by N Gray
I cleared my throat and turned to Sebastian. “Was that for me?”
He squeezed my shoulder. “I sure hope so, unless there is another Blaire out there that I don’t know about.”
My eyes narrowed. “How do you know them? They’re from England.”
“You know they’re vampires, don’t you?”
Shit, no, I didn’t know that. It had never occurred to me. With all the different mystical people integrating into society, things like that just didn’t bother me—and I’m not sure if it ever did before, either.
“My family didn’t start out in America, Blaire. Salvador originates from Romania”—he paused for a heartbeat as I remembered that that was where the first vampires had become legal all those years ago. Somehow I could remember all this other stuff just fine, but it was the stuff directly related to me that I couldn’t figure out—“but he moved to France when more and more countries started to accept our kind, and that’s where Léon and I were born. We moved around a lot, and we stayed in England for many years. That’s when I met the band members, long before they became the popular band that they are today.”
“If you are about eight hundred years old, how old is Salvador?”
“He is over a thousand, Blaire.”
“Wow.”
We watched the last bit of the concert in silence, and when they had finished, I remembered to say, “Sorry, I’m slow tonight. Thanks for the dedication.” I pecked his cheek.
Sebastian pulled me in closer to his body and I wrapped my arm around his waist, nestling my head in the nook of his shoulder. The band left the stage, and the crowd chanted for them to come back and sing one more song, but they didn’t go back out.
After a few minutes, there was a knock on the door. Sebastian said, ‘Enter,’ and the same guard from earlier asked whether he could let our visitors in.
“Yes,” Sebastian said, rising to greet them.
I turned toward the door and there they were, my favorite band in the world. They were here, as close as they ever would be. I felt my cheeks flush, and I had an urge to hide.
“Blaire, come say hi.”
Shit. I stood and walked over to Sebastian.
“So, this is the woman, Sebastian?” Heath said.
Heath, the main singer and guitarist of the group, was as tall as I was, which was short for a guy. He looked like your typical alternative rock band member with his short blonde hair that was gelled into spikes, the ends of which were colored red. When you think of a vampire, you imagine they are all these beautiful creatures of the night. Not Heath, his entire face seemed a little crooked, from his nose to the slight dimple in his chin. He held his hand out for mine, which I placed in his, and as he kissed my knuckles, his beady blue eyes stared up at me, sending shivers down my spine. His thin lips were surprisingly warm.
Sebastian put his arm around my shoulder and pulled me in closer. “Yup.”
From that one word, I didn’t have to turn around to look at him to know that he was smiling.
“I can’t believe I’m meeting you! I absolutely love your music.” I sounded exactly like a groupie and desperately wished that I didn’t. I could feel heat on my face.
Kris, the bass guitarist and backup singer, glanced over at me with his large chocolate brown eyes and grinned like he was hiding a secret. He was six foot something, but he was not as tall as Sebastian. There was something about him that I couldn’t quite place, though. Something which felt familiar.
Steven, the drummer, had blond hair and glacial blue eyes. His features looked soft and delicate, like he had died soon after his twentieth birthday.
They each shook my hand confidently, but it was Steven whose eyes lingered on mine and kept my hand in his. I tried pulling my hand free, but he held on tightly.
When he smiled, he showed fangs and said, “Anyone who is a friend of Sebastian is a friend of ours.” Only then did he let go of my hand.
I put my arm around Sebastian’s waist, hesitated as I felt his holster, and then moved my hand lower. He placed his hand over mine and squeezed.
“Make yourself comfortable, guys,” Sebastian said, and the band came further inside the room.
“I hope you don’t mind, but we brought our own food,” Heath said, holding his hand out. Three women entered behind them. They were holding each other’s hands, and they slithered in, one after the other, like a long snake. They looked like the main course and dessert all in one. All three ladies had long blonde hair and wore tight dresses with stiletto heels.
