Moonshade (Vampire Conclave: Book 1)

by S. J. West

  “I’ll do my best,” I reply, even though I still don’t have a clue what either of them is referring to, but I’m not about to let Adrian know that little fact.

  Daniel leans in toward me and gives me a quick peck on the cheek. “See you tonight, Sarah.”

  “See ya.”

  Once Adrian and Daniel walk out the door, I motion to Julian for him to follow me into the kitchen.

  Once there, I ask, “Is Adrian out of earshot?”

  Julian tilts his head like he’s listening to something.

  “He is now,” he tells me a few seconds later.

  “What’s all this about your sister? Are we going to go see her?”

  “She called this morning to tell me she’s throwing a party to welcome Adrian to New Orleans. Apparently she tried to contact me yesterday, but I wasn’t in the mood to talk to anyone, much less her.”

  Well, that was partly my fault. My refusal to come back here had put Julian in such a bad temper he didn’t even want to talk to his only living relative.

  “It’s all right,” I tell him. I can’t very well place all the blame for the surprise on his shoulders. “So, what kind of party is it? And that’s woman-speak for how nice do I need to dress.”

  Julian grins. “Don’t worry about your outfit. I have that one covered.”

  “You mean you already have something for me to wear?”

  “Yes.”

  When he doesn’t elaborate on what it is I’m supposed to be dressed in for the party, I immediately become suspicious.

  “Can you at least show me what I’m expected to put on before we go to your sister’s place?”

  “Yes,” he hesitates before continuing. “You should probably know that if there are any other female companions in attendance, they will be wearing the same dress as you, just in a different color.”

  “Exactly the same?” I ask, finding such a notion strange.

  Julian nods. “It’s simply tradition. It lets everyone present know that you belong to me.”

  Well, that just made me feel special all over.

  “Would you like to see it?” he asks.

  “Yes,” I reply apprehensively, “I would.”

  Julian holds his hand out to me and we walk up to the second floor together. In the hallway near my room, there is a pull-down latch hanging from the ceiling that I never noticed before now. Julian pulls on it and a flight of stairs descends to our level, leading up to the attic. He flips a switch on the wall beside us that turns on a light in the space above. He then motions for me to precede him up the steps.

  The attic is large and almost completely full of cardboard boxes in various sizes. It’s so big someone could convert it into another floor for the house, if they wanted to spend the time and money to finish it out.

  “Walk straight ahead,” he instructs.

  I walk down the narrow corridor that has been left between the boxes and come to a tall one marked Companion. Julian comes up behind me and lifts the top off, which allows the front piece of cardboard to drop down in front of me. Hanging inside the box are several sizes of the same dress.

  I reach in and lift one of the dresses by its hanger, pulling it out for a closer inspection.

  “Umm,” I say, looking at it in its entirety and not seeing much there, “are you sure this is a dress and not a table cloth?”

  Because that’s exactly what it reminds me of. The dress is of a sheer purple fabric with lacy white floral appliqués strategically placed to hide all my girly parts. I silently pray there’s a shawl or something else that’s supposed to go over it.

  “I know it doesn’t look like much,” Julian admits, “but you’ll look beautiful in it, if that’s any consolation.”

  “It really isn’t,” I complain, placing the dress back inside the box and quickly searching for one in my size. Once I have the right one, Julian closes the box back up.

  “Why do you have a stock of this dress in different sizes?” I ask.

  “My sister sent them over. We originally thought it would be your mother who would need one, and we didn’t know what size she would be. It was just simpler to buy one in every size so she would have a dress that fit.”

  When we go back down the attic stairs, I go directly to my room so I can try the dress on.

  After I have it on and look at myself in the full-length mirror, I see that the dress isn’t quite as revealing as I first feared. In fact, it’s rather elegant and sexy.

  There’s a soft knock on the door and I hear Helen ask, “Can I come in, Sarah?”

  “Please, come in.”

  Helen walks into the room and smiles when she sees me.

