“And I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you.” The buzzer rang for another tenant. His stood up, perfectly fine, though the railing was a bit bent.
“You didn’t. Trust me, it would take a lot more than that.” His teasing grin returned. My mind began to ask more questions.
“You have questions?” he asked politely as the elevator began to move again. I looked at him, a bit taken aback.
“You do know that’s a bit creepy, you hearing my thoughts and then asking me about them.” I said, my defensiveness kicking in. I dug for my keys, not looking up at him. I noticed he shuffled his feet, which to me was a very human thing to do. I glanced up. He seemed to be tongue-tied, then recovered.
“My apologies, I didn’t mean to come across as rude.” His boyish charm softened my words.
“You weren’t rude. I didn’t mean to jump on you. This is all so…”
“…new to you?” he finished. Then it dawned on me.
“You know, I’m human and I feel a bit awkward. I can only imagine being you and feeling… this, whatever it is.” I tiptoed around my feelings, trying to conceal them. Once you told someone how you felt, they had power over you, and I wasn’t ready for that step, not yet.
“With the link binding us, I can feel your emotions and reactions to a certain extent. Though I must admit, I’m finding being around you is highly…” I watched as his eyes deepened to a darker blue right before me.
“Intoxicating.” I finished. We looked at one another as the doors opened, knowing it would only be a matter of time before we took that inevitable step.
“So, on those questions.” We walked toward my door.
“Yes?” He purred in my ear as I grinned, enjoying his body close to mine. Just then Chase came out his door, clearly heading out. Instantly I could feel Geoffrey’s tenseness, though it wasn’t in the way he held my hand or touched my back. It was like it was inside of me; my own body was on edge, but at what? I looked at Geoffrey, then to Chase, and I couldn’t believe it. He was jealous.
Not jealous, just protective, he thought.
Protective my ass. More like territorial. I raised my eyebrow, correcting him. The slight change in his reaction confirmed I’d hit the nail on the head.
He winked. All right, I must submit. You are correct.
“Hey, Megan.” Chase’s goofy trademark grin quickly dimmed as he noticed Geoffrey alongside me.
“Geoffrey.” I swear his face turned a shade of green.
“Chase.” Talk about cold as ice.
“Hey, where you off to?” I asked, putting my key in the door as fast as I could. My senses were on overload, feeling my own awkwardness and Geoffrey’s emotions at the same time.
“My college buddies and I are off to go bar-hopping. I think The Stage is on our list of scavenger hunt spots.” I noticed he had what looked like a new tattoo, and I wanted to say something, but he quickly pulled his sleeve over the tat, clearly wanting to hide it. Weird, but then again, this is Chase we’re talking about.
“Well, maybe we’ll see you there.” Geoffrey walked in first, between Chase and me. I swear I could hear a growl in my mind.
“Bye, Megan…” I cut him off as I closed the door, clearly miffed with his reaction.
“What?”
“Don’t what me. I was fine. Chase was just being nice.” I glared at him, trying to keep my comments to a minimum.
“I know what boys his age think about, trust me.” He walked across the kitchen, glancing out the balcony doors.
“He doesn’t think of me that way. He’s really nice, decent, and polite. Besides, he’s not a boy, he’s my age.”
“Like I said, I know what ‘boys’ his age want… one guess. And with you looking so …” he choose his words carefully “… delicious. Well, let’s just say I want you all to myself, or at least I want to make it perfectly clear who you’ll be going home with.” He looked at me and smiled, his eyes holding me there.
“Are you going to be jealous of every guy that speaks to me?” I stood my ground.
“No, jealousy is beneath me. Besides, is there a reason for me to be jealous?” He smoothly turned the tables, but I had no reaction for him.
“You, of all people, should know that answer. Anyways, having you react this way makes me feel that much more wanted.”
“You are more than wanted. Desirable is more fitting of someone of your beauty.”
“Again, you go on with this beauty thing?” I chuckled as I made my way to grab a change of clothes, shoes, and bag.
