“We don’t just play reggae,” he said with a wink.
I was sure he’d told the DJ what to play before he asked me to dance, but I didn’t care. I let the slow mellow rhythm flow over me, and rested my head against his chest. While Marco held me close I closed my eyes, and it wasn’t too difficult to imagine for a few minutes that he was mine.
Too soon, the moment was over. I was staring up into his smiling chocolate-colored eyes when Luther tapped him on the shoulder. I had known Luther since I was eleven, though we’d lost contact for about nine years, almost ten. During that time, he was turned into a werewolf, and I became a Hunter. Life is strange.
“We may have a problem,” he said quietly, brushing his long white blond hair back from his face.
“Why, what’s going on?”
“Back in one of the VIP rooms, someone said …” He hesitated.
“Said what, Luther, is there a problem or not?” Marco asked.
Luther leaned in closer and glanced around to be sure no one was paying attention.
“Someone said there was a vampire back there.”
Marco and I exchanged a look. He took off toward the VIP rooms, and I followed him. Luther trailed behind saying, “It sounded like bullshit to me, but you never know. I mean, are vampires really, you know real?”
“You’re a werewolf, Luther. Are you really that surprised?” I asked as we quickened our pace.
“You mean they’re real?!”
“Shh,” Marco said over his shoulder. “You’ll attract attention.”
I understood what he meant, but it seemed stupid to tell Luther not to attract attention. He was six-foot-two with long blond hair, ice blue eyes, and an amazing collection of muscles. I think telling Luther to not draw attention to himself may have been a moot point.
We made our way to the top floor and walked down the dark hallway toward the very back room. There, Jeremiah seemed to be guarding the door. To my surprise, laughter could be heard inside.
“Is he in there?” Marco asked.
Jeremiah stopped him from entering and looked a little embarrassed. “It’s some of my crew in dere.”
“Are they high?”
Jeremiah nodded and Marco rolled his eyes. “I’ve been keepin’ it away from de guests,” he said lamely.
Marco made a move for the door again and Jeremiah still stood in the way. “De reason dat I mention it is, dey be so high mon, dey don know what dey lookin’ at.”
Marco seemed to soften, but only slightly. “Don’t worry about the weed, just get it out of here. As for your men, they knew better than to do drugs here on opening night.” There was a threat in these last words and I knew without being told it did not mean good things for Jeremiah and his crew.
Jeremiah nodded his head gravely and asked, “If it tis a vampire, ya wan me to kill it?”
I answered, “If it’s the vampire I’m thinking of, you wouldn’t be able to.”
I walked past them both and opened the door. I wasn’t ready for what I found.
The air was thick with smoke. There were six large werewolves sitting around a small table. The table was covered with various paraphernalia, including a bong. If I stood there long, I’d be high too. However, this was all taken in at a glance. What had really caught my attention was the other man in the room, and once I looked at him he was the only man in the room. There on the floor, lounging against a large black sofa was not only the man I had been hired to find, but the man whose visage graced the high ceilings back at headquarters, and the face that had haunted my dreams since I was sixteen years old.
Chapter Eight
“Red, don’t touch him.”
But Marco’s warning was too late.
“It’s you,” I whispered as I knelt beside my tall, dark stranger. I couldn’t believe I hadn’t recognized him from the painting before seeing him face to face. The resemblance was so obvious. However, in my dreams, his face had never been clear. I always believed that I would know him when I saw him, and I did. Maybe I had to see him in person in order to recognize him. If his face had been clear in my dreams, I would never have mistaken him. No one could forget those eyes.
“Who are you?” I asked as I wiped a trickle of blood from the corner of his perfect mouth.
“You may call me whatever you wish,” he answered lazily, and his voice was like honey. “In truth, I have been known by many names. Call me whatever you like, it will not change who I am.”
My voice came out soft, almost a whisper as I said, “You look like a fallen angel to me.” I meant it, he did. A marvelous perfection of masculinity, carved by the hand of God, sent to torment me.