  “You look gorgeous,” she praises, closing the door behind her. “But I knew you would.”

  “I feel conspicuous,” I confess.

  “Nonsense,” Helen admonishes, coming to stand in front of me. “You’ll be the most beautiful companion there. I dare say Mira will be green with envy when she sees you.”

  “Who’s Mira and why would she be envious of me?”

  “Mira is Julian’s sister, and she’ll be envious of you because she always wants to be the most beautiful woman at her parties. I’m afraid she’ll have to settle for second best this time.”

  “You’re being too kind, Helen,” I say, brushing off her compliment. “If she looks anything like Julian, I’m sure she’s gorgeous beyond all reason.”

  “You don’t give yourself enough credit, Sarah,” Helen says exasperatedly. “I see I have a lot of work ahead of me to build up that self-esteem of yours.”

  I don’t say anything. I’m not going to argue with someone who’s just trying to pay me a compliment. I know I’m pretty, but so are a lot of other people in the world. If Helen wants to think I’m beautiful, even though she’s biased since I’m practically family in her eyes, then I won’t even attempt to argue with her. There’s nothing wrong with having at least one person in the world think so highly of me.

  Helen helps me take the dress off and says she’ll press it to make it look more polished. She tells me Julian wants to leave right after lunch, and that I should pack whatever I might require for an overnight stay.

  “Mira’s parties usually last until the sun comes up,” Helen warns me, draping the dress over her arm. “So pack whatever you think you might need. I’ll let you borrow one of my bags since that was something I forgot to buy for you the other day. If you forget something, don’t worry about it. I’m sure we can buy whatever you leave behind in New Orleans.”

  After Helen goes to her own room to pack, I start to gather up the items I think I will need for our little trip. Picking out something to wear on the car ride down ends up being harder than I thought. I’m not sure if I should go casual (T-shirt and jeans) or wear a dress. I decide to wear a simple peach-colored maxi dress to travel in and pack the T-shirt and jeans for the ride home tomorrow.

  I’m packed and ready to go by the time Helen calls me down for lunch.

  I know Julian is still near the house, but I can sense he isn’t inside it.

  “Where is Julian?” I ask Helen, as she brings me a plate with the largest steak I have ever seen. It’s as big as a roast. I begin to wonder how big the cow it came from must have been.

  “He’s tuning up his bike. He plans to ride it to New Orleans.”

  “Oh, I thought he would be riding with us.”

  “No, dear, only you and I will be taking the car. It does have a backseat, but it’s barely big enough for a child to fit in much less an adult.”

  I’m slightly disappointed Julian won’t be with us during the drive. I was looking forward to us spending more time together. I decide not to voice my disappointment to Helen, though. Julian did admit to me last night that he was having a hard time being around me because of how I make him feel. I suppose he needs some adjustment time to get used to having me as his companion. All I can do is respect what he needs right now and give him some distance.

  After I eat, Helen and I walk
to the garage to put our luggage in the Aston Martin. Julian is just walking out of the building, wiping grease off his hands with a blue shop towel.

  “Is the bike ready to go?” Helen asks him.

  “Should be now,” he answers, not bothering to stop as he walks past us to go back into the house. “Just give me a few minutes to change clothes, and I’ll drive behind you to New Orleans.”

  When we enter the garage, we quickly deposit our bags in the trunk of the Aston Martin, and await Julian’s return.

  He comes back out dressed like a true biker in a black leather jacket, chaps, and boots. He looks great and a bit rebellious in a James Dean-Mad Max sort of way.

  “I’ll follow behind you,” he tells Helen as he puts on his shiny black helmet and pulls the visor down over his face.

  When he turns around to mount his bike, I can’t help but smile. Julian’s chaps don’t cover his perfectly formed derrière, which is quite visible in the pair of tight fitting jeans he’s wearing. Helen has to clear her throat to refocus my attention and shame me into getting inside the car so we can leave.

