The Vampire Hunters (Book 2): Vampyrnomicon (19 page)

“Beautiful, as always.” Walker stepped away from the door. He slid his hands across her waist and over her ass, pulling her into him.

“Not now.” Chiang Shih kissed him.

“Why not?” He ground himself into her pelvis.

“Because we have work to do.” Chiang Shih cupped her hands over Walker’s balls and squeezed gently. “Business before pleasure.”

Walker bit her upper lip and snarled, then stepped to one side. Chiang Shih strode by him, out of the bedroom, and into the living area where the others waited. Walker fell in line behind her.

Chiang Shih moved with a confidence born from millennia of power. Of fortitude. Of determination. When she entered the living room, the other masters stood in deference. Chiang Shih did not pause. She stepped over to Treja and Melinda, who stood by each other in front of the sofa. Taking one of their hands in each of hers, Chiang Shih clutched them and squeezed. She turned around to face Toni, who stood by the opposite sofa. Isolated from the others, and afraid. Toni kept her eyes focused on the floor, expecting to experience Chiang Shih’s wrath. She did not notice when Walker quietly took up position behind her. Chiang Shih stood silent for several seconds, watching Toni for any indication of defiance or self-righteous anger, which would have been a death sentence. Instead, Chiang Shih saw only contrition. She strolled across the space to Toni, taking deliberate steps while she gauged Toni’s reaction. Toni stood silent, head lowered, eyes averted, body limp. Complete subservience.

This was what Chiang Shih wanted.

As Chiang Shih approached, Toni began to drop to her knees. Chiang Shih placed her hands on Toni’s elbows and raised the master to her feet. Toni still averted her gaze.

“I’m sorry,” she whimpered.

“All is forgiven.” Chiang Shih spoke in a voice as soft as fur.

“But I failed you.”

“Ion failed me. Your mistake was in trusting Ion too much.”

Toni still averted her gaze. Chiang Shih cupped her chin and tried to raise her head, but met resistance.

“Look at me,” said Chiang Shih gently.

Toni lifted her head and locked eyes with Chiang Shih. They displayed fear and self-loathing. Chiang Shih slid her arms around Toni and drew her close. For several seconds, the embrace was one-sided. Then, tentatively, Toni raised her arms and hugged back. Chiang Shih could feel the anxiety drain away from her minion.

Only after she broke the embrace did Chiang Shih notice the scarred and deformed lips. “Who did this to you?”

“The huntress.”

Chiang Shih saw through the top of Toni’s blouse the massive scarring on her chest. Chiang Shih unbuttoned the top two buttons and pulled the clothing aside. Eighteen pocks were massed together in a tight cluster, with the skin around each twisted and discolored, and having the texture of leather. Toni took the two plackets of the blouse from Chiang Shih and closed them, her hands clutching the material against her chest.

“What happened?”

“The hunter shot me with bullets dipped in holy water.”

Chiang Shih felt a surge of anger but repressed it. She took a deep breath. “You’ll have your vengeance on the hunters. But in time. We have something more important to take care of first.”

“Which is?” asked Treja.

Chiang Shih crossed the living room to a lounge chair located between the two sofas and motioned for the others to sit. “We must rebuild the Washington covens.”

Treja’s eyes narrowed. “Covens?”

“Four, to be exact.”

Treja and Melinda looked at each other quizzically. Toni stared down at the floor, realizing that the coven needed to be rebuilt because of her failure. Only Walker showed no emotion.

Treja noticed the indifference. “You knew about this?”

“Of course.”

“Then I hope you have a plan on how to build four covens without them being detected.”

“We do.” The tone of Chiang Shih’s voice revealed her displeasure at his insolence. “Each of you will be responsible for one of the covens. You’ll establish them in isolated locations where it’ll be difficult for the humans to find them. The difference is, this time the covens will not be allowed to hunt.”

“Then how will they feed?” asked Melinda.

