"Word has spread fast about what happened at your little soirée this evening," Lucille started.
Alexander frowned. He had Gillian to thank for that, no doubt. The old hag loved to gossip, especially when she felt wronged somehow.
"What about it? I invited people over, and then I asked them to leave when the party was over."
Lucille shook her head and smiled subtly. "Brother, why so defensive? That's not what I'm here to discuss."
"Oh?" Alexander put his glass down and turned to face Lucille properly to observe her every move. They were brother and sister, in vampire terms. After Julius had made both of them, they had even spent their first century together.
But loyalties changed over the centuries. Who knew what Julius was up to nowadays? You couldn't fully trust another vampire, only yourself; time had taught Alexander as much.
Lucille smiled again. "We hear that one of your guests was very special indeed."
Catherine. They knew about Catherine.
Alexander tried his best to feign surprise. "Is that so? Special how?"
"Don't tell me you didn't notice. We hear you were the only one to interact with her!" Lucille argued.
Alexander remained quiet. So Gillian had told them everything. This was the last time she'd be invited to one of his parties.
"No matter. What we really want to know is: where is she now?" Lucille asked.
"How would I know? She left."
"Right. Well she came by an invitation somehow. Where does she live?" Lucille pressed him again.
"I never saw her before tonight. Someone must have passed their invitation on to her," Alexander said, while looking Lucille straight in the eye. One of the reasons Julius had appointed her as enforcer was that she had an uncanny talent for uncovering the truth. She could always tell when someone was lying. Luckily for Alexander, he truly had no idea where Catherine might have gone.
"Well, I'm sorry I couldn't be of more help to you or Julius... But are you going to tell me what it is that makes her so special?" Alexander asked.
Lucille pursed her lips like she usually did when she was mulling something over.
"Well, I suppose there's no harm in telling you, brother. You have been trying to cooperate after all."
Alexander leaned forward in anticipation. Any information that allowed him to understand Catherine better might help him track her down. If Julius and the Council were after her, that was bad news. She needed to be warned.
"Every so often a human female is born with blood so potent it has a profound effect on all vampires. It might be a mutation of some sort; we're not sure without further study. These women are called Blood Brides. So as you might imagine, having her walk around the city is bad news. Any vampire who tries to feed on her will not be able to control themselves. We could be outed, or worse."
Alexander's jaw tensed up. Lucille's explanation made sense. That was why Catherine had attracted everyone's attention the moment she walked in.
"So what do you plan to do once you find her?" Alexander asked, though he wasn't sure he wanted to know the answer.
"That's not for me to say. Julius ordered me to find her, so that's what I'm doing. Vampire lore has it that Vlad the Impaler was seduced by a Blood Bride sent in by his enemies. That's what led to his ultimate defeat. Hence reports of a real life Blood Bride have got everyone in the Council very worried indeed. If she fell into the wrong hands..." As Lucille spoke, Alexander couldn't detect any sign that she was lying or holding anything back.
"Fair enough. Thank you for sharing this with me. I'll keep my eyes open for her. And if you need anything, don't hesitate to ask," Alexander said.
Lucille smiled and got up. "Thank you, brother." She nodded at him, then made a quick exit, leaving Alexander alone with his thoughts again.
If the Council considered Catherine a threat, Alexander had to make sure he found her first.
Chapter Six
Cat hadn't waited up for Shelly after reaching home, not on purpose anyway. Instead, she'd gone straight to bed and tried to get some rest. But sleep didn't find her; she kept tossing and turning until she ended up on her back, staring at the ceiling.
How dare Shelly ignore her concerns and stay behind? If she was going to act like that, she could have gone on her own in the first place. But no, Cat had to come along, and she'd wasted a handsome amount on a stupid costume too.
Cat closed her eyes and there he was. Alexander.
She'd wanted to forget all about him, but for some reason her mind hadn't finished processing what had happened. She couldn't understand it at all.
Everything had been fine at first, even if completely bizarre. And then his mask came off.
In her memories, Cat thought she could see a scary red glow in his eyes. That was just fantasy, surely? Her brain had just embellished things to make him seem scarier, when actually he probably only shared a passing resemblance to the man in the painting, and his eyes had been the same damn color throughout.
She had completely overreacted and made a fool of herself.
No wonder Shelly hadn't entertained her craziness.
Cat wasn't sure how long she'd been lying in bed like this, berating herself for how she'd handled things. She could have been there still, in that luxurious bedroom, with a man who normally might not even have given her a second look. It had felt so good to feel his hands on her body, his lips on hers.
She'd panicked, plain and simple.
And now, she was almost convinced she'd made a huge mistake.
Elsewhere in their shared apartment, the click of the door lock signaled Shelly's return.
Cat took a deep breath and got out of bed. If she couldn't sleep anyway, she might as well talk things through with Shelly.
"Hey," Cat said, when she entered the living room.
Shelly blew into her hands and rubbed them together vigorously, then looked up.
"You won't believe what happened!" she blurted out.
Cat folded her arms. "Oh yeah?"
"I won!" Shelly grinned and handed over an envelope.
Cat opened it. Indeed, inside there was a check for the promised £1000.
