Big Game (The V V Inn, Book 3) Read online

  BIG GAME

  The V V Inn Series:

  Book Three

  C.J. Ellisson

  Red Hot Publishing

  P.O. BOX 651193, STERLING VA, 20165-1193

  First eBook Edition April 2012

  Copyright 2012 C.J. Ellisson

  All Rights Reserved

  ISBN 9781927116319

  Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.

  PUBLISHER’S NOTE

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead (or undead ;-), business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  This book is dedicated to my readers, especially the ones on Facebook. Without you, there’d be no point in writing. Thank you for your continued support—you forever honor me with your interest.

  Contributors

  The following individuals inspired names for characters. They either thought the name up, volunteered the use of their name, I stole their name because I liked it, or they supported me so much I wanted to thank them:

  Andy Lipshultz: It started as an April fool's joke, but then I twisted things and named a character after him (and basically stole his name, too).

  Angie Linne: I named a character after her.

  Asa Monson: My nephew, whom I based a character on and stole his name.

  Brett Monson: My sister-in-law’s ex, and my nephews’ father in real life. You knew you couldn’t escape the love, right?

  Cali Blackadder, aka Julie Jewell: I based a character on her Second Life persona, and named the character after her.

  Cy Whitfield, aka Michael Stern: My brother, whom I based a character on his Second Life persona, and named the character after him.

  Debi Singleton: I named a character after her.

  Dalton & Flavia Luz: An incredibly nice Brazilian couple that I based characters on and stole their names.

  Deneishia Jacobpita: I named a character after her.

  Diane O’Neill-Mason: She volunteered to have her name used.

  Donald Swanson, Sr: I named a character after him.

  Eric Monson: My nephew, whom I based a character on and stole his name.

  Elsa Cisneros: I named a character after her.

  Frank Natsuhara: I stole his last name for a character.

  George “GJ” Marko: I named a character after him.

  Helena Gardella: I named a character after her.

  Jerry Stern: My dad, whom I based a character on and stole his name.

  Justin Monson: The oldest nephew of the three. I based a character on him and stole his name.

  Patrick Larson: I gladly wrote him into the story, with his permission, so he and Eric could continue to have adventures together forever.

  Paul Ocker: I named a character after him.

  Lori Anderson: I asked to use her name and her nickname Lor-Lor: she graciously agreed.

  Margery Cook Stern: My mom, whom I based a character on and stole her name.

  Michelle Pazdan: I named a character after her.

  Miranda Blevins: I stole her name.

  Nkotsana: Waiter at Cheesecake factory. I stole his name and took off the silent “N” to make it Kotsana.

  Rolando Ray: He thought of the name Ivan, which won in an online vote—and I stole his name.

  Romeo LoGiurato: I stole his name.

  Stan Logan: I named a character after him.

  Stephanie Groot: My friend, who gladly volunteered to be a character in the book.

  Stephen Grantham: I named a character after him.

  Theresa Dowd: I named a character after her and she picked Dria/Vivian's original first name, Ceara, which won in an online vote.

  Vikram Savkoor: I stole his name; his only request was his character be cool ;-)

  Glossary of Terms and Characters:

  Asa - the fledgling vampire sent by Cy, who was turned in Afghanistan while serving in the Army.

  Angie - a human guest who stayed at the inn eight years ago with her first husband, Ivan.

  Bloodcoffee - a mixture of half-blood and half-coffee, favored by undead everywhere.

  Bloodwine - same principal as bloodcoffee, but half-blood and half-wine.

  Blood Bond - a term used to describe the exchange of blood between either a human and a vampire, both ways, or a master vampire and a member of their seethe. It enables telepathic communication between them through the bond, if desired.

  Bob - an employee, he works on the grounds-keeping crew.

  Bonded Mate - a deeper connection than a servant, this bond allows the non-vampire to stop aging and share a significant amount of power associated with the bonded vampire. A complex ritual and exchange of large amounts of blood must take place for this bond to occur. The only way to break the bond is through death or a rare deep mind manipulation severing the link.

  Bunny - Paul's wife.

  Cali - Cy's bonded mate, and a werewolf. She's also Asa's aunt.

  Carmella & Carmina (Mina) - Flavia’s twin sisters, working on the island as maids this season.

  Chelly - see Michelle.

  Coraline - a member of the Inner Circle who cares for and guards the Tribunal of Ancients.

  Companion - a human who has donated blood to a vampire and been accepted into the vampire's care for future feedings.

  Cy - Vivian's contact in New York, whom she turned when she discovered him close to death in an alley outside his bar over forty-five years ago.

  Dalton - the caretaker on the Argentine island.

  Daniel - old vampire fling of Vivian’s.

  Deneishia - married to Kotsana and a member of Romeo’s pack.

  Diane - Dr. Cook’s adult daughter and a witch.

  Donald Swanson - one of the vampire hunters.

