Zero Page 6

  “Do you like tacos?” he asked weakly.

  “There was one place that did some really good vegetarian ones in Allston. It’s right next to Boston. They always knew to hold the cilantro,” Georgia said. “You?”

  “Probably my favorite food, but I like to get double meat. Were your adoptive parents hippies or something?”

  “No, my dads were far more yuppies than hippies, but they never fought my picky eating—”

  “Dads?” Morgan asked, with a raised brow.

  “Yeah. I had two dads, but one of them left to go be the plaything of a vampire, and so my other dad’s sister adopted me. Needless to say, family gatherings were awkward, but we made it work. How about you?”

  Morgan shuffled a bit. “My uncle raised me, if you could call it that. Mostly I had my brothers, my pack brothers, and we took care of each other. It was a lot of time in trailers, moving from school to school until we were all forced to drop out. We needed someone to handle the money, so I took classes online.”

  “So literally an accountant for werewolves. Neat,” she said.

  “Irvine, um, that’s my - err . . . our uncle - and I had a falling out, so I got a job in Chicago and tried to fight the vampires my own way. It was nice being on my own for a while.”

  “Oh, that’s nice,” Georgia said. “And our uncle?”

  “He wasn’t happy with what I did so he beat me within an inch of my life and tried to sell me to a group of vampires known as the Lung. Lorcan . . . intervened.”

  “Oh?” Georgia dared to ask.

  “Yeah, he blew our uncle’s head off then shoved me full of his blood so I wouldn’t die. I think that’s how Lorcan saved you as a kid—”

  “What?” Georgia asked. Before she could press further, someone cleared their throat from the doorway.

  “Excuse me, Morgan,” Maria DeMarco asked timidly. “Have you seen Paige, or my grandfather?”

  “Wow, it’s still weird,” Georgia muttered, as she saw the third generation of the DeMarco family.

  “I’m sorry, Paige and I are avoiding each other,” he confessed.

  “I can’t imagine why,” Maria sighed. “Klaus is nowhere to be seen either, and—”

  “Estella said he was in the library,” Georgia interrupted. “Big vampire meeting.”

  “But where is Paige?” Maria asked. “It’s not like her to just vanish. I feel like she’s avoiding me too since this morning. Last I heard she was visiting Lorcan—”

  “Maybe she’s still there, being the dutiful little wife,” Morgan growled, as he brushed past Maria and stormed out of the room. Georgia gave Maria her best awkward smile.

  “It’s very complicated,” Maria said quickly, before hurrying out of the room as well.

  “Story of my life,” Georgia muttered as she stood all alone in the dojo. “Story of my life.”

  Instead of wandering back to her room, Georgia slipped toward the stairs. Somehow her feet naturally led her to the first level of the basement, and to a closed door. She could hear various beeps and clicks coming from inside, as well as someone muttering fiercely in a dialect of Chinese. Harsh light spilled out of the window on the door.

  “I know you are out there, human girl!” a creaky, cranky voice called. “Either get in here or leave me alone. Your breathing is distracting.”

  Georgia lifted the latch and slowly eased her way into the infirmary. She gasped at the array of tubes and machines jutting into the lifeless form on the bed. She could only see one closed eye – the rest of Lorcan Darcy had been swaddled in bandages. Three unfamiliar attendants kept a close watch on the screens and IVs, while an all-too-familiar figure paced at the end of the bed, his walking stick tapping incessantly on the stone floor.

  “My follow-up appointment with your master is not for another eight years, Georgia Sutherland,” Dr. Pang sighed as he glared at her from behind little round glasses. “Is your human sense of time that out of whack, or are you just stupid?”

  “You,” Georgia snarled. “You know damn well why I am here.”

  “Did you want to visit with the almost-dead one? So far, he has been very informative on the late stages of the osoi-shi, but not much else. At least I took care of the damn smell,” Dr. Pang muttered, still pacing.

  Georgia took a tentative step toward Lorcan, but nothing more. A bluish-black splotch soaked through the bandages in his chest, forming a pattern almost like the bat symbol. Georgia chose to focus on that for a few moments to center herself.

  “What did you do . . . to Ren?” she finally asked.

