“So this friend of yours we’re going to meet, what’s his name?” I shifted in my seat, trying to adjust my rather damp underwear, and looked up to see Alex grinning at me. “Watch the road, sunshine.”
He turned his gaze forward, still grinning. “His name is Lucas Mitchell. His office is in the centre of the city, but I think we’ll check in at the hotel first and freshen up a little. I could do with a shower.”
I glared at him, but his smile didn’t falter at all, and I sighed in frustration before looking out of the window. “How do you know Lucas?”
“I did some hacking work for him a while back.”
“Really? What did you hack?” I turned to look at him, noticing his smile had faded and the serious expression was back.
“Hospitals,” he answered, not looking at me.
“Why hospitals? Seems like a strange thing to hack into.”
He sighed. “It was a few years ago. I was going through a depressive patch in my life and I left Amadi, left the Concordia. I wandered between cities for a while. To be honest, I was trying to end it. I stopped feeding, avoided humans, and kept to myself. Anyway, one night I got involved in this fight. This guy was getting the absolute shit kicked out of him by four other guys, and I figured I’d either help the guy out or get myself killed. At the time I didn’t care which.” He glanced over at me, and I gave him a small smile, trying not to show how upsetting it was hearing Alex talking about wanting to die. “We managed to fight them off, but the guy was not in good shape. Turned out he was like me and he’d lost a lot of blood. I didn’t know what to do, but I couldn’t just let him die.”
“What did you do?” I questioned, not sure I wanted to know. “Did you kill someone?”
His eyes darted over to mine in shock. “No. God, no. No, I broke into a nearby office and used a computer to hack into the hospital database. I used it to track down the next blood donation delivery, and I robbed the guy on the bike for the blood packets.”
I settled back against the seat of the car in relief. “Wow, for a moment there…”
He looked at me again. “Did you really think I would have murdered a human being to save a vampire?”
“Well, no, not really. It’s just, you seem to feel so guilty over the whole thing, and you’re always so afraid of losing control around me, so I thought maybe…”
He shook his head. “No, I just… I always wondered. I never looked to check if that blood was going anywhere, if it was needed. Maybe I did kill someone by taking something that would have saved their life. I don’t know. I’ll never know.”
I didn’t know what to say to him. I was a few months into this new world, and my head was still spinning. Back when life had been simple, back when I’d been normal, it had been much easier to know what was right and what was wrong. Now, though, everything was twisted up and all I could do was be there for this incredible man when he needed me. It felt strange, being needed by someone, and I still struggled with the idea that these four gorgeous men wanted me around, wanted to be with me. I had told Cas I loved him before we left, and I did, with all my heart, except it was starting to occur to me that someone’s heart could belong to several people and that you didn’t love the first person any less because you loved someone else too.
I laid my hand on his arm, and he turned to smile at me.
“Don’t worry, it wasn’t long afterwards when Amadi tracked me down, and after knocking some sense into me, he brought me home.” He looked back at the road. “I saved Lucas’s life that night, and he told me if I ever needed anything, he’d do what he could to help. I never wanted to take him up on it. I thought returning here would remind me, torment me, about the past and that dark time, and that’s why I wanted you to come.” His hand dropped to my knee, squeezing gently. “You’re my own personal ray of sunshine.”
I laughed, blushing at the same time. “I don’t know about sunshine!”
“Maybe not sunshine. You light up the dark, but you don’t burn the monsters inside. Maybe you’re just hellfire?” I looked over at him and saw his grin was back.
I returned it. “Flammable and out of control? Yeah, that sounds closer to the truth!”
*
A few hours later, Alex and I checked into a rather nice hotel, showered, and changed. The shower took some time and then needed to be repeated after I emerged wearing a fairly short towel, which Alex had been very appreciative of.
Now, we stood smartly dressed in front of a towering steel building where Lucas Mitchell’s office was located. Apparently biker jackets weren’t really what you wore to see a businessman, even if he was a vampire, so I had grudgingly borrowed a black suit jacket from Alex. With his slim build and a belt around my waist, it looked quite smart over my jeans, though Alex hadn’t been impressed when I’d left my bra off—the lapels darted down between my breasts rather nicely. He turned to me, his eyes automatically drifting downwards.
