A flicker crossed her face.
It was slight, barely lasted for longer than a millisecond, but it was enough to make me take a step back.
I forgot where I was.
My heel slid in a pool of… something, and I did something quite inelegant and unvampire-like to keep from falling on my behind.
Evangeline snickered at the sight of my flailing arms, her lips the same hue as the human blood splattered across the walls.
“You look like an idiot.”
My shoulders relaxed and I let out a breath I hadn’t known I’d been holding.
Best she thinks me a dunce than an actual threat, otherwise I would not rise to see another moon.
“Clean this up,” I snapped to the humans behind us. “Then let’s get the hell out of here.”
“Well?” The well-dressed man with the neatly trimmed goatee smiled at me from across the massive table that could’ve doubled as a slaughtering block for cattle. “The operation went well, I presume?”
I bit my lip, hands tightening into fists, wishing greatly they were around a certain female devil’s neck.
Benedict Jardin’s dark, winged brows furrowed over large, luminous brown eyes that were as fathomless as the ocean.
Come to think of it, there was a lot about my boss that was reminiscent of the ocean.
Calm and placid in one moment, raging with the force of continent-swallowing tsunamis the next.
Knowing just how volatile his anger was, still I hesitated.
Failure… again.
Goddamnit.
My teeth ground against each other, practically turning my molars into dust.
Goddamn that Evangeline.
And your cowardly fear towards that psychotic she-demon, snickered an insidious voice in the back of my mind.
Jardin’s brows lowered as he gestured me to one of the two elegantly curved wooden chairs before his desk.
“Sit,” he said. “It can’t be all that bad, can it? You’ve returned.” He cocked his head to one side, his eyes closing in concentration for a moment. “And if I’m not mistaken, is that not the sounds of the truck being unloaded?”
A corner of his lips curved up ever so slightly. “Quite a successful raid, no? Did you raid their entire surplus? Did Kaminsky’s men make things… difficult?”
I wondered if he could see the conclusion of the debacle in my eyes as I eased gingerly onto the velvety cushions, hands curling onto the smooth mahogany of the armrests.
“We took everything they had in reserve,” I said, trying to meet his steady, penetrating gaze. Jardin abhorred those who couldn’t meet his gaze, calling them spineless worms.
And despite the fear that had coursed through my veins like icy oil at the sight of Evangeline’s carnage, I wanted, no, needed Jardin to know that I wasn’t an absolute coward.
Just sixty percent of one.
“Well, that is cause for celebration.” Jardin stood up and strode over to the drink cabinet at the other side of the room. “What’ll you be having?”
I licked my dry lips. “Whatever you’re having, sir.”
His eyes glinted in the leaping firelight as he turned to face me, a decanter containing something darkly crimson and viscous splashing within its crystal confines. “A man after my own heart. I knew it was a wise choice to make you my point man.”
Crap.
Better now than having Jardin find out from someone else.
Like ripping off a bandage, the pain would be quick and instantaneous, but I’d rather that than the slow tugging, the oozing blood, the slow tearing of flesh as the bond refuses to loosen its grip…
“Sir, there was a complication.” My throat seized up as my mind whirled through all the possibilities of my master’s punishments, each more horrifying than the last.
The decanter lip clattered softly against a crystal cut glass that glittered like a diamond in the dim lights.
His face remained expressionless, almost amiable, but I had seen the faintest flicker of his lashes.
My hands tightened around the armrests as I fought the nigh-undeniable urge to take flight, like a rabbit caught in the path of a starving wolf.
“Complication?”
I shouldn’t have hesitated so damn much. Should’ve said everything at the door, before Jardin could properly form a response.
So much for ripping off the proverbial bandage.
I took a deep breath of the cedar-scented air. “I’m afraid there were no witnesses.”
Jardin finished pouring the two drinks and quirked a brow at me as he placed the stopper back into the decanter.
The faint clatter put my teeth on edge.
Why the hell did it sound so goddamned awful, so strident?
“No witnesses?” He handed me the half-filled glass and sat back down behind the desk, his drink dangling from his long, slender fingers. “Raymond Kaminsky kept the repository unguarded?”
I had no taste for the finely aged blood shivering in my cup. “I’m afraid Evangeline killed them.”
“The vampires?”
I set the glass down on the edge of his desk, didn’t want the expensive liquid to go to waste should Jardin launch himself at me and leave me a bloody smudge on the opposite wall.
“Well, yes, but I wouldn’t be so reticent if that’s all she slaughtered.” I regarded him carefully, prepared to let the chips fall where they may. “I’m afraid she turned the human employees into lunchmeat.”
“Lunchmeat?” His lips thinned. “She killed all of them? And you let her?”
I shouldn’t have engaged him. Should’ve simply hung my head, apologized for such a grave mistake and pray that Jardin had a three-strikes policy.
But if there’s something that raises my hackles, it’s being accused of incompetence and I’m just ego-driven enough to fight against such a portrayal.
“I did warn you about her, told you she was too volatile for such an operation.” I fought to keep the fear at bay, to keep up the barest facsimile of the bravado that had done me relatively well in my two centuries of life.
