Out of the Dark (Forbidden Love)

by Danielle James

  Brea ate her lunch alone, and retired back to her room. Freida was an excellent cook. Brea was so full, she thought she might actually take that nap Ricco had suggested. But once in her room again, Brea couldn’tbe still. At last, she thought of what to do. She fetched her cell phone out of her bag and dialed. AHey, Keelie, it’s Brea. You are not going to believe this!”

  Angel was aware of Brea the moment she entered the front gates. He could smell her, even in his sleep. It pleased him that she made herself at home in his house. That was what he wanted. That was the purpose of letting her have free reign during the day. He wanted her to be comfortable.

  He heard her gasp when she found the lingerie he had left in her drawer. He had no specific reason for buying it, wishful thinking, maybe. He knew she would be stunning in it. A man could hope, couldn’t he?

  Even though he was awake, Angel made no move to go to her. He listened as she talked to her werewolf friend on the phone, and he finally settled back into his slumber when he heard the steady breathing from the next room. She had fallen asleep. Good. He would see her that night.

  SIX

  Brea was still brushing her hair when someone knocked on her bedroom door. She dropped the brush on the bathroom vanity, ran her hands over her blouse to remove any stray hairs, straightened her skirt, and moved to open the door.

  The man on the other side was most definitely a vampire. He was tall, six foot at least, pale skin and sharp, angular features. His black hair was so black that it had a slight blue sheen to it. It was restrained neatly behind his neck with a leather tie. He stared at her momentarily with icy blue eyes, so pale that the color almost wasn’t there at all.

  Brea just stood there in the open door, staring at the man open mouthed. She couldn’t get over just how beautiful vampires were. It was one of their weapons. Prey would fall easier to something that was pleasing to look at. And this man was definitely eye-candy.

  “Hello, Breanna,” he caressed her with his voice, “I am Sebastian. I am head of vampire security. It is an honor to meet you.”

  “Brea,” she corrected.

  “Brea,” he said, nodding. “I am supposed to prepare you for your duties while you are here. Will you walk with me?”

  Brea nodded and stepped out into the hall. “Where’s Angel?” she asked.

  “He is seeing to his responsibilities right now, he has asked that I see that you are entertained until he is able to return.”

  “You mean he is out feeding on some unsuspecting fool,” she muttered under her breath. Sebastian laughed. Brea hadn’t meant to say it out loud, and she felt the blood pooling under her cheeks. “I’m sorry, that wasn’t fair.”

  “It is fine. You don’t know much about vampires, do you?” he asked, smiling.

  “No,” she admitted.

  “I will be happy to inform you of anything you wish to know,” Sebastian offered.

  “Do you feed on humans?”

  “If the human is willing,” he answered honestly. “When a willing donor isn’t available, we have supplies. We keep blood on hand. One never knows when there will be a willing partner. We do prefer it fresh, however, it is not necessary.”

  “Oh,” Brea said.

  “So you need have no fear of becoming dinner, my dear. No one here will touch you without permission. Angel has forbidden it, and it would be just plain rude.” That was a relief to Brea. “Besides,” he continued, “Angel will be joining us for dinner in one hour. He will be most displeased to find you anything other than content.”

  “What is for dinner?” Brea asked, her stomach rumbling.

  “We will have steak. If that is not satisfactory for you, I will ask Freida to prepare something different for you.”

  “Don’t be silly, steak will be fine.”

  “Very well, now, as for your job here. You are to assist Angel directly with the preparations for the arrival of the council. That means preparing the menu, suggesting the wine, overseeing the decoration of the Great Hall, shopping and ordering supplies, things like that.”

  “What council?”

  “The vampire council. All the leaders from across the globe will be here in less than a week’s time for the monthly meeting. It is Angel’s turn to host.”

  “I suppose it worked out well with his tour schedule then,” Brea said.