“What?” I asked, knowing full well what.
He shook his head. “Good thing Euriel isn’t here,” he muttered, taking my hand and slipping it under his arm. “He’d have a bloody aneurysm!”
I grinned and followed him through the tinted glass doors. Leading me through the grey marble foyer, Alex called for the elevator and pushed the button for the top floor. As we stood on the deep pile cream carpet, I glanced over at his serious profile and grinned.
“What?” Alex looked down at his suit. “Have I got something on me?”
“No, I was just remembering that movie, you know, the one where they’re in the lift and the guy pushes the girl back against the wall and pins her hands over her head…” I trailed off as he just stared at me. “You didn’t see it?”
“No, I don’t think so. Pinned her hands above her head, you say?”
I nodded. “Yeah, then he kissed her. Oh, and there’s another scene later on in the sequel where he puts his hand up her skirt when there are others in the lift with them. The posh elevator reminded me of it.”
Alex nodded slowly then turned to face the front of the elevator. “Sounds interesting. You’re not wearing a skirt though.”
“No, I’m not.”
The lights dinged quietly as we rose, and the monotonous music trilled in the background. Suddenly, using his freaky vampiric speed, Alex turned and pushed me back against the mirrored wall. His slender fingers grabbed my wrists and dragged them up above my head so I was on my tiptoes, relying completely on his strength to keep me from overbalancing. I gasped in surprise, and he leaned in so that he was barely brushing my lips with his as he spoke.
“Was this what you meant?” he murmured, bringing his free hand up to stroke my cheek.
“Something… like this, yes…” I managed to get out. He bent his head and kissed me. Not hard and fast, like I had come to expect from him, but slowly, tantalising me in a way that sent shivers all over my skin and a dart of searing heat to my pussy. His sharp teeth brushed over my lips, his tongue dancing with my own, and by the time he released me, my knees were trembling and my breathing was unsteady.
He turned back to face the front of the lift just as the doors slid open. “Hmm, I can see the attraction. Maybe I should watch the movie.” Taking my hand before I could answer, he led me into the reception area in front of Lucas Mitchell’s office. A little wobbly, I followed him to the dark desk opposite.
The grey marble floor continued on this level, its polished surface reflecting the dark shapes of the furniture, but the walls were covered in sleek pale wood panels.
“Very swanky,” I muttered to myself.
I was fairly impressed at the luxury of the place. It was extremely masculine, however, the secretary in front of us wasn’t your typical skinny blonde. Her black hair was caught back in an elegant French twist, and her pale grey suit fit her as well as her surroundings. She picked up the phone to call in our presence, and Alex leaned in closer to me, whispering in my ear.
“The other thing I meant to tell you is that Lucas happens to be near the top of an organisation called the Ruby Serpent Syndicate.”
“Is that a jewellery company?”
Alex smiled. “No, it’s a rather large, organised crime group. The attack I saved him from was actually an assassination attempt by a rival family.” My mouth dropped open. “Exactly, so let’s not piss him off. Oh, and the most important thing you need to remember is that—”
“Mr. Makarov, Ms. Matthews, Mr. Mitchell will see you now.” The secretary put the phone down and smiled up at us. I noticed her teeth were normal and she wasn’t giving off any of the pale immortal vibes. We moved towards the large double doors that slid open as we approached.
“They have humans working here. Isn’t that dangerous?” I whispered to Alex.
“Some humans get off on the high they get from being fed, and with so many vampires working under one roof, there needs to be a lot of human employees,” he murmured as we walked into the office.
“This is true, but in Ms. Feather’s case, she is merely an exceptional personal assistant. I would be loath to feed from her. If I were to lose control, she would be incredibly difficult to replace.” A tall, dark-haired man moved from an opening in the wall as one of the wooden panels slid sideways. Lucas Mitchell, I presumed. I could see what the attraction would be if there were women and men lining up to be fed on by Lucas Mitchell. Tall, dark, and, well, sleek-looking, he was gorgeous—and apparently bisexual. He gave Alex and me the same slow, seductive appraisal, missing no detail. It made me slightly uncomfortable, but at the same, a little turned on, especially after Alex’s kiss in the elevator.
