When we eventually sat down, he excused himself to speak with his friends who were lounging at the bar. It gave me the opportunity to slip my shoes off and place my feet on his vacated chair. I always hated new shoes. As far as I was concerned they were modern torture devices.
Terens—one of the red-cloaked guards at the Ritual—laughed. He’d joined our table after Maris left. Zhao had also excused himself once the music started.
‘Laura, you’re a delight,’ Terens said. ‘I could never see Judith doing that.’
I wriggled my toes and that made him laugh even more. It struck me that he had officiated at my aunt’s Coming-of-Age ceremony as well. It was easy to forget that most of the guests were vampires who could be hundreds of years old, making Alec a veritable youngster in comparison.
Meanwhile, Alec was deep in conversation with Luc and Jake and the other two guards, Sam and Cal. They had draped their red cloaks over one end of the bar and were leaning back against the counter, each with a drink in his hand. Their swords, interestingly, were still strapped to their sides. I noticed there was one man I hadn’t been introduced to.
‘Terens, who’s that with a blonde ponytail standing next to Luc?’
‘That’s Jean, a distant relative of Luc’s. Knew Napoleon, fought in his wars.’
I was immediately struck that I was in the presence of individuals who had lived through some of history’s most momentous events. How I would have loved to have them address my Sixth Grade class. If only, I sighed.
As Terens continued speaking I noticed that Jean—who gazed at me far more than the others—bore a striking resemblance to someone I’d met a long time ago; when I was eighteen, on holiday in Italy and ready for romance. His name was Philippe. He was handsome and he had kissed me.
Over the years though, the memory faded and it became harder to recall every detail of his face to mind. But it couldn’t be him, as he’d be in his late fifties by now, probably with a large family, receding hairline and a thickening waist. I smiled inwardly at the image and turned back to Terens.
‘He’s the quiet one out of all of us. Hard to know what he’s thinking sometimes,’ he said, almost to himself.
‘How long have you known Alec?’
‘Not that long, really. Since just after the Great War.’
I tried to keep my jaw firmly locked. Obviously a vampire’s perception of time was different from my own. Perhaps a near century was only a blip on their radar.
‘We met in Paris just after his transformation.’ Terens looked thoughtful for a moment. ‘He was finding it hard.’
The way he pronounced Paris gave away his French origins. He had the barest hint of an accent, although unlike Luc he didn’t drop the occasional French expression. I enjoyed listening to him for not only was he was a wealth of information about Alec, but his voice—like the rest of his kind, I was beginning to learn—was melodic, almost hypnotic.
‘Being a vampire?’ I asked.
‘Yes. It’s not easy at first. One day he might tell you all about it.’
I looked again at Alec’s group. Every now and then they glanced in my direction, their expressions serious. Was there something wrong?
‘Terens, is there anything I should be concerned about?’
He glanced around the sea of faces. ‘Some here would love to see the Principate abolished. They hate the boundaries imposed by Luc and Alec. I don’t know whether he told you our kind are forbidden to kill humans.’
I nodded. ‘He has. You don’t need much to stay alive.’
‘Exactly. Besides, it’s more fun to enjoy a little nip here—’ his finger brushed a section of my throat— ‘and there’ —his finger moved to the other side— ‘from several different ladies.’ His touch was almost erotic and the smile he gave me would melt the heart of any female.
Were all male vampires so sensual? I removed his hand from my neck and placed it firmly on the table. ‘You mentioned boundaries?’
His expression sobered. ‘Not all of us see humans as a protected species. They’ve been blood drinkers for too long and forget they were human once. Currently, we and humans co-exist peacefully, and the penalty for murder is severe.
As long as Alec is Princeps and your Guardian, it’ll remain that way. He’s too strong for them to take him on. Imagine if they had you in their power. Not only would they kill him, but this city would become a killing field.’
I gasped at the horrifying images his words evoked.
‘Look around you Laura.’ His hand swept the air. ‘Not every eye here is friendly.’
‘I have noticed,’ I agreed and glanced in Maris’s direction.
