“We’re trying to blend in, not raise suspicion,” Valerie said under her breath.
“What’s suspicious about drinking water? Maybe I’m the designated driver.”
Valerie snorted rudely. “You don’t drive.”
“Good point. One of you needs to stop after your first drink.” I looked between Dante and Valerie.
“I have a high tolerance for alcohol,” Dante said. “And the tastings are just that, a small taste. Besides,” he said, brushing his hand across my neck. “I’d never do anything that might cause you harm.”
“Touching,” Valerie said, rolling her eyes. “Fine. One drink. I’ll drive us home. But you really ought to get over your car phobia, since you don’t like to drink anyway.” Valerie jabbed her finger in my direction.
I gave a noncommittal shrug. I didn’t see any rush, especially when I lived within walking distance of campus and had a friend with wheels. Besides, it was fall, which lasted about a week in Anchorage. Meaning winter, ice, and snow were right around the corner.
If I were to get behind the wheel again, it would be at the beginning of summer.
“You know the longer you put off driving, the more you let Jared win,” Valerie said.
Dante tilted his head. “What does Jared have to do with Aurora not driving?”
“Nothing,” I said, glaring at Valerie. “He recruited me after my accident. Thinks I’m weak for not getting behind the wheel again.”
Dante did not need to know about Jared’s recruiting methods. He’d call him out in five seconds flat. Not only would Valerie and I lose the element of surprise, but Dante might get himself killed. Jared was a blood sucker. A cold-hearted killer. Dante would endanger all our lives if he went after him. After Jared was dead, I’d tell Dante everything.
“I can’t stand that guy,” Dante said.
The bartender set a White Russian in front of Valerie and a bottle of water and a glass in front of me. He unscrewed the lid on the bottle and filled my glass halfway before going back to the fridge. A moment later, he was back with a frosted pint glass and black bottle that looked like champagne. He uncorked the bottle and filled the glass.
“Cheers, man,” Dante said, lifting the glass to his mouth. His lips puckered when he set the glass down. “Wow, my tongue’s tingling.”
“Lovely, isn’t it?” the bartender asked.
“Yeah, that’s some good stuff.”
The bartender moved onto a man who’d stepped up beside Dante. Dante took several delicate sips before lifting the bottle to examine the label. The liquid inside the glass was really dark, not the kind a person could easily guzzle down.
“Two thousand and nine vintage,” Dante read aloud. “Talk about flavor. I could get used to this. Nothing but the best.”
Valerie brushed a stray curl back and sipped her cocktail, eyes roaming the room.
I drank my plain old boring water.
“Want a taste?” Dante asked, pushing the glass toward me.
“No, thanks.”
“Come on. Just one sip.”
“Only so you’ll stop asking.” I took a sip… and tried not to spit it back into the glass. My nostrils flared. I swear I smelled balsamic vinegar. “That’s disgusting.”
Dante shook his head. “No appreciation.”
I pushed the glass his way. “Take it back. Even the smell is overpowering.”
“Shouldn’t you be getting to your tasting?” Valerie asked Dante.
She kept looking around the room as though she were searching for someone.
“When the beer’s gone, I’m gone.” Dante took another sip.
Valerie raised a brow. “Getting cold feet, Casanova?”
“Au contraire. My feet are hot to trot.”
Valerie stopped scanning the room and rolled her eyes. Dante downed the rest of the beer and set the empty glass on the counter, smacking his lips. “Ahh. That was one fine drink my friends, but now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got some blood to suck.”
Dante shot me a lopsided grin right before planting a wet, vinegar-scented kiss over my lips. He hopped off the stool, gave Valerie and me a salute, and headed out of the rec room. I watched him walk away with perfect ease and confidence.
“I hope he can pull this off,” I whispered for only Valerie to hear.
“All he has to do is lick blood off a bunch of willing women,” Valerie said, clearly unimpressed. “How hard can it be?” Valerie squinted at me. “You’re being surprisingly cool about this. Assignment or not, if that was my man sucking on a bunch of hoochies, I’d want to rip his tongue out.”