The one bringing up the rear leered down at me before her eyes flicked to Sebastian, and her lips curled upward to meet his eyes. “Hi, Sebastian.”
“Tiffany.” Sebastian squeezed my hand again. I wanted to let go of him and move away, but he held on and tightened his grip on my shoulder.
I knew he had had a life before he marked me, but someone like her staring at him so seductively and giving me death rays rubbed me up the wrong way.
He leaned in close to my ear. “Give me ten minutes of pleasantries and then I’ll take you home.”
I nodded.
Chapter 5
SEBASTIAN LET GO OF MY SHOULDER but kept my hand in his, pulling me with him until we stood off to one side while the band sat on the couch with their dinner dates.
Tiffany sat beside Heath, but he had done nothing with his date as yet. He was too busy watching Sebastian.
“Has your diet changed, Sebastian?” Heath asked, and his eyes flicked toward me.
“I like a variety of food, Heath, as well you know.”
“That you do, my old friend. However, I was most surprised to hear that you rejected Galina.” Again, a flick of eyes to me and then back to Sebastian.
Something about the conversation between them seemed personal, and I wanted to shy away from it. But Sebastian put his arm around me, pulling me in closer to him, his body warm against mine. I slipped my hand around his waist, but when I couldn’t find anything to hold on to, I moved my hand under his shirt and tucked my thumb into his pants. He looked down at me in surprise. A good surprise.
But when he spoke, it was as though Sebastian’s entire focus was on the conversation, and not on me. “Your sister is obsessed, Heath, and you know it,” he said. “She has always been besotted, but when she found out about Blaire, she overstepped the boundaries, don’t you agree?”
Shit. Galina was Heath’s sister.
I so wanted to leave before this conversation turned ugly.
Heath bowed his head slowly. “Agreed. But what should I do with her now, Sebastian? She is sullen.”
“Not my problem,” Sebastian said, and it didn’t seem like he was going to back down.
“She is a grown-ass woman, Heath. Just because they dated years ago, you can’t keep holding Sebastian accountable every time she loses it. Leave it be, dude,” Kris said, his rich brown hair which was a little long over the ears and came into his eyes, but it suited him perfectly. His date looked like a sleeping doll, her back resting contentedly against his chest, and drops of blood pooled at the two puncture marks on her neck. He licked them hungrily, savoring the taste in his mouth, then kissed her neck gently.
Steven’s date was sitting on the floor between his legs, watching everyone. Her legs were off to one side, but she sat in such a way so as not to flash anyone. Steven cradled her chest, nudging her head to one side with his nose, leaving her neck available to him. He kissed her softly on the spot where her pulse was ready for his plunge. He licked the spot first, then bit down. One of his hands went around her chest and the other reached for her jaw, keeping her head to the side. Her eyes fluttered shut, her mouth opened in a surprised ‘O’, and her arms went limp in her lap.
“Blaire, have you ever offered yourself to one of us before—to a vampire?” Heath asked while glancing at Steven and his date.
“No, I don’t remember ever offering my neck to a vampire, but two have forced themselves on me,” I said, staring at Heath.
Ia
n and Esther had tried to drain me as a result of Esther’s jealousy. They were both currently locked in their own cross-wrapped coffins, with a year or so of their sentence still to go.
Heath looked puzzled. “What do you mean?”
“The evening I was attacked, my head hit the concrete so hard that I couldn’t remember much from before that night. So, I don’t fully know whether I have ever offered my neck to a vampire, willingly or not.”
“You should let Sebastian taste you. I hear his bite is to die for.” He regarded Tiffany, and she blushed.
I glanced at Sebastian, but he was leering at Heath. A trickle of pinpricks washed over my arm, and I let go of him. Sebastian noticed and the pinpricks receded as he took my hand in his again.
“We need to leave, Heath,” Sebastian said, holding his free hand out to Heath, who just looked at it before he eventually shook it. “Will you be in town long enough to visit Léon and Salvador?”
