TWENTY-SEVEN
While many of the subject’s organs have shrunk
from lack of use—most notably the stomach and intestines—other
organs have shifted, enlarged, and re-purposed. His lungs have
filled with dense “stacks” of blood vessels that draw liquid blood
directly from the esophagus upon feeding. These stacks have also
expanded to fill the empty abdominal space left by the shriveled
digestive organs. They store the subject’s liquid meals, and
release the blood when it is required by other organs or muscle.
Kidneys and liver have enlarged as well, and appear to filter the
subject’s blood for foreign particles down to 15 microns.
—BRIEFING BOOK: CODENAME: NIGHTMARE PET
Konrad entered his home in the Hollywood
Hills. It had a beautiful view of the city, a chef’s kitchen, clean
lines—and a vampire waiting in the living room.
Tania sat on the edge of the couch, swinging her
legs.
Konrad bit back a curse. This was really getting to
be too much for one day.
“Shouldn’t you wait for an invitation?” he asked,
walking to the entry table. She’d already deactivated the alarm.
How thoughtful.
“You know that’s just superstition,” she
said.
“But it would at least be good manners. I assume
you’re here for the bounty on Nathaniel Cade.”
Her smile only widened. “I am. But not quite how
you think. I’m going to make sure you never bother Cade
again.”
He stopped sorting the mail on the entry table.
“Interesting,” he said. “You must be Tania.”
“You know me?”
He nodded. “In our little world, you’re known as
the girl who will do anything for money. And there are always
errands that need to be done. You’ve created quite an industry for
yourself. I would think you would be happy to take my commission.
Can I ask why not?”
“The reasons don’t matter.”
“The reasons always matter,” Konrad said. “I’m
offering blood, money and even limited ability to travel in the
day. All of that is well within my abilities. So what is Cade to
you that you’d pass over a substantial reward?”
Tania dropped her smile. “Cade is mine,” she said.
It was almost a growl. “You don’t threaten what’s mine.”
Konrad nodded. It made sense now. “Yes. I see.
You’re not much for feelings, but you are very proprietary, aren’t
you? Territoriality. Ownership.”
She looked bored. “You can stall if you want. You
know how this conversation ends.”
Tania took a step toward Konrad. He didn’t look
worried.
“I’ve lived a very long time. And I didn’t survive
this long without taking measures against parasites like
you.”
Quicker than Tania thought possible, Konrad’s hand
stabbed what looked like a light switch.
The bulbs above flared to life, and the pain
brought her to her knees.
Ultraviolets. Full-spectrum. And intense. Thousands
of watts. Enough to light up a small stadium.
It wasn’t like true daylight—it would not kill
her—but it delivered a stunning amount of agony all the same.
Before she could shake it off, Konrad was standing
over her. She swept one arm at him, but she was still dizzy. Her
aim was off. He snapped something around her neck. She heard a lock
click, and then there was a new weight at her throat.
She stood. The glare was still awful, but she could
handle it now. She opened her eyes and prepared to leap at
Konrad.
“One moment, please,” he said. In one hand, he had
a remote. “You’re now wearing six ounces of C-4 plastic explosive.
It’s not much of a fashion accessory, I admit. But it’s more than
enough to blow your head clean off your body.”
She touched the collar. Decapitation. One of two
sure ways to kill a vampire. Head or heart.
“I’ve got your attention,” Konrad said. “Good.” He
shut down the lights. “I can activate the collar with this remote.
If I press a button, you die. It also includes a proximity sensor.
Attempt to get near me, and you die. And the collar has a GPS
sensor, so I can program it to limit you to a specific area.
Attempt to leave that area, you die. Are you quite clear on the
rules?”
Tania nodded, her jaw clenched tight.
“Good,” he said.
She tensed. Her reactions were faster than his, if
she could just . . .
Suddenly, her nerves were on fire. Every muscle in
her body went into spasm. She hit the floor like a rag doll tossed
by a fickle child.
Dimly, she heard Konrad speak again. “The collar is
also capable of delivering electrical shocks in the range of eight
amps. That’s more than an electric chair. As you may have
noticed.”
She lifted her head to glare at him. It felt like
she was swimming in wet cement.
“Do you understand your situation now?”
Tania nodded.
Konrad kneeled to look her in the eyes. “I won’t
insult you by pretending this little training collar would be
enough to make you kill Cade. I have someone else for that.
However, there are quite a few errands you can run for me. I’ve got
a lot to do in the next few days.”
“What do you want?” Tania asked, biting off each
word.
“You’ll see,” Konrad said, rising again,
straightening his shirt and tie. “For now, I want you to get in the
closet downstairs and shut up.”
Tania couldn’t help looking puzzled.
“Not that it’s any of your business, but I have a
date,” Konrad explained.