by Lauryn Evans
Renata’s gaze wandered across his chest before she tore her eyes away. “I’ll make a deal with you. If you answer my questions truthfully, I’ll answer yours. Do we have a deal?”
The young man was silent for a while, and then murmured, “Deal. Now, answer my question.”
“I know her name because it was in a diary that belonged to someone very important to me,” Renata answered. She could tell he wasn’t happy with that answer, but he didn’t press her for more information.
It was her turn to ask a question. “Who are you, and why did you attack us?”
“I’m Jackson Crowe, and you already know I’m part of the Order.” He said it as if that was explanation enough. He continued, with loathing for Renata evident in his tone, “Who are you?”
“Renata Courtenay.”
Confusion flashed on Jackson’s face, then slow realization. “Who are your parents?”
“Alexander was my father.” She knew nothing of her biological parents. Alexander was the only family she had.
But he didn’t need to know that.
Jackson looked confused again, but if he was, he didn’t act on it. All he said was, “I’m sorry.”
“We’ve both lost parents,” Renata said as she walked to the door.
“Yeah, we have.”
~
Renata got to work planning another party. She couldn’t afford to be easily distracted by big brown eyes and jet black locks. No, she had more important things to worry about. He wasn’t even an option for her; being a threat to her House made him ineligible. Blood bags stolen from a nearby hospital would sustain the House members temporarily, but they needed fresh blood.
By midnight, Renata had a theme, color scheme, and a menu planned. She’d also planned out the proper security measures needed, now that she knew what she did about the magnas, thanks to Alexander’s journal. Renata decided to get some rest. She’d brief the House members on the new event tomorrow.
The House members gathered in the common room for their assignments. Renata was grateful that life in the mansion had gone back to normal. The element of normalcy calmed Renata, making her feel as though everything was fine. Renata’s thoughts brought her back to reality, destroying her fantasy. No, everything wasn’t fine. The attractive vampire hunter locked up in the basement was a testament to that. But maybe nothing had ever been fine, and she’d been too blind to see it before. Vampires would always be hunted, and she would always live in fear of the next attack.
Alexander didn’t live in fear.
Neither would she.
“Hello, all. We’ve got some work to do,” Renata announced. “This event is going to be a cocktail style party. I’d like the party to have a jazz theme and a blue color scheme with cool tones. Firstly, Adela, I’d like you to oversee the event preparations personally. Should there be any problems, report back to me immediately.”
“Next,” she began, “Because this is a cocktail party, I don’t want a buffet like we normally do. Instead, I want multiple plates of hors d’oeuvres. During the event, I want all available hands on deck to serve the hors d’oeuvres. Heather, talk to Edwin about the ingredients he’ll need for the menu, and you’ll be responsible for keeping track of the money he spends, in addition to keeping track of ticket sales for the event, as usual.”
“Wyatt, I’d like you to play soft blues pieces for this event. Will, you’re in charge of security. We need to check women’s purses and make sure no one at the event has a vial of any unfamiliar liquid. If anyone sees anything suspicious or sees anyone drink anything suspicious, let me, Adela, or Will know immediately. If none of us are accessible, ring the alarm bell.”
“Why?” Wyatt asked.
Renata didn’t want to make the same mistake Alexander did. She refused to keep secrets. Telling the House members what they were up against would keep them safe.
“At our last event, a hunter from the Order of the Seven Blades drank an elixir that transformed him into a magna. I’ve recently become aware that all magnas are human vampire hunters transformed after drinking this elixir. If we spot them before they transform, we can minimize the damage they do if they decide to attack.”
The common room went silent. It was so quiet, Renata could hear her heartbeat.
Renata brought herself to speak as she found Adelaide’s worried eyes. “Taking this precaution is what will keep us safe.” She looked around the room. “Any other questions?” Only silence answered her.
“You are all dismissed.”
Will made his way to her through the small crowd. “Was telling the House members about the elixir wise? We don’t know much about it yet.”
“Yes, they all deserve to know. Knowing what to look out for is what will keep all of us safe.”
Will nodded, reconsidering his position. “Good call.”
~
A couple of days later, the day of the party, Renata pulled a black off-the-shoulder cocktail dress out of her closet. She bought the dress back in the late ’80s, but thankfully, the look was coming back in style. She styled her hair in a pulled-back look and put on some silver earrings and heels.
She stepped into the ballroom, pleased as she looked around to see her planning come to life. She was worried that something would happen tonight, but she also felt prepared. The House members knew what to look for, and they knew what to do.
Renata still couldn’t relax, not just yet. She saw that the grand piano had been moved into the ballroom from the parlor, and Wyatt analyzing sheet music. Alice, Adelaide, and Veronica were adding the finishing touches to the ballroom decorations, and Edwin was finishing the presentation of the hors d’oeuvres.
“Guests will be arriving any minute now,” she warned.
Renata spotted Heather, making her way over there. “How many guests are we expecting tonight?”
“About two hundred,” Heather said. “We have a good turnout for tonight’s event.”
“That’s fantastic!” Renata exclaimed.