"That's amazing, congratulations!" Cat gave Shelly a hug; the latter was so cold to the touch that it sent chills down Cat's entire body.
"You must be freezing. How about a cup of tea?" Cat suggested.
Shelly smiled and nodded. "That would be great."
Cat headed for the kitchen with Shelly hot on her heels. As the kettle boiled, she got the full rundown of how the costume competition went down, what everyone else was wearing, and who the three finalists were. The party ended right after, so Shelly had left with the man in the pirate costume.
The more Shelly talked, the easier it was for Cat to get swept up in her excitement. Why did she have to run before any of this happened? She should have been there, cheering Shelly on.
Of course, then Cat remembered what happened with Alexander and cringed. She'd handled that all wrong.
"So. Now that that's out of the way... Are you going to tell me what happened tonight?" Shelly asked, then brought her mug to her lips and took a first, tentative sip.
Cat took a deep breath and followed her example. The tea seemed to help give her the courage she needed to share her story.
"Moments after we arrived, this guy started talking to me," Cat began.
Shelly looked up, her eyes wide with curiosity. "What guy?"
"His name is Alexander. It was his party." Cat's voice tapered off into a whisper. It sounded so ludicrous out loud.
"You met the host? Holy shit, why didn't you say so earlier? You could have introduced me!" Shelly said.
Cat raised her hand in a calming gesture. "Are you going to let me tell the story or what?"
"Okay." Shelly put her index finger over her lips and nodded.
"All right then." Cat traced the rim of her mug with her finger while considering how best to continue. "Well one thing led to another..."
; Shelly's eyes went even wider, but to her credit, she kept her comments to herself.
"I don't know what happened. Something felt wrong. I don't know if it was the champagne, or whatever. But for a moment, I was convinced that the guy wasn't who he said he was. I felt like I was in danger."
"Wow."
"Yeah. Well, that's when I ran downstairs and found you. And the rest you know."
"What was he like?" Shelly asked.
Cat rolled her eyes. Of course that was what Shelly had focused on.
"I dunno. Handsome, articulate, really posh. He was showing me some of the artwork around the house. And my God, he could dance. It was like we were floating."
Shelly tilted her head to one side, her eyes dreamy.
"I would have liked to meet that guy; Alexander, you say?"
Cat couldn't suppress a smile. "Alexander Broderick the Third."
Shelly let out a shrill giggle. "You're kidding me!"
Cat shook her head. "I swear, that's what he said his full name was."
"And you bailed just as you were starting to... you know?"
Cat cringed again, and stared into her tea rather than make eye contact. "Yes."
"That's... wow."
"Insane, right?" Cat whispered.
"Totally." Shelly took another sip. "I still don't get why you ran."
"Yeah. I don't quite understand it anymore either. It made sense at the time."
"Maybe the champagne didn't agree with you indeed. Or..." Shelly paused. "No, that doesn't make sense."
"What?"
"If he managed to spike your drink somehow, I doubt that's how you would have reacted. At least I've never heard of anything like it."
Cat shook her head. "He wouldn't do that."
"I thought you said he was dangerous?" Shelly asked.
Cat pressed her lips together. Yeah, she had said that. The whole situation was confusing and bizarre. Now that she was here, in the safety of their shared home, he didn't seem so dangerous anymore. The look in his eyes hadn't been threatening, it had been caring and protective.
"Well, anyway. I'm glad you're okay now," Shelly said.
Cat smiled briefly. "Yeah. I'm glad too."
Now that she'd shared her side of things, finally it seemed that all the excitement was catching up with her. Cat couldn't suppress a yawn and put her now empty mug down on the kitchen counter. "I'm going to bed. See you tomorrow."
Shelly patted her on the shoulder. "Goodnight, sleepyhead."
Cat nodded and made her way back to her bedroom. Funny, how she'd gone from wide awake to overcome with drowsiness in seconds. Perhaps someone had put something into her drink tonight.
She didn't think about it anymore. As soon as she was safely tucked in, it was like a black cloud descended over her and knocked her out.
The crowd split and formed a circle around them. Cat looked at Alexander, whose previously black eyes had started to glow red. This time, she wasn't scared though. It just seemed... normal.
"May I have the honor of this dance?" Alexander glanced down at Cat's hand.
She placed it in his as if it was the most natural thing in the world.
The music came out of nowhere, and they started to dance. They twirled and swayed effortlessly. Although Cat was wearing heels, she felt completely steady, until gradually her legs and then her whole body started to feel weightless.
Alexander kept his gaze locked on Cat's face, drawing her closer into his arms as they floated up off the dance floor, several feet above the rest of the guests.
Cat couldn't hear anything except the seductive tones of the violins that grew ever louder.
That was when she caught a glimpse of that painting, over Alexander's shoulder, and recognized him in it.
"That's you, isn't it?" Cat asked, only this time, she didn't feel any fear.
Alexander smiled briefly. "You're very perceptive. You know your art."
Cat couldn't keep her eyes off the painting, until they twirled again and she could no longer see it. Then she looked at Alexander's face again. Handsome, flawless. His smooth skin gave the impression that he was made entirely of the finest Italian marble.
