Nate wrapped an arm around the small of my back, leaning close to my ear. “I’m so proud of you.” His soft, warm breath gave me tingles along my skin. “This was a great idea.” His words were laced with pride and love. It made my insides glow with happiness.
He was the most generous person I had ever met and his compliment meant a lot to me, my chest swelled with pride. “Thanks baby,” I whispered, snuck another kiss and then a croissant from Lilly. She hit my hand with a wooden spoon just as I rushed away, my knuckle stung for only a few seconds.
My next stop was the Jamaican room. It was being held in the dining room and it was noisy as a bunch of kids banged on the steel drums. I smiled at three little girls who were dancing to the music wearing dreadlock wigs I had found at a costume store. “How is it going in here?” I asked my mom. She was leaning against a table filled with Jamaican souvenirs, wearing skin tight jeans and a silk, royal blue blouse. Her long platinum hair was pulled into a ponytail. I had never seen her looking so ordinary in all my life. She was cringing with every bang that reverberated through the air. Instead of complaining, like I thought she would, she gave me a half-smile. “It’s certainly…interesting.” Her eyes were narrowed at Raul, a seven-year-old boy that was banging extra loudly on the drum. When he saw the look she gave him, he backed away from the drum, giving a short reprieve from the noise. Louise, a tiny little girl, all of two, lifted the drumstick and began banging again. Luckily she could barely lift it, so it was definitely quieter than the previous boy had been. “I’m glad I thought to bring some aspirin.”
I stepped closer, reaching out to touch her shoulder. It was as close as my mother and I came to hugging. My wedding was an exception to that unspoken rule. “Thank you for doing this. It means a lot to me that you and Dad are volunteering.”
Her gray-blue eyes softened. “I’m glad you included us. It gives us a chance to see how much you’ve accomplished here.” She paused, as a girl ran by wearing a colorful Rastafarian shirt. “Running a charity wasn’t what we’d hope you’d choose for your career, but being here, I can see how much you’ve done to improve these people’s lives. You don’t get this from your father or me, but your grandmother would be proud. So are we.”
After her words, I couldn’t help myself; I hugged her quickly. “Thank you,” I whispered roughly and then rushed away. We were not used to expressing our feelings and if I stayed longer she probably would have ruined it with an insult.
An hour later I was headed to the Paris room with a tray of croissants for my dad, when Sadie emerged from the China room. She was wearing a beautiful red Cheongsam, which I had learned was the name of the dresses women wore in china. She was also holding a traditional Chinese fan. With her dark eyes, hair and round face, you could almost mistake her as Asian. “You look nice in that. It suits you.” I commented, coming to a stop in front of her.
She smiled, pushed her hands together in a praying gesture and bowed slightly, a smile playing at her lips. When she stood up, her eyes widened. “Mmm, are those chocolate?”
I nodded my head, holding the tray out to her. “And cheese. There are also some plain ones on here.”
She picked a chocolate one and took a bite. “Oh that’s fantastic. Who made it?”
I grinned. “Nate, of course.”
She was quiet as she chewed. “I’m not surprised. He was a good cook fifty years ago too.”
I shifted the tray to the other hand. “You know, some time you’re going to have to give me some details about your time back then.”
She grinned mischievously and wiggled her eyebrows. “We had some good times.”
As she spoke, the temperature seemed to plummet and a cold chill slithered its way over my skin. It was the same feeling I had the other night in the parking lot, but one hundred percent stronger. “Ah, Sadie-girl. It’s been too long.” The voice that spoke was deep and silky and it seemed to echo throughout the hall.
Sadie’s eyes went wide, her face drained of all color as she mouthed the word “Sebastian.”
I glanced around; looking for the man attached to the voice, but saw no one.
“Who’s your friend?” The voice without a body asked. Again, the words seemed to echo from all around and nowhere in particular.
