“Why not? Things are a little dead after all that travel,” he said as he got up and pretended to rethink his choice of tie.
Taking off the blue silk neckcloth that he’d put on that morning, he set it aside in favor of wearing an open collar.
“Well, right now, Whore is the place to be seen,” Vincent said as he took a look around the room without appearing to do so.
“You’re kidding right?” Alec’s insides curdled a bit. “Did my parents have anything to do with that name?”
“No, it’s owned by some practitioners. But the coven house has its own VIP section and private room for meetings. The usual setup. Your parents aren’t into the club scene right now. More into exclusive soirées. Like tonight’s.” Vincent paused. “Your parents won’t be pleased if you skip another one.”
“I only got back last week and haven’t been in the mood. But I’ll be sure to drop by tonight before I go out,” Alec said.
He’d avoided all of the parties his parents had thrown since his return, but after seeing Pedro it might be a good idea to play nice. The locals mixed with the Otherkind far more frequently than they would have you believe, and he might learn something useful.
Which means socializing, he thought with a shudder.
“Excellent! I’ll tell your mother. She’ll be so pleased,” Vincent exclaimed with a huge smile.
He was practically out the door when Alec stopped him.
“Make sure she knows I’m only making an appearance. I don’t want her turning this into a welcome home celebration.”
He really didn’t want to be the focus tonight. Or any other night.
“I’ll be sure she knows your feelings on the subject. I should go help with the preparations. I have a few of my own invitations to extend. Ta-ta for now.” Vincent whirled away with a flourish.
It’s almost as if he’s always wearing a cape, Alec marveled as the other man left.
Alec did not flounce or whirl, nor did he sweep out of rooms like he was in a ball gown. He wouldn’t have known how even if he wanted to. But he still wondered how Vincent and all of his parent’s other favorites always managed to pull it off.
4
Later that night, Alec was regretting his impulse to join his mother’s party. He’d already been toasted twice and had roughly half the vampire population in the city paraded in front of him.
The damn female half. His parents had apparently decided to drop their more subtle efforts to persuade him to take a mate.
Alec smothered a yawn, annoyed they were resuming their campaign. The pressure to marry and produce a child before he turned had thankfully been abandoned when he had gone through his change early. Most turned after thirty human years or more. He had been an unprecedented twenty-four, a shocking event at the time. But after only a few hundred years reprieve, his parents had started hinting that the joys of taking a partner were a blessing despite the absence of children.
He had never felt the slightest temptation to find out if that was true. As for the steady stream of eligible female vampires being paraded in front of him, women were the last thing on his mind. Clearly his mother had chosen to ignore his polite requests that she stop matchmaking. He needed to speak to her about it, but he’d been avoiding a direct confrontation. His childless status was a sore point with them.
Eager to escape the inane conversation, he retreated to a chair near the fireplace and pretended to admire his mother’s latest redecoration effort. It almost made him smile. The opulent ballroom, with its red silk damask covered walls, had some of the most elaborate chandeliers he’d ever seen outside a casino.
I feel like I’m in Vegas.
“Hello, Alec,” a low female voice purred in his ear.
He turned away from the chandeliers to see Sylvan perched on the right arm of his armchair near the fireplace, a monstrously large piece that would have been at home in the grandest castles of Europe. Sylvan smiled invitingly and braced an arm above his shoulder. She couldn’t get closer to him unless she sat on his lap.
She trailed her hand up his arm, looking as if she was going to climb on top of him any second. He shifted slightly, trying to dislodge her crawling fingers.
“Hi, Sylvan,” Alec replied, his voice flat and discouraging.
Sylvan was the worst of his mother’s potential daughter-in-laws. Her large breasts were almost completely exposed to the nipple, a dark green dress hugging every voluptuous curve. He’d never been into her, but Sylvan was tenacious. She wanted to be at his side at the top of the of the coven hierarchy, the mistress of the manor when his parents stepped down.