Guests started to pour into the ballroom. Will and Edwin checked women’s purses, and Alice and Veronica were already scanning the room for anything suspicious. Veronica’s jet-black bob disappeared, the crowd of guests swallowing her short frame.
Wyatt began to play, serenading both Renata and the guests. Adela was by no means mistaken. Wyatt was a very talented pianist. His fingers moved in fluid movements across the ivory keys. He was as good as Alexander used to be. The thought warmed her heart.
The rest of the night went smoothly. The House members fed, as did Renata, and she felt replenished.
Soon, the party was over, and the guests began to leave.
Once all the guests had finally gone, Renata and the others started to clean up.
Adela looked back at her brother. “He’s good, isn’t he? I told you, you won’t regret it.”
“He’s quite talented.” Renata laughed, “You were right.” She made her way to Wyatt, who was gathering his sheet music at the piano.
“That was amazing,” Renata said to him as she brushed a stray hair behind her ear.
“Thank you. It was my pleasure.” He said, picking up his sheet music. “I thought these pieces would be perfect for tonight.”
“They were,” Renata said, resting her hand on the piano. “My father used to play. I wish I could, but I never learned.”
“I could teach you. We could meet for a lesson once a week,” he offered.
Renata was pleasantly surprised. This was the kindest he’d been to her since his arrival. She smiled. “I’d like that very much.”
A few hours later, she settled into Alexander’s secret room reading his diary, something that was quickly becoming a habit when she wasn’t preoccupied with other things, or at a piano lesson with Wyatt.
She felt like she knew him better after reading the entries. It made her feel like Alexander was still there like he was with her in some way.
She hadn’t spoken to Jackson since yesterday. She’d gotten busy betwe
en the party and other things.
I should see him.
She put down Alexander’s leather-bound journal and left the hidden room behind.
“Why do you hate vampires?” Renata asked Jackson inside the basement room.
“Vampires are ruthless killers.”
“Why do you say that?” Renata asked him, her voice low. She desperately wanted to understand him, to understand what drove him to attack them. If she could, she sought to gain insight from him—anything that could help her protect the House.
He was silent for a moment. “A vampire killed my parents. Drained them completely,” he said quietly.
“A rogue,” Renata whispered.
“A what?” he asked.
“A rogue vampire kills with no remorse and lives alone, not with a House.”
“All vampires kill humans.”
“No,” Renata said, shaking her head. “Not all of us.”
“If you won’t call it murder,” Jackson spat, “you’re delusional.”
“Only rogues kill,” Renata said firmly. She continued, fiercely defending her kind. “Vampires who live together in mansions feed a small amount of blood but feed on many people. That’s why we host the parties. We compel them to forget the feeding experience, and they remember everything else about the party. We take no more than what’s given willingly at a blood drive.” She huffed. “Not that you’ll believe anything I tell you, anyway.”
Jackson’s eyes narrowed, but he didn’t say anything.
“We aren’t all killers, Jackson.” Renata’s demeanor softened.
“After my parents died, my cousin and I joined the Order,” he finally spoke as he crossed his arms. “But he’s dead now too,” he said, with loathing in his voice.
“What happened?”
“A vampire,” he stared into her eyes with hateful disgust.
“The party,” she mumbled. Suddenly, it hit her. The magna she’d killed was…
Jackson said nothing, holding his stare.
“I—I—”
Renata fled.
~
Of course, today would be a day that she had a lesson with Wyatt. Renata’s fingers disobeyed her, slipping on the white piano keys while they played dissonant chords. Not that she was any good at playing the piano yet, but today her playing was exceptionally bad.
Renata couldn’t help herself.
I killed him.
She knew all too well the pain of losing a loved one. The knowledge that she, too, had caused such pain in another, made her feel like every bit the monster Jackson thought she was.
A killer.
She wasn’t surprised Jackson hated vampires. A vampire killed his parents, and a vampire was responsible for the death of his cousin. She wouldn’t be able to coax information out of him, but she couldn’t simply let him return to the Order, not when he knew who she was, and what she knew.
But, she couldn’t kill him either.
His cousin’s blood was on her hands. She couldn’t have known the magna she killed was human. How could she have known? Still, she was responsible for taking his life.
Maybe she was the killer Jackson thought they all were.
“Are you okay?”
Wyatt’s question wrenched Renata from her guilty, self-destructive thoughts.
“I’m fine.”
Wyatt shook his head. “You’re a bad liar.”
“Look,” Renata started. “I did something horrible.”
“What did you do?”
“I—” Renata stared at her feet, not wanting to see his reaction. “I killed someone.”
“If it’s about the party, then it wasn’t your fault.”
Renata looked up at him. “How do you know what happened at the party?”
“Adela told me what happened, how there was an attack at the party. She told me you were still inside with the magnas.”
“I was.”
“Didn’t they attack you?”
“Yes. Two of them cornered me,” Renata said, her tone flat. Her voice softened. “I thought I was going to die.”
“That sounds like self-defense to me, not murder. They attacked you, and probably would have killed you if you hadn’t fought back,” he said to her.
“That doesn’t change what I’ve done.” Nor did it ease her sense of wrongdoing. “The hunters hate vampires because we kill their loved ones. In the eyes of that hunter”—she referred to Jackson—“I’m no different.”