“You clearly don’t see yourself as others do. You hold my world in the palm of your hand.” He slowly approached me, cupping my face with his cool fingers and eyed me carefully. I found I was already closing my eyes, anticipating the feeling of his lips on mine. I dropped my bag. This time I gave in to the luscious touch of his mouth, kissing my lips, then my neck. I wound my fingers into his hair, pulling his mouth back to mine. Then he stiffened and I let up, realizing that I had crossed a line.
I swallowed my embarrassment. The scent of his mouth lingered in the air and I wanted to follow it, but I could see in his eyes that he was trying to restrain the same feelings he had.
“Sorry.”
“You did nothing wrong, Meg. I’m the predator. I see something that is tempting, something that I want, but I can’t give in.” There was pain in his words. “What is it about you? Your scent is so… so…”
I couldn’t quite find the right word.
“Inviting? Intoxicating?” he offered as he picked up my bag and I tried to walk and make sense of my feelings.
“Yes,” I whispered.
“That’s because it’s one of our weapons. It’s quite superfluous, actually.”
“Uh? Okay, now you’ve lost me. I’ve watched plenty of vampire movies and read Anne Rice and Stephanie Meyer.”
“First off, don’t believe everything you read. Second, Hollywood doesn’t have a clue what it’s perpetuating.”
I’m sure the confusion on my face was clear. I locked up and we headed out. As we passed Chase’s door, I swore I heard the hum of multiple computers. Now he’s an official geek for sure.
“Your scent, what exactly are you saying?” I was digging through my brain files on vampire lore and a scent was not amongst the weapons that I knew of.
“Our venom is highly toxic to mortals. But it would seem to have a totally different effect on you.”
“Your venom? You’re poisonous?” My stomach churned.
“Like I said though, you seem totally immune to it, which I’ve never experienced.” Just listening to him talk, I could catch the flavor in the air, which sent my own mouth watering. I shook off the distraction and concentrated.
“So, what about crosses?” I asked as we caught the elevator. He opened his shirt, revealing his exquisite chest. Look away, Megan, don’t make a fool of yourself. His raised eyebrow and grin told me I was too late.
“I’m quite fond of them, all types.” Around his slender throat sat a silver snake rope with a Celtic cross dangling from it. The cold fall air swirled around us as we reached the car.
“Holy water?” I chirped as he closed my door, instantly appearing on his side. He slid in the leather seat and answered calmly.
“Makes me wet.” He grinned. I couldn’t help but hear the double meaning on that and instantly felt my cheeks blush. I squirmed in my seat as he pulled out.
“What about daylight, then?” I quickly changed the topic.
“It’s bright. But…” Uh ha, finally a little bit of myth that was truth. I sat back smugly.
“No, it’s not true.” He grinned, kissing the back of my hand while he wove through the traffic.
“I won’t be sunbathing anytime soon. It draws too much attention to us, as I’m sure you can imagine.” An image of him, in the water, flashed across my
mind before I even had a chance. My heart stuttered. I wanted to sink into the seat at this point. He pulled into the back alley and cut the engine. We sat in silence, just the two of us. He turned toward me and smiled.
“Now, to answer your original question.” Oh yeah, I had forgotten about that.
“I’m twenty-five.” Again his words were well-rehearsed. He began tracing his cool fingers along my jaw line, softly landing on my lower lip. I did my best not to nibble on them.
“Let me rephrase that. How long have you been twenty-five?”
“Well done. You’re brighter than most your age. Your answer is—for quite some time.” He looked intensely at me, holding my attention as others arrived, passing the car, but I wasn’t distracted by them. Only he held my interest.
“Seriously, that’s your lame answer?” I quipped, and immediately countered with, “Okay, let’s try this one. When were you born?”
“Now you’re getting the hang of it.” He sat, not answering yet again.
“And your answer is?” I prodded, poking my finger at his chest, which was ice cold and rock hard, but looked so inviting.
