Read Online Netherworld: Drop Dead Sexy by Tracy St.John - Free Book Online

cars, were only pretenders
to society.
    * * * *
    Sconces emitting golden glows lit our
way down the fourth floor hallway. As we passed each closed door,
muttered conversations, laughter, and the unmistakable sounds of
lovemaking drifted out to greet us. It sounded more like a bordello
than a fine hotel. High-pitched screams of completion made me grin
at Dan.
    “My goodness. Somebody’s certainly
enjoying herself.”
    “It sounds like it, doesn’t it?” Dan
chuckled.
    We passed the door to another room from
which more elated cries escaped.
    “In there too. What are these,
honeymoon suites?”

    “We told you. Besides having sex,
there’s not much else to do when you’re dead. Unless Tristan has
you running a bunch of errands.” Dan considered me a moment before
adding, “It feels like night has fallen. You think this is loud,
you should hear the first floor, where the hotel’s old rooms still
stand. That’s where the vampires feed on their blood
donors.”
    My amusement fled. “I’ve never
understood the attraction of being fed on like a leech.”
    “It’s quite arousing, from my
understanding. For both vampire and donor. Fresh from the source is
always preferred, though most vampires get along on the packaged
stuff.”
    “Not enough bleeders to go around,
huh?” I shuddered. “At least most of us have good
sense.”
    “Usually the donors are romantically
linked to their vampires, but you get the blood groupies too.” Dan
shrugged.
    Just as I didn’t like to think of Dan
as a murderer, I shied away from thinking of vampires feeding on my
fellow humans. Jeez, Tristan was a vampire. Surely he drank the
bottled blood though. Thinking of him chomping on someone’s neck
grossed me out.
    I wondered about his reputation among
those who knew him best. “Do you like Tristan?”
    “He’s fine, a decent man as a ghost.
Honorable for a vampire. He keeps those of us who have something to
offer busy.” Dan sighed. “The worst thing about being dead is the
boredom. The world above keeps on going, but we’re stuck here,
always the same.”
    I frowned. “But surely intelligent
minds always find something to keep their interests?”
    “Even Plato ran out of things to
ruminate about centuries ago.”
    I stopped, my mouth dropping open. “You
know Plato?”
    Dan chuckled at the awe in my voice.
“No, but I’ve read everything he’s written, including the stuff
after he died. If you look around the library, you’ll find a lot of
the greats are still creating if death hasn’t driven them insane.”
He urged me forward, past more noisy rooms.
    “Does that happen a lot? People going
insane?”
    “Unfortunately. The monotony of
eternity is a brutal master. Here we are.” Dan stopped in front of
a door. Using the gold key, he unlocked it. “After you, baby
girl.”
    My thoughts a jumble of half-formed
fears, I stepped into the room.
    The room was stunning, even a little
overdone, but the King George had been all about opulence. The dark
mahogany of the bed, dresser, and nightstands gleamed in the warmth
of glass lamps. Over the ever-present whiff of burnt things floated
the freshness of recently washed bed linens. A full bar sat in one
corner, with a seating area nearby. A peek in the water closet
revealed a deep free-standing bathtub. Everything was
old-fashioned, but the finest of its day.

    Covered dishes lay on a table by the
seating area. Delicious scents found their way over to tease my
nostrils. A bottle of champagne sat in a bucket of ice. I shook my
head and restrained myself from making the comment, this would be
the life if I wasn’t dead.
    Sometimes I can control my
impulses.
    Instead I said, “Now isn’t this just
yummy? Thanks for indulging my curiosity,” I added as Dan stood
patiently by while I investigated the room.
    He smiled. “It’s always interesting to
see this place from the perspective of a new resident. Shall I pour
some of that champagne?”
    “Lovely.” I turned in a slow