Except Dante wasn’t exactly my man.
I stared at Valerie a moment. Her lips puffed out as she shot me the stink eye. I suppose I should’ve counted myself lucky the vixen merely blackmailed me into dumping Fane rather than taking other actions—such as dismemberment.
9
An Unusual Suspect
Several whimsical notes passed over the room like a gentle wave as the harpist resumed playing. Guess a DJ would’ve been out of place. I didn’t feel overdressed any longer. The women had on pearl necklaces, and diamonds winking from their ears.
There wasn’t any place for a pendant with my dress, which covered my chest and tied at the neck. I tugged at one of my earrings gently.
Valerie heaved a sigh. “All the important guests are probably in the rooms upstairs.”
I wasn’t sure. This crowd looked pretty Who’s Who to me. When I didn’t answer, Valerie went back to sipping her cocktail.
Some Saturday night out. I should have been celebrating my first week of college. Mom and Gran had wanted to take me out to hear all about it—not that Mom hadn’t heard everything over the phone. She said she wanted to hear it again face-to-face. I’d compromised by letting them take me out for Sunday brunch. The later the better. Who knew how long we’d be kicking our heels at the lodge.
Valerie stared over my shoulder and grumbled. “Look at those two drones next to him.”
I followed her gaze to Diederick, sitting regally atop his chair like a king on his throne. One of his female attendants held a bottle of wine in the palm of her left hand, her right hand wrapped around the bottle’s neck. Diederick held up his glass, and she poured a small amount of red wine.
I wrinkled my nose. “Melcher wants me to get close to that male chauvinist? I don’t think so.”
“Just keep an eye on him,” Valerie said.
“Easy enough,” I answered in a low voice. “Seeing as he hasn’t gotten off his ass since we arrived.”
Valerie snickered.
There weren’t many guests who looked older than Diederick. When it came to vampires, age was always misleading. Most of them were young, my age or low twenties, which usually meant they were old in terms of days spent on earth. Before modern medicine came along, it was all too common for people to die in the bloom of youth—usually taken away by disease. That is unless they had AB negative or positive blood, in which case the disease triggered vampirism, and they stopped aging.
I finished my water. I had to hand it to Valerie. She did a good job nursing her drink.
We watched Foster present a man in his late twenties to Diederick before escorting him back out. Guess the vamp wanted to get right to it. A tall, leggy woman with silky brown hair twisted and secured in a rhinestone barrette walked in after their departure. She wore a long black dress with a slit up the leg. It was difficult to decipher her age. Hair and makeup easily added several years, but beneath that she might have been in her early twenties.
She noticed me staring, smiled, and sauntered over.
“Hi, I’m Selene,” she said, extending her manicured fingers toward me.
When I took her hand, she squeezed it.
“Aurora,” I said. “And this is Valerie.”
“Aurora and Valerie,” Selene repeated. “Beautiful names for beautiful women.”
I felt a blush coming on. Compliments always unnerved me. Valerie looked Selene up and d
own with a mistrustful glare.
“Are you together?” Selene asked.
I completely mistook her meaning at first. Yes, we were together. We’d arrived together and we were hanging out, sorta, waiting for Dante together.
“Her boyfriend’s upstairs,” Valerie said.
“Ah,” Selene said, grinning. She placed an arm on the counter beside me and leaned in. “No doubt he’ll find this evening’s selection satisfactory. Personally, I don’t think it begins to compare with what’s right in front of me.”
My cheeks were definitely red now. Was she hitting on me?
Valerie placed a hand on her hip. “Are you a vampire?” she asked.
Selene moved her gaze from me to Valerie. “You sound surprised.”
“I don’t see any reason why I should be.”
Selene shot Valerie a cheeky smile. “Indeed not. My fanged brothers aren’t the only ones who enjoy a good suck with a beautiful woman.”
