by Kat Stiles
At the entrance was another employee, a woman with the silkiest red hair I’d ever seen. And her curls were perfect, like each ringlet was precisely placed in position.
“Welcome to the Kensington mansion,” she said, with the kind of zeal a ringleader would have.
What the hell, I mouthed to Amy. She covered her giggle.
“Thank you,” I said to the redhead, offering my hand to shake. “I’m—”
“Elizabeth,” she interrupted. “We’re so glad you came.” She took a deep breath in and closed her eyes like it was the best breath of air she’d ever breathed. Then she threw her arms around me in an unexpected hug, still breathing deeply like a total weirdo.
“Oookay,” I said, as I disengaged from the hug. “This is my friend, Amy.”
“Charmed, I’m sure,” she said, shaking her hand politely.
Then she hooked her arm in mine and led the way.
“I…I’m wondering if there’s been a mistake. You see, I don’t know a James.”
Her perfect laugh echoed through the grand hallway we had just entered. “But James knows about you. That’s what’s important.”
I’d never been in such a tall, beautifully furnished hallway. For a room that didn’t function for anything but a transitory walkway, it had paintings so brilliantly done, I’d wager my entire net worth wouldn’t begin to touch their value. Amy was admiring them with her jaw opened and her eyes darting from piece to flawless piece.
Is this really how pretentious our host is? Am I supposed to be impressed? But even with my sense of distrust and paranoia, I had to appreciate how well each piece fit into the space, matched with the decor. Whoever designed this space knew exactly what they were doing, and was probably paid more than several years of my salary.
We stopped in front of a room with closed double doors. “James will see you in the study. I’m Rose, by the way, if you need anything at all. It was so nice to meet you,” she said, as she kissed both my cheeks and then planted the softest of kisses on my mouth.
I looked at Rose, confused by that kiss. But the smile she wore was utterly relentless. She didn’t say a word, but just opened the doors to reveal a huge room with books on shelves from the floor to the high ceiling. In the middle back of the room was the largest, most elaborate office desk I’d ever seen, complete with custom carved legs and a desktop so polished I would’ve mistaken it for marble had it not had a wood pattern. The chair behind the desk was more like a throne, with carvings on both sides and velvet cushions that looked beyond comfy. This James character wasn’t anywhere to be found at first, but then I finally noticed him in the far corner, reading a book. He seemed familiar somehow, but I couldn’t remember from where. He took a deep breath in and closed his eyes, just as Rose had done.
“Elizabeth?” His eyes opened and focused on me. Even from across the room I could see he had the greenest eyes, like a lighter variation of malachite. His sandy blonde hair was styled back neatly.
I blinked, and in that time, he had managed to cross the room. He took my hands in his and kissed them, one at a time. “It is a pleasure to finally meet you.”
“I…I’m afraid I’m at a disadvantage. How exactly is it that you know me?”
“That is why I invited you to dinner,” he said, with a smile so perfectly charming it should be criminal. I wondered if any women, in his entire history of dating ever, said no to him. For anything.
“And your friend is welcome too, of course.” He did the whole hand kissing thing with Amy, who introduced herself in a breathy voice.
I cleared my throat, refocusing. “That doesn’t answer my question.” His eyes met mine, and that gaze… I had the feeling he wanted me to drop it, but half the reason I came was to find out why I was invited to this crazy gorgeous mansion, to be with these crazy gorgeous people. “Well?”
His perfectly groomed eyebrows scrunched together. “You don’t want to join me outside?”
“What?” I folded my arms, wondering if he was screwing with me. “You didn’t say anything about being outside.”
His eyebrows and facial muscles relaxed in a look of recognition. A look I would almost describe as concerned. “I’m sorry, my dear. It is through a mutual acquaintance.”
“Who?” I asked.
“No one of consequence.” He clapped his hands together and smiled. “Come! Join me in the dining room. And prepare to be amazed as my chef brings you epicurean delights from around the world.”
“Um, do you think we can freshen up?” Amy said. “Where is your restroom?”
“Certainly, Rose will show you to it.” The smile on his face seemed polite, but I couldn’t shake the feeling there was something more behind it. Something sinister.
Rose directed us to what she elegantly called a ‘powder room,’ which made me wonder if it really was only a place to fix your makeup. Amy grabbed my arm, and we discovered the first room we entered was exactly that, with a bidet toilet and sink in an adjacent room.
She whispered, “Holy shit, did you see him?”
“Sure he’s handsome and all, but—”
“No, I mean, he’s definitely a vampire.”
“Really?” I placed my hands on her shoulders. “You’ve got to stop watching those movies.”
“I’m serious. The way he was looking into your eyes, I think he was trying to hypnotize you.”
I didn’t even want to entertain the thought. “Hmm. You mean like Count Dracula?”
She punched my arm. “Fine, don’t believe me. But if you end up dizzy and with two small puncture wounds, don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
I nodded, not quite sure how to respond to that. “I’ll stay vigilant.”