  The trip isn’t as painful as I feared it might be. Julian stays true to his word and rides behind us the whole way down. Once we get close to New Orleans, Helen seems to know exactly where she’s going. Mira’s house is on the outskirts of the city, in Metairie. There are quite a few nice homes in her neighborhood, so when Helen pulls into Mira’s driveway I’m not too surprised by how large it is.

  Mira’s three-story home isn’t just a house. It’s a castle made of blue sandstone with an orange tiled roof. I can only guess that the home is somewhere in the neighborhood of 14,000-square-feet. I’ve always had a good eye for real estate since Susan and Pete Hughes are real estate agents. They taught me a few things about sizing up square footage of a home in a single glance and estimating its value just by looking at it from the street. If I were to guess, I would say Mira’s home is worth at least $8 million, considering its size and location.

  We park in front of the mammoth mansion and are greeted by two women and a man dressed in typical black and white servant outfits.

  Julian parks his bike behind the Vanquish while the butler introduces himself to us.

  “My name is Fredrick,” he tells Helen and me as Julian walks over to stand beside us, taking his helmet off. “I am Ms. Movila’s butler.” He turns to Julian. “I presume you are Mr. Movila?”

  “Yes. This is Helen and Sarah,” Julian says nodding to us. “If you wouldn’t mind, the ladies need to freshen up and change before the party this evening. I’m sure Mira has their rooms ready.”

  “Julian!”

  I predicted Julian’s sister would be gorgeous and I quickly find out I was right. She’s at least 5’10”, shaped like a Barbie doll, with straight long brown hair and bangs framing an oval face. She has the same striking hazel eyes Julian does. She throws herself into her brother’s arms, looking deliriously happy to see him.

  “Hello, Mira.” Julian returns his sister’s hug and even gives her one of his genuine smiles.

  Mira steps back from him and immediately finds me with her eyes.

  “You must be Sarah,” she says, holding out her hand to me. Her expression is friendly enough, and if I wasn’t able to tell what she was truly feeling I might have been fooled by the happy expression on her face. There is an undertone of hostility I don’t quite understand in her feelings and a smidge of jealousy that has me baffled as well.

  “Hi,” I reply, plastering a congenial smile onto my face. “It’s nice to meet you.”

  Mira looks at Helen and just nods her head in greeting. Helen does the same, which strikes me as odd. Surely the two of them have known each other for a long time. Isn’t a verbal greeting in order?

  Mira takes Julian by the arm. “Come inside. You have to see the house. It’s absolutely gorgeous.”

  “I should make sure Sarah is settled in first,” Julian tries to argue, for which I’m grateful.

  Mira waves a hand at her butler. “Fredrick, dear, would you please see that the ladies get settled in their rooms while I show my brother around?”

  “Of course, Ms. Movila.” Fredrick bows his head in his mistress’s direction.

  “They’ll be fine,” Mira assures Julian, tugging on his arms so he’ll follow her into her castle.

  Julian turns to me. “Do you need me to be with you?”

  I would have felt more comfortable with him near, but that seems like admitting I’m scared to be on my own in Mira’s domain. I’m not about to give her an upper hand like that.

  “Go ahead,” I tell him, doing my best to look unconcerned about his absence. “Helen and I will be fine.”

  Julian hesitates, like he knows I’m lying, but he continues to follow Mira into her house anyway as she jabbers on about the Richardsonian Romanesque Revival mansion.

  Fredrick keeps true to his word and personally escorts Helen and me to our rooms. I’m not sure why but Helen is placed in a room on the third floor while mine is located on the second.

  “Why can’t I have a room beside Sarah?” Helen asks Fredrick as we’re putting my things in my room.

  “Servant quarters are located on the third floor, madam, and guests on the second,” he curtly informs her.

  I worry Helen’s head will explode at any second as her face turns the color of a ripe tomato she’s so indignant.

  Even I know Helen isn’t a real servant. She’s a trusted friend and confidante who happens to take care of things around Julian’s home. She is nothing like Fredrick and the maid drones who follow his every dictate.

