Chapter Sixteen
FOR A SPLIT SECOND, as I stepped out of the carriage in front of Mrs. Lillian Sebast’s huge home, I imagined myself running away with my tail tucked between my legs. Instead, I gripped my fan and invitation tighter in my hand and sucked up my doubts and fears. I walked forward with the other dozen or so guests, making their way up the stairs of the brightly lit home.
I could hear laughing and music flowing from inside and swallowed the lump of fear sneaking its way up my throat. I was definitely not a socialite—heck, I could even be described as something of an introvert. I liked going out and doing things, but I didn’t care to hang out or go to parties where there would be a crush of people. I always felt like I would be swallowed up in a sea of bodies, and I unfortunately tended to hyperventilate in tightly packed spaces.
I can do this, I have to do this, I thought and lifted my chin in determination. I didn’t work this long and hard to fail in the face of a little house party.
When I reached the front door, I saw an older woman, elegantly dressed in brown silk, greeting everyone as they made their way inside. The doorman took my invitation and then announced me to the woman in the receiving line. She looked over at me, assessing me with a quick glance, and smiled warmly as I made my way closer to her.
“Ms. Hannigan, we are so glad you accepted our invitation tonight. When I heard that a young widow just out of mourning moved into the area, I just had to be the first to welcome you to Charleston.”
I smiled graciously at her, even though I was pretty sure she had only wanted to be able to say she was the first person to have had me at her party. I would be great fodder for the gossip mill.
“Thank you so much, Mrs. Sebast. I am truly honored to have received an invitation to your elegant home.”
She beamed at my compliment as I moved on into the ballroom of her veritable mansion.
I stood frozen in the doorway of the main room, taking in the sight before me. Never before had I seen anything so breathtaking. The room was lit by hundreds of candles; boughs of greenery and flowers draped the entryways; women were dressed in lovely gowns in dozens of colors; and gentlemen dressed in their finest talked in groups, flirted with young ladies, and danced with them in the center of the enormous room. It was a dizzying spectacle, and I couldn’t drag my eyes away from the scene.
Someone bumped into my elbow as I stood there gaping like a goober and broke the spell I had been under. I took a deep breath, snapped open my fan, and strolled along the outer perimeter of the ballroom in an unhurried pace, even though my pulse was doing the opposite. Several heads turned my way discreetly, and many more eyes swiveled my way to try and get a glimpse of the newest addition to their little society party. I hated to be the center of attention normally, but it was my goal to see and be seen at this party, so I was pleased to have been noticed on any level.
I was standing at the refreshment table half an hour later with a glass of lemonade when Mrs. Sebast made her way over to me. She had a good-looking gentleman in tow and seemed way too pleased with herself. I braced myself.
“Ms. Hannigan. May I call you Sage, dear?”
I had just started to nod when she went on without waiting for my consent.
“I was just telling Mr. Michaels, here, what a lovely young lady you are and how you are new to town. He insisted on meeting you right away, so I brought him over to make introductions.”
She smiled a Cheshire-cat smile, and Mr. Michaels held out his hand. I placed mine in his, and he kissed the back of it lightly, smiling up at me with a twinkle in his green eyes. I found myself a little charmed and smiled back.
“Very glad to meet you, Ms. Hannigan. Would you honor me with the next dance?”
I swallowed slowly and answered, “I’d be delighted to, Mr. Michaels.”
This was it. I hoped my princess training was worth all the frustration I’d endured and I wouldn’t disgrace Elaine or myself.
At first, I felt a little stiff while dancing, scared to death I’d make a mistake or trip over my gown… maybe even my partner’s feet. Luckily, as the dance went on, I felt more relaxed and confident in my abilities. I felt light on my feet and didn’t mind the company of the charming man I was dancing with. At the end, I made my way back to the side of the room, only to be asked by several other gentlemen if I’d save a dance for them. With partner after partner, I danced, laughed, flirted lightly, and kept a look out for Elaine and the others.
Feeling the room a little stuffy and myself a little overwhelmed, I picked up a glass of wine and made my way to a verandah that opened out to a small garden to get a breath of fresh air. A slight breeze, followed by a prickly, static-electric sensation on the back of my neck caused my footsteps to falter as a shadow fell over me. I looked over my shoulder and directly into the gold-rimmed eyes of my very first vampire encounter.
My eyes widened and my pulse rate picked up, even though I was trying my damnedest to keep it under control. The stone of Amerach warmed slightly as if to warn me to keep my wits about me; I didn’t want to accidentally time-freeze anyone because of my intense fear.
The vampire stared at me with an uncomfortable scrutiny, and his gaze traveled slowly over the pulse point at my neck like a silken caress. I struggled not to turn and flee, even though my instincts were screaming for me to do just that. What seemed like hours but could have only been moments passed, and his gaze finally snapped back to mine.
He smiled like nothing out of the ordinary had just happened, and his smile alone could have been used as a weapon since its effect was pretty devastating to my equilibrium. The man, er, vampire, was drop-dead gorgeous. From his golden-ringed hazel eyes to his shoulder-length, deep brown hair, he was astonishingly handsome.