He smiled slightly, almost sadly. “Then we may have something in common, for you look like The Angel of Death to me. Long have I awaited your visit.”
“I haven’t come to kill you,” I said softly.
“I know. They sent you for me?”
“Yes.”
“What’s been going on here?” Marco asked the men.
“We been havin’ a party,” one said, laughing.
“What’s he doing here?” He pointed to the man beside me on the floor.
“Well, we take a hit or two, drink a little rum, and let ‘im ave a taste,” the werewolf answered with a shrug.
“You let yourselves be bitten?” Marco was definitely upset.
“Eets betta dan sex, mon.”
I heard Marco giving orders for Jeremiah to clear his men out of the room before he hurt them. “Lock them in separate rooms. Bring them to my office when the drugs have worn off,” he growled.
I looked back to the dark stranger, and stared intently into his emerald green eyes.
“Are you high?” I asked.
“At long last, yes, I am high,” he replied slowly.
He smiled again ever so slightly and it thrilled me to my toes. It wasn’t that his smile was so lovely. What excited me were the emotions I could sense behind that subtle curl of lips.
“Didn’t you say you had a number to contact that vampire woman?” Marco asked me.
I nodded, unable to speak just yet.
“Well, shouldn’t you call her?”
The dark man looked to me pleadingly and I replied, “I can’t let them take him like this.”
“Why the hell not?” Marco demanded.
“Look at him.” I gestured toward the vampire. “He’s the original vampire. He’s obviously important to them in some way. Would you want to see someone that you respected like this?”
The man laughed at the word “respected,” and Marco looked even angrier.
“He can’t stay here,” he growled.
“Then, I’ll take him with me.” I spoke the words without thinking. There simply was no other option in my mind. He belonged with me.
“You’ll what? You’re going to take him with you? You don’t know what he’s capable of! What will you do with him, he could be dangerous? As a matter of fact, I’m sure he’s dangerous, that’s probably another reason they wanted him found.”
“Then I’ll put him in my dungeon, but I’m not throwing him to the wolves like this. No offense,” I added quickly.
“You have a dungeon?” For a moment Marco smiled, then he seemed to remember we were supposed to be arguing.
“Let me send Luther with you,” he said softly, the anger fading away. “I don’t want you alone with him.”
“All right.”
Luther, who had been standing at the door the whole time, entered the room and asked, “What’s his name anyway?”
“Who knows?” I shrugged, turning back to the man on the floor. “On your feet, Dracula.”
He smiled vaguely and said, “For that, I may need some help.”
Without thinking I reached out my hand and he seemed surprised. “You trust me so easily?”
“I don’t trust you; I’m offering to help you.”
“All the same, exposing your wrist to me is not something many would do.” As he spoke he traced his fin
gers lightly over the exposed skin and I shivered.
“Don’t touch her,” Marco growled, taking a step forward.
“I meant no harm,” the vampire answered as he took my hand.
I pulled him to his feet and he swayed, leaning in enough that I could smell the rum on his breath mingled with blood, and the faint trace of expensive cologne. It wasn’t entirely unpleasant. Once I managed to steady him I asked Marco, “Is there another way out of the club?”
“I can have someone bring the car around back,” Marco said. “That is if you and Luther think you can hold him steady enough to walk out? It would not be good for business to have someone carried out on opening night.”
“He doesn’t need to be seen,” I said. “If I found him this easily—”
“Does it really matter?” Marco asked.
“It might. How do we know he’s not in danger from the Vampire Council instead of the other way around?”
“If you could help me with my cloak,” Dracula whispered softly against my hair as he leaned on me for support. “I believe it will conceal me well enough.”
