A Love for Romance

by Kahlen Aymes

  “Holy shit,” Caroline giggled.

  “Yeah,” I breathed. Gallus, in a full suit that made him look like he was in the court of Henry XIII, stood at the front entrance to the house wearing a black mask that covered all of his face except for his lips. Those luscious lips.

  As I approached, he held out his hand and smiled. “You made it,” he said quietly.

  I looked up at the mask, trying to figure out the shape. “Are you a tiger?” Embarrassed at the way that sounded, I quickly cleared my throat. “I mean, the mask. Is that some kind of big cat face?”

  He grinned again, my heart turning to mush instantly. “It is. Just like your kitten.”

  Kitten? Oh, I get it. He was the tiger and I was the kitten. I’ll take that.

  “Shall we?” he asked once I grabbed his hand. Then, tuning to Caroline he added, “George is already inside. He asked you to meet him in the kitchen.”

  “Okay,” Caroline squeaked again, before disappearing.

  “Why the kitchen?” I asked as Gallus escorted us inside.

  “It’s where the entrance to the tunnels start. George and I think Ivar is hiding the contracts somewhere under the house.”

  “Oh,” I said. This was really happening.

  Gallus held me close as we navigated the crowd. I didn’t miss all of the women staring at him as we passed by. “George will find us once they have any information.” He stopped and turned to face me. Holding both of my hands, he bent forward like he was going to kiss me. “Thank you for helping with this.”

  Just one more inch... But, unfortunately, he stood tall again and wrapped his hand across my lower back. Disappointment flooded my bones. I’d just met Gallus but already I wanted him to kiss me. And if I was being honest, I wanted him to do way more than just kiss me, although I did my best to keep those naughty thoughts to myself.

  “So, who is this Ivar?” Changing the subject was the only way I could get my hormones back under control.

  Gallus cleared his throat and scanned the crowd. How nice it would be to see over the top of everyone’s head. “He’s a very old vampire who’s been back in Baltimore for the last twenty years.”

  “Back?”

  “He floats between a handful of cities every few decades. It’s the only way he can stay unnoticed.”

  “Do you have to do that too?”

  “I do.”

  If I wasn’t mistaken, I heard a hint of sadness in his voice. I had so many questions about his life. Gallus was the first vampire I’d ever talked to, at least as far as I knew. “Does Ivar know about you?”

  “He does.”

  “And is that going to be a problem?”

  Gallus glanced down at me and smiled. “Why would it be?”

  “I don’t know. Because you’re in his territory?”

  With a laugh, Gallus started to pull me onto the dance floor. It was the original grand ballroom of the house that had been cleared for dancing. The string quartet played a mix of classical and traditional holiday songs. I loved the music but was terrified of trying to dance in this giant costume of mine.

  “Oh, no. I don’t think so.” I tried to pull on Gallus’ hand, but it was futile.

  “Don’t be scared. Just follow my lead.”

  “Why do we have to dance?” I whined.

  “Because we need to blend in.” Gallus lifted my right hand and wrapped his own around my lower back. “Relax,” he teased. “And let me lead.”

  “Fine,” I grumbled.

  We drifted around the dance floor in unison with everyone else, yet stuck in our own world. Gallus was a dancer. He knew every move, even when the crowd separated and started a court dance that would never be performed in our century. He whispered into my ear which way to move next and I quickly picked it up, smiling the whole time.

  After three more songs, he pulled me close to him when Moonlight Sonata started to play. I rested my head against his chest, listening for the heartbeat that wasn’t there—a stark reminder that we were two different types of people. Literally. Were we even the same species?

  Gallus rubbed his hand against my back. “What are you thinking about?”

  “Huh?”

  He chuckled. “Your body got really tense all of a sudden.”

  Weird. “Oh, um. Just worried about George and Caroline,” I lied.

  “Gallus. What a pleasure seeing you here.” A deep, gravelly voice interrupted our dance. Gallus froze and pulled me closer. His muscles tightened and he stopped moving all together.

  “Ivar.”

