Blood and Guitars (2 page)

“I’ll wait for you outside,” I heard him
think.

I hesitated briefly and then nodded to him
before slumping back down into my chair.

“Do you believe you made a wise choice
tonight?” Antonio asked when we were alone. “Focusing on the
ability to block your thoughts?”

“I can block my own thoughts just fine.” I
hadn’t meant to speak so bluntly, but Antonio didn’t react.
Besides, it was true. My moon given ability was a unique control
over my own mind. I was quite capable of blocking my thoughts from
others regardless of what ability I chose to focus on for the
month. This was something Antonio was well aware of, and it
certainly drove him crazy at times that he couldn’t tell what I was
thinking. All vampires are given the ability to project images or
thoughts into someone else’s mind. It’s a necessary skill that
allows us to feed from humans without causing them distress or
pain. Now reading the minds of others was a different story all
together. I couldn’t do that without choosing the ability
specifically. I didn’t want to admit it but Antonio was right. I
hated not knowing what everyone around me was thinking, even if it
was only on a basic level.

Antonio caught my gaze and held it before he
spoke again. “I know you don’t like feeling vulnerable but choosing
to cycle through the abilities and strengthen your control over
each would be a much wiser choice than merely concentrating on one
or two of them. Only then will the Synod grant you simultaneous use
of them all when you reach your ten year mark as a vampire.” I had
to make an effort not to sigh. “I know that day seems a long time
away,” he added.

“It’s not that. I just don’t see it changing
anything.” I stood up and walked to the door. This time he didn’t
stop me.

“You know he’s just worried about you,” Mark
said when I caught up with him on the sidewalk.

“Don’t you start, too,” I smacked him on the
arm. “It’s not like you don’t do the same thing. Taking advantage
of the ability to heal makes you a much more effective doctor, even
if it is your moon given talent to begin with.”

Mark shrugged. “Touché.”

I couldn’t help but smile as we began walking
up the street toward my place. Mark had been crushing on me since
the first moment I met him. It wasn’t something he hid from me. He
enjoyed harassing me about the men I dated, and telling me all of
the ways he wouldn’t mess up if I would only go out with him
instead. His little antics didn’t bother me (in fact there were
times when it was even a little flattering despite the fact that he
was not at all my type). I figured as long as we could be friends
then I could handle his whole being in love with me thing. It was
just something we’d agreed to disagree about.

I fished my keys from my purse and we climbed
into my car. The drive to my art studio, The Waking Moon, on
Cleveland didn’t take long because there were hardly any cars on
the road. Just one advantage of nocturnal life. I parked in the
back and unlocked the door. As I walked inside, the familiar scents
of paint, varnish and mineral spirits reached my nose. I picked up
the notes that Kacie (the girl I pay to run the place during the
day) had left for me on the desk in the back and glanced over them
while Mark walked into the showroom to look around. We’d sold
several paintings so far this week.

“My favorite one is gone,” Mark called out to
me from around the corner. “It must have sold.”

I smiled and put the notes back on the desk
before joining him. He stared somberly at an empty spot in the
northeast corner of the showroom.

“I told you it would go fast.” I smiled at
the pathetic expression he wore. “And I also told you I could do
another for you if you procrastinated.”

“It was probably a human who bought it,” he
stated simply. “I’ll never understand their fascination with night
and the moon. It’s not as if they have any good reason to be
interested like our kind.”

He was referring to the theme that most of my
art had in common: the night. Most of the paintings I did contained
at least one element of the night in them such as the moon, the
stars, the rich colors and deep shadows that the daylight concealed
and only night could reveal.

“As long as my paintings sell, I don’t have
to understand it.” I said simply in response to his observation.
“Besides, I do sell to vampires on occasion.”

Mark raised an amused eyebrow at me and then
shrugged in agreement. He followed me up the stairs to the open
loft area that sits above the gallery where I do all of my
painting. I walked over to the three paintings that I’d recently
finished, realizing with a sigh that I was a few short of the
number I liked to keep on hand in the showroom. I’d have to put in
some extra time and get caught up. I had several others pieces here
waiting to be varnished, but I couldn’t complain. Business was
good.

