I snatched the blanket from his hands. “Don’t get too excited. I was cold.” I was also a liar, and he knew it.
His look became heated, and he smiled suggestively. God help me, I was getting turned on. He began walking towards me, and that electric charge between us surged.
He came in close and stopped. Not meaning to, I breathed the scent of him in and shivered. He was turned on—I don’t know how my nose detected it, but I could tell. This smell thing was freaking me out.
He leaned in, his breath tickling my skin. “I think we have some unfinished business. I think you do like me, and I’m prepared to convince you until you can no longer deny it.”
The air thickened, and my breathing came out in ragged bursts. Something was going on between us, and if I didn’t end this soon, I was going to do something regrettable.
I stepped around Andre and grabbed my towel and some clothes from my closet, breaking our connection. I walked to the door and turned back to him. “Convince away.”
***
I took a quick shower, dried my hair, and threw on my clothes. When I walked back into my room Andre was sprawled out on my bed, holding a framed picture of my mom and me at one of my old track meets.
“This is your adoptive mother?”
“Yes.”
“She seems nice.”
“She is.” I crossed the room and took the photo from him, placing it back on my desk. It unnerved me to have him peering into my personal life. Only then did I notice what he said.
I froze. “How did you know I was adopted?”
He shrugged, but a smile tugged at the corner of his lips and his eyes glittered mischievously. “I can tell you, but it will cost you.”
“It will cost me what?” I asked, agitated.
Now his smile widened, showing pearly white teeth and a little fang.
We both heard my heart rate pick up at his unspoken offer. “Are you seriously going to withhold my family’s past from me?” I asked, exasperated at the entire situation.
His eyes twinkled.
Yes, he would withhold the information I desperately craved.
I shook my head. I could expect no less from the same man who thought it was okay to kidnap an uncooperative girl for a date.
I grabbed a coat from my closet and tugged it on. “Ready?”
He got up slowly, slinking towards me. The energy between us pounded in my ears and swept across my skin. Then he passed me, and the energy ebbed.
“I’ll take that as a yes.”
We walked down the stairs. In the lobby the girl behind the desk was speaking on the phone and biting her nail anxiously. I still hadn’t seen Professor Nightingale since moving in, and it appeared that she couldn’t be bothered for this kind of problem. So much for having a house mother.
When the girl behind the desk saw us, she pulled the phone away from her ear. “Is your friend leaving?”
“We both are,” I said.
“Students are not allowed to leave—”
“Just call Professor Blackmore. He’ll okay it,” I said, not breaking stride.
“You can’t lea—” The doors closed behind us, muffling her protests.
“Okay, so where’s this meeting happening?” I asked.
“My place.”
“You’re taking me to your house?”
“I’m not exactly thrilled to bring you there, so stop staring at me like I’m going to deflower you.” He had the audacity to look martyred. As though he hadn’t been propositioning me only minutes ago.
“My house functions similarly to Buckingham palace—I both work and relax there.”
“Oh.”
We walked towards his car, some exotic sports model that had to be worth more than what most people made in a year.
“Consider yourself lucky,” he added. “Many would die for the opportunity.”
I was mid eye-roll when I caught his wording. “Die? You don’t actually kill anyone, do you?”
He opened the passenger door for me. His chivalry didn’t fool me. The man had already thrown me over his shoulder—twice.
“No—well, not usually. Only on my off days.”
“What?”
“I’m kidding,” he said. “Has anyone told you you’re no fun?”
“I’m so much fun.” I sounded whiny, even to myself. “Has anyone told you that you are difficult to get along with?”
He smiled, showing some fang. “Many. It’s part of the job description.”
***
“Before we arrive at Bishopcourt, there’s something I want to show you,” Andre said, his eyes never leaving the road.
I raised my eyebrows. “I have to be honest with you Andre, I think I’ve had enough surprises to last me a long time.”
“I promise you’ll like this one.”
We drove for about ten minutes, just long enough to hit the outskirts of the city, before Andre pulled over to the side of the road. “Close your eyes,” Andre commanded.
“Nuh uh. Last time I did that I woke up in the morgue.”
Andre sighed loudly. “Fine. Let’s get out.”
“Where are we going?”
“Are you always this stubborn?” he asked, rubbing his jaw. I tried to not concentrate on how sexy the action was.
“Are you always this rude?” We stared at each other for a few moments before he turned and began jogging away from me.
“Where are you going?” I called after him.
He didn’t respond. I contemplated just standing there and seeing what he would do if I didn’t follow him, but curiosity won out. I jogged up to him.
“About time,” Andre said as I ran alongside him. “Come on, let’s pick up the pace.”
Andre took off. He should have been a blur, but my new eyesight was able to follow him easily.
“What are you waiting for?” he called back to me.
I blinked. Oh—I could run fast now. I picked up my pace, building my speed up. The fields I ran through flew by, gradually becoming denser and transitioning into forest.
I could no longer see Andre, but I could sense him ahead of me. A minute later I felt Andre stop. I ran towards him, his energy my lodestone. I heard the sound of running water seconds before I came to a halt next to him.
