“Nah, they were playing a top-forty stuff. Definitely a cover band. I’m not familiar with most of the cover bands in the area.”
“But that narrows it down,” Sebastian said eagerly. “We know he’s at a bar where the band doesn’t play their own material.”
“Shit, do you know how many bars there are in this area of the city that feature cover bands? Let alone the entire city of Los Angeles.”
“Could be less than a dozen, Gary.” Scarlet seemed hopeful.
“Yes, and I can cover a lot of ground in a short time.”
“So you’re going to look for him?” Gary asked.
“Yes, let’s go, Scarlet.”
Gary followed the two to the door. “Scarlet can stay here.”
Sebastian held the door open as Scarlet stepped outside. He was aware of Gary’s need to keep his sister close so she wouldn’t get hurt again. He tried his best not to let his urgency show. “She won’t be safe with me or you tonight, Gary, not until I know for sure where Francesco is. I told you, I’m going to put her in a safe place.”
“Sebastian, you’re talking about me as if I’m a piece of glassware or something that you can wrap up and tuck away in a box for safekeeping.”
He touched her hair and stroked the waves of velvet coal. “I don’t mean to sound cruel. But we’ve discussed this. You know I must hide you or Francesco may find you.”
“He’s right,” Gary agreed even though Sebastian felt sure he was saying it just to put Scarlet at ease. “Unfortunately, we’re going to have to trust Sebastian. I don’t relish you falling into the hands of some vindictive vampire. I’m not too sure about Vince anymore. He sounded eerie.” He toed the threshold.
“Let’s go, cherie." Sebastian whispered. “The sooner we leave, the quicker this will all be finished.”
“Where are you taking her?” Gary asked, holding the door ajar.
“I can’t tell you that, Gary. If Vince is allied with Francesco, he may try to get that information from you. You have to trust me on this one.”
***
Patting his shirt pocket, Vince made sure that his new sunglasses were intact. The money Francesco had given him had bought him new leather pants and a mesh sleeveless shirt. It looked great on him and he liked the soft chinking noise it made when he strode in front of the dressing room mirror. Stopping by a thrift shop, he picked up a killer pair of tattered boots with just enough heel and that nice worn look that he loved.
He leaned against the wall next to the pay phone, watching as the women sashayed past him. He was right across from the ladies’ room. What a spot! This was the first time he’d dared go into a bar by himself since the time he’d been mauled, and he wondered now what he’d been so freaked about before. If the women wanted him, come and get it.
He chuckled to himself. Yeah, the old shy Vince Lyons was gone. Say hello to Mr. Hyde, ladies, your Casanova has arrived. He flipped his hair over his shoulders. His plan was simple. He had none. He was going to wing it, see what happened.
The blood hunger pricked at his insides like a hungry vulture eyeing a dying cow. He needed a ripe young female to satisfy his thirst, and he was going to enjoy stalking his prey. He licked his lips, eyeing the tight purple miniskirt that disappeared into the ladies’ room.
His tongue touched the tips of his teeth to test their sharpness. Smooth and dull right now, but just wait. He wasn’t a bit nervous about sinking his daggers into a fair maiden’s throat. The fact that he had never done it before and wasn’t quite sure about the exact procedure didn’t worry him. Francesco had assured him that when the time came he would know what to do.
Spicy sweet perfume lingered in the air and he turned to see a pretty young thing talking on the phone, her violet eyes set on his. She twirled the phone cord around her finger as her eyes traversed his lanky frame.
Not too bad he thought, sizing her up. Nice tits, ample enough without being fat around the hip area, and killer legs sticking out of a red hot mini that clung to her body leaving nothing to the imagination. He licked his lips as an indication of his equal interest.
“Tasty little appetizer,” he murmured.
When she hung up, he put his hand over hers. “Finished?”
Her eyes glanced down to his leather pants. She pushed the tip of her red fingernail through one of the metal circles on his shirt and smiled, revealing a fortune in dental work. “Looks like we’re just getting started.”
