Vampire Eden by Liz Newman Read Free Book Online

changes men into zombies. They have maladies that torment them during the day, skin issues, health issues, mental issues. At night, they never sleep. They are simply programmed to do things. A man brought you to her, correct? One she had bitten."
    "Yeah."
    "I need you to find this guy and have him tell you where to find the King of the Dead."
    "What will Aoleon do with the King of the Dead? Who is he?"
    "That's classified information. What I can tell you is that he is another one of these mythical creatures running around Vegas who refuses to work with the CIA. Will you cooperate?"
    "If I say no, what are you going to do?" I said. "Lock me up for a hundred years if I don't cooperate?"
    "I can always take notes and pass your case down to the next agent when I die of a ripe old age. She can pass your case down, and so on. We already have people like you in our custody.  Changed by vampires in Portland, Albuquerque, San Francisco by other vampires. Although none so... fresh. Aoleon is unique because she creates zombies. Las Vegas is the perfect abode for zombies."
    She waved at the waitress and pointed to her coffee cup. The waitress sauntered over to the table. Christine's eyes danced with mine over the pouring stream of coffee. "You work for me," Christine said, "and when we get our hands on Aoleon, we will drain every last bit of venom from her body and inject it into yours. Then you can stay forever young."
    "I was a prostitute," I sneered. "Do I look like I want to live forever?"
    "Then why did you let her change you?" Christine tilted her head with amusement.
    "Because I hate looking old! And like everything else I've done in my life, I didn't think it through long enough."
    "There are ways of killing vampires, especially half ones like you. Quick ways. You won't feel a thing."
    "All right. Then that's what I'm in for."
    "Look, Eden, if you change your mind and you succeed, you will remain on the government payroll indefinitely. The condition is you must find a way to kill Aoleon. Do we have an agreement?"
    The waitress set a plate with rare steak down before me, and a spinach and mushroom omelet before Agent Christine Leavensworth. My mouth watered as I hurriedly grasped a knife in my hand and sawed at the steak, licking every last drop of delicious beef blood. "Sure," I said.
    "We've got to get you on assignment right away. Before you lose your mind and start to hunt and kill humans. First things first, you find the guy that brought you to these women. He's probably got some malady by now. If he hasn't seen the King of the Dead already, he'll be paying a visit soon."
    "What about my apartment?"
    " 'Mah apartament ?" Christine repeated mockingly. "Don't worry about that. I'm having it taped off as a crime scene. No one will come looking for you; I can promise you that. But don't go back." She withdrew a stack of one-hundred-dollar bills and slid it across the table.
    “ This should hold you over for while. If you need me, my office is at the Tiki Towers. Anytime between nine and five." She threw a Benjamin down for the check, gathered up her briefcase and left. The waitress picked up the tab and thanked me profusely for the tip.
    "O f course," I said, taking undue credit. "Could you bring me another steak? Fresh out of the fridge, please."

Chapter Seven
     
    My silver stiletto heels clacked on the marble floor as I sauntered into the Mardi Gras Saloon and hopped onto my favorite barstool. Reaching into my purse, I dug through lipsticks, old receipts, and boxes of tissue until I found a compact mirror. I flipped it open and gazed at my reflection. A woman of lush beauty, infused with youth, gazed back at me. I flipped the mirror shut and found last night's snarky bartender grinning at me.
    "Can I get you a drink?"
    "Top-shelf margarita."
    " Coming up," he said as he tapped his fist on the bar. He poured mixers and ice into a shaker and poured the concoction into a glass rimmed with salt. "On the house,