“We might stop by, but we will ring before we do.”
“I’ll let them know.”
Sebastian shook the other two men’s hands. I said goodbye, and we left them to enjoy the rest of their dinner.
The bodyguard was waiting for us just outside the room. He nodded at Sebastian and started walking ahead of us. There were still so many people trying to leave the concert that the exits were blocked with moving bodies. I huddled into Sebastian’s side as we strolled. I felt the cool night air come in through the exit doors. The security that had checked the crowd before the concert started had already left, and all the doors were open.
I stopped and stared at the people as they pushed past us to get through the exits. I could feel the weight of someone staring at me; although hard to describe, it was one of those moments where I could instinctively feel someone watching me. They were waiting for me to find them. I felt goosebumps rise all over my body as I was unable to evade their gaze.
Sebastian also stopped and called out to the bodyguard, Rory, to wait for us.
“What’s wrong?” Sebastian asked.
“I don’t know.” I looked over my shoulder, but there was nothing; just people walking by. Scanning the large foyer, Rory came to stand beside us, and he started to scrutinize everybody near us.
Sebastian touched my arm, and I jumped.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
“It’s fine. Let’s go.” I took his hand, and we continued wading through the crowd.
Hairs rose on the back of my neck, sending shivers down my spine, and I could feel the blood draining from my face. The white hair and eyebrows were unmistakable. He was a few feet in front of me, just standing there, staring at me. I stopped dead, pulling on Sebastian’s hand. He stopped beside me. I could feel him look at me before he followed my gaze.
“Who is that?”
“You can see him, too?” I wasn’t sure if my mind was playing tricks on me, or if I was really seeing Ross McNielty.
“Sure, I can see him. The guy with the white hair.”
I blinked slowly, and he was gone.
“Shit! Where did he go?” I asked. “I just saw him there, and then he was gone.”
“Sir”—Rory stepped closer—“I sensed magic. Black magic.” His brown eyes were wide, and he licked his lips.
“Blaire, who was that?”
I studied Sebastian’s face. He was hiding his true feelings behind his blank expression. I could feel my eyes widen. I remembered that woman in McNielty’s secret room; those glass bottles on the shelves; the shrine made to a woman’s severed private parts.
How did McNielty know who I was? How did he know I was here?
“I want to get out of here before I say anything,” I said, blinking back tears.
When we reached the Jeep, Rory climbed into the driver’s seat while Sebastian and I clambered into the backseat. I held onto his hand even while buckling myself in.
“Okay, Blaire, talk to me. Who was that?” His voice was calm and soothing, and I wanted to wrap the safety net of his body around mine.
“I need to phone Ralph. I have to tell him I saw him.”
“Who, Blaire? You aren’t making any sense.” He moved hair out of my face.
I flinched as though his touch burned my skin.
“What’s going on?” he asked, concern evident in his tone.
“I went with Ralph to scope out a new contract earlier. We were only watching him; we wanted to see if we could find anything that could connect him to those murders that have been happening around town.” I swallowed hard. Sebastian placed my hand in his lap and covered it with both of his. He was warm. He was safe.
I inhaled and exhaled deeply, and my voice sounded strained when I spoke. “He is a voodoo priest. He owns a shop in one of the centers. We had a look around his home”—the glow of a passing streetlight moved across Sebastian’s face and, momentarily, I could see the concern in his eyes before the darkness returned—“He has body parts in jars and”—I dried my eyes without ruining the little bit of makeup I had on—“a severed vagina in a metal box on a table surrounded by candles and ears on a string like a fucking shrine. And we found his secret room; there was a woman chained up down there, and she looked cut up. She was there, but she wasn’t really there; her eyes were black, and she was covered in blood and shit. Her tongue and ears had been removed. It was horrible.”
The light from the street moved over Sebastian’s face again, and a hint of unease flashed in his green eyes. “Was that the man? The one with the white hair?”