“Let’s sit down.” He pulled her toward the far corner of the bar where the beer he'd ordered waited.
“But I want to dance,” she pouted, pulling on his hand as they passed through the crowd.
“Later,” he said bluntly. “First, let’s talk.”
He patted the seat, and the girl sat next to him, pushing her thigh against his. Feeling the heat travel to his groin, Vince decided that he could overlook her pouty behavior this time.
“It’s so dark over here.” She threaded her fingers through his hair. “I like to see who’s walking around. And you can hardly see the band from here.”
Bad choice, Vince thought, and he made a mental note to check out his prey more thoroughly from now on. This one he would have to take care of right away before she drove him nuts with her whining. Settling back in the seat, he rubbed the condensation from his frosted beer mug, half listening as she went on about her girlfriends and how she wanted them to meet him, and why couldn’t they go sit with them?
The hunger demanded. He pushed his icy mug to the middle of the table. It was time to taste mortal blood.
“Shut up and kiss me.”
That command the girl understood, and she followed orders, much to Vince’s approval. He eyed the surrounding tables as the girl squirmed closer and slipped her nails under his shirt. The back of the bar wasn’t lit for a reason, as everyone else around them had the same idea. The waitress was not to be seen and he was confident that their little corner was too dark for anyone to notice their embrace. Even if they were spied no one would do or say anything.
“What’s your name, lover?” the girl whispered as her hands trailed down his abs and toyed with the buttons on his pants.
“Doesn’t matter.”
Pulling her onto his lap, Vince kissed her neck and began to seek the vein with the tip of his tongue. He found it thumping madly beneath his lips and grinned as his canines automatically slipped down. They really did work! This was going to be cool. His first human victim, and the rush was insurmountable.
“Thanks for the memories, baby,” he said as her flesh opened beneath his mouth and the warm blood spurted to the back of his throat. He held her firmly until he felt her feeble resistant struggles stop, then sucked ravenously at the magic within her. To anyone else, it would look as though he were kissing her neck.
His first taste of mortal blood and it was better than he had imagined. Why didn't I learn about this sooner?
The girl slumped in his arms and closed her eyes. The swoon traced Vince's veins and he knew he’d taken enough, though it was hard to stop. But knowing there were more and better things to come, he pushed her body to the side and laid her head on the vinyl bench.
As he leaned over her, the blood rushed to Vince’s head and then traveled his body in a furious burst of strength. The heady feeling was beginning to fade, while at the same time he felt his muscles tightening.
“Oh, yes.” He sat up, stretching his legs under the table and his arms into the smoky air beside him. “Francesco was right. This is what I was meant to be. I am a vampire.”
***
'Death Chill' slithered across the airwaves, a top forty hit that had put Fury on the charts. It was a dark and foreboding tune, yet it maintained a head-banging beat and catchy chorus that the kids went wild for. Sebastian twisted up the volume as the Corvette turned onto gravel.
“I was an inspiration for that song,” he said with a silly smile and a glance her way.
“Really?” Scarlet said. “Could have fooled me.” She laugh
ed and made a conscious effort to listen to the lyrics. The chorus spoke of vampire lovers draining you dry and ghosts slipping in and out of your rotting bones. “So, do you work with Fury a lot?”
The song ended and Sebastian turned the music down so they could talk. “I have, though I’m looking for something different now. Something more fluid and musical, not so death-inspired.”
“Like Wild Child?”
“Do you think your brother would consider allowing me to work with them now? After all that has happened?”
“I don’t know. Probably not.”
Not after everything he'd gotten her involved in lately, she thought. Since she’d met Sebastian she had become immortal, killed a teenager, traveled back through time, and now, to top it all off, she had a vengeful vampire after her. Francesco had been so different then . . .
“You were the one who transformed Francesco, weren’t you?” She knew he was. Who else would have?
