“And you smell great, too.”
Valerie turned in her chair to shoot me a smug “told you so” smile. Yeah, well, I didn’t have to pay sixty-six dollars to smell good for one night.
Dante headed south toward the mountains.
“Now that we’re all together, I think it’s time to switch assignments,” Valerie said. “Let’s face it, if anyone’s going to ensnare Diederick it’s me. Aurora’s better off with Dante. The two of you won’t have to pretend.”
Fine by me. Melcher didn’t need to know, and I’d rather play the girlfriend than temptress any day. Melcher had really miscast us.
“Or…” Dante said. “You can both be my girls.”
Valerie snorted. “You wish.”
Dante shrugged. I couldn’t see his face from the backseat, but I was sure his mouth had formed a big ‘ol grin. “Baby—” he belted out suddenly. It took me a moment to realize he was going into song. Oh, boy.
When Dante hit the second verse of his spontaneous song, he started into lyrics about him with two woman at the same time.
Valerie squealed suddenly and clapped her hands. “Oh my god! Is that Simultaneous Lovin’ from South Park?”
Dante repeated the chorus back in answer, shaking his shoulders side to side as he drove. Valerie joined him in the song, shaking her own body while I rolled my eyes from the back seat.
Valerie threw her hands up in the air and waved them around.
Dante leaned toward her singing, “You and me…”
“And her,” Valerie said tilting her head my way.
“Simultaneously,” they sang together.
“You and me,” Valerie sang again.
“And you and you and you,” Dante answered.
Valerie screeched with laughter, banging her arm on the console between her and Dante. Like he needed any more encouragement.
“Oh my god, I’m crying,” Valerie said. “If you ruin my makeup you are so dead.”
Which reminded me, we weren’t out for a joy ride or Saturday night out on the town. This was a mission. I couldn’t blame Dante or Valerie for goofing around and blowing off steam. I wish I could let loose more, get my mind off tonight’s task. Heck, get my mind off everything. What was the point of stressing? Once completed, there would be another mission to take its place. An endless parade of assignments and killing sprees. Thoughts like this made it hard for me to cut loose and laugh.
“I wonder what kind of music they’ll have at this thing,” Valerie mused.
“Fancy music,” Dante said.
“And let me guess, hors d’oeuvres?”
“Fancy ones.”
Valerie snorted.
“You and Aurora should stick together,” Dante said, turning his head until our eyes met. “I don’t know how much of you I’ll see while I’m in the private tasting rooms.”
The familiar flutter inside my chest picked up. Didn’t matter how many assignments I went on. I always got stressed right before game time. Should have joined the sing along. Might have helped.
“Don’t worry about us, Don Juan,” Valerie said.
“It feels funny going on a no-kill mission,” Dante said. “Been getting a lot of these lately, but I guess this is normal for you.”
Valerie straightened in her seat. “Speak for yourself. I started out as an informant and now Melcher has me killing vampires left and right. I took care of those three pizza boy killers and the Morrel family in Sitka.”
“Actually, Jared killed the Morrels while we ran for our lives. Not all of the Morrels are dead,” I reminded her.
“Thanks to you,” she said. “I don’t know how I let her talk me into sparing Vampire Barbie. Should have left her for Jared. Better yet, should have shot her myself.”
“Is this woman dangerous?” Dante asked.
Valerie pushed her hair back with a flick of her wrist. “She’s a woman. Of course she’s dangerous.”
“I have a bad feeling about her,” I said.
Valerie’s body stilled. An instant later, she whipped around, and shot me a death glare. “Oh, so now you have a bad feeling about her? Little late for that, don’t you think?”
“Ladies, let’s not fight before the party,” Dante said, chuckling.
Valerie turned around.
“What about you, Dante? Would you have allowed Giselle Morrel to live?”
“She’s a vampire?”
“One hundred percent.”
“I would have killed her.”
“See, even Dante would kill a pretty woman if she was a vampire,” Valerie said, sounding vindicated. “Not only did Miss Bleeding Heart allow her to live, she dragged her to safety. And I do mean literally dragged.”
