Urban Vampire

Chapter 7

Instead I thought of some reason that he wouldn't want to see me at work—like if I had spinal meningitis or hepatitis…"Well my doctor said that this…rash isn't contagious…as long as the pus stops draining from the sores. But if you really need me in I don't mind wearing gloves. And I can spray disinfectant just in case he's wrong and this stuff all over me is actually contagious. Well…I'll just call in later in the week. Bye."

I hung up the phone contemplating how I would handle work, and something became clear to me. I believed that somehow I was coming back from this. I'm a Vampire. Why the hell am I worried about what to tell my boss? My death, unfortunately, superseded my ability to hold a job.

I was about to hold another pity party when I heard a noise outside my door. Somebody or something was standing outside my apartment door.

Fear like a cold hand gripped me. "Who's there?" I whispered from my bedroom.

"Let me in," a voice said more in my head than out loud.

My breath came out in a panic. "What do you want?"

"To come in."

I thought seeing the movie The Exorcist for the first time was scary. This took the cake! I had been the cause of a Vampire becoming dead—permanently dead. The Council had wanted me put down before that. I couldn't begin to imagine how pissed they were now that I had put down one of them.

"If you could, you would have come in by now. You need me to invite you, don't you?"

Silence.

I got up and crept into the living room. "Hello?" I whispered. "I'm not going to invite you in."

"You're a Vampire, Kim Russell, and I don't need an invitation to enter your home," the voice said. "It's only as a courtesy. Are you going to open the door, or am I going to burst through it?"

He knew my name. The Devil was a trickster, Pastor said. This was the closest to the Devil I ever hoped to get. "Do what you gotta do."

Nothing happened.

I heard a sigh.

"Okay, I was bluffing. You're good, I see." It sounded like Tony, the vamp who looked like Omar Epps. I wasn't going to be sidetracked by his good looks, if that was his plan.

"You might as well be up front," I said. "Are you here to kill me?"

"No."

I felt marginally relieved. "You lied about being able to come inside. How do I know you're not lying about this?"

The sound of splintering hinges caused me to leap back before the pieces settled. I had moved so fast that I couldn't recollect commanding my body into action.

Tony strolled into the room looking sharp in a black leather coat, black pants, and another black silk shirt. He was wearing a Rolex on his left wrist. Yum! He looked good enough to eat. But wait, he's here to kill me. Focus!

"I offered a courtesy, not a lie, when I said that I would not just burst into your home." His eyes took in my appearance in the same way that they had the night before. He started at my feet—or what he could see of them—and ended at my face. "You've fed."

I felt like a little girl hiding behind her Mama's skirt as I peeked from behind the wall. He smiled or smirked. I don't know which, but I didn't like it. I was damned scared and he was amused.

"Since you're in here you might as well tell me what you want," I said, trying to sound fearless.

Instead of answering, he looked around my place. He studied a picture of me with some family. Tony could have killed me by now, so it was pretty stupid to be standing half behind the wall as if it was really going to save me. I walked back into the living room.

He ignored me in a way that seemed to be a very Vampire-like trait—as if it didn't matter if I crept around because I was ultimately going to do what he wanted me to do.

"I want to bring you in," he said.

"Bring me into what?"

He looked at me from over his shoulder. "The Family, of course."

"Yesterday that would have been cool," I said. "Of course that was before I was almost killed."

He shook his head. "Yeah, I didn't like the way that went down. It wasn't giving you the benefit of showing your abilities." He smiled as if there was a joke that I wasn't included in. "But you did show them."

"Them? Aren't you apart of them?"

"I apologize." He approached me with his hand held out.

I stiffened but didn't step back.

"My name is Tony. Tony Yates, Vampire, Council member, and ex-hood rat."

I put my hand in his and he bowed over it.

"At your service," he said.

I swallowed dryly but at least some of my nervousness had left. "I'd introduce myself, but you already know my name." I marveled that his hand was nothing like touching William's had been. Tony's hand was warm.

"I am a Council member, but I'm not like them. They are the old school Neratomay, and I'm a new school vamp. They are straight out of Europe, and I'm straight out of Harlem." He appraised me again. Tony was checking me out. I guess men didn't change regardless of whether they were alive or dead.

"You probably have a lot of questions," Tony said. "But I need to know something first. Who did you take blood from?"

I looked down at the floor. "My ex ..."

"Where is his body?"

My mouth dropped open. "I didn't kill him. I just sent him home and told him to forget it had ever happened."

Tony blinked. He rubbed his goatee and looked at the floor. "A Second Generation would have rampaged and killed friends and loved ones. We've come to understand that Thirds don't always have the bloodlust."

"Well, I can attest to that. It was ... good, but ..." I shrugged.

"I didn't know what to expect when I came here. I thought you'd be overcome with the hunger. Instead ..." He glanced into the open bedroom. "I see that you were decorating."

Tired of tensely standing in the same spot, I moved to my favorite chair and sat.

Tony strolled over to stand opposite me but not too close. "We are not permitted to kill for food. To kill humans is to bring attention to our kind. It is never permitted."

I grimaced. Kill? He stressed it as if I wanted to go out there killing people. Other than that Republican vamp, I have never had to consider killing anyone.

Tony watched me closely. "You have no idea what I'm referring to, do you?"

"Not really."

He raised a brow. "It's a part of the bloodlust, and thankfully something you will never have to experience." He dropped his gaze from me as he looked at the items in my apartment. I saw his eyes settle on photos of me and members of my family. "You don't quite believe that you are dead."

"I ... but I—"