Blood of Gold by Duncan McGeary

done.”
    “It’s all right,” Hoss said. “I’ll do my best.”
    “I’m sure you will,” the older vampire said approvingly. “Come with me. I have dinner waiting in my suite.”
    Hoss followed Combs, though he knew Jodie was probably waiting for him back in his hotel room, naked and already in bed. He doubted that Combs would take no for answer.
    In Combs’s suite, there was a liveried servant and a two-person dining table with a white linen tablecloth and immaculate place settings. Combs offered Hoss some red wine. “It’s been mixed with fresh blood, and I like the zing,” he explained.
    Hoss hesitated, then accepted. With his strict upbringing, he’d never had any alcohol in his young life. His mouth puckered up at the acidic taste, but he was determined to drink enough to see what all the fuss was about.
    The conversation wandered, Combs asking him about school and friends, and then slowly but pointedly drifting into questions about the Wildering battle. Then came the question that Hoss thought was probably the entire reason he’d been invited there.
    “Tell me about the vampires with blood of gold,” Combs insisted. “Tell me about Terrill.”
    By then, Hoss was feeling fine. The soft white tablecloth, the congenial surroundings, the sophisticated host: all of it seemed like a great adventure. He took another gulp of the blood-laced wine, then said, “I don’t know much. They seem stronger and faster than us. They can walk in daylight. Other than that, I don’t really have much to tell you.”
    “But anyone can become a Golden Vampire?”
    “No… my understanding is that they must renounce all feeding off of humans.”
    Combs laughed, and Hoss joined him. So this was what it was like to be an adult! How wonderful that he didn’t have to wait any longer! And his host… this was a wise and great man!
    “Well, that doesn’t sound like much fun,” Combs said.
    “Anyway, I only saw them for a short time. You’ll probably need to talk to Fitzsimmons when he comes back.” The room started to spin a little, and Hoss put down his wine glass with a clank against the porcelain plate. “Sorry,” he muttered.
    “Strong wine if you’re not used to it. Listen, I have a spare bedroom if you need to stay.”
    Hoss considered it. His hotel was across town, and getting there would require a taxi ride. But he had a sudden image of Jodie waiting for him, and he tried to get up. “I need to get back,” he said, then flopped back down into his chair.
    “Stay! I insist,” Combs said. “I’ve got a surprise for you.” He raised a finger to the servant, and a few moments later, a couple of giggling girls were led into the room. They were human. Hoss could smell their blood from across the room, and he realized he hadn’t really fed since he’d crossed the ocean.
    The two girls were way too young to be dressed so skimpily. But that’s just the small-town boy in me , came a thought. It was his thought, and yet it wasn’t. It was as if it came from somewhere outside himself.
    Hoss felt a tug at his sleeve and rose to his feet. He approached the girls, and one of them, the smaller one, took him by the arm and led him to a bedroom. Hoss tried to unbutton his shirt, but his fingers didn’t seem to work very well, and she laughed and helped pull it over his head. Then his pants were down around his ankles and she was on her knees in front of him. He fell back onto the bed.
    Jodie will be pissed , he thought. But his body was responding, and the girl was very skilled. When she was done, she crawled up beside him and nestled against him. The blood in her neck was only inches away.
    She’d been so nice to him. He didn’t want to kill her.
    Feed! the voice in his mind insisted. Take her!
    He sank his fangs into her neck and she started, then relaxed, almost as if she was expecting it, even accepting it. Or , he thought underneath his bloodlust, as if she’s being controlled.
    The thought of control sobered