But Jardin could see right through me, I knew it.
Still, one had to keep up the effort.
Besides, I’d never been one to beg. “All the other humans were busy loading the van. I didn’t want to leave any of them watching the hostages for fear of revolt. My choice to leave Evangeline to keep watch over the humans was based on logic.”
“Logic, hm?” Jardin sipped the aged blood and sighed. His gaze swiveled toward the richly paneled ceiling, all dark mahogany, sharp angles, and stinking of paper money. “A pity our little Eva is anything but that.”
“She’s a walking bomb that has yet to detonate,” I continued. Carefully, though. Even if it didn’t appear immediately that Jardin would blame me for the night’s disaster, there was plenty of time left for him to come to the conclusion that my actions very well might lead to an underground war. “Please. Keep her away from these operations. As a warrior, there is none other who match her savagery, but in a stealth operation she is worse than useless.”
“Mmm,” he replied. “Understood. I shall take your words into consideration. I will not blame you for tonight’s… debacle.”
My shoulders relaxed as my pulse began to return to normal.
I’d live.
For another night, it seemed.
We sat quietly, the occasional pop and crack from the fireplace, coupled with the sounds of our sips of the exquisitely aged blood that flowed down my throat like golden mead served in the halls of Valhalla.
Finally, Jardin broke the silence when he cleared his throat and set his empty glass down. “Tell me, Arden, do you have plans tomorrow evening?”
Christ, another raid so soon?
I shook my head reluctantly. “Nothing. Did you need me for something?”
A corner of Jardin’s thin lips twisted up. But not even the most naïve optimist would’ve called it a smile.
He slid a thick white envelope across the
table towards me.
“You’re going to be my plus one,” he said. “I hope you have something to wear.”
Three
Eloise
“El, is there anything else you need up here before I go downstairs?” I had jumped in my seat when my mother swung my bedroom door open without warning. She peeked her head inside and smiled warmly at me. Her diamond and ruby earrings swung wildly.
I attempted my best fake smile I could. I tried to capture this happy image of my mother in my head because I knew she was going to be immensely pissed at me by the end of the night.
“No, I’m all good,” I answered sweetly. Maybe too sweetly. Damn it, I’m not a good liar.
My mother’s eyes shifted from me to the five large solid wood bookcases that filled one wall of my bedroom. They reached from floor to ceiling and were filled to the brim with more books than most people read in a lifetime.
“Your books are keeping you company again?”
Her gaze returned to my face, and I shook my head. “I already finished all of those, but there are more in the library I could read.”
The five bookcases in my room were nothing compared to the expansive library my mother kept in a room all by itself. I don’t think there’s a grander collection of fairy tales, histories, or sciences anywhere in the world. She always told my sister and me that my dad built each of the shelves in there by hand and that he had read every book himself. When I was little, I’d bring a pillow and a blanket in there and camp out in one of the armchairs just to feel him around me. It was strange considering I’d never known my father; he’d died when I was an infant, and Madge had only just started talking. But maybe all that time in the library was why I loved reading so much.
My mother’s wide smile shifted into a closed mouth, but still beaming grin. “Remind me to have Willard take you to the bookstore downtown soon so you can pick out more for your collection.”
“I’d like that.”
“Then it’s settled,” she gave a soft laugh. “Now, I have to get down there before the guests begin to worry.”
I nodded without saying anything, and I could see the passing shadow of a frown flash like lightning across her face. She knew I was unhappy about being stuck in my room, but she did nothing to remedy it except bribe me with more books. Not that it was the worst thing she could bribe me with. My mother made her exit, and she closed the door tightly behind her. How many times had I stared at the back of that door while her parties happened just one floor below?
The chair made the smallest screech as it slid across the floor and I stood up. I tiptoed slowly to the door and pressed my ear against it, feeling the cold surface against my cheek. I could hear the sound of the six-piece orchestra downstairs, playing a waltz for the guests. What I couldn’t hear were footsteps or the sound of my mother speaking to the servants. So I carefully opened the door just a crack and peeked through the sliver to see if she was still in the hallway. The coast appeared clear, and I shut the door again, running to my closet with as much speed as I could muster.
Once at my closet, I pushed all of my dresses, skirts, blouses, and more to the one side to pull out a dress I had hidden behind all of them. Luckily, it hadn’t wrinkled in its hiding place or I would have been devastated. I held up the hanger and marveled at the beautiful rose-red gown that my maid had snuck in for me. She was eager to assist me in my plan once I swore that mother would never know of her involvement.
I pulled off the clothes I was wearing as if they were on fire. They were in a pile faster than I thought possible and I was soon zipping up the dress, with great clumsy difficulty, and staring at my reflection in the mirror. It was a silk bodice with dozens of tiny roses covering it. The v-neck of the bodice and the sleevelessness of it made me thankful that the heating was on in the mansion, keeping out the frigid air outside. The skirt part was made of a matching red organza that swished with every movement and brushed against the floor.