“You win. My date of birth is October thirty-first… 1809.” He didn’t move. Right before my eyes he became a statue with the most alluring gaze I’d ever seen. I didn’t blink at the fact that he was over two hundred years old.
“Not too shabby for an old guy.” I smiled and finally released the little giggle that had bubbled up.
“Well, thank you. It’s all in how you moisturize.” He played back and I took that as a good thing. I actually felt myself smiling—a foreign concept on my face. I blinked, and he was at my door, offering his hand.
“How do you do that?” I whipped my head back and forth, looking at the distance and range of his movements.
“The same as you, a set of basic movements. We’re just a fraction faster than you are, that’s all.” I took his hand, and the pure electricity that ran between us was raw and exciting. Very slowly he tilted his head and I stood on my toes, excited to feel his lips on mine once more. This time was much more intense yet controlled. He was so gentle with me, touching my hair and cheeks like I was a porcelain doll.
“I’m not that fragile.” I tried to pull him to me again, but he stood back, smiling and teasing me all the while. Then a dark shadow crossed his features.
You are to me. I must be in total control, in my every movement with you. His words whispered to my mind.
“Fine, be that way. See if I kiss you again,” I said aloud, trying to lighten the moment.
Oh you will, dearest, trust me. His silent words lit my blood on fire. He motioned to the door.
“Let’s go see what monstrosity Ashleigh has designed.” We both laughed, knowing just how gaudy it could be. And we were right!
We walked through the side door to find the entire club transformed into a Goth disco. Black strobe lights, huge dance cages holding life size skeletons, cob- webbing on every available surface, battery-operated candelabras on each table and counter. To add to the effect, enormous black cauldrons were steaming in every corner, giving the full effect of a slow, creepy fog. Corn stalks and pumpkins were tied to each pillar with what looked like old bloodied rags.
On each drink station sat a vase full of black roses and goblets of “boiling blood” complete with fake fangs waiting to be bought. Throw in a handful of black plastic spiders and a few fake rats and the place looked like a scene out of a Hollywood nightmare movie set. The doorman was a vampire, complete with cape and fangs.
I glanced at Geoffrey, chuckling at the irony of it all.
“Not even close, is it?” I said, raising my eyebrows.
“You be the judge of it. You’ve been to my house. Does it look even remotely like this? I think not,” he quipped, smirking slightly.
We parted ways with a quick kiss, he went to the back stage and DJ’s booth, and I went to the upper stations. Both Ian and Dawn chatted animatedly about the décor, the expected crowd, on and on they went. I’d throw in an occasional “no way” or some other comment to keep the flow going. Out of the corner of my eye I spotted Robert and Tracy, then Mitch with Pepper, all heading in Geoffrey’s direction. Somehow knowing about them made them feel… familiar, welcomed. I raised my hand as they smiled back.
I took a quick break, heading to the break room. Along the back hallway, where the wall met the DJ’s booth, I followed the same path, feeling like I was on
autopilot. Once inside I grabbed something to drink and plopped down on the old couch someone had donated, leaning my head back. I closed my eyes and concentrated. I blocked out the music and tried to find him. I could picture him and the band going over their new music and discussing the arrangements.
Robert and Mitch seemed excited about it. Mitch even smiled, while Pepper squealed in delight. They were all nodding their heads in agreement over something. Tracy was busy on the mixing arrangements.
Geoffrey, I whispered as softly as I could imagine it. Then I saw his smile in a reflection, his eyes focusing on something else for a split second.
Yes, beautiful? was his reply. There was a short silence followed by his sigh. I loved that sound.
Keep your eyes closed. I’ll be there momentarily. Then I couldn’t feel him. He’d gone somewhere else, so quickly I lost him. I still smiled though. Just knowing he was close gave me a new sense of happiness.
I stretched my legs out, crossing my feet. Coolness flowed over me and I took a deep breath, relaxing. His finger traced my arms, which were resting behind my head. The slightest of movement told me he was sitting next to me. I smiled, opening my eyes, and there he was, my very own version of beautiful.
