Blood Candy Page 10

  Anastasia laughed and looked at the others who, with perhaps the exception of White Paul, hadn’t a clue what he was talking about. “I’ll make arrangements,” she said. “In the mean time, you can get to know my son and his lady friend a little better.”

  Anastasia started to make her way out of the room. Then she turned back and addressed Jimmy. “Oh, there’s a black wolf nosing around outside. I have my men on standby, but they’re itching to test out their silver bullets. You wouldn’t happen to know this beast, would you?”

  Jimmy and White Paul shared uncomfortable glances with each other. Jimmy swallowed his pride and said, “I know him. I’d be grateful if you didn’t shoot him.”

  Anastasia flashed a triumphant smile and then exited the room.

  “I’ve got to hand it to you,” White Paul told Blake. “Your mother is one weird, little freak.”

  Blake’s gray eyes flashed with anger. “Watch your tongue and remember whose house you’re in. Remember who needs help.”

  “Yeah, I’ll remember. You have all of my gratitude. As my gracious host could you please direct me to the bathroom?”

  Blake inclined his head to a door beneath the stairs on the left. White Paul headed over to it. With Nigel off looking at art on the walls while talking on his phone, Jimmy moved over to take Candy’s hand. Blake gave him a glare of warning.

  “Remember our goal,” he said. “Nigel must believe she’s mine.”

  “You’d like that wouldn’t you?” Jimmy said.

  “She’d be better off, that’s for sure.”

  Jimmy clenched his fists. Candy stepped between them.

  “Cut it out. Blake’s only trying to help us,” she said.

  Jimmy stormed off and plopped down next to Medium Dave on a silky red couch. He crossed his arms and glowered.

  “He’s not my boyfriend,” Candy said.

  “It certainly seems that way.”

  “Well, he’s not. As a matter of fact, the more I get to know him the more he gets on my nerves. This is the kind of drama I wanted to leave behind in school.”

  Blake studied her for a moment, his face passive, and then a small smile crept over his lips.

  “What?” she said.

  “You have to be one of the most intriguing women I’ve ever met,” he said. He shook his head, choosing his words carefully. “It’s hard to believe someone as attractive as you is still a virgin.”

  “I don’t want to talk about that.”

  “Sorry, I didn’t mean it in a bad way or anything. I think you’re admirable. I only meant most girls come to an age when they realize the power they have and they use it. I find you interesting because of how little you’re like everyone else.”

  Candy wasn’t unfamiliar with what he meant—she used her God-given assets to great effect, she just had some self-respect. Their conversation was interrupted when White Paul came back into the room and joined Jimmy and Medium Dave at the couch. A moment later, Nigel strolled over to join them as well.

  “I should tend to my guests,” Blake said. “Even if they don’t like me, I have only their best interest in mind.”

  Candy nodded and they headed over to the others. It looked like Nigel was questioning Medium Dave; the poor boy’s face was flushed and both White Paul and Jimmy glanced back and forth between the two of them.

  “. . . are you sure you’re not that crimson shower chap?” Nigel was saying.

  Medium Dave shook his head emphatically and he didn’t appear happy about whatever Nigel was going on about. Nigel narrowed his eyes, clearly suspicious.

  “You look just like him. The resemblance is uncanny.”

  Blake stepped in to stop Nigel’s badgering, asking his guests if they needed anything. White Paul asked if there was anything to drink.

  “Yes, in the kitchen,” Blake said. “Quite a few mortals work here so I’m sure we can find something for you.”

  Blake started towards a door to show White Paul the way. In an attempt to get away from Nigel, Medium Dave jumped up to join them. When Candy saw the look on Jimmy’s face she knew she’d better not be around to hear whatever rant he was about to go on once everyone else had cleared the room.

  “I need to use the bathroom,” she said.

  As she walked towards the door White Paul had gone down earlier, she heard Nigel saying something to Jimmy about the fine piece of tail Blake had found for himself. She imagined Jimmy was ready to explode. She hurried down the hall to the bathroom so she wouldn’t have to hear anything else.

