Aurélie glides across the room to a tall cabinet in black Japanese lacquer painted with orchids. She pulls the doors open, sets out two wine goblets, and pours blood from a fat bottle into each glass. After replacing the bottle in the cabinet, she fills two more glasses with ordinary wine. I lean back until my butt hits the sofa, almost mesmerized by her perfect, graceful motions putting the wine away and closing the cabinet.
Ashley stands up on her knees behind me, rests her chin on my shoulder, and kisses my neck.
A shudder runs down my body. “Ash, what are you doing?”
Michelle looks at me like she’s contemplating ripping my clothes off, but after a few seconds, she snaps out of it. “Whoa… Something real funky’s going on.”
I grab Ashley’s hand when she goes for my zipper. “Ash. Knock it off. This isn’t you.”
Aurélie carries a silver tray over with the four goblets. At her approach, Ashley relaxes and sinks back to sit on her heels. She looks a touch bewildered, and no longer so revved up. I pluck one of the blood goblets from the tray, while Michelle grabs the two wines, handing one to Ashley.
“You know they’re not twenty-one yet, right?” I ask, sniffing the blood, which has a floral fragrance like one of those imported mints at a sushi restaurant.
Aurélie, standing beside me, tosses her head back and laughs at the laws of mortals. She continues tittering for a few minutes. “Oh, this country… they have such prudish ways. When I was a girl, no one thought anything of a glass of wine with dinner or a bit of brandy on a cold day.”
“Where are you from?” I ask, taking a sip of the blood, which hits my tongue like candy. “Oh, wow, this is so sweet. Please tell me this didn’t come from a kid.”
“Oh, no… Jasmine is very much an adult.” Aurélie raises her glass in toast. “How much has Dalton told you? I am sure there is much he has neglected to mention or perhaps does not know.”
“He explained a little bit about how to feed, and something about different types of vampires. I’m like an Innocent or something, and I think he’s a Lost One.”
“Oui. He is most certainly lost.” Aurélie snickers.
Ashley slurps her wine, getting a look from Michelle.
I look the woman over. “You’re an Old Guard, aren’t you?”
She rolls her eyes and waves her left hand about. “Oh, I do so hate that term. I prefer Traditionalist. But, what your Dalton meant by it is true enough. I bid my farewell to the sun in 1688.”
“Holy shit.” I stare at her. “Are you serious?”
She flinches at my language. “I am.” Again, she caresses my cheek. “And I am envious of you.”
“Of me? Seriously? You’re so perfect…”
“Looks are deceptive.” Aurélie sighs. “I do not even remember the taste of fine cuisine, nor recall how magnificent the countryside looks during the day.”
“You can’t eat food?” I ask.
“You can?” Ashley pokes me. “Really?”
Aurélie gazes downward. Her ridiculous beauty makes her sorrow into a tragedy of Shakespearean proportion. “I cannot. If I dare take so much as a single bite, I shall do something quite unladylike in short order. It does not taste pleasant for even a few seconds.”
“Oh, wow… I’m sorry.” I cringe.
She takes my hand again and presses it against her cheek. “You are Innocent. There are many powers you cannot reach, yet I would trade in a heartbeat.” A sad chuckle escapes her. “Or lack of one.”
“Dalton didn’t really tell me a whole lot.”
“I should expect no less if he abandoned you like that. He did not tell you of the others?”
“No. And he only abandoned me because I wanted to stay with my family.”
Aurélie looks at me the way one might stare at a starving kitten in an alley. “Oh, you lovely girl. Yes. Stay with them for as long as you are able. No wealth soothes the soul like the wealth of kin. You will have plenty of years to be lonely once they are gone.”
Yeah, that’s not depressing at all.
“Sorry,” I mutter.
“Well.” Aurélie draws herself up once more into a cheery, confident stance. “I shall be your patron among our kind and teach you what Dalton refused or could not.”
“You said she can’t reach power. Is Sarah a weaksauce vampire?” asks Ashley.
I smirk at her.