The vampire then spoke to me as if we were old friends. “May I have the pleasure of your company, or am I intruding?” he asked in a slightly accented voice.
My, my, he is sure of himself, isn’t he?
Men who thought they were God’s gift put me on edge, and I felt my pulse slow as I filed this vampire under the same mental list under which I’d filed all other predators. He might be handsome and ooze sexual confidence, but he used and abused people, so he belonged on my shit list. I saw his eyes widen slightly as he probably realized my pulse had slowed and my eyes bore directly into his.
I was just about to cut him down with the sharp edge of my tongue when I realized what a mistake that would have been. I needed a foot in the door of the vampire community, and this vampire could perhaps help me accomplish that. I relaxed my unwittingly stiffened posture and attempted a small smile.
“I would be very happy to have such charming company,” I said as genuinely as possible
I almost felt sorry for the poor bloodsucker—he looked a little confused at my mixed signals, but held out his arm anyway. I looped my arm under his and allowed him to stroll with me. Walking arm-in-arm and smelling his decidedly masculine scent, all while knowing what he was capable of, just about shot my already-fraying nerves.
The vampire seemed content to stare at me for the first several minutes during our walk, and my pulse fluttered wildly in my throat. I was getting extremely pissed off at my companion and his annoyingly odd behavior. I guess snapping at him had been inevitable. Finally, I came to an abrupt stop, and he almost bumped into me.
“Would you please stop staring? You are making me nervous,” I hissed through gritted teeth. “I mean, really, can we talk about something… anything?” I looked over at his unusually beautiful eyes and tried to smooth out the scowl I could feel settling on my face.
His eyebrows rose at my outburst, but he didn’t seem offended; quite the contrary, he seemed pleased that I had snapped his head off. “What would you like to discuss? The weather? The party decor? I am at your service.” He gave a slight, mocking bow, as if he were being a gracious host.
I sighed. Why couldn’t I have gotten an easier vampire to deal with? This guy was going to be hell on my nerves.
&n
bsp; “Why don’t you tell me something about yourself, since I don’t know who you are or anything about you?” I said, trying to sound sincerely interested in him.
“I’d much rather talk about you,” he replied in his silky voice.
Gah, that’s it! He was trying to drive me insane.
“Okay, I will tell you something about myself if you promise to tell me something about yourself in return—tit for tat,” I said, then grinned and fluttered my eyelashes a tiny bit to see if my womanly charms would work on him.
He chuckled under his breath, and the sound raised little goose bumps all over my exposed skin.
“All right, that sounds fair.” He motioned for me to begin as he took a sip of his wine.
I pursed my lips and thought about what I’d reveal to my vampire companion. I’d have to come off genuine. I took a drink of my wine and turned to look at the silent vampire. “I don’t have any family, or even friends really, and I don’t like to admit how lonely I am sometimes.”
Where the hell had that come from? I frowned into my glass before taking another sip.
If he’d been surprised by my admission, he didn’t show it. Instead, he looked at me until I felt like squirming, so I cleared my throat. “And you?” I asked softly.
“Ah, yes. Tit for tat, right?” He smiled like he was indulging me and took a long drink of his wine.
In the back of my mind, I wondered if he enjoyed wine or just drank it to keep up appearances.
“I have found myself loathing social gatherings such as this the past few years.” His eyes darkened and his voice lowered as he spoke. “Until tonight, that is.”
I covered my snort with a delicate cough, wondering how many times he’d used that line on unsuspecting victims. His eyes narrowed dangerously, making me wonder if he’d caught my inelegant snort.
“Well, don’t we sound like a cheerful pair?” I teased, mostly to fill the awkward silence. I smiled widely at him and felt his arm stiffen under my hand. I started to remove my hand, wondering what I had done to make him put his guard up, when he became statue-still.
I sucked in a sharp breath, and my vision narrowed in on my vampire escort, teetering on the brink of freezing time. I didn’t like to be surprised or not to know what was going on—it put me at a huge disadvantage, and I couldn’t afford that.
The vampire’s eyes dilated, and the gold ring around his irises became more pronounced. His glamour was slipping for some reason.
I cleared my throat and gently removed my hand from his arm, not wanting to make any sudden movements. He seemed to snap out of his trance as I rid myself of his arm, and his eyes mellowed out a bit.
“I’d better head back inside; it’s getting late.” My voice came out a little shaky. I could still feel the tension rolling off my companion, and it freaked me out.
“Yes, that would be good. Sorry to have kept you too long. I’ve enjoyed our time together.”
I nodded my head since my tongue wasn’t cooperating.
He reached for my hand, and I placed mine in his as etiquette dictated. His lips grazed the back of my hand, and my entire body stiffened at the sizzling contact. The vampire gazed up at me from under his lashes and grinned.
When he released me, I walked quickly to the verandah doors, hoping it wasn’t too obvious that I was glad to get away from him.
My relief, however, didn’t last long.
Time Warper: Fated, A Sage Hannigan Novel Page 17