“No,” Wyatt shook his head. “Killers kill for no reason. They attacked you first, tried to kill you. You were defending yourself to stay alive. You’re not the killer. They are.”
Renata considered what Wyatt said. He was right; she was defending herself. The magnas, Jackson and his cousin, would have killed her. They attacked her and the mansion with the intent to kill them. Plus, she hadn’t known they were humans. None of them had known. There was no way they could have. Still, the realization did little to ease her guilt. It was still a human life—a human life that ended because of her.
“You’re right,” Renata said.
She felt better. The guilt still weighed her down, but at least now she wasn’t drowning in it.
Renata decided to banish her self-deprecating thoughts for a while and focus on the music.
“So, do you want to try that measure again?” Wyatt asked, pointing to the place in the sheet music he was referring to.
“Yes,” Renata gave him a half-smile. “I’d like that very much.”
SIX
Renata was in her office, as usual, working on the plans for the next party. Lately, this element of her duty as Mistress became a mere distraction, no more than a frivolous escape. She could wholeheartedly dedicate herself to party planning, rather than let her mind wander to the threats that lay outside of the mansion’s walls.
Or the gorgeous threat contained inside it.
This party was going to be a classy, formal event, and as such, tickets for this particular event would cost more than the cocktail party the House recently hosted. Renata finished up the written plans for the party and headed to the common room to assign duties.
“Remember to be on your guard and look for anyone with a black tattoo of a crest on their inner wrist, or anyone drinking anything suspicious. These may be hunters from the Order.” Renata exhaled. “You’re all dismissed.”
As the House members trailed out of the common room, Renata pulled Will aside. “I’m worried that the Order will make an appearance tonight because we have one of theirs.”
“They probably will, but, we’ll be able to handle it,” he assured her.
“Make sure everyone is on high alert Friday night,” Renata told him. “Should they make an appearance, I want to know the minute they arrive.”
Will nodded his head and left Renata alone with her thoughts.
She hadn’t gone to talk to Jackson since she learned about the death of his cousin.
She didn’t know if she was afraid to face him or what she had done. Or maybe, she had simply given up on trying to sway him to their side. She wondered if it was worth paying him another visit before the Order came for him. Maybe he’d open up.
Renata reconsidered. Would he even talk? She wondered why he’d even told her what he already did. Her thoughts wandered to his deep brown eyes, black hair, chiseled jawline…
No. He was a killer. He tried to kill her. Was she actually fantasizing about a vampire hunter? Talk about a moth attracted to a flame. Even if they somehow ended up together, he was a human, a mortal. They wouldn’t last. Nor would they be compatible. She was a vampire, and he, a vampire hunter. He was a predator, and she was his prey.
Surely, she was just acting ridiculous.
That must be it.
~
Friday came, and Renata stood at the top of the grand staircase as she looked down at the ballroom with unease. So far, she didn’t see anyone suspicious or any members of the Order. Renata strode down the stairs and melted into the sea of gue
sts. She could spot Adela and Will in the crowd, all business, as their eyes searched for threats lurking amongst the guests.
She stopped by the piano. “Have you seen anyone suspicious?” she asked Wyatt, her eyes actively scanning the crowd.
“Not yet,” he said as his fingers danced along the piano keys. His eyes fell down to his sheet music. “If I do, I’ll let you or Will know.”
“Good,” Renata said, moving deeper into the crowd.
Suddenly she felt uneasy, like someone was watching her. She didn’t suspect one of her own, but the attention didn’t feel like the stare of a mere admirer, either. This was something different entirely.
She turned around slowly. Across the ballroom, she saw a man, whom she presumed to be in his mid-to-late fifties, staring at her from across the room, like a wolf that caught sight of his prey. That meant the pack wasn’t far behind.
No, she did not like the feeling of behind hunted, especially in her own ballroom.
Renata began to walk toward the man, certain he was a member of the Order. She wondered how many other hunters flanked him. The man followed suit, pursuing her with a cold, unwavering stare.
The sea of guests was oblivious to the threat, each talking and enjoying their wine.
“You must be the lovely Renata Courtenay, Mistress of this House,” the older man said, taking her hand and placing a kiss to it.
“Indeed, I am.” She said with false charm, bringing her hand back to her side. “Who are you, may I ask?” She was unnerved that this man knew her name. How much did the Order already know about her? About Alexander?
“You could say that we are family, you and I. Even though you were adopted,” he said coyly. “I think you are my great, great, great, and more greats than I can count, aunt.” He turned to look around the room. “I see you’ve maintained the House after dear Alexander’s passing.”
Renata flinched at the mention of Alexander’s name.
“Oh yes, we have tracked his movements until shortly before his death. And yours too,” Scott leveled his gaze. “Or did you really think we wouldn’t keep tabs on you?”
Renata said nothing.
“How about I just call you my great aunt Renata for short, seeing as you are my ancestor Evander’s adopted sister? What a lovely family reunion you’ve arranged for us,” he gestured to the surrounding ballroom, while his cold voice mocked her.