Eversong (Midnight Playground)

by Bradley, Eden

  She felt him watching her and smiled at him, squeezed his hand for comfort. He squeezed back. Even now, through the unease, the confusion, she felt that sharp, lovely stab of desire. Felt his, like a wave of pure heat rolling off his body. Heard an echo of it in his mind.

  He leaned in to her, whispered in her ear, “Yes, love, I want you. But it will have to wait.”

  She shivered, bit the need down hard.

  “We’re nearly there,” Ramsey told them, his tone low.

  Mercy nodded.

  He was magnificent, this old vampire, with his velvety, coffee-colored skin, his gleaming green eyes. His hair was a cap of short dreadlocks, his body impossibly graceful. Although he looked to be no more than thirty, perhaps, he’d mentioned that he was hundreds of years old. Hundreds! Hard to absorb. Hard to imagine that she and Deo could live that long, as long as Ramsey had.

  He emanated power in a way she’d never encountered before. He’d been gentle with them. But she still wasn’t certain they wouldn’t be punished, she and Deo. She’d heard the whispers between Ramsey and the other vampires at his club. The questions about how she and Deo had come to be vampires. She’d heard the terms outlaw, rogue. Retribution. And as much as Deo had since become her protector, she’d sworn to herself that Deo would not be made to pay for what she’d done to him.

  The car pulled up in front of the club. As the chauffer, a handsome human male, held the door open, she caught the scents of damp pavement, gunpowder and wood smoke. Ramsey stepped from the car, held a hand out for her. Not that it was necessary, given what she’d come to know was her low station among the hierarchy of vampires. But she’d always loved this sort of rare graciousness the human race seemed to have lost, and which, she’d recently found, the vampires still possessed. Those other than the outlaw who had Turned her.

  Gauis…

  Why did she feel some small trace of adoration for him still?

  But she didn’t have time to think about it. Deo was right behind her, taking her hand once more as they moved toward the front doors of London’s Midnight Playground. The building was grand, with its pale red bricks and soaring arched windows, its turreted façade. Her nerves drawn tight, she focused her gaze on the fine white linen of Ramsey’s shirt stretched across his wide back as he led the way into the club, past a pair of burly human doormen who nodded respectfully at the older vampire.

  Inside, the light was dim, burning red and amber as though it were still nighttime. And she realized right away that in some way it was, inside the club. That it had been the same in what little she’d seen of the Madrid club before they’d been taken to Ramsey, secreted away until the car had arrived to bring them here to London. As they moved through another pair of inner doors flanked by another set of human doormen, she could feel the low throb of music coming from somewhere, smelled the metallic scent of human blood. She felt the sexual hum of bodies coming together, blood being drunk. Still, as titillating as the idea was, she was too distracted by worry to allow her mind to indulge in the sensual scents and sounds assaulting her from every direction, as though she were one raw nerve ending. Maybe she was.

  She hung on tighter to Deo’s strong hand as Ramsey led them down a hallway that seemed to be made all of black marble. She was vaguely aware of those they passed—humans and vampires, all of them gorgeous, unbelievably beautiful. Her heart hammered in her chest. She was overwhelmed by it all. Fear and desire. Stimulation overload. Emotional overload. Her fingers dug into Deo’s hard, silky flesh.

  “It’ll be all right, Mercy,” he murmured, leaning in to press his lips to her temple.

  Still, she was glad when they stepped into a quiet elevator. It was paneled in sleek wood, as fine and luxurious as the walls of any mansion might be, making a soft whirring as it rose several floors.

  Her pulse sped up as the doors opened on to a long hall and Ramsey gestured for them to step out of the elevator. He took them to a pair of doors decorated with two dragon heads, gilded and jeweled.

  “Deo…”

  “Shh, love. Don’t be frightened,” he assured her. “I’m right here. We’ll be fine, I’ll make sure of it.” But she felt in his touch that his heart was beating with the same racing doubt as hers.

  Would they be punished? Separated? She couldn’t stand to think of that. Being left alone again, as she had been those first days after being Turned. After Gaius had abandoned her.