“Each of you will be responsible for feeding your own coven. You’ll hunt down the humans yourselves and bring them to the covens. And you’ll hunt only amongst the dregs of humanity. Vagrants. Hookers. Junkies. Only those humans no one cares about and who no one will miss. Under no circumstances are you to attract attention to yourselves or to your covens.”

“We all know what happens when a coven attracts attention to itself.” Melinda cast an accusatory glance in Toni’s direction.

Toni bristled, but remained silent.

“That’s enough,” Chiang Shih chastised the young master. “The original coven was destroyed partly because of Ion’s incompetence, and partly because Drake Matthews is a far better hunter than most of those we’ve encountered in the past. Only Father Cushing was better.”

At the mention of Cushing’s name, Walker bared his fangs and snarled.

Chiang Shih nodded her agreement. “We underestimated the hunters once. We won’t let that happen again. Which is why the covens will remain hidden and you will bring them their food. If only a handful of masters are scavenging for humans, it’ll make it difficult for the hunters to track us. Even so, that’s why I want four covens. The hunters may discover and destroy one coven, but never all four.”

“How big will the covens be?” asked Treja.

“Thirty to forty vampires,” said Chiang Shih. “Each.”

Treja muttered the word fuck under his breath. Melinda looked over at Walker to gauge his reaction. Even Toni looked up, taken aback by the comment.

“You can’t be serious about the numbers?” asked Treja.

“I agree,” added Melinda. “There’s no way we can create four covens with so many vampires and keep them fed without drawing attention to ourselves.”

Treja jumped in. “Do you realize how many humans we’d have to kill every night to keep those covens fed?”

“Enough,” ordered Walker.

Chiang Shih rose and stepped over to Treja and Melinda. She spoke in a tone firm but not angry. “You just need to provide enough food to keep the covens alive, not in combat readiness. One human every few days. Enough for sustenance and to turn the human into one of us. When the time is right, they can feed all they want.”

“And when will the time be right?” Melinda did not hide the snideness in her tone.

“Certain conditions have to be met. Once they are, we’re going to turn the covens lose on Washington, eliminate the humans, and rule this city as our own.”

Chiang Shih’s eyes switched from Treja to Melinda, gauging their reactions. She saw confusion, uncertainty, and disbelief. Not that it mattered. As long as they obeyed, Chiang Shih did not care what they thought of her plan. But one master had not yet offered an opinion.

Chiang Shih turned to Toni. “You’ve barely spoken.”

“Sorry.” Toni averted her eyes again.

“Don’t be. I want your opinion.”

Toni said nothing and kept her head lowered. After several seconds, Chiang Shih cupped Toni’s chin and raised her head. “Speak your mind.”

Toni sighed, resigned that she had to tell the truth, but knowing her opinion would be unpopular. “We tried this once before. In the Ukraine. And we failed miserably. The Russians annihilated all of our covens. Over two hundred vampires and five masters were killed. Ion and I barely escaped. Why would you want to try again? And why here in Washington, where we face one of our most dangerous enemies?”

“Because this time we have something that guarantees victory. We have the
Vampyrnomicon.”

“The
Vampyrnomicon
is a legend,” spat Melinda.

“It’s far from a legend,” corrected Walker, an angry edge to his tone.

“You’ve seen it?”

“We once owned it.” Chiang Shih stared down the adolescent, who cowered. “Various masters were caretakers of the book for centuries. The last owner was Emilio Carius, a master from Saragossa who was arrested as part of the Inquisition in the late 15 Century. Neither Carius or the
Vampyrnomicon
were ever seen again.”

“So what changed?” asked Treja.

“Antonio Ferrar interrogated Emilio Carius.”

Toni raised an eyebrow. “The same Antonio Ferrar whose personal belongings are on display at the Smithsonian?”

“The same.” Chiang Shih nodded. “And with Ferrar’s personal belongings here in Washington, that means the
Vampyrnomicon
is here also.”

“If it still exists,” Melinda muttered under her breath.