  She was thinking about the whole messed up situation. Just last week, she had gone barhopping in Springfield with her friends. The thought that there could have been vampires there sent chills along her skin. It wasn’t long ago when she was worried about passing her final exams and now she was worried about vampires and lycanthropes. It wasn’t long ago when she had to decide between Aaron, star of the basketball team or Justin, the best lacrosse forward in decades. Now she was surrounded by werewolves and vampires.

  It dawned on her that she had been thinking all of this over ever since she first laid eyes on Blake. And why shouldn’t she have? Blake was hot; did it matter if he was a vampire? It should have. What Rupert did was unspeakable, unforgivable, but oddly enough it still didn’t matter. She shook her head and flipped on the light switch in the bathroom. She hardly had time to appreciate the rose granite counters and brass faucets when she stopped dead in her tracks. A dreadful smell like something had died in there nearly knocked her off her feet. She had to clamp her hands over her nose and mouth. She stepped in cautiously, and then she screamed.

  She hurried out of the bathroom. Jimmy had already sprinted most of the way down the hall and he took her in his arms before he was hit with the foul odor. He reeled, stepping back into the hall, nearly knocking Nigel over.

  “Are you okay?” Jimmy said, gagging. “What in the name of God is that smell?”

  Nigel pushed past them into the bathroom. “Fuck me that’s a whopper!”

  Jimmy leaned in and peered at the toilet. His eyes grew wide.

  “Bloody hell, are those teeth?” Nigel said. “What are you yanks eating?”

  From behind Candy, White Paul said in a somewhat apologetic tone, “I ate a horse last night.”

  “A horse?” Nigel said, his voice pitched in disbelief. “A whole bloody horse?”

  “Yeah—”

  “You ate its head?”

  “I was hungry!”

  Candy dared another glance inside the bathroom, to the toilet on the far side of the wall. She couldn’t help herself, it was like seeing something amazing for the first time except this was the exact opposite of amazing. There were definitely teeth embedded in it. Candy had to look away before she gagged, and then she and Jimmy both turned to White Paul, her with disgust and Jimmy with undiluted anger.

  Blake’s footsteps echoed down the hall. Scooting between Nigel and White Paul, his eyes widened when he got a good look inside the bathroom. He took a tentative step closer, his eyes refusing to believe, and then he quickly clasped his hands over his mouth. As he hunched over, everyone began taking steps away from him.

  “You feeling well, chap?” Nigel asked him.

  A sick rumbling filled Blake’s chest, making him sound hollowed inside. He hunched over even more and then blood spurted between his fingers. He couldn’t hold it back any longer and when he removed his hands a torrent of blood exploded from his mouth.

  Everyone screamed and ran. With a glance over her shoulder, it looked to Candy as if Nigel was terrified for his life. White Paul and Jimmy sprinted past everyone else into the antechamber while Blake’s horrible groaning and explosive vomiting resounded all the way down the hall.

  “Oh my God,” Candy said. “I think he’s dying!”

  White Paul had the guilty look of a child who had done something really bad but didn’t know how bad it would turn out to be. Like playing with matches and then setting the house on fire. Jimmy stared down the hall in horr
ified silence while gut-wrenching heaves and groans echoed off the high ceiling of the antechamber, giving it the effect of surround sound.

  “Go help him!” Candy said.

  Jimmy looked at her like she was crazy. “I’m not going down there,” he said.

  “Damn it!”

  Candy moved cautiously down the hall, cringing each time Blake gasped for breath. As she drew closer, she could see the walls and ceiling dripping with blood. Her eyes watered and she had to slap her hands over her mouth before she lost her dinner. She saw him ahead doubled over and holding onto the doorframe. He looked half dead.

  “Are you okay?”

  Blake lifted his head. Blood dripped from his nose and chin, and down from his eyes. He didn’t look okay at all.

  Chapter Eleven

  Blake took his guests into a room next to the den and they all sat in silence around a long table that could have seated three times as many people. There were shelves of books along the walls, making Candy think it served the purpose of both a library and a conference room.

  Blake slouched down in his chair. His skin was ashen white and his eyes sunken and purple, which gave Candy the eerie feeling that she was sitting next to a corpse. Jimmy sat on her left glaring across the table at White Paul, who hadn’t lifted his head once.