Aurélie smiles. “The Innocents are the closest our kind comes to remaining human. While you have advantages I would kill for, you are weaker in most regards. For example, the way I can charm everyone who gazes upon me at once, if you also possess a gift of charm, it would likely only affect one individual at a time. The Beasts will always be much stronger than you physically, and you will never equal the Academics in magic… but then again, no one does.”
“Magic?” I ask, eyebrow up. “Seriously?”
“Not long ago, you believed vampires a myth, correct?”
“She’s got a point,” says Michelle.
“Okay.” I raise both hands. “So what can I do? What’s the big whoop of being an Innocent?”
Aurélie gazes sorrowfully into the distance. “You can enjoy the taste of food and drink, for one.”
“Laissez-la manger du gâteau!” says Michelle, snickering.
Aurélie shoots her a darkish look.
“She can eat food? That’s wimpier than water-breathing,” says Ashley. “Doesn’t she get any good powers?”
“It sounds insignificant.” Aurélie caresses my hair. “But after centuries of wanting, you would miss it. And it lets you blend in among people. You also have color in your cheeks.” She traces her fingertips over my face, setting off another squirmy tingle down my spine. “Your heart beats, you breathe, you blush.”
I blush harder.
“She already knew that.” Michelle sets her empty wine glass on the tray.
“You can wake after only a few hours’ sleep, and will eventually be able to go outside before the sun goes down.”
“What, no way… I’ll blow up.” I shiver. “Dalton said I could wake up but the sun will kill me.”
Aurélie flashes a patronizing grin. “Who are you going to trust? A rogue who abandons you in mere hours, or someone who has been a vampire since the days of Louis XIV?”
“She’s got a point,” says Michelle, gesturing at her.
I tilt my head. “So… you’re saying the sun won’t kill me?”
“Oh, it will.” She nods. “It depends on how bright and strong. For example, the desert of Nevada… you would expire in moments. Around here, in the rainy gloom, it will feel warm to you… if you have the energy to resist it. As your powers grow, you will be able to go outside during the day provided it is not blazing sun. Perhaps even now you could withstand a day, dark and dreary.”
“Wow,” I mutter.
“But you should remain cautious.” Aurélie continues playing with my hair. “There is a price and a risk.”
I stare at her expectantly.
“During the day, if you are exposed to the sun, it will steal your vampiric abilities. You will be no stronger or faster than a human―and if you should be injured, the wound will heal slowly. Worst of all, it may leave a permanent scar.” She brushes her hand over my face. “Please, promise me you will never let that happen, mon cheri. You are far too adorable.”
Scott never made me blush this hard. If one of my vampiric superpowers let me shrink to the size of a mouse and crawl into a hole, I’d use it now.
“If you are killed during the day, you will be lost,” says Aurélie. “Even if the injury would normally be something a vampire can laugh off, like a bullet in the heart.”
“Oh, wow. You can still hang out with us.” Ashley grabs me from behind in a tight hug.
Hmm. So if I go out during the day, I’m a normal person. Might be worth it for spending time with my family or friends, but after getting a taste of super-me at night, I think I’m going to stick to being a night owl as much as I can.
I nod. “So, basically, what you’re saying is that I get to pretend to be human still, but I’ll never like be able to turn into a wolf or cast spells or throw cars around?”
She giggles. “Something of that sort, yes. Most of our kind regard Innocents as fairly insignificant, like a pack of children off at their own dining table during your country’s Thanksgiving meal. However, I think many of them underestimate what you might be capable of.”
Ashley wraps her arms around me from behind, pinching my cheeks. “Isn’t she’s soooo cute!”
I swat at her hands. She falls over onto the sofa, laughing her head off.
“Aurélie?” I ask. “Question.”
“Of course.” She smiles.
“I have a Scrap problem.” I explain Scott, my murder, Sierra’s abduction, and the fight I had that flattened the cabin. “I ripped his head off and he ran away.”
“Shoulda done more than yelled at him then,” says Michelle.