Okay, way out of my comfort zone. And although Selene was chatting with Valerie, she was within a hairsbreadth of me. She’d already pressed her hip against my thigh. I didn’t want to offend her, so I tried my best to keep a neutral expression and not lean away.
“And you, Valerie, are you with someone?” Selene asked.
Valerie pushed her hair back in one glamorous movement as though tossing a scarf over her shoulder. “Not tonight,” she said in a matter-of-fact, rather than flirtatious, tone.
Selene’s laugh sounded like tinkling bells. “Oh you’re trouble, aren’t you, Cherry Bomb?” Selene pulled away from the counter. “Would you care to join me for a game of pool?”
Valerie slid off her stool. “Why not?” When she caught my questioning look, Valerie retorted, “I’m not going to sit on my ass all night waiting for Dante.”
I took a deep breath. “Fine. I guess I’ll just sit here by myself and contemplate the meaning of life.”
A soft hand touched my bare shoulder. When I turned, Selene gave me a friendly smile. “You’re welcome to come watch. We can take turns.”
“Thanks. Maybe later,” I said.
Her smile widened. “You are so sweet. I hope that vamp of yours treats you right. We’ll be in the room next door if you change your mind.”
Selene turned gracefully and headed back the way she’d come in. As Valerie passed me she said, “Have fun staring at the wall.”
I considered flipping her off. It did no good kidding myself that we were close friends. There was only one person Valerie looked out for: herself. Naturally, I didn’t need her to hold my hand, as I’d killed five vampires and gone through boot camp, but a little company never hurt.
“Can I get you something besides water?”
I gave a little start. I hadn’t noticed the bartender standing right in front of me.
“No, thanks. I’m good.”
Except that it felt weird sitting alone at a bar not drinking. Maybe I could relocate to a secluded chair and think over my upcoming college assignments to pass the time.
I looked around. Diederick was still on his throne. I did not want to sit anywhere near him.
As I scanned the rest of the room, I met a familiar pair of eyes. Henry. He looked all spiffy in a black suit. I smiled, but he didn’t return it. I wondered if he and Noel still ate lunch together at West High. Not likely. Not since Valerie moved in on Henry’s best friend and Noel’s crush, Gavin.
Henry crossed the room, holding an empty martini glass. He sidled up beside me, setting the glass on the counter.
“Aurora Sky. Surprise, surprise.”
“Why’s that a surprise?” I asked. If he wasn’t going to say “hello,” I didn’t see why I should.
Henry narrowed his eyes. “It’s not.”
Okay, what was up his butt? We’d never been besties, but I didn’t see a reason for open hostility. I guess a lot had changed in the last six months.
The bartender swooped in for Henry’s glass.
“Another martini, sir?”
Henry nodded.
“Are you sure you wouldn’t care for something, miss?”
“I’m fine, thank you.”
Henry’s eyes narrowed when the bartender turned away.
“You’re not drinking?”
“No.”
“Then why are you here… at a tasting?”
“For the friendly conversation, obviously,” I answered sarcastically.
“Are you sure about that?”
I sighed. “What are you getting at, Henry?”
Henry drummed his fingers over the counter, the direction of his eyes moving to the bartender. Once a fresh drink was placed in front of him, Henry took a drawn-out sip and set it down.
“I think I have a pretty good idea why you’re here, Aurora.”
Alarm bells went off inside my head. A vampire acting suspicious of a vampire hunter—not exactly comforting.
“What do you mean?”
Henry lifted his chin, never breaking eye contact. “I believe you’re here looking for your next target.”
“Target?” My heart pitter-pattered. “What are you talking about?”
Why the hell would Henry come to that conclusion? I’d done everything I could to remain inconspicuous about what I was. Granted, that never seemed to work out too well for me, but I had dated a vampire. That should’ve thrown him off my scent. And not just any vampire—I dated Fane Donado. That ought to be alibi enough.
