He stood straight, and his stone black eyes flashed with anger, as if she’d somehow been the cause for the woman’s injuries.
“You won’t tell a soul what you’ve seen,” he commanded in a new voice of authority that she’d never heard before. He was as regal as a prince as he towered over her, and at the same time, an evil monster threatening her very existence.
“What’s wrong with her? She might need a doctor.” Her voice was high, almost hysterical. “Sebastian, what’s going on?”
“You needn’t worry. She will be fine by the morning.”
Twisting her wrists in his hands as hot tears rolled down her face, Scarlet begged “I’ve got to go now, please, let go of me.”
“Not until you promise you will tell no one.” Another shock wave shuddered through Sebastian’s body and he released his grip on her wrists. He turned away, clutching at his stomach, but peered over his shoulder to keep an eye on her.
Scarlet rubbed at her bruised wrists and looked outside. Sebastian stood between her and the door, otherwise she might have made a run for it.
“I promise I won’t tell, but I don’t even know what’s going on.”
Her tears mixed with the rain still dripping from her hair. She wanted to get out of this house of horrors, but the Rose curiosity held her to her ground. She needed answers before she could leave.
Now she noticed how quiet Sebastian had become. The room had grown deathly silent. The only light glowed from the window over the sink as the moon drenched the kitchen in an eerie white light. He was still hunched over, his hand resting on the counter for support, but it was so quiet she could hear his rapid breaths. Was he going to be sick?
Suddenly, he spun around.
Scarlet’s heart leapt to her throat, and she jumped back, flattening her hands against the wall for support. She forced a hand to move out in front of her, trying aimlessly to stop what she knew she couldn’t.
Sebastian stood before her, bold and erect, his body outlined by moonlight. His face was shadowed, so she was unable to make out his expression. It was when he took another step forward that she nearly screamed.
Pearly white fangs glimmered in the pale moonlight. They jutted from the corners of his mouth and on the tip of each one was a thick drop of blood from where they had cut through his lips.
Scarlet’s knees buckled and her sweating hands slipped on the wall behind her. Don’t faint, she thought. Not now.
He spoke. “If you tell anyone what you’ve seen tonight you will endanger my very existence.” He moved closer, as if he wanted her to examine his face, and her eyes remained fixed on the long white teeth that protruded from his mouth. “By now, you should have some idea of what I really am.” His breathing was deep and hot against her cheek. “Go, and keep silent, or you will look upon a severe punishment. I will not hurt you unless you betray me, Scarlet.”
And then he stepped back.
She could run to the door. But how?
“Wha—what are you?” The wall held her up now as her hands dangled at her sides. Her legs were frozen; the blood had risen out of them when her heart had moved up to her throat.
Tossing his hair back over his shoulders, Sebastian willed his teeth back up into his gums.
“Oh, my God.” Scarlet’s eyes were transfixed on his mouth and his disappearing teeth. “Y-you bit that girl, didn’t you?” The word bit barely whispered out, but she didn’t want to stick around for an answer any longer.
Suddenly Sebastian swept her into his arms. She wanted to fight, but her supply of adrenaline was nearly depleted. She was physically unable to resist him, allowing herself to be gently folded into his embrace. He kissed her unyielding lips and an mutinuously uncontrollable desire surfaced. Her mind fought to make her eyes see clearly, but her arms embraced him as her fingers slid up along the hard muscles on his back. His kisses were demanding and fierce and Scarlet felt her strength begin to wane as the buzzing began in her ears. She was going to faint.
“You must go now,” he whispered, and stepped away as quickly as he’d closed in on her.
“Yes.” She nodded blindly and trudged toward the door, a zombie doing as its master commanded. His kiss had been sweet, but her mind was in overdrive. She didn’t know what she had just seen; all she knew was that she had to leave.
She turned the doorknob and stepped across the threshold as his words floated to her. “I will have you, Scarlet. Soon.” He had whispered it, but she felt sure that he had wanted her to hear him.
