Blood Kisses (Nightwalkers Book 1)

by Sieverding, H. N.

  "I wish I would’ve stayed with you this afternoon because then I could’ve met Armageddon too." Natalie’s hand trailed on the railing. Ashleigh was clinging to it tightly, not used to wearing heels. "So, is Caleb as gorgeous in person as he is in his pictures?"

  "Oh, yes. He's amazing. Absolutely amazing." At the top, Ashleigh leaned against a nearby railing. "And he said he'd come back and return my book." She peered over her glass as she took a sip, her gaze scanning the crowd below. "Do you think he meant it? Do you think he'll come back?"

  "Sure."

  "I hope so. Meeting him in person definitely gave me some ideas for the new book."

  "Like what?" Natalie gestured with the bright blue drink in her hand as she spoke. "Victoria watched him slowly lift his head, a shimmer of her womanly wetness still lingering on his lips. The tease of his smile was maddening. Victoria’s eyes lingered on his fangs, thoughts of him penetrating her making her body quake with desire."

  Ashleigh laughed, holding one hand over her mouth as she listened to Natalie quote a passage from her book. "I don’t know which is worse, that you can quote a passage from Nightwalkers, or that you used that line completely out of context and made it sound cheesy."

  "Well, Caleb didn’t think they were cheesy."

  "Yeah, and Spencer said he got off on it, too. I guess guys do read romance."

  "They read smut and violence, which is all your books are about."

  Ashleigh playfully shoved Natalie, trying not to spill her drink. "My books aren’t smut."

  Natalie found Ashleigh’s overdramatics hilarious. Their laughter was loud but was quickly drowned out by the music downstairs. The large subs set up near the bar vibrated the room and made the walls shake.

  An Armageddon song came on, and the girls peered down at the rowdy crowd below starting to sing along. Even though Ashleigh loved the loud music, she didn’t like the people crowding around her. Some shoved her from behind and brushed her shoulders as they stood next to her on the balcony. Ashleigh took a very long drink from her glass.

  "Wow! I think Spencer sent us to the wrong room! There’s a party startin’ up in here!" Natalie had to yell now, her face close to Ashleigh’s ear. "I’m getting another drink! Don’t move. I’ll be right back!"

  Ashleigh nodded as she turned around and watched Natalie leave. She waited for her friend to come back, but from where she was standing, she could see Natalie flirting with a guy at the bar. Natalie was in her bent over, flirty pose that showed off her cleavage, something the guy seemed to be enjoying.

  People behind her shoved to get near the balcony, and Ashleigh held onto the railing, feeling very out of place.

  Natalie looked up at her, frantically pointing to the DJ booth on the other side of the room, a very excited smile on her face. She heard someone yelling on the microphone as a new song played. Her gaze fell upon Caleb, who was singing a karaoke version of one of his songs. He was holding a bottle of beer in his hands, his facial expression tense as his lips formed the words.

  Ashleigh pushed through the crowd on the stairs, bumping into a lot of people on her descent. When she reached the bottom, she started for Natalie, but a hand on her shoulder made her turn around. Her eyes met with a man in his early forties, who was dressed in a designer suit, his whitish blond hair neatly slicked back.

  "Miss Allure?" He smiled when he saw her grimace at his words.

  "Allure isn’t my last name." Ashleigh glanced over at Natalie and then back at the man. He was eyeing her curiously, and the devilish grin on his face was making her very nervous. He had a perfect smile, none of his teeth were even the slightest bit crooked.

  "Spencer says you’re a fan of Armageddon."

  "Yeah."

  Natalie was frowning, and her mouth formed the words, “Is that him?” as her finger pointed toward the man.

  "A very big fan actually."

  "Then I’m glad I invited them here."

  Ashleigh made eye contact with the man. "You invited them here…for me?"

  "Yes." Watching his face move as he spoke, Ashleigh could see his very defined jaw and masculine features. He was a big man, his neck thick and his body towering over hers. "My name is Robert." He held his hand out, his smile not faltering, even though he saw her fear in wanting to take in hers.

  "Ashleigh." She took his hand, shaking it quickly.

