Four Centuries (Damned and Cursed Book 7) (9 page)

"It won't be long now," Denise said.
 
"The stairs are already here.
 
The crew just has to get the awning up.
 
Liz, you want to come out with me?"

Liz shifted in her seat, tempted, but remained still.

"No, thanks.
 
I'll catch up with you later."

Denise waved goodbye before vanishing.
 
Victoria stood up and stretched her legs before settling in her seat.

"You don't have to stay here and keep a very old, sun-allergic woman company," she said.

"It's no problem at all.
 
So…
are
you old?"

Victoria turned and smiled at the question.
 
She sensed apprehension in Liz's tone, but the young flight attendant obviously felt more comfortable with the vampire than when they'd first boarded at BWI Airport.

"I'm sorry," Liz said quickly.
 
"It's just a little bet Denise and I have."

"Let's just put it this way.
 
I'm definitely up there."
 
Victoria opened the cooler and pulled out another bottle, forgoing the wine glass.
 
"I'd offer you a drink, but I have the feeling you wouldn't like what I'm having."

"I heard it was always better warm."

She glanced at Liz and recognized the small smile, of what she was hinting.

"I'm offering
you
a drink," she said.

Victoria didn't believe that was part of the flight attendant's job, and she didn't care.
 
Liz was right.
 
There was nothing like warm blood from a mortal's vein.
 
With the gathering of the world's most powerful vampires in New Delhi, she didn't know when she'd next get to enjoy warm blood.

She moved in slowly, giving Liz a chance to change her mind.
 
Liz only nodded and shifted in her seat, leaning her head back to expose her neck.
 
Victoria would have been just as happy feeding from her arm, but if Liz was offering her neck, she wouldn't refuse.
 
That was the prime spot for feeding.

Victoria ran her tongue along her fangs as she enjoyed Liz's scent.
 
She slowly penetrated the flesh between the neck and shoulder.
 
Liz winced and let out a tiny cry as she flinched, but then whatever pain and discomfort she felt vanished as just the opposite took hold.

Victoria's eyes dilated and turned red as the warm nectar coursed through her.
 
She fed slowly, enjoying the moment and the sensation.
 
Liz, despite her best efforts, began to whimper and moan.
 
She didn't know what to do with her hands, so she settled on gripping Victoria's shoulder and hip.

As always, the vampire was in complete control.
 
Never once in her four centuries did she ever harm a mortal from feeding.
 
Not every vampire could say that.
 
She was acutely aware of Liz beneath her.
 
Her quickened breaths, frenzied pulse, even the sweat beading on her forehead.
 
It was entirely possible to enjoy a feeding, enjoy the mortal companionship, and not hurt them.

Liz squeezed Victoria's shoulder tightly and bit her lip.
 
It wouldn't be long before Liz climaxed.
 
Victoria considered pushing further, a show of gratitude for Liz taking care of her the past seventeen hours.
 
She doubted Liz would mind at all.
 
But there were probably a million reasons why she shouldn't turn the comely flight attendant into a quivering pile of mush in the middle of the empty airplane.

She withdrew her fangs and held the back of Liz's neck.
 
Liz sighed, a mix of contentment and disappointment, as Victoria ran her tongue over the tiny wounds.
 
The gesture made Liz shiver, but there was nothing sexual in Victoria's movements.
 
The vampire's saliva healed the punctures, not even leaving a scar.
 
The only trace that Victoria was even there was a tiny bit of blood, which she quickly licked away.

Liz couldn't speak for nearly a minute.
 
Finally, her breathing returned somewhat to normal as she opened her eyes and smiled at Victoria.

"You didn't have to stop."

It was Victoria's turn to console.

"If I didn't, you'd be proposing to me right now."
 
She smiled.
 
"First time?"

"No, I just…forgot how good that felt.
 
Thank you."

"No, thank
you
.
 
I'm not sure how much warm blood I'll be getting in New Delhi."

Liz was in the middle of straightening her clothes when the sunlight spilling in from the open doorway vanished.
 
Victoria carefully peered around the corner to see the stairs pressed against the plane were covered by a large plastic tunnel, blocking out the sun.

Denise was halfway up the stairs.
 
She stopped when she saw Victoria staring back at her.

"Oh!" she said, flinching and putting a hand over her heart.
 
"We're ready for you."

Victoria gathered her cooler and smiled at Liz.

"It's been a pleasure."

"It has," Liz said.
 
"I guess we'll be seeing you again in a few weeks."

Victoria tried to contain her frown.
 
Weeks.
 
She was going to be away from home for weeks.

The humid afternoon air struck her as she moved down the stairs, carrying the cooler at her side.
 
A limousine waited at the bottom with the rear door open, as close to the protective tunnel as possible.
 
An Indian man, dressed in a suit, stood in between the limousine and tunnel, holding an umbrella over his head.
 
Low tech, but certainly effective.
 
Some sunlight was still visible, not that it concerned Victoria.
 
But she had to act like it did.

"Don't worry," Liz said behind her.

Victoria laughed.
 
"I'm not.
 
I'm not as fragile as I look."

"Oh, you don't look fragile."

The Indian man held out his hand as Victoria neared the bottom, gesturing for her to wait.
 
She stayed within the safety of the darkness, just out of the light's reach.

"Miss Victoria?" he said.

"Please, just Victoria."

"Welcome to New Delhi," he said with a nod.
 
No smile, no warmth.
 
Just a firm handshake.
 
"We've already packed all your luggage."

Victoria smiled in approval, but she wasn't happy at all.
 
