Luke bowed slightly. “Savoy.”
Marcus fixed Luke with a flat - emotionless gaze. “Luke Thorne. Where have you been? No one has heard from you for quite some time. You still doing the dirty work for the SCC?” Though his tone was soft, his voice had an ominous quality to it that was unmistakable.
“Keeping busy … and yes, I’m still working with the SCC.” Luke told him, not entirely successful at hiding the aggravation that crept into his voice.
He needn’t have worried; Savoy’s attention had shifted to me. Again I felt the heat spreading through my body.
I was confused by the feeling, and possibly even a little frightened. Well maybe a lot frightened.
“Such poor manners Thorne. You haven’t yet introduced me to your friend.” He was speaking to Luke, but his icy Nordic eyes were on me.
Luke smiled, but it was cold - almost calculating. He obviously respected Savoy’s authority, but there sure didn’t seem to be any love lost between them.
“This is Starla Lavelle, and she was hoping she could talk with you about something.”
“Is that so? His voice was soft - almost mocking.
It felt as if my tongue had swollen to three times its original size. For a fraction of a moment, I was sure if I tried to say anything at all, I would choke.
“Is there something you’d like to say Miss Lavelle?” he urged, a spark of humor in his eyes.
When I’m nervous, I do stupid things. I always have. This time would be no exception. “I know what you are,” I blurted out. “That’s blood you’re drinking.”
The horror that shadowed Luke’s face would have been comical, if I hadn’t been so terrified myself.
I had just signed my own death warrant.
What I expected from him was anger, but instead he smiled. “This?” he said lifting the glass. “This is a health drink Miss Lavelle. But tell me … what it is you think I am.”
Swallowing hard, I answered truthfully. “You are a vampire. Luke has already told me.”
That did it. Now it was obvious I knew too much.
The ice in his eyes was swept away by furious blue fire. “Leave us! All of you.”
The rest of Marcus’s band retreated, but Luke didn’t move.
“You too Thorne,” he commanded, his eyes never leaving me.
“She is here under my protection!” Luke said, his voice as sharp as razors.
“Leave,” Marcus told him again, with a note of quiet warning.
Luke gave me a look of regret before strolling to the door. As soon as he was gone, I turned back to Marcus, expecting to see some kind of ferocious monster. To my surprise, the anger had fled his eyes to be replaced by cold humor.
“So tell me Miss Lavelle … what else do you know about me?” he asked.
Damn was it hard to think when he was looking into my eyes. It was like he was reaching into my head and plucking out every thought I’d had since the day I was born.
It was impossible to look away, so I closed my eyes, hoping to break the spell. When I again opened them, I felt a little calmer.
“I know you’re a vampire,” I told him, refusing to let the trembling I felt inside make it into my voice. “And that you are very old.”
A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. “Your boyfriend is a little too free with information.”
I thought it was probably in my best interest to let him think Lucas was my boyfriend, so I said nothing.
“I doubt Luke brought you here for the sake of satisfying your curiosity. Why are you here?” he asked.
“I want to know what happened to my friend. His name is Max Parker. When they found him, he was nearly dead. I know he came here that night.”
“I’m sorry about your friend, but I fail to see what it has to do with me.” He was smiling, but it was a cold - dark smile.
Figuring I was pretty much dead anyway, I decided to speak my mind. “I think it has everything to do with you.”
He shrugged his broad shoulders. “You have an overactive imagination.”
Since I wasn’t dead yet, I pushed a little harder. “What about Melissa Johnson? She was also here the night she was found dead … drained of blood. What would the authorities conclude about that murder … if they knew you were a vampire?”
The laughter in his eyes was almost as unnerving as his anger. “Tell whomever you’d like Miss Lavelle … but you know they’ll never believe you.”
He was right about that. If I went to Jud, claiming the people at Club Crimson were vampires, he’d give me a one-way ticket to a hospital.
“That doesn’t change the fact that someone was killed after being in your club.”
“We are vampires,” he said, a wicked - taunting smile playing at the corners of his mouth. “Wouldn’t you say we are the essence of death?”
“So you killed her?” I gasped.
“I did not, but it doesn’t surprise me that it happened.”
Before I could respond, he asked, “Do you like music Miss Lavelle?”
I nodded, a little confused by the sudden change of subject.
“I find music soothes the soul … reflects our joys, miseries, and our darkness so precisely. This is one of my favorite pieces,” he told me, before reaching over to hit the power button on the stereo that set on the table beside his chair.
Suddenly the room seemed to fill with a dark - almost haunting melody. It was so different than the music I’d heard him sing, I was actually a little taken aback.
“I don’t know it,” I confessed, “but it’s nice.”
“It’s Chopin … Nocturne,” he told me.
Slowly and seductively, his gaze slid over my body. When his blue - shimmering eyes locked with mine, I felt my knees begin to shake.
What was wrong with me?
Savoy stood and held out his hand. “Will you dance with me Miss Lavelle?”
Startled, I shook my head. “I really don’t have much time.”
I knew if I got anywhere near him, he’d be able to melt me like butter on a hot July afternoon. That would certainly put me at a disadvantage.
