This was out of my league.
But it was either see Maxwell or die.
I forced myself to smile. “I am here—”
“You are to leave,” the servant said coldly. “You haven’t been invited.”
“Oh, but if you ask—”
“What have we here?” The woman from before glided over, putting her hand above the servant’s shoulder, making him step back without her having to touch him. She eyed me again, the disdain gone, and I realized with a start that she was a vampire.
She eyed me up and down and turned back to the servant.
“Let her in,” she demanded the human servant.
The servant bowed to her and opened the door wider.
As soon as I crossed the threshold, the woman seized my arm. Her fingers were like claws, and she dragged me to the wall. Her nail traced along my jawline and came down to my throat.
“You will make a tasty—”
“You will unhand her.”
His voice forced all air out of my lungs, but I didn’t allow myself to look at him. Instead, I watched the female vampire straighten. Her face… did it pale? I couldn’t quite tell, but without a word, she unhanded me. With a sniff, she stormed past Maxwell.
Only now did I feel his gaze on me, but I ignored him. My stampeding heart had to alert him to the effect he had on me, but I drank in the scene. A ball was going on. The palace opened to a huge ballroom that seemed to encompass the entire first floor. A grand marble staircase was opposite the door, the railing on either side gilded, and Maxwell stood on the bottom step.
All around me were vampires, vampires, and more vampires. Their clothes, their hair, their grace… everything about them made me feel so utterly out of place, but it also made me nervous, so very nervous, and even afraid.
Could they smell the blood on my hands?
Maybe I should turn around and leave and take my chances.
But then Maxwell held out his hand, and my feet moved as if under their own accord. I placed my hand in his, thinking he might sweep me into his arms and dance with me, but no. I never had been able to figure out Maxwell before, and I still couldn’t.
Neither of us said a word as he led me up the stairwell. Silver doors were opposite the stairs on the second floor, but he ignored them, heading down the hallway to the left and opening bronze doors.
At his nod, I entered the room. A small tea room. Pink walls—pink! A small circular table almost like a pedestal with a white tablecloth. Twin golden chairs. Maxwell really loved gold, it seemed. Two abstract pieces of art hung on the walls. Two windows covered in silk curtains—white.
“Won’t you sit?” Maxwell asked, his tone polite, and I winced, hating that his voice sounded so aloof.