“It’s good that you’re finally home, Alec,” she continued, her tongue curling around the syllables of his name.
Shifting in his seat, he stayed quiet.
Not pleased with his response or lack of one, Sylvan started again. “A little bird told me you were going to Whore tonight. You should come with me. They know me there.”
Of course they do. “Oh, I think I might fly solo. Or I may not hit a club after all. I have some work to do,” Alec said evasively.
Not for the first time, he wished vampires didn’t have twenty-twenty vision. Cleaning a pair of spectacles could have provided a distraction. Anything to avoid direct eye contact. Sylvan was like the sun—a bright shining star that burned out your retinas if you looked at it too long.
“You’ve devoted centuries to your research,” she replied, a hint of a sneer in her voice. “Your parents think it’s time you settled down and took over your responsibilities here.”
What responsibilities? Throwing the best party? Showing visiting dignitaries around town? Taking them clubbing?
“They’ve made that clear, but I’m simply not the marrying kind,” Alec said with a deprecating smile.
“Don’t compare a vampire bond to a human marriage,” Sylvan spit out. “Our kind bonds for eternity. It is more than a stupid human marriage; it is a union of souls.”
“Of course it is.”
I will not roll my eyes.
“Don’t roll your eyes at me!”
Damn.
“Anyway,” Sylvan continued, regaining her purr with remarkable speed. “I know all the clubs from here to Miami, and most of the ones in LA. All the ones worth knowing, that is. You really should join me sometime.”
“Maybe. . .sometime. But tonight is bad. I have some errands, and a few books to acquire.”
That was a good one. Sylvan never read. Not even sure she knows how. A surprising number of vampires didn’t bother to learn.
“Suit yourself. Just give me a buzz if you change your mind. I know everyone who’s anyone. You’ve been out of the loop for too long,” she said, rising from her perch in a smooth fluid motion that drew attention to her curves. “If you want to mix with the Otherkind, you need to know who the right people are. I can help you with that.”
“Some social guidance would not be amiss,” Alec said, reminding himself that his investigation was too important to brush her off outright. “Why don’t you start now? Why don’t you tell me about the local undesirables?”
“Really?” Sylvan asked, sitting back down on the arm of his chair in a flash. She leaned in conspiratorially. “Well, let’s see. Where should we start?”
She turned to the room at large.
* * *
Diana was outside the coven house, crouched in a treetop in the square. It was later than she had planned, but it seemed like the coven was staying in tonight. They were having a party, which meant the later she went in, the bigger the crowd. She’d rethought her plan and, if all went, she would circumvent the need for violence. Or at least major bodily harm.
Remember not to kill anyone. If they’re not involved with Katie’s disappearance, you’ll never hear the end of it from Serin. The current generation of leaders for this coven hadn’t met an Elemental before. She hopped down from the tree and headed to the house.
Time to make an impression.
5
In
side the coven house ballroom, Alec was doing his damnedest to get rid of Sylvan. He felt a little bad about it because she’d actually been helpful. He had a few leads now thanks to her, but gratitude only went so far. After downing the last of his wine, he excused himself to go get another drink. His mother could be counted on to serve only the finest vintages.
Alec studied the crowd from the relative safety of the bar. Everyone was dressed to kill, pun intended. But most humans would probably be disappointed in their parties. No vampires feeding off enthralled humans. No orgies or violence. Not even the hint of impropriety. The euphoria fresh human blood inspired was something best experienced in private. It would be hard to maintain the same level of vampire superiority if you’ve been seen in flagrante delicto, figuratively speaking.
He asked the bartender for a scotch and turned his attention back to the fireplace. He was doing a pretty good job of ignoring Sylvan, despite her pouty expression across the ballroom. He was subtly looking for the exit when he noticed the flames in the fireplace flicker. In unison—the whole blaze, which had a strange purple-blue color to it.