I straightened on my stool. “I’m afraid you’re not making sense, Henry. I’m here with my boyfriend, trying to have a good time.”
“Who’s your boyfriend?”
“Dante.”
“Never heard of him.”
“So? Do you know every vampire on the planet?”
Henry’s eyebrows furrowed. He took a sip of his martini.
I folded my arms across my chest. “Mind telling me why I’m being interrogated?”
Henry straightened. “Richard Stanton hired me to investigate the death of his former partner, Marcus.”
“I heard about Marcus’s death,” I said without a second’s hesitation. “Terrible tragedy. I liked Marcus.”
“Hmm. The thing is you were one of the last people to leave the palace on the night of his murder.”
Cut to the chase why don’t you, Henry? My heart jolted and beat erratically. That night felt like a bad dream. Ancient history. Long, long ago. In a galaxy far away. Something that happened to someone else. Boot camp had broken me into a million fragments and then put me back together. I was Aurora 2.0, boot camp graduate and sophisticated college student. Aurora 2.0 didn’t kill Marcus. Her conscience was clear.
“You’ve been misinformed,” I replied coolly. “I was one of the first guests to leave that night.”
Henry took another sip of his martini, watching me over the rim before setting the glass back down. He leaned closer, speaking in a low voice. “I saw your red scarf hanging from a hook before I left.”
“Really?” I asked. “I was wondering what happened to that old thing.”
Henry’s eyebrows pinched, meeting in the middle of his forehead. For the first time since interrogating me, he looked mad. “It wasn’t there after he was found dead.”
“I don’t know what happened to it,” I said, my voice rising. “I came to the party, saw Fane messing around and got the hell out of there. I was hurt and humiliated at seeing him with someone else. Happy now?” If he wanted to give me attitude, I’d give it right back.
Henry drummed his fingers a couple more times. Unfortunately, by the frown on his face, he didn’t look like he bought my story. That, or he was still in decision making mode.
“I find it interesting that you disappeared right after Marcus’ death. Where did you go, Aurora? Where have you been the past six months?”
My back straightened. “That’s none of your business. You’re not the police. Maybe you should leave the detective work to actual detectives.”
Henry’s eyes narrowed.
My jaw dropped. Henry knew about the existence of vampire hunters? Freakin’ fabulous.
“A what?” I asked in disbelief. “You mean like Buffy? You can’t be serious?”
The way Henry studied my face put me instantly on edge. Come on Aurora 2.0, nothing fazes you, be cool.
“You wouldn’t be the first,” Henry said. “But you are much more advanced than past vampire hunters. Your blood is poison.”
So he’d decided I was a hunter, had he?
I screwed up my face. “What are you talking about? I’ve never heard anything so ridiculous.”
It was weird watching Henry watch me. He never struck me as dangerous, yet here he stood, sniffing around my skirt for clues. I should be afraid. Really afraid. Break-out-into-a-cold-sweat afraid. This wasn’t good.
A situation like this called for my own personal carte blanche. Fane Donado. Vampire hunters didn’t date vampires. Lucky for me, we’d gone out before the truth of what he was slammed down over my human heart.
I stuck my nose in the air. “Obviously I’m not out to kill vampires. I went out with Fane.”
“Unless you were targeting him.”
Now Henry was really pissing me off.
“That’s outrageous!”
“Did he ever bite you?”
“Of course he bit me. He’s a vampire.”
I reached for my hair, momentarily forgetting Valerie had put it up.
Henry’s hand shot forward so fast I didn’t see it until his fingers squeezed around my wrist. Instinctively, I reached for the martini glass with my free hand and threw the gin into his face. Henry roared with anger. He released my wrist and swiped at his eyes.
I jumped off my stool, unsure if I should stay and fight, try to make excuses, or fly the coop. Before I could decide, Henry blinked through the liquor, glaring bloody murder at me. The martini dripped down his face, wetting his white collar.
Bad Blood (Aurora Sky: Vampire Hunter, Vol. 3) Page 11