by Andrea Wölk
»All of the bodies over the last few months have been found within a two mile radius of the club.« She ran her hand over the map and encircling the area.
»The creatures must have murdered those men when we entered the club.«
»Who owns the Empire?« interrupted Sara.
»We are checking that out. Do you think that the owner has something to do with all this?« Eva looked around the room inquiringly.
»It’s possible,« Maroush said shrugging his shoulders.
»Everything does seem to be concentrated around the club. At the first sign of blood, the creatures were coming out of the woodwork.«
»It would be good to know which buildings are in the area and who owns the property,« Channing added to the conversation.
»Could you find that out for us?« Shia was looking at Eva from across the room.
She nodded. »I’ll have my people start looking into it tomorrow. We’ve already got the operator of the club in our sights, although we still haven’t found out exactly who it is. The fact is that ever since the Empire opened up, murders in that area have drastically risen. That can’t be a coincidence.« The warriors all nodded in agreement.
»The club is closed on Monday nights. I think we should take a closer look tonight,» said Shia decidedly.
»You think they’ll keep the place open after the murders?«
Channing seemed skeptical.
»Hey, they need new bouncers. That’s the job Jôrek and I have been waiting for,« shouted Ruben with a wide grin. Jôrek grimaced. »Yeah, right. That’s exactly what they’re waiting for,« he growled in a bad mood.
»But that’s a good idea. At least you’d make contact with the people who make the decisions at the club. You’d have your foot in the door,« said Eva looking pensively at the group.
The men were discussing Ruben’s idea when Shia noticed Eva leave the room with his sister. He thought for a second that Sara probably wanted to show her the house and then went back to the discussion. The men were crowding around the map on the wall when Shia noticed two small bites on Channing’s wrist, almost completely healed.
»Was that Sara?« He gestured towards the bites with his chin. Channing looked down at this wrist and nodded silently.
»What’s wrong with you two?« Shia took him by the shoulders and pushed him out of hearing range from the others.
»What’s wrong? You can see for yourself how Sara treats me. I guess we can conclude that your clever book is not all knowing because a relationship between Sara and I is not going to work. She made the commitment because that’s what it says in that damn book. How can a serious relationship come of that? I’m sorry, but that’s not enough for me.«
Shia grinned. »Sara has a strong personality. It’s not easy for her to accept a man. She was alone for a long time.«
Channing shook his head.
»But the fact that I’m here is just a coincidence. That much is certain.«
»Chance is destiny’s little brother. Remember that. This situation is just as new for Sara as it is for you. You need to assert yourself. She’s always been alone, so give her time to adjust to the new situation.«
»Well, it doesn’t seem like she was alone too long in Paris.«
»What makes you think that?« Shia looked at him in surprise.
»A guy she met in Paris showed up today and she was only able to get rid of him with my help. It didn’t appear to have been merely a brief encounter.«
»What are you trying to say?« Shia’s voice thundered across the room and got the attention of everyone else.
A loud hiss emerged from Channing’s throat.
»I’m not implying anything, except that this soulmate thing is total bullshit. Where is this sacred book you protect so hard anyway? You’re constantly talking about it, but I’ve never actually seen it!« Channing punched his fist into the wall directly next to Shia’s head and the plaster crumbled soundlessly to the floor.
Maroush leapt over the table and landed between the two. »Hey friends, easy now. We don’t want to scare the ladies, do we?« He glanced towards the door just as Sara and Eva were walking in.
Eva was wearing black fighting gear, her Glock was attached to a belt and on her other hip was a small sword.
»Oh no, that is definitely not a good idea. You better go change,« Shia said to her sternly.
»Hey, what’s all this macho attitude?« Sara stood up to him and when she saw the hole in the wall, she looked over at Channing.
»What happened? Can’t we leave you alone for a minute?«
»Eva definitely isn’t coming with us,« shouted Shia.
»Why not?«
»Why not? Because she’s a mortal!«
»Sounds like you think that’s something repugnant.«
Eva’s pride got the upper hand and she confronted the other warriors.
»I’ve been trained in close combat, as well as in using firearms. So what could happen to me that couldn’t also happen to you?« Her eyes were shining at them.
»You could die!« Shia shouted hysterically.
»I also think it’s too dangerous,« Channing said in support.
»Don’t you think you’re overreacting a little?« Sara slapped him on the back playfully.
»You aren’t immortal either and if this is man against woman, may I remind you who saved your cute little ass last night.«
Channing gave her a dirty look.
»You can’t even compare them. Channing is a novice warrior and Eva is a cop,« Ruben interrupted, the warriors all nodding in response.
»So I guess that means that you are all for Eva coming with us?«
Positive murmurs filled the room.
»There’s nothing to discuss. Either I come or you stay her with me.« Eva stepped in front of Shia with her arms folded in front of her.
»Great, what’s all this unnecessary fuss?« Giving up, he shook his head and left the room only to return a few seconds later.
»Okay, you can come but only if you wear this under your clothes.« He handed Eva a bulletproof vest.