  Ramsey turned to her then, his accent a soft rumble of Spanish and a touch of Southern French from his life in New Orleans centuries earlier. “Mercy, you will never have to be alone again. That is our purpose here. One of them, anyway. They will not take you from your companion. I can promise you that.”

  He smiled, his teeth a stunning flash of white. He really was beautiful, his green eyes brilliant, his dusky skin so sleek. She wanted to touch him, just his cheek, to feel that gorgeous skin. Or maybe more…

  His smile widened and she knew he felt her desire for him. She couldn’t help it. Lust was barely within her grasp, something she could control only with great effort since her Turning. She nodded, but she couldn’t seem to calm down—desire or nerves—as Ramsey opened the door and led them through.

  She felt the grandeur of the room more than she saw it. She had a vague impression of the same black-and-white marble-paneled walls she’d seen in the rest of the building. The same ornately gilded mirrors everywhere that caught the misty morning light coming in through high, arched windows. But what really caught her attention was the two vampires.

  Both of them unbelievably pale, as milk-white as Ramsey was dark, with skin like softly gleaming porcelain. They were tall, one with short, spiky platinum hair, while the other had his smooth, blond locks tied back from a face so exquisite she could barely look at it. The flawless features and eyes that were black as night and just as deep, just as mysterious. She could read the centuries there. He’d seen more than she could even begin to imagine.

  Her body surged with a hot, hammering desire so fierce she felt her lips begin to draw back, baring her fangs. She clamped a hand over her mouth, and Deo’s grasp on her hand tightened.

  “I feel it too,” he whispered.

  The ancient vampire was watching them, those black eyes taking in every motion, Deo’s whispered words. His nostrils flared the tiniest bit, and she knew he could smell her. Her fear. The damp heat between her thighs.

  When he smiled, her body wanted to melt, wanted to just sink into the floor. But Deo held on tightly.

  “I am Ever, the owner of this club,” the ancient one said.

  Oh yes, he was old. Years and years, more than she could possibly guess. She could feel it. And she could feel the desire rising in him, mirroring hers.

  Next to her, Deo’s skin was growing warmer by the moment, but whether with his own need or his sense of hers, she couldn’t tell. Her mind was spinning.

  “Don’t be afraid,” Ever said, stepping from behind an enormous desk to approach them. He stopped and laid a hand on the other vampire’s shoulder. She’d forgotten he was there. Forgotten about Ramsey, who stood on her other side. Forgotten everything but Ever for the moment, and Deo’s hand in hers.

  “I am Aleron,” the other vampire introduced himself.

  He was handsome too. Spectacular, really. She’d been too blinded, too stunned by Ever to see him at first.

  She nodded, ducking her head, her cheeks flaming. What a foolish girl these two amazing beings must think her!

  “Come,” Ever said. “Sit down. We will talk with you.”

  She looked at Deo and he gave a small nod of his head. She felt his nerves, like a small electric current running just beneath his skin. She was grateful for his solid presence beside her as they sat on a couch upholstered in creamy damask. Ramsey and Aleron seated themselves in a pair of velvet chairs, and to her surprise, Ever came to sit next to her.

  He brushed her shoulder with his fingertips, and she shivered.

  Need him…

  She swallowed
, wondering if Deo could feel the intensity of her desire for this vampire. She didn’t want him to be hurt by it, but she couldn’t control it.

  “Beauties, both of them, do you not think so, Aleron?” Ever asked.

  “Yes. Absolutely. Such beautiful long hair she has…golden and red. The English call it strawberry blonde, I think.”

  “Yes,” Ever agreed. “And eyes like the sky…the palest blue. The sweetest face.” He paused, brushed her jawline with one fingertip, making her shiver once more. “And Deo, you would have been irresistible as a mortal. Now you are glorious.” He touched Deo’s shoulder briefly, let his hand trail down over his arm. “But I know the two of you appreciate each other’s beauty. And we have important matters to discuss. The other elders of the Council will be here soon. We must decide what is to be done about you. This is a highly unusual situation. Not that it never happens. In the past, when we were hidden in the shadows like the dangerous secrets we were…but in these times, it is rare. Now that we have the Council to govern. But do not worry—we don’t hold you responsible for Gaius’s actions. Or you, Mercy, for Turning Deo. We understand why you must have done it. You were lonely, yes? Frightened?”

