"We want to see the-Oh, awesome!" They headed straight to the vampire mural Flo had painted on one wall. Art students. I could hear them analyze the technique and compare it to the original Edvard Munch pieces it was based on. When one of them pulled out a cell phone and started snapping pictures, I shuddered. Had they looked at me strangely when they came in? One of them was texting, and I ran to see if I had any new messages.
I had two. The first was from a friend in Las Vegas, and I sagged in relief. The second made my stomach hurt again. I was about to start ripping out art-student throats when I realized this text had come in an hour ago and I had just forgotten to check. First the video. I ran it twice, hating the way it zoomed in on my face as I pulled back from Lucky's wrist, fangs dripping blood. No doubt about it. Glory was a vampire.
"IF U DON'T WANT 2 C THIS ON TV, PAY $500. I SAW U, VAMPIRE."
I leaned against the counter and slapped the phone shut. So the blackmailer hadn't picked up the money yet. Would five hundred dollars be enough, or was it just a down payment? I was afraid I already knew the answer to that. It wouldn't even pay for the flatscreen HDTV Valdez wanted for Christmas. And wouldn't the video look a treat on that?
I put my head in my hands. If I were still in Vegas, I could take my dog and disappear into the night, leaving the blackmailer holding an empty envelope. But I was established here, a member of the vampire community. I didn't want to leave. If I stayed and was outed as a vamp though, every vampire in Austin would be at risk. Blade, Flo, Damian; people with deep roots in the community might have to move on. Damn it, I'd hate to leave, and I sure as hell didn't want to ruin things for all the people I'd grown to love here.
"Glory, can you come here?" Brittany stuck her head out the door of the back room again. "Valdez, Lucky and I will cover the front."
"Lucky stays with me. You want to tell me about that crash?" I whispered as I grabbed Lucky's arm. She had a gleam in her eyes that promised art students on duck parade if I didn't keep her with me.
"Etienne gave Derek some upsetting news. I guess Derek's partner, Freddy, is related to an Energy Vampire."
"Yes, I know that, so does Derek. So what got Derek worked up?" I love Freddy, love Freddy's mother, who had had the bad taste and worse luck to have made a child with Simon Destiny, the king of the EVs. Pathetic, isn't it? A cult of vampires with a freakin' monarchy. But don't let the cheesy title fool you. They are dangerous as hell, and I'm on their shit list big-time. Neither Freddy nor his mother wanted anything to do with Daddy Dearest.
"Etienne swears he saw Freddy out there. At the EV compound. That there was a big father and son reunion. Back-slapping. Like that. Derek told Etienne to shut up with a right to the jaw. But you can ask him about it yourself." Brittany shoved me into the back room and slammed the door before Valdez could get inside.
"That woman is . . ."
"Bossy?" Etienne dabbed his bloody lip with a paper towel. In true vampire fashion, his leg had stopped bleeding, but his dirty pants were shredded below the knee.
"She's just tough. Bodyguards have to be."
I ignored Lucky's comment. It didn't take mind reading to see that Derek was ready to take another swing at Etienne. He paced the small room, his hands fisted.
"Derek, what Brittany said, about Freddy . . ."
"I don't believe this guy." He grabbed Etienne's shirt and shook him. "You got any proof?"
"Of course. I've been around a long time, my friend. Many vampires lie to stay alive. As do I." He reached into his pants pocket, and I thought Derek was going to go ballistic.
"Wait." I grabbed Derek's arm. "What are you going for, Etienne?" I doubted it was a weapon or this guy would have pulled it when Valdez had made him the taste du jour.
"My cell phone. I have pictures." Etienne waited until Derek stepped back. "I didn't know you were friendly with these people. I was just telling Brittany about the EVs and who I met out there. She's helping Lucky track down people who owe money, she said. If I can earn some fees by helping her, I will." Etienne flipped open his phone and punched in some commands. "Then this one goes crazy. Calling me a liar." He licked his lip and seemed to relish the taste of his own blood. "Hitting me."
"Freddy hates his father. He would never go out there willingly. Maybe Simon threatened CiCi if he didn't come." Derek sounded like he was trying to convince himself. Freddy was very close to his mother, but why would he sneak out there without telling his partner? The guys had been together for decades.
"Here, see for yourself." Etienne handed me the phone, but Derek snatched it out of my hands. He groaned then scrolled through some more pictures.
