Page 69 of The Vampire Always Rises
Spiky looked mollified. “I won’t say Carlo is happy with me, but that’s why when he demanded I turn your friend, I made no protest. And I don’t think Ellis minds terribly that I did so, do you?”
“It certainly doesn’t seem like he does. In fact, he looks very happy.”
By the time I herded the six men upstairs, my brain and ears were buzzing with their constant chatter, jokes, teasing, dramatic explanations, and occasional bits of song lyrics.
“I’m so glad to see you,” Ellis said once we had taken over the kitchen of the villa, the door to the old lady’s room remaining firmly shut. The other vamps were milling around, poking into drawers and opening cupboards. One of them found a huge pair of shears, and immediately announced his intention to give himself a pair of booty shorts. “I thought I was a goner once you bailed out, and then of course, Armande turned me, and that was high drama, let me tell you! You do not know the value of your bladder muscles until you have a vampire chomping down on you.”
“I’ve been chomped on several times and not had any bladder issues,” I said smugly.
“Yes, but you’re a girl. You have superior bladder parts.”
“What I don’t understand,” I said, idly watching the others as they all stripped out of their jeans in order to make shorts, “is why Carlo wanted you to be a vamp. What does that do other than make you allergic to garlic and burn up in sunlight? Is that his way of punishing you?”
“Don’t you know? I suppose you don’t, although I’d think that vampire you’ve been doing the sheet tango with might have told you. Your dear cousin Carlo and that dead-eyed henchman of his are building a vampire empire.”
“A what?”
“Just what I said. The boys here are hired out to attend parties. Special parties for only the very rich.”
“You have got to be kidding me.” I stared at him in disbelief.
“It’s god’s honest truth, I swear! Armande’s team—that’s him there with the pink hair—gets sent to super-exclusive parties of the rich and wannabe famous, and then they feed off everyone. Armande says the people get their jollies off of being with a real vampire, and the boys get fed, and your cousin rakes in the cash.”
“Who in their right mind would want a vampire to feed off—” I thought of what it was like when I was feeding Merrick, and stopped speaking.
“That’s right,” Ellis said, nodding, and flashing a grin at Armande. “When I say the mortals get their jollies, I mean theyget their jollies.”
“I don’t know whether to point out that’s awfully close to prostitution, or to just let it go because it’s none of my business.”
“Do the latter. It’s much easier on your blood pressure,” he advised.
“We do not like that part, being intimate with the mortals.” Armande paused when passing us. “We want to have a dance troupe, you know? All male dancers.” He did a couple of pelvic thrusts and a triple spin. “Like the Chimpendales.”
“Chippendales, darling,” Ellis corrected, and applauded when Armande did a split jump. “Such lovely thighs you have. I think a dance troupe is much nicer than having to service all those dreary mortals with their vampire obsessions.”
“You were a mortal yourself half a day ago,” I pointed out.
“And life is so much better now,” he said, blowing me a kiss.
Armande had been doing a few more pirouettes before saying, “Yes, the dance troupe will be good. We have practiced many routines during our years working for Carlo, and all we need are a few costumes, and then we will be megastars! If we can get Carlo to agree to it, which I know he will not do. Jon-Marie! What are you thinking? You cut out the heart over your left butt cheek, not your right cheek.”
I shook my head when Armande bustled off across the room to fix whatever fashion faux pas one of the other vamps was about to make. “It’s kind of hard getting to grips with the idea that your own cousin spends his days pimping out vampires. I wonder if Merrick knows the sexy stuff goes on.”
“Oh, Carlo doesn’t just send the boys to parties,” Ellis said, shaking his head when one of the men offered him the scissors. “Armande, tell Tempest what you told me about the research groups.”
“It is true. Carlo and Giovanni take the vampires who refuse to cooperate, and auction them to labs.” Armande frowned as one of the others paraded by in a very short pair of cutoffs.
“What sort of labs?” I asked, torn between suspicion and fear.
“Ones where they research the ways of the Dark Ones, naturally,” Armande said with a shrug. “It is why we, in general, do as Carlo says. We do not want to be sent to the labs. Instead, we go to parties and pretend to make love to the mortals, and they let us drink their blood.”
I forestalled any comments about the morality of such a thing and focused on what was important. “Where does Carlo send the other vampires to?”
“No clue. I only know they round them up every month or so and sell them to the highest bidder.”
I looked at Ellis. He cocked an eyebrow at me.
“I think we need to talk to Merrick,” I said after a moment’s thought, and despite doubting it would do any good, sent out a mental call.Hello, Tempest calling Merrick, Tempest calling Merrick. Come in, Merrick.
