History Repeats Itself

Chapter 14 – ‘Trust no one’

Jade played with the glass, her fingers lightly running around the ring while her cigarette slowly burned before her in the ashtray. Her eyes danced over the crowds gathered in the club. Places like this weren’t the scene for any of the council members, nor for many who worked under them. But there were still a few who searched for food in these crowds. She had to be mindful of those people, as well as ones who were loyal to the council.

With her eyes narrowed, she lifted her glass and took a sip. Not something she needed to soothe her nerves, but like anything else, it was something she liked the taste of. Of course, being a vampire meant she couldn’t have a s**t ton. There were ways to poison vampires, and drinking too much was one of them. It sure didn’t kill you, but Jesus, you suffered for days on end. Especially if you weren’t able to get clean blood into your system. Yup, alcohol poisoning f*****g sucked.

She sat her glass down with more force than she wanted. What the hell was she doing here? Treading her ground so carefully? Helping a f*****g human, no matter how damn sexy he was? This wasn’t like her. When had she changed her mind, and decided to become something she wasn’t? Some seeker of truth when she never had been before.

“You look lonely.” Jade lifted her eyes and slowly took in the man before her. He was good-looking, but he wasn’t Xander, and that thought instantly pissed her off.

“I’m not lonely. But you’re more than welcome to have a seat.” He smirked as he sat beside her.

“Benjamin.”

“What can I do for you, Benjamin?” She wasn’t about to introduce herself. If he was here, looking for her, seeking what she offered, he didn’t need to know a damn thing about her. That’s how she liked to keep things. Simple and in the end, no one got hurt.

“You caught my attention and I wanted to come say hi.” She lifted a brow, her fingers running around the rim of her glass as her eyes stayed focused on him.

“Is that so? That could be dangerous.”

“I know what you are, what most of you are.” Jade tilted her head, about ready to say something when someone spoke up.

“Scram.” She turned her attention, her lips lifting up. She wasn’t sure if the feeling she was having was annoyance or happiness. Neither were ones she wanted to focus on. Benjamin looked at her and she merely lifted a shoulder. “I said scram. No one said she was alone tonight. Go find another vampire to bug. This one is spoken for.”

“My apologies.” The guy left and Xander took his spot, turning to face her.

“Really?” Xander asked.

“Hey, you know I got to feed.”

“I’m well aware.” He crossed his arms and rested them on the table. “Is that why you’re here?” She finished the contents in her glass and shook her head.

“No, though it should be. Why are you here? You aren’t planning on seeking out another vampire to offer yourself up to, are you?” He smirked and she hated to admit how good that f*****g look was on him.

“No. I thought…,” he paused and ran his fingers through his hair. “I thought I maybe I could find something.”

“Something? Meaning what?’

“I don’t know, Jade. Something that would piece this all together? Something that wouldn’t put you in the line of fire, like I’m feeling you are.”

“While I appreciate the concern, it’s unwarranted.” Even she could feel the lie as she said it. It wasn’t unwarranted at all. And though she would never admit it out loud, she was glad that someone cared enough about her to want to look after her.

“Is it?” He c****d a brow, and she shook her head. With a split-second decision, she leaned closer, her lips by his ear.

“There are vampires here who aren’t fully loyal to the council. They won’t break rules, but they might be able to help a bit more.” She pulled back and he stared at her.

“Is that safe for you?”

“Nothing is safe for me, Xander. I’m already questioning everything. Though this isn’t safe for you. Vampires won’t kill you, but that doesn’t mean the council might not take matters into their own hands.”

“I owe no allegiance to them.”

“True,” she told him, leaning a little further away, her eyes going back to scanning the crowds, “but that doesn’t mean they won’t try to break you, let alone kill you. The council outdates your department by hundreds of years, don’t underestimate them. Just because they don’t act like they are in this century doesn’t mean they are dumb, or foolish.”

“Noted. I’ll make sure not to step on toes.” She chuckled, figuring he would say something like that. “Who are you looking for?”

“A man.”

