Page 8 of Lured

I could understand the appeal of having some blood on tap from a willing participant. It took a lot of moral ambiguity out of the equation for the few vampires who were uncomfortable with killing anyone or taking life force from an unwilling human, but it was also a power exchange that was misused by a lot of our kind.

When you could easily kill the human making the offer, many didn't dare ask for anything in return and didn't protest when a vampire went too far. I didn't need someone so meek and mild in my life. It just wasn't me to be pandered to all the time.

The girl looked around her as if she was looking for someone else and that made it easier for me to head to the bar. If she was another's then I was safe to get a drink and not be bothered by her. There was no way that she would endanger whatever meeting she intended to have with another vampire.

I sat down on the available stool next to her but I leaned away from her, leaving a gap so that whoever she was waiting for wouldn't think anything untoward was happening, but something about her kept drawing my attention.

She was sitting, looking as innocent as possible, and was aware of her surroundings, keeping an eye on the exits, something smart, but she was also not showing signs that she was truly waiting for anyone. She checked her watch several times, even though she didn't appear to care about the time.

After several a couple of drinks, both of which she drew out for as long as possible, she grew more fidgety. She was waiting for some one and two drinks was her limit, not time or any other constraint.

I found myself contemplating who she could be waiting for and why. Whoever it was, they weren't showing for her and I almost felt sorry. She was going through the fear of coming into the vampire world without full protection and she was having to deal with the pain of not being wanted as well. It was everything bad about being human and about vampires.

Taking some pity on her, I found myself grabbing her a third drink as I ordered. She lifted her eyebrows as the bartender put the drink down in front of her. Although he was one of the more discrete bar tenders, I knew this could get back to people if I didn't handle it right.

“You look like you're being stood up,” I said. “Consider this a consolation prize of sorts. You don't deserve to be stood up.”

With that I gave her a nod and walked away. I wanted to talk to her more and see if it was, but she didn't react or move and I had little choice but to make sure that I had my eye on Ludis and was nearby if he wanted me. He was still gambling and while I could see him from here, I couldn't hear him.

After finding a sort of middle ground by a slot machine, I perched where I could see Ludis and keep an eye on the beautiful young lady at the bar. She was everything enchanting about a woman, long legs, lithe body and it was clear she kept it in shape. On top of that she had those eyes that could cry at any moment but also fill with anger.

I had no doubt she could wield the full set of emotions, even if she sat where she was observing and taking in what she could now. A couple of times she also looked over at Ludis, noticing him.

In a lot of ways, I didn't blame her. He stood out, his clothing and mannerisms screaming for attention. I hoped that he wasn't why she was here, but it would be strange if she was. Ludis wasn't the kind of vampire to make any level of appointments, let alone ones he didn't keep.

After a while of studying here, I was pretty sure she had some reason to be interested in him, however. Was she some kind of messenger? Or did she have some kind of similar mission to me. Maybe one of the other dons wanted all problem half-bloods to be kept an eye on.

Either way, it did me no harm to keep an eye on her while I also watched Ludis. If nothing else, knowing what interest she also had in him was now part of my goal. If she was involved in some way, or trying to stop him, possibly even wanting to help him or get him a message then I needed to know.

Of course, I suspected that I was just wanting to watch her because she was hot and it had been a while since I'd enjoyed some female company. It was entirely possible that I was reading far too much into it.

Still, it wasn't stopping me doing what I needed. At the moment Ludis was relaxing again and not trying to get a feel for if his hangers on were willing to commit the equivalent of vampire treason and try to take out a Brethren. Not that he had said which Brethren he wanted to attack.

Now and then a very overconfident member of the true-blood did go and get themselves killed. I was pretty sure that Ludis was insane enough to think he could take the amethyst dagger, however. The dragons had far too high an opinion of himself. But if I was going to confirm it and do something about it, I would need proof.

That wouldn't be so easy to get. So I would need to keep waiting and watching.

As the woman at the bar continued to sip her drink, it also began to run lower. I considered buying her another, but I really didn't want to hit on her and make it too obvious when she had stopped noticing me altogether.

Eventually, when she had about a quarter left, she picked it up and began to walk around the casino with it. She appeared to meander, as if she was considering what to gamble on, but at no point did she pull out a bank card or any chips in order to gamble at all.

It was strange and it made me wonder if she was eyeing up Ludis to steal from him or something else. See if she could hustle him. But if so, she was playing with fire. She had to know she was in a vampire casino, surely? But maybe I had been wrong about that part.

From the way she was dressed, the cross about her neck yet the way one side was enticing displayed with her hair swept to the other. It spoke of suggesting that she knew who she was among and what would appeal to them, but she also knew that they could be dangerous and she wasn't fully defenseless.

Many of the enthralled dressed in a similar manner, so he had assumed she was one. Or wanted to be. And she had done nothing to change his mind except for her strange actions with money. Enthralled were usually taken care of financially by their vampire owners and there was a chance that this was the angle she was going for far more.

As she wandered the casino, she came closer to Ludis and the blackjack tables nearby. I had considered sitting at them as well, gambling a little while I watched, but I had positioned myself so I could see her as well.

Despite looking as if she wanted to sit at the blackjack tables, she wandered past all of them instead, taking her time to sort of watch some of the games. She caught the eye of a few different men and returned some smiles here and there. I got the impression that she was working the room somehow, trying to find a way in.

Eventually she stopped near a blackjack table where one of the empty seats would give her a great view of Ludis and his gambling, but have her far enough away that she wouldn't be noticed by him. She stood near the empty seat and an older male human she had made eye contact with a few times.

“I don't understand blackjack and can't seem to figure it out,” she said, her voice sounding even more innocent and lost than it had when he'd spoken to her. “Do you think I could watch you for a few minutes so I can try to figure it out?”

The man turned to her and looked her up and down before taking in the drink she carried and the way she had her eyes turned on him. She'd widened her eyes a fraction, making herself look even more helpless. It was enough of a difference in how she carried herself and appeared that I found myself imagining striding over to her, tilting her head to the side and sinking my fangs into her.

All the innocence and vulnerability she projected brought out the predator in me. It took all my restraint not to go claim her as an enthralled right in that moment whether she wanted to be mine or not. I could have her and make her mine for as long as I wanted. Maybe even turn her, teach her to be an obedient little half blood that I could enjoy as I pleased.

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