With Silent Screams (5 page)

CHAPTER
6

T
he sun had set just before we’d left the hotel, although that hadn’t done anything to decrease the traffic. Sky phoned ahead to let the garage know we were coming and then drove us to a sizeable five-story garage on East 84th Street by the name of Full Moon Repairs. They advertised themselves as a twenty-four-hour auto repair shop. Several very expensive-looking cars were being worked on by a dozen men and a few women as Sky pulled into the garage. I wondered if they catered to a clientel that wasn’t a hundred percent human.

“Try not to piss anyone off,” she said as she got out of the car.

“I’ll try,” I called after her. I wasn’t exactly sure what she thought I was going to do, but she seemed very nervous and I didn’t want to add to whatever the problem was.

I got out of the car, trying not to notice the gazes that were suddenly on me as I walked over to Sky and the woman she was talking to.

“Felicia Hales,” she said. “So, you must be Nate. Sky tells me you need a car?” Her voice had a hint of a southern accent. She looked me up and down and smiled. “Gonna cost ya.”

“So I was told, Felicia. How much?”

“Depends what you want. Come with me, we’ll see what we can do for you.”

I followed her through to the rear of the shop, where she opened a door that led to a set of steps leading down.

“Where do you put all the cars?” I asked as I wondered exactly what Sky had gotten me into.

“We have a lift that can take the cars up and down. We keep most of our customers’ cars above ground, it’s easier. But we keep a selection of
special
cars down here to sell.”

“You mean stolen,” I said and Felicia stopped as we reached the bottom of the stairs, and turned back to me.

“Not always. Some are given freely, some are taken in payment. We have all of the documents for each car, so we do legally own them, no matter where they came from originally.” She held my gaze. She was a beautiful woman, her long dark-red hair framed her face perfectly, and her piercing sky-blue eyes appeared to look through me. “Will this be a problem?
”

I shook my head. “Just want to know where I stand.”

“On thin ice,” Sky whispered and slapped me around the back of the head.

Felicia smiled. “I was not offended; it’s nice to have someone ask outright and not play games. I detest games.” She looked me up and down again and then turned around and led us down a short corridor, which ended with a set of double doors that looked strong enough to stop a tank. She placed her hand on the palm reader and, once it beeped, inputted a five-digit code into the numerical pad above it.

“Very security conscious,” I said as she held one of the doors open for Sky and me to walk through.

The room inside was cavernous and held dozens of cars, all in rows. A quick glance told me they were in make and model order. It was a mass of incredibly expensive metal and fiberglass. I wondered how long it would take Sky to start drooling.

“Oh my god,” she said as she started off toward a blue 1969 Boss 302 Mustang. “Screw Nate, I’ll have this for me.”

“Do you need a bib?” I asked her as she saw another car she liked, a red Ferrari 458, and ran off.

“It’s car porn in here,” she called out to me.

“So, Mister Garrett. What car do you want?” Felicia asked.

“Seriously, I can buy any of these?”

“Of course, although Sky tells me you wish to purchase some weaponry, too.” She led me past the cars to a small office at the end, where a young man sat reading a book.

“Warren, can you show Mister Garrett the weaponry?”

Warren bowed, then pushed something under the desk he was at. The wall behind Felicia slid open revealing yet another cavernous room.

“This place is like a maze,” I said as Felicia led me through the wall to another corridor with half a dozen doors.

“What do you need?”

“Blades,” I said.

“Of course.” We stopped at the third door and she opened it with a flourish.

I stepped inside and glanced around for some useful additions. Back in England, I kept dozens of blades of a variety of sizes and shapes, but I hadn’t brought any of them with me to Canada. A good sword is part of the wielder, like an extension of the person. And my
jian
had been made to be used by me and only me.

I picked up a
katana
and a dozen silver throwing knives on a leather belt that fit around my waist. I don’t like to rely on
weapons
, but I do like to have them as backup for when I go against something that my magic can’t beat.

“That everything?”

I stared at the huge claymore in the corner—it was probably overkill. “Yeah, I’m good.”

Felicia closed the door behind me and took me back through to the cars, where Sky had stopped running around and was talking to Warren, who Felicia passed the weapons to.

“Now for the car,” she said to me.

“Audi R8 coupe,” I said. “It’s fast, handles well, and has enough room in the storage space to put my stuff. Plus, it’s really, really fast.”

“You said that already,” Warren said.

“Yeah, but it’s worth mentioning twice. And besides, the people I’m after already know I’m coming. If I’m going to be a bull’s-eye, I may as well be one in a really nice car.”

“Do we have any in stock?” Felicia asked Warren, who picked up a tablet from a nearby table and tapped a few things on it. “Two, a red and a black FSI V10 plus.”

“Black,” I said.

“I believe that model had black rims too,” Felicia said, approvingly. “It’s a beautiful car. Warren will get it ready for you. It’ll be upstairs when you’re finished here.”

Warren walked off into his office and vanished through the still open wall.

“And now for payment,” Felicia said with a smile.

“Okay, what’s this going to set me back?”

“Well, Sky is a regular customer of ours, and we were going to do a discount rate for her, but I have a better idea. The payment is you.”

“Look, you’re a very lovely woman, and I’m sure you can spoon with the best of them, but I’m really not interested.”

Felicia laughed; it was deep and rumbled around the room. “My apologies, I probably should explain.” She opened her mouth slightly and showed the two long fangs.

“You want my blood? Go fuck yourself.” I was furious; blood is considered a sacred thing—you don’t take blood without asking, you don’t use someone else’s blood, and you certainly don’t give your blood to a group of people you just met. Blood can be used to do bad things. I know, because I’ve done some of them.