  "It’s an honor to meet you, Miss Brown." He dropped her hand and motioned for her to walk with him. "Many have tried to find you lately, but I am the first to succeed."

  She looked over at Spencer, who was talking to Natalie. There was a sad look in his eyes, but Ashleigh didn’t have time to linger on it because Robert spoke again.

  "Do not let your view of us be based on the behavior of the hunters. Spencer is not the shining example we would have represent our kind." He put his hands on her shoulders, leading her through the crowd toward the DJ booth. His lips lingered near her ear, and though the music was extremely loud, she could hear everything he said.

  "Right now, I am hungry and may be a little more irritable than usual, so please pardon my rudeness." He squeezed her shoulders as his lips kissed the surface of her neck. "If I remain this close to you, I fear I may harm you, so please…" He looked toward Armageddon, Caleb bent over slightly as he belted out a perfect song, his hair still wet and full of sweat from performing at his concert.

  "Enjoy the floor show while I take care of this need." He pushed her forward, so that she was now standing in the front row of people watching the band members singing karaoke. "A word of caution, a well fed vampire will be very active and aggressive, so bear with this behavior, because once the high is over, we settle down."

  He pointed to a closed door. A large man was standing near it and not letting anyone in. "If you wish for a drink, you can get one there. A woman of your caliber should not have to wait with these commoners. I will be back shortly, so enjoy yourself until then."

  Ashleigh turned around and watched him walk away, his large body intimidating to those around them, making them move before he had the chance to push them aside. This man was very polite and regal in nature, a lot like the vampires in her novels. He had a great mystery to him, and Ashleigh thought he’d make a great character. A villain perhaps? No, Robert doesn’t seem like the villain type.

  Ashleigh grinned at the thought. She turned back to the action but was feeling a little lonely watching Caleb and Kris, Armageddon’s drummer, perform for the audience. She missed Natalie and had no one to whisper too or to hear her giggles while they both drooled over Caleb.

  Caleb smashed his beer bottle against the speaker before climbing on top and balancing himself on it as he rocked it from side to side. He was saying something, but it couldn't be made out, his hand raised in the air as he laughed. The guys were quite rough, and one could tell they had been drinking heavily. Kris was sitting on a nearby sub, singing a song to the crowd and winking to the women near him.

  Ashleigh laughed at what they were doing, her hands covering her lips, her fingernails now painted a bright red to match her dress. She stood on her tiptoes as she tried to find Natalie, but she couldn’t see over the heads of the crowd.

  The throng of people pushed against her, and after a few minutes, Ashleigh grew annoyed of the closed in feeling and walked toward the door Robert had offered. The man let her in, sending her a small smile as he held it open for her.

  The door led to an adjoining suite. It was larger than her room and was two stories like the one next door. No one was in the room, and Ashleigh took a much needed breath as she walked farther in. The large windows lining the side wall offered a great view of the city below.

  Noticing a bar on the other side of the room, Ashleigh grabbed a bottle of raspberry-flavored beer. She pulled off the top and tossed it in the garbage can near her. It was much quieter in here and a lot cleaner too. She walked over to the couch, pulling out her phone and reading a text message from Natalie.

  Bartender is Hott!! I’m g
ettin sum dat.

  She drank from the bottle, her eyes glued on the small screen of her phone as she typed a reply.

  Take pictures or i won’t believe u.

  A few seconds later, a picture popped up on her phone of Natalie with her arm wrapped around the bartender’s shoulder, kissing his cheek as she took the picture from a weird angle.

  Ashleigh stood up from the couch, aimlessly walking back over to the windows. She wasn’t really paying attention to where she was going, and bumped into things along the way because she was texting.

  I miss u Nat. I want 2 hang wit u but can’t L

  A small sigh escaped her lips. She placed a hand on the glass, which was cold to the touch, and watched the snow fall on the town below.

  Ditch em n come to the bar.

  Ashleigh went to the cooler and grabbed another bottle of beer. She went out the door back into the noisy suite. Holding both bottles by the neck in one hand, she typed an affirmative with the other.