She stood huddled in a little group who silently watched Alec. She’d flicked back her gold cloak displaying a dress any porn star would have been proud of—siren red with a plunging V neckline that barely covered her ample breasts and ended somewhere in the vicinity of her navel. A deep slit slashed open the front of the gown and ended just below her panties. I wouldn’t have been surprised if she wore no knickers.
Her lavender eyes would have been stunning in contrast to her flowing platinum locks, but for their coldness. Dead eyes.
Several in her group turned and stared in my direction. Their faces looked fierce and an atmosphere of cold hostility emanated from them. A cold shudder rippled through me.
‘Yeah, her.’ Terens lowered his voice. ‘Maris. Watch out for her—nasty piece of work. She and Alec were lovers once and everyone knows she wants him back,’ he said.
I was right, there was a history between them and no doubt that dress was for his benefit. Was there a possibility that Alec still harboured some feelings for her? ‘Is Alec… still interested?’
‘Not as far as I know.’
I suddenly felt guilty that I was relieved. What was wrong with me?
Alec returned to our table and his eyebrows shot up on seeing my naked feet, which I hurriedly removed from his chair. The band began to play Serenade in Blue and a slow smile spread across his face. There was no time to slip back into my shoes. He pulled me to my feet and into his arms, and we swayed to the haunting melody, Maris temporarily forgotten. I forgot everyone as he held me close and when he interlaced our fingers, a thrill rushed through me.
I’d never experienced such a sensation and in my mind I kept reliving his kiss. Had it been merely part of the ceremony or something more? I would ask him tomorrow… maybe.
Once or twice during course of the night he examined his bite marks and stroked my neck. I had to fight down the delicious tingle I felt at his touch.
‘Remarkable,’ he said.
‘What is?’
‘They’ve healed so quickly.’
‘I’ve always been a fast healer. Nothing new.’
‘This fast, Laura? The wound’s almost closed over so it looks like nothing more than a couple of freckles.’ He looked at me thoughtfully for a while. ‘I want to keep an eye on you, so rather than taking you home, would you mind if we stayed here tonight? Luc has more rooms in this mausoleum than even he needs and I know he’d like us to stay.’
His fingers lingered on my neck and I wondered if it really was the medico in him that prompted the suggestion. Guiltily, I hoped it wasn’t. My mind was still coming to terms with the fact that this man was a vampire, an honest-to-goodness bloodsucker who less than a few hours ago had drunk my blood. His mouth had been on my throat to feed, not to caress as a lover would. Yet, in spite of it, I couldn’t deny my growing attraction to him.
I thought about his question. ‘What about change of clothes?’
‘Don’t worry,’ he said. ‘You’ll find whatever you need. Guest rooms are all well stocked.’
‘In that case, okay.’ I didn’t really mind as I’d get a chance to explore the house in the morning.
When I was in school I’d become a member of the National Trust just so I could wander through old Georgian and Victorian mansions. I joined the queues on their Open Days and imagined myself dressed in a tight
corset and muslin dress, walking through those period-decorated rooms in the hope of meeting Mr Darcy.
A young woman approached our table. She looked no older than nineteen or twenty with straight, shoulder-length brown hair and blue eyes. Blue eyes! What a pleasant surprise, someone who wasn’t a vampire.
‘Sorry to interrupt,’ she said enthusiastically, ‘but I was so curious to meet you. My name is Lora as well, though mine is spelled L-O-R-A.’
‘Nice to meet you Lora spelt L-O-R-A. Mine’s just the old-fashioned kind,’ I returned.
‘While you two ladies are discussing variations in spelling,’ Alec said, ‘I’ll go speak to Luc, spelt L-U-C. Please excuse me.’ And he was gone.
Smart-arse, I thought. ‘Come, sit down,’ I said to Lora and patted Alec’s empty chair.
She had a dainty upturned, freckled nose. Just then, her wide-eyes followed Alec as he walked over to another table.
‘He is so hot! You are so lucky!’
I eventually got her to sit down and pull her eyes away from him.
‘So, Lora, who are you with?’ I asked to get her attention.