  “Bloody good show,” Nigel said. “I haven’t been this entertained since that blood brothel I visited in Georgia during the summer of seventy-four. The whores did a fantastic recreation of a Civil War battle in assless chaps. They even had this bloke who looked so much like Abe Lincoln I swear up and down it was really him. The girls all attacked him with bayonets until he raised his flag in surrender. And when I say his flag, I mean his tallywhacker.”

  Nigel chuckled and slapped his knee while everyone stared at him. Blake lifted his head for a moment to narrow his eyes. Candy was genuinely concerned for their vampire host’s health.

  “Is there anything you need? You look terrible,” she said.

  Blake shook his head. “I’m fine. I just need to recuperate for a moment.”

  “He expelled quite a bit of blood,” Nigel said. “I imagine he needs a refill. I’d pay quite generously to watch.” He winked at Candy.

  “I’m fine,” Blake said, sitting up and looking around with a scowl. He growled a little as his narrowed eyes lingered on White Paul. “You’re my guests and I’m going to entertain you. Renaldo!”

  An attractive man of Mediterranean descent with curly black hair came running into the room. The servant never lifted his eyes to anyone, and Candy didn’t want to imagine what Blake might have him do to entertain them.

  “Fetch Monopoly,” Blake said. “And have Stephanie bring out drinks for the guests when she’s done with the bathroom.” When the servant turned to leave, Blake grabbed his arm. “Don’t mess it up. Two vampires and four humans.”

  “Monopoly?” Jimmy said.

  The news of Monopoly pleased Medium Dave.

  “What’s wrong with Monopoly? It’s my favorite board game,” Blake said.

  Jimmy rubbed his tired eyes. “Where’s Anastasia? I’d like to get this moving along.”

  “My mother will be here when she’s ready. Until then you will be entertained.”

  “I can hardly wait,” Jimmy said, making sure Blake saw his rolling eyes.

  Candy leaned close to Jimmy and whispered, “I played Dungeons and Dragons with you and your friends. You can suffer through a game of Monopoly with me.”

  Renaldo and another female servant came back into the room with a giant box. They put it on the floor and then opened it. Inside was a custom made Monopoly game that was so big they had to set it up in quadrants on the table. Candy watched with curiosity as Renaldo hung what looked like the inside of a cash register onto his shoulder so that it hung near his waist. And, appropriately enough, the slots were filled with colorful fake money. The manservant then plucked up one of the pure gold game pieces and offered it to Blake.

  “Your battleship, Master Blake.”

  “Thank you, Renaldo. You may place it on ‘GO.’ ”

  Renaldo turned his attention to Candy. “And what piece does the lady prefer?”

  “Uh.” Candy had played Monopoly once when she was nine. “The dog?”

  “Bloody good choice,” Nigel said. “Would you mind if I take the top hat?”

  Renaldo passed out the starting money to each player as they chose their piece. Once that was done, he set the pieces on the giant “GO” space on the board. He picked up a pair of dice and offered them to Blake.

  “I believe Master Blake has the honor of playing first,” he said.

  Blake rolled the dice and Candy watched in horror as Renaldo, not Blake, who didn’t budge from his seat in the least, moved his master’s game piece forward on the board. She and the Misfits (with the exception of Medium Dave) looked aghast at one another. White Paul was ready to explode with a snide comment. She suspected he wanted to rage, but held back because he felt so bad about what he did to the bathroom.

  “I’ll purchase,” Blake said.

  Renaldo nodded and removed the appropriate amount of money from Blake’s stack and then he put the property card in front of him. Blake watched on with a satisfied grin while Candy, Jimmy, and White Paul didn’t bother to hide their revulsion.

  Jimmy leaned close to Candy. “You were saying?”

  This carried on for nearly thirty minutes. Renaldo hurried around the table moving pieces, handing out cards, and taking money while the players did nothing other than roll dice. On his first turn White Paul had tried to move his own piece, but Renaldo smacked his hand. Candy couldn’t remember ever being this bored. White Paul had passed out after each of his last two turns and had to be woken up to roll the dice.