»We’re going to pay a visit to the club, so leave your weapons in the car. But don’t you dare leave my side otherwise I will kill you myself.«
»I can hardly wait.«
Channing smirked at Shia. » Assert yourself, how?« Obviously he wasn’t the only one here fighting against stubborn women.
Eva looked at Jôrek and Ruben and said, »Maybe you two should put on some normal looking clothes.« Ruben looked down at himself and laughed.
»Yeah, not such a bad idea.«
He pulled Jôrek out of the room by his shoulders and returned a few minutes later.
They had put away their visible weapons and traded the black cargo pants and sweater for jeans and a t-shirt.
Eva smiled calmly, gazing at their muscular build.
»Ok, I guess no matter what you guys put on you’ll be noticed.« Ruben smiled back at her.
»Maybe you girls should also throw on something a little more comfortable if you want to get into the club.«
Eva held her hands up. »Sorry, but I don’t think I should be seen there. Just in case the department is doing an official investigation. Someone might recognize me.«
Shia nodded in agreement. »Good, then Aragón, Sara and Channing should have a look around there. I’ll wait in the car with Eva and watch the club from outside.«
Channing waited a half an hour in the living room for Sara and was about to go looking for her when she finally came down the stairs. She was wearing a tight shift dress, high heels and a silver chiffon scarf. He was wearing dark gray slacks with a white shirt. He practically stopped breathing when Sara turned around to say »Are you coming?« and he saw that her dress had a slit all the way down her back.
»Breath!« she called out to him and stopped in front of a white Audi TT.
»We’re taking my car.« She threw him the keys and sat down in the passenger seat.
When Channing made no attempt
to move, she looked at him puzzled.
»You can drive, can’t you?«
»Of course!« He finally took his eyes off Sara, sat down behind the wheel and drove the car out of the garage towards downtown Seattle.
Shia noticed his sister’s car pass them slowly.
»That’s Sara and Channing. They’re parking in front of the entrance.« He said it loudly into the headset so that Aragón, who was already waiting at the club, would be informed.
»I like your sister,« stated Eva into the silence. »There’s something graceful about her, but without being vain about it. She’s beautiful. Is Channing her soulmate?« He nodded. »Yes, but they’ve only known each other for a couple of days now and I don’t think it’s been so easy for them.« Eva couldn’t really follow him so he explained how Channing had come into the picture.
»You mean, just a few weeks ago he was a human, too?«
Shia nodded again in agreement.
»To me he seems like a vampire with a lot of experience and power. He’s so flawless.«
»It’s the blood. After his accident he had a lot of transfusions and since he was in a coma, he didn’t feel any pain during the transformation.«
»Is it painful?« Eva was curious.
Even though she’d never considered the possibility, it was still an interesting topic for her.
»It’s something you wouldn’t want to do a second time. Imagine that your entire body has to be repaired. There’s a reason we look so flawless. The muscles rebuild themselves and you have more power. We develop better vision, sense of smell and hearing than humans and your body needs time and energy to do all that.« Shia avoided looking at Eva. That morning she hadn’t responded very well to the topic, but now she wouldn’t stop.
»How long does the transformation take?«
Shia shrugged his shoulders. »That depends on your body. A healthy person only needs a day. If not, it could take up to two days. Why are you asking?«
»I’m just curious!«
Shia nodded.
»We’ve only know each other two days, too,« thought Eva softly mumbling to herself. He squeezed her hand tenderly.
»No, I’ve known you all my life.« Eva sighed. She didn’t want to rehash the same story again so she let it go. The topic was going to come up again sooner or later anyway and then she would know how much Shia’s love was really worth.
Royalty
Chapter 12
Channing wasn’t surprised to see Ruben and Jôrek standing at the entrance to the Empire channeling guests into the club with a trained eye. Like all the others, he and Sara were standing in line waiting to get in. Aragón, who was in the front of the line, spoke with Ruben briefly and then entered the club. He stood waiting for Channing and Sara at the coat check.
»Ruben says the operator of the club is a man named Stavros Dimatros. He just runs the place. The owner is someone else. No one knows him around here, at least the employees don’t seem to.«
»Is Dimatros a mortal?« Aragón nodded. They entered the room with a large dance floor. There were two other rooms. A restaurant was located in one and then there was another room where different music was played. On the main dance-floor they usually played techno.
»I’m going to take a closer look around,« said Aragón standing in front of the large entrance to the techno area making it clear that the others should check out the other rooms.
Although it was still early, the Empire was filled to capacity. Channing let Sara go ahead of him and she decided on the smaller room where the music was more her taste.
»What do you want to drink?«
»A ginger ale, please.« He ordered two and led her to a table in the gallery away from the dance-floor where they had a good view of the entire room.
Sara looked around the room, but besides a couple of vampires enjoying the music, there was nothing out of the ordinary.
»What do you think of Eva?« asked Channing trying to start a conversation. Sara was nipping at her drink and thought about it for a second.
»Shia thinks she’s his soulmate.«
Channing looked up in surprise. »She’s a mortal,« he whispered softly. Sara nodded in reply.