“A man or a vampire?”

“A vampire,” she told him. “He’s older. Doesn’t like the council. More importantly, hates Winter. He’s never disclosed why, but I never pushed much to ask.”

“And you believe he would help you based on that?” She glanced at him and shrugged.

“No. I think he has secrets that need to be told and will tell me because of that. He holds no loyalty to me either. But he is dying to expose the council for something. So, I think he would be forthcoming for whatever I ask of him.”

“Do you really?” She rested her hand on his thigh, leaning closer again.

“I have to believe this, Xander. You really don’t understand that no one questions the council and gets away with it. No one believes they can do wrong.” She stared into his eyes, feeling that someone was at their table. She slowly pulled back again but this time, moved her hand from his thigh to his chest. “Samuel.”

“Jade.” The older vampire stared at her before looking at Xander.

“My bite slave, Xander.”

“The cop?”

“Yes,” she told him.

“Thought you wouldn’t have another one.”

“Well, we all need them. Glad you got my message and decided to join me.”

“Yes, well, Jasmine deserves a night out.” Jade took in the younger woman and smiled. She, of course, knew that Samuel’s bite slave was younger and that this was her scene. She had dug deep to gather her information to gain what she needed. “Jasmine, please get me a drink.” She nodded and went to do his bidding while he took a seat.

“Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me, Jade. I know what you’re asking about.” His voice was anything but friendly.

“Do you?” she questioned.

“Of course. Do you think we haven’t heard about the bodies showing up, impaled on ice?”

“It’s not been mentioned.” Samuel waved at the crowd behind him.

“Do you think these people would discuss it? They are too young to care about anything outside of their own world, not thinking for a minute that they could be the next one.” Jade tilted her head, feeling Xander flex beside her.

“Is there a reason they shouldn’t be?” he asked, and Samuel looked at him for a long moment before turning his attention back to Jade.

“It’s not wise to get involved with a cop and with their affairs. You know that, Jade. You run the risk of falling into something that you wouldn’t be able to dig your way out of, no matter how close you are to Winter.”

“I’m afraid I’ve already set my course on that road.”

“f**k,” Samuel cursed and shook his head. “Who do you think is doing these killings?” Jade shared a look with Xander who shrugged.

“A vampire,” she told him, and Samuel nodded.

“You might be right on that.” Samuel licked his lips, glanced behind him, and turned back to them. “When I was first turned, I remember my creator talking to some other vampire. Remember, I’m over five hundred years old, so this was a very long time ago and happened before I turned. But they were talking about strange killings. At that point in time, I lived in the northern regions of the world, where it was always cold.

“They were discussing how some recent vampires who couldn’t have been turned more than six months prior were dying. They were being murdered by being impaled on ice. The ice was cut into thinner spikes from large chunks of ice. These two men were concerned that all newbies were going to end up dying. They were afraid that some new law had been passed about turning others.

“Over the course of the next week, my creator packed up his house. All of his belongings he had shipped to his other home in the southern parts of what is now Mexico and what couldn’t go was to be sold. Then, the following night, we all boarded a ship and made our own way there. I hadn’t heard another peep of anything like that happening again until now.”

“So, you don’t know about this happening about two hundred years ago, when I turned?” Jade asked and Samuel shook his head.

“What I can tell you is that the cleaning is precise, so you know it’s not human. Not even a serial killer with a steady hand and unknown strength could pull something like this off. And that the killer is someone who knows who they are going after. Almost as if they are being told or summoned. Sort of like the headless horsemen.

“The only type of people, if you will, that have that type of power to control everything, is the council. It’s not random newbies this vampire hunter is going after. Otherwise, at any point in time, many of us would be dead. So, there is a reason. You just need to search for that reason. There are other vampires that would be willing to help you, I’m sure, Jade.”

“But?” she asked, regarding him carefully.

“Trust no one in this community.” He nodded his head to Xander. “Bite slave or not, that man by your side is your best protection. Believe me, if you’ve started down the road, you’ve been flagged. Trust no one.”