The Fangs of Bloodhaven (26 page)

“What is...?” Everett’s question died away at the sight of Leon with his fangs sunk into his animal’s neck.

The creature’s body shuddered, then became still. Leon set the body on the table and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. He then licked the blood from his skin.

“Wonderful,” the vampire breathed. “Newborn amarok is a delicacy to even the most unrefined palate.” He looked at Everett. His eyes narrowed slightly at the sight of the puppy still in Everett’s arms.

“I’m savoring the taste of the jungle mix,” Everett said quickly. “One new flavor at a time, you know?”

Leon studied him for a moment, then broke into a smile again. “Of course, young Everett. I imagine you’ve been stuck with pigs’ blood for quite some time. We’ll give something else a try, shall we?”

At his next snap, and about the time Everett started wondering if his staff got tired of being summoned in such a way, the dead animal was removed from in front of Leon and two smaller cups were brought. One was set in front of the Sovereign and the other was put in front of Everett along with a knife about the length of his first finger. The new cups were empty and innocuous.

Everett looked at Leon. “What are these?”

Leon picked up his small cup. “I started to explain blood partaking until I realized you were about to drink me if I gave you the chance.” He chuckled. “Now we can commence with the formalities.” He speared Everett with his gaze. “I doubt being from Nectaris that you’ve learned much of the traditions of our brothers and sisters. I feel that as the Sovereign of Bloodhaven, it is my duty to introduce you.”

He set the cup back down and picked up the knife. Before Everett could say anything, the vampire ran the knife down the fatty part of his palm below his thumb. He then squeezed the wound and let the blood drip into the cup.

“What is that for?” Everett asked warily.

Leon used his cloth napkin to dab at the wound. A moment later, the cut had healed and the vampire wiped the remaining blood away.

“A vampire’s blood is a history, a telling of sorts, of the life of the vampire. A vampire is unable to spill the blood of another vampire and read from it; only blood freely given reveals the life of the vampire who gives it, and so the partaking of blood shows trust.” He gave Everett a smile that showed his fangs. “It also tells the stories of the others he has drunk, a true bloodline to share the knowledge and lessons of our ancient ancestors.” He swirled the blood in the cup.

Uneasiness filled Everett. He looked warily at his cup and the small knife beside it. “I thought vampires were created by the fallout.”

“Some say that,” Leon replied evasively.

Everett thought of his family, of the Monster Asylum, of all the things Leon would find out by drinking his blood if the blood partaking truly worked as the vampire said.

“I’m not sure I’m comfortable with this.”

Leon picked up his cup and rose from the table in one fluid motion. The fine hairs rose on the back of Everett’s arms when the vampire walked to him and set the cup on the table next to the empty one.

“I’ll give you the courtesy of letting you go first,” Leon said.

The vampire hovered close to him, intimidating in his nearness. Everett knew he couldn’t refuse such courtesy. He put the cup to his lips. Uncertainty kept him from tasting the contents.

“Drink,” Leon spoke close to his ear. “Share with your brethren.”

Everett took a steeling breath and dumped the fluid into his mouth.

Chapter Twenty-six

Everett gasped when the liquid hit his tongue. Instead of needing to be swallowed, the vampire blood was immediately absorbed into the tissues of his mouth, tongue, and throat. Images hit his mind in a rush, flowing through with such speed that Everett only caught a few of them.

Humans were hooked up to tubes like the pod plants. They looked like they were sleeping on the tables, yet the pallor of their skin hinted otherwise.

The edges blurred and the scene shifted. Everett saw a group of kids swimming at a pond. The watcher sat on a rock in the shade.

“Come join us, Leon!” a boy yelled.

Leon shook his head. “I can’t swim.”

“Can’t swim?” a beefy boy with short blond hair asked. “Or afraid of the water?”

Several of the other boys laughed.

The scene changed. Everett stared at his hand, at Leon’s hand.

“I dare you,” a voice from someone he couldn’t see challenged.

“What if I die?” Leon asked with true fear in his voice.

“Then we’ll know vampires can’t take the sunlight,” the boy said with a laugh.

“Come on, Leon, you don’t have to do that,” another boy said.

Leon looked back and Everett saw that they were standing in the doorway to the roof of an apartment complex. Three boys stood on the stairs below him. They looked close to Everett’s age, and he assumed Leon was the same.

“You don’t have to prove anything,” the boy repeated. He had red hair and blue eyes, and his expression carried true concern.

“If you’re a coward,” the first boy said with another laugh. His long blond hair was caught back in a ratty ponytail. He grinned, showing a missing front tooth.

Everett felt the vampire’s need to fit in. He was torn between fear and proving himself. If he could stand the sunlight, maybe they would accept that he was human enough.

“I’m not a coward,” Leon growled. He shoved his hand into the sunlight streaming past the doorway.

