by Мишель Роуэн
I actually expected him to say no. That things were too serious to have some fun. That would be so him.
He studied me for a moment, and then nodded with the smallest motion of his head. “Tomorrow, then.”
“Really? I mean, great. That’s great. Tomorrow.” I tried to refrain from smiling too widely at the thought of having Thierry all to myself without any other distractions. “Okay, so I’ll make drinks. You win. And if anyone wants to know more about the Slayer of Slayers, I’ll lie my ass off.”
“Just make the drinks and try not to draw too much attention to yourself.”
“But, you said—”
“The bodyguards do not arrive till tomorrow.”
I nodded. “Good point. Fine. I’ll be as quiet as a little booze-serving mouse. With pointy teeth.”
He smiled. “Very good. I’ll be in my office.”
I smiled back and closed my eyes waiting for a kiss. But no kiss came. I opened my eyes.
Thierry was gone, as if he’d never been there in the first place, leaving me standing there in the middle of the floor all alone.
“He’s completely wrong for you, you know.”
I blinked and tried to focus my wandering thoughts. “What did you just say?”
George gave me a look of annoyance over the bar. “These drinks. They’re completely wrong.”
I frowned and glanced down at the drink tray. “They are?”
“Yeah. Sarah, honey, pull it together, would you?”
I gave him a dirty look. I’d been on my feet making drinks for nearly three hours by then. A quick check of the little clock that sat between the Margarita blender and the keg of O-negative told me it was almost midnight. I was starting to feel a strange sense of gratitude toward my comfy shoes.
“Okay, give me a break. I’m new at this. What was the order again?”
He looked at the pad of paper in his hand. “Well, let’s see. Three vodka shots, five A-positives on the rocks, and a bowl of tortilla chips.”
I looked down at the tray, which held two Margaritas and a Coors Light. “I was close.”
Another waitress came up to the bar and I filled her order while George waited. He didn’t seem to be in that much of a rush to get back on the floor. Thankfully, it was a slow night. Only a few tables were filled with bloodthirsty vampires. The sound system played a mix of easy-listening music. I could hear Michael
Buble crooning “Kissing a Fool.”
When we were alone again, I fixed his drinks, then as he was about to turn away, I grabbed his arm.
“George, about that Slayer of Slayers thing I was telling you about?”
“Personally I like it. It sounds super sexy.”
“Um. Thanks, I guess. Listen, don’t tell anyone it’s not true.”
He looked at me quizzically. “Why not?”
“Just trust me, okay?”
He shrugged. “Honey, I got a ton of my own problems to worry about without adding yours to the mix.
No offense.”
I sighed. “Just don’t tell anyone it’s not true. Got it?”
“Gotten. I see since Barry isn’t here tonight, you’ve taken on the title of Little Miss Bossy?”
“And I wear that title proudly.”
He left with his drinks and I absently ran a wet cloth along the surface of the bar top. I was overthinking everything. That’s all this was. Ever since I’d been fired from my last job for sucking a drop of blood off my boss’s injured finger—I still shudder at the embarrassing and rather disgusting memory—I’d been “in between jobs,” akaVery Unemployed . I’d helped out where I could in getting the club up and running, but other than that I had a lot of time on my hands for worrying, thinking, and letting things fester away in my mind until they grew completely out of proportion.
My meager savings account was slowly dwindling away. I didn’t particularly want to bartend at Haven for the rest of my immortal life. I mean, George had recently told me he’d been a waiter for over twenty-five years. Yikes. I needed to start making some decisions about what I was going to do to make ends meet. I couldn’t live on credit forever.
Well, maybe for a couple more months.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a blond-haired male sidle up to the bar.
I didn’t look up. “George, can you watch the bar for a sec? I need to go on a bathroom break.”
“Who’s George?”
My eyes widened and I looked up at the unfamiliar, lightly accented voice. Was that Russian?
A very attractive, well-over-six-feet, muscular, blond vampire gazed at me from the other side of the bar. He smiled.
“May I have a Jack Daniels on the rocks before you head to the ladies’ room?”
Feeling embarrassed, I nodded, and reached under the bar to grab the bottle and pour out the drink. I slid the glass across the bar to him.
His eyes were green. Very green. Like little green laser beams that fixed directly on me, making me acutely self-conscious. “This is a nice place. You just opened?”
“Last week.”
“I had some trouble finding it.”
“That’s sort of the point. We don’t want just anyone walking in here unannounced.”
“No, wouldn’t want that.”
George appeared next to the man. “Well, hello there, handsome. Welcome to Haven.”
“Thank you.”
“You should come and sit in my section.” He eyed me. “You don’t mind, do you MissSlayer of Slayers?”
“Um.” I blinked. “Of course not.”
The man glanced at George, and then back at me. “Slayer of Slayers?”
“That’s right,” George confirmed, with a knowing wink at me. “Our little Sarah here’s been kicking some hunter butt. She’s totally my hero.”
Now the man’s attention was focused completely on me. “You’re Sarah Dearly?”
I tensed. “Maybe. Who are you?”
He stared at me long enough that I felt like I wanted to crawl away and hide. I felt goosebumps form on my arms.