“Just one dance,” he prodded. “We’ll talk while we dance.”
Well since he’d promise to talk while we dance, I couldn’t refuse. Come to think of it, there were probably thousands of women out there that would think I’d totally lost my mind to refuse in the first place. Of course those women had no idea that the hot rock star known as Marcus Savoy, was actually a vampire.
Taking my hand in his, he pulled me firmly to his chest. As we danced around the room, he stared down at me with those beautiful - hypnotic eyes. I had to keep looking away, or I’d have been completely under his spell within seconds.
Not looking him directly in the eyes helped, but not much.
Marcus leaned down, placing his lips close to my ear. “You remind me of moonlight … enchantingly beautiful … but so so elusive. I want you Starla Lavelle. I want to show you how delightful sex can be with a vampire.”
My heart was racing so fast, I was sure it would burst from my chest at any moment. “I belong to Luke,” I told him, my voice so hoarse I couldn’t help but wonder if he even understood what I’d said.
His laughter was as smooth as silk, but sinister. “So you do … for now.”
I had to change the subject and fast.
Clearing my throat, I asked, “What is Crimson Rush?”
Since gaining consciousness, Max had been uttering those same two words over and over, but that was it. Nothing else.
A stone mask slid over his face and he came to a sudden halt. “Now you are walking on dangerous ground. Leave it alone Star,” he said. His voice had taken a quick turn from seductive to ominous.
“I could just go to the police, or maybe the newspaper,” I threatened.
“And I could just eat you,” he shot back.
“Luke won’t let you,” I told him, though I had no idea what Luke could do about it.
His menacing laughter chilled
me to the bone. Before I knew what was happening, he was squeezing me so tightly I could barely breathe.
I caught only a brief glimpse of his fangs, but the bloodlust in his eyes was unmistakable.
“Please don’t!” This time my fear came right through to my voice, which was trembling almost as much as my body.
“You look so much like someone I knew a very long time ago, but that’s impossible right? You are not a vampire. Who are you?” he asked.
All I could do was stare at him.
“Answer me,” he insisted.
I thought it would be a good idea to answer his question, before he really did bite me.
“My name is Starla. You already know that.” I told him, trying hard to swallow the lump of fear in my throat.
“Who are you really?”
“My friends call me Star, and I’m a cashier at Westlands,” I answered, not really sure what it was he was fishing for.
He released me so quickly that I stumbled a little before getting my balance.
Sliding his fingers beneath my chin, he tilted my head so that I was forced to look into his eyes.
“Do you want to die?” he asked.
A band of apprehension tightened around my chest so that I could barely manage a whisper. “No.”
“Then why are you here? Why are you with Luke?”
“I told you?”
He released my chin and smiled. “Oh yes … you are under Luke’s protection … and you wanted to ask me some questions?”
I nodded.
“Tell me Miss Lavelle … why haven’t you ever been with yet? Why haven’t you let him give you that ultimate high of having sex with a vampire?”
Warning bells rang in my head. It had to be a trick question. “That’s none of your business,” I told him.
His eyes raked over me seductively, and I felt my heart jump.
“Goodnight Miss Lavelle. Maybe we’ll meet again,” he said with a devilish smile. “Also … would you tell Luke I’d like a few words with him before he goes.”
Chapter Two
The drive home was uncomfortable at best. After I told Luke what happened with Marcus, he grew quiet, almost brooding. I got the distinct impression he was avoiding conversation so that he wouldn’t have to answer any of my millions of questions.
That was just too bad for him.
After he and Charlie had thrown my life into total chaos, the least he could do was answer some questions.
Vampires!
Until Uncle Charlie had shown up at my house, I hadn’t a clue they were real, or what Crimson Club really was.
Discovering that I actually had an Uncle Charlie, along with the fact that vampires were not just myth, was a major head-trip I wouldn’t be forgetting too soon.
In the short time it had taken for Charlie to explain why he’d come back to Cookson Springs, I went from clueless to panic attack.
I even picked up the phone to call 911 and report a couple of insane men in my house, but then Luke demonstrated their sincerity by showing his fangs, and his impressive ability to move across the room at a speed that would have been impossible for a human.
I slowly began to accept what Uncle Charlie was telling me, though reluctantly. There were still a number of things I was confused about, but the main thing was Luke.
Now why would my Uncle Charlie, who claimed to be a vampire hunter, be partnered with a vampire?
It wasn’t a subject I was ready to tackle yet, if ever. All I knew is that Charlie needed my help and I’d agreed, mostly to help Max. My friend had been found off the side of the road, nearly comatose.
Charlie claimed that what happened to Max, might be connected to what he was investigating.
According to Charlie, all I had to do was go to Club Crimson with Luke, and see which vampires took the most interest in me.
Sounded easy enough, except that he’d never actually explained why it was important to know which vampires showed an interest.
Wouldn’t all of them?
By my way of thinking, if you had blood, a vampire was going to be interested. It would be something like flaunting a sirloin steak to a starving man.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Luke reach into his pants pocket and pull out a mini bottle. Opening the bottle, he downed the whiskey without so much as flinching.