  Sebastian laughed. “That was the intention. His tours are scheduled to accommodate the meetings. He is at a meeting in every town he performs in. Otherwise, he would not be able to continue his life as a musician. The responsibilities of a clan leader are vast, and he does a phenomenal job of balancing the two.”

  “Clan leader?”Brea gulped. AHe’s a leader?”

  “Yes. He is the leader of all the vampires in this region. Did he not tell you that?”

  “No, it must have slipped his mind.”

  “It is not a position he advertises. Many people, humans and vampire alike, would see him dead because of his position. Humans who are ignorant or afraid of vampires see the opportunity to eliminate a powerful being, and take it. They do not consider the consequences of their actions, nor do they consider the vampire’s people. We, under his reign, know and love Angel. But others would kill him to take his throne. Therefore, we keep his identity secret. All clan leaders do. I trust you have been informed about our privacy policy?”

  “Yes, I know. Don’t worry, I have no reason to betray the trust of your people.” So the famous Angel Knight was a clan leader! A ruler of other vampires. His music was a cover for his travels. How very interesting.

  Sebastian led Brea into the dining hall. There were several people already present, milling around and talking quietly to each other. Brea recognized Ricco and Freida and a few from the restaurant. That was it. One man approached Brea immediately.

  “Ma ’Lady,” he said, taking her hand, “I am Jacque.”

  “Brea,” she answered, noticing how his eyes seemed to change from a honey color to a golden brown right before her eyes. His dark hair was cropped short, spiking up at uneven intervals. He wore a silver ring through his eyebrow and matching rings in his earlobes.

  “Enchante, Mademoiselle,” he cooed in French, kissing the back of Brea’s hand. “You are as lovely as ever.”

  “Um, thanks,” Brea mumbled.

  “Jacque is part of Angel’s personal security, as well as his drummer,” Sebastian explained. Brea thought he looked like a drummer.

  Brea met the others one by one, each of them kissing her hand and slightly bowing to her. It made her very uncomfortable. There was Rebel, the guitar player, Gage, the bass player, and Antonio, the rhythm guitar player. All of them were exceedingly nice, and all of them gave Brea the creeps. At least, this time, no one asked her if she was on the menu.

  Angel stood just outside the entryway to the dining hall. He listened to his family introduce themselves to Brea, and to her responses. Everyone was perfectly polite, perfectly formal, as they were told to be. Angel smiled. The young woman seemed to be getting along well. He wondered what she decided to wear? Had she chosen one of the items he bought for her? Or had she worn one of her own?

  Angel had taken great care in dressing himself that evening. It was to be the first of hopefully many nights to come. He wore his black leather pants, a blue silk dress shirt, and his boots. He tied his long black hair back behind his neck, and had even splashed on the smallest amount of cologne. It was a fragrance many females seemed to enjoy, and he hoped Brea would like it as well.

  He was deliberately late for dinner. He had guests earlier, but he could have made it on time. No, he wanted to make an entrance. For Brea. He had to do anything and everything to get and keep her attention. After deciding that he had piddled enough, Angel stepped into the dining hall.

  Everyone stood behind their chairs, as was customary, waiting for Angel to take his seat at the head of the long table. He walked with confidence and pride, ignoring the odd looks from his family. He knew they were wondering about the cologne. He usually
didn’t wear any. He knew they were wondering about his dress, but Angel couldn’t care. No one said anything about it.

  He stopped in front of Brea. God, she was beautiful. Her red locks were trailing down her back once more, set off nicely by the white blouse she chose to wear. She was wearing a tan skirt and tan heels. She looked very business- like. “Good evening, Ma Cher,” he said, kissing her hand. “I trust your day has been well?”

  “Yes, very nice, thank you. Did you sleep well today?”

  She was even speaking like a business partner! Angel knew he had to put a stop to this business stuff before it got out of hand. “My dreams were full of visions of your beauty.” That did it. Her cheeks warmed to the color of roses. Perfect. “Everyone, please, sit. Let’s eat.”