“I like this one.” Mark gestured to one in
particular that I’d only finished varnishing last night.

“Me too,” I admitted. And I did. It was a
dark scene showing a close-up of a walkway made of large flat
stones, green moss growing in the cracks. A puddle of crystal clear
water from a recent rainfall had gathered in the middle of the
largest stone. The moon’s pale reflection shone on the surface of
the still water there.

“What do you think about these abandoned
fledglings?” Mark asked. It was obvious that Antonio’s announcement
that two more had been found was bothering Mark.

“I don’t know,” I said truthfully.

“I can’t imagine the motivation,” Mark
stated. “What could a vampire possibly get from creating others and
just turning them loose?”

I wished I had an answer for him, but my
analytical mind couldn’t produce a single good reason for what was
happening. Mark helped me carry the three that were ready
downstairs again and I placed one in the empty spot. The other two
weren’t as easy to place and Mark and I spent several minutes
rearranging things until everything fit just right without seeming
too cluttered. Of course, I could have let Kacie do this when she
arrived in the morning. In the beginning she’d offered to take care
of it several times, but it didn’t take long for her to realize
that the perfectionist in me wouldn’t allow for anyone else to
decide the way my paintings were displayed. We had an arrangement
now that worked well for both of us. I supplied the art and had
complete control over its placement in the showroom, and she
handled pretty much everything else. I paid her extremely well,
mostly because she didn’t mind abiding by our unspoken rules, one
of which was not to ask too many questions.

“So, what’s the plan now?” Mark asked as I
finished placing a price on the last of the new paintings.

To answer his question, I planted an image of
a tall wine glass in his mind. Mark had worked the night shift at
the hospital almost all week, including tonight, and I sensed he
needed a chance to unwind. He perked up instantly at my
suggestion.

“You don’t have to read my mind to know I
like that idea.”

“Good.” I picked up my purse. “You’re
buying.”

“Okay,” he said as we walked out back. “But
at least let me drive.”

“After what happened last time?” I asked. “I
promised all of the telephone poles in Clearwater that I would
never trust you with the keys again.” He rolled his eyes in
response, but walked to the passenger side of my car without
another word.

I started the engine and pulled out onto the
road again. With the top down I reveled in the feel of the warm
Florida night air in my hair as we made our way to Club Sanguin. It
was the only club in the Tampa Bay area serving drinks that could
quench our particular thirst.

As usual, Club Sanguin was swarming with
energetic vamps looking to blow off some steam and quench their
thirst. Antonio actually owned the club, but Malena ran the place
for him. I led the way to the front of the line and winked at
Daryl, a bouncer I’d come to know, and he let me pass without
hesitation. He let Mark in as well, but only after Mark had handed
over the ten dollar cover charge. I heard some random complaints
from vamps in line as we walked inside but one look from Daryl and
the protests died off. I could feel the bass thumping in my chest
before the flood of overhead lights bathed me in their red glow. I
paused briefly to scan the vamps closest to us on the dance floor.
I recognized more than a handful of them.

Mark cleared his throat next to me and I
heard the sound even above the music. He nodded toward the upper
balcony level and said, “I’ll get drinks and meet you up there.” I
smiled and turned to my left, walking up a flight of solid mahogany
stairs to the balcony loft that surrounded the dance floor. I found
a seat at a small table next to the rail so I had a clear view of
the entire club below. I didn’t recognize the DJ, which meant that
he must have been new. I didn’t recognize the song he was playing
either, but it seemed that everyone was enjoying it as the dance
floor was packed with vamps. I glanced at the bar, hoping to see
Mark on his way back with our drinks when I smelled someone
approaching me from behind. I rolled my eyes, wishing I’d taken the
time to reach out with my mind before choosing a seat in the
club.

