Heroes Read online

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Dedication

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Look for other books in this blood-chilling series

  LflWS OF THE BLOOD: The Hunt

  “Fans of supernatural tales will want to sink their teeth into this novel.” —BookBrowser

  “Fascinating . . . the characterizations are excellent, the plot strong, and the pace well implemented.” —SF Site

  “Calling this book a compulsive page turner doesn’t begin to do it justice.” —Crescent City

  “One fun read . . . one terrific book!”

  —Midwest Book Review

  “A fabulous first book . . . Her characters are crafted with a master’s touch.” —Scribes World

  “A firecracker of a start to a new series.” —KLIATT

  “Pumps new life into a very old horror staple . . . Highly recommended.” —VOYA

  LflWS OF THE BLOOD: Partners

  “There is an interesting puzzle at the core of the story, and Sizemore’s vampire society is convincing. If you like thrills as well as chills, this one’s for you.”

  —Science Fiction Chronicle

  “A gritty fast-paced read—another fascinating entry in the chronicles of vampire lore.” —Romantic Times

  “Susan Sizemore had created a fantastic vampire story that brings fresh life to the Nosferatu legends.” —BookBrowser

  “The Laws of the Blood series is deservedly becoming a cult favorite.” —Midwest Book Review

  “The author gives us a cast of memorable characters that are realistic, entertaining, and interesting.” —SF Site

  LflWS OF THE BLOOD: Companions

  “A juicy and tasty novel that whets the appetite for more works in this dynamite series.” —Midwest Book Review

  “A rousing adventure.” —Booklist

  LflWS OF THE BLOOD: Deceptions

  “An exciting vampire tale. Every book in the series is better than the last as the author continues to develop the culture of the vampire society.” —Midwest Book Review

  “The author knows how to write ‘realistic’ vampires. Her characters are three-dimensional and intriguing. Recommended.” —All About Romance

  “Readers will want to read this book more than once, but each time in one sitting!” —BookBrowser

  “Susan Sizemore handles the traditions of vampire lore well, restructuring them in a way that makes a fertile ground for exploring (her) vampire civilization.” —SF Site

  If you purchased this book without a cover, you should be aware that this book is stolen property. It was reported as “unsold and destroyed” to the publisher, and neither the author nor the publisher has received any payment for this “stripped book.”

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either

  are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and

  any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business

  establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  LAWS OF THE BLOOD: HEROES

  An Ace Book / published by arrangement with

  the author

  PRINTING HISTORY

  Ace mass-market edition / October 2003

  Copyright © 2003 by Susan Sizemore.

  All rights reserved.

  This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced

  in any form without permission.

  The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the Internet

  or via any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal

  and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic

  editions, and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of

  copyrighted materials. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.

  For information address: The Berkley Publishing Group,

  a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.,

  375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014.

  eISBN : 978-0-441-01108-7

  ACE®

  Ace Books are published by The Berkley Publishing Group,

  a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.,

  375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014.

  ACE and the “A” design

  are trademarks belonging to Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

  http://us.penguingroup.com

  For Juanita Nesbitt, vampire aficionado,

  costumer, and all-around cool lady.

  Prologue

  “ALL LAWS ARE lies!” Martina stood up and proclaimed.

  Ben sighed. The outburst nearly annoyed him enough to ask the woman what the hell she was talking about, but that would give her an opening to tell him. He hadn’t been following the conversation. Until a moment ago he’d been contentedly sipping a scotch and looking at the view from the meeting room in the hotel’s penthouse owner’s suite. Maybe the others at the table would just ignore her and go back to business.

  Unfortunately, Dresser asked, “Why are you interrupting this meeting? What is it you want, girl?”

  “A world without Enforcers,” Martina promptly answered. “All Laws are lies,” she repeated, and stuck her fist in the air.

  She reminded Ben of Jane Fonda back in the Vietnam War era, but he managed to keep from telling the crazed vampire chick that as well. Martina and her whole nest were nuts. Fanatics. Death to the Pig Enforcers was their creed. Ben knew why Ibis had brought them in to manage the new hotel. Ben resented it, but he understood. The Silk Road had been open a little over a month and was running smoother than most new places usually did.

  With the exception of his own nest, and that wasn’t much of an exception, you couldn’t get normal vampires to live and work in Las Vegas. Martina’s crowd were at least focused on their cause. It helped them avoid the other dangers the city offered. His own people ran the casino and security for the whole Silk Road operation. They didn’t have to deal with Martina’s crowd that much. Ben only had to put up with her personally in these meetings, but that was more than enough. She really set his fangs on edge.