  Freida and Ricco sat plates in front of everyone, rare steak for the vampires, and medium well steak and steamed vegetables for the three humans present. “How did you know how I like my steak?” Brea asked Freida.

  “Angel does his homework,” she smiled. Brea took a bite. It was delicious. Wine was served with the meal, it was good, but strong. Each of the vampires had an additional glass full of deep red liquid. Blood, Brea presumed, but did not ask. Just the thought made her shudder.

  “Are you cold?” Angel asked.

  “No, I’m fine. So, you guys all play together, live together, and work together. Do you ever get tired of each other’s company?”

  “Are you kidding? I love these guys!” Antonio laughed.

  “Love to irritate us,” Rebel shot back. “Antonio likes to play practical jokes, so watch out. If it seems fishy, he is probably behind it.”

  “Yeah,” Gage added, “and Jacque probably helped him.”

  “You have no room to talk! Remember what you did to Angel in San Hose?”

  “That was nothing! Just reminding him where he came from.”

  “Gage! You buried him!” Antonio laughed. He had a good laugh. Rich and contagious.

  “You buried him?” Brea asked, now genuinely interested.

  “He was being a jerk. So while he was sleeping in one evening, I dug a hole in the back. Just before eight, I tossed him out the window and into the hole. Then I filled it in. Took him half the night to work himself free.”

  “Everyone needs to be humbled every now and again,” Rebel agreed.

  “I did not think it was very funny,” Angel said with narrow eyes. “But by the time I was free, Gage was gone. He took off for the rest of the night, and I didn’t see him until the next night. By then, I had gotten over it.”

  “Just be happy Antonio didn’t plant one of his bombs,” Sebastian said.

  “Bombs?” Brea gasped.

  “Antonio is also an explosives expert. I think he must have been a firebug in his former life. Everyone here has a specialty. Gage is communications, Rebel is our weapons specialist. You’ll get the idea,” Angel explained.

  “Tell us about you,” Antonio suggested. He blew a stray lock of hair out of his eyes, showing the intense brown iris underneath. It was a shame he kept his hair in his face. He was quite attractive.

  “What would you like to know? My name is Breanna Hunt, but call me Brea. I have lived here for two years, I wait tables at Rhino’s. What else is there to tell?”

  “Tell us about your friends.”

  “I guess I only have two real friends. Keelie and Brandon. I live with Brandon. He is, interesting. I know he would like to meet y’all sometime.” Brea put special emphasis on ‘interesting.’

  “What makes him, interesting?” Rebel asked, accenting the last word just as Brea had.

  “You just have to meet him. He is drop dead gorgeous, a great server and the biggest slut I have ever met. I swear, he would do anything with a heartbeat.” The table went quiet. The five vampires just looked at each other as if waiting on someone to say something. Brea realized her faux paux, and immediately added, “And even a few without one.”

  Angel was troubled. Had Brea been involved with her roommate? AIs he that friendly with you?”

  “Oh, he wishes. He’s offered more than once, but I won’t take him up on it.”

  “What about Keelie?” Gage asked.

  “No, she won’t sleep with him either.”

  A slow smile spread across Angel’s face. She was teasing, he thought. She was making jokes with his family. Laughing out loud, Gage rephrased, A no, I mean, tell us about her.”

  Pretending that she hadn’t realized that from the beginning, Brea answered, “Oh, well, she is about my age, beautiful, confident, icy blue eyes, but that’s how all wolves are.”

  “So your friend is a werewolf,” Rebel said.

  “Uh huh, but she isn’t creepy like most of the ones I met before. She’s really cool. But she can have a temper!”

  “Most wolves do, and animals in bed! Can you introduce me?”

  “Dinner is finished, Ma Cher, why don’t we get on to the great hall and begin work?” Angel interrupted, saving Brea from having to answer.

  “Sounds great. Nice to meet all of you,” she said, rising from her chair. Five vampires rose with her as a show of respect. “Y’all don’t have to do that,” she drawled in her southern accent.

  “Yes we do. Angel would have our heads if we disrespected his--..”