I hold my hands out like I’ve got a bowling ball. “No, Chelle, I’m being literal here. I ripped his head off his neck and threw it into the forest.”
She gawks, then grimaces. “Eww. Seriously?”
“Yeah. But he looked pretty gross already. And I didn’t kill him.”
“Wait,” says Ashley. “If you can go out in the day, just find him when he’s stuck sleeping.”
I fidget. “Nah. We can wake up if something threatens us, and I’d be as weak as a normal person. I don’t wanna die.”
Aurélie smiles at me. “Since you lack the more esoteric resources of the Academics, fire or sunlight are your best choices. Anything else and he will eventually recover. Fret not. Dealing with a Scrap should not be a great ordeal for you. They are quite weak.”
“Right.” I lean my head back, staring at the ceiling.
“So you just need to tie him to a tree or something,” says Michelle. “Or shoot him with a flare gun.”
I roll my head around to stare at her, eyebrows flat. “Do you have a flare gun?”
She shrugs. “No.”
“Oh, I would not worry too much about him.” Aurélie carries the tray of empty glasses over to the table by the cabinet. “Scraps do not last long. One of us will eventually deal with him.”
“How many other vampires are there around here?” I ask.
“Oh, a handful.” Aurélie turns to face us again, eyes sparkling. “I offer to be your patron.”
“Someone’s going high society,” murmurs Michelle in a teasing tone.
“Umm. What?” I ask.
Aurélie glides back over to me. “That means I would introduce you to the others, formally. In essence, I would be your sponsor. It also means I would take on the responsibility of educating you on how to function among our kind.”
“What if I just want to be me? Like, keep going on with my life as if none of this ever happened.”
Aurélie brushes her hand over my cheek. “Aww, you poor thing. I’ve always believed the term Innocent is merely a name, but you…”
The way she’s looking at me is both embarrassing and enraging, like I’m some four-year-old she found abandoned on the side of the road.
Ashley’s head pops around my right side. “She is adorable, isn’t she?”
Smirking, I palm the side of her face and shove her into the sofa. She lands on her back, cackling.
“You should at least be introduced to the others to avoid any future unpleasantries, but you will not be forced to relocate. It is most precious that you wish to remain residing with your family.” Aurélie grins. “Though the arrangement is not completely unheard of. A number of our kind employ mortals to attend their needs during the day, though none are directly related to them. Most of our kind sever all ties with their mortal families after the Transference. Nonetheless, I will make it known that they are your kin, and you are my protégé.”
I lean back. “Are you threatening them?”
She gasps at me. “Cieux non! I mean, heavens no… It means they will be regarded as a step up from other mortals. No one would feed from them, and they would be permitted to remain aware of our existence, provided they exercise due discretion.”
“Okay.” I relax. “That’s fine. Sure, why not. I’ll meet your friends…. But does it have to be tonight?”
“No, child.” She runs her hand over my head. What is it with this woman and my hair? “They have meetings and parties every so often. I will bring you to the next one and present you.”
“Won’t that piss Dalton off?” asks Michelle. “Isn’t he her patron?”
“Non. Perhaps he would have been, but he left her to the parents. The Lost Ones have little patience for the company of others. They exist at the edges of our society.” Aurélie reaches out and pets Ashley like a cat.
My friend has draped herself over the sofa back, gazing up at Aurélie with the adoring expression of a tween standing ten feet away from the One Direction guys.
Ugh.
I peer into Ash’s eyes, ready to snap at Aurélie, but I’m not feeling any mind control. The woman’s radiant supernatural beauty is so strong it doesn’t need any help. Ash really does want to touch her.
“What about the MIBs?” I glance back to Aurélie. “Err, PIBs I guess. One was a woman. They showed up at my house and already know about me.”
“Oh, yes, them. They are aware of us, and we, they. Even King Louis knew of the existence of our kind. We make entreaties to those in positions of power over the mortal world—all part of keeping the machinery going. They think they have more influence than they do, but it extends only so far as we cooperate with them.”