  Someone shoved into her, making her bottles fall from her hand and shatter on the floor. The liquid bounced up onto her, covering her legs and getting on her dress. Making a sour face, Ashleigh stared down at the puddle on the floor and the stickiness that covered her. She looked toward the man who had pushed her, but he was now talking to someone else. The people around her laughed at her misfortune.

  She was soaked, and so was her phone. This changed her mood, and in her anger, she got a little rougher than normal. She shoved through the crowd, using her hands to push people away from her. Some girls standing in the front row ogling Caleb and Kris yelled at her when she blazed a path through them toward the exit.

  Ashleigh’s heels squished as she walked, and her hands quickly went to her feet as she raised each leg and yanked them off. She left the party suite and walked back to her own room to change her clothes. This time, she put on the dress that she had brought.

  Returning to the party, she immediately went to the bar to see Natalie. Natalie was drunk already, which was mostly due to the men flirting with her at the bar. She squeezed in between some of the men and stood next to Natalie. "Take it easy on that, Nat."

  "Ashleigh!" Natalie turned around and gave Ashleigh a giant hug, kissing both her cheeks. She reeked of alcohol, and by the higher pitch of her giggle, Ashleigh knew for sure she was drunk. "Hi, sweetie!"

  "Stop it." Ashleigh laughed as she pulled away, grabbing her friend’s arm. "Let’s go watch the karaoke."

  "Sure, honey." She playfully waved goodbye to the men at the bar, who were begging her to stay. Natalie winked at them. She carried a drink in her hands and was unsteady on her feet as Ashleigh pulled her forward. "I feel dizzy."

  Now other people were up front singing, most of them very bad at it. The thick audience had disbanded and spread out to other parts of the room.

  "Get up there and sing." Ashleigh was in a playful mood now that she was with Natalie again. "I wanna hear ‘Heaven’."

  "No!" Natalie laughed as Ashleigh pulled her into the front row, waving the thought away with her hands. "I’m not going up there."

  "Please?" Putting her hands together, Ashleigh’s lip pouted as she bounced up and down. "Do it for me?"

  "No, Ash." Natalie watched the man on stage sing, a very off-key note slipping from his drunken lips. "I’m not drunk enough for that. You go do it."

  "Come on!" Ashleigh made an overdramatic movement with her hand toward the DJ booth. "Just one song!"

  "No." Natalie glanced over at the bar, watching the men there start talking to other girls. "Come on, Ash, I was gonna score with that guy. If I sleep alone tonight, it’s your fault."

  "So, you’ll sing ‘Heaven’ for me?" Ashleigh’s face filled with a giant smile that made her cheeks turn slightly red with the action, her light blue eyes open wide. Normally, Natalie loved to sing karaoke.

  "No." Natalie started walking away from her. "Let’s go back."

  "Nat!" Placing her hands on her thighs, Ashleigh tried to speak louder. "You suck!"

  "You have a request?" Robert appeared behind her, and Ashleigh quickly spun toward him. He glanced down at her change of attire. "What happened?"

  "Someone spilled beer on my dress," Ashleigh frowned. "So I had to change."

  "You want to hear ‘Heaven’?" Robert motioned for her to follow him, and Ashleigh obeyed, walking behind him because he could part the crowd better than she could. "Mr. Mason." Ashleigh quickly stepped up next to him, nervously avoiding Caleb’s handsome face. "Miss Brown has a request."

  "Sure." Caleb walked toward them. "What is it?"

  Her eyes snapped to Caleb quickly, his smile growing when their eyes met. "You’ll sing a song for me? Just…umm…" She stared at him with awestruck eyes. "Just for me?"

  "Of course, that's what I'm here for…you. You're my greatest fan, right?"

  "I guess….umm…" Her face reddened as she tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear shyly. "Probably."

  "So, whatever you want, I'll sing. Come on, let me be your…" He leaned closer and whispered teasingly into her ear. "Escort."

  She forced a laugh as she tried to keep steady on her feet. Her voice was very soft. "Boy, would I love that."