I nodded, moving as close to him as the seat belt allowed, but it wasn’t close enough; I couldn’t feel his warmth.
“You’re shaking.” He unbuckled his seat belt and sat as close to me as he could. Our bodies were touching from hip to shoulder, and he held me tightly.
“Sir, are we dropping her off at her place or are we going straight to the Labyrinth?”
The Labyrinth. So that’s what the monstrous warehouse with the moving walls was called. Very fitting.
“Let’s go to the Labyrinth. If this guy is out there and knows who she is, it’s not safe for her to go back to her place tonight.”
“Can we stop by anyway?” I asked. “Ralph gave me a dossier full of info on the guy. I need to fetch the folder and some clothes.”
“I really don’t think it’s safe, Blaire…”
“Please.”
“Fine. Rory, go to her place first.”
I grabbed the folder from the kitchen counter and some clothing from out my cupboard and stuffed it all in an overnight bag. When I came back out into the open-plan kitchen, Sebastian was reading the card that had been included with Léon’s gift.
His jaw muscles flexed, and his free hand bunched into a fist. “When did you get this?”
“Today. When I got home, both packages were on my porch.”
“‘As promised, something adorable for you to hold at night. Best wishes, Léon’. What does that mean?” he asked with an edge of suspicion, holding up the hedgehog.
I suddenly felt very self-conscious. “It goes back to when I was staying with you guys. The evening after we found my car, Léon was sitting on the bed when I woke up, and I felt so stressed that I thought of—”
“He read your mind?” Sebastian interrupted.
I nodded.
“What were you thinking about?”
“That I needed a soft toy to cuddle.” I felt my cheeks flush.
He handed me the toy, but I placed it on the counter and held my hand out to him. He took it, but I immediately sensed that it didn’t feel like he wanted to. Sometimes men’s hearts can be just as easily bruised as a woman's. I didn’t know what we were to each other—apart from master and human servant—but I felt guilty, and I knew that I shouldn’t. We needed to discuss this, but now was not the time. Right now, I needed to see if Ralph was all right.
“I want to phone Ralph quickly before we go.”
Sebastian didn’t look happy, but he let go of my hand and went to stand outside.
I took my cellphone out my purse and saw that I had six missed calls from Ralph. I hit the green phone on the screen, and Ralph answered on the second ring. “Are you okay?”
“Did you see him as well?” I asked.
“Yeah, the fucker was standing behind me in the John. But when I looked up again, he’d disappeared. It’s like he was there, but not really there, if that makes any sense?”
I nodded, even though he couldn’t see me. “Yes, it does; it was the same for me. I was at a concert with Sebastian, and we saw him in the crowd.”
“I’m glad you finally went out with him, Blaire. Sorry the voodoo priest ruined your date.”
At first, Ralph hadn’t been too trusting of Sebastian, but as we had got to know him and Léon, Ralph seemed to have warmed to them. I suspected that the two of them doing all they could to protect me had helped earn his trust. Also, Ralph said that I had been alone for long enough, and that I should see where things went with Sebastian.
“Someone else ruined it first,” I said, thinking of Envision’s dinner dates, and in particular, Tiffany.
“What?”
“Never mind. Where are you now?”
“Safe at home. Where are you staying tonight?”
“Sebastian said I should stay with him.”
“Good, I’ll call you in the morning after I’ve spoken to Martin.”
Hopefully the detective would be able to shed a little more light on what was going on. “Okay, good. Let me know what he says.”
“Sure.” He hung up without saying goodbye.
The automatic lights flickered on the moment we parked inside the garage of the Labyrinth. It felt good to finally be able to put a name to the place. Calling it a warehouse didn’t do it justice with all the security that had been installed. With its moving walls and rooms, the complex felt like a jigsaw puzzle with a mind of its own.
Rory opened the car door for me and I climbed out, with Sebastian behind me.