Page 22 of Taste of Death

But until I found a cure, I was all that was left. If Carpe Noctem was offering me a lifeline, I had to at least consider it.

“I can see you in an hour,” I said.

The brusang butlerat the Carpe Noctem estate frowned when I dismounted my motorcycle and removed my helmet. I could afford a car and driver, but always hated the confined feeling of a car. Why waste the money when I could feel the rush of wind with no walls around me?

“I’m sorry, sir. I don’t believe we have any valets who can drive a… ” The butler made no attempt to sound apologetic, holding his tongue as if any variation of the word “motorcycle” could not be uttered in polite company.

“You can leave it. I won’t be staying long.”

I flashed a smile. The butler gave me a strained one in return. His brown irises looked almost golden set in the black sclera that denoted him as a brusang.

Seeing him made me think of Amy again, how candid she had been about her struggles with the turning. Did this butler have a similar experience? Or did he embrace the chance for a new life with vampiric traits, even if there was only a fifty-fifty chance he’d survive the change?

“Of course, sir. Please.” The butler’s tone was clipped, formal with no nonsense as he stood aside, leading me into the house with an outstretched arm.

“Thank you, um, what’s your name?”

He closed the front door before striding ahead of me. “I have no name. If I am performing my duties correctly, you will have no need to address me. This way, please.”

“Well, shit,” I muttered, following after him. I couldn’t even imagine how traumatic it must have been to have his whole identity erased.

Like most vampire homes, the majority of Carpe Noctem’s estate was underground. The nameless butler led me to an elevator on the far wall and we took the ride down together silently.

The doors opened smoothly a minute later to a room that was somehow both cozy and cavernous. A chandelier hung from an impossibly high ceiling over a set of plush red couches, loveseats, and armchairs. Red smoke wafted lazily from the low table in the center, and conversation echoed from the three figures perched on the furniture.

“Novak, come in!” Baros gestured me over, a fat dark cigar pinched between his fingers. “Join the party. Drink? Smoke?”

“Sure, thank you.” I eased down into one side of the loveseats next to Baros, who was in one of the armchairs.

“Have you met my second, Mazor?” Baros indicated the male vampire sitting in the armchair across the table from him.

“I have not, it’s a pleasure.” I dipped my head toward the other vampire, who gave me the signature slimy Carpe Noctem grin in return.

“And of course you know my daughter, Inessa.”

The female vampire sat perched on the loveseat across from me. Her gown was covered in tiny black and red jewels that flashed and glittered with her subtle movements. If she walked or danced, she’d look like some kind of gothic disco ball. Already I was craving the dark soothing tones and soft lighting of my own home.

“We actually haven’t met before, but I’m charmed.” I put on a smile that I hoped was polite enough. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.”

Her smile was soft in return, heavy lashes fluttering low over her pale skin. “The pleasure is mine, Novak of Rathka’s Order.”

The nameless butler appeared before me, holding out a shallow wooden box filled with an assortment of cigars. I chose one at random. Smoking was not my thing, but darakt, a mixture of powdered blood and herbs for flavor, was the one substance that united vampires of all walks of life. And my rudeness would be noticed if I refused one.

Working-class vampires usually bought darakt cigarettes by the pack, often sticking to their favorite brand or flavor. People like Baros paid a premium to have his own custom blends made with only the finest quality ingredients.

After my cigar was lit and I was situated with a glass of wine, Baros got straight to business. “Did you hear about the attack on Sapien, the human settlement?”

“Just rumors.” I held the red darakt smoke in my mouth before blowing it out, trying to save my throat from the burning. “Nothing substantial. But it doesn’t make sense. Blood ‘til Dawn took their sacrifice, did they not?”

The human-only settlement of Sapien remained free of vampire influence due to an arrangement called the Half-Century Selection. Every fifty years, Sapien chose one of their own to give to the ruling clan, usually as a blood pet. In exchange, vampires were not permitted to feed on anyone in Sapien, and certainly not attack them. The ruling clan was supposed to enforce this.

“They did.” Mazor leaned forward, his expression gleeful. “And yet an attack happened anyway, just weeks later. A few humans died. Almost a dozen injured.”

My wine glass paused on its way to my mouth. Was Amy among those who had been badly injured? Or even died? She never explicitly mentioned being from there, but the timing lined up.

“Do we know who attacked them?” I mused.

“Wish I did.” Baros sighed. “I would have invited them to this table. Any enemy of Blood ‘til Dawn is a friend of mine.”

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