She'd never seen a man quite like him.
Was he even a man? They were floating high above the shiny parquet floor of the entrance hall now. And she was pretty sure she wasn't the reason they'd started to defy gravity.
She closed her eyes.
"You smell delicious," Alexander whispered in her ear. The tickle of his breath against the side of her neck gave her goosebumps.
She didn't respond, just held on to him tighter.
Butterflies collected in her stomach, fluttering more violently with every passing second until she could hardly contain her excitement anymore.
"You're mine," he whispered.
She smiled. She wanted to be his.
Cat opened her eyes and found that their surroundings had changed. No longer were they in the same room; instead he had somehow carried her upstairs into that same bedroom without her knowing.
She gently landed on her back on the bed with Alexander on top of her. He kissed and nibbled at the side of her neck, until suddenly a sharp pain caused her heart to skip a few beats.
He pulled back and looked down at her.
She could see the blood dribbling down from the corner of his mouth. Like red wine against white marble.
He dove down and attacked her neck again.
It hurt, but it didn't alarm her as much as it excited her further.
It was a beautiful, sweet sort of pain.
She writhed against the sheets in ecstasy, desperate for Alexander to continue whatever it was he was doing. He sucked at her skin, which satisfied her much like scratching an itch, or like a long-awaited sneeze. The comparisons that entered her mind didn't do the feeling justice.
She knew it was wrong.
She knew it was dangerous.
And yet, she didn't want it to stop.
A shrill sound filled the air. She covered her ears and shut her eyes, but the repetitive, high pitched beeping continued to increase in volume until it overwhelmed her completely.
Finally, Cat opened her eyes, only to find the familiar sights of her very own bedroom. It had all been a dream. She turned off the alarm and fell back into the pillows. Ten o'clock already. If it wasn't for the alarm, she might have slept even longer.
The side of her neck still tingled, which was odd. Cat instinctively reached for it and rubbed it a few times to make the feeling go away.
And that wasn't the only body part which still felt the after-effects of her strange dream, the details of which had already begun to fade. Her whole body seemed on edge; she was tense, aroused.
What a mess. She'd ruined the only shot she'd ever have with Alexander, and now she was obsessing about him in her sleep?
Cat took a deep breath and got up. She didn't have time for this. Tomorrow would be the first day at her new job, and she had to keep her wits about her if she wanted to make a good impression. But first, she had to head to the shops to collect a few last minute items.
This was her first real job, not counting the part time work she'd done in the past. Her wardrobe really needed the help.
Chapter Seven
Alexander hadn't gotten much rest all day. He kept thinking about what Lucille had told him.
Catherine was a Blood Bride, and now everyone was after her. And when he wasn't consciously thinking about that, he'd been replaying every moment he'd spent with Catherine in his head, as well as some scenarios that hadn't yet come to pass.
Part of him wished she'd never turned up at his party. Another, much more insistent part of him was glad that she had.
She'd made him feel alive during the short time they'd spent together.
No way was he going to let anyone, including the Council, harm the one woman who had made him feel that way, centuries after he'd been turned.
He had to intervene somehow.
He got up
early—in vampire terms—just before sundown. The black-out blinds on all the windows kept him safe enough to move around freely inside the house.
So he headed straight for the library.
Somewhere in this vast collection of old books, there had to be some information, some mention of what Lucille had told him.
How would he help Catherine if he didn't know for sure what he was dealing with?
He owned an extensive selection of historical manuscripts, dating back over half a millennium. Most of the books he'd acquired and displayed had been chosen more for their decorative value than anything else. He'd never actually read them. That was about to change.
Alexander's best bet would be texts about Vlad the Impaler. Most of the works in his collection were human accounts of history though, not vampire. No matter how many volumes he removed from their respective shelves and leafed through, Alexander couldn't find anything relevant.
It was no use.
After a couple of hours of failed research, he sat down in his leather arm chair and rested his head in his hands. This was hopeless.
"Still thinking about that woman?" a voice asked.
Alexander looked up and found Michael staring down at him.
"Have you ever heard of a Blood Bride?" Alexander asked.
Michael frowned. "No."
"Wonderful." Alexander sat back and stared at nothing in particular.
"So what's a Blood Bride, then?" Michael sat down next to Alexander as he asked the question.
"In a nutshell: a human woman with very special blood."
Michael nodded in silence and folded his hands.
"Have you googled it?" he finally asked.
Alexander gave him a skeptical look. "What do you mean have I googled it?"
"Well, that is the fastest way of looking things up nowadays." Michael gestured at the piles of old volumes stacked up everywhere. "Especially since your books clearly haven't been of much help."
Alexander still stared at the younger vampire, who finally retrieved a smartphone from his pocket and started tapping away at the screen.
"Here. Try it." Michael handed him the device.
He had already opened a search, though the results didn't look promising. It was all horror movies and cheap fiction. Alexander raised an eyebrow and held back a snide remark as he scrolled through the first page, then switched to the image view.
Alexander's Blood Bride: A Steamy BBW Vampire Romance (Vampires of London Book 1) Page 4