She ran to the Jeep, and with crossed fingers and a fervent prayer, the engine kicked in after a few seconds of vigorous pumping. Before pulling away, Scarlet looked back to the porch light glowing outside Sebastian’s door.
His words resounded in her mind: I will have you. Soon.
***
Dreams. They invaded her sleep.
Cold spears of ice rained down from an oily black sky, piercing her skin as she ran toward a glowing light in the distance. She could never reach it, though her tired legs increased their speed steadily. The ice rain stabbed mercilessly at her, leaving her body bloodied and sore. Her throat was dry and rough from her exertions.
Sebastian. He wore a black cape lined in white satin with a stiff white collar rising around his neck. He knelt over a zombie girl’s body, his face covered by a veil of his thick black hair.
Scarlet approached him slowly as her feet toed into the thick mud. The ice rain stopped. Her body was covered with blood, now cold from the storm. Sebastian turned toward her. He smiled wickedly as the blood poured out of his victim’s neck and dripped from his razor sharp teeth.
A roll of thunder shook her bedroom, bolting Scarlet upright in the bed.
Vampire!
She let out a shriek as loud as the thunder.
Someone was in the room. Her door was open a few inches and the light from the hallway intruded into the darkness of her room. Although she couldn’t see a thing, she heard something rustling close to her bed and she squinted to make it out. Whatever it was, it was breathing, and it smelled of cologne.
She jerked away as a hand reached out of the darkness and touched her. She was about to scream when a familiar voice broke through the terrifying darkness.
“It’s me. Are you okay?” He sat down next to her and cradled her shaking body against his chest.
“Oh Gary, you scared me.”
“I’m sorry, I was just checking on you. I heard you scream.”
“It’s the thunder. I’m having trouble sleeping.”
Lightning flashed and now Scarlet could see the familiar curve of her brother's smile, and she felt safe. Safe from her dreams, at least for the time being. She breathed a sigh of relief and burrowed her face into the hair at the crook of his neck.
“Do you want me to stick around until you fall asleep?”
“Would you?”
She knew he would. He always used to crawl into bed with her when they were little whenever the storms came. He made her feel safe just by being there.
***
“He has a lady, you say?”
“Yes, master.” The thin, crudely dressed teenager knelt before the ancient chair padded in moth-eaten purple velvet where Francesco sat.
A lady. This information sent a satisfied chill through Francesco’s body. His head settled against the back of the chair and his eyes closed as he remembered. His fingers curled around the carved wooden lion’s head at the end of the chair arm then he reached out absently to stroke the boy’s kitten-soft hair.
“And did you hear a name, Matthias? What is the name of this woman who has pleased Sebastian DelaCourte so?”
The boy moved his head up to receive the soothing caresses from his master. But then he pulled back, realizing that he had failed. “I don’t know.” He cringed and watched for signs of disapproval but received only a blank stare.
“Don’t worry, my love.” The vampire cupped the boy’s chin and lifted it high. “I have waited a long time for this. I am in no hu
rry.”
Matthias smiled and laid his head on his master’s lap, cradling his arms around the stiff leather boots. He nuzzled his nose into the ancient silk fabric that was torn and decayed in spots and reeked of dirt and long-dried blood.
Francesco tilted his head to study the arched window in the stone wall. The roses of red and yellow stained glass at the top of the window were cracked and a sliver had fallen out, allowing the rain to sprinkle in over the dusty stone floors. The house was in a state of decay. He knew that if he were to walk to the window and push, even lightly, the entire structure would go crashing to the thick weeds below.
He didn’t care. He liked places like this. He hated the modern world with all its clean, hi-tech mechanisms. Its automated carriages and little wooden boxes with moving pictures sickened him. He craved the simple life he had once lived. It had been such a shock to rise after a century and a half of rest to this!
And Sebastian was to blame.
He was to blame for everything. The loss of his humanity, his family, and all that he cared for. And the loss of his true love.
