Vampire’s Brat by Cheryl Dragon

Working the afternoon shift in her grandma’s voodoo shop was a nice normal routine. Only believers and locals dared to come into the unmarked shop just off the French Quarter of New Orleans. Kitty watched the front desk while her grandma was in conference. Popping a piece of candy in her mouth, she scrolled through the day’s reports on the computer.

“I saw that.” Nisey’s stick figure of beauty sauntered in from the back.

Kitty rolled her eyes at her cousin. “So?”

Nisey and her sister were the true voodoo descendents who’d take over for their grandmother one day. Born into full voodoo families with strong gifts, they were also tiny and beautiful.

On the other hand, Kitty was curvaceously plus sized. Her mom was a Catholic, which left Kitty out of the full voodoo bloodline.

She didn’t mind that at all. Kitty had no desire to be the leader of a religion or a voodoo queen casting spells. For a while, there was doubt she really belonged in the family. Finally, Kitty had convinced her grandma she had a gift when she’d killed a vampire without even touching him.

Nisey leaned on the counter. “All those calories aren’t good for you.”

“I didn’t ask.” They could eat the same thing, and her cousins would be rail thin and Kitty would be a size eighteen, bounce up to a twenty then try to get back into a sixteen, which she hadn’t seen since high school.

“Fine. Don’t care about your health or finding a man. With your long blonde hair and perfect blue eyes, you could be beating them off with a stick.”

“Did you come in for a reason?” Kitty asked.

“Callieann is checking on a third incident this week. Another body. Looks like your vamp king isn’t holding up his end of the bargain. There were two last week and three more this week. It’s only Wednesday. You need to whip him into shape. Those drinking parties clearly aren’t keeping the violence down.”

“He’s not a vampire king. He’s the leader, but he can’t control everyone. Besides deaths are down a lot since the parties have started. Less idiots going after vampires in back alleys and fewer vampires snatching humans off the street.” It had been one of Kitty’s better ideas. Bring in the humans who wanted the vamp experience; let the vampires feed on them in a controlled situation. Sex was frequent, but no deaths happened from over-drinking. And no turning humans, either.

Nisey’s phone vibrated. She looked at the screen. “It’s confirmed. Vampire drained a guy. Callieann staked him in the morgue to be sure.”

“Okay, I’ll go. There’s a party tonight anyway. Are you okay with covering here?” Kitty slid off the stool and grabbed her purse.

“That’s why I’m here.” Nisey sat and posed like a model. “I wish you could just kill all the vamps and evil things. It’d make our lives easier.”

Kitty smiled. “I can’t do that. Without evil, there’s no good. You have to keep a balance in the world, or it doesn’t work.” Her gift wasn’t voodoo related, but Grandma believed she’d been brought into the family to handle the paranormal creatures and bring balance to all of New Orleans.

Necromancy wasn’t a common gift, and it gave Kitty a unique status in the community. She had no fear of the vampires since she could control them or kill them with her thoughts alone.

While not everyone had come back after Katrina, the vampires had never left and their power had grown. She’d worked hard to get the undead population under control. Kitty didn’t like that there was a rogue vampire on the loose, and Christian, the leader of the vampires, had some explaining to do. Anxiety stirred in her as she left the shop. She wrote it off as upset over the deaths—but she’d avoided Christian as much as she could. He was so old fashioned.

* * * *

Fifteen minutes later, Kitty walked into Christian’s well-maintained mansion in the Garden District. Here, she had the power and respect of everyone, a byproduct of fear, but that’s what kept the world in balance. Christian insisted she treat his home as hers, and she did just in case she spotted some unacceptable vampire activity. Here, she felt different, getting so involved in the vampire world, but it was her job to understand these creatures and keep them in check. Having access to the leader’s home was handy.

Christian was beyond old, a vampire from England originally. His life had changed at thirty, and he’d been undead for over two centuries. Somehow, he’d ended up here and lived in style, surrounded by faithful vampires and leading them to play nice with humans.