I spun around, searching for the vampire, both terrified and intrigued. I finally saw him, only because he stepped out of the shadows of the corner near the end of the hall. He looked about twenty, his black raven hair was cut short and his skin was flawless. But that wasn’t what drew my attention. It was his striking, pale blue eyes that were almost colorless. They were so mesmerizing that it was difficult to look away. Before I could react to his appearance, he was standing behind Sadie leering down at her. I hadn’t even seen him move.
When I stepped forward, ready to fight for my friend, I smelled the scent of rotted flesh, the same scent from the other night only worse. Repressing the urge to cover my nose, I lifted my foot to take another step, prompting him to wrap his hands around her throat. “You know,” he began conversationally, as Sadie’s eyes pleaded with me to do something. I wanted to help, but if I moved he would kill her. “I’ve never smelled so many werewolves in one building before. I feel a joke coming on.” He leveled his gaze on me, red veins slithering over the whites of his eyes. “How many werewolves would it take to pry a vampire’s hands from this girl’s neck?” And then he started to squeeze.
I panicked, dropping the tray of croissants with a loud clatter, buttery balls of dough rolled around on the tiled floor.
Sadie whimpered in pain, terror filling her eyes.
Panic shot through the pit of my stomach. “What do you want?”
His hands released the pressure, but they remained where they were. “I want her to tell me where to find Miles and I want the werewolf who summoned me.” Again he levelled those disturbing eyes on me and the cold shiver returned. “I don’t answer to werewolves and it’s time this Nathaniel learned his lesson.”
The panic now threatened to choke me at the mention of Nate’s name. When he called Henry, he never expected Sebastian to come looking for him. Or did he? Of course that didn’t matter now, he was going to kill Sadie and Nate and I couldn’t let that happen. The problem was, I didn’t have a clue how to stop it. He was a vampire, what that entailed I didn’t know and the unknown was almost as terrifying as the fact that this man needed to drink blood to survive.
I was frozen with panic as I watched Sebastian’s fingers tighten around Sadie’s neck once again. Her eyes flashed yellow and then she elbowed him in the stomach. The move didn’t affect him at all. Instead of letting her go, he lowered his head to her neck, his teeth lengthening. She struggled and flicked her frightened eyes at me.
Finally waking me from my shock, I started to rush forward to help my friend, but was suddenly shoved to the side, slamming into the wall with a smack. Dazed, I turned to see what had happened.
Adrian pounced on the vampire, knocking Sadie out of his grip. His eyes were wild and yellow, his arms shaking as he held back the wolf. Sadie rushed over and clung to me as we watched the scene before us.
Adrian was holding Sebastian against the wall, his arm digging into the vamp’s throat. Sebastian was staring into his attacker’s eyes, but instead of showing fear by the fact that a werewolf was holding him, he appeared to be bored.
“Leave. Her. Alone,” Adrian growled, his teeth lengthening, hairs on his arms starting to appear. Veins pulsed on the side of his neck with the strain to keep the wolf at bay, but I could tell it was a struggle. His mate was in danger and it was instinct to protect her.
Sebastian only grinned, not fazed at all by Adrian. “Let me guess, you’re Sadie’s mate?”
Adrian stared coldly into the vampire’s eyes instead of answering.
In the blink of an eye Sebastian was gone, no longer pressed against the wall, but behind Adrian and he had his hand wrapped around Adrian’s throat. “I think you need a lesson, wolf boy. I am a vampire!” His smoo
th features hardened. “I am faster, stronger and I will kill you in a heartbeat.” His low menacing voice was just as terrifying as the red eyes.
“Stop!”
At the sound of the booming voice, everyone turned around to see Nate. He was standing at the other end of the hall, wearing jeans and a V neck black shirt, his face was tense.
“I am Nate.” He nodded in the vampire’s direction. “You must be Sebastian.”
Sebastian let go of Adrian, whose eyes had turned back to their natural color. He rushed toward us and stood in front of his mate, guarding her. His left foot stepped on a chocolate croissant, the brown creamy liquid oozed out onto the floor.
Sebastian grinned. “Nate, it’s nice to meet you.” He took a step forward, glancing at the rest of us. “But I don’t like to be summoned,” he repeated his earlier words.
