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knew, not only his entire family although that was horrific enough
but of an entire way of life. She d been his teaching assistant for a year
and had spent a lot of time with him, drinking tea and listening to his
stories of a world that was gone forever. He d told her all sorts of
things, but what she recalled now was a bit of wisdom from the old
country. She d never mastered the Polish words; it was a difficult
language and one you could study for years and still not get the nuances
right. But a rough translation had been something like,  For every
monster, there s a monster to love him.
Maybe that s what she saw in Raj. They were both monsters of a
sort, freaks in a world of people who went about their lives, never
having to worry about dreams of tortured women or . . . well, whatever
it was vampires worried about. Blood, she supposed, and where to get
it.
She became aware of movement around her and realized the
meeting was breaking up at last. Across the table, the Department
Chairman was giving her an odd look, and she tried to look thoughtful
and scholarly, instead of bored, as she gathered up her papers and
shoved them into her oversized purse. She must have succeeded
because he gave her a short, approving nod before joining a group of
the more senior, i.e., male, department members who would now troop
over to the nearest bar and drink themselves into a stupor. One thing
she d noticed right away about academics. They drank a lot. At least
the older ones did. And who knew? A few more years of these meetings
and she might be drinking a lot too.
She started for the elevator with everyone else, but a glance at her
86 D. B. Reynolds
watch sent her racing for the stairs instead. She wanted to shower and
change before tonight. She might be a monster, but that didn t mean
she had to look or smell like one.
* * * *
Raj woke in a much better mood on his second night in the city.
He d had plenty of time this morning to get back to his lair, strip off his
clothes and even enjoy a nice, cold shot of vodka before settling down
to sleep the day away, safe in his personal vault below the streets of
downtown Buffalo. And it didn t hurt that he d be paying Sarah a
personal visit very soon. The taste of her skin had been sweet. Her
blood would be even sweeter. He frowned. There was, however, a lot
more to Sarah Stratton than a sweet taste. She was hiding something
and he intended to know what it was before this night was over.
He checked his watch. It was just after eight. There was one stop
he needed to make first some preparations for Em and the troops.
And then sweet Sarah would have his undivided attention and he would
have his answers.
His phone rang as he pulled up to a big industrial building not far
from Buffalo s international airport.  Where are you, Em? he answered.
 My lord, Em said, speaking loudly to be heard over the considerable
background noise of a small airport.  We re loading supplies, now. We ll
be there before midnight.
 I m at the safe house, he said, staring out the windshield at the
darkened building.  I ll turn on the lights and warm it up, but I won t be
here when you arrive. I m meeting someone in a few minutes.
 Dinner, boss?
 You could say that. Speaking of which, you ve all fed tonight,
right?
 You have to ask?
 Right. Have everyone stay close when you get into town. I ll
come by later and fill you in, but something is majorly fucked up in this
city, and I don t want any of my people going out there blind.
 Will do, boss.
 Later.
Raj slipped the phone into his jacket pocket and got out of the car.
The old warehouse loomed two stories above him, lit only by the big
security lights all along its substantial length, and above the door. Its
brick walls were old and blackened from years of airport pollution and
hard weather, and it appeared deserted. An astute observer would have
noticed, however, that the light fixtures were new and enclosed in sturdy
cages to deter vandalism. That although the windows were dirty and
flecked with bird droppings, not a single one of them was cracked or
broken, the panes filled with safety glass and firmly sealed. And the
single pedestrian entrance was a solid steel door with a heavy duty
lock.
Rajmund 87
Raj had always known that someday he d be making a move against
Krystof. He d bought this property years ago, snapping it up at a bargain
price when its former owner had needed a discreet sale and Raj had
had the cash on hand. Of course, the title had changed several times
since then on paper, anyway. As he stared up at the building, it hit him
for the first time that before the month was out he would be the
Northeastern Vampire Lord. It never occurred to him that he would
fail. He would defeat Krystof and take his place as one of the rarified
few who controlled all of Vampire society. It was not something he
particularly lusted after. If Krystof had been a different sort of master,
Raj would have been content to stay in Manhattan with his clubs and
his children, insulated against vampire politics.
But Krystof had always been a petty tyrant, forever the spoiled,
younger son of an aging royal house to which he d been born to as a
human. The recent deterioration of his mind had only exacerbated inborn
weaknesses. And, as for Raj, he d had enough of one master; he had
no intention of serving another.
He unlocked the sturdy metal door. A soft security light came on to [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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