Exsanguination Read online

“We’ll see,” Vanessa sensed there was some hero worship in play.

  “What time is it?” Nikki asked.

  “About one o’clock,” Phillip responded.

  “So . . . what time in New York?”

  “About eight,” Vanessa cut in. “Why?”

  “Gotta tell the parents I’m staying. Might as well do it now and get the rough stuff out of the way,” she took out her phone and dialled.

  “Tough girl,” Vanessa whispered to Phillip with a grin.

  “Hi, mom?”

  “I’m doing great. Really great.”

  There was a pause.

  “No, I’ve left the God stuff behind. Vanessa deprogrammed me.”

  Another pause.

  “Yes, mom, you’re right. She’s an amazing woman,” she looked at Vanessa. “She literally saved my life.”

  Another pause.

  “Yes, mom. Uh, I have some other news for you. I’m going to stay with Phillip and Vanessa. I’m not coming home.”

  There was high pitched screeching from the phone.

  “Mom! You and dad can come and visit once or twice a year. It’s fine! They’ll take good care of me.”

  More screeching ensued. Nikki shrugged and turned the phone to her face.

  “I love you too, mom,” she said loudly and ended the call. She turned her mobile off.

  “You know she’s going to go batshit crazy,” Phillip remarked.

  “Yeah, well, what can I do?”

  “I’ll try to talk her down tomorrow, sweetie,” Vanessa reassured her.

  “Thanks,” Nikki smiled. “Hey, how long will I live? A long time, right?”

  “If you’re lucky and become skilled, you could live as long as me.”

  “How long is that?”

  Vanessa gave her a teasing smile. “I was turned over five thousand years ago.

  Nikki’s jaw dropped. “Get. Out. The. God. Damned. Door!”

  Phillip’s phone rang and he pulled it from his pocket. He sighed as he sent it to voicemail. “Guess who.”

  “So, should I avoid drunks and drug addicts? Because of the blood? I’ve seen a lot of TV and movies.”

  Vanessa nodded. “Absolutely.”

  “But, other than that, blood is all the same?”

  “Not quite. There’s one special kind that makes all the others taste rather generic. It’s the first thing that attracted me to your brother.”

  “What kind of blood does he have? A positive or something?” Nikki asked eagerly.

  “Virgin.”

  Phillip sighed. “You had to go there?”

  Vanessa shrugged and spread her hands. “She needs to know.”

  “Oh, poor dear brother! You’ve never had a piece of ass?”

  He gave her a sour look. “Like you have? If Antoine hadn’t gotten to you first, Vanessa would have had you.”

  “Really?” her head snapped around and she grinned dreamily at Vanessa, who nodded.

  “Aww, that is so sweet!” Nikki replied with a pixie-like smile, scrunching her nose.

  “Speaking of Antoine,” Phillip frowned, “what was that yelling about a council or some such thing?”

  “The Council of the Seven,” Vanessa responded. “The Council deals with problems within the vampire community in England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland. Disputes, policy-making and that sort of thing.”

  “So . . . seven vampires?”

  “Thus the seven.”

  “What? Are there regular meetings and such?”

  “Yes but I’m calling an emergency meeting for tomorrow night. What Antoine did had the potential to put the whole community at risk. Whether it was Nikki or not, if there was a death due to his actions, it would have gotten the attention of the authorities and a body drained of its blood would have raised eyebrows with humans.”

  “Yeah,” Nikki sighed. “I imagine it would.”

  “So, are you on this Council?” Phillip asked.

  Vanessa stared at him for a moment. “I’m the head of it. I make the decisions but the council exists to advise me. My gut wants to take off Antoine’s head but my mind says that’s a stiff penalty for showing weakness.”

  “I doubt that it was malicious,” Phillip commented, shaking his head.

  “I agree.”

  “I’d like to think it worked out for the best,” Nikki grinned happily.

  “So, seeing as how the dynamics of the household have changed, when are you going to turn me?” Phillip asked Vanessa.

  “Ha! Kill the goose that lays the golden eggs? You’re mad, darling.”