That seemed to placate her, and we exited the restroom. Rose was waiting to usher us to the dining room, which in itself was more of a hall in size. A table that must’ve been twenty or thirty feet long stood in the middle of the large room, with twelve chairs on either side and one each at the small ends. The plates and silverware were breathtaking, with elaborate patterns and gold trim. I’d never felt so out of place in my life. I just knew I’d screw up something, use the wrong fork or whatever.
Amy must’ve seen my terrified expression. She whispered, “Just watch me.”
“Why the hell are we here again?” I whispered back.
“Maybe to prove I’m not crazy?”
I shot her a look. The memory of creepy park dude’s teeth was just starting to fade in my mind. I didn’t need the possibility of more than one of that kind of people existing.
“It’s going to be okay,” I said softly, more to myself than anyone else.
“Is it too formal?” James said, suddenly at my side once more. His breath was so close, at my ear. “I can arrange to have something more cozy set up if you’d like. Your comfort is my only concern.”
“It’s fine. Will our mutual acquaintance of no consequence be joining us this evening?” I asked, as he helped me into my chair, the first one along one of the long sides of the table. Amy sat down next to me.
“I’m afraid not, he’s busy this evening.”
So it was a he. Interesting. A few others sat down on the side opposite us, while James sat at the head of table. Like Rose and the valet, the others were all impossibly beautiful.
I started to wonder if Amy might have a point. But then my logical mind rationalized that money can buy looks. And fangs, for that matter, if that’s what these rich folks were into.
Servants began to circle around us, placing appetizers in front of us and filling our glasses with what I presumed was champagne, because of the bubbles. But then I noticed it was just Amy and I who received the champagne—the others at the table appeared to be drinking some sort of red wine.
When James took a bite out of his food, I felt silly. I was letting my wild imagination get the best of me. Amy and I followed suit, and I was amazed at all the little flavors in each bite.
“So, Elizabeth, please tell us all about yourself,” James
said.
“Nothing much to tell,” I said, annoyed to be put on the spot. “I’m a scientist.”
“Yes, and from what I hear, a promising young talent.”
He spoke of me as though he were my senior, like a professor would. But I couldn’t imagine he was much older than twenty-two.
“Thank you,” I said, to be polite. Everyone was all smiles, and really it was just strange to have so many people acting that way. Toward me. Being a genius, whenever any of my peers spoke of my potential, it wasn’t exactly sincere.
“What is it you do, Mr. Kensington?” Amy asked.
I mouthed thank you to her, and she winked.
“I take care of my family,” he said without hesitation. “My family may not be a traditional one, but they’re everything to me.”
That was…unexpectedly sweet. And it was obvious by the loving expressions of the others at the table, he was referring to them. They couldn’t all be his siblings—every one of them appeared to be the same age, in their twenties. But from the way they looked at him, it seemed like more of a child / parent relationship.
Three more courses flew by, each tasting better than the last. There was small talk, but I managed to avoid any probing questions. I began to pay closer attention to my host, and realized every time he took a bite of the food, he immediately wiped his face off to the side. A classic trick employed by kids everywhere to avoid eating vegetables.
My curiosity was officially piqued. I had to figure out what was up with this place, James, and his “family.”
All of a sudden, the doors to the dining room opened. “I see I wasn’t invited to your little party.”
There stood the handsome heroic dude from the other night. What the hell is he doing here?
“Ryan, I didn’t want to trouble you,” James said, his voice soothing.
“This isn’t what we agreed to,” he said softly, as if the fire had gone from him. Then his eyes locked on to mine. “This is for her? How did you find out—”
“It’s all right, I promise,” James said as he rose and took hold of Ryan’s hands.
Ryan looked down. “It’s not okay,” he whispered.
It was the same thing he told the creeper dude, Galen. And then Galen seemed to grow fangs…
I gulped. Maybe Amy’s theory about James was on the mark after all.
No, I can’t just give in to speculation. I’m a scientist, after all. I need empirical evidence.
James placed his hand on Ryan’s shoulder. “I didn’t mean to exclude you, I’m sorry.”
Ryan nodded, glanced at me, and then left the room. The others followed after him.
James turned back to Amy and me, smiling. “Would the two of you like to join me for a drink in my drawing room? I have some absinthe that’s just divine…”
As we rose, I mouthed to Amy, “Cover for me.”
She gave a slight nod in response.
He was about to lead the way, when Amy took hold of his arm. “Liz doesn’t feel so well, and she’s a bit embarrassed. Is it okay for us to go ahead and she’ll catch up with us later?”
James looked back at me, and I tried my best to look uncomfortable, putting my hand over my mouth and motioning for them to go on.
Once they’d moved out of sight, I crept up the grand, winding staircase, walking on my tiptoes to minimize noise. On the second floor, there was a hallway leading in two different directions. As there were less rooms on the right side, I tried there first. I came upon two small bedrooms, across the hall from each other, lavishly furnished, but empty. Then there was a single door at the end of the hallway. I quietly opened it and discovered a huge bedroom, which looked like a high-end studio apartment more than anything else.