  “Ahh, the Matsuoka boy. You know, I would love to chat, but I have a very important patient . . . dying for my attention!” Pang said curtly.

  “Just tell me what was in that vial you gave me and I’ll leave,” Georgia begged. “I just want to know that—”

  Dr. Pang stopped his meandering and simply stared. Slowly, subtly, the wrinkles around his lips quivered. He lowered his glasses so that Georgia could see the twinkle in his inhumanly-bright green eyes.

  “The vial I gave you?”

  “Yes, the one that could cure any human disease. The one I used on Ren when I thought he was dying, and ever since—” Georgia trailed off as Dr. Pang burst into raucous laughter.

  “That was just some soy sauce mixed with pig’s blood and ginseng!” he guffawed. “It was garbage. Hah! You honestly thought . . . ?”

  “But you said,” Georgia protested. “You mean that all this time—?”

  “The only thing that can cure any human ailment is the belief that something will work. If the mind is convinced, the body is strong,” he explained. “Oh, and if it didn’t work, the patient dies and there is no one to complain. It is simple!”

  “It was the same thing . . . as Mr. Lambley?” Georgia gasped, clutching her chest. “Just a trick?”

  “The most powerful trick mankind has ever known. You have been fooling yourselves for centuries. Now, I have given you answers, either be quiet or be on your way,” the doctor snapped. He snatched a tablet from one of the other doctors and promptly beat the poor vamp over the head with his walking stick. Georgia flinched from the tirade in Chinese.

  However, rather than leave, she snagged a stool from the side of the room and dragged it over to Lorcan’s bedside. She eased down beside him and took his lifeless hand. Dr. Pang watched her, intently for a moment before smiling. He leaned over and sniffed Georgia’s hair.

  “You’re one of the ones he saved,” Dr. Pang muttered. “You may turn out to be useful, after all.”

  Georgia ignored him and continued her watch. She remained by Lorcan’s side silently as the doctors continued to work. After a few agonizing minutes, she felt the tiniest of twitches against her fingers.

  She leaned over and whispered, “you’re not dead yet either, are you?’

  6

  “How are we not dead yet?” Gail asked as they wandered through a dark, unsavory looking section of downtown Detroit at two in the morning. Javier snickered as he shuffled beside her.

  “You still aren’t used to being a vampire, are you, mi amor?” he asked.

  “Last I checked, vampires weren’t bulletproof, Javier. . . . Wait, are we?” Gail asked.

  Javier whistled a merry little tune and didn’t answer her for a while. Only after Gail punched his arm did he lean over and confess, “No, not bulletproof, bullet resistant.”

  “You can be such a—”

  “Charmer, mi amor?” he cooed. She responded by punching his arm again. He motioned to the quiet streets and shuttered storefronts. “Just be quiet and listen. Your senses are better than ever before. They will keep you safe.”

  Gail closed her eyes and listened to the breeze making the trash rustle. A distant whooshing sound and the shuffle of rubber against pavement let her know Javier was nearby. Soon she could pick up the aroma of rats distinct from the stink of the garbage. She sighed happily.

  The distant throb of music swelled as they rounded a corner. For the first time in
ages, Gail saw people milling on the sidewalks. Their heartbeats thumped in time with the bass. A neon sign flickered overhead. “Hart-beat,” it read, with a bright yellow deer and some blinking hearts.

  “Did I mention that you will also soon feel an overwhelming desire to make puns, mi amor? It’s what our kind does.”

  He barely dodged her punch this time. The two of them sauntered to the door, still laughing – eliciting a raised brow from the enormous doorman.

  “It’s a private party tonight,” the bouncer said.

  “I am a very old friend of the owner,” Javier said, flashing his fangs for a second. “And this is my date.”

  The main bouncer gave a slight nod and his cohorts opened the doors. A few of the clueless mortals lingering by the curb complained as Javier and Gail got a pass. Gail tilted her head back and gave them all a wink.

  “I never thought I’d get in the VIP line,” she whispered to Javier as they slipped into the neon-lit lounge. He gave her a quick kiss.

  “Believe it, Princesa,” he whispered in her ear. “Take it all in.”