“You moved so fast I couldn’t find you again.”
“It’s good to be found, by the way.” He smiled at me as I reached out, tucking his hair behind his ear. It was such a strange and new feeling, being able to reach out, to touch and be touched. I pulled my hand back as my self-doubt tried to sabotage our private moment.
“Come with me,” he said excitedly.
“Where?”
“Downstairs. I want you to meet the rest of my family.”
“On Halloween, seriously? Uh, what if they don’t like me?” I fidgeted, adjusting my glasses.
“They’ll love you… just as I do.” Okay, whoa the horses, dude. He wants to introduce me to his family and he’s declaring the big “L” word. Okay—breathe, Megan, just breathe.
He saw and felt my hesitancy. Concern showed in his eyes and his gentle touch, tracing the scar on my wrist.
“It’s just a lot to take in, that’s all. Really…” I stuttered over my words. “I’m sorry, Geoffrey.”
“No, it’s my fault. You’re not ready yet. I don’t always remember what it’s like to be human.” Just then I sensed someone else was coming. Hold on, it wasn’t a sense, I could clearly hear someone’s dancer steps, someone who was very light on their feet.
His look of surprise was childlike.
“You can hear her? Walking down the corridor?”
“Yeah I can. Who is it and how did I do that?” I swallowed down my totally freaking out.
“It’s Pepper, and I already know what she wants. It would seem as though the link myth has some aspects that are totally new to both of us.” His calculating look frightened me.
“It’s not what you think, trust me.”
I had a bad feeling about this.
Chapter 11
It turned out my hearing was more precise than ever, I realized it wasn’t only Pepper I heard arriving. In a twist of fate, the rest of them had come in as well, letting the DJ spin the floor before we opened.
Just then Robert and Tracy walked in arm-in-arm, laughing. Their voices were perfectly in-tune and made a warm harmony together. Mitch and Pepper followed, deep in a very animated conversation that made them rather interestin
g to watch.
Geoffrey said, “They’re discussing World of Warcraft. Online they appear to be arch enemies, but actually work together to conquer other players. Strategy games are a hobby for both of them.” He grinned in affection toward them. He truly loved them as his own family.
Pepper spied us and plopped down on my side. Robert pulled up a chair as Mitch and Tracy went elsewhere, discussing music for tonight’s set.
“Pepper and I were bantering around an idea for tonight.” He looked at Pepper, who winked at him, grinning the entire time. I smelled something fishy.
He started, “Since it’s Halloween and the club is decked out, why don’t we have a guest player with us for tonight’s set?”
Pepper piped up, “Please, Geoffrey? Just one night. Can we please, pretty please?”
“We’ve got dozens of costumes left over from the old days,” added Robert,
playing along with Pepper’s excitement.
“Besides, no one will notice us tonight, we’ll actually blend in for once. Oh come on, please? Let’s have some fun.” Her lower lip pouted out all sad-like, but the twinkle in her eye gave her enthusiasm away.
With a roll of his eyes Geoffrey gave in. “There’s no fighting you two when you tag team me. Fine… go, but hey, not too gory. Last time Mitch looked too much like a monster, all right? We want people to enjoy us, not be terrified.” His body laughed softly while a grin appeared on his face, but his face showed he had a question.
“Pepper, who did you have in mind as a ‘guest’… ” was all he got out as she turned to me with a huge grin of her own.
“Megan, that includes you too.” She stood, taking my hand.
“Um… hold on. What do you mean, ‘me too’? I have to work, I don’t know what Ashleigh will say, and I don’t have a costume.” I stammered over my words, trying to come up with an excuse that would stick. Normally I just faded into the woodwork, though I did love Halloween and what came with it: costumes, make-up, the whole thing. I’d dressed up every year when I was a kid. For one night a year I would pretend I was someone else.
Geoffrey knew I didn’t like the spotlight being on me, but I didn’t want any problems between him and Pepper. So I sucked it up and tried to roll with it. Maybe I could have some fun.
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