“Alexei, it’s been too long. I thought you would have been back to visit me before now.” His voice was smooth, like bourbon, and I saw Alex swallow at the sound.
“Thank you for allowing us a meeting at such short notice. I really appreciate it. May I introduce my… Faith Matthews. She works with me at the Concordia.”
Lucas took my hand, brushing his cool lips over my knuckles. “Lucas Mitchell. Lovely to meet you, Faith.” He released my hand and looked over at Alex. “Not a problem. After what you did for me, it’s the least I can do. Won’t you both have a seat?” He looked at me, his eyes not deviating once from my face despite the fact they had lingered on my plunging neckline before. He had decent self-control I wouldn’t have expected from a human male, let alone a vampire. It suddenly struck me that exposing a lot of skin around my throat probably hadn’t been the best idea when entering a skyscraper full of the bloodsucking undead.
Lucas gave me a dark smile and gestured for us to sit down at a seating area over to one side of his sprawling office. The black leather tub chairs were soft and buttery, and I just wanted to sink into one, but I remembered Alex’s warning about this guy and perched on the end.
“Drinks all around, I think.” He pressed a button on the edge of the glass and steel coffee table, and mere moments later, the doors slid open and a blonde woman entered carrying a silver tray which she set on the table in front of us. Three tall glasses stood on the tray. One held what looked like champagne, while the other two held blood. Smiling at Lucas to conceal my unease at the situation, I leaned forward and took the glass of champagne.
“Now then, Alexei, you said on the phone you needed some information about a sensitive subject. You have piqued my interest. What do you need information on?”
Alex leaned forward and took one of the remaining glasses. He swirled the blood around like some kind of elite wine taster before taking a drink. I watched Lucas as his intense gaze fixed on Alex’s mouth as his tongue darted out to catch the blood that tinged his lips. Hmmm, it looked like Lucas was being so cooperative for reasons other than a simple debt. The thought riled me, and I slid my hand onto Alex’s knee, squeezing gently. Lucas’s eyes met mine, twinkling with amusement and something darker, and I smiled in response, refusing to back down. Dark, penetrating stares didn’t bother me. I’d looked into the eyes of the Queen of Hell herself, so vampire mafia did zero for me threats wise. Nice try though.
Alex entwined his fingers through mine, seemingly oblivious to the undercurrent, and set his glass back down on the tray. “Exquisite. Thank you, Lucas. We’re looking for information on a rather secretive vampire cult, and I wondered if you might have any knowledge of something like that.”
Lucas cocked his head to one side. “A cult? Any particular one? Modern or ancient? Narrow it down for me, Alexei. We vampires do tend to get rather obsessive about our… passions.” His eyes slid sideways to me, and he smiled coldly.
“Ancient, definitely. Probably originating in the Middle East and focusing on biblical mythology or, at least, stuff that may have been left out of the Bible.”
Lucas leaned back in his chair, bringing his ankle up to rest across one knee. “Sounds like you’re after the Order of Lizpha. Now why would you be having anything to do with them?”
“We think they may have knowledge about a particular person we’re trying to track down. What can you tell me?” Alex took another drink out of his glass.
I sipped my champagne, trying to ignore Lucas eyeing up my boyfriend. Well, sort of boyfriend or whatever we were, considering I was sharing him with his gay lover and I was romantically involved with two other men. Urgh. The bubbles reached my tongue, and I blinked in surprise at how good it tasted. Wow, if this was the lifestyle of a millionaire vampire mafia businessman, then sign me up.
I lowered the glass to find Lucas looking at me with a strange smile on his face. “Do you approve of the champagne?”
I nodded, suddenly shy for some weird reason. “Yeah, it’s gorgeous.”
His smile widened. It was kind of like being smiled at by a rather charming crocodile. “I’ll send you a case.” He looked back over to Alex. “I’m afraid I don’t have much information to give you that you don’t already know. They’re an ancient organisation devoted to the worship of Lizpha, Father of the Dead.”
“Who’s Lizpha?” I ask. “Was he some kind of demon?”
Lucas shook his head. “No, well, at least I don’t think so. As I understand it, all demons originate from the children of Lilith or fallen angels. Lizpha was the son of Cain and his twin sister, well, one of his sons anyway.” I glanced at Alex at the mention of Cain then looked back at Lucas. “Cain, as in murdered his brother Cain? I didn’t know he had a twin sister or that he had kids.”