  At the other end of the table, Ibis quietly cleared his throat. Ibis was always soft-spoken, but Ben listened when he talked. Along with everyone else, Ben turned his attention toward the owner of the Silk Road. Ibis was a small man, though he claimed he’d been average in his time, not that he ever said what his mortal time was. There was an ancientness about him, but he wore it as well as he did the dark, well-tailored suit. He kept his head shaved, and tended to wear eyeliner, but those were his only affectations. Most people might have pegged Ibis as gay back in his mortal life, but Ben knew for a fact that Ibis kept at least two female companions, and most of his slaves were girls as well.

  Besides, once you became a vampire, gender distinctions didn’t matter, even if mortal prejudices took a little longer to fade. Ben’s were still fading, even though he found himself paying more and more attention to Morgan Reese since the stage magician brought his act to the hotel. Reese wasn’t a pretty boy, or in any way feminine, but he had a glow of genuine psychic talent to him that made Ben’s mating fangs ache. He wasn’t yet sure if he was going to make
a move on the magician or not.

  All Laws are lies.

  Ben jumped. He shook his head and glared at the old vampire.

  Ibis nodded after he put that thought into all their minds. He steepled his fingers, caught Martina’s gaze with his own, and said in his soft, subtle way, “I have heard that saying for centuries. It is true in most cases, of course, for mortals as much as for strigoi. Laws are necessary for the survival of a society, my dear. They have nothing to do with justice. You youngsters tend to hunger for such luxuries as justice and free will, when survival is the best one can hope for. And power, of course, but power has more to do with hard work and planning than it does with a passive concept like hope. We vampires are hungry all the time. Hunger for justice is good. Hunger for change is dangerous.”

  “I embrace the danger,” Martina answered. “I don’t hope. I plan.”

  And you shoot off your big mouth whenever you get a chance, Ben thought, carefully guarding his opinions from the others.

  Ibis nodded. “I commend you for your dedication, Martini.”

  Martina hated the nickname, and studiously ignored the smiles and chuckles evoked by Ibis’s use of it.

  “But you don’t embrace the fight for freedom,” Martina said. Accused, rather.

  “I don’t attempt to hinder it,” Ibis reminded her. “Your every word is against the Laws of the Blood, but do I try to silence you? I do believe in freedom of speech.”

  Martina sneered. It would have been impressive if there’d been a group of mortals sitting around the conference table. “You see the cause as my hobby.”

  Ibis shrugged. “Whatever gets you through the night. Now that you’ve interrupted real business,” he went on, unlacing his fingers and putting his palms flat on the shiny black surface of the table, “tell us what it is you want, so we can get back to business.”

  Martina’s sneer stayed in place. “Business. See what the Laws have brought us to?”

  Prosperity. Civilization.

  The words drifted through all their minds. Ben didn’t catch the identity of which vampire had sent the thought, nor did he try very hard. Politics on any but the most local level of strigoi society didn’t interest him.

  “I want more,” Martina stated.

  Ben felt the annoyance and confusion that emanated from everyone but Ibis. Ibis was not in the least surprised, and answered, “You want more than our contract states. Let me guess, you ask the freedom of the streets of this city for your nest.”

  “We came seeking knowledge,” Martina replied.

  “It will take you years to discover all the treasures in my library.”

  “Knowledge can be found in other places than your ancient archive.”

  “Of course. You’ve decided that vampire history isn’t really all that interesting.”

  Martina didn’t notice Ibis’s sarcasm. “Knowledge is of no use unless it informs action.”

  “If you say so.” Ibis sounded particularly bored. He looked bored, but Ben saw the irritation in the old vampire’s dark, dark eyes.

  Ben took a sip of his drink. He wanted to get this over with, but he kept quiet. Restlessness and irritation sang through the room.

  It was Dresser who finally demanded, “What are you getting at, Martina?”

  “The freedom of the city.”

  “Why are you asking us?”

  She sneered again, and gestured dramatically. “I ask Ibis.”

  Ben put his drink down hard on the shiny glass table. For the first time he spoke to the irritating female nest leader. “Ibis?”

  It was the same soft, dangerous tone that sent chills through his enemies and subordinates back in his mortal life. Martina wasn’t mortal, and she wasn’t smart enough to recognize danger. What she probably saw when she looked at him was a young nest leader without power and prestige in strigoi society. She didn’t know who she was dealing with, and she chose to ignore him, though Vegas was now and always had been his town.

  Ben looked to Ibis, who gave him the faintest of conciliatory nods, but the owner of the Silk Road concentrated his attention on his troublesome hotel manager. “The traditional way of moving a nest into a new territory is to ask permission of the Enforcer of the City.”

  Of course, Martina laughed at this. “I do not deal with Enforcers. Not as a subordinate. You know that, Ibis. I do ask your approval.”