»Yes, but he’s totally convinced that she’s the one. Only a transformation could prove it.« »You mean, if the tattoo reveals itself?«
Sara nodded again. »Shia isn’t the kind of guy who just falls in love with anyone. Eva’s the first woman he’s brought home in over one hundred years. It’s so dangerous to tell mortals about our secret. I hope he’s right about her.« Channing could only agree. Even though Shia was impulsive, he had him to thank for his life.
»Do you want to dance?« asked Sara looking out at the crowd.
»Might as well, since we’re here.« She stood up and walked out onto the dance floor without turning back around.
›Can’t get with that‹ was blaring out of the speakers as Channing pulled Sara into his arms and turned her slowly to the music. Because her dress was cut so low in the back, his hands were touching her naked skin. He had to pull himself together so that his hands kept to themselves. He knew how dangerous it was to hold her in his arms and he thought that here in public, he would be able to stand being so close to her. But he was absolutely wrong about that. She was the perfect height in her high-heels, able to stare directly at his lips. His mouth grew dry and he was having trouble swallowing. When he couldn’t stand her stare any longer, he pulled her closer to his body, but noticed instantly that he’d made a fatal mistake. Her every move and the heat radiating off her body were too much for him to bear. Sara rested her head on his shoulder and wrapped her arms around his neck. She didn’t only feel him physically, but there was something different since they had exchanged blood.
Channing wasn’t quite as skilled and therefore didn’t notice anything, but Sara was getting clear signals that he was about to lose control.
»We’re not here to play around,« Sara said telepathically. Annoyed, Channing stopped dancing and stood still on the dance floor looking into her eyes.
»Didn’t anyone tell you?« A slight smile emerged on her lips.
Channing looked at her confused.
»I didn’t just imagine that?«
Sara shook her head. »No, mental telepathy is a privilege of the vow.«
»You can just get into my head and read my thoughts?«
»What? You wouldn’t like that? Calm down. I can’t read your thoughts or anyone else’s thoughts, but I can communicate with you telepathically. I send you my thoughts and you send me yours.«
»How?«
She laughed softly. »You have to focus on me.«
»As if I haven’t been doing anything else.« He looked deeply into Sara’s eyes and channeled all his concentration onto her.
»Like this?«
This was also a new experience for Sara and she nodded without being able to take her eyes off him.
»Ok, so I can tell you that tonight I’m going to make love to you until you scream and no one will be hear me?«
The music had changed to a faster beat, but the two of them were still turning slowly in a circle. Then, shocked by his thoughts, Sara stopped moving abruptly.
»Dream on!« she thought. Channing continued to stroke her back.
»Then you shouldn’t wear dresses like this.«
Although the techno club was totally overcrowded, it wasn’t difficult to find Aragón amongst all the people. His real strength as a warrior was his origin. He wasn’t only called Aragón, but he’d once been the King of Aragón. His real name was Ramiro II of Aragón. In those days he’d lived a quiet life as a monk until his brother Alfons I, died. His land was willed to a spiritual order of knights, which presided over Aragón, but the States didn’t recognize the will and so Ramiro was made King. He wasn’t a born ruler, however. He was a peaceful man by nature, someone who would rather mediate than unleash a war. In the year 1135, he married Agnes of Aquitaine in order to secure the crown. Roughly nine months late
r she bore him a daughter named Petronella. Ramiro was so disgusted by all the intrigue in the court, that after one year, he decided to marry his daughter off to Count Berengar IV, and thus passed new regulations for governing the throne. He then retreated into the monastery, which proved to be a fatal mistake. That same year, the abbey was attacked by a group of vampires and the monks were killed. Only Ramiro survived, badly injured and transformed. Until meeting the warriors of faith, he’d lived a secret life just like the others. But his appearance, his majestic presence, the pride in his eyes and the wonderful way he moved were all proof of what he once was: the King of Aragón.
His eyes drifted over to the mirrored wall on the other side of the room when Channing joined him. He gestured with his chin in the direction of the wall.
»Hola, there’s a room behind that wall. I can hear voices and they aren’t those of mortals,« he snarled at Channing, who could understand him regardless of the blaring music as if Aragón were only whispering in his ear.
Channing glanced over at the wall of mirrors and then around the entire room.
»I can smell them. There’s a vampire and at least three creatures. We should check out how we can get into that room.«
Sara was watching both of them. How they put their heads together and were concentrating on something. She was proud that these warriors belonged to her. She’d known Aragón one hundred years already and he was a righteous and honorable man. In the flickering light of the club he had a commanding presence, reflected in his noble features, aristocratic nose and stern lips. His long black hair shimmered like silk and his small goatee made him look like a Musketeer.
Sara knew about his royal origins and she smiled to herself realizing that Channing had no idea at all who he was talking too. He knew just as little as all women in the club who were looking over at him longingly. They would all probably faint in front of a real king. Without wanting to, her eyes drifted back over to Channing. His aura was magically pulling at her even though she was trying extremely hard to fight it. Holding him and dancing with him was intoxicating. My God. It was only a dance, but Sara felt like he’d done wonderful things to her body. She thought he was arrogant and incredulous, but with a snap of his finger, he could do things to her that she just couldn’t do without.