Chiang Shih shot her a withering look. She struggled to keep her voice calm, despite her anger. “The
Vampyrnomicon
is among Ferrar’s personal affects. I can sense it. We’ll find it. And once we do, we’ll obtain a power that has been deprived to us for millennia, a power that will give us dominion over humans. Once we have that power, we’ll take this city from the humans. No longer will we live in sewers and abandoned buildings, but in the humans’ homes. Soon the humans won’t be hunting us, but serving us, as our slaves and as our food.”

Chiang Shih strode back to her chair and stood behind it. “This is why I’ve brought you all to Washington. You are my most powerful and smartest masters. I’ve relied on you in the past, and I’m relying on you now more than ever. You build the covens. I’ll find the
Vampyrnomicon
. Soon we’ll rule this city and show the humans who the real masters are. If there is nothing else, you’re all dismissed.”

Toni, Treja, and Melinda all stood to leave. Toni removed a scarf from her pocket, folded it into a triangle, and placed it over her face to hide the scarring, tying the loose ends into a knot behind her head. Melinda watched, disgusted, and turned away. As they headed for the door, Chiang Shih said, “Toni, stay behind a moment.”

Toni obeyed. Chiang Shih walked over and embraced Toni, holding her close. It was a familiar feeling, one they had shared on many an occasion as lovers. This time, the gesture was one of solidarity.

“I wanted you to know that I don’t hold you responsible for Ion’s actions.”

“Thank you.”

“There’s no need to thank me.” Chiang Shih broke the embrace, but kept her hands on Toni’s shoulder. “You were as much a victim of Ion’s arrogance as the rest of the coven. We’ve worked well together in the past, but the next few months will be our greatest achievement. You and I, and the others, will create the first city populated by the undead. Then, once it’s ours, we’ll take revenge on the hunters who did this to you.”

“I won’t let you down.”

“I know you won’t.”

Chiang Shih reached up for the scarf. Toni tried to stop her, but Chiang Shih clasped Toni’s hands and pushed them down by her side. She pulled Toni’s scarf down over her face, leaned forward, and kissed Toni on the deformed lips. Toni tried to back away, embarrassed by her disfigurement. After a few seconds, she kissed back, her tongue exploring Chiang Shih’s mouth. Finishing the kiss, Chiang Shih pulled the scarf back over Toni’s mouth.

“Go now. We’ll talk later.”

After Toni left the apartment, Chiang Shih turned back to the living room. Walker stood where he had throughout the meeting, his arms folded across his chest. A look of dissatisfaction sharpened his already stern features.

“You disapprove of how I’m handling this, don’t you?”

“It’s none of my business.”

“You’re my right hand man, so it is your business.” Chiang Shih stepped up to Walker. She placed a hand on his chest, caressing her fingers along his pectorals and up to his shoulder. “Jealous?”

“No.” The quickness of his response indicated she had touched a nerve.

“Then what is it?”

“You’re far too lenient with Antoinette.”

“Do you think I should hold her responsible for Ion’s actions?”

“You should hold her responsible for not keeping Ion in check.”

“Not all men like a dominant woman.” Chiang Shih gave Walker a quiet, seductive snarl.

“I’m serious. Antoinette used to be one of your best masters. Not anymore. She allowed herself to become as sloppy and decadent as Ion. She survived the French Revolution and the Ukraine without a scratch. Now she’s so pathetic a pair of humans were able to disfigure her.” Walker moved back a step, breaking contact with Chiang Shih. “Antoinette is a liability. I’m afraid she’ll ruin what we’re trying to accomplish.”

“Don’t worry.” The coquettish attitude vanished. “I realize Toni failed. And she paid a heavy price for it. Because of that, she won’t allow herself to fail again.”

Walker sighed, resigned he would not win this argument. “I still don’t understand why you’re so lenient with her.”

Chiang Shih walked over to the window and stared out over the city. She did not appreciate the view, however. Instead, she concentrated on a man she had known more than fifteen hundred years ago. A powerful, mesmerizing man who nearly had ruined her life.

“Let’s just say I can empathize with some of the bad decisions Toni has made.”

*     *     *

Pannonia, the Carpathian
Basin, east of the Danube River. 453 A.D.