Demon's Doorway (20 page)

Kevin finally laughed. He had to wonder if Jack was insane. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"Sit down. I need to teach you a few things."

*****

Victoria and Bradley were both quiet as she led him through the house. The last of the staff had finally left. Cindy was the only mortal remaining, and glared at Victoria as they passed the living room. The vampire ignored the icy stare from Alex's bride, and smiled at Bradley as they walked through the dining room into the large kitchen.

Her kitchen was fully stocked with mortal food, for entertaining guests, and also the sake of appearance. She unlocked the door to the walk-in freezer and retrieved some of her finest blood. Grabbing two glasses from the cabinet, she gestured to the microwave, only for her use, in the corner.

"Warm?" she asked.

"Yes, please."

She ripped several bags open and poured two full glasses of blood. She'd been nursing small wine glasses all night, but like any vampire, could never get too much blood.

"How was your ride in?" she asked.

"It was as good as could be expected, considering. Hiding from the sun, worrying about Anatol, and what he might be planning."

She pulled their glasses from the microwave, and they clinked them together with a smile. They both took a long drink.

"If you're nice to Kevin, I'm sure he could take the sun part out of the equation."

"No, thank you. I enjoy being pure, and not corrupted."

She arched an eyebrow, pausing as she took another drink. "You think I'm corrupted?"

"Well, aren't you? A vampire that can walk in the day? That's rather odd, wouldn't you say?"

They both heard the footsteps long before Alex stopped by the doorway to the kitchen.

"Victoria," he said. "Cindy and I are out of here."

She smiled. "You two kids have fun."

Cindy poked her head next to Alex's. "Oh, trust me, we will."

"See you later," Alex said, then looked at Bradley. "Good to meet you."

Bradley said nothing. Alex and Cindy left, their footsteps growing quieter as they headed for the front door.

"You certainly keep interesting company," Bradley said.

Victoria was quiet, taking another long drink. She tired of Bradley's tone, and wished he would come to whatever point he was trying to make. However, she'd known Bradley even longer than Jack. They weren't as close; she thought of Jack as family. But Bradley was a great friend, and she respected him.

"I like Kevin," he said. "He seems very nice. But it was a mistake to leave him alive."

"Excuse me?"

"I saw the news reports. Mortals were on camera, talking about how they looked into a mirror, held by a young man, and then mysteriously appeared somewhere else. Others talked about a lapse of memory."

"Those reports won't mean anything in twenty-four hours. You know this."

"He's wild, dangerous."

"He's just young."

He pointed at her. "Exactly. And what happens when he's older, with more control over what he can do? What damage will he cause then?"

She placed her hands on the table in the middle of the kitchen, trying to control her anger. "Everything you heard today, and all that sank in was
Kevin is bad
. He saved every single person. We didn't have a single casualty."

"I don't care about that. I don't care about fifty mortals. I care about one million mortals. Five million. I have two goals with regards to Anatol. Kill him, and as quietly as possible. Having a full-blooded witch, throwing around magic he barely understands, it's not a good idea."

"He has more control than you think."

"You're not thinking clearly. You're biased because of the corruption he gave you. Merely five years ago, you would have killed him, and not felt an ounce of guilt."

"People change, Bradley."

"We can use him," he said, ignoring her. "In small doses, in finding and fighting Anatol. He listens to you. You should be able to steer him. Then, when it's all done, I'll—"

"If you finish that sentence, you and I are going to have very serious problems."

They were quiet, neither one of them blinking. Bradley looked away first, finishing his glass of blood with a sad smile.

"First Jack, and then some strange man with demon blood. Now, a full-blooded witch. I have to wonder about where you place your loyalty."

"I'm loyal to you, too. Do you wonder about that?"

"Victoria, you know I'm only looking out for the big picture, on a larger scale. Leaving a full-blooded witch alive, it's a mistake."

"And I disagree. I have faith in Kevin."

He sighed, looking down at his empty glass. "It's only out of respect for our very old friendship, and this delicious blood, that I'll end this conversation right now. But, just a fair warning, we'll be revisiting it again."

Victoria nodded. "Do you need a place to stay?"

"No, thank you. I'm staying at the Hilton downtown. The suite's been changed just for me, of course. The windows are sealed, and the jacuzzi, amazing."

"Okay, well, if you change your mind—"

Victoria went quiet when she heard a strange sound. She frowned at Bradley, who returned the look, hearing it too. They heard the sounds of an intense sexual encounter. A woman was screaming, a man grunting.

They marched back to the basement. Victoria threw open the door, Bradley a step behind her. They didn't even bother to close and lock it.

Jack and Kevin were sitting on opposite ends of the couch. A pornographic movie played on TV. Kevin saw Victoria out of the corner of his eye, and glanced over his shoulder. His expression said it all, a quiet plea for help.

"Now, do you see what he did there?" Jack said. "I'm not saying Alicia would like that, but she looks light enough, and you look like you got some strength to you. So, when you get her naked—"

"Uh, Jack?" Victoria said. "What exactly is going on here?"

Jack waved at both vampires, not bothering to stop the movie. "Hey, guys. Bradley, you might want to turn your head. This stuff might be a little too grown-up for you. I'm just trying to teach Glinda what it looks like when a woman is actually naked. He says he's not a virgin, and I believe him, but there are different degrees to virginity. I mean, do you know he hasn't even—?"

"Could you please stop the movie?"