  Gail stared, wide-eyed, at a scene pulled straight from a Hollywood movie. Beautiful people lounged in corners, sipping drinks, while a crowd danced blissfully to thumping music. Neon signs made the bulk of the lighting, casting a hazy glow all around.

  “Is that . . . Billy Idol?” Gail asked, as she saw a man in a red jacket walk by, carrying a tray of drinks.

  “No, but he will lead us to the one we seek,” Javier said, taking Gail’s hand. “Our hostess . . . has a slight obsession.”

  Together they slipped through the throng. The heady aroma of sweat and blood made Gail’s stomach growl and her fangs extend. Javier, however, kept her moving toward the VIP lounge in the back. There she saw Edwin lounging on a red leather sofa, sipping what looked like a Bloody Mary. The woman next to him, however, was sipping on Mary herself – a wrist firmly locked in her painted mouth. Edwin rose the moment Javier and Gail stepped into view.

  The waiter who looked like Billy Idol made a beeline for the final figure in the lounge, a raven-haired goddess in a jumpsuit with its neckline plunged to the waist. Gail audibly gasped as this creature turned her hazel gaze their way. The stranger smiled and pushed to her feet in a fluid, preternaturally graceful motion – her waist-length, silky-straight hair and flowing violet sleeves draped around her effortlessly as she sashayed their way.

  “I see that the fox has returned to the henhouse,” the stranger said, giving Javier a sultry smile. “And you’re not alone. Going to introduce us?”

  “Gail, meet the lovely Lady . . . Harker,” he said, giving the stranger a look. She winked at him. “Yes, Lady Harker now. Lady Harker, may I introduce you to Gail, my—”

  “His wife,” Gail said flatly, stepping forward to shake Lady Harker’s hand. The lady giggled and grabbed the surprised Gail in a massive hug.

  “I like her, Javier,” Lady Harker said, more of her proper British accent creeping into her voice. “Please call me Mina, everyone does, well . . . everyone I like.”

  Gail narrowed her eyes for a moment. “Why does this feel so very familiar?” she asked, as Mina led them both back to her section of the lounge.

  “Mina is the public relations for our kind. All the stories you love to read about vampires, you can blame her,” Javier explained.

  “I can’t believe I’m sitting with the real Mina Harker,” Gail gushed. Mina beamed.

  “I can’t believe you got your own name so easily,” Javier said, the faintest trace of bitterness in his voice. Mina slid closer to him and put her hand on his. Gail bristled instinctively. Mina laughed.

  “My father may not rule the Cesare officially—” Mina started.

  “But he certainly does in practice,” Javier grumbled. “Your son said you wanted to meet. I am here, Dama Harker.”

  “So formal.” Mina pouted. She gave a sideways glance at Gail. “I suppose you have your reasons. Lorcan seems to have influenced you.”

  “I am going to hear that every day for all eternity, no?” Javier sighed. “My own bitterness notwithstanding, congratulations on your promotion, Dama Harker. You truly deserve your own name, and I am happy for you.”

  Mina smiled and reached for her drink, then raised her glass to Gail. “Congratulations to you both. Love is the most precious of all things in this world, and I wish you every happiness. Please, keep the domain I loaned you . . . as a wedding gift. In fact, I would like to offer you much, much more if I can.”

  “As always, you are too kind,” Javier sighed. He gave Gail a pleading look. “Do you mind fetching us a few drinks, mi amor? I’m starving.”

  Gail furrowed her brow, but dutifully walked over to the Billy Idol clone and ordered a pair of extra-large type O negatives. She gritted her teeth as she saw Javier and Mina leaning together, whispering in each other’s ear. Gail had only taken a single stomp toward the pair when Edwin grabbed her arm.

  “Let them talk, please,” he said, leading her over to his half of the lounge with an iron grip.

  “But—” Gail protested.

  “Believe me, if my mom wanted him, he would already be following her back to her suite, and she’d probably convince you to join in,” Edwin muttered. “It’s her power. Even someone as old as Uncle Javier can’t resist her.”

  Gail plopped on the sofa next to Edwin’s companion who had ditched the wrist in favor of a bong. She stared at Gail through thick layers of mascara and overdone smoky eyes. “Sup?” the stranger asked.