  I couldn’t see anything because of the way Gallus held me against his chest. So I started to wiggle, signifying that I wanted to see the person talking to us. Gallus eased his grip ever so slightly, just enough that I could turn around. I looked up, and up at another ridiculously tall vampire. He’d tied his long blond hair back into a ponytail and wore one of those masks with the exaggerated beaks on it. But from his bright blue eyes and the perfectly formed lips peeking out underneath, I had no doubt Ivar was also a handsome man.

  “And who is this?” he held out his hand toward me.

  “She’s mine,” Gallus growled.

  Ivar’s laugh had my blood running cold. “Relax, gladiator. I’m simply asking her name.”

  Gladiator? Like, for real? I shook my head and took Ivar’s outstretched hand. “I’m Elise.”

  He bent forward, watching Gallus closely, and kissed the inside of my wrist. It was such an intimate gesture, I knew I was blushing hard core underneath my mask.

  “How lovely,” he whispered to me. “Are you enjoying the ball?”

  “I am, thank you.”

  “And Gallus, I wasn’t expecting you here tonight.” Ivar sized up my date and I speculated who would win the battle should it come to that. Gallus was wider, but Ivar had this aura about him that oozed death and destruction. I wondered how old he really was.

  “My boss couldn’t use his ticket.”

  “I see,” Ivar said, giving me the impression he’d heard the lie. “Well, if you’re done dancing with your date—”

  “No!” Gallus practically shouted.

  Ivar smiled a crooked grin and cast his eyes to the side. “No need to get testy, young friend.” The word friend slid off his tongue like a poison. “If she is yours, I am no threat.”

  “She is,” Gallus growled.

  Ivar tilted his head forward and grinned at me. “Maybe another time,” he whispered. “Enjoy your evening.”

  As Ivar made his rounds to the other guests, Gallus continued to hold me tight. He wouldn’t take his gaze off Ivar and I didn’t enjoy the way he seemed like he was about to snap. Getting in a fight would not be the ideal way to celebrate out first date, even if the real reason we were here was to commit robbery.

  “Gallus?” I asked him. He ignored me, eyes glaring daggers at Ivar’s back. “Gallus!” Nothing. “Gallus, look at me!”

  He slowly turned his head and I grabbed his cheeks. Then, before I could change my mind, I jumped up on my toes, pulled his face closer to mine, and pressed my lips against his. He didn’t move at first, but as I continued to force my kiss on him, he relaxed in my arms. He deepened the kiss and pushed his tongue inside my mouth. I felt his fangs with my own and almost jumped away. But Gallus had his hands pressed firmly into my back, preventing me from going anywhere.

  His soft lips caressed mine with a delicacy I wouldn’t have thought possible. I brushed my hands into his hair, wondering if I could pull his mask off so we could get closer together. A small rumbled erupted from his chest and I melted against his body. Holy hell, could he kiss. And holy hell, I wanted more from this man.

  “Elise,” a voice whispered as a breeze passed over my shoulder. It sounded like George, but I didn’t sense him by my side. So, I kept my eyes closed and focused on Gallus and his experienced lips.

  “Elise!”

  “What?” I whisper-shouted, pulling away from the vampire who was quickly steeling my heart. Looking over my shoulders
, I still didn’t see George. Where was the little bastard?

  “There,” Gallus said, jerking his chin discretely toward the chandelier in the middle of the ballroom.

  And sure enough, when I looked up, George was sitting on the wrought iron monstrosity, glaring at me and flipping off Gallus. I lifted my hands, silently asking him what the hell he wanted.

  George jumped down and ran past me again. “We found it,” he said as he breezed by.

  “Why is he acting like that?” I asked, pulling on Gallus so we could follow George.

  “Probably because this place is full of vampires who might be able to see him.”

  Dammit. He was right. I guess I couldn’t be too mad at George. “So, what just happened...” I started.

  “I needed the distraction,” Gallus said with a rough timber.

  Um. No. That’s not at all what I was getting at. But George now stood in the hallway leading to the kitchen, waving his arms around like a lunatic. I said nothing else, as we followed George past the caterers and through a door on the far side of the kitchen. I hoped everyone in there was too busy to notice our odd choice of exit, and when no one followed us down into the basement tunnels, I suspected we were okay.