‘Over there.’ She pointed to a young man lounging against the bar with the same brown-coloured, shoulder length hair. He looked no older than her and I could only guess what colour his eyes would have been before his transformation.
‘Wayne. Isn’t he cute? We met at a rave party.’
‘Vampires go to those things?’ I asked, fascinated.
‘Oh yeah, all the time.’ She sounded surprised that I didn’t know. ‘I think you’re so brave going up there,’ she pointed to the pavilion, ‘and letting him, you know—bite you publicly like that. I mean, when Wayne and I go for it, it’s like, you know, just the two of us.’ She sing-songed her way through all that in one breath.
‘I didn’t have much choice and Alec helped me through it.’
She sighed deeply and looked in Alec’s direction again. I bit my lip to stop myself from laughing. Lora had the biggest crush I’d ever seen. I wondered how her boyfriend felt about it.
‘How often do you, um, let him feed from you?’ I wanted to know how other vampire-human couples behaved compared to Alec and myself. Not that he and I were actually a couple…
‘Oh, almost every day. He has to eat just like we do,’ she said in a matter-of-fact voice which pulled me from my mental wrestling.
I looked closely, but couldn’t see any fang marks on her. ‘Where does he bite you?’
She smiled coyly and placed her hand high up on her inner thigh.
My eyes must have widened to the size of dinner plates.
‘I don’t like people to see any, you know, like fang marks on me, so he takes a little drink, when… you know.’ She smiled at me with a knowing look.
I guessed that some of the couples here tonight had more than just a blood-sharing relationship as occasionally some disappeared into the house and didn’t come out again.
‘What about you and Alec?’ she asked, all wide-eyed curiosity.
‘We only met on Friday night and I have a boyfriend,’ I was quick to point out.
‘Bummer!’ She looked sorry for me. ‘Never mind, you might get lucky.’
I didn’t want to consider that.
Lora turned her head sideways to glance at her boyfriend who just waved for her to come over. ‘Oops, gotta go. It was so nice meeting you, Laura. See ya.’ She breezed away.
Alec sauntered back to his seat. There was laughter in his eyes.
‘Were you listening?’ I asked.
‘Of course. Fascinating conversation.’ His lips twitched.
If Alexander Munro thinks he’s going anywhere near that part of my anatomy, he’s got Buckleys! But I couldn’t prevent the image of his dark head bent over my thigh from surfacing and heat suffused my cheeks.
I could hear Terens chuckling in the background.
Men!
‘My Lord Princeps, may I dance with Lady Laura?’ A voice asked.
I looked up to see a young man, no more than seventeen or eighteen at the most, who bowed slightly and extended his hand toward me. I smiled at him then glanced at Alec. The look I saw on his and Terens’s face filled me with alarm. I’d already danced with several blood drinkers tonight, so what was it about this one that made them so tense?
Alec looked at me questioningly. ‘Laura?’
‘I don’t mind,’ I answered.
With a tight smile he laid my hand in that of the young man.
‘My name is Douglas, Lady,’ the young man said politely.
‘Please call me Laura.’
He curled his arm around my waist and led me into a slow dance. Douglas had beach-blonde hair and could have passed for a surfer kid. He wasn’t all that tall either, maybe two or three inches more than me.
‘Do you mind if I ask how long you’ve been a vampire?’ I attempted some small talk.
‘Since nineteen sixty-five. I went for a walk along the beach one night with this really cute girl, and, well…’ Temporarily releasing my hand, he curled two fingers and dug them into his neck.
‘Okay.’ What could I say to that? ‘Surely it needs more than one bite to change you, doesn’t it?’
‘For sure! She took a lot of bites and then I drank her blood…’ His eyes danced.
‘Why?’
‘I wanted to be with her forever!’
‘How old were you?’
‘Seventeen.’
Seventeen! I’d guessed right, but what would a kid of that age know about lifetime commitments? I wondered if he’d regretted his decision, but I wasn’t about to ask. He seemed nice, like a regular kid, but he held me too close. That’s when I noticed the hint of something “other” in his eyes. They’d turned a lighter shade of lavender—almost opalescent. Warning bells went off in my head.