“This is what I wanted to show you,” Andre said, extending a hand to encompass the grotto.
I looked around me and gasped. How had I not noticed it before? My supernatural eyesight added an entirely new depth to the night. All living things produced a subtle glow, brightening the dark. It was luminous, and I watched, mesmerized.
The pool of water in front of us glowed as fish swam underneath its surface. In the trees I noticed owls, their bodies shining brighter than the surrounding plants.
“This is … beautiful.”
Andre smiled as he stared about him. “I often forget what it’s like to experience this all for the first time.” He looked over at me. “I’m glad I got to be the one to show you.”
“How come I hadn’t noticed this earlier?”
“The city is too bright for us to pick up this type of light.”
We stood there for a long time, just watching this secret little world.
Eventually Andre glanced at his watch and broke the silence. “Let’s get going. It’s time to introduce you to the coven.”
***
As we approached a high security gate, I considered the course my life had taken. Less than a week ago I had no idea the supernatural world actually existed. Now, not only was I a part of that world, I’d also managed to become an outcast. I found it ironic; I’d been so skeptical of their world that I hadn’t considered they’d be skeptical of mine.
We rolled up to a wrought iron gate, and a security guard sitting in a nearby booth nodded to Andre. The gate swung open and the car rumbled through. We sped along the road for another few minutes before we approached a grand mansion. According to Andre, this was Bishopcourt, his estate.
Andre broke the silenc
e. “The doctor said you died at your Awakening.” I met his eyes. He looked concerned. It was difficult to dislike him when he acted like he cared.
I broke eye contact and stared out the window, taking in the group of people waiting for Andre in front of his mansion. “Did they tell you I woke up in the morgue?”
“Yes.” I expected him to laugh, but instead his voice was solemn. I turned back to him. His eyes were searching my face, and I got the impression he was memorizing something about me.
Reluctantly he broke his gaze and turned off the car. As soon as the ignition was off, Andre’s minions descended on us.
“Good evening miss,” said the man who opened my door.
“Evening,” I murmured back. This was so strange.
I looked over at Andre, who was exchanging formalities with one of his people. He was a chameleon; all signs of his somber mood had vanished the instant he left the car. He caught my stare and smiled. The sight of his smile sent a jolt through me.
Breaking away from the small crowd that had formed around him, he came over to me and wrapped an arm around my shoulders, sending a shock of energy through me. “Don’t look so freaked out. We haven’t even gotten to the good stuff yet,” he whispered into my ear.
I discreetly shrugged his arm off, and together we walked towards the mansion.
The two guards who stood to either side of the doorway bowed in unison and opened the door for us. My jaw slackened, and I did a double take of Andre, sure I had missed something. The guy was a celebrity; I expected the attention. But bowing? That indicated reverence.
“Who are you?” I asked.
“I am the king of vampires.”
Chapter 9
I STOPPED WALKING. I’d never felt more out of my element. “You’re a king? And these people are what, your minions?” I gestured to the great number people who appeared to be waiting on him.
“They are my subjects,” he said.
I let that sink in. An undead king. No wonder the guy couldn’t take no for an answer.
We walked down a long hallway, turned down another, and finally stopped in front of a pair of closed doors.
Andre placed a hand on my shoulder. “Before we go in, I should mention that the audience might be hostile.”
I doubled back to glare at him. “What do you mean ‘hostile’?” I squeaked.
He heaved a tired sigh. “No one’s going to hurt you Gabrielle. You are one of us. It’s just that no vampire has been created in almost a century—and no vampire has ever been born.”
“No no no no no,” I said, shaking my head. This was too much. Having to face a coven—a freaking coven—was strange enough. But a potentially hostile group of vampires? I’d get eaten alive—literally. I began backing away.
Andre saw the mutiny in my eyes. “Oh no you don’t.” He reached out to grab me, but I was too quick. I bolted.
I ran back down the hallway we came through, amazed at how swift I had become. The gold leaf molding that decorated the hallway blurred.
Andre was not pursuing me, but then he didn’t have to. From my peripherals I saw a blur of movement, and I had less than a second to react before a huge body tackled me. The air in my lungs whooshed out as I landed hard on the ground. But as quickly as I was knocked down, I was dragged up again.
I looked up at my attacker’s face, and all I saw was fang.
I let out a surprised scream.
“Thought you’d get away, eh?” the man asked in a thick Scottish accent. He held my upper arm and walked us back down the hallway. I struggled against him for a bit, but my new powers had no special effect on him. Defeated, I allowed him to lead me back. Andre waited by the double doors, arms crossed.
“I’m guessing this wee one is our guest of honor,” my attacker said.
“She is.” Andre inclined his head. “Thank you Theodore.”
Roughly, Theodore let me go, and I stumbled forward. Andre caught me and turned me around.
“Gabrielle, meet Theodore, my second-in-command.”
I eyed the man who tackled me; I disliked him immediately. “You owe me an apology.”
He looked amused.