“Do you want me tonight?” The boy’s reddened eyes pleaded for the ecstasy that he craved.
“Go to my room, Matthias. I’ll be there shortly.”
The boy sprang to his feet and kissed him, then danced out of the room.
Francesco rose and walked to the window. He fingered the curve of the red glass that formed the edge of a rose petal.
“It is my turn now, Sebastian. I shall drain your lover dry and leave her on your doorstep.”
***
The morning arrived quickly and rudely. The sun spread its cheery yellow hands across the room, jarring Scarlet from a peaceful, hard-earned sleep. Gary had slipped out earlier but she could still smell his evergreen cologne on her pillow. He always knew what to do to make her feel better.
She got up and started combing her hair. Having mentally thumbed through all the information her brain had stored about last night, she came to the inevitable conclusion that Sebastian was—could he be?—a vampire.
No. Vampires only existed in fantasy books and horror movies. She couldn’t have been seeing things right last night. It wasn't possible. The darkness, the play of the moon on his face. That was it.
But the girl. She’d floated down the stairs as if in a trance. And her neck. The blood had flowed from her neck onto her nightgown. She had bled real blood.
No, it was impossible. It was light when he’d picked her up the other night. But the sun had already started to set. Maybe vampires could come out before it totally disappeared from the sky?
And the silver cross that he wore around his neck; she remembered how the light that caught the top of that cross nearly blinded her for a split second when she was sitting across the dinner table from him. How could he wear something like that if he was a vampire?
She set the brush on the vanity and rested her chin in her hand. “He’s not,” she said, and shook her head at her reflection.
But he had been adamant about her not telling anyone. You will look upon a severe punishment. What would he do to her?
The blank stare in the mirror held her transfixed. She raised her hand to the glass and touched her reflection.
What are you, Sebastian?
She wanted to know, and the fear inside her was overtaken by an immediate and forceful curiosity.
“I will find out, Sebastian. If it’s the last thing I do.”
Chapter Seven
Sebastian let his hand fall across the strings of his electric guitar as he kicked at the bottom rung of the stool. Keeping thoughts of Scarlet from his mind was next to impossible. Last night should have never happened. Though, in his heart he was glad. He had been terrified of telling her the truth for fear that she would reject him.
Now she would know, or at least have a good idea of what he was all about.
But last night was not going to help her trust him.
“DelaCourte?” The man in the control booth prompted him.
Studio time was dwindling and this was the last track that he had to do for Fury, a bridge for the song “Rebel Lover.” Blade, the band’s singer, had asked for a fast, sexy riff that would complement the ‘fuck-me-now’ beat.
“All right.” Sebastuab sighed, and pulled the microphone close to his guitar. “Let’s try it again. Give me a cue.”
The man’s fingers went into action at the controls, sliding them along their tracks. He flipped a switch and gave a count of four, after which Sebastian once again started to fire out the lightning fast passage that would later be dubbed into “Rebel Lover.”
The studio echoed with his speedy scales. Sebastian used a flamenco study he’d developed to add to the erotic quality he was striving for. Each note evoked the furious clapping of the castanets and the rustling of the dancers’ skirts as they pounded their heels to the rhythm of the guitar’s voice. Each note was crisp and clear; finally, perfect. After about two minutes Sebastian stopped and waited again for the cue.
“Perfect, or as good as it’s going to get.”
Sebastian stood and pulled the plug out of the base of his guitar. “You know damn well that it’ll never be any better than that. Perfection is my middle name.”
“Sebastian Perfection DelaCourte. Good title for your next album. The ladies will love that one.”
Sebastian chuckled and waved a farewell. “I’ve got things to do.”
The carport sat three floors below the studios in the basement of the recording complex. Sebastian let his bag clunk down on the floor of the elevator.
“Hold the door!”
He caught the doors as they began to close, and Vince stepped inside in a rush of blond hair and suede fringes.
