Prophecy of the Undead (6 page)

Yuri nodded. “How do you think I got you back here last night? I had to get you to someplace safe quickly so you would wake up in a secure environment to finish your change. Now I’m off to meet with someone who can hopefully answer some of your questions. Please wait here for me. I don’t want to have to rescue you again.”

Keisha made a face at him. “I’m not used to taking orders from men but I’ll consider sitting around reading your notes until you get back.”

Yuri snorted. “Consider? Yes, you do that. I’ll be back soon.”

He turned and sailed away from her, soon becoming a distant speck in the night sky.

Keisha stood and admired the view of the city from his penthouse. If she looked in one direction, the lights of the skyscrapers were all around her—almost blinding in their intensity. Looking in the other direction, her eyes were soothed by the inchoate amorphous darkness that was the water of Lake Michigan at night. She was struck by how acute her vision was and how loud the sounds of the people were out on the streets at night. She stared down at the moving figures and was astounded when she heard specific heartbeats and snippets of conversations. She trembled with fear.

Quickly she reentered the penthouse and closed the balcony door, taking deep calming breaths to help her to overcome her temporary panic attack.

Okay, Keisha. Everything is going to be different from now on. I’ll have to get used to this new way of being. For now, I need something to occupy my mind so I don’t run panic-stricken into the street. I’m only wearing a robe. I sure don’t want to start grabbing random passers-by and draining them of blood, when I don’t know what I’m doing yet or how to do it without killing anyone
.

She felt a wave of revulsion race through her, as the horror of what she now found to be an interesting idea, drinking blood from other people’s bodies, terrified her.

Sit and read, girl. The hunger is mostly gone now. Yuri said his blood would be all I need for a while. I just hope he’s right, and that he’s back before I need to drink again. May I say again, ew.

* * * *

As he flew, Yuri allowed himself some time to think about the woman he left in his penthouse. She was enigmatic and fascinating. She was intelligent beyond anyone he had ever met before.. Considering how many years he had sought out educated people with novel ideas, that was a daunting concept. She was so attractive that he found it hard to concentrate on what she was saying when he was in the same room with her. However, there were details he needed to find out before he could pursue the relationship he wanted to have with her. He needed to know she was safe but he also needed to know why she was a target. Her casually dropping the information about a Central American drug cartel was propitious. Especially since he was aware of the recent arrival in town of someone he had known for many years. So, he headed directly for the destination he was sent by text message.

The hotel was not far from his penthouse. It was in a very expensive part of town and too brightly-lit for him to simply fly up to the proper balcony. So, he landed a block away in an alley, then dusted himself off and looked around. There was only one other person in the alley—an old man in shabby clothing who muttered to himself as he drank from a bottle in a paper bag.

How cliché.
Yuri smiled to himself as he approached the unwitting donor. Smoothly he eased himself into position behind the man who was unaware that anything was happening until the fangs punctured his neck. His mind was flooded with images of happier times in his life, of family moments, of memories he enjoyed.

Yuri only took a pint or so, to ensure he would have the strength he needed to deal with the formidably old vampire he was to meet with. Then he left the old man lying in the alley, snoring with a smile on his face.

Yuri strolled casually up to the front door of the expensive hotel. He smiled at the doorman who let him into the lobby. He went over to the main reception desk to give the name of the person he came to see.

The impeccably-dressed receptionist barely acknowledged his arrival until he cleared his throat audibly.

“Excuse me; I’m here to visit Casimiro Pavlenko. Can you tell me which room he is in?”

The man, who looked to be barely old enough to have a drink, sneered at him after consulting his computer screen.

“I’m sorry, sir. There isn’t anyone with that name in our hotel.”

Yuri leaned closer, smiling as the young man recoiled in surprise.

“Oh, he’s here. You just need some help to remember...”

Yuri touched the back of the young man’s hand and felt gently in his mind for the information. He knew Casimiro would’ve placed it in a hidden area so that only those who knew what to look for would be able to find him. Just as he suspected, the image of the young man on his knees using his mouth to pleasure Casimiro was directly in front of the room number of his suite.

Yuri let go of the man’s hand. The receptionist shook his head, his curls bouncing as his eyes came back into focus. Not knowing or caring if the sexual image was real or planted, Yuri smiled warmly at the young mortal.

“Thank-you for your cooperation.”

The man nodded, “You’re very welcome, sir. Please tell the Count that if there is anything at all that he needs, he only has to ask.” The man’s face quickly slid back into its mask of studied indifference. Yuri knew that he had once again forgotten all about the mysterious resident in the penthouse suite.

Yuri strode quickly to the elevator. It glided smoothly up to the top of the building. When the door opened, there was a mortal armed guard standing in front of him. The man stared solemnly at Yuri.

“Please wait while I send him your image,” he said and then closed his eyes. He was quiet for a moment, then nodded as if he heard a response, before he opened his eyes.

“You are expected, Yuri Kozakov. Please go right in.”

As he entered the suite Yuri took a deep breath in admiration at the opulent splendor of the surroundings. The man he came to see was seated by the window, simultaneously watching a television set to a news channel with the sound turned down and manipulating the touch pad on his laptop to browse various sites.

“Come in, my dear Yuri. It has been too long.”

“Casimiro Pavlenko. Don’t get up...no, really. There is no need for such formalities between us, is there, old friend?”

Casimiro clicked off the television and minimized the computer screen, Then he turned to face Yuri.

“Sit, sit, comrade. What is it that disquiets your mind and forces you to contact me when I have only been in town for a few days?”