  She nodded.

  “You may speak to us, Mercy,” Ever said, his voice soft, making her melt a little all over.

  “I…yes, I was scared. And so alone. This was…everything was so strange. I didn’t understand. I’m still not certain I understand.”

  “Of course,” Ever soothed. His dark eyes were making her tremble, yet his words were calming.

  “Can you tell us what happened with Gaius?” Aleron asked. He had a soft French accent. Lovely, smooth voice. “We know you’ve told Ramsey, but I’d like to hear it from you.”

  She nodded once more, gathering her courage. “It was in Barcelona. I moved there from San Francisco with my parents a few years ago, when I was fifteen. My father is a diplomat.”

  “How old are you now, Mercy?” Ever asked her. “And Deo?”

  “I’m twenty-one,” she answered.

  “And I’m twenty-three.”

  Ever nodded, and she went on. “He came into our house,” she said, her throat tightening at the memory. “I don’t know how he got in. We had the best security system. But he got in—he came into my room as I slept and he…he took me.”

  Deo wrapped a protective arm around her shoulder. She’d only ever told the story in detail to him, and only once. Thinking of it now, of her parents, whom she knew she’d likely never see again, broke her heart. Tears stung her eyes, but she wiped them away. She didn’t want to cry in front of these powerful strangers.

  “It’s all right, Mercy,” Deo told her, his thumb stroking the back of her hand.

  Aleron leaned forward in his chair while Ramsey sat quietly beside him, his gaze moving from her face to Ever’s and back again.

  “Go on,” Aleron prompted.

  She glanced at Deo and he nodded.

  “He took me away. Just carried me over his shoulder to some old abandoned house. He drank from me. And drank from me again. And again, until I thought I was dying. I think I was dying. Then he bit into his own wrist and held it to my mouth. I…I couldn’t help myself. I drank from him. I did it.” She shook her head. “I didn’t want to but I did. This is my own fault.”

  “It’s not,” Deo said, his tone fierce. “This isn’t your fault, Mercy.”

  She turned to look at him once more. His aquamarine eyes were full of sympathy. Love.

  “But it is, Deo. And you…that’s my fault too. I did this to you!”

  “Shh, love. You didn’t understand what it was you were doing. You were afraid. And you thirsted. I understand now.”

  She shook her head, and he pulled her in, brushed a kiss across her lips. And for a moment, everything, everyone else disappeared, and all she knew was Deo’s touch. Comforting and searing her at the same time.

  He looked around the room. “It’s not Mercy’s fault,” he said to the three other vampires, his eyes blazing. “You can’t blame her.”

  “We don’t,” Ever assured him. “We are only interested in finding out what we can about this Gaius.”

  “I will not be separated from her,” Deo said, his voice a low growl.

  “And you shall not be,” Aleron told him. “Did Ramsey not tell you so?”

  “I did,” Ramsey said with a shrug, “but apparently they didn’t believe me.”

  “It’s only that this is our worst fear now,” Mercy explained. “To be apart, when for the last few months all we’ve had is each other.”

  “You will never have to be apart again, if that is what you wish,” Ever said once more, leaning closer. “What else can you tell us of Gaius? Do you know his age? Where he came from?”

  “He’s old. Maybe as old as you are, Ever. I’m not very good at sensing these things yet. He said something to me at one point about Rome. And I saw into his mind…” She paused, shivered, not wanting to remember all of the ugly, twisted things she’d seen there. “I saw what looked like ancient Rome to me. I recognized the names of some of the places, the gods he still prayed to. Cursed. But he never spoke to me as much as he sort of muttered to himself, and little of it made sense. He was with me only for a few days before he left me.”

  “And that’s when you met Deo?” Aleron asked.