  “You just love me for my blood.”

  “Not true in the least. It’s just a side benefit. Besides, you want to change into something that must bleed people on a regular basis? Tell the truth. You’d hate that.”

  Phillip sighed. She was right. He’d be deeply troubled by having to do that.

  “Besides, if I turned you, you know what you’d taste like if a vampire were to snack on you?”

  “Something different?” he shrugged.

  “Nothing. And you’d have the pain of the fangs and then no pleasure at all so count yourself lucky,” she tilted her head. “On the upside, another vampire would smell you out immediately and wouldn’t be at all interested in snacking on you. To a vampire, the blood of another is just pretty much unappealing.”

  “So, where am I snacking tomorrow night?” Nikki piped up.

  “Not The Broken Fang, that’s for sure. I’ll pick another Goth bar. It’s going to be a lot easier for you, I think, if your food is willing and eager.”

  “Eager?”

  Vanessa nodded. “There are people out there who enjoy the idea of being what they believe are victims of vampiric attention, so to speak. Thankfully for us, there are a goodly number of young people who like to indulge in that sort of fantasy. It appeals to their dream worlds. That said, it’s very important to use your hypnotic abilities to ensure that they don’t remember who afforded them the experience.”

  “I have hypnotic abilities?”

  “You do. I just need to show you how to access them.”

  “Remember the exquisite pleasure you felt when Antoine was feeding?”

  “God, how could I forget?”

  “You give someone that and they’ll remember it and your face. They will hunt you to the ends of the earth to have it again and again.”

  “Why don’t I find one I like and kind of keep them as a pet?”

  “Because you don’t have the experience or restraint you need to keep that from blowing up in your face. I’m serious,” Vanessa levelled a finger at her, “you take your cues from me.”

  “You’re right,” she nodded, “but if I come across a virgin, that’s it!”

  Vanessa took out her mobile. “Excuse me while I arrange a meeting of the Council tomorrow night,” she stood and left the room as she dialled.

  “So,” Nikki looked at her brother, “how often does she . . .?” she tapped the side of her neck.

  “Every night,” he nodded. “She switches sides and the wounds seem to heal pretty quickly but there’s still some small amount of scarring. It’s not a big deal.”

  “Wow, you must be pretty contented.

  He laughed softly. “Yeah, I guess you could say that I am. When her fangs go in, it hurts like hell but it’s quickly forgotten. Worth every bit of it. Life takes funny turns, doesn’t it?”

  “You can say that again. God, can you imagine? Vanessa’s five thousand years old. I wonder if that’s not a record or something.”

  “Want to call Guinness?”

  Nikki laughed.

  “You’re going to get strong, you know.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I mean strong. Vanessa held my wrists above my head on one occasion with one hand and I couldn’t break away no matter how hard I tried. Watch this,” he got up, went to the wall and threw a switch.

  The room was plunged into darkness.

  “Can you see me?”

>   “Of course I can see you. Oh, wait! You turned off the lights!”

  “Yep. The room is totally dark. I can’t see my hand in front of my face,” he switched the lights back on.

  “Damn! This has got all sorts of great side effects!”

  “Like all wondrous talents, there’s a price. Sunlight can be a real problem if you aren’t prepared for it, you have to drink blood just about every night and, if your nature becomes known, you’ll probably be hunted down. That’s why discretion is a paramount concern.”

  “I’m starting to realize that I have to take this very seriously. That it’s not all just fun and games.”

  “I want you to promise me that you won’t take any unnecessary risks.”

  “I promise,” she nodded, her face serious.

  Vanessa walked back into the room. “Well, it’s all set up for tomorrow night at midnight. That will give them all a chance to feed.”

  “Can I listen in? I was the victim,” Nikki queried.

  “Absolutely. You’ll be in attendance as a guest – a witness of sorts.”

  “How about me?” Phillip asked.

  Vanessa shook her head. “Not to put too fine a point on it, darling, but you’re food. A human virgin in a closed room with eight vampires? Not a one of them would be able to think coherently. Everyone would want a shot at you and I don’t share.”