  “George? Where is Caroline?” I asked, still holding Gallus’ hand as I pulled him through the labyrinth of tunnels George had discovered.

  “She’s waiting for us.”

  “Why?” Gallus asked. I thought that was a stupid question at first, but when I spotted Caroline standing outside of a wide, metal door carved into the stone wall, I knew he was on to something.

  “Because it’s blocked,” she said with a huff. Her arms were crossed over her chest and she tapped her foot in annoyance. “We can’t get through.”

  “The wall?” I asked.

  “Or the door,” George added. “It’s protected somehow.”

  I turned the extra-large doorknob back and forth a few times, much to Gallus’ amusement. “What? I thought I’d at least try,” I said.

  “Fair enough,” he said before focusing on the two ghosts. “What’s it feel like?”

  “Like a fucking wall,” Caroline muttered. I wanted to remind her about the language, but I stayed silent.

  “It’s definitely a ward,” George said, now willing to talk to the vampire like an equal. “But I haven’t felt that kind of magic before.”

  “Is it earthy?” Gallus asked.

  With a shrug, George huffed. “Sure? I mean it’s kind of like the protection I’ve felt in a witch store before.”

  “A witch store?” I asked, but George ignored me and stared at Gallus.

  “You know what it is?”

  Gallus nodded. “Knowing Ivar’s history, yes, I think I do.”

  All three of us stared at the vampire but he was busy searching for something in the pocket of his jacket. “Would you care to elaborate?” I asked.

  Gallus smiled down at me and I instantly dropped my annoyance with him. “Trolls.”

  “Trolls?” the three of us said together.

  “Yep. Old Norse trolls,” Gallus mused.

  “And just how are we supposed to get through troll magic?” Caroline made a face when those words came out of her mouth. I agreed. Who would have ever thought that the phrase “troll magic” would cross our lips?

  Gallus flipped a coin he now held in his hand. Then he closed his eyes, sucked in a deep breath, and blew on the small piece of gold. It immediately disappeared from his hand in a waft of smoke as a deep silence filled the tunnel.

  “What did you just do?” I whispered.

  “Just wait,” Gallus said, grabbing my hand and pulling me against his chest again.

  “Wait for what?” George demanded.

  The air popped and a sharp scent of moss and dampness filled the small space. Scuffling on the other side of George and Caroline had us all turning around at the same time to see our new arrival.

  “We’re waiting for him,” Gallus beamed.

  The person we were waiting for stood maybe four feet tall at the most. His dark brown beard covered his neck and his clothes looked like they’d been fashioned out of nature. Small spectacles covered his squinty eyes and the sash he had slung over his shoulder seemed to weigh him down.

  “What is that?” Caroline asked.

  The tiny man glared at her. “I’m a troll. What are you?” His thick accent hinted that English was not his first language, although we could understand him just fine.

  “Trolls are real?” she gushed. Then, turning to me, she asked, “Can we keep him?”

  The troll grunted, George rolled his eyes, and I covered my mouth in shame. “No, Caroline. We can’t keep him!”

  Gallus laughed behind me before pushing past all three of us and kneeling to the ground in front of the troll. “I have called in my favor,” he said.

  The troll’s dark eyes met each of ours before focusing back on Gallus. “Fine. But I have one condition.”

  “What?”

  He pointed to Caroline. “I want to take her.”

  “What! No!” she said.

  “Gallus,” I pleaded. “That can’t happen.” The thought of Caroline going away...somewhere with the troll had my maternal instincts blazing at the surface. No, no no. Not going to happen.

  “Then no deal,” the troll said, turning his back to the giant vampire. Why wasn’t he afraid?

  “Wait,” Caroline said. “What do I have to do?”

  The troll turned back around as I admonished Caroline for even considering such an offer. “Have dinner with me,” he said.

  “That’s it?”

  “For the next hundred years.”

  “No!” I shouted.

  Gallus held up his hand to tell me that he had this under control. “How about for the next twenty-four hours?”

  The troll crossed his arms and sighed. His face scrunched up in concentration as his gaze flipped back and forth between Caroline and Gallus. “Fine.”