“I was wondering if you might show up
tonight,” said a familiar deep voice, almost like a growl. I turned
slowly and looked up at Tytus as he leaned down, resting a hand on
the table and staring at me hungrily. I groaned, more out of habit
than anything. “Is this seat taken?” he asked and then sat down
without waiting for my answer.

“Actually it is,” I said. “He’s only gone for
drinks.”

“No matter,” he said without hesitation,
clasping his huge hands on the table between us. “I’m sure he won’t
mind.”

“I’m the one who minds.” I met his gaze.
“Just get out of here already, Ty. I’m not in the mood.”

He narrowed his eyes at me, his big forehead
wrinkling with mild agitation. “Aurora, please call me Tytus.” It
was a name he’d given himself after he’d made the change. I really
didn’t want to associate with someone who would name himself after
Titus the roman emperor or anyone else who planned on conquering
things or people for that matter. “Awe … come on.” He smiled at me.
“When are you going to let me take you out?”

I let out a humorless laugh. Tytus was quite
a bit older than me and outweighed me by a hundred and fifty
pounds. Still I wasn’t afraid of him, although I probably should
have been. The vampire was built like a professional football
player, which was saying something even before you considered all
the extra benefits that come with being a vampire. He was stupid,
though. I’d come to that conclusion after he’d hit on me several
dozen times despite my blunt rejections. Tytus, like several other
vamps I know, spends most moon cycles using the ability to track
others with his mind, or reading their minds. It hadn’t taken me
long to decipher the motivation behind that pattern. He was with a
different woman every time I saw him. He was a pathetic excuse for
a vampire by most standards. He was close to reaching his ten year
mark as a vamp, and he was nowhere near where he needed to be in
order for the Synod to grant him full use of all the abilities. He
was a perfect example of what Antonio wanted those of us in his
Brood to avoid. It was almost enough to make me regret my selection
of abilities tonight. Almost.

“At least let me buy you a drink,” he
urged.

“What’s the point? It wouldn’t make you
better looking.” I had already told him that my drink was on the
way. Besides, I knew why he was so persistent in his attempts. It
drove him crazy that he couldn’t break through to my mind. I was
rare in my moon given ability to block my thoughts so effectively.
Because reading minds was something he took great pride in, it
bothered him to no end that I was the one woman with a mind he
hadn’t been able to break.

I sensed Mark approaching, and although part
of me was grateful for the interruption, a bigger part of me
worried about what Tytus might do or say to Mark. Don’t get me
wrong, Mark is no weakling, but compared to Tytus he wouldn’t stand
much of a chance. I took only small comfort in knowing that if a
fight did break out, Mark would be able to heal fairly quickly this
moon cycle.

“Aurora,” Mark said as he neared the table. I
saw the control he exhibited as he nodded to Tytus. Unlike me, Mark
was horrible at blocking his thoughts. He had to control them
immediately or Tytus would read him like a book, which could be
disastrous since Mark really hated the giant vampire.

Tytus gave me an amused smile and then got to
his feet rather quickly. I forced myself to play it cool and not
react by jumping up just as quickly. Tytus clapped Mark on the back
so hard that only Mark’s incredible reflexes kept our drinks from
spilling to the floor. Mark took a deep breath in an attempt to
hold his tongue and before I could think of something to say Malena
approached from behind. What happened next shocked me
speechless.

Malena sauntered up to Tytus and put an arm
around him. “Come on baby. Buy me a drink already.”

Tytus gave me a longing glance and then
turned to look at Malena. “Coming right up.”

Malena smiled like a four year old who had
just snatched a beloved toy from another child as Tytus walked
away.

I didn’t smile back and neither did Mark as
he stepped in front of her to take his seat across from me at the
table.

“Behave, you two,” Malena said. “Or I’ll have
you thrown out.” To my relief she stalked off without another
word.

“I didn’t see that one coming.” Mark slid my
drink toward me.

“Tsh. Bit of an understatement, wouldn’t you
say?” I wrapped my fingers around the glass.