Sebastian threw her a startled look.
“Why?” she asked. “Was it before or after Serena?”
“We were both vampires when Francesco fell in love with Serena, we had been for about twelve years by then.” Sebastian sighed. “After you left, or shall I say Elisabeth left, I was alone and confused. Unlike you, I had no one to tell me how things should be. So, thinking myself a monster and finding my mind swept into this vicious swirl of confusion and misunderstanding, I left my family immediately, without a word to my mother.”
Sebastian looked at Scarlet and she saw the sadness in his expression. Angelique had been everything to him.
He cleared his throat and continued. “I quickly learned that to survive I had to drink blood. I was smart enough to keep away from Paris, hunting only the countryside for lone travelers. Francesco found me about a month later roaming about a heather field, dirty and near desperation. He took me home and eventually I explained everything. Surprisingly, he agreed to take me in and to keep my condition a secret.
“It was less than a year before he started asking for my gift, as he called it. I myself referred to it as a curse. Francesco thought it a wonder to live forever and never age. And I, well, I couldn’t bear to face the future alone. I wanted a companion who would always be with me. So I did it.”
“Do you regret it?”
“Yes and no. I don’t regret creating him. I would have gone mad if I'd had no one else of my kind around. And it was what Francesco wanted. But he changed. And I do regret the loss of our friendship.”
He reached for her hand and pulled it to his mouth and kissed it, sending shivers up her arm. “We’re here, ma cherie."
Scarlet turned to look in horror at where they were.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
The engine purred to a halt and fingers of white fog tickled the hood of the car. The gargoyle-guarded iron gate swung in the wind, making a metallic screeching noise that only a graveyard could produce. Beyond that, the mausoleum rose from the mist, a foreboding castle protected by its tombstone sentries.
“It’s just for a short time, Scarlet. After you’ve fallen asleep you’ll lose track of time. And when I come back to you, you’ll wake thinking you’ve only been out for a few minutes.”
Sebastian’s calmness made her blood boil. He actually expected her to climb inside a stone sarcophagus and wait until he returned. She shook her head. “No. I’m not setting foot out of this car. No way! I thought you loved me, Sebastian.”
“I do, cherie. But—”
“If you really loved me then you wouldn’t ask me to do this.” She shivered already, even though the mist could not penetrate the car. “I just can’t.”
Without replying, he stepped out of the car. She listened as he walked around, his boots crunching in the gravel, and fumbled with his keys. The trunk opened and shut and he walked around to her door and opened it, the mist pushing past his legs to creep into her sanctuary.
He knelt before her, resting his chin on her leg. “I love you with all my soul, Scarlet. And that is exactly why I beg you to do this for me. You mustn’t be afraid. You'll be safe. I know Francesco will never find you here. Please, cherie don’t make this any harder than it has to be. I know you’re scared.” He squeezed her hand. “I’m scared too. Scared that he’ll find you and harm you.”
Sebastian buried his face in her lap. She stroked his hair, sensing his pain, and his love. He was doing this for her, and she should be more grateful. “I don’t know, I do trust you, but—”
“I’ll stay until you fall asleep. I promise. And I’ll hurry back to you as soon as I’m able.”
The idea of not waking was creepy. How would her body know to remain asleep? Though she remembered Sebastian had lain in the same coffin during his journey to America. If he had done it and risen safely, then possibly she would be all right. Just for a few days. That was all it would take, wasn’t it?
“You promise you won’t forget about me in there?”
Sebastian’s mouth dropped. “How can you even think that, knowing how I feel about you? I’ll be counting the seconds until I can come back for you.”
Though she still felt it wasn’t a good idea, the care Sebastian was taking to reassure her was working. Scarlet sighed and turned her feet out to the ground. “What’s that?”
He held up the blanket that he’d tucked between his legs. “I thought it would make you more comfortable.”