  “Gail meet Winona, Winona, Gail,” Edwin said with a dismissive wave. He too seemed intent on staring at Javier and Mina’s mix of flirting and whispering. Winona shrugged and flopped onto a pillow as the herbal remedies soaked into her system. Gail gave her a halfhearted wave before returning to her regularly scheduled glaring.

  “Oh, would you prefer on tap?” Edwin asked as Gail received her drink. “We have plenty to choose from. I’d hate to be an ungracious host.”

  Gail ignored him and continued to seethe as Javier and Mina remained uncomfortably close. Edwin snarled occasionally as well.

  “My dad is probably dead by now,” Edwin muttered. “I know she’s looking out for us, but—”

  “What do you mean?” Gail asked. The neon sign above them flickered, as Gail’s cheeks flushed.

  “I mean, Uncle Jav is one of the few truly powerful unaligned vampires out there. If mom can score him on her side, it’s a big win,” Edwin explained. “It doesn’t matter if you have a name if all you have is good intentions and Canada behind you.”

  “But he’s an Azarola,” Gail said, confused.

  “Well, if you ask him, he is. If you ask the Azarola family currently in charge, he’s nothing but a traitor who bought his way back into society with wolf pelts and a lot of cash. I think if he can swallow a little bit of his pride then we have a chance to make this work for everyone. I’m pretty sure if he wasn’t married—”

  “Don’t finish that sentence,” Gail snapped before taking a sip of her drink. Edwin took a few gulps of his.

  “Well, do you like being a vampire?” Edwin asked in a remarkably conversational tone.

  “It’s all right,” Gail replied. “What I really love is the constantly being told to be . . .”

  “Patient,” Edwin answered in time with her. They then slurped their drinks in unison. “My older brother, Geoffrey, he always made me wait while he hogged all the fun and glory. Now he’s in London, still serving the Pendragon Clan, while I’m here . . . in Detroit.”

  “You don’t get along?” Gail asked, looking for any distraction from what appeared to now be nuzzling on the other side of the lounge.

  “Nothing alike. He was always the larger-than-life vampire with all the women and the adventure. Then he runs off to Atlanta after getting into a fight with dad and nearly dies, but oh no, not Geoffrey. Geoffrey manages to survive even certain death, but ever since then dad became more distant. Then he runs off and has an affair, and now I’m
the scion of House Harker, stuck doing paperwork and fighting to find allies.”

  “Hey, I woke up dead in a motel room. My vampire mother abandoned me,” Gail offered.

  “Here,” Winona said in a deadpan voice, shoving her bong into Gail’s hands. “You two need this way more than me.”

  “She’s the only vampire I’ve gotten to sign up so far,” Edwin sighed.

  “Hail Harker!” Winona chanted, flopping into a mountain of pillows.

  Edwin and Gail both exchanged a look before bursting into laughter and each taking a hit on the pipe. Gail stared at the smoke, surprised.

  “I didn’t think this would still work,” she said.

  “It works much better if you let a human load up then drink them. I so miss the sixties. Still, it gives you a brief buzz. Whatever you do, don’t eat it. Cellulose . . . hurts,” Edwin warned.

  “Thanks for the warning,” Gail began, trailing off as she saw Mina looking pointedly her way. Edwin gave Gail a nudge.

  “Pretty sure that is your cue, Gail,” Edwin muttered.

  Gail gave Edwin a quick once over, with his floppy hair, earnest eyes, and long pale face; he looked more like the kind of vampire who would sparkle rather than murder folks in their sleep. She furrowed her brows.

  “Geoffrey, it sounds so familiar.”

  “Everyone is talking about him. He’s Arthur’s favorite and supposedly came back from the disease that kills all other vampires,” Edwin snapped. “You’d think he was King Arthur reborn as well.”

  “That doesn’t quite seem right,” Gail murmured to herself as she wandered over to Javier and Mina. She slid right next to Javier, and snatched back his hand from Lady Harker. “Did you have a nice chat?” she asked snidely.

  “Don’t be cross, mi amor,” Javier said, snuggling against her. “We simply have a long history. That’s all it is . . . historia.”

  “I heard all about you, Gail. It is a shame that you were abandoned at birth. I’d like to right that wrong and offer you a place in my house,” Mina said earnestly.