  I feel even worse for Helen when I see the room they expect her to spend the night in. While my room is furnished with a bed so large I’m not even sure I’ll be able to climb into it on my own, Helen’s room looks like it was made for a dwarf child. She ends up having to crouch just to reach the twin bed in the room because the ceiling is the slanting part of the roof. Fredrick shows her the community bathroom that all the servants are expected to share at the end of the floor’s hallway.

  “This room is just ridiculous, Helen. Why don’t you stay with me in my room?” I beseech her, not wanting to think of her having to spend the night in such cramped quarters. I have to stand by the doorway because the room won’t fit two people. It barely fits one.

  “Not on your life,” she states stubbornly, crouching down to get to the bed with her suitcase, almost having to get on her knees.

  I stifle my laughter at the scene she makes trying to reach her bed. It isn’t funny, but the picture of Helen trying to act like everything is normal is just too much for me.

  “I will not let that woman think she has insulted me!” Helen tosses her suitcase onto the bed and yanks it open.

  “I thought the two of you would be friends after all these years, not mortal enemies,” I admit.

  “She and I have never seen eye to eye, especially where Julian is concerned.”

  Finding this curious, I ask, “Why is that?”

  Helen sits on the bed, having to lean forward slightly so she doesn’t hit her head against the ceiling.

  “Mira is a selfish creature,” Helen answers, not bothering to hide the hostility she feels towards Julian’s sister. “If it hadn’t been for her, Julian would have never been made a vampire. You would think that sort of thing would humble a person, but Mira has never seen her affliction as a curse. She loves the way she is because she will always be beautiful and young. She has no desire to be anything else.”

  “What is it that the two of you disagree on concerning Julian?”

  Helen hesitates. I know she’s withholding vital information from me. She feels conflicted about wanting to tell me what’s going on and her unwavering loyalty to Julian. Her loyalty wins out.

  “Julian will tell you in his own time,” she answers. “I would rather not say anything about his private affairs. When he wants you to know, he’ll tell you I’m sure.”

  I silently pray that I don’t have to w
ait too long.

  I head back down to the second floor, still feeling awkward about Helen’s room assignment. It’s clearly an insult on Mira’s part and one that irks me to no end. In my eyes, Helen does not deserve to be so blatantly disrespected, and it speaks volumes about Mira’s true character.

  Just as I’m about to open the door to my bedroom, I hear a friendly voice joyfully call out my name. When I turn to look down the hallway, I watch as a smiling Daniel walks up to me. It’s nice to see a familiar face within Mira’s citadel of intimidation.

  “Glad to see you made it,” Daniel says, casually leaning in and lightly kissing me on the cheek in greeting. “This sure is a big house, isn’t it?”

  “Gargantuan,” I agree. “Are you all settled in for your stay here?”

  “Yeah.” He tilts his head to the left. “My room is right across the hall from yours, so if you need anything just let me know.”

  “Thanks. I will.” I am somewhat relieved Daniel will be so close. At least I know I have one ally nearby.

  “Ahh, Sarah,” I hear Adrian croon.

  Daniel and I look towards the head of the stairs and see him ascend the last step. “I see Daniel has found you. He was concerned you might arrive late and miss the festivities all together.”

  “We left right after lunch so we would get here early. I think Julian wanted to give me some extra time to get ready for the party.”

  “No doubt you will look stunning in your companion outfit.” Adrian walks to the door of the room on the right-hand side of mine. “Well, well, well, I see we’re practically roommates.” He grins at me somewhat lasciviously, and I can tell he’s pleased with the sleeping arrangements.

  “I should probably start getting ready,” I tell the men. It’s still early, but I need a good excuse to get away from Adrian’s creepy gaze. I wish Julian was with me. I seriously doubt Adrian would be so open with his blatant leering of my person if he was around. “See you both at the party.”

  Before either of them has a chance to say anything else I quickly step into my room, thankful for the sanctuary it provides.