the plan?” I asked.
“We’re going to find a way to save Olivia and then we’ll deal with Mammon.”
Corbin laughed. “ Mammon. You’re going to ‘deal with Mammon’? Whew, look at the time.” He glanced at a bare wrist. “This is definitely not my business, so if one of you will tell me how to find Thomas, I’ll get out of your way and you can carry on with your mass suicide.”
“No one invited you here to begin with,” I told him. Why were all vampires a pain in the collective ass? First there was Thomas who was essentially the human equivalent to herpes. Now Corbin was here like a damn stalker. “We don’t know where Thomas is. He left and I haven’t seen him since. Find him yourself.”
“What do you know about Mammon?” Holden asked him.
“Enough.” Corbin looked completely relaxed as he tried to stare Holden down.
Olivia ignored both of them and took a seat, starting to look paler than normal again. “Have you found a food source yet?” she asked Maggie.
Maggie shook her head. “No, and I’ve tried everything. Most of it has scarred me for life.” That got Corbin’s attention—and everybody else’s. All eyes in the room turned to her. Maggie rattled off a list consisting of pretty much everything any creature in the Abyss ate. “The only thing left is sex. Any takers?” she asked half-heartedly.
Olivia smiled faintly. “You’ve tried everything that other beings need to survive, but you aren’t any of those things. Of course they don’t work.”
“What else is there?” Holden asked.
She pressed her lips together and studied Maggie. “Take off your sunglasses,” she said. Maggie complied. Olivia’s hand hovered just over her face as she studied the area around her, mouth twitching down into a frown. “What do you eat, Corbin?”
“Life force,” he said, looking vaguely curious. “Energy.”
“Souls,” she said.
“If that’s what you want to call it,” he replied.
She nodded, letting her hand drop back to her lap like it was too heavy to hold up any longer. “Why?”
He stared at her for a long while. “So I don’t starve.”
She shook her head. “No. What does the soul give you that you’re lacking? For example, people eat food because their body needs nutrients to survive. I don’t need to eat anything now because my survival is not dependent on having a body. So what void is being filled in you?”
“Life. The better fed I stay, the more life-like I can be.”
She nodded, tilting her head to the right. “What happens if you don’t feed?”
He scowled in no one’s general direction. “At first you become slow and sluggish, then eventually your body stops moving and you become a prisoner inside a rotting corpse.”
“That’s good,” she said to herself nodding.
“Not my initial reaction, love.” His eyebrows arched and his mouth twisted in a wry expression. “What does any of this have to do with her? She’s not a vampire.”
“I’m half,” Maggie objected.
“We need to find what balances her,” Holden said, nodding at Olivia.
Why couldn’t they see how much better they were as a team?
“Everything is about balance,” she said.
Well, what in the hell would balance a half vampire? “She’s technically still alive, right?” I asked and everyone nodded. “But she has vampire strength and speed.”
“And eyes,” Corbin volunteered.
“I’ve never seen a vampire with red eyes,” Holden said.
Corbin shrugged. “I have.”
Olivia smiled. “Like when they’ve fed too much?”
One side of Corbin’s mouth raised and he wagged a finger at her. “There’s something about you, love. I like it.” He moved a little closer to them. “Actually, yes, when they get energy drunk. First you forget anything else matters but feeding. You take and take and take until your skin buzzes and hums and your strength and speed go off the charts making it nearly impossible to control.”
“How do you fix it?” Holden
“We’re going to find a way to save Olivia and then we’ll deal with Mammon.”
Corbin laughed. “ Mammon. You’re going to ‘deal with Mammon’? Whew, look at the time.” He glanced at a bare wrist. “This is definitely not my business, so if one of you will tell me how to find Thomas, I’ll get out of your way and you can carry on with your mass suicide.”
“No one invited you here to begin with,” I told him. Why were all vampires a pain in the collective ass? First there was Thomas who was essentially the human equivalent to herpes. Now Corbin was here like a damn stalker. “We don’t know where Thomas is. He left and I haven’t seen him since. Find him yourself.”
“What do you know about Mammon?” Holden asked him.
“Enough.” Corbin looked completely relaxed as he tried to stare Holden down.
Olivia ignored both of them and took a seat, starting to look paler than normal again. “Have you found a food source yet?” she asked Maggie.
Maggie shook her head. “No, and I’ve tried everything. Most of it has scarred me for life.” That got Corbin’s attention—and everybody else’s. All eyes in the room turned to her. Maggie rattled off a list consisting of pretty much everything any creature in the Abyss ate. “The only thing left is sex. Any takers?” she asked half-heartedly.
Olivia smiled faintly. “You’ve tried everything that other beings need to survive, but you aren’t any of those things. Of course they don’t work.”
“What else is there?” Holden asked.
She pressed her lips together and studied Maggie. “Take off your sunglasses,” she said. Maggie complied. Olivia’s hand hovered just over her face as she studied the area around her, mouth twitching down into a frown. “What do you eat, Corbin?”
“Life force,” he said, looking vaguely curious. “Energy.”
“Souls,” she said.
“If that’s what you want to call it,” he replied.
She nodded, letting her hand drop back to her lap like it was too heavy to hold up any longer. “Why?”
He stared at her for a long while. “So I don’t starve.”
She shook her head. “No. What does the soul give you that you’re lacking? For example, people eat food because their body needs nutrients to survive. I don’t need to eat anything now because my survival is not dependent on having a body. So what void is being filled in you?”
“Life. The better fed I stay, the more life-like I can be.”
She nodded, tilting her head to the right. “What happens if you don’t feed?”
He scowled in no one’s general direction. “At first you become slow and sluggish, then eventually your body stops moving and you become a prisoner inside a rotting corpse.”
“That’s good,” she said to herself nodding.
“Not my initial reaction, love.” His eyebrows arched and his mouth twisted in a wry expression. “What does any of this have to do with her? She’s not a vampire.”
“I’m half,” Maggie objected.
“We need to find what balances her,” Holden said, nodding at Olivia.
Why couldn’t they see how much better they were as a team?
“Everything is about balance,” she said.
Well, what in the hell would balance a half vampire? “She’s technically still alive, right?” I asked and everyone nodded. “But she has vampire strength and speed.”
“And eyes,” Corbin volunteered.
“I’ve never seen a vampire with red eyes,” Holden said.
Corbin shrugged. “I have.”
Olivia smiled. “Like when they’ve fed too much?”
One side of Corbin’s mouth raised and he wagged a finger at her. “There’s something about you, love. I like it.” He moved a little closer to them. “Actually, yes, when they get energy drunk. First you forget anything else matters but feeding. You take and take and take until your skin buzzes and hums and your strength and speed go off the charts making it nearly impossible to control.”
“How do you fix it?” Holden
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