Nate’s eyes flicked to me, his expression changing to worry. When he saw that I was fine, he focussed back on the vampire. “I didn’t summon you. I just asked my friend if he knew you. All I wanted was to talk.”
Sadie glared at Nate. “You brought him here?” Her voice was shrill, edged with panic.
Nate had the decency to look guilty. “Yes, I’m sorry. But I just have a question for him.”
Sebastian folded his arms in front of him. “I have no interest in answering any questions.” He gazed at Sadie hungrily. “But I will take what I came for.”
“Um...is everything okay here?” A soft female voice stammered from the end of the hall.
All eyes swung around and focused on Lori. She was a sixteen year old that had just moved into the new wing. She was wearing a red scarf around her neck and a beret on her head, very Paris.
“Mmm, lunch,” Sebastian murmured as he rushed forward, about to grab the girl. Nate stepped in front of her. “Please, do not feed on my guests, it’s very rude.”
Sebastian scowled at Nate, obviously not accustomed to being told what to do.
“We can’t do this here. I won’t risk these people’s lives. Meet us at Baycroft Park at sundown and we can settle everything then.”
Sebastian narrowed his eyes at Nate and then in a flash he was standing behind me. “I agree to your terms. But I’m taking your mate for insurance that you will show up and bring me Sadie.”
Nate’s eyes flashed yellow, as he stepped forward.
Sebastian’s vise-grip like hand wrapped around my neck, cutting off my airway. Instead of panicking like I wanted to, I breathed through my nose, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of showing fear. Vampire or not, he was a bully and that’s what all bullies craved.
He smirked at me and then at Nate, whose eyes were wide with horror. “Don’t worry, I won’t hurt her. You will see her soon.” And with that he lifted me over his shoulder and rushed me away so quickly I barely saw the floor move under me. Before I could even contemplate what had happened, we were outside and standing under the shade of a tree.
He let me go and held out his hand. “We haven’t formally met. My name is Sebastian. And you are?”
I stared at him, dazed by his words. He just threatened my friends, almost attacked a resident and then ripped me from the shelter on a day that I had been planning for months. Then he politely introduced himself? All I could do was extend my hand. I was at a loss for words. “Megan,” I whispered.
He shook my hand softly and gestured towards a black sports car with dark tinted windows that was parked at the edge of the curb. The shade stretched to his vehicle.
As I stepped toward it, he opened the passenger door for me. I got in, still feeling confused by his polite behavior.
Once he was settled in the driver’s seat and had started the car, he turned to me. “Is there a nice restaurant around here, I’m starving.” His face lit with amusement.
I simply gaped open-mouthed at him as he pulled away from the curb.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Sebastian
An alternative rock band was playing through the speakers and as far as I could tell it was a CD, not the radio. I gave Sebastian directions to the Orchid and then waited for the sadistic side of him that I saw at the shelter to return. When it didn’t, the stab of fear that had pierced through me earlier became a low hum. As silence stretched between us I turned to gaze at him. He was staring straight ahead as if concentrating on the road, his smooth, sharp features showing no emotion. I had never tried to imagine what a vampire would look like, I had no reason to.
Now that I was trapped in a small car with one and had the opportunity to study him, I had to admit he wasn’t what I pictured. Not that I had ever imagined they were real. But in the horror films Mandy, my former best friend, used to make me watch they were very different. In those movies the villainous vampires had black eyes, white skin and long black hair. And yes, the black cape that flowed like smooth, liquid-ink behind the immortal monster just as he sucked the blood from the beautiful victim’s neck.