That’s when it dawned on me that he was drinking something, other than blood. He’d had whiskey earlier in the night, but I’d been so caught up in watching Marcus that it hadn’t occurred to me to ask the obvious question.
“I thought vampires could only drink blood?” I asked, without taking my eyes from the road.
He laughed. “It’s a bit complicated to explain, but basically our body function is almost normal, as long as we feed.”
My face twisted in disgust.
“Don’t ask if you don’t want to know,” he said.
“There are a lot of things I want to know about vampires. Like how do they keep their existence a secret?” I asked, glancing over at him.
It was difficult to keep from staring at Luke. After all, he was a vampire. I found this intriguing, but he wasn’t bad looking either. I kind of liked the way his chestnut colored bangs swept carelessly across his forehead.
“Is it really that much of a secret? If you give it some thought … you’ll see that vampires are very much a part of human culture, and always have been.”
I shrugged. There was no denying he had a point. If you paid any attention at all, you’d find vampires everywhere. The concept was certainly popular.
“Life is full of mysteries,” he said, after downing another mini bottle.
I was starting to get worried that he’d get drunk. I wondered what a drunk vampire would be like.
“Like what?” I asked.
Looking over at me, he let his eyes rest on the hollow between my breasts. I may not have known this if I hadn’t have looked over at him at that precise second.
He was making no secret of where his thoughts were going. “Like the mystery of how you managed to get through the night without becoming someone’s feeder, especially with the way you are dressed.”
“What’s wrong with the way I’m dressed?” Now I was a little offended.
Considering how some of those people at Club Crimson dressed, I felt my attire was more or less modest.
I looked passably nice, though not spectacular. My dark hair was long and difficult to style, which was the reason I wore it loose most of the time.
Since my eyes were also dark, I sometimes wore eye shadow to add some color. True, my pastel blue dress was a little low cut, but nothing compared to what some women wore these days.
“Take care darling. Not all vampires will show the same restraint as I do,” he warned.
A few minutes later, I pulled up in front of the old two-story farmhouse where I lived, and had lived since the day I was born.
Now that Mom and Dad were gone, I lived alone, or at least I had until Uncle Charlie showed up claiming to be my dad’s brother.
The porch light was on, but all the windows and doors were shut. I thought this was a little odd on account of it being such a warm night. It was already September, but in the Cookson Hills of Oklahoma, that didn’t necessarily mean much.
We got out of my old Chevy Malibu and started for the house. As an afterthought, I locked the car doors. I usually didn’t, but I wasn’t fond of the idea of getting inside the car and finding something waiting for me in the backseat.
A couple of days ago the thought wouldn’t even have crossed my mind, but things had changed. Now everything was different.
As soon as I walked through the door, Charlie handed me a beer and motioned for me to take a seat. I thought it was real nice of him, considering it was my beer and my house.
Charlie reminded me a lot of Dad, in looks anyway. He was probably just less than six feet, and had the same sandy colored hair and gray eyes as my dad, but that’s where the resemblance ended. I remembered Dad w
as always clean shaved, but Charlie had a mustache and goatee, and his mannerism was not nearly as refined as my father’s either.
“So what happened?” Charlie asked.
I was startled to see Luke’s green eyes glittering with anger. “Marcus Savoy runs that place. Did you know he was here?”
Charlie took several gulps of his beer before answering. “I wasn’t sure, but I suspected one of the Five might be behind this, and that it might be Savoy.”
“Okay guys,” I interrupted. “I’ve had enough. I want to know what the hell is going on, and I want nothing but the truth. Not only have I just discovered that vampires are real, but some ancient vampire just threatened to eat me tonight. My entire life has been turned upside down … I want to know why.”
A strange look passed between Charlie and Luke.
What were they up to?
“Well?” I said, raising my voice a couple of notches.
“They’ve come here to harvest blood, that’s why the girl they found a couple of days ago was drained of all her blood. The thing is … I don’t know why, though I do have my suspicions?” Charlie replied, and then took another drink of his beer.
“Maybe a vampire drained her blood after he bit her,” I offered.
Charlie shook his head. “No bite marks. I’ve already checked into it. Her blood was drained through an incision in the leg.”
Luke cut in, “I hate to break the news to you Charlie, but some vamps don’t drink straight from their victims. They drain them and save it for later. That bit about there being no bite mark doesn’t mean anything. I’m a little more curious why they decided to setup shop here, and not someplace less conspicuous, like Tulsa or New York.”
“Like I said, I have my suspicions. That’s why I sent Star with you. I knew they’d sniff her out, especially if they are doing Rush.”
I was totally lost. I didn’t have a clue what Charlie was talking about, but the talk about the Rush definitely got my attention. “Explain please. What is Rush?”
Luke waved a hand as if to brush away Charlie’s words. “That doesn’t mean a bloody thing. If you haven’t noticed, your niece is quite breathtaking. Any bloke would notice her, even the undead kind. ”
Crimson Rush A Vampire Romance (Crimson Book 1) Page 2