Dante glanced at me in the review mirror.
“You rescued a vampire? Why?”
My bottom lip puffed out. The truth was I had no good answer. I panicked. I’d just discovered that Jared was a vampire and witnessed him snap Henriette Morrel’s neck. I crawled away as he struggled with Andre Morrell, but I’d heard the shot from upstairs. Then the second shot when he came upstairs and finished off Etienne Morrel next.
“S'il vous plaît ne blessez pas les enfants.”
I could still hear Henriette’s final words in my head.
Please don’t hurt the children.
It had been too late for the boy, but I had a chance to save the girl. Saving a person, even a vampire, felt a lot more natural than killing them.
I didn’t want to be an assassin. I didn’t want to kill vampires. That wouldn’t ever change, and here I was, forced into killing vampires until Melcher stopped giving the orders.
Valerie made a valid point at the mall. Both he and Jared needed to go. But taking down the man in charge? I couldn’t begin to figure that one out. Did we hire a vampire to go after him? If it all went wrong and Melcher found out, we were deader than undead.
Better to take one thing at a time, and that began with Jared.
I met Dante’s eyes in the mirror.
“I rescued Giselle because Jared was after her. If a vampire that malicious wanted her dead, I figured it might be a good reason to keep her alive.”
Dante squinted at me. He wasn’t convinced.
Valerie surprised me by saying, “Now that’s thinking I can begin to understand.”
“Aside from being a vampire, remind me again why Jared’s so bad,” Dante said. “According to Melcher, he’s on our side.”
“He tried to kill us,” I said, voice rising. Twice!
“You mean literally? Why would he do that?”
“Because he’s a psychopath,” Valerie snapped. “And, yeah, he literally came after us with an ax.”
Dante’s eyes shot back to me in the mirror.
“An ax? You didn’t mention an ax, Aurora.”
“I only saw you once between crisis number one and crisis number two, and it’s not exactly something I’d bring up at dinner with my mother and grandmother present.”
Little did I know that would be the last time I’d see Dante for six months. Fate had other plans. Marcus. All kills were awful, but he’d been the worst. I’d known Marcus personally… as much as you can get to know an eccentric socialite.
The battle to the death inside his music room had also been one of the scariest apart from initiation. Music to die by. I never wanted to go through something like that again. I’d scope out party guests and keep an eye on Diederick any day of the week over an assassination.
“Jared’s lucky he fell off the radar,” Dante said. “Better not show his face anywhere near either of you, or I’ll take him out. He’s a vampire. I have every right to end him regardless of Melcher’s orders. I’ll say it was self-defense.”
“Jared’s mine,” Valerie said.
I leaned forward. “You have to find him first.”
Valerie pursed her lips. “I’m sure he’ll rear his evil face soon enough.”
The thought of seeing Jared again quickened the tempo of my already racing heart. The base of the
mountains loomed closer as the Jeep rushed forward. Dante cranked the steering wheel, winding up a series of hairpin turns; climbing, climbing, climbing our way up the hillside.
The houses here had to cost a pretty penny. Forget McMansions, these were more like mini chateaus with custom stonework, towering A-frames, and enough property to set the neighbors apart by several acres.
And I thought the palace had been ritzy.
“How come rich people always live on hills?” I wondered aloud.
“So they can look down at the peasants,” Dante answered.
“For the view,” Valerie said.
I scooted forward, staring between the front seats through the windshield. The lights of Anchorage winked to life as the Jeep climbed higher.
“Beautiful,” Valerie said wistfully.
“Okay, it should be coming up soon,” Dante said.
My heart beat its way into my throat, making me want to gag. Once again, I wished I could be more gung ho. These days I watched how much I drank, but I swore there were times I wanted to down five shots of tequila to calm my shaky nerves.
“Here!” Valerie said, pointing at a paved road between two stone posts. Did she have to sound so excited?
