Bit the Jackpot (Vegas Vampires #2)(51)
Author: Erin McCarthy

They got on the elevator and three women gasped in horror when they looked at Kelsey.

"Actress," Alexis said, pointing to Kelsey. "They’re filming a movie here in the casino.Vampires in Vegas."

"Really?That’s exciting," the one wearing a Margaritaville T-shirt said.

"And that blood is so realistic," her friend added.

"Thanks," Alexis said. "I’ll tell the specialeffects guys. They always need ego stroking."

They got out at the twenty-fourth floor, waving to the women.

Kelsey shook her head. "I don’t think Mr. Carrick would like you telling people they’re filming a vampire movie here."

"Fuck him," Alexis snarled.

"I’ll leave that to you," Cara murmured, and they all grinned, glad to have the somber mood broken. "Did you see their faces when we walked in? I thought they were going to wet themselves. I guess we should have been more discreet."

Kelsey unlocked her door.

"Where the hell were you hiding that key card?" Alexis asked.

Cara was wondering that same thing. Kelsey’s bikini could have been bought at babyGap .

"I’ll never tell," Kelsey said,then promptly told them. "Here, in the front of my bottoms. I never lose it that way."

Guess not.

"I used to lose it all the time and the front desk people were getting bitchy with me. So I try to be better about it now."

They stepped into Kelsey’s hotel room, which was just a standard room with a king-size bed, sitting area, and bath. There were clothes, makeup, and books over every surface. Cara wandered over to the dresser and spottedThe Secret Life of Bees, Gossip Girls, The Complete Works of Shakespeare, The Origins of Islam , andWhy Do Men have Nipples ?, all crowded together in a precarious tower.

"Wow, this is quite a selection."

"I like to read," Kelsey said.

Who would have thought?

Alexis shoved a black cocktail dress over and sat on the bed. "Okay, Kels , maybe this is rude to ask, but why the hell did you slit your throat?"

Cara would never have had the guts to ask, but she was glad Alexis had. She was morbidly curious to know what had inspired that drastic action.

Kelsey didn’t look offended. She took her hair out of its now messy ponytail and shook it free."Because Kyle is addicted to drug blood. That’s why he stays with the Italian and why he does things he shouldn’t. He’s a good man in there, but he’s been lost. I knew if he left today, he’d be lost for good, and I knew that if I hurt myself, he’d pass on his chance to escape so he could help me. So I slit my throat, and now he’s going to be okay, I’m sure of it."

"I’m impressed," Alexis said.

"That was a very compassionate thing to do," Cara added, a lump in her throat. There was something that was bothering her, buzzing around the edges of her consciousness, irritating and nagging.

"I had to," Kelsey said, slipping out of the bloody bikini, no concern for modesty. "I had to make it right for him. It was scary when my memories were all messed up, it was like everything was scrambled in the dark, but now I think I remember everything, and I know that Kyle can be saved."

Alexis looked skeptical, kicking her feet back and forth on the side of the bed. "Holy shit, you’ve got a thing for him, don’t you?"

"Yes," Kelsey said, and walked into the bathroom, her very long legs pale with streaks of rusted blood. She didn’t bother to shut the door, but the shower came on.

"She’s falling in love with a sicko murderer for hire. I can’t believe this," Alexis said, shaking her head.

"Maybe once he’s off the drugs, he’ll be alright." Kelsey certainly believed that. Maybe they should, too, for her sake. And maybe Cara could learn from Kelsey how to trust people, learn that caring for someone, showing compassion, didn’t make you vulnerable. That at some point you had to take a leap of faith and love. Cara had done that with Seamus the night before and she wanted to be as confident as Kelsey that she’d done the right thing.

"Drug addicts don’t just get better. And nasty people don’t do one-eighties and become suddenly good." Alexis held up one of Kelsey’s very, uh, suggestive panties. "What is this thing? It looks like she put it through the paper shredder."

Pressing her lips together, Cara tried not to laugh. "They’re panties the back is crisscross strings."

"So all you have on your ass are these stripes?" Alexis shuddered. "I’m sorry, that’s just ridiculous. I mean, how totally uncomfortable. And it would make crisscross lines in your pants. And I really, really find it hard to believe that men are attracted to women’s ass cracks."

"I’ve never taken a survey." Cara rubbed her stomach. "Damn, I’m hungry. But I don’t think we should leave until Kelsey is safely in bed. And I don’t know where Seamus is."

"What does he have to do with anything? I’m sure Kelsey has blood in her fridge. Just snag a bag. I could feed, too."

Alexis was already up and opening Kelsey’s minifridge . "We should make sure Kelsey has another bag before she goes to bed."

Cara debated if she was hungry enough to drink it cold from a bag, and decided she was. "I usually hate it in the bag, but for some reason I’m starving."

"Do you need a glass or something?" Alexis asked, pulling out three bags of blood and tossing them back and forth in her hands.

"No, I like it from Seamus." Cara was kind of embarrassed to admit that, though she wasn’t sure why.

"What do you mean, from Seamus?" Alexis looked at her blankly.

"I drink blood from him. Youknow, his blood." Cara could feel her face starting to burn. Damn, she was blushing and Alexis’s reaction wasn’t helping. Her friend’s eyes went wide.

"You mean, like when you’re having sex, you take a little nip here and there?Just a taste?"

"Well, yeah, that, too. But I mean, even when we’re not having sex, when I need to feed, I drink straight from Seamus." Even as she said it, she realized something sounded strange about that. It had never once occurred to her to wonder why she fed from him but Seamus fed from a bag. She had liked it too much to wonder about the logistics.

"He feeds you?" Alexis asked in astonishment."All the time?"

"Well, not every time. I have had it from the bag, but I didn’t really like that. So usually Seamus just, you know, lets me at his wrist " Cara trailed off as Alexis gaped at her like a hooked trout. "What? Is there something wrong with that?"

"Yeah.You know all those unwritten vampire laws? Well, that is one of them. No feeding from other vampires."