In front of me was the largest bed I’d ever laid eyes on. I had to touch the sheets, and they were indeed silk. I could only imagine sleeping on that bed, how amazing it must feel. In the far corner was a small bar with a refrigerator. A huge couch adorned the center of the room, with a TV on the opposite wall. There was another door near the bed, which I assumed was a walk-in closet. But then I noticed a panel door near the fridge, which didn’t seem to make sense. Was it a balcony? Curiosity got the better of me, so I walked over to it and gave it a slight push. It led to what appeared to be a private elevator, with only two buttons, up and down. I was hesitant to try it. For all I knew, it would end up in the drawing room. But then I rationalized: I’ve gotten this far, let’s see where it goes…
The elevator actually went down to the basement level, which I didn’t realize the place had. It was as cold and dank as any cellar would be—whoever designed the upstairs clearly wasn’t consulted on this level. I found a door on my right with a small glass window I could peer through. And what I saw caused me to scream.
A body hung upside down on a meat hook, its blood draining into a bucket below it. Are they really draining her blood? From the pale complexion of the body, I guessed the woman was deceased. Though it was similar to the procedure I used with the bat test subject, seeing it with a human was disturbing. So disturbing, that I felt the delicious food I’d just consumed rise up into my throat.
I couldn’t hold it down. Vomit spewed in chunks all over the dingy cellar floor.
“How nice to see you again!”
The sound of creepy park dude, aka Galen. Just what I needed. But after seeing that body, I wasn’t all that surprised.
“Let me guess, you’re the one who told James about me.” I still didn’t fully understand everything, but putting one of the pieces together in this strange puzzle that was my life was better than nothing.
“When Ryan interfered, I knew I’d have to get James involved,” Galen explained. “You’re too special to give up on. James promised to share you.”
“Share me?” I was offended at first, but that turned quickly to fear when he opened his mouth and bared his fangs.
“You’re a…” I began.
“Vampire. In the flesh.”
“But that means…”
“Some rumors are true. The one about this place, for example. We’re all vampires here. And no one messes with the family.”
I turned to run, but in my panic, I slammed into a wall instead. Then everything went black.
Chapter 8
When I awoke, I found myself in my own bed. Was it a dream? It had to be, I mean vampires aren’t real, and even if they were real, they wouldn’t be inviting random scientists to dinner parties. The whole thing seemed so surreal, as if my imagination was so bored with my life it just took over and decided to go nuts.
My head felt heavy as I sat up, and that was right when the pain came alive. Like migraine on steroids level pain. I unconsciously placed my hand on my forehead, and I felt a goose egg. The lump was so hot, and the heat radiated through my entire forehead. If this was all a dream, then why is my forehead all lumpy?
“Oh good, you’re up,” a voice said. A male voice that sounded familiar. I felt around for my glasses on my nightstand and located them. As I put them on, the handsome stranger that saved me stood in my bedroom doorway. His name was Ryan, but I couldn’t put my finger on how exactly I knew that.
He smiled. “You had a bit of a spill.”
Then my memories all came rushing back in—the dinner party, James, Ryan confronting James, discovering a secret passage in what must have been James’ bedroom, seeing the body in the cellar.
And Galen.
“Did I really run into a wall and knock myself out?” I muttered.
“Is that what happened?” His bright blue eyes, like Dune spice blue, gazed into mine. “Galen said he didn’t do anything. I’m glad that wasn’t a lie.” His smile faded, as he looked down.
“Guessing you came in after that? I don’t remember.”
He suddenly looked up and moved over to me in a hurry. “How do you feel?”
“Well I mean other than the splitting headache…” I paused, hearing myself. This dude probably saved my life, again, and I’m complaining a
bout a headache? “I’m fine.”
“Would you mind if I looked you over real quick?”
I nodded, interested to see what kind of examination he had in mind. What was he looking for?
He pulled the covers back, exposing my legs. He turned one foot and then the other, appearing to observe them. Then he turned my wrists over to see the undersides. At some point, I had lost my shirt, but the cami I wore underneath was still on. He gently pushed my hair back and tilted my head, running his fingers along the back of my neck. His proximity, the feel of his touch…it was all starting to seriously turn me on. He tilted my head the other way, observing the other side of my neck.
“What exactly are you looking for?” I asked. The headache grew worse, and saying the words caused it to pound on each syllable. I squinted, taking a deep breath and exhaling.
“Bite marks.” He stopped, and simply just observed me.
There was no denying it now. If Galen was a vampire, and Ryan was in the family, that had to mean…
“You’re one of them, aren’t you?”
“Yes, but—”
Somehow hearing him acknowledge it, even though I had suspected as much, just freaked me right out. I scrambled to my feet, landing on the other side of the bed. “The body in the cellar, is that how you feed? By killing humans?”
“No. At least I didn’t think so. James promised me it was strictly animals.”
“So the body I saw,” I said softly. “Who was it?”
“I don’t know. Something must’ve happened.” He took a deep breath and exhaled, and I felt my cheeks blush as he ran his fingers through his hair in a frustrated manner. Which of course was just effortlessly sexy.
“How did you know where I lived?”
“I didn’t. Found your address on your license.”
I had no reason to think he was lying. But all I had were suspicions. The whole night seemed like a bad dream sequence in a B-horror movie.
And then I remembered a single detail about last night that caused the worst sinking feeling in my stomach. I didn’t attend that dinner party alone.