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“Message received.”
Mark knew that, objectively, it was quite a celebration. Food and beverages were served in abundance, there were plenty of willing blood donors available, and the band was excellent. Admittedly, Mark wasn’t expecting bluegrass, but Stella explained that Vilmos was currently fascinated with the form. Had anybody treated Mark as something other than Stella’s arm candy, he would have had a terrific time. As it was, he would rather have been watching wrestling, and he hated wrestling.
Even the humans seemed aware that he was just a pup, relatively speaking. When he approached the lovely redhead who’d resisted Vilmos’s charm, she said, “Sorry, I’m taken.” Before he could protest that he was just looking for conversation, she retreated to the side of a trim-looking specimen who could have stepped out of any boardroom in corporate America ifhe’d still had a pulse.
Interestingly, Vilmos was watching her, too, and for an instant the civilized veneer slipped away to show avarice.
After that, Mark stayed with Stella, pulling her onto the dance floor as often as possible to keep from having to listen while he was assessed as though he weren’t even in the room.
As dawn approached, the guests began to leave for their beds. Mark heard the redhead complaining that her feet were sore, and her vampire companion whisked her up the stairs in his arms. Several vampires laughed at the display, but Vilmos wasn’t among them.
Clearly there was a story there, but Mark couldn’t get it out of Stella that night. They barely had time to strip off their finery and wash up before snuggling in bed as the sun rose. Then they slipped into death together.
Mark was still able to move around during the day, and woke a little after noon. He’d intended to catch up on some paperwork while Stella lay in bed, but a note had been slipped under the door to tell Mark that there was a package waiting for him in the hall. When he opened the door, he found that Vilmos had arranged for a fat stack of financial data to be left for him. It was presumptuous as hell, but for Stella’s sake, Mark was willing to see if he could help.
After checking in vain for a CD or spreadsheet printout, he sighed and got out his laptop to create a data file. Entering and analyzing it took the rest of the day, and he began to think that whatever had happened to Vilmos’s previous adviser, it wasn’t enough.
Mark still had an hour to go before he could expect Stella to rise when he finally stood and stretched. Hungry for actual food, not just blood, he wandered downstairs to see what was available. Since there were humans around, there had to be something. The ballroom was empty, but in an adjoining dining room a handsome array of meats, cheeses, fruits, and vegetables was waiting. As Mark helped himself, a servant came to offer him something to drink.
At first, he was the only one at the table, but halfway through his meal, the redhead came in and filled a plate. Considering how she’d acted the night before, Mark wouldn’t have been surprised if she’d gone elsewhere to eat, but instead she joined him.
“I don’t believe we’ve met formally. I’m Mark.” He didn’t give a last name. Vampires usually didn’t.
“I’m Reinette.”
“Pleased to meet you, Reinette. That was some party last night, wasn’t it?”
“Not bad,” she said, “but just wait until Geoff’s-it’ll be much nicer.” She watched him for a moment. “You’re still a baby, aren’t you?”
“I bet I’m older than you are.”
“I mean a baby vampire. Geoff never eats food.”
Mark couldn’t think of an appropriate response, so he kept on eating.
“Who’s your sire?” Reinette asked.
“My dam is Stella.”
“Stella… Oh, one of Vilmos’s line. He bid for me, you know.”
“I beg your pardon?”
“Vilmos really wanted me, but Geoff outbid him.” She held her hand out. “Geoff even gave me this ring as a signing bonus.”
“Very nice,” Mark said, which was a massive understatement. It was a wondrous confection of diamonds and emeralds.
“Geoff is so generous. I could never be a concubine to somebody who wasn’t generous.”
“Naturally not.”
“He gives me new jewelry every month on our a
“I’m sure it’ll be lovely.”
“I want something really special to show Vilmos how much Geoff appreciates me.” She lowered her voice. “Vilmos only got Ramon to invite us because he wanted Geoff to send me to him for a birthday present.” She wrinkled her nose. “Geoff would never do that, and besides, it’s in my contract that he can’t lend me out. So don’t bother asking.”
Deciding that he didn’t want dessert enough to put up with Reinette any longer, Mark said, “Lovely to meet you,” and left.
By the time he got back to the room, Stella was stirring, and he climbed into bed with her to speed the process. Ironically, this resulted in their remaining in bed somewhat longer.
Once they were both up and dressed, Mark told her about his progress with Vilmos’s finances.
“Can you help him?”
“Of course. I’m a genius. But why are vampires such wimps with their money?”
“We’re just cautious.”
“Cautious investors don’t pull their money out the second the market drops half a point, which is what most of them were talking about doing last night. Cautious investors know how to ride out the tough times, to take the long view. If anybody should know how to take the long view, vampires should.”
“Vilmos isn’t broke, is he?”
“Not even close. In a year’s time, he’ll be able to buy and sell women at will.”
“Excuse me?”
“I met a woman named Reinette downstairs who said Vilmos couldn’t afford her, though I hadn’t realized that slavery was part of the vampire lifestyle. You do realize that I come from an old New England family. We were abolitionists long before it was cool.”
“It’s not slavery.” She rolled her eyes. “Foolish humans have trophy wives and boy toys. Foolish vampires have concubines. They actually contract with humans to act as regular blood donors.”
“Are you serious?”
“Reinette’s family has served vampires for generations. She offered herself for auction last year and signed a contract with Geoff.”
“What if she changes her mind?”
“Don’t ask. Besides, Reinette was quite willing. Ramon found the whole process amusing, and told me that a dozen vampires put in bids, but it came down to Geoff and Vilmos. They kept upping their offers until Vilmos ran out of money. As it was, Geoff had to pay twice the usual stipend, plus expenses and monthly gifts of jewelry. When the term is up, she gets a house and pension.”
“That’s a lot of bucks just to win a pissing contest.”
“Geoff is an idiot. And now he’s got to put up with Reinette for the next five years.”
They were about to head downstairs when a scream ripped through the mansion. With a place that large, few humans would have heard the screams unless they were nearby, but vampires came from every corner with blinding speed. Mark, of course, was the last to arrive and pushed his way into the spacious suite, mindless of protocol.
At first, it didn’t register that the heavy draperies were open, exposing the room to the nighttime sky. Then he realized how wrong that was. He’d never seen any of the house’s drapes open, for obvious reasons. As far as he knew, he was the only vampire young enough to endure the sun.
Reinette was staring at the bed, no longer screaming, but as pale as the oldest vampire. The blankets were pulled back, and the sheets rumpled as if someone had slept there, but the bed was covered in a fine coating of steel-gray dust.