  “What kind of negotiation is that?” George whispered in my ear.

  “I don’t know.” But with one look at Caroline, she actually seemed...excited. “Are you sure about this?” I asked her.

  Bobbing her head up and down, she smiled. “Yeah. I want to see something new.”

  “Oh, you’ll see something new,” the troll grumbled and I instantly went into protection mode again.

  “Oh no, buddy. Don’t you dare think anything inappropriate. She is a child. You will protect her.”

  The troll rolled his eyes at me and looked up at Gallus. “We good?”

  “No, we’re not good!” I cut in. “I want you to promise me that you won’t let anything bad happen to her in your...your world or whatever. Or I’ll hunt you down and pour salt all over you.”

  Gallus chuckled as he stood, pulling me under his arm again. George and Caroline couldn’t hide their amused looks, but the troll simply appeared aloof—as though he couldn’t hear a word I was saying.

  “Salt?” Gallus asked.

  “Yeah,” I said, glaring at the troll. “I heard that works.”

  “Whatever,” the troll groaned. “We good?”

  Gallus glanced at Caroline and waited for her nod. “We’re good.”

  I mimicked shaking salt out onto the ground in warning to the troll. Everyone laughed at me and watched as the troll simply walked through the stone wall.

  “What the hell?” George mumbled.

  A moment later, the metal door unlocked from the inside and the troll pulled it open. “There. Done,” he said. He walked over to Caroline, grabbed her arm and with a pop, both of them disappeared.

  “Oh, my god,” I whispered, fear skittering down my spine. “That probably wasn’t a good idea.”

  “Don’t worry,” Gallus said, stepping toward the door, “Trolls are actually very kind to their women. They worship them.”

  “Really?” I asked.

  “Yes.”

  “Liar,” George cut in, floating between the two of us. “But what
ever. Caroline was annoying. It’s nice to be rid of her.”

  “She’s coming back,” I shouted to the backside of a semi-translucent George. He ignored me like always.

  “Okay, George,” Gallus said, “What do you see?”

  The room looked like a food cellar times a thousand. The space stretched on and on. Most of the walls were covered with shelves that extended into the darkness. I looked over my right shoulder and saw a lantern that started right up when I tried. “Got to love kerosene,” I said when Gallus looked at me in surprise.

  George was floating around somewhere, Gallus not far behind, while I simply stood near the door. I didn’t want to go into the dark and scary place. Let the boys with night vision do that. I thought I heard a few noises echoing through the space, so I took one step back closer to the door.

  That was when I felt the hot breath of something unknown breathing on my hand. “Gallus?” I whispered, too afraid to look down. “There’s something in here with us.”

  A growl followed by a snarl echoed through the space.

  Oh shit. Was that a dog?

  I scrambled toward the darkness, the creature blocking me from my escape. “Gallus!” I called again.

  A pair of red eyes glowed at me. Nope, not a dog. At least not a regular dog. I spun around, only to see another pair of eyes boring through my soul. Two hounds. Both growling. Trapping me against the wall. Shit.

  “Elise, don’t move,” Gallus shouted from behind a shelf. He stepped forward slowly, placing himself close enough to pounce.

  “What are they?” I breathed, too afraid to even move my mouth.

  “Hell Hounds. Ivar must have put them down here.”

  “Well....shit,” I groaned. “Now what?”

  “I think I found it—” George stopped speaking and dropped the scroll in his hand when he saw what was happening with the dogs. “No way, are those Hell Hounds?”

  “You know about them?” I asked, still keeping my eyes on the glowing red ones focused only on me. I thought things like that were just exaggerated stories.

  “I’ve heard about them.” George sounded way too happy.

  “So, what should I do?” I asked both of the men.

  Gallus shifted his feet ever so slightly. “Don’t let them bite you or—”

  One of the hounds jumped forward and grabbed my lower arm. I screamed as his teeth sank into my skin even though Gallus was on him in a second. He flung the beast sideways into the opposite wall, its body cracking when it smacked the stone. George started working on the second hound, dodging in and out of its form and tormenting the thing with his ghostly wiles. Gallus rushed to my side just as a shadow filled the metal doorway.