  Donor - a human who donates blood to a vampire, willingly, with no connections.

  Dr. Margery Cook - the onsite doctor on the property should a problem with a human arise.

  Drew - one of the new member’s of Vivian’s seethe.

  Dria - the master vampire who narrates the first book, aka Vivian and Alexandria.

  Eric - a new werewolf from Romeo’s pack.

  Elsa - Romeo’s werewolf mate.

  Emiko - the rogue designated by the Tribunal to be hunted at the resort (book two).

  Enforcer - a highly skilled vampire assassin, used as an instrument of justice by the tribunal.

  Flavia - Dalton’s wife and a fellow caretaker on the Argentine island.

  Fledgling - term used for a vampire under the age of five years.

  George - Security at the Tribunal of Ancients.

  Ivan - Angie’s first husband and bonded mate (book one).

  Jerry - an engineer and sharp shooter employed twenty years on the property.

  Jonathan - Vivian's werewolf servant and the head groundskeeper on the property.

  Justin - The wizard hired by the Tribunal to set up early warning wards around the property.

  Kotsana - one of Romeo’s pack, married to Deneishia.

  Liebling - German endearment, meaning darling.

  Lori - a werewolf in Romeo’s pack.

  Lucas - a vampire in Argentina who hates Vivian for killing his old lover.

  Manipulator - a rare breed of vampire able to mind control other vampires. Usually hunted down and killed by their own kind to ens
ure they do not gain power over their fellow vampires.

  Master Vampire - a vampire who heads their own seethe, or is independent of a seethe. One not requiring the blood of a master to gain in power, but has accumulated enough strength to hold their own in a battle where an older vampire may try to drain a younger one for their blood.

  Mate - see Bonded Mate.

  Michelle - aka “Chelly”, an employee at the inn, who also doubles as a blood donor.

  Naomi - one of Romeo’s wolves.

  Old Blood - a term used to describe the blood a seethe member gets from a master to increase their own power. Contains the added benefit of increasing a vampire’s perceived undead age if the blood is strong enough and consumed regularly.

  Pat - a new werewolf from Romeo’s pack.

  Paul - a gourmet chef imported from the lower forty-eight, married to Bunny and a newly turned vampire who is also part of Vivian’s seethe.

  Rafe - Vivian's bonded mate for sixty-five years, and co-owner to the inn.

  Rolando - part of the tribunal of Ancients, located in Argentina.

  Romeo - Jonathan's old Alpha, but not the Were who infected him.

  Rosia - Flavia and Dalton’s daughter.

  Seethe - A vampire family, or group of vampires, with a master vampire at its head.

  Servant - see Vampire Servant

  Spike - A member of Romeo’s pack.

  Stephanie - one of the chefs at the inn.

  Tommy - an employee, originally from Australia, who mainly works the front desk and organizes the blood donor list for the guests.

  Tribunal of Ancients - the governing body of ruling ancient vampires, entrusted with maintaining the secrecy of the existence of vampires from the human race.

  Turning - term used for when a human has been changed into a vampire.

  Vivian - the nickname for Dria, a play on words from The V V Inn.

  Were - shorthand for werewolf.

  Vampire Servant - a human, or Were, who has donated to and ingested the blood of a vampire. A mind connection can be established (and broken), allowing telepathic communication. The servant feels a desire to protect and serve the vampire above his or her own needs.

  Vikram - A vampire from Sanji’s seethe, but not participating in the hunt (book two).

  Table of Contents:

  Cover

  Title Page

  Dedication

  Contributors

  Glossary

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-one

  Chapter Twenty-two

  Chapter Twenty-three

  Chapter Twenty-four

  Chapter Twenty-five

  Chapter Twenty-six

  Chapter Twenty-seven

  Chapter Twenty-eight

  Chapter Twenty-nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-one

  Chapter Thirty-two

  Chapter Thirty-three

  Acknowledgements

  Death’s Servant

  Chapter One

  Vivian

  The soft hum of the jet fades into the background noise of the small cabin. Rafe exits the cockpit and locks eyes with me across the tight space. His rugged face carries a tired grin, and his blue eyes look weary. He’s been flying through the daylight hours as we make our way down the globe to Argentina, where our final destination is a small private island off the southeastern coast.

  His muscular form, encased in well-worn jeans and a snug black t-shirt, looks as delicious as ever. Worry pinches my husband’s expression as he heads back to my location opposite the plane’s bar. Chelly, lounging on a brown chenille couch, shifts her attention from her eReader—more than likely trying to catch a last glimpse of Drew who took over flying duties. Her long blond hair hides her expression from me, but I’m sure I’d see a hint of longing on her face. She deflates when she sees Rafe and goes back to her reading.