I couldn’t help thinking she and Dante would make a better couple than Dante and me. They were both action junkies. They even synchronized their chorus. No doubt Valerie would give Dante a run for his money in the bedroom. Then again, they might kill each other first.
As Dante curved along the drive leading to the looming house, his speed slowed. He came to a stop in front of a wide set of stone steps leading to double doors with oval frosted glass windows.
“Where do we park?” Dante wondered aloud.
We’d entered a circular driveway, not the kind of place to pull aside and leave a vehicle. There weren’t any other cars around, but they had to be somewhere. A hidden parking lot?
We’d only been stopped a couple seconds before a middle aged man in a tuxedo emerged from the house. He moved down the stairs gracefully and walked over to the driver’s side window, which Dante rolled down.
The gentleman crouched, sharing a view of his balding head.
“Good evening, sir, and ladies. Your name please?”
“Dante.”
“Yes, of course. Diederick has a fine selection for you this evening, sir. And who are your friends?”
“My girlfriend and her friend,” Dante answered.
“Very good. The ladies may wait for you in the rec room. We have a fine selection of hors d’oeuvres, cocktails, and wine.”
“And the ladies will be left alone?”
“You needn’t worry. Diederick does not allow shenanigans at his events. Now if you step out, I will park your vehicle for you, sir.”
Dante glanced at me over his shoulder and lifted his eyebrows before stepping out. Valerie and I followed suit. Goose bumps rose over my bare arms when I stepped into the night air.
“Please continue inside. Foster will greet you in the foyer.”
“This is totally weird,” I said as we walked up the stairs.
“Swanky, I told you,” Dante replied.
Valerie’s lips formed a pout. “How am I supposed to meet anyone if they’ve been instructed not to bother other guests?”
Personally, I found that reassuring. If vampires felt they had to leave me alone, all the better.
“I’m sure we can still mingle,” I said.
Dante pulled open the door. “After you, ladies.”
Valerie walked in first. As I stepped over the threshold, Dante grabbed my ass and gave it a squeeze. I whipped around, “Dante!”
He held up his hands. “What? You’re my girlfriend.”
Valerie rolled her eyes. “Oh, please. Get a room. Wait, they’re all taken.”
I glared at her. Thanks for reminding me.
A man, Foster presumably, stood still as a statue, waiting for us in the foyer. He was around the same age as the first guy, but with considerably more hair, including a mustache.
“Welcome,” he said, arms clasped behind his back. “Your name, sir?”
Dante looked at me and smirked. I could tell he was trying not to laugh. Straight-faced, he turned to Butler Number Two.
“Dante.”
“Very good. And your friends?”
“Girlfriend. Friend.” Dante said, motioning at each of us. “The other guy said they wouldn’t be bothered while I’m off sampling.”
“Indeed, they will be perfectly comfortable,” Foster said straightening. “There are hors d’oeuvres and wine in the rec room. I will take you there first, after which you may begin your tasting.”
Dante nodded once. “Perfect.”
Valerie took the lead as we were led through a lodge-like living room with a tall ceiling. Aside from a few muted lamps, the upper floor of the house was dim. I wasn’t sure what to call the place. The term “palace” had belonged to Marcus.The Lodge? The Mansion? The Château?
I fell behind as I looked around.
“You look beautiful,” Dante whispered in my ear.
Before I could thank him, he added, “The only thing I’m going to be thinking about when I bite those other women is you.”
Ruin the moment, why didn’t he? It was aggravating, but hard to get mad at the same time. It was obvious Dante thought he’d paid me a compliment.
I sighed. Now was not the time or place to smack him.
“Will you be okay?” he asked a second later.
“Apparently I have nothing to worry about.”
“That’s a relief,” Dante said. “I think tonight we play it safe. Like the valet said, no shenanigans.”
I snorted softly. “You just wanted to say the word shenanigans.”
“Shenanigans,” Dante repeated and winked. “Some party, right?”
“We’ll see.”
Foster and Valerie waited by a staircase leading downstairs.