“Are you bankrolling neurobiological research at a local facility? Is that why you are in town?”

Casimiro smiled. “And you? Are you still pursuing the answers to your questions about the nature of our existence? I swear, Yuri; no one is as single-minded as you are when you are curious about something.”

Yuri grinned. “Yes. I have finally found someone who can answer my questions. She is being threatened and hunted. I need to find out if you are in any way connected to that.”

“Why? What makes you think I have anything to do with that?”

“She told me one of the backers of her research is reputed to be a member of a Central American drug cartel. When she said that I remembered I felt your presence return to this area recently. So, I wanted to find out if you are able to call off the dogs hunting her. I don’t want any conflict with you but she is under my protection. Anyone trying to hurt her will have to deal with me first.”

Casimiro leaned back and concentrated. He spoke slowly and deliberately.

“She? Is she perhaps the researcher who seeks the chemical responsible for intelligence in our mortal citizens?”

Yuri nodded. “Yes. Right after she isolated the enzyme, her life became a living hell. I want that to end.”

“Funny. I was told that she was dead. The GPS tracker attached to her body is no longer reading any body heat. I was told it was just a matter of time before the body turned up.”

Yuri nodded solemnly at the other man, whose eyebrows rose with understanding.

“Ah...so, she has no body heat anymore because of what you have done, is that it?”

“Yes. She is under my protection. Why are you hunting her? She found what she was paid to discover. Shouldn’t she be counting her bonus money and planning a trip to somewhere exotic as a reward for her hard work? Who wants her out of the picture?”

Casimiro rose and walked slowly across the room to get himself a wine bottle filled with a thick red liquid. He poured some of into two glasses and walked back to offer one to Yuri. He sat back down. They clinked their glasses together, then both took a sip.

“This is very fresh,” Yuri said, “And quite a young donor.”

Casimiro nodded. “Only the best for my old friends, Yuri. You and I are fellow countrymen, though there might be many years between our natal dates. So, I respect you and I won’t lie to you. I don’t have all of the answers you are seeking. I am only the moneyman. Remember, it’s my job to invest the money and to see that we make more of it. Apolinar told me to invest in this research because it suited him to see it completed.”

It was Yuri’s turn to raise his eyebrows with surprise.

“Is he here?”

Casimiro chuckled warmly. “In a big city like Chicago? In cold weather? Of course not. He’s in one of our places in the south. He has a studio in Arizona and likes to paint the surrounding areas. He keeps tabs on what’s going on up here and sent me up to be sure the research would be used correctly.”

“Just how is correctly?”

“My dear Yuri—just because you discover what makes a mind more intelligent doesn’t mean that was your original goal. Because for every action, there is an opposite reaction. If a serum can be created that will enhance intelligence—now that we know how it works—then a serum can be created which will decrease intelligence. That’s not the kind of news which needs to be disseminated to the general population...or even to the research community.”

Yuri frowned and put his glass down.

“So, the woman was hunted to stop her from sharing the news of her discovery with others?”

Casimiro nodded. “She worked alone. She, alone, knows what she has discovered. As long as it stays that way, she is safe.”

“But why? What is the point of wanting to make humans more dull-witted? Isn’t that happening already? Is it just not fast enough for you? What do you gain out of it?”

“Yuri, Yuri, I told you. I’m just the money man. I don’t know all of the ramifications of the research or the reasons for it. Personally I don’t care how stupid the cattle we feed on become. Their stupidity is the same as their intelligence to me. At my age—with my power—I can overcome any of their small minds.”

Yuri nodded. “As can I and I’m much younger than you. Then why? Who will benefit if they have stupidity bred into them?”

Casimiro shrugged. “Perhaps Apolinar may be able to answer those questions for you. One minute...”

Yuri watched and waited as the man communicated across the miles with his lover—the man he was with for centuries. His eyes were out of focus as if he was both talking and listening. Finally he nodded quickly and his eyes once again looked alert. He turned to face Yuri.

“He agreed to speak to you under one condition.”

“Which is?”

“That you bring her with you. We both want to meet her. If she is indeed intelligent enough to have finally solved a puzzle that many others have been unable to crack, then hers is a formidable brain we want to experience.”

“No. She’s too young in our blood. Your minds would crush hers.”

Casimiro shook his head. “Yuri, Yuri, Yuri...my comrade and countryman. Don’t you think we know how to be delicate? We have so many more years than you in picking through the minds of others. Will it satisfy you if we swear that she won’t be damaged in any way by us? You and she will be allowed to leave once your questions have been answered and any future contact between us will be voluntary on both of your parts.”

Yuri gnashed his teeth.

“Will you also swear that she will be under your protection? Not only when we are there visiting with you both but afterwards? I want your assurance that no harm will come to her through either of you or your agents.”

Casimiro looked off into the distance again for a few minutes, and then nodded decisively.

“We agree to your terms. When will you bring her?”

“To here or to Arizona?”

Casimiro smiled as if just remembering his lover made him happy. “Apolinar dislikes the cold up here. We would be honored to have you visit us in our adobe palace in the southwest of this country. Let’s say, in one night? That will give me time to finish my business up here and travel there to meet you. I will text you with the address of our estate. The guards will be told you are expected.”

Reluctantly Yuri nodded.

“Fine. I will await your text and we will see you tomorrow night.”

He rose from the chair, leaving the almost untouched glass on the nearby side table.

“You didn’t like the vintage?” Casimiro asked curiously.

“I don’t approve of draining even willing victims. So, no,” Yuri answered.