. “Let her go.”
The man’s eyes widened. “Excuse me, Master?”
“I said, let her go.”
Caged relief washed over Samantha. She was desperate to get out of there, but she didn’t understand why Catalina was letting her go. Was this a trick? What was going on?
Tentatively, she followed the guard to the exit. She expected the Master to burst out into laughter at any moment and to sink her teeth into her neck, but it never happened.
She reached the exit of the church before Catalina spoke again. “Miss Rain?”
Samantha gulped nervously. “Yes?”
“If you change your mind, you know how to find me.”
“I won’t.”
“Don’t be so sure of yourself. Lilith can be very convincing.”
With a dismissive wave, the two men swung the heavy church doors open and blinding light framed Samantha’s exit to freedom.
- Writer