Everett felt the burning pain. It drove into the vampire’s skin with the sensation of nerve endings melting away and bone charring. Leon’s hand shook and mist rose from the skin.

“Pull back, Leon!” the red-headed boy shouted.

The pain became too intense. Leon jerked his hand back into the shade. They all stared as the mist lessened and his skin returned to normal.

“You are a freak,” the ponytailed boy said.

Everett felt Leon channel his rage. A buzz of white-hot anger destroyed all rational sense. Leon grabbed the boy by his throat and slammed him against the wall. Before the other two could move, Leon sunk his fangs deep into the boy’s throat, then yanked back, letting the boy’s lifeblood spill to the floor.

Leon’s chest was heaving as he came back to himself. Everett felt his realization at what he had done. He stared from the slain boy to the other two. He was a monster and there were witnesses. He couldn’t let them tell anyone what had happened.

“Leon,” the redhead said, holding up his hands. There was fear in his voice as if the expression on Leon’s face was even more terrifying than what he had done.

Two heartbeats later, both boys lay on the floor next to their friend. Leon stared down at them, ashamed and amazed at what had happened. He was split by the choice to walk away or allow himself to be drawn to the call of the blood. To Everett’s horror, Leon fell to his knees and proceeded to drink from his friends.

The scene shifted and Everett felt as though he was standing at the edge of a precipice. The jungle spread out before him. He realized with a start that it was the wall of the Pentagrin he stood on. A glance from side to side showed no one else on the thick structure. Leon took a step closer; one more and he would be over the edge. Everett felt the vampire’s want to throw himself off. He wouldn’t survive the fall. Nothing could.

Everett realized that the thirst that clung to his throat came from the memory. It matched the way he had felt moments ago, yet Leon had no way to slack his thirst. He moved his toes to the edge.

Something rustled in the bushes below. A stag appeared in the moonlight. Leon’s bloodlust surged and he threw himself off precipice. He channeled his strength and forced it downward. The same thrust of energy that Everett had used to shove the vampires backward in the hallway slammed into the ground and stopped Leon from hitting the earth at breakneck speed. The stag stared at him for a second. It breathed heavily, sucking in the vampire’s scent. The animal’s head lifted in fear. It spun on its hind legs and ran. Leon channeled his strength again and ran after it.

The memories swam. He was back behind the wall. Leon walked beside a girl with blonde hair that captured the moonlight. He could feel the vampire’s happiness at being with her. To Everett’s surprise, he recognized love in the vampire’s heart.

The scene changed. With a start, Everett saw a young Dr. Transton. They sat together at a table near the back of one of Nectaris’ restaurants.

“What about a safe haven for all monsters?” the young doctor asked.

“That’s ridiculous,” Leon replied. “It would be closed down as soon as you opened it. You heard the new law, Terry. No monster will be allowed within the walls of the Pentagrin. I’ve got to leave.”

“What about Thraya?” Dr. Transton asked.

Everett felt Leon’s heartbeat slow.

Dr. Transton read the expression. “Stay with me until we get it built.”

“Are you sure?” Leon asked. “But you just lost Mandy. I don’t want to impose on you and Monique.”

Dr. Transton nodded. “I’m positive. You’re my friend, Leon. I’m happy to help.” His expression saddened. “Besides, without Mandy, the place has gotten too quiet. Monique thinks the world of her Uncle Leon. She would love having you there.”

When the memories changed, Everett stood in a doorway staring into a moonlit room. A young girl slept in a bed surrounded in moonlight that spilled from the tall window near her head. She made a small sound and turned her face, her eyes still shut.

With a start, Everett realized he was looking at Monique before she was a zombie. Leon took a step into the room. The bloodlust ran through him with fervent demand. Everett shook his head, fighting, trying to pull the vampire back, but he was merely a spectator from Leon’s point of view. There was nothing he could do. Leon took another step.

Everett shoved the memories away with a jolt that sent fiery pain through him. His head felt like it weighed a thousand pounds with the memories he had yet to see. He felt sick to his stomach and his breath caught in his throat. He rested his forehead on the table in front of him.

“I suppose it’s a bit much your first time,” Leon apologized.

Everett tipped his head to the side so he could see the vampire. He wanted to shout, to demand answers, to ask what the vampire had been thinking, but he couldn’t. To do so would be to admit that he knew Dr. Transton and what the vampire had done to Monique. Because of Leon, she was a zombie and would stay that way for the rest of her life.

He wondered if Leon knew what he had done, if that was the reason he stayed away from the Pentagrin, if he hid out of guilt. Somehow, looking at the vampire, Everett doubted the vampire had ever felt guilty in his life.

Protectiveness filled Everett. Dr. Transton was his friend, and he had others to keep safe. He wouldn’t give the vampire the location to his family, not if they farmed humans like they did the pods, and not if Leon had no remorse about turning a little girl into something from which she would never break free. He would never know Everett’s secrets.