After another moment he flashed his fangs at me and finally spoke. “You are not at all what I expected.”
“You were expecting something?”
“Yes, of course. What I have heard led me to believe that you’d be larger, older . . . andmuch less attractive.”
Hmm. Maybe this guy wasn’t so bad after all.
“Well, you know what they say about rumors,” I said.
“Slayer of Slayers. Yes, this is good. Very good.” He stood up from the stool and leaned over the bar,
his face coming within inches of my own. I froze in place, not knowing if I should back away from him or not.
A hand clamped down on his shoulder, bringing him firmly back down to a seated position on the barstool.
Thierry stood next to him. “Nicolai.” His voice was void of expression.
Nicolai tore his gaze from me and turned to the other vampire, surprise registering on his face for a split second. “Thierry.”
I watched them as they stared at each other and felt tension rising in the air.
Thierry finally broke the silence. “What are you doing here?”
Nicolai regarded him for a moment, his expression far from pleasant. “Is that any way to greet an old friend? I’m disappointed in you.”
“You haven’t answered my question.”
Nicolai glanced at me. “Thierry, after so many years, you still manage to surprise me. I had no idea this club was yours. And hiding an angel away in a dark place such as this? What an absolute waste.”
Thierry’s gaze flicked to me. “Sarah is my bartender.”
And that’s all he said.
I felt the blood drain from my face. His bartender.
“Yes,” Nicolai said. “I can see that much. It all begins to make sense to me now. It was at one of your other clubs that the confrontation with the hunters took place in early December?”
Thierry crossed his arms. “An event I wish to le
ave behind us, for the sake of everyone’s safety. That is why we moved to another location.”
“I have heard all about it.” Nicolai turned to me again. “Such power in such a petite form. I am very impressed.”
“Thanks,” I said. “By the way, that drink was five bucks.”
He grinned and took a wallet from the inner pocket of his jacket. He placed a hundred-dollar bill on the bar. “Keep the change.”
“I think I like you,” I said.
“The feeling is entirely mutual.”
“Who are you, anyhow?”
“Nicolai is a vampire elder,” Thierry said. “Whom I hope is only passing through town.”
That surprised me. I’d expected a vampire elder to have a long white beard and walk with a cane. Not look like that Russian boxer who kicked Stallone’s butt inRocky IV . Live and learn.
“Yes, I will not be here long. I have been in town on other business, but I wanted to investigate the rumors I’ve recently heard before I leave. Of the Slayer of Slayers.” His gaze moved leisurely down my face and neck to my chest. “Is it true that you killed eight hunters that night without sustaining a single injury?”
“It was nine,” I lied. “And Idid break a nail. See? Rumors can’t be trusted.”
One hunter named Peter who wanted me dead. One gun. Me or him. Nightmares ever since that woke me almost every night in tears.
Yeah, it was good being the Slayer of Slayers. Big fun.
I glanced over at Thierry. Thierry, my boyfriend, who had referred to me just a minute ago as his bartender. I didn’t think I liked that very much. But maybe he figured that our personal lives were none of
Nicolai’s business. Plus he said some vampires were dangerous, and I knew this dude was one of them. I could feel it. His age, his power, crawling up my arms like dancing ants.
Nicolai nodded. “Your talents are being wasted here. I would like you to consider joining the Ring.”
“Forget it,” Thierry said quickly.
“What’s the Ring?” I asked. “Does it have anything to do with that scary movie with the creepy little girl in the well? Because that really freaked me out.”
He laughed. “The Ring is a group of vampire elders who act as counsel to the vampire community.”
“A useless organization of self-involved, power-hungry opportunists who love to hear themselves talk,”
Thierry growled.
Nicolai’s smile grew cold. “We do what we must to survive. And we do what we must to help others of our kind survive. However, we prefer to do so in the open, not hiding in the safety of the nearest dark corner.” He looked around the club. “Interesting that this place is so hard to find, isn’t it? Still hiding from the past, my friend?”
George approached with another drink order, but the look Thierry shot him was enough to make him quickly scamper away.
“As you said, we all do what we must for survival,” he replied simply, his face and voice regaining a lack of any discernible emotion. However, I could have sworn the temperature in the club had just dropped about ten degrees.
My eyes had widened at their exchange. “Time for another drink?”
Nicolai glanced at me with a tight smile. “That would be nice.”
I poured another shot of Jack Daniels. Nicolai produced another hundred-dollar bill that he held out to me. I reached forward to take it but he pulled it out of my reach.
“As I was saying, the Ring is interested in meeting with you to discuss your future with our organization.
Your involvement would, with your admirable reputation, inject the Ring with new energy in our fight against the hunters. The fact that you also appear to be young, beautiful, and charismatic will only help.”
Beautiful, huh?
“She will not consider it,” Thierry said.
“I believe that is a choice for Sarah, not for you.” He turned back to me. “I will be in town for three more days. Think about it. I will be in contact again.”
“No,” Thierry said.
Nicolai frowned at him, then a smile curled up his lips and he glanced at me. “I think I see what is going on here. The two of you are romantically involved, I take it? I believe I have also heard rumors that Sarah is involved with a master vampire.”