However, as I studied him, I didn’t see any of that. Sebastian’s hair was black sure, but it was short and trim, as if he had just had it cut. His eyes were pale blue and his skin was a lighter shade than most people with dark hair that I knew, but it was actually darker than my own. I had always been cursed with fair skin, having freckles and strawberry blond hair. And as for the cape, he was wearing dark blue jeans and a burgundy button down shirt, hardly the scary apparel I expected from a bloodsucking supernatural creature. He was wearing a spicy cologne that helped hide the underlying scent of rotting corpse. Although, I’m sure to a human, they would simply smell the cologne. Only someone with heightened senses would know him for what he truly was, just as he had smelled us werewolves at the shelter. Now that I was near him, I knew without asking that it was him in the woods the night of the full moon and also him in the parking lot two nights ago. Why did he wait to contact us? I was about to ask that question when he spoke.
“Is there something you wanted to say?” he asked suddenly.
“Um…no.”
He smiled, turning those mesmerizing eyes on me. “Good, because we’re here.”
I looked out the window and could see only faintly through the dark tinted windows. He had pulled up in front of the restaurant, under the main entrance’s awning. Before I could comment on how fast the drive was, he was out of the car and pulling my door open for me, like a perfect gentleman. I climbed out and gaped open-mouthed at my captor. He was smiling at me, as if he hadn’t just attacked me and my friends.
He tossed the keys to the valet and led me through the door of the restaurant.
A tall woman with sleek brown hair wearing a black skirt and white blouse greeted us with a wide smile. “Welcome to The Orchid, please follow me.” We did as she instructed and she led us to a brightly lit table for two in front of the large bay window. The view was spectacular. The lake spread out before us as the midday sun shone over the dark blue water, creating a shimmering glow over the waves.
Sebastian stopped, his hand grabbing my elbow. His skin wasn’t cold as I had expected, although it wasn’t warm either. “Actually, that is a little too bright for me.” He called out to the hostess who hadn’t realized we were no longer behind her. She turned around and looked up at us, surprised. “Is there any available tables over there?” he asked, gesturing to the wall farthest from the window. Despite it being daytime, without the sun, those tables were seeped in shadow, lit only with candles and wall sconces.
The hostess’s brow rose in confusion before plastering the smile back on her face. “Of course. You can have any table you want.” Well, almost any table. Since it was between lunch and dinner, the restaurant wasn’t busy, but there were a few people occupying other tables, mostly by the bar at the back.
Once we were seated she handed us each a menu and said that our waitress Patty would be by any minute.
When we were alone, the nerves returned. I was sitting in a restaurant with a vampire and despite his recent polite behavior; his actions at the shelter were still fresh in my m
emory. An image of his fangs and blood red eyes flashed in my mind and I shivered with fear.
“You have nothing to fear from me,” he assured me, as if reading my mind. Could he? Did vampires have that capability? Although, his voice was smooth and almost comforting, I wasn’t falling for this new act; he had threatened to kill Nate and Sadie.
I opened the laminated pages of my menu and flipped through them. I saw the words, but they meant nothing to me. I couldn’t focus on anything but my unlikely companion. My fingers trembled against my will. I hadn’t wanted to show fear, because as a vampire, he most likely expected that.
“Alright,” he began. His soft voice broke through the buzz in my ears that accompanied the anxiety that was beginning to take over. I was alone with a vampire, who wouldn’t be afraid? “How can I prove to you that I won’t hurt you?”
I stared at him, completely floored by his complete change in attitude. “Don’t kill my husband or friend.”
His lips twitched as he stared at me, his face a blank mask. “Done,” he said, leaning back in his chair, smirking at me. My eyes widened in surprise and my spirits soared. Had he really just said he would no longer threaten Sadie or Nate? “I won’t kill any of your friends while we have lunch.”
My heart dropped at his words, dread plunged into my stomach like a brick falling to the bottom of an abyss.
A grin spread across his face. “I’m kidding.” His pale blue eyes brightened with mirth. “I won’t harm your husband. I just need to convey to him that I don’t like people asking about me.”
I stared at him blankly, having no idea if anything he said was real. I wanted to trust his words, but how could I? “I think you got your point across.” I twisted my fingers nervously in my lap. “What about Sadie?”
A brow rose. “I have no desire to kill her.” He shrugged. “How would she tell me where Miles is if she was dead?”
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