  “So nice to be thought of as a person,” Phillip sighed.

  Vanessa hugged him. “Oh, darling, you know how much I care for you.”

  He smiled grudgingly.

  “So, can I jump like out of a third story window and not splatter?” Nikki asked.

  Vanessa smiled indulgently. “Little one, you can jump from the top of Saint Paul’s Cathedral and land comfortably on your feet.”

  “Wow! That is ever so cool!”

  “Can I use you to help your sister explore some of her talents?” Vanessa asked Phillip.

  “Like what?” he eyed her with suspicion.

  “Hypnosis. It’s a natural ability but she needs to learn how to actually use it.”

  Vanessa whispered in Nikki’s ear for a moment and then spoke. “Go ahead.”

  Nikki looked at her brother and put her index finger between her eyes. “Look here.”

  Phillip stared at her. A moment later, he heard her again. “Wake up, Phillip.”

  “Very good, Nikki!” Vanessa smiled and then winked at Phillip. “Carefully take the glass off your head, darling.”

  He reached up. Sure enough, there was a wine glass balanced on his head! “How?”

  Vanessa grinned. “You were hypnotized – unaware of what was happening and completely open to suggestion.”

  “Christ! Did you ever do that to me?”

  “No, I never needed to. You were taken by me from the start – fascinated by my natural intelligence, wisdom, and beauty,” she tossed her hair with a flourish and grinned.

  “Well, fascinated or not,” he stood up, “my stomach is growling. I’m going to grab a bite from the kitchen.

  “Then we can go to bed and I can grab a bite.”

  “Mmm,” Phillip smiled.

  “I’ll tell you what. On your fortieth birthday, I’ll turn you and then, you know what?”

  “What?”

  “We’ll finally have sex.”

  “In only fifteen or so years? Wow!” Phillip drawled sarcastically as he headed for the kitchen.

  “What is it that makes virgin blood so much tastier?” Nikki mused out loud.

  “No one really knows,” Vanessa replied.

  Nikki frowned. “How about age? Does the age of the person seem to change the euphoric effect of the blood?”

  “Well, if they’re pre-pubescent, virginity doesn’t seem to enter into it at all,” she shrugged.

  “Wait! You’ve fed off of prepubescent kids?”

  Vanessa shrugged. “On occasion. That said, I’ve never killed one. I actually have a soft spot for human children and I mean that in the nicest possible way.”

  “Does Phil’s blood always have the same effect on you or is it more intense at some times more than others?”

  Vanessa sat, thinking, tapping her lips with a finger as she frowned. “You know? Now that you mention it, there are times when his blood has a greater impact.”

  “Think, Vanessa, what was different about those times? What might have caused the changes?”

  She shook her head and sighed. “Be damned if I know. I can’t recall anything different about those occasions.”

  Phillip returned to the drawing room and sat down with his sandwich. Nikki watched him.

  “Hey, Phil.”

  “Mmm?”

  “Do you wank? You know. Wack off?”

  He almost spat out the bite of food. “What? That’s none of your damned business, Nikki!”

  His sister’s expression changed to one of ‘well, so much for that theory’.

  “Answer her, Phillip,” Vanessa’s voice was smooth but insistent.

  “I . . . what do you need to know that for? Christ, Nikki! You’re my sister!”

  “Phillip.”

  He turned to look at Vanessa.

  “Answer her,” there was a tone of warning in her voice.

  “Well, what if I do?” he seemed slightly outraged at being pushed to confess. “It’s normal! Especially when one is not getting any!” he glared at Vanessa.

  “You know something?” Vanessa cocked her head as she spoke to Nikki. A few years ago I was carrying on with a man who was into something he called ‘edging’.”

  “Huh?” Nikki raised her eyebrows.

  Vanessa nodded. “He used to like to be taken right up to the brink of orgasm and then stopped.”

  “Sounds like a recipe for blue balls,” Phillip added to the conversation.