“Ready to share?” Leon asked.

Everett sat up. “No. I’m not.” He watched the Sovereign closely. “I shouldn’t have let myself get distracted from my purpose. I didn’t come here to share vampire stories or blood let or thirty-six AEW homo sapien beverages.”

“Thirty-five,” Leon corrected.

Everett fought back the urge to slam his fist down on the table. “I’m here to save Nectaris. They’re being attacked by wendigo and vampires are their only hope. Will you come back with me?”

Leon crossed his arms. All humor had vanished from his face. His shoulders were straight and he studied Everett as he spoke. “I appreciate your frankness, Everett. Unfortunately, I decline your request.”

Everett stared at him. “What? Why? You could save all those lives! They need you.”

Leon shook his head. “They’ve never needed us. How is it living there, Everett? Do you enjoy your life of secrecy, of having to hide who you are? Do you enjoy being excluded from school and activities because if they found out you’re merely a subspecies, they’ll banish you and punish your family?”

The truth to the vampire’s words hurt. Everett pushed it aside, keeping his thoughts clear. “Leon, you could help. It might be enough to let vampires come back inside. Maybe we could live in peace and not hide what we are. If we save them from the wendigo, we’ll be heroes. We’ll be accepted.”

Leon’s laugh in reply was cruel and bitter. “Haven’t you realized by now that humans don’t bend? They don’t learn, and they refuse to believe that their preconceived notions don’t apply to every creature under the sun. They’ll never let us back in.”

“They will,” Everett replied stubbornly.

Leon was quiet for a moment. He picked up the cup Everett had drunk from in his pale fingers and studied it. He then stuck his tongue inside and licked out the remains of his own blood. A drop caught at the corner of his mouth. He used his little finger to catch it, then licked his finger.

“Good to the last drop.”

Everett couldn’t control himself any longer. He rose from the table. “Leon, we need your help. Please. I’m begging you!”

Leon gave him a look so predatory a shiver ran down Everett’s spine. “Give me your blood and I’ll decide.”

Everyone Everett knew would be at risk. Perhaps vampires were a greater threat than the wendigo. At least the beasts were animalistic, attacking with the same thought patterns of an animal. If Leon released his horde of vampires from Bloodhaven on Nectaris, the humans would be at their mercy. From what he had seen in the blood sharing, Leon had no mercy even for his own friends. If he knew how to get back into the walls, no one inside would be safe.

“No.”

Leon knocked Everett to the floor. The puppy fell out of Everett’s arms and slid across the stones with a whimper. Leon’s hands closed over Everett’s throat. Everett struggled to breathe. No matter how he channeled his strength, he was no match for the Sovereign.

“I can’t use your blood if you don’t offer it willingly, but I can kill you,” the vampire growled. “Human blood makes us so much stronger than the animal garbage you feed on. You’re no match for me.”

Anger filled Everett over what he had seen and what Leon wanted to force him to do. He grabbed the vampire’s arms. “Then do it, Leon. Kill me and add my life to all the others you’ve taken. You deserve a life of misery haunted by your choices.”

Leon stared down at him, his gaze filled with hatred. He looked as though he would finish Everett without remorse. His dark eyes narrowed and his fingers tightened.

A second later, the pressure let up and he stepped away. Everett rolled to the side gasping for air. He fought to draw in a breath through his bruised throat.

“Rise, Everett.”

Everett pushed backwards to a sitting position and felt the puppy behind him. He pulled the animal close and wrapped it in his shirt to calm its whimpering. His limbs shook when he pulled to his feet. He watched Leon warily.

The vampire leaned against the table with his arms crossed nonchalantly as though nothing had happened.

“What now?” Everett asked, his voice a rough growl.

Leon snapped his fingers. This time when the doors pooled, four vampires appeared armed with bladed staves. They surrounded Everett.

“To a life of misery haunted by your choices,” Leon said with a cruel smile.

Two vampires grabbed Everett’s arms.

“Don’t do this, Leon,” he said.

Leon lifted his shoulders in an elegant shrug. “You made your choice, Everett. I shared something very personal with you. Unless you retaliate in kind, your life is mine.”

The thought that at least it was only his life that would suffer at Leon’s hands made him follow the guards without protest. Instead of the dungeon he pictured as the place Leon would throw him in which to spend the rest of his life, he was taken back up to the room with the pod roots. His heart slowed at the sight of the cells along the far wall.

“No,” he said, shaking his head. He tried to break clear of the vampires.

As if they had been ready for just such a maneuver, their four bladed spears sliced deep into Everett’s body. Two drove into the backs of his shoulders, grating along the bones, and the other two jabbed deep into each side. Everett gasped in pain. He could barely think. A gate was opened and the vampires used the spears to shove Everett inside. They pulled the spears free and he fell to his knees. The door slammed shut behind him with a resounding bang.