  “I found him camping on the beaches of Valencia, south of Barcelona. After Gaius left…I wandered. I didn’t know where I was going. Only that I couldn’t go home again. Not like this. And I was so alone. It was…terrible, until I met Deo.”

  “We traveled around Spain for a few months,” Deo said, “learning what we could do with these new bodies. This new life. We’d both heard of the vampires, of course, but neither of us knew much. We… I’m afraid we did some violence learning to feed. We didn’t know…until Ramsey showed us. Until we heard of the Midnight Playground and made our way to Madrid to ask for his help.”

  “You met Mercy in Spain, yet your name, your accent is Greek, is it not?” Ever asked Deo. “You look Greek, with that dark, curling hair. Except for your eyes. They are most unusual.”

  “My family is Greek.”

  “Ah, you have family, then.” Aleron nodded, stroking his chin with long, pale fingers.

  Deo shrugged. “I lost them several years ago. There was a riot in Athens.” He’d told her about the loss of his family. She knew he still carried that pain with him, despite his casual attitude. She could feel his sadness, even if he never spoke of it. “Mercy is the first real family I’ve had in a long time.”

  “I’d been alone for several days by the time I found him,” she told them. “I couldn’t stand it. At first we just talked. Then he kissed me and…he realized something was different about me. But there was the blood lust, as Ramsey has explained to me. I didn’t mean to do it. I didn’t mean to,” she said fiercely, tears scalding her eyes. “It just happened, I swear it. I didn’t have the strength to stop.”

  “You’d been taught nothing by Gaius,” Aleron said, and she could detect the restrained rage beneath his calm tone. Rage that was clearly aimed at Gaius, not her. “This is why we require that a new vampire wait ten years before Turning another. So that you can act as teacher as well as lover and companion. But you’re here now. We’ll teach you both. And when we find this Gaius, he will be dealt with appropriately.”

  She was suffused with gratitude. And beneath that was some strange sense of dread that Gaius should be hurt if they found him. It didn’t make sense. He should be punished for what he’d done to her, she knew that. But she couldn’t shake some vague attachment to him.

  Ever stood, taking her hand in his. His fingers were cool, yet she could feel his pulse beating just beneath his skin, his blood warm. “You must be overwhelmed, both of you. We have rooms set aside for you. My assistant Calam will take you there. Go. Rest. Be together. I will come to you after a time.”

  Deo stood and helped her to her feet. She felt as if she were out of her head. Cou
ld all of this really be happening? She’d existed in this state of disbelief for the last several months, but she and Deo had been too busy simply surviving to think it all through.

  Now her life was about to change again, and while Ramsey, Aleron and Ever had tried to assure them that all would be well, she found it difficult to trust. And regardless of what they said, nothing could relieve her of her guilt.

  She looked at the vampires, who had also risen to their feet. A sort of old-world gesture, but she loved it. Then Ever stepped forward and took her face in one hand, cupping her cheek. The other he laid on Deo’s shoulder. He looked into her eyes, his that bottomless black that would be frightening if there wasn’t so much sadness in them. Her heart surged—for Ever. For herself and Deo and everything that had happened.

  “We will not let anyone hurt you, either of you,” Ever told her. “I promise you that. We will see that your family is protected, Mercy, in case this Gaius still lurks there. Ramsey has already sent someone to watch over them.”

  “Oh…” It came out on a small sob. “I didn’t dare to hope… I know I’ll never see them again. I’m learning to accept that. But I’ve worried. I don’t know what they must think about my disappearance. But I couldn’t go back to them. Not this way. They would be horrified.”

  “That is something you can decide later. But I don’t want you to worry any longer, do you understand? We will help you. Take care of you. And you have a strong protector in Deo. I can see that.”

  “I would do anything for her,” Deo said, his tone low, but there was power in it.

  Ever turned to him. “Yes, I think you would.”

  He lifted Mercy’s hand, kissed the back of it, and need coursed through her, strong and hot. And as he lifted Deo’s hand and brushed his lips over his wrist, an even stronger surge of desire passed through her.