Stiffening, he walked closer while turning around to scan the room. Several others had noticed the fire’s unnatural behavior. Everyone hushed and those closest to the fireplace moved away from it. Some were crowding near the doors when there was a sudden rushing sound like an animal howling in the sudden quiet.
All eyes turned to the fireplace. The once small flames leapt high, engulfing the entire space under the giant mantelpiece in an unnaturally bright flame. Alec was momentarily blinded. He covered his eyes with his hands. When they readjusted, he could see someone in the center of the ballroom. A young woman. One with dark red hair.
“Do excuse me,” she said with a dazzling smile directed at his parents. “I didn’t mean to interrupt. Well, okay. Actually, I did.” She shifted her weight on one hip in a casual whole body shrug.
Elva’s aristocratic face contorted into a mask of fury and outrage. Alden stalked toward the woman, his expression livid.
“How dare you?” Alec’s father hissed. He didn’t have to yell to get everyone’s attention. All eyes were on him and their uninvited guest. “Who the hell are you? You can’t be here!”
“Oh, I dare to go pretty much anywhere I want. But you’re right. I should have at least knocked.”
She raised her hand in a parody of knocking a door. . .but with each fake knock there was a real and extremely loud booming sound. It was so loud the chandeliers rattled.
What the hell? What witch could do something like that without an incantation? He hadn’t seen her move her lips at all.
“I’m not impressed with your parlor tricks!” his father spit out.
The woman leaned in closer. “Who says it’s a trick?” She spun slightly to take in the room around her. “Nice. A little too much velvet, though. Very nouveau bordello.” Her full lips puckered a little.
She’s beautiful, Alec thought for a long moment before he got a grip on himself. An unfamiliar vamp close to him turned and gave him a ‘Are you completely crazy?’ look.
Damn, must have said it out loud.
“Get the hell out of here, witch!” his father yelled, but it sounded more like a b than a w.
He grabbed the woman’s arm but snapped back his hand like he had been burned. He gave a little grunt, blinking repeatedly. Then he seemed to shake it off and tried again.
Alec wanted to shout a warning, but he was frozen in place. His father’s hand was smoking now, and there was a distinct smell of burned flesh in the air. Alden took two steps back, but his mother came forward shaking with rage.
“You can’t be here,” she shrilled as if her mate hadn’t just been burned. “We have wards everywhere!”
“I’m aware of that,” the stranger said.
The young woman was still calm and collected, her voice low and cool. It had a distinctly husky sound to it, one that was tweaking Alec’s nerves. “But since I’m not a witch, they aren’t really relevant right now.”
“Of course you’re a witch!” his mother yelled, spittle flying, completely losing her composure.
Okay, now that was really impressive. He couldn’t remember the last time Elva had raised her voice.
The woman must have decided she was tired of getting spit on, and moved out of range. There was a sudden gasp, as if everyone in the room had exhaled collectively in surprise.
As the stranger walked across the polished marble floor, she made a circle around Alec’s mother, leaving a set of small burning footprints in her wake.
The fire from each footprint flared with each step, leaving Elva completely encircled by flames. Panicking, she ran toward Alden. But before she could clear the edge, the circle of fire flared high and hot, trapping her inside.
A sudden crashing sound behind Alec made him turn around. Vamps and servants were scrambling out of the room, knocking over furniture and dropping trays of champagne as they went.
“What do you want?” His father’s voice didn’t sound right.
Alec turned back to the intruder, stunned to see her now ringed in a spiral of flame that moved with her, like it was a part of her. He inched toward her, trying to not make any noise. But she turned anyway, facing him directly across the length of the ballroom.
Alec stared into her eyes and the bottom dropped away from his world.
It really is one of them.
The woman turned back to his parents, but the image of those flame-filled eyes stayed with him. It wasn’t a trick of the light or a reflection of the fire in the room. It was coming from inside of her. She was an Elemental.
“I want to know about the child,” she said.
“Shit.”