  “You little bugger!” Nigel said, wagging a finger at Blake. “Hotels already? I suspect we shan’t last much longer.”

  White Paul shot up from a deep sleep. “What! Is it over?”

  Finally, a maid came in to serve drinks. The two vampires were given a thick red liquid in a tall glass that Candy assumed was blood. Everyone else was given white wine. Candy gulped down half of it at once.

  “You realize none of us are twenty-one, right?” Jimmy pointed out to Blake.

  “You care about the arbitrary laws mortals come up with?” Blake said. “Have a drink. Relax and live a little.”

  “Because this is the high life right here,” Jimmy countered with a wave at the Monopoly board. “Highly retarded.”

  “Fine. What do you suggest we play?” Blake said. “How about a game of one on one at the basketball court?”

  “Blake used to play in high school,” Medium Dave said. “He’d probably stomp you.”

  Jimmy glared at him. “Thanks, Dave. I’m not playing basketball at one in the morning. I’m exhausted and I want this night to end.”

  Blake aimed a wide grin at Candy. “That’s fine,” he said. “Let me know when you come up with something you can beat me at.”

  “I don’t want to beat you. I don’t want to play you at anything. What I would like is for your mother to get back down here already.”

  “I understand. If you’re scared say you’re scared,” Blake said.

  “Scared? You think I’m afraid of a spoiled jerk who’s dressed by his fourteen year old mother? Please.”

  Nigel leaned close to Medium Dave and said, “What’s up with these wankers?” Medium Dave shrugged.

  “Name your game, then,” Blake said.

  Jimmy looked to White Paul, who took Medium Dave’s stance and shrugged. “Fine,” Jimmy said. “Dungeons and Dragons. That’s my game.”

  “Please God no,” Candy begged.

  Blake burst into laughter. “Dungeons and Dragons? You mock Monopoly and basketball, but you want to play me at Dungeons and Dragons? Could you be any more of a pussy?”

  Jimmy shot up from his chair and pointed a finger. “Shut your fucking mouth!”

  The manservant and Medium Dave flinch
ed, while Nigel leaned back with his hands behind his head in anticipation of a possible show.

  “You no good vampires are the reason we’re here in the first place. You owe us your help,” Jimmy said.

  Blake sprung up out of his chair. “You want to take this outside? Let’s show Candy who the real man is. I’ll rip your head off and have your asshole friend shit teeth down your neck!”

  Candy buried her face in her hands.

  Anastasia’s voice drifted into the room. Still in her southern harlot getup that made everyone uncomfortable, she strolled over to the table and took a seat on Medium Dave’s lap. Her eyes flashed over Jimmy and her son, who were both still standing and glaring at each other.

  “Now, now, boys,” she said. “There’s no need to fight. What’s the problem?”

  “Nothing, Mother. Just friendly competition,” Blake said.

  “I’m sure,” Anastasia purred. She threw her arms around Medium Dave’s neck and nibbled his ear. “Why don’t we all sit back down and hear what the good Sir Nigel has to say?”

  Jimmy glanced at Nigel and said, “I don’t care anymore. We can solve this problem ourselves. As a matter of fact, we’re leaving.” He held his hand out for Candy.

  “How chauvinistic.” Anastasia frowned. “Why don’t we let Candy decide what she wants to do?”

  Everyone turned their attention to Candy. She sighed and rubbed her eyes. She was exhausted and she didn’t want to deal with this anymore. The only thing she knew was she needed help and she wasn’t about to leave without first hearing what Nigel had to say. As much as she appreciated Tinch and the Misfits for everything they had done, it was clear they were out of their league when it came to Rupert and his family.

  “We need their help. I need their help,” Candy said. “I understand if you want to go, Jimmy.” She looked at White Paul and Medium Dave. “If you all want to go I understand. It’s okay. This is my problem, not yours.”

  Jimmy sat back down, his face twisted into a grimace.

  “Very good,” Anastasia said from her place on Medium Dave’s lap, who was thoroughly enjoying her company. “Why don’t you tell us what you have set up, Nigel?”