He was persuasive and attractive so she braced herself. Normally, she was nice and shy, the quiet one in her family, but when she was around Christian, or any vampire, she needed to put them in their place. Their powers went to their heads, and she had to squelch their egos for the good of the city. They were not all powerful.

No one stopped her when she entered the proper drawing room with piano and old French furniture. The house had a lot of wood and windows, both could kill vampires. Stake to the heart, sunlight, decapitation and fire were the ways Kitty had been trained to dispense of vampires. Her powers went beyond what others could do but she had to know her business. With the sun still up, there were few vampires active. They were mostly lower level ones who were cleaning for the party tonight. They wouldn’t even dare to look her in the eye.

Kitty smiled. Men didn’t look at her much. The New Orleans’ population focused on her cousins as attractive. But here, Kitty got a rush of power, and people avoided looking at her out of fear of what she could do. There was a rumor she could turn vampires to zombies and make them do her bidding. The theory was no doubt rooted in her voodoo family connections. Kitty let them believe it in the same way parents let kids believe Santa wouldn’t bring them gifts if they were bad.

Walking up the grand staircase, she headed for the master bedroom. Christian might still be asleep if his minions weren’t running around and alerting him of her presence. If he knew she was here, he’d be in the same room with her at all times. The man was a terrible flirt. It meant nothing. Since he had to deal with her, he tried to soften her up. Men were so predictable—dead or alive.

At his door, she knocked and was immediately invited in.

Christian wasn’t alone. He sat at his writing desk in the enormous room while two others stood along the wall and an older female vampire who acted as housekeeper waited patiently.

“Katherine, so nice to see you.” Christian stood and nodded to her.

He was so annoying! Christian pushed her buttons, but she let her guard down around him. Not that he was the only vampire she felt safe around. She’d found that not all vampires were evil. Some could be peaceful creatures out to make the best of what had happened to them. But most abused their new power and, angry over being turned, attacked innocent humans. They needed blood, but death was a thrill they had to get over.

“I wish I could say the same. We’ve got bodies showing up. You’ve got a rogue. What are you going to do about it?” She folded her arms and tapped the toe of her chunky heels.

He moved closer. “We’re working on it right now. I’m talking to a couple new turns here.”

Kitty stared at the new men. One looked scared. The other looked cocky. “It might be a new vampire. The killer isn’t hiding it very well.”

“Is she a slayer?” the shy vamp asked.

Kitty and the housekeeper both laughed.

Christian merely shook his head. “She doesn’t need to hunt or slay us. She was born a necromancer.”

The cocky vamp moved closer to Kitty. “Romancing the dead? Hot. I like big girls.”

When he got close enough for her to smell his icky cologne, she flipped on her powers. “I don’t romance the dead. That’s necrophilia.”

“I don’t care what you call it.” He didn’t back down, grabbing her breasts and pressing his body to hers.

That was too far! She mentally pushed him against the wall next to the window. The other vampires stayed away from him.

“What the hell, bitch?” He showed his fangs and tried to move toward her again.

Christian leaned back “You shouldn’t touch her or call her names.”

“Hell is exactly where you’re going.” Her mental powers opened the window and shoved him out into the sunlight.

The screaming only lasted a second, and he was gone in flames. Kitty walked over, closed the window and pulled the shade. “I don’t think he was the rogue vamp, but we can’t let him harass all the women at the parties.”

“He wouldn’t have lasted long anyway. Some vampires go too far on their power rush and can’t be civilized. Mrs. Murphy, take our new guest to a room and get him ready for the party. Make sure he understands all of the rules.” Christian stood with authority as the other new vampire gawked.

The two others left, and Kitty suddenly felt Christian’s presence more. He was about six feet tall and broad shouldered. Dark eyes and dark hair made him look commanding, but he had ancient manners and patience she found infuriating.