Lucas smiled. “Well, they like to leave as many women out of the Good Book as possible. Rumour has it both Cain and Abel had twin sisters and their father, Adam, decided they would marry each other’s twin. Cain wasn’t happy with this, as he loved his twin beyond anything, and when he refused, Abel became angry. Cain appealed to God to let him keep his twin for his wife, but God refused. Abel came to claim his wife, and I don’t think she went willingly. Cain grew angry, and they fought. He killed his brother to protect his sister, but that didn’t matter. He was cursed by God for defying him. Cain was a farmer of crops, and when Abel’s blood ran into the earth, God swore the earth would never yield crops to Cain again. They would rise stunted, poisoned, twisted, or fail completely. He would wander the earth, never to settle anywhere.”
“Wow, that’s really harsh. All that just for defending the woman he loved?”
Lucas’s smile softened. “Isn’t it always love that condemns us to our doom?”
“So what happened to him, to Cain? I’m assuming he took his sister with him if he had children,” Alex asked, setting down his empty glass.
Lucas nodded. “I’m not sure whether he took her with him or whether he returned to her later. I’ve heard he wandered alone for a long time. Whenever he reunited with her, they had children, four sons and two daughters. Determined not to let his wandering curse affect his children, he founded a city with his eldest son, Enoch, and many people went to live there. For a while, it seemed as though his curse was lifted. The city did well and prospered.”
“I’m thinking it didn’t stay that way,” I said dryly.
Lucas shook his head and picked up his own glass. He swirled it around gently, much like Alex had, and stared into the crimson liquid, his expression distant. “One of Cain’s sons, Lizpha, appeared to have inherited his father’s curse. Born during a storm that brought darkness for three days and nights, he was not like his siblings. As he grew, he would eat nothing but raw meat, and once he was an adult, nothing would sustain him but blood. He hunted in the city his brother had built, killing and draining blood to survive. Cain loved his son, but hated what he had become, so he and Enoch built a dwelling far below the city, deep in the earth, where Lizpha could be contained, bringing him animals to slaughter and drain, but Lizpha learnt of a way to escape each night without his father and brother finding out.”
Lucas’s eyes met mine over the rim of his glass as he took a sip. “Lizpha met a woman. He was completely infatuated with her and could think of nothing else. Cain forbade their union, but Lizpha disobeyed him and abducted her from her family, marrying her in secret. A happy ending, you might think, but on their wedding night, in his lust, he could not resist the temptation to feed from her, and he drained her to the point of death.”
“Oh no,” I breathed, leaning forward. “Did he kill her?”
“He was distraught by what he had done. Prepared to give his own life to save hers, he slit his wrist and fed her from his vein, desperately trying to return what he had taken. He collapsed next to her, unconscious, and by the next evening, she awoke as a monster just like him. Lizpha was elated. When Cain discovered them together, Lizpha told him the curse was a gift, and that he and his love would create a race of people like themselves, blessed with the strength of the angels. Cain was horrified and tried to stop them from leaving. He fought with his son, and the building collapsed around them with the fury of their battle. Lizpha and his wife escaped into the darkness, leaving Cain trapped below. It’s believed he is still there, unable to die, trapped in the darkness forever.”
Silence followed Lucas’s last words as Alex and I tried to figure out what this meant for us. I drained the last of the champagne, already feeling the heady effects on an empty stomach.
“The city,” Alex said suddenly. “Do you know its name?”
Lucas shrugged. “Its ancient name was Eridu, that much I know. But I don’t know if it was buried over time or if it now forms the base of a modern city. I couldn’t even tell you what country it’s supposed to be in. I only know the story because I became fascinated with our origins when I was turned.”
I frowned, and he saw me. “You think I’m lying?”
“Oh… no. I was just thinking you seem more like the practical, go-getter type. I didn’t have you pegged as someone who would be interested in ancient history.”
He smiled, his sharp teeth clearly visible, and I shuddered. “One thing I learnt very quickly in this life, Faith, is that knowledge is power, and power is survival. Remember that.”