He shrugged. "Sure." He pressed the pause button.

"No, not pause. Stop. Stop the movie, please."

He did so, searching the expressions of both vampires.

"Victoria, look, if you're getting all warm in the panties, it'd be too weird with me and you. We're both seeing other people, anyway. I don't think Bradley knows what to do with his private area, and Kevin is far too young. Alicia would be better for him. You know, two rookies going at it—"

"That's enough."

Between Jack's serious tone, Kevin's deer-in-the-headlights look, and Bradley's seething, Victoria wasn't sure how she kept in her laughter.

"Very interesting company," Bradley said again. "I'll take my leave of this…whatever this is. I've got some calls to make, some people to put in place. I'll find Anatol, and call you. I'll show myself out."

"Okay," Jack said, clapping his hands together. "Looks like the lesson's over for the night, Glinda. I've gotta get to the hotel, too. Bradley, you're not staying where I am, are you?"

"No. I made sure of that."

"Good, good. I need to call Tiffany and Erica, see how they're doing. Victoria, I'm sure I'll see you tomorrow."

The two men left together, although they didn't say a word to each other. She waited for the front door to open and close, and the sound of two car engines starting, before speaking.

"Are you okay?" she asked Kevin, a smile spreading across her face.

"Uh, a little traumatized. But I think I'll be okay."

"I think Jack likes you."

"I don't think Jack likes anyone."

"Normally, I'd agree. But if he's trying to teach you things using porn, that can only be a good thing."

"Only be a good thing? I can think of a million other things it could be. Like weird, awkward, strange—"

"Do you think you can help him?"

"His personality, no. His curse, maybe. But I need time."

"Well, time is something Jack has plenty of."

Kevin nodded, and sighed as he walked to his spell-book. He closed it, and glanced at the basement around him.

"This has been a very strange day."

"Indeed, it has. Want to watch a movie? You know, a
normal
one?"

"Yes. Normal is good."

CHAPTER 10

Alex squeezed Cindy's hand as they stepped out of the elevator. He rubbed the ring on her finger as they walked down the hall. Their bags had already been brought up, although they only had a single suitcase a piece, just enough for one night at a hotel.

They both felt much more comfortable in their normal clothes. Jeans and tee shirts. Alex suggested they wear their wedding clothes all the way up to the hotel room, but Cindy nixed that idea. She wanted to be in her favorite jeans, and it made everything easier on Alicia.

"This place is really nice," Cindy said.

"I know. The reception was great, but I couldn't wait to get out of there."

"Yeah, well, from what you told me about your day, are you sure you don't want to go right to sleep?"

"You're joking, right?"

She laughed. "Yeah, I am. If you think I'm letting you do that, you're out of your mind. I hope you drank a lot of Gatorade at Victoria's place."

"I don't think there was any Gatorade."

"You didn't look hard enough."

He slid the electronic key-card through the lock and pushed the door open. He nearly stepped inside when Cindy pulled his hand back hard. They nearly collapsed against the wall opposite the door. She slid down the wall to her ass, laughing the entire time. He dropped to one knee to be close to her, chuckling with her. An elderly woman poked her head from a room down the hall.

"I'm sorry," Cindy called. "We didn't mean to bother you. It's just that my new husband here was getting ready to step into our hotel room without carrying me across."

"You stupid man," the woman said, and closed the door.

Alex pulled Cindy to her feet and stroked her hair. They touched foreheads, still laughing.

"You have to carry me across the threshold."

"Sorry. I forgot."

"I'll forgive you. You've had a crazy day."

He scooped her up easily and carried her into the hotel room. She playfully cheered and kicked with her feet, sending her shoes across the room. He pulled her close and they kissed before he set her down.

The room was beautiful. A large bathroom, king-sized bed, a wonderful view of downtown Baltimore. There was a large flat-screen TV, not that they would use it, and a small fridge against the wall. A bottle of champagne sat on ice near the bed. Neither Alex or Cindy drank, but it was certainly a nice gesture of the hotel.

"This is awesome," Alex said. "Look at the view. What floor are we on again? Fourteen or fifteen—?"

The wind rushed out of his lungs as Cindy forced him against the wall. She pulled him out of his button-up shirt and let it drop to the floor. Her mouth found his as she undid her belt.

"I've been waiting all day for this," she said. "I'm not waiting anymore."

Alex laughed, and he agreed with her. "You'd better pace yourself."

"You're telling me you can't keep up?"

"That's not what I said."

He pulled her shirt off, revealing her purple bra. She pressed up against him, but he turned the tables, spinning her against the wall. She let out a quick laugh, but only for a moment as other parts of their bodies took over. She kissed him with urgency as she jumped and wrapped her legs around his hips, only the wall supporting her weight.

Cindy's cell phone rang.

"I'm gonna kill her," Cindy said. "I'm gonna slap that yellow head of hers."

Alex waited another ring for his heart-rate to calm down. "I'd better answer it. It might be important."

"It's
never
important. It's a little game she plays. You know that. She gets some kind of sick pleasure out of interrupting my swerve. Answer it, whatever. But after that, turn the ringer off."

He reached for the cell phone in her purse.

"Hello?"

"Tell me I timed it right," Alicia said. "Tell me you're both naked, hot and heavy, and I called just in time to stop it."

"Uh, no. We're not naked yet. You were close, maybe another three minutes. Let's put it this way, you might want to steer clear of Cindy for a few days."

Alicia laughed.