  She and Drew, the one-hundred-and-fifty-year-old vampire who came to our resort as a guest last fall before joining our seethe, began dating this winter. Now he only feeds from her, taking bagged blood for extra nutrition when needed. To my knowledge, he hasn’t yet claimed her by exchanging blood to make her his servant. He does treat her better than a simple blood donor, more like one does a companion. His old-fashioned ways make for a cute courtship display, but I doubt Chelly can take much more of the long tease. When Drew invited her on this trip, she nearly jumped his bones on the spot.

  Bob, one of our ground crew, plays cards with Tommy —our imported Aussie who usually mans the inn’s front desk—and Paul, our fledgling vampire. The three men crowd around a small table set between four plush seats, each wearing an intense look while examining his own cards. Their voices are pitched low, but every so often their excited chatter fills the cabin. Tommy glances up as Rafe walks by. The sandy-haired young man folds his cards and slips into the aisle behind my husband.

  Rafe leans down and kisses my cheek before settling into the club chair next to mine. A half-glass of red wine sits before me on the round cocktail table bolted through the cream carpet. In honor of our destination, I’ve changed to South American wines instead of the Alaskan vampire favorite of hot coffee. To appear uncouth at Tribunal gatherings holding a mug instead of a crystal goblet filled with bloodwine would be an unacceptable faux pas. But I admit, I do miss the mild caffeine jolt.

  “Tired, darling?” I ask.

  “Yeah.” A heavy sigh escapes him as he runs a hand across his forehead and back over his short light-brown hair. “Flying through the last storm was a challenge. Head winds slowed us down quite a bit.”

  On our right, Tommy stands behind the glistening marble-topped bar. “Can I get you something, sir?”

  “A Yuengling, thanks.”

  The young man pours beer into an ice-cold pilsner glass and sets it on the low table. After a nod of appreciation from Rafe, Tommy heads back to his cards.

  Rafe stares at the amber liquid but doesn’t drink. “I’m worried, Dria.”

  “I know.”

  “The talk with the seethe about your manipulator abilities went well, but it won’t be the same with the Ancients.”

  “Yes, our group took it surprisingly well.” I stifle a smile at the reminder of that night after the hunt. No one will ever forget Paul’s confusion and mini-freak out. Asa, our ex-military vamp, only nodded as if confirming something he suspected, and Drew listened in stony silence. I haven’t quite pegged him yet, but he pledged his loyalty again with the others easily enough, showing no hesitation.

  Glancing at the shaded window blocking the night sky, I debate on raising it to view the stars. “The idea isn’t to tell the Ancients; I’d never risk that. The plan to arrive earlier than in previous years is to surprise them—find out who knows or suspects what I can do.”

  “And then what? Slip into their minds and alter what they know?” He shakes his head. “Too risky.”

  “The alternative is to kill them.” I stare at Rafe and see the concern he never tries to hide. “Depending on how many of the Inner Circle we’re talking about, that might not be smart—or plausible.”

  Rafe grips the chair arms, his frustration and anger quickly outweighing his previous concern. “Twenty-two members of the Circle and eleven Ancients, not to mention an unknown number of powerful gophers and lackeys on the fringe doing their bidding. Too many variables. I prefer a concentrated and planned attack.”

 
; “We’ve gone over this before, love. What choice is there? Let them come to us in Alaska where we have over a hundred humans in our care?” I shake my head. “I won’t put them at risk. Not an option. Besides, we normally head down south when the season changes, making it impossible to run the inn for vampire guests. This early fact-finding mission in Buenos Aires is the best way to go.”

  “Yes, yes, your ‘beard the lion in his den’, crap. I get it.” He reaches for his beer and drains half the glass before setting it down. “I worry there’s more than the three members you’ve speculated on.”

  Bitter resentment and rage coil in my middle. For years I’ve hidden my ability and ran from certain death, only to find I’m now cornered in a remote location with twelve dozen lives at stake. Fight or flight. That’s what any predator would do when left with no options.

  “I don’t plan on running again.” Anger leaks through my tone and the tension in the cabin rises. “The only option is to infiltrate and bring a stealthy battle to them.”

  “Won’t they be expecting that? Coraline visited back in January. It’s foolish to think they haven’t done anything in three months.”

  “If it were me,” I say with a deadly smile, “I would have attacked immediately.”

  “Agreed. So why didn’t they?”

  “Coraline could be the main force driving the entire witch hunt after me. With the alterations I did to her psyche, Cora’s cohorts will need a while to bring her back up to speed—maybe even weeks to unravel what I did and how I did it. I’m not sure they could repair the damage if they weren’t able to slip into her mind, as well.”

  “What about that damn charmed brooch? Someone made it for her. Maybe the person is a strong magic user and has countered what you did?”

  I speculate on his suggestion for a bit and focus on letting go of my fury. I try to center my thoughts and picture myself mentally moving through a few sun salutations. The yoga moves work for mental balance, even while sitting still. The anger deflates, and I focus back on Rafe’s suggestion, again.