  “The thing of it is, now I do recall that it was changing the flavour and effects of his blood,” she paused. “Are you suggesting that it’s possible to get an equivalent effect on the blood by simulating virginity?”

  Nikki shrugged. “No idea but it might be worth investigating. We certainly have the time.”

  “Indeed,” Vanessa responded thoughtfully.

  “Well, I refuse to be a subject of this bizarre experiment. Despite my circumstances, I’m still, technically, a virgin.”

  “Can I talk with you alone for a minute?” Nikki looked at Vanessa with concern.

  She nodded. “Of course.”

  “Are you alright?” Phillip called as they walked away.

  “Fine,” Nikki tossed back over her shoulder.

  When they were out of earshot of Phillip, Vanessa spoke. “You’re seeing things or having memories that don’t belong to you?” “Yeah! How did you know? What’s causing it?” Nikki started to become agitated.

  “Calm yourself,” Vanessa took a deep breath. “When I brought you back, I did so by letting you drink my blood. When you did, you absorbed my memories in the process. It’s normal. You may be shocked at what you see in the oldest ones.”

  “Some of them are horrible! What was done to vampires!”

  Vanessa nodded. “You’ll find they don’t become less vivid with the passage of time.”

  Nikki squinted a moment and her hand went up to her mouth. “Oh, my God!” she exclaimed hoarsely. Vanessa put her arm around the distraught girl’s shoulder. She could sense a kind of emotional smouldering.

  VII

  The Council advised that, should Antoine ever come out of hiding, he should get a good dressing down for his irresponsible actions with Nikki. Vanessa offered her promise to not rip his head from his body at the first opportunity. Antoine, while a member of the council, was conspicuous in his absence on this occasion.

  The second subject to be broached was the matter of a migration of feral vampires coming out of the Balkans. The Strigoi were seen by the more human looking species of vampires as a plague on the world. Vanessa decided to put off the decision regarding their disposition.

  On the way to
a club called ‘Bloodworx,’ following the meeting, Vanessa shared what transpired in the council meeting with Phillip. Nikki was already up to speed, having been on hand for the short meeting.

  “So, you have these savages making their way in this direction and you’ve decided to do absolutely nothing?” Phillip asked.

  “Put off for the time being,” Vanessa shrugged and then turned to Nikki. “Once we get inside, I’ll spread the word that you’re looking for a steady meal - an every nighter – a possible live-in,” she wagged her finger, “but not a virgin. We need to start that way and see if your possible experiment yields results.”

  “What experiment?”

  “Keeping one on tap and edging him?”

  “I’m starting to get the feeling that, while they’re pretty much aware of goings on, the authorities tend to look the other way when it comes to our activities. Would that be accurate?” Phillip reflected out loud as then entered the club.

  Vanessa smiled and indicated a sturdy-looking woman with dark brown hair at the end of the bar. “That would be Constable Daniels,” she waved at the woman who returned the greeting with a smile, displaying oversized canines.

  “Ah, I see.”

  “Be a dear and get me a drink, darling. I’m going to pursue our aim of acquiring a subject for Nikki’s experiment,” Vanessa kissed his cheek and walked away.

  It didn’t take long before she had corralled an agreeable young man for the project. He claimed to be rather new at the whole Goth scene and especially so with regard to vampires. She had the feeling that he didn’t really know what he was getting himself into but he seemed quite excited at the prospect of being bitten by an honest to goodness vampire.

  After filling him in on all of the details of the experiment, he agreed.

  “Quite the adventurous fellow, aren’t you?” Vanessa smiled as he nodded eagerly with a wide smile. She looked about the room until she spotted Nikki. Resting a firm hand on the back of the man’s neck, she guided him in Nikki’s direction.

  “Nikki!” she raised her voice. “This is Joe. He’s agreed to help us out with our project.”

  Nikki grinned at him. He couldn’t be more than twenty-two or twenty-three – her own age. “Hi, Joe!”

  “Hi!” he seemed to be unable to stop smiling. “So, you’re the one who’s going to bite me?”