I gave a twirl and found myself almost breathless with excitement. This was it. I’d waited years for the time my mother would finally let me attend one of her balls, but I was going to seize this moment myself. This would be my grand entrance into vampire and human society. I did a final check of my hair and made the last minute decision to grab the lip gloss my sister had left behind and applied a quick coat.
Walking up to my door, I made the rash choice to throw it open. If my mother was somehow right outside I’d be done for even if I just cracked it so go big or go home. The hallway was empty and the sound of the ballroom music increased without the door blocking it out. I took in a deep breath and smelled the savory and sweet aromas of the assorted hors d’oeuvres that I would find downstairs.
I sauntered to the staircase and paused at the top. Already, if a guest were to look up, they’d see me. I gazed down at them and soaked in the different colored lady’s dresses and the finely fitted suits of the men. The staircases opened into the entryway of the house, but the entryway had a large open doorway into the ballroom, so the party inevitably spilled out into the entryway. The guests that stood outside the ballroom were leaning in for hushed whispers of conversation and I could spot one couple making out passionately behind one of the potted plants in the corner.
With one final deep breath to muster the courage I thought I had, I took my first step down the staircase. I’d walked those steps a thousand times before, but now they were both daunting and thrilling. I didn’t know whether to watch my feet to ensure I didn’t fall, because that would be my luck, or whether to watch the guests below me to see if they noticed my entrance.
As if on cue, one of the men below locked eyes with me. It was easy to surmise that he was a vampire client of my mother thanks to his pale tint of the skin from avoiding direct sunlight and the aura of intelligence and power that he exuded. As if that were not enough of a hint, his lips curled back in what I hoped was a grin and the sharpened points of his teeth peeked through.
He kept his gaze fixed on me and I gulped in nervousness. The male companion that stood with him looked up from the thick red drink in his hand, probably a sampling of my mother’s supplies of blood, and noticed me as well. They began to whisper something to each other, still looking in my direction, and I quickly turned my eyes away from them.
My feet found the solid ground, and a rush of energy came over me. I’d done it. I’d gone down the stairs during one of mother’s balls. It wasn’t much, but it was a first step toward my new found freedom. I glanced to my left and saw the opened double doors of the ballroom, saw the dozens of vampires who twirled in the middle of the room or tasted merrily from a blood fountain on the food table. An even larger number of the guests stood against the walls of the room having quiet conversations, probably brokering deals or making agreements regarding business.
I crossed the marble flooring, my heels clacking against the surface, and entered through the doors. It was like one of the fairytales I loved so much. The music, the food, the laughter, the dresses. I stood just inside the ballroom and soaked in all the details.
A woman next to me noticed I was idling there, and she smiled, a sound similar to a purr resonating deep within her. She was as elegant as any lady I imagined in my books, with her golden hair pulled half up and the rest cascading like a waterfall onto her baby blue gown. She looked no more than thirty-five, but that meant she was probably at least four hundred when it came to vampire years. Her sharpened teeth were glistening and white as she spoke cheerfully with me.
“Well, aren’t you a darling little thing. I did not realize Madame Leona had another daughter,” her voice was hypnotizing, and I instantly wanted to be this woman’s friend. I didn’t know if that was just her personality or an affect of her vampire biology.
“How did you know I was her daughter?”
This elicited a feminine laugh from her lips. I was concerned she would spill the drink in her hand, which would be disastrous for her dress considering I was fairly sure it was blood.
; “Lovely, I can smell you’re a human as plain as day. And I don’t believe Madame Leona invites any humans to her parties.” She leaned in to pretend to whisper, but was still loud enough to be heard over the music. “Humans are far too high strung.”
I giggled with her, not sure if I was supposed to be insulted or not. Luckily, the woman turned back to the others that were with her and they struck up their conversation again. But one look around the room made it very evident that I had been noticed. Maybe it was the human scent, or maybe they could feel the nerves wafting off my skin. The butterflies in my stomach were going a mile a minute, and I hoped my cheeks were not flushed a matching red to the dress.
The sounds of murmuring multiplied as guests began to gossip about the new addition to the ball. Some couples ceased dancing, and some sipped away at their cups, staring me down from over the brim. The tension in the room was thick.
So I shouldn’t have been too surprised that my mother quickly gauged the change in the atmosphere. She was across the room, chatting away with a stately gentlemen who appeared to be a young twenty-five or around there, but whose refined manner of dress made me instantly think of the Victorian era. Her eyes went wide and her jaw dropped when she spotted me and I could see astonishment, fear, and then rage flash across her eyes one right after the other.
Her eyes darted around the room to take in the reactions of her guests and she quickly shut her jaw into a tight clench, straightening her back and swiftly, but calmly, taking strides across the ballroom to meet me. She wasn’t going to show her clients that she had lost control of the situation. She had appearances to keep up.
My mother stood in front of me, only slighter taller, but feeling like she was towering over me. Her hand reached out and grabbed my arm in a seemingly loving gesture, but I could feel her nails digging into my skin as she tightened her grasp. She smiled, but her teeth were gritted and her voice was harsh as she spoke through them.
Kiss of Crimson Page 2