“Hey, Vince, haven’t talked to you for a while.” Sebastian tried to be nice, but he was sure that Vince had heard about his disastrous evening with Scarlet.
But what was that? He suddenly felt very strange standing in this enclosed space. Something so familiar, yet he couldn’t quite place it. Vibrations. A rush of cool air. He rubbed his hand down his arm in an attempt to warm the goosebumps away.
“Hey man, I was hoping I’d run into you.” The elevator stopped and the doors opened to the garage, but Vince stood with his feet apart blocking their exit. “I wanted to talk to you about Scarlet.”
What did Vince have in mind? Was he going to challenge him to a duel right here in the dingy old carport to avenge his best friend’s sister?
“If you want to talk to me, fine. But let’s get out of here so someone else can use the elevator.”
Vince nodded and stepped out into the carport. A few bare light bulbs scattered down the walls and reflected in pools of old oil and opalescent blue transmission fluid. There were three cars parked and not another person in sight.
“So, what about Scarlet?” Sebastian walked to his car, knowing Vince would follow.
“I want you to keep your hands off her, do you understand?” Vince rushed around in front of him and stopped him as he arrived at his trunk. “You know I like you, Sebastian, and I don’t want to lose the friendship we have, but if you don’t stay away from Scarlet then you can just forget it.” His pale blue eyes sparked menace. “You’ll be looking at your new enemy.”
Sebastian looked down at the fingers Vince had stabbed into his chest and then casually slipped the key into the trunk lock. “Those are harsh words coming from a friend.”
“What do you expect? It sounds like you might have raped Scarlet the other night if she hadn’t been lucky enough to get away.”
“Now wait a minute.” Sebastian tossed his bag into the trunk and slammed it, amazed that he was letting himself react angrily. “I did not rape her and I never would have.”
Unbelievable. Did she tell her brother that I tried to rape her?
“I think she might have had a little too much to drink and now she’s giving you guys a line. Sure, I made a pass at her. What did she expect?”
“Just because sh
e was on a date with you doesn’t mean that you have permission to violate her in any way.” Vince’s mouth curled into a snarl and his hair fell across his face. He angrily pushed it back.
“Violate?” Sebastian raised a brow. “Such words you use, Vince. I find it hard to believe that Scarlet would say that I tried to rape her. You and Gary are jumping to conclusions.” He spoke calmly, but at the same time hated his words. He didn’t want to say anything hurtful about the woman he had fallen in love with, but at the moment, he felt it the only thing he could do to protect his secrets.
“Oh, man.” Vince glared hard at Sebastian. His hands were in fists but he kept releasing them and squeezing them tightly together. “You don’t care, do you?” He stabbed Sebastian in the chest again with his finger, his eyes blazing and his mouth tight as he spoke. “You hurt her, man, and I don’t want you going near her ever again, or I promise I will do the same to you.”
He was deeply concerned about her, Sebastian could tell. Vince was a good man and Sebastian would never dream of moving in on a friend’s girl. That wasn’t his style. He could have any woman he wanted. But Scarlet was not any woman, and she wasn’t Vince’s girl.
“Fine, I’ll stay away from her.”
He watched as Vince’s shoulders relaxed and he nodded once as if to seal a pact of sorts. Then his eyes shut and he clenched his teeth. Was that pain on his face? Pain from what Sebastian had done to Scarlet? Or no, some sort of internal pain Vince was fighting and trying desperately not to let him see.
“Good, then I guess I’ve . . .” Vince bent slightly at the waist, steadying himself with his fist on the trunk. “I’ve said what I wanted to say.”
“Are you all right?”
Vince stepped back and turned toward his car a few empty stalls away. “I’m fine, just a headache,” he said, stumbling back, his boots sloshing through a puddle of black water. “Just don’t forget what I said.” Then he turned and shuffled away.
He wouldn't forget. But that didn't mean he'd take Vince's advice either. He remained standing at the rear of his car as Vince’s car backed out and the taillights slowly disappeared up the ramp and out into the sunlight.
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