“Are you going to dust every man who wants to romance you, Katherine?” he asked softly.

He was the only one who called her Katherine, and she propped a hand on her hip. “Call me Kitty! Vampires aren’t men, and he didn’t want to romance me. He wanted to drink. I’m not interested in feeding vampires. I just want to keep the population under control. I thought you could handle that for me. Maybe I need to stay more involved?”

“Your company is always welcome. A rogue could’ve come in from anywhere. I have people out trying to pin down the culprit.” He moved in closer. “However, the battle to keep new vampires in line will be an ongoing struggle. Our work will never be done.”

“Our work?” She took a step back. “I’ve got my job to do. You’ve got an eternity to play lord of the manor.”

“You will stay for the party?” he asked, ignoring her statement.

“Why? Don’t want me around tonight?” she dropped in randomly to make sure he was playing by the rules. “I’m hoping someone will know something about the vampire behind the killings.”

“I always want you around. Would you like to take a nap?” He gestured to his bed.

Most men hit on her cousins and barely noticed her, but Christian laid on the charm and innuendo thickly when Kitty was alone with him. It infuriated her and felt so unusual as she tried to control her burning cheeks.

“You think every woman is going to fall into bed with you. I don’t get involved with the undead. Cold and soulless isn’t a turn on, and all that popular vampire stuff is so over the top and fake.”

He took her hand and kissed the back of it. Kitty shivered. He wasn’t cold but about room temperature. Still the intimate gesture and chemistry that sparkled in his eyes made her worry about what he had in mind. This was just a flirtatious game, wasn’t it?

“You realize it’s the twenty-first century, and you don’t have to play like a character from Jane Austen, right?”

He shrugged. “We’re all a product of our generations. I don’t really care for the modern world.”

As stubborn and feisty as Katherine was, Christian was more patient and had nothing but time. He loved her spirit and the smart-mouthed way she handled herself. Her utter confidence was delightful, and her power was arousing. For some reason, he found her ability to kill vampires with nothing but her thoughts incredibly attractive.

That and her curves. Reubenesque was his type and time period. The world marched on, but Christian lived in his own world and wanted to keep it that way. All he lacked was Katherine in his house and bed. She wasn’t fascinated by vamps despite the modern fads nor was she terrified of them. The silence between them sparked, but she pulled away.

“You’re not mad that I dusted your little jerk?” She moved the shade to look out the window.

“He was out of line. Some vampires can’t control themselves. Anyone foolish enough to attempt to harm you wouldn’t have lived long. I’d have staked him myself if you’d waited.” Christian studied her outfit. Jeans hugged her body and flared out over her modern-style heels. Her tops were always intriguing. Today, it was gauzy with print that looked like a Monet painting. The tapered cuffs and subtle ruffles at the waist showed off the elegant touches he saw in her.

What he wouldn’t give to kiss her, but he’d wait for the right time. He was glad he’d fed recently. He didn’t want her to see him drinking from anyone else. The special connection between them had taken a great deal of patience to build, and truly, he only wanted her. She viewed drinking as intimate, like a kiss. The desire to sample her pounded in his veins, but she’d never agree, not now.

Her hands flew to her neck as if she’d read his thoughts. “What’s your problem? I’ll go to the party to find the rogue, not to let anyone suck on my neck. Who knows what my blood would do to a vampire? It might kill vampires. Oh, that’d be fun. I can donate blood, and we can serve it in little shot glasses. Wipe out the population. Then I can be normal.”

“You don’t want to do that.” He loved her mouth that was always coated in a reddish lipstick and those blue eyes with a wisp of soft brown shadow on the lids. If only, she’d let down that defiant guard a little. Some of the vampires thought she was a bitch, but Christian knew better. The bratty streak in her was a side she showed only to him and his kind. She was more herself with vampires than with anyone else.