The Elemental cocked her head in his direction. Crap. Bad time to think aloud.
“What child?” His father sounded genuinely bewildered.
The Elemental produced a picture from god knows where. The fact that it wasn’t burning up was proof that those flames weren’t normal.
“This one. Her name is Katie. She should be safe at home sleeping right now, but she’s not. And one of your kind knows something about her disappearance.”
The Elemental’s voice was cold and even.
“We don’t know anything about that. We would never break the covenant and harm a child,” Alden said, still confused.
That was true. . .mostly. They would never feed from or kill children. But allowing harm to come to them through some thoughtless action, well, that was a something Alec didn’t want to think about.
“I didn’t say you had done anything to her personally,” the Elemental said as she reached out a small shapely hand and took hold of Alden’s shirtfront. “But one of you knows something. If I were you, I would get into a sharing mood.”
The shirt smoldered where it made contact. She dragged him forward—despite the fact he towered above her by almost a foot and outweighed her by at least a hundred pounds.
“We have nothing to do with whatever it is you are looking for!” Elva said from inside the circle, but her voice betrayed her. It was shaky and uncertain.
The Elemental released Alden with a shove that sent him flying back and sliding across the floor like a doll. Alec froze in shock for the space of an entire heartbeat before rushing to help him. After helping his father to his feet, they both turned to watch helplessly as the Elemental moved toward his mother.
“Then why do the winds whisper your name, Elvarosa? They wouldn’t be doing that if you weren’t involved somehow.”
The Elemental’s voice was low and throaty. It sounded so wrong. It was too sexy for him to be afraid. And he should be. Even his mother was finally catching up, realization creeping over her face. Then her expression turned stubborn.
Alec knew that look. His mother was exceptional when it came to ignoring unpleasant situations. But this was the wrong time for her to dig her Manolo’s in denial. He stepped closer, determined to do something.
“What have you done,
Mother?” he asked quietly.
The Elemental cocked her head again, but she didn’t bother to turn around to look at him.
“Tell me about the child,” she said.
“Elva? What is she talking about?” his father asked. His mother jerked her head toward the sound of his voice. Alec was only a few feet away now. The Elemental didn’t even turn toward him.
Clearly I’m not a threat, he thought, trying not to be insulted.
“It wasn’t me! It was nothing!” his mother yelled as the flames flared slightly.
“But you know something,” the Elemental said in a singsong voice that should have freaked him out.
But he loved her voice. Jesus, what is wrong with you?
“Mother, whatever you know, you have to tell us,” Alec said.
Elva turned toward him and the Elemental. “No, it was nothing. Nothing.” She was shaking, her eyes clouded and unseeing.
“What was nothing?” the Elemental asked in a cold even tone. She was like the angel that stood at the gates of heaven judging sins and deciding fates.
“They wanted to use one the houses. That’s all!” His mother couldn’t seem to control the volume of her voice.
“Who wanted a house? For what purpose? Did they keep Katie there?”
Though her inflection hadn’t changed, he was certain the Elemental was furious.
“No! I don’t know! There wasn’t supposed to be a child there at all!” his mother cried.
The Elemental didn’t say anything. She simply let the silence stretch and stretch like a police interrogator would have until Elva broke.
“I didn’t know it was a black circle,” his mother whispered.
From the corner, his father made an inarticulate choking sound, but Alec didn’t look his way.
“We don’t traffic with black witches. We don’t!” his mother cried as she paced in a tiny circle inside the flames. “A friend asked me for a favor, to loan one of our rentals in Dover to some witches she knew. She said the house was in a favorable spot for them to conduct some rituals. I thought it was only basic spells. So did she. But they vacated suddenly and she didn’t know where they had gone,” Elva said with a wave of her hand that was a little too close to the fire for Alec’s peace of mind. “She was annoyed because she couldn’t reach them, and she hadn’t received the charms she’d been promised.”
Fire: The Elementals Book One Page 3