She wanted to
see
her luggage getting moved from the plane.
 
Powerful circle of vampires or not, she wanted to move her own luggage.
 
But she didn't have much choice.

"I'm Amit," he said, then turned toward the limousine.
 
"As you can see, no windows at all in the back.
 
You'll be completely safe.
 
Are you ready to go?"

A hand grabbed her gently from behind.
 
The hugs from both Liz and Denise caught her by surprise, but it was a nice gesture.
 
She squeezed them both and flashed a goodbye smile.

"Okay," Amit said, shifting position.
 
"Uh, I'm sorry about this.
 
I know this isn't exactly…elegant.
 
But I'm going to block the sun with my umbrella here.
 
If you can just…you know, jump into…."

Victoria laughed as Amit showed some personality for the first time.
 
She simply held up her hand.

"It's okay, Amit," she said, making sure to say his name correctly.
 
A person's name was important, and should always be treated with respect.
 
A lesson her brother Jack could stand to learn.
 
"Don't worry.
 
You wouldn't believe some of the crazy things I've done to avoid the sun."

She moved quickly, pushing through the remaining three feet to the door and landing on the seat.
 
The last thing she saw before Amit closed the door was Liz and Denise waving.

The limousine was more than she expected, and certainly nice, custom-designed for her kind.
 
Instead of alcohol and ice, there was a single bottle of champagne, with a decorative label, that did not contain champagne.
 
Victoria was still riding high from the warm feeding with Liz, and passed on the offer.

A divider separated the back of the limousine from the driver.
 
Not long after they began moving, a tiny window in the middle of the divider slid open.
 
Amit glanced at her over his shoulder as he drove.

"Comfortable?" he asked.

"Very.
 
I have to admit, this is much more than I expected.
 
Do you work for the hotel?"

The question surprised him.

"Of course.
 
Is this your first meeting?"

"It is," she admitted.
 
"I'm just filling in for an old friend."

"Ah," he said, nodding.
 
"Your kind has been very good to our hotel.
 
You've held your meetings there since I was a little boy.
 
The entire top floor is yours, for your business.
 
I think you'll find it very pleasant."
 
He reached into his coat pocket and handed her a card.
 
"I also live two blocks from the hotel.
 
My address is on there, and so is my cell phone.
 
For your stay, I'll be your personal assistant."

"Oh, wow.
 
Amit, really, I appreciate it.
 
But I don't need a personal assistant."

"Maybe not," he said, laughing shortly.
 
"But I'll be available if you need me."
 
He reached for the sliding window.
 
"We're entering a little of a sunny zone here.
 
So, for your protection—"

"Wait," she said.
 
"Leave it open a little.
 
I'll be careful.
 
I've never seen New Delhi before."

"Certainly."

She took in the sights as best she could as Amit navigated the streets.
 
New Delhi was beautiful.
 
Ironically, it reminded her of Baltimore in some regards.
 
It had the potential to change every block.
 
A rough neighborhood one moment shifted into a tourist attraction the next.

"What do you think?" Amit asked, as he waited at a light for several bicyclists to pass.

"It's beautiful.
 
I wish I could really take it in during the day."

That wasn't a lie.
 
For her stay, she was a normal vampire, hiding from the sun.

"We've come a long way," he said.
 
"We have roads, running water, and something they put in recently, I forget the name…I think it's called the Internet?"

Victoria frowned at Amit, confused, before he let out a hearty laugh.
 
At that moment, she decided she liked him.

"I joke," he said.
 
"I'm sorry.
 
I have to get at least one good one on you newcomers, mortal or not."

"I'll remember that, Amit.
 
Payback's a bitch."

"Indeed, it is."

They drove for nearly another forty-five minutes until Amit entered the underground parking lot of a very large hotel.
 
He grabbed a phone hooked to the dashboard and made a call in a language Victoria didn't understand, and she understood many.
 
After parking near an elevator, the doors opened to reveal two young men in matching uniforms, a cart in between them.

Amit circled around to the back of the limousine and opened the door for Victoria.
 
He offered his hand, a gentleman's gesture.
 
She certainly wasn't a frail, old woman, but she accepted, allowing him to help her.

The look on the hotel employees' faces were priceless when Amit popped the trunk to reveal six large sets of luggage.

"Sorry," Victoria said.
 
"A girl's gotta have her clothes."

Amit laughed and gestured toward the elevator.
 
The two employees started loading her luggage onto a cart.

"They'll take your things to your room.
 
I'll get you checked in.
 
We already have a more…
window friendly
path for you."

"Actually, if it's all the same, I'd like to keep my luggage with me.
 
I don't mean to offend.
 
But I've had a few problems with my luggage before."

Amit nodded graciously, and said something to the two men.
 
They nodded in return and vanished into a nearby stairwell.
 
Amit pushed the cart into the elevator.

"Please," Victoria said.
 
"Amit, you don't have to.
 
I can push my own luggage."

"I'm sure you can, but I won't let you."

It took Victoria a moment to realize she hadn't yet stepped into the elevator.

"Victoria?
 
Are you okay?"

"I am.
 
Just…getting my courage up."

Amit said nothing.
 
He simply waited patiently, smiling.

The ride seemed to go on forever.
 
She gripped the guards on the walls, her legs completely frigid.

"Uh, does this thing ever stop?"

"Well, you are on the top floor."

Finally, after what seemed like years, Amit was swiping a card through an electronic lock and pushing the door to Victoria's room open.
 
She trailed behind, helping to guide the cart of luggage in a straight path.