“Nate, calm down,” Sky said.

“Did you know about this?”

“They don’t want to take your blood away. She drinks it in front of you, here and now. My dad has done this before, as have I. Felicia is neutral, but she’s still our ally.”

Sorcerer blood is incredibly potent. Those species who feed on blood, such as Vampires, can gain a lot of power from it. “Did you tell her what I am?” I demanded to know from Sky.

“I already knew,” Felicia answered instead. “Your name is well-known in certain circles. Rumor has it you defeated a lich. An impressive feat.”

“Actually, Sky did the defeating. I mostly got my ass kicked.”

“But you survived. That in itself is something very few have done. It has been a very long time, over a century, since I’ve tasted from your kind. Your blood contains immense power. I will be able to taste that power, to see more about you and who you are. And in exchange for your letting, I will give you the car and weapons for free, and you will be known as a friend to the New York Vampires.”

The fact that both Hades and Sky trusted her went a very long way in changing my mind about allowing my blood to be used. “You’re in control of them all?”

“Three hundred and six vampires. Each of them was sired by me or by one of my own. I am the master vampire for the state of New York. What you do today could aid you in many ways in the future.”

“Who gets to drink?”

“Me and only me, I swear. One pint of blood.”

“Okay you have a deal. One thing: if I find out you ever used my blood to hurt, or do anything that causes me to come back and find you. I will erase you and every vampire you sired from the face of the earth.”

Felicia snarled—vampires don’t like having their brood threatened—but I kept my gaze cool until she nodded in agreement. “I promise, I shall do nothing of the sort.”

“Where do we do this?”

“I’ll stay here,” Sky said to me. “I’m going to make a few calls about our dead cop in a bathtub, see if I can get something
on him.”

“I’ll be back soon,” I told her.

Felecia nodded and turned to me. “Follow me.” She led me back through the office and down to the final door on in the corridor, which she opened and stepped through.

In movies when a vampire lord enters a room, everyone does one of two things; they either stand and bow as one, or they resume whatever sexual games they were playing. As we walked into the room, neither of those things happened. There were nineteen people in the room, a dozen of whom were women, all clothed, which was real shame as each and every one of them could have held a stadium’s attention just by walking in. The men too looked like they’d just stepped out of a modeling shoot.

The room itself was covered in soft rugs and comfortable-looking couches. A huge TV sat on the wall at one end, playing a music channel, although the song itself was something I’d never heard before. The occupants had been lounging around watching TV, although a few of them had been reading or chatting amongst themselves. While it’s true that vampires tend to pick the attractive humans to turn, most of them also pick people who have a modicum of intellect or interesting things to say; no one wants to be stuck with a pretty idiot for all eternity.

When Felicia stepped through the doors no one moved to bow, no one even glanced her way. Only vampire masters with self-esteem issues make their people bow to them on a regular basis.

At the end of the room, on top of a raised platform, sat a large leather chair, behind which was a full set of amour. Felicia stood in front of it and clicked her fingers, switching the TV and lights off and replacing their light with torches that had been set around the room. It was an impressive trick. Vampire masters could usually do a little magic. As one, every man and woman stood in silence.

“Today is a great day,” Felicia said, her voice carrying so it sounded as if she were stood right next to me. “Today a new ally has come to us to offer himself to our great brood.”

I wasn’t really sure of how to respond to that, so I waved slightly, drawing a smile from Felicia as everyone turned to look at me.

“This man is Nathan Garrett,” she continued, causing all nineteen heads to snap back toward her. “Let it be known that he is a friend to us all.” She stepped off the platform and walked toward me as her subjects watched her move. She really was stunningly beautiful. A few inches shorter than me, but in three-inch heels she was roughly the same height. Her long billowing skirt had a slit down one side that allowed me to glimpse her slender legs with every step she made. She placed one elegant finger on my chest and brushed her mouth across my neck, allowing me to inhale her. She smelled like passion fruit. I really like passion fruit. I had to remind myself that there were twenty people in the room—and also that she could tear me in half without too many problems. Vampire masters were a level of power that was scary to anyone with two brain cells to rub together. If she’d decided to take me by force, the only way I could have stopped would have ended with one of us dead. And I wouldn’t have put money on me.

“You’re a very handsome man,” Felicia whispered as she walked around me, running her hands over my body. “I like my men rugged, to be men. Have you ever had a vampire take blood from you before?”

“Many times,” I said. “Are you sure you want to do this?”

She nodded and grinned. “How many of those did you allow?”

“Two.” Both of them were to help a vampire heal.

“What did you do to those who took your blood without permission?” Felicia had made a full circuit of my body and stood in front of me.

“I turned them to ash.” I had whispered the words, but they appeared to explode around the room so that everyone heard.

“And do you give yourself to me willingly?”

“Yes.” My words were almost a snarl; I had no idea why, but just being near Felicia made me want to tear her clothes off.

“Then come to me.”

She didn’t so much as lead me as I followed without complaint until I was on top of the platform and sitting in the chair. “This won’t hurt,” she said and straddled my lap. Her words were normal to my ears. Whatever magic or power she was using had stopped, although I still wanted her.

My head felt clearer. “Not me it won’t. Last chance to change your mind.”

She kissed me hard on the mouth before breaking away and sinking her teeth into my neck.

Allowing your blood to be taken by a vampire did incredible things to both participants. It created a bond, albeit briefly, whereby just after the bite stopped, you could see into each other’s lives. It was a tiny glimpse into a person, and it was how most vampires gauged whether they wanted to extend that bite into one that would turn the other person. And if the person being bitten wasn’t human, then the vampire gained strength from the blood far in excess of anything they could get from a human.