"I can't believe it. Why would he do this?" Derek handed me the phone, his lips trembling. I saw for myself Freddy and Simon sharing a smile over some book they were reading. The EV torture manual? Then Greg Kaplan was in the picture. He was obviously out of favor with the king, relegated to sitting on the floor while the great one preached from a pulpit. Even more disturbing was our dear friend Freddy by his father's side. I felt sick to my stomach, and my hand shook as I held the phone for a moment.
"Nice phone." I looked him over. "Kind of surprising really."
"One of the few things I managed to keep." Etienne reached for it.
"Not so fast." I put it behind me. "You ever text?"
He looked genuinely confused and shook his head. "What kind of test? I swear I am just telling what I saw." I probed his mind, but he was blocking me. No surprise there. I scrolled through the menu but got zip, not even any stored phone numbers. What did I expect? A video marked "Vampire Blackmail"? Of course I'm not exactly a technological whiz kid, and I couldn't tell the rest of the gang in the back room what I was looking for.
"I know why Greg hates me, Etienne, but what do you have against him?"
"He lured me out to that EV place. If you've been there, you know it looks like a temple. Gold dome. A holy place. I was excited. Promises were made in exchange for money." Etienne stared at his phone, and I finally handed it over.
"So did you go for the Vampire Viagra?" I glanced at Derek. He'd calmed down enough to pay attention to the conversation.
"Vampire Viagra?" Lucky was wide-eyed. "I thought vampire men were all super studs."
"We are." Etienne winked at her. "Of course I have no need for their drugs. And make no mistake, their Vampire Viagra is not for the same purpose as for mortals. Men and women vampires seek it out because it enhances pleasure. I tried it. What about you, Glory?"
Nothing like being put on the spot and, if I pleaded the Fifth, I didn't doubt Lucky would hound me until I told her anyway.
"I had it slipped into my Fangtastic. It's powerful stuff, but I didn't like the loss of control. It's like you're on sex hyperdrive. For hours."
"Ooo." Lucky apparently found nothing wrong with that.
"For myself, I prefer to take my time." Etienne managed to look very knowledgeable.
"Ahh." Lucky swung her focus to him.
"But there is something else the EVs have there. This special room." Etienne got a faraway look in his eyes. "It's like being in the sun again. I have always missed it. The sunlight. Seven hundred and fifty-two years and I haven't felt the sun on my face." He actually got a little teary. "Until I sat in that room."
Wow. I won't lie and say sunlight wouldn't do it for me. Even night owls in mortal life eventually develop a craving for the normalcy of being out during the day. Forget the Vampire Viagra, the EVs' main moneymaker. I'd accidentally tried it and didn't like it one damned bit. Well, maybe a little damned bit. Anyway, sunlight. Hmm. To loll around on a topless beach with Blade . . .
"How do they do it? Sun lamps?" I almost hoped that was it. Cheesy imitation sunlight. No big deal.
"No, they have a demon who makes it possible for them to manufacture all their special products. This one allows a vampire to stay awake during the day and, as long as he's in this room they have, the sun can't hurt him"-he smiled at Lucky-"or her. It's magical."
"Interesting." Lucky moved closer to Etienne. "I hate to waste my days."
"Forget it, lovely lady." Etienne smiled sadly. "It costs too much. I had to give them my power for visits to that room. They drained me until I can no longer read minds or shape-shift. I can barely heal myself." He walked over to the large table next to the wall.
"Look." He tried to pick up one end, but, even with his muscles bulging and his face red with strain, he only managed to lift it a few inches.
"I don't believe you." Derek walked over to the table. "Oh, gosh, so damned heavy." He casually picked it up with one hand. "And I sure don't believe Freddy is really tight with his father. He must have gone out there to spy for us." He dropped the table with a thump. "He loves you, Glory. We consider you part of our family and he knows they're going to want revenge for what you pulled out there recently. You humiliated Simon. And we want the Energy Vampires out of Austin. Maybe Freddy's pretending-"
"Sure. Got to be it. I love you guys too. But I wouldn't want Freddy to risk his life for me. We need to find out why he went out there, Derek." I prayed that was it. Freddy's been a true friend for centuries. Funny how I suddenly had all kinds of doubts about that though. But in all the years I'd known Freddy and his mother, they'd never shared the tiny little fact that his father is the numero uno servant of a demon until less than a month ago.
"I'm going home, Glory. I've got to find out what's going on with Freddy. You can handle the shop now, right? Until Lacy comes in?"
"Sure, Derek, got it covered." I glanced at Etienne. He'd collapsed in the room's only chair. Lucky was busy lifting that table, laughing when she got it a foot off the ground with only two fingers. "And don't worry about Etienne. If he's as powerless as he says, Brittany and I can handle him."