  “Company,” Angel cut him off. He shot Gage a warning glance before offering his arm to Brea.

  Taking his arm, Brea left the dining hall. “So, who are these people, this council that is coming?” she asked.

  “Did Sebastian explain my position to you?”

  “Yeah, what a head trip, huh? Famous rock star and a clan leader? It’s no wonder you seem to think you can have anything you want,” as soon as the words left her mouth, Brea regretted them. She pretended not to see the stab of hurt cross Angel’s face before he hid it behind a mask of composure. “I’m sorry, you have been nothing but nice to me, and generous. Thank you for the things in my room, by the way.”

  He shrugged his shoulders. “It was my pleasure. If there is anything you want or need while you are here, all you have to do is say so.”

  “I think I will be fine, now, let’s get to work.”

  Angel led her to the main hall. It was exactly as she had remembered it earlier that day, only the skylight was clear and allowed the stars to be seen. That is, until Angel turned on the lights and the chandelier came to life, lighting the entire room.

  “This is where most of the gathering will take place. I will meet with some leaders privately, but this time, it is mostly a party. To conclude our meetings.”

  Brea looked at him as if he were speaking Latin.

  “We vampires leaders meet in every region over the course of eight months every five years. We discuss any political issues that have arose, work out problems, see to the details, things like that. At the end, one vampire clan leader holds the culmination party. We all get together and have a good time. Every party for the last one hundred years has been themed. One year, it was S & M. One year it was Halloween. Another, it was just a costume party. You get the idea.”

  “So, you get to host the party this year?” she asked.

  He inclined his head once in agreement. “I was hoping you could help with that.”

  “Have you got any ideas what kind of theme you want?”

  “Not a clue. I am not comfortable with bondage, so please, steer clear of that. But otherwise, I will give you free reign. I look forward to hearing your ideas tomorrow night. I will need several days to prepare, you know.”

  “What if I have ideas before tomorrow night?”

  “Come, there is something I must show you,” he said, taking her arm again. Brea trotted along at his side, doing her best to keep up with his long stride. He stopped abruptly at her door. “Inside,” he said, gesturing into the room.

  “What?”

  “There is something I want to show you. No one else knows of it, but you and I. I want it to stay that way. Over here, on this wall.” Brea looked but didn’t see what
he was talking about.

  “Um, ok.”

  “Here,” he said, tapping on the wall lightly. With a very soft click, the wall opened up. On the other side, was another bedroom. “My room. I specifically wanted you to have this room so that you could have access to me if the need arose. I keep my door locked during the day, so this is the only way in when I am asleep.”

  “What reason could I have for disturbing your sleep?”

  “I can think of a few. While I am certain of your safety here with my family, there will be others joining us in a few days. I cannot fathom the idea that anyone would put you in danger, but just in case. I will not allow anyone to hurt you. If you find that you are uncomfortable, or even just lonely, you may enter my room. Always make sure you close the door behind you. Always. And for God’s sake, keep the blinds closed in my room during the day.”

  “Can I ask a dumb question?” Brea asked, on that subject.

  “Anything.”

  “Will sunlight make you burst into flames?”

  “No,” he laughed. “That is but a myth. But the sun does weaken my kind, very much so. I am what we call a night walker. The sun will burn my skin quickly, and it is quite painful. Too much time in the sun, and believe me, it doesn’t take much, can weaken a vampire to the point of death. There are some who are day-walkers. They suffer no effects of the sun, but those are rare.”

  “So, are any of the other myths true?”

  “Some are, some are not. I have no aversion to garlic or crosses. Holy water will not burn me and I can cross running water. And yes, I do have a reflection.”

  “What about the stake in the heart?” she asked.

  “There are few ways to kill a vampire. Cutting off his head will work sufficiently, or the stake in the heart. But not because it’s wooden or a stake. Any injury that causes a vampire to bleed out will eventually cause death. Why do you ask? Are you thinking to kill me?”