‘What if you wanted to choose someone else?’ he asked.
‘What?’
‘You didn’t really get a chance to choose did you?’ His hand tightened over mine.
‘The ring glowed Douglas, and it chose Alec—as I did.’
‘You’re the Bloodgifted. You could have any one.’
I could see where he was headed. ‘Like you, perhaps?’
‘Why not?’ he answered and a sly grin spread across his face.
Huh, so beach boy wants to be head boy! ‘Forget it, Douglas! This dance is over.’
He dropped the friendly expression and his pupils slit over. ‘Not till I say so!’
My stomach plummeted and as I tried to manoeuvre out of his embrace his grip tightened, painfully squeezing my fingers. His smile broadened to reveal fangs.
‘I say it’s over. NOW!’ Alec’s voice was quiet and menacing. He had appeared from nowhere.
Douglas’s face paled as he released his grip but there was no disguising the expression of pure hate etched on his face. With a final, leering glance in my direction he slunk off into the shadows. Alec’s gaze followed him before coming back to me.
I flexed my fingers to restore circulation, hoping nobody noticed our little exchange. Couples continued to move around the dance floor as if nothing had happened.
‘Are you all right?’ he asked.
‘Yes, yes, I’m fine,’ I assured him. ‘He seemed so nice at first. Just a kid!’
Alec took hold of my sore fingers and gently massaged them. ‘Mmmm, just a kid!’ he snorted. ‘Don’t forget Laura, our kind look young, but many are decades, even centuries old.’
Douglas mentioned he was changed in nineteen sixty-five when he was only seventeen, which meant he had to be around his early sixties. Definitely, not a kid.
‘I think he wants your job.’
‘He’s not getting it!’
Alec looked dangerous; his eyes were cold and near-reptilian and instinctively I knew he could have killed Douglas, had he so chosen. I tried to swing the mood around since I’d been enjoying this part of the evening and didn’t want to be reminded that the finely attired creatures with whom I’
d been dancing and conversing, weren’t human.
‘Shall we dance – My Lord Princeps?’ I mocked.
His expression softened and he drew me close and twirled me into the crowd. I glanced over his shoulder to where Maris stood with her little group. Her eyes never left Alec, but he never even glanced in her direction. Only once did she look at me and when I attempted a smile, her cold eyes narrowed.
I’d made an enemy without knowing how.
Chapter 13
Trials of a Princeps
ALEC
Since Laura was happy to rest her feet for a moment, I left her temporarily in Terens’s care and I made my way to Jake’s table. Cal was with him, as well as Jean and Sam. As I passed on the way, small groups greeted me with congratulatory handshakes. Luc joined us while Judith escorted her brother, John, back up to the house.
‘Nice ceremony. I like the little addition,’ Cal said.
He was referring to my kissing Laura during the Ritual.
‘It was just the First Blood lust, nothing more,’ I replied.
‘You certainly didn’t seem to suffer from that condition with the previous Ingenii!’ He chuckled while downing his favourite non-blood drink, Armagnac. He acquired the taste in the sixteenth century and is now something of a connoisseur. He owns a distillery in France which sends him several crates of the stuff. Recently, he’s been mixing it with Luc’s best Scotch whisky and chilled blood and calling it a Bloody Cally.
‘Judith’s blood wasn’t as potent,’ I said.
He looked at me with interest.
‘It’s nothing!’ I reiterated.
‘I would have loved to see Luc kiss Owen like that!’ Jake said and the others guffawed.
Owen Dantonville, Laura’s grandfather and Judith’s father was a selfish, self-centred man and directly responsible for my becoming a vampire.
He intended to shoot Luc, but hit me instead and to save him from a hangman’s noose, Luc transformed me. If he hadn’t been Ingenii, I believe Luc would have killed him—and enjoyed doing it!
To my relief, as I didn’t want to dwell on why I kissed Laura, Luc brought our conversation back to the present danger.
Bloodgifted Page 15