“I couldn’t see into the head of the woman. Is she a vampire?” I ask.
“Doubtful. You speak of one who calls herself Agent Han?”
“Yeah.”
“She has a trinket, an amulet I believe, taken from an Academic. It protects her mind from our influence.”
“Whoa.” Michelle blinks. “Like magic items? When did we start playing D&D?”
“What is this D&D?” asks Aurélie.
“A game,” says Ashley in a breathy voice.
“I don’t think those are the letters Ash is thinking of right now,” mumbles Michelle.
Ugh. Really? I refuse to picture my best friend getting kinky. No. Get out of my brain.
“These government ones will likely not bother or ask much of you, since you are an Innocent.” Aurélie smiles. “Unless you develop a habit of tearing up malls.”
“Sarah’s not a mall rat,” says Ashley. “She shops like a guy. In the door, straight to one store, and right back out.”
“Yeah, if I go there alone,” I say. “And when do I do that?”
Ashley stares at Aurélie, biting her finger. “I mean you always want to run in and out, and you grumble the whole time.”
“I am overjoyed that you have agreed to be my protégé,” says Aurélie, with a slight nod in my direction. “You are welcome to stay for as long as you like.”
“Cool it, Ash,” whispers Michelle. “She might not be into girls.”
Aurélie laughs. “As long as I have existed, there are few pleasures of which I have not partaken.”
Michelle and I lean back in mutual horror.
“Oh, non. Nothing like that.” Aurélie smiles. “No one too young, and only people. I am adventurous, not depraved. Your friend, she wishes to become closer to me, yes?”
Ashley grins like a fool. “Yeah.”
“I’ve never seen her like that. Are you doing something to her?” asks Michelle.
“Not consciously.” Aurélie smiles. “She is… prefers women?”
“I prefer the person,” says Ashley. “Don’t care if they’re a boy or a girl. And I think I’d love to spend a little time with you.”
Aurélie looks at me, a
lmost as if she’s asking permission.
Since I don’t get the feeling she’s forcing Ash to do anything, I shrug. “Up to her. She’s eighteen, and an adult. We’re basically sisters, not lovers.”
“That’s debatable,” says Michelle.
I gasp.
“No, I mean that she’s an adult.” Michelle snickers.
I punch Michelle playfully in the arm.
Ashley crawls over the sofa back and approaches Aurélie. “You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.”
A hint of rouge appears in the woman’s snowy cheeks. She brushes the back of her hand over Ashley’s face and whispers, “Vos yeux sont plus bleus que les saphirs de la couronne du roi Louis.”
Ashley swoons.
I have no idea what the heck the woman just said, but that line, that breathy voice, made my knees weak.
The two of them drift off across the living room and disappear past the ornate double doors.
“She’s gonna bite her,” whispers Michelle.
“Yeah, probably.” I fidget and pull out Mom’s iPhone. It’s not quite midnight, so Dad should still be awake. I call the house phone.
“Do you know what time it is?” rasps Dad, four rings later. “You’re gonna wake everyone up.”
“Sorry. I just wanted to let you know I’m okay. My friends are okay, and I met someone with, umm, similar interests as mine. She’s teaching me a few things. I’ll be home later.”
Dad’s quiet for a moment. “Wow. I can’t remember the last time you actually called home with a status update. Thank you. All right. I guess I won’t wait up.”
“Who’d have ever thought something like being murdered would bring me closer to my family?”
“Sarah, that’s not funny,” says Dad.
“Wasn’t meant to be. I love you, Dad. See you tomorrow.”
“Night, hon. I love you too.”
“Aww,” mutters Michelle. “That’s so sweet.”
I smirk at her. “Yeah, yeah.”
We flop on the couch and sorta-watch more Supernatural.
After a few minutes, Michelle peers back at the white doors with golden handles. “It’s kinda messed up to just like sit out here while Ash gets it on with that woman. Doesn’t it bother you?”
A Nighttime of Forever (Vampire Innocent Book 1) Page 17