Letting a miserable moan escape, Scarlet clutched the thin plaid blanket to her chest and closed the door behind her. Though Sebastian's heart was in the right place, she couldn't embrace the idea without some reluctance. “I suppose we should get this over with then.”
Nothing had changed inside the stone structure. The dust on the floor still showed traces of their footsteps and no others. Good. She didn’t want this place to become a hot spot for curious visitors.
Sebastian slid the thick stone coffin cover to one end. With a hollow groan the inner blackness was revealed and a cloud of ancient dust rose in the dim night air. He reached for the blanket, which she reluctantly released and laid it in the bottom of the stone box, neatly pulling it to each corner.
“You’ll be warm enough without that to cover you, I just thought it would be a little cleaner.”
“You always plan ahead don’t you, Sebastian?” Always.
“Shall I help you?”
His offer pushed her relief to the back wall and fear surfaced again. He certainly seemed to be in a hurry. “Just hold me first, please.”
Nuzzling her face against his neck, Scarlet held tight to her lover. She didn’t want him to see her tears, or think that she didn’t want to comply with his wishes. The last thing she wanted was to fall into Francesco’s hands.
If only there was another way.
“I won’t say good-bye.” His whisper heated her skin and warmed her soul. “Only au revoir."
Scarlet turned and with his help, climbed into the ominous stone box. Clutching the sides, nearly three inches thick. The cover had to weigh a ton, and once it was pulled over her it would kill the light and the air.
“How will I breathe?”
“Lie back.” He pushed gently and she fought to remain sitting. “Don’t worry, once asleep your body will literally shut down. Your breathing will slow and you will need very little oxygen to survive. Besides, this stone is porous.”
“Porous? It’s as wide as my fist. There’s no way—”
But she was silenced by a kiss forced to her chattering lips. She could feel the tension pull Sebastian’s mouth tight and she fought back the tears as he smoothed his hands over her hair. He hugged her tightly as if trying to force courage into her with his actions. “Trust me, I wouldn’t let you do this if I wasn’t sure that you’d survive. This used to be my coffin, remember?”
“You won’t leave until I’m asleep?”
“I promise.”
“But how will you know? What if you leave before I fall asleep?”
“Scarlet.” His tone was becoming harder.
/>
“All right, I’ll stop.”
“I’m sorry, lover, I don’t want to be cruel or abrupt but . . .”
“I know, Vince is out there somewhere and you’ve got to find him. I’ll be quiet now. I promise.”
“Kiss me again.”
She did and then Sebastian lowered her head until it rested against the hard stone. The blanket did little to cushion her bed but she did not complain. As he pulled the lid over her he spoke quietly.
“Try not to think of me standing out here or you’ll never relax. Just clear your head and sleep will come quickly. Okay, cherie?”
As the last bit of light was blocked from her view, Scarlet called out as quickly as her heart was beating, “Don’t forget me, Sebastian.”
The edge of the lid slammed over the coffin box and Sebastian laid his arms over the raised vines and roses and listened quietly. She would be all right. And he would return as soon as possible.
His fingers pressed to the cold stone and he could feel the beating of her heart. Rampant and wild. She was so scared.
“Sleep in peace, my dark angel. I’m here.”
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Two days had passed since Scarlet’s voice had graced the dreary walls of the mansion, and Sebastian wasn’t talking. At least, he had nothing better to offer than a ‘trust me’ and a shrug when Gary pressed him for answers. All he would say was that he was hot on Vince’s trail and he felt sure that soon they would discover Francesco’s hideout.
Trying to keep himself busy, Gary had spent most of the afternoon and early evening stripping the flocked blue and gold wallpaper from the room off the grand room. Vince was the one who thought the room would make a great recording studio. Nothing too fancy, just the basic equipment for a while, until they started earning more.
Gary wondered now if Wild Child would ever play again. Vince was a vampire. Would he still want to sing with them? Had he lost his best friend?
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