“No,” Andre said, “he doesn’t. You ran away like a fugitive and Theodore caught you. Now stop wasting time.”
I gave Andre my best stink eye. “God you are rude. No wonder you go through women. One hour with you, and they are probably begging to leave.”
Theodore laughed. “Oh, I really like her.”
Andre frowned, but whatever he was going to say was interrupted as the double doors in front of us opened.
“Ready?” he asked, reaching for my hand.
I ignored the gesture and walked through the doors.
***
“I have gathered you all together for a very strange and important meeting—” Andre spoke to the beautiful, undead crowd.
My hands were clasped tightly together, my knuckles white.
“—to meet our newest member.”
The crowd collectively gasped, and I saw a few vampires literally hiss in response.
Someone spoke up. “But it is forbidden to create a vampire!”
Another voice joined the first. “Who did this to her? Have they been punished?”
“She smells human!”
Suddenly the room was full of angry voices.
“Quiet!” Andre’s voice rang out above the others.
The crowd fell silent and he continued. “Her name is Gabrielle Fiori.”
This started another round of excited chatter.
Andre put a hand up. “Yes,” he continued, “the same Gabrielle who was thought to have died in the fire that killed our dear friend and comrade.”
My eyebrows rose. He knew about the fire? I thought his statement had shocked me, until he spoke again.
“Gabrielle died two nights ago during her Awakening and was reborn this way. You see, no one changed Gabrielle. She is the first and only vampire ever to be born. She is the biological daughter of our late friend, the vampire formally known as Santiago Fiori.”
***
Santiago Fiori. My father. How had I ever forgotten? His name kept running through my mind; I wanted to burn it into my memory so I’d never lose it again.
“See, that wasn’t so bad,” Andre said as he walked me back to his car.
I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, such a friendly reception. I especially liked the comment about how tasty I smelled.”
I was trying for sarcastic but fell short, still distracted by all this new information. I wanted to ask Andre more about my father, but he had already proven himself to be the manipulative type. I would have to find the answers I sought some other way.
Andre casually reached out and took my hand, and I brusquely pulled my hand away. I knew it was rude, so sue me. I held grudges, and Andre had a whole bag full of them.
Andre was unfazed. Tenacious vampire.
“You know that being part of the coven means you will always have our protection. My protection,” he said. “You will also always have a home here. We look out for our own. Don’t think that because the others were taken aback by you tonight that they don’t like you.”
I didn’t respond to his statement, but it reminded me that no one had mentioned anything about a siren or soulmate clan.
We got in the car and Andre pulled away from the mansion.
“Hey Andre?” I said. He glanced over at me. “Do sirens and soulmates have a clan gatherings?”
He slammed on the brakes. I grabbed the holy shit handle as my body was thrown forward.
“Geez! What was that for?” I asked.
“What did you say?” Andre’s voice was lethally quiet, and the hair on my forearms rose in response.
“I wanted to know if sirens and soulmates had clan gatherings.”
“Why?” His voice was hostile.
I gave him a look. “Why do you think? I happen to be both.”
“You’re a soulmate.” His eyes were deep and searching.
>
“Yes,” I replied slowly. “That’s what I just said.”
He turned back to the steering wheel, thinking.
“So …” I continued, “do either sirens or soulmates have a clan I need to visit?”
“No.” He wouldn’t look at me. “Soulmates are not a recognized clan, and you are the last of the sirens.” I raised my eyebrows at that.
All sirens die young. I guess I was no exception.
***
The car ride was quiet while Andre brooded. It was only as we entered the city of Peel that he broke the silence.
He pulled a business card out of his jacket’s inner pocket. “This has my contact information. Don’t hesitate to call if you have any questions about your … transition. All fledgling vampires have mentors. Mentors used to be those vampires who were responsible for the change, but since creating vampires was outlawed and since your circumstances are unusual anyway, consider me your new mentor.”
“Oh goody.” One failed date, an Awakening, a death, and a rebirth later, and now Andre was my mentor.
“Let’s meet up tomorrow evening so I can begin to train you.”
“Why is turning someone into a vampire not allowed anyway?”
He took his time answering and chose his words carefully. “Because the devil owns all vampires’ souls. And at some point, we realized this and cauterized our acts.”
Perfect.
Andre drove past the security gates and onto campus grounds, and I remembered the trouble we ran into when we left Peel Academy earlier that evening.
“Aren’t you going to get into trouble for being on campus?”
His lip quirked, and he snickered to himself. “Cute question.”
“Oh really?” I asked, annoyed.
He glanced over. “Trust me, no one’s going to cross me.”
The car pulled up to my building, and I opened the door and got out.
“Gabrielle.”
“Yeah?” I turned back to look at him.
“Be careful.” His eyes looked worried.
“Don’t worry,” I replied, “I’m resilient.”
“I wasn’t talking about you.”
I swallowed and closed the car door, watching him as he drove off, his engine echoing along the empty streets even after the car vanished from sight.
The Unearthly (The Unearthly Series) Page 6