Luther held him steady while I placed the long black cloak around his shoulders and pulled the hood over his dark hair. He looked like he’d stepped off the pages of an erotic novel. He wore one of those wonderful white shirts with ruffles around the wrists. These long ruffles reached the tops of his knuckles. The front of the shirt had laces between the ruffles, but they were not tied, leaving the shirt open to reveal a portion of his beautiful body. The hood cast a shadow over half of his face, leaving only his full pink lips visible. But I knew somewhere in the darkness were those piercing emerald eyes, and it made me shiver.
Luther snapped his fingers in front of my eyes and I blinked.
“You okay?” he asked.
I realized then he was waiting on me to take the vampire downstairs. Marco had gone and apparently the car was waiting on us. How long had I been standing there? I wasn’t sure I wanted to know. I let Dracula put his arm around me. Without really considering what I was doing, I reached my hand inside his cloak and around his waist for support. His hand touched my bare shoulder and I wanted more. My mind was filled with visions that were not my own. His face hovered above me as his long dark hair cascaded over my eyes. His eyes burned like emerald fire. His shirt was open, I reached for him. I licked my way up his chest, over his throat. It wasn’t enough, it would never be enough. I craved more of him, all of him, and the scent of that wonderful cologne.
I cried out suddenly and clung to his waist to prevent falling on the floor. I hadn’t had an orgasm, but I was close.
Luther who had already turned his back on us was instantly beside me. “Are you all right? Did he hurt you?”
“No,” I said quickly at the look he gave Dracula. “I’m not in any pain.”
“I told ya mon eets betta dan sex,” yelled a voice from the next room.
“Even better than chocolate,” I mumbled.
Only Dracula heard me and I looked up to find him smiling. “I am sorry. There are certain things I cannot control when I am—”
“Smashed?”
“Yes. If you wish, I can avoid touching your skin.”
I thought of my sleeveless dress with its open back and replied, “If we did that, I’d have to wear the cloak.”
“But, what if it happens again?” he asked, and his voice tickled along the back of my neck.
Luther had turned around once more and was already in the hall as I placed my arm around the vampire’s waist again. “At least wait until we’re down the stairs, I don’t want to break my neck.”
He laughed and the sound flowed through my veins like fire. He was as tall as Luther and Marco so once I was tucked underneath his arm, the cloak covered part of me as well.
Marco was waiting at the end of the hall. “You are definitely not inconspicuous,” he said. “How did you get in here?”
“I clouded your mind. I was not seen because I wished it so,” Dracula replied.
“You clouded the minds of hundreds of people?” Marco sounded doubtful. “He’s either nuts, or he’s even more dangerous than I thought.” He paused. “Red, are you sure you want to take this man home with you?”
“I’ll be careful, Marco, I promise.”
He touched my face gently and I couldn’t help smiling. If I had to take someone home with me that night, it probably should have been him.
“All right,” he said softly. “The car is waiting out back. Jeremiah will drive you. Unfortunately, I’ve got to get back to the party. People expect to see me tonight.” He looked to Dracula then and though his voice was calm when he spoke, his threat was clear. “I don’t care who you are, or what your story is. I care about this woman and if you hurt her, I will find a way to kill you.”
“I could never harm the vision that has haunted me for so long.”
“All the same, keep your hands to yourself.”
He nodded, but underneath the hood I saw the corner of his mouth twitch.
Marco walked back down the stairs and I watched as he turned back to check on me. He was trying to keep an eye on things without other people realizing what was going on. As we reached the foot of the stairs, Kat bumped into Luther. She had obviously had too much to drink. I tried not to laugh as she boldly stroked the front of Luther’s shirt.
“And just where are you going?” she asked.
“Lilith and I were just leaving,” he said.
She still didn’t seem to have spotted me. “You’re leaving with Lilith? I thought you two were friends. Didn’t you grow up together or something?”
“Oh, yeah.” He smiled nervously. “I didn’t mean for it to sound like—” Luther paused as a dark flush began to creep over his face. “I’m just helping her with him,” he said and pointed to the vampire.