  “Would you?” He wrapped his arm around her shoulders. Ashleigh’s breath quickened at his touch, his grip on her strong and sure. When he saw her shy away from his flirting, he changed the subject. "This party kinda sucks, huh? I thought it'd be better but—"

  Caleb laughed when he saw her red face, which was pointed toward the ground, her body rigid in her arms. “Hey.” As he walked her over to the stage, Caleb leaned his head against hers. "Relax. I'm not gonna bite, I promise. I'm a nice guy. Really."

  "No…umm…that's not it." She glanced up at him shyly, her eyes darting over his handsome features. The same features she had memorized in photographs were even more amazing in real life. "I'm just…really…nervous. I'm just a…" She paused, her gaze trying not to get trapped in his. "Huge fan. Sorry, I'm a little…umm…"

  "That's okay, it's nothing to be embarrassed about. I'm used to it." He retracted his arm and took her hand instead. This action made her eyes snap to his, her smile sweet and glowing. "So, what song do you want me to sing? It can be anything."

  Ashleigh paused as she looked over at the DJ booth and then back at Caleb, who had now taken both her hands in his. "The song I wanted to hear isn’t something I’d want you to sing, so I–"

  Taking a deep breath, Ashleigh tried to calm her racing heart as she stared into Caleb’s eyes. They were on her. She had his complete attention. Something before she had to settle for only in her imagination. Now, his hands were in hers and his gentle smile was all hers. "Don’t really know what I’d want you to sing. You’d sing anything great. You have an amazing voice."

  "How about I pick one…" His voice deepened, a devious smile on his lips as he eyed her. "Miss Brown."

  "Ashleigh."

  "Ashleigh." He planted a small kiss on her forehead. "I'll be right back. I'll come hang with you when I'm done. Unless you want to grope me during the song, cause I'd let you."

  She giggled, her face a deep shade of red. Her words were breathless. "If you don't mind, I'll wait for you here."

  "Sure." He dropped her hands and walked up to the man currently singing. Caleb tapped him on the shoulder and took the microphone from him.

  The man gave it up easily, the DJ letting the instrumental continue to play even though no one was singing. Caleb spoke to the DJ, both of them laughing as they exchanged a few friendly words that didn’t seem related to what he was doing.

  Caleb scaled one of the speakers and sat, his legs dangling over the front of it. His black boots bounced against it as the music started, the laces untied and the tongues hanging out the front. His baggy jeans were shoved in the front of them, more by accident than on purpose.

  "This is a song for Ashleigh." Caleb spoke into the microphone, most of the people in the room turning to the sound of his voice. “My favorite fan.”


  Ashleigh bit her lip nervously as she watched Caleb, who sent her a small smile before he began. It was called “Blue Valentine,” a very different song than Caleb would normally sing, and though it was a slower, he nailed every note perfectly.

  With her hands firmly clasped together in front of her lips, Ashleigh enjoyed every word, but not as much as when Caleb would look her way while singing. Robert watched her and smiled too, his hands held firmly behind his back.

  "Now, we shall have our talk." When the song ended, Robert motioned for her to follow him to the adjoining suite. “Miss Brown?”

  He saw her nod her head and the great disappointment that crept into her face when he pulled her away from Caleb.

  "Let’s sit." Robert indicated toward the couch while he walked over to the bar. "I’ll get you something to drink."

  "What do you want to talk about?" Ashleigh watched him pull a few bottles from the cooler.

  "How you would make a grand vampire." He handed her a drink before sitting down in the large, leather chair near the couch, not sitting next to Ashleigh, even though there was room for him to do so.

  "You want to make me a vampire?" The mouth of the bottle hung near her lips as she paused before drinking it, not able to hide her fear.

  "Yes." He took a drink from his glass then shook the ice around a few times, making soft pinging noises.

  "How do you do that?" Ashleigh wasn’t looking at him, but staring blankly at the magazine on the coffee table.

  "We are going through the process now." He cleared his throat and sat forward in his chair, the diamonds on his rings shining under the perfect white lighting of the room. "Have Spencer and the others informed you on the ways of our kind?"

  "Not really." Ashleigh looked over at him, her hands growing moist from the condensation on her bottle. "All he said was that there are three classes of vampires—the Elders, the hunters, and something he called a house vampire. He really didn’t say much else."