“I want to protect humans from vampires. Stopping deaths is priority one. Then stopping the involuntary turnings. Then stopping all the turnings I can. It’s not like I’ll run out of work. I thought you wanted to help me, but five people are dead in a week and a half. You’re way too calm for this. Maybe you’re playing me for a fool like everyone else thinks.” She swung her big bag onto his bed and sat next to it.

“You can trust me, Katherine. I’m not pleased with the deaths, but considering the rate before we began working together, the improvement is impressive. You should be proud of yourself. At the party, we can mingle and ask more questions. There are always new faces. And there are always new vampires in our territory.” He walked to the huge closet and grabbed an elegant gown he’d had made for her.

“What’s that?” she asked.

“Tonight’s party is themed.”

“The Anne Rice freaks got to you? Seriously?” She laughed.

“Not at all. The parties were becoming a bit wild. Sexual acts out in public—not that I mind, but we don’t want to put people off from donating blood because they think they must participate in an orgy. Adding a theme to the party gives it a sense of purpose and elegance. There will be some dancing and drinks. We’ll try to keep the sex to the backrooms.” He laid the dress on the bed by her. “You don’t have to wear it, but you’ll stand out in what you’re wearing.”

Her eyebrow arched. “I think you’re enjoying this a little too much. I’m not a Barbie doll for you to dress up. We’re hunting a killer vampire not going on a date.”

Christian sat next to her. “I realize the urgency. This vampire needs to be brought under control. He might be so new he doesn’t realize he’s drinking so much he’s killing them. Blame me if you’d like.”

She sighed loudly. “I never look good in dresses. Why are you such an old-fashioned creature? I bet this party will bomb because people would rather have the orgy than some weird stuffy affair. Are you going to wear tights? A powdered wig?”

“You’re very interested in my clothing. You can dress me if you want. It will be an appropriate suit. I’m sorry the theme doesn’t match up with your taste, but if all you want is to find the rogue vampire, it shouldn’t matter what you wear. Everyone is suitably afraid of your powers. They’ll talk.”

“Of course, they will. But that doesn’t look comfortable. Why do men want women trussed up in elaborate outfits?”

“I’d like you every bit as much naked, but I wouldn’t want to share that with the entire party.” He grinned.

Katherine blushed for a second then her expression went hard. A force shoved him off the bed. Christian found himself on the floor with Katherine standing over him. She loved to play with her powers. The woman had so much control, he never worried she’d go too far. It actually turned him on a little to know that he got to her.

“Don’t make jokes. I’ll do whatever I have to in order to dust this rogue. I’ll wear the dress. No one needs to see me naked. I’m not Lady Godiva. That’d clear the party, not help us. Where can I change?”

The woman was confident, but he’d just seen a little chink in her armor. Getting up, he stood over her, and when she tried to move, he caged her with his arms. He knew she’d never dust him out of spite. “I was not making jokes. You can change right here. The only danger is we’ll be late for the party.”

“Your flirty vampire crap is getting old. I won’t fall for it. Go flirt with the vamp chicks and human girls who want to be sucked. Let me work. And back off. I can’t breathe.” She tried to scoot back on the bed, but he pressed his body to hers. He was still a vampire with fast reflexes.

“I’m not playing games. I’m not a child, Katherine. And I’m not interested in any other woman, human or vampire. So mock me and be as difficult as you like. We’re on the same side, and this rogue won’t go away because you’re annoyed with me.” His mouth brushed hers.

He heard her soft sigh, and it gave him hope. The shocked look in her eyes was priceless. For all the flirtation, he’d never made a move on her. Pressed against her warm flesh, he knew he could get lost in the feeling of her. She could fight with him all she wanted, as long as she didn’t run away. The fact that she hadn’t shoved him away yet was a victory in his book.

Christian contemplated seduction then and there, but he wanted her eager, not vulnerable. The brat would return and blame him. He let her go. “Mrs. Murphy can help you dress.”