Kat’s jaw dropped. “Oh, my.” She looked at me and asked, “Where did you find this?”
She looked like she was going to say something else, and before I could stop her Kat leaned forward and touched Dracula’s bare chest where his shirt remained open. Almost instantly, she cried out and her knees buckled. Before Luther could catch her, Kat hit the floor.
“Oh, my God,” she moaned. “Oh, my God.”
People were starting to stare. I didn’t have time to explain.
“Kat, I’m sorry, I’ll explain later.”
Luther helped her to her feet and she practically lunged at Dracula. I stepped back quickly, barely managing to pull him out of her reach.
“Wait,” she said desperately. “Just let me touch him again.”
“I can’t,” I said, still trying to keep my voice down. “We’ve got to go; I promise I’ll explain later.”
Elijah walked up and Luther got him to take over holding Kathryn back so he could follow us outside.
“Take me with you!” she yelled after us. “Do you have any idea how long it’s been since I came that hard?! Lilith?!”
It hurt my feelings to leave Kat that way, but there was no time to explain. I felt like the sooner I got Dracula out of sight, the better. We finally reached the back entrance of The Dread Moon and Luther opened the door. The rain had gotten harder. Luther ran out first and opened the back door of the limo. I followed with my arm still wrapped tightly around the vampire. As we stepped out, he hugged me tighter underneath his cloak where the cold rain could not touch my skin. Suddenly we were blinded by dozens of flashing lights. Damn the press, they had been waiting for me.
Luther held the door while I slid across the seat. The vampire held his cloak over the open door for me to get in as if it were an umbrella. He slid in beside me like a dark cloud drifting on the wind, and I wondered for a moment how the man who could barely stand a few minutes ago could possibly be so graceful. The moment the door closed he nearly collapsed.
“It would seem you are very popular,” he said softly.
Luther got in the front seat and the car began to move. The vampire’s head tilted back at what looked l
ike a painful angle. I reached over and pulled Dracula down so that his head rested on my lap. His long eyelashes fluttered softly as he blinked up at me.
“Why are you kind to me?” he asked.
“I don’t know. Shouldn’t I be?”
He looked sadly up at me as I brushed a stray hair back from his handsome face. His hair was not as long as it was in the painting back at headquarters. It was just past shoulder length, and had natural waves though it was almost straight.
“Never mind,” I whispered. “I don’t know why, but I will protect you until you can protect yourself again.”
“I want to die,” he said, while I continued to stroke his hair.
“Is there nothing you can find worth living for?” I asked.
He didn’t answer; he simply stared into my eyes with a sadness I could almost touch. Before I had time to think I said, “The world should not be deprived of such as you. Why are you on the ceiling back at headquarters?”
“Because I am the first,” he said faintly. “They made me.”
Then he passed out.
I considered his words as we drove, but couldn’t seem to wrap my mind around the concept. I also couldn’t take my eyes off of the man whose head rested on my lap. He was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen besides the picture of Mathias. His eyelashes fluttered and I wondered if he was dreaming. I wondered if my lashes fluttered the same way when I dreamed of him. It’s a good thing he wasn’t trying to talk to me then, because as I looked down at him, words failed me.
When we arrived at the house, Luther began to pull him roughly from the back seat and I stopped him.
“He’s not a sack of potatoes. Damn, be a little gentler.”
“I’ve always heard terrible things about vampires,” he replied with a shrug.
“So, you abuse the first one you’ve ever met, just because?”
“Sorry.”
He flung the still limp body of Dracula over his shoulder and carried him into the house. Luther deposited him on the sofa downstairs and went back out to have a word with Jeremiah.
Dracula’s eyes fluttered and I asked, “Is there anything else you would prefer to be called? I feel silly calling you Dracula.” I paused. “Are you Dracula?”
Lilith Mercury, Werewolf Hunter Series (Boxed Set, Books 1-3) Page 57