“You two coming?” Valerie demanded.
“Right behind you,” I said.
“The rec room is below,” Foster said. “You will find it very comfortable. Once you are ready, Dante, I will escort you to the private rooms, where you will find a nice selection of Bordeaux.”
Gross. I wrinkled my nose. Just because these blood suckers were biting women in style didn’t make it any less disgusting.
There was a pool room at the bottom of the stairs with three separate tables. Two were occupied. The players kept their eyes on the game as Foster led us through the room into another much larger area—the rec room I presumed.
Harp strings filled my ears with a lulling melody. An actual harpist sat in the corner stroking her instrument. There were about thirty guests milling around the room, holding onto wine glasses. A fire roared in a hearth near the window. Plush arm chairs were positioned around it. Maybe I would call this place The Lodge after all.
Against another wall, there was a full bar stocked with liquor and wine on glass shelves behind the polished dark wood counter.
“Fancy,” Valerie murmured. Her brows furrowed, as though worried, but the look was quickly replaced with a calculated “I’m queen bee” glare leveled at all the guests in the room.
“Come with me,” Foster said. “I will announce you to Diederick.”
I pressed against Dante’s arm and whispered, “Which one is Diederick?”
Dante lifted his chin toward the back of the room.
“Man sitting on the antique armchair with a woman standing on either side of him.”
The man Dante indicated looked to be in his early thirties. He wore a fitted suit, no tie, and had thick brown hair that curled slightly at the ends, nearly touching his shoulders. Dark facial hair had been neatly trimmed close to the skin of his upper lip and chin. He held a glass of red wine in his left hand. The wineglass seemed gigantic for the little amount of wine inside, but what did I know? I wasn’t even at the legal drinking age yet.
Foster led us straight up to Diederick.
; “Sir, Dante has arrived for his first tasting. This is his girlfriend and a friend.”
Diederick smiled slightly at Dante. “Pleasure to see you again. I hope this evening’s experience will be satisfactory.”
“I’m sure it will be,” Dante said.
“You are welcome to as much pure wine as you like, or Foster can escort you to the tasting rooms at once. The ladies must remain down here, but may drink and amuse themselves however they wish.”
Diederick barely glanced at Valerie or me. Business and wine clearly interested him more than women. Good luck, Val. Naturally she noticed, too, and her frown showed she wasn’t pleased.
“Thank you,” Dante said. “I’ll join the ladies for a drink before I head up. Little warm up beverage.” Dante chuckled.
Diederick simply answered, “Enjoy.”
As we stepped away from the man in charge, Foster said, “I will be in the foyer when you are ready, sir.”
The harpist stopped playing, leaving only the soft din of guests speaking in low voices.
This felt really awkward. What exactly were Valerie and I supposed to do while we waited for Dante? Listen and observe people drinking wine? Taste some and comment on its oaky flavor? Try to mingle with complete strangers?
Boot camp had not prepared me for this.
Once we were out of earshot of Diederick and Foster, I whispered, “Now what?”
“Now we get a drink,” Valerie said.
We crossed the room to the bar. The harpist took a seat at the far end. The bartender handed her a bottle of water before coming over to ask what we’d like.
“White Russian,” Valerie said.
Leave it to Valerie to order a cocktail at a wine party.
Dante wasn’t any better.
“Got any beer?” he asked.
“Light or dark?”
Dante leaned against the oak counter. “Let’s do dark.”
“We have a Belgium Rodenbach that is quite nice. Slightly sour at first, but that fades into a well-balanced robust flavor with hints of sherry.”
Dante nodded. “Sounds good to me.”
Sounded fancy for a beer.
“And you, Miss?” the bartender asked me.
“I’ll have water, please.”
“Very good.”
“Water?” Valerie asked, wrinkling her nose when the bartender turned away. He walked to a mini fridge at the far end of the bar. The harpist sipped on her water behind him.
Bad Blood (Aurora Sky: Vampire Hunter, Vol. 3) Page 10