  Her gaze should have swept around to every other vampire in the room, but of course, she didn’t bother. If she noticed the angry tension building at the table, she ignored it. Martina was not only a revolutionary, she was downright rude, or maybe just totally oblivious. She was up to something, of course, something to do with her schemes to change the world. The world was just fine as far as Ben was concerned, though it would be much better if Martina and her kind got out of town.

  “What about Duke?” Dresser asked. “He’s given permission for Martina’s nest and ours to occupy the hotel. This is our territory.” Dresser was one of about a dozen vampires that called Ibis nest leader. Martina had ten vampires in her nest. Even adding companions and slaves to this group, the vampire population took up only a small percent of the rooms and extensive grounds of Las Vegas’s latest destination resort.

  “You’re not supposed to leave the area,” Ben spoke up. “That’s the deal.”

  “I did not make that deal,” Martina answered. “I do not deal with monsters who eat my kind. I am subject to no Enforcer. To no Law set down by a puppet shadow government.”

  “We’ve heard this before,” Dresser complained. “Maybe you don’t obey the Laws, but Ibis does. You agreed to work for Ibis in exchange for access to ancient knowledge. Do you want to get him in trouble with the Enforcer of the City?”

  Martina laughed. “The Enforcer of this city is no threat to anyone.”

  She was right about that, and Ben was thankful for it. Duke, or the Duke of Norfolk, as he claimed to have been back in his mortal life, was not what you’d call conscientious. Above all else, the Enforcer of the City wanted a quiet life.

  “Just slip Duke a few thousand,” Ben suggested. “He’ll be happy to leave you alone. I can arrange it for you.” And take my usual twenty percent of the deal, Ben added to himself.

  “I do not bribe corrupt monsters. I ask no one’s permission to do as I choose. But yours,” she added, concentrating on Ibis again. “Out of respect for your age and learning, I ask the freedom of the entire territory.”

  Ibis rested his hands on the table. “I see.”

  “She’s going to cause trouble,” Dresser complained.

  Ibis sighed. “I know.” He kept his inscrutable gaze on Martina.

  This is my town, Ben thought. She should ask me.

  “Do what you will,” Ibis told Martina. When she grinned with satisfaction, fangs gleaming brightly, he added, “The consequences will be on your head, child, not mine.”

  There’s going to be trouble all right, Ben thought. He sent a glare toward the happy Martina, who was about to spread her crazy revolution out onto his streets. He wondered just what he could do to help that trouble along.

  Chapter 1

  “LIGHT’S BEEN AROUND for a long time, of course.”

  “Well—yeah. You have heard of the Big Bang, haven’t you?”

  “I meant artificial light. Even when I was a youngster, there were certain—shall we say, weak-minded—individuals who’d have a little too much to drink and sit around staring into firelight for hours.”

  “Seems like a harmless hobby.”

  “Let me finish. It was hardly unknown for fire addicts to walk into a raging bonfire. The results were a bit—”

  “Crispy?”

  “Geoffrey, I’m not often in the mood to be instructive. Why don’t you take me seriously when I am?”

  “Sorry, Val.” The truth was this was his first time in Vegas and what he really wanted to do was look at the lights.

  “Oh.”

  Geoff Sterling was suddenly glad he wasn’t the o
ne driving the Cadillac convertible. He thought about closing his eyes, but the lights were so pretty . . . “Maybe you better continue being instructive.”

  “Uh-huh. Wise child.” It was her turn to keep him out of trouble as he’d been doing with her for the last couple of years. “Being immortal doesn’t make you invulnerable. There are certain—mental problems—that crop up from time to time in even the powerful, wise, and ancient ones. For example, I never thought I’d end up agoraphobic.” The fact that they were in Las Vegas at all, and in a convertible with the top down, and that she was driving showed that the fear of open spaces was a treatable one. The fact that she was so scared she was having trouble keeping her hunting claws and fangs from growing showed that the phobia wasn’t going away. It was just something, like all things that went with being a vampire, that had to be controlled. “Pain in the ass, really.”

  “What?”

  “Nothing.”

  “I have noticed the death grip you have on the steering wheel.” His head craned from side to side. Glitter everywhere! “Go on.”

  “Then there’s light addiction,” Valentine went on. “It’s an ancient problem, but I have heard those who suffer from it called neon junkies. I’m afraid Las Vegas seems to attract a certain element.” She paused, and finally stated, “It’s a town full of losers.”

  Geoff felt her distaste, and he laughed, which pretty much brought him out of his fascination with all the brightness and color filling the desert night. “Valentine, you are such a snob.”

  She tossed her head, stirring the thick fall of black curls around her shoulders. “Young man, I’ve worked in Hollywood for over seventy years. I wouldn’t have stayed in the business if I was a snob about sleazeballs and losers.”

  “Hollywood sleazeballs and losers are mortal. You expect better from your own kind. Madam, you are a vampire elitist.”