I opened my mouth to answer, but before I could, Thierry did it for me.
“No, we are not involved in that way. I am simply concerned for Sarah’s future safety.”
I blinked as my breath caught in my chest. Right. Not involved. There it is, then. Veronique was right.
I tried to meet his eyes, but he wouldn’t look directly at me.
Nicolai laughed at that. “I believe Sarah has proven that she needs no one to look after her.”
“I disagree.”
“Of course you do.” Nicolai stared at him for a long moment before he spoke. “You owe me, Thierry.
Do not get in the way of this. Unless there is some other reason you wish to protect her?”
He owed him? What was that supposed to mean?
I watched Thierry to see his reaction. His face was so tense I thought it might shatter. His throat worked as he swallowed. He broke the staring contest between the two of them first.
“Of course Sarah can do as she likes,” he finally said.
I let all of it wash over me and ended up feeling dizzy. This was all happening too fast for me to properly register what was going on.
Nicolai wanted me to consider joining the vampire elders because he believed the rumors about me to be true. I wasn’t supposed to reveal that it was all a big misunderstanding, otherwise I would be killed so the reputation would stay intact. Got that. Crappy corner to paint myself into, to say the least, but I was on board with that.
Thierry didn’t refer to me in mixed company as his girlfriend or even hint that I was any more to him than an employee.
Not on board with that. But there were more important things to focus on at the moment.
I cleared my throat. “So you want my answer before you leave town.”
“That’s correct,” Nicolai said. “It is quite an honor to be asked. To be honest, I expected you to agree right away.”
He thought I’d jump right on the vampire bandwagon of rallying the troops by joining some organization
I’d never heard of? Who did I look like, Bob Hope?
What a mess.
Ever since being turned into a vampire, all I had wanted was my normal life back. For a short time, I even thought there was a cure for vampirism, which I pursued with great gusto. That ended in disappointment and betrayal. I was sick of being disappointed and betrayed. It seriously caused wrinkles.
I didn’t want this reputation. I didn’t want to be constantly hunted like a monster in a video game. I didn’t ask to be a vampire. So far, not too impressed with the whole deal.
I just wanted a normal immortal life with my six-centuries-old boyfriend. Was that too much to ask for?
And what did I have to do to get it?
Even if the rumorswere true, there was nothing Nicolai could say to persuade me to consider joining this
Ring thing. Nothing at all.
“If you agree,” Nicolai said, “we are willing to pay a salary of one hundred thousand dollars a year plus living expenses for your time.”
“One-fifty,” I said.
“Done.” He nodded, smiled, and downed the last of his drink, leaving the hundred dollar bill behind. “I’ll be in touch for your final decision.”
And then Nicolai, vampire elder and my potential new benefactor, strolled out of Haven as if all he’d come in there for was to have a couple of drinks.
Chapter 3
Well,” I said after a moment. “That was interesting.”
Thierry glared at me.
I cleared my throat. “So you two are old friends?”
“Our history has nothing to do with what just happened here.”
“What did he mean when he said you owed him?”
He ign
ored the question. “Why did you just agree to his offer?”
“I didn’t. I’m thinking about it. What? I thought you wanted me to pretend to be tough.”
“I had no idea that he, of all the elders, would come here. And so soon.” He shook his head. “This isn’t right. I fear for your safety.”
“You said I’ll have bodyguards to keep me safe from the hunters. And Nicolai seems nice enough. He’d probably understand if I told him the truth.”
Thierry grabbed my arm and stared into my eyes with concern etched into his handsome features.
“Nicolai cannot know the truth. Ever. He is a very dangerous man, don’t let his charm fool you.” His frown deepened. “You should leave the city. Tonight.”
I pulled away from him. “Let’s not get carried away. I’m not going anywhere. Not yet anyhow.” I smiled. “However, it is so nice of you to be so concerned for the well-being of your employees. We really appreciate it,boss .”
He gaped at me for a moment. Then, despite all that had just happened, a smile twigged at his lips. “I see.”
“Well that makes one of us. Anyhow, I’ll do as you say. I’ll keep lying, and when Nicolai contacts me I will tell him I don’t want anything to do with his Ring thing. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a bunch of drinks to make. George looks like he’s about to go postal. And I’ve had to go to the bathroom for the past ten minutes. I believe my bladder is only seconds away from exploding, so if you wouldn’t mind, boss .”
The small smile remained. “This is an incredibly serious and dangerous situation. And you choose to fixate on one small thing I said.”
“It doesn’t matter.” I shrugged and began to work on a stubborn stain on the top of the bar with a rag.
He sighed. “Sarah, if Nicolai knew the two of us are involved, it could have dangerous repercussions.”
“If he’s heard the rumors he already knows we’re together.Chad did. But whatever. Me. Bathroom.
Got to go.”
He sighed. “Fine. I have a few more phone calls to make, myself.”
“You do that.”
He opened his mouth to say something else, but then closed it, nodded, and turned away to disappear in the direction of his office.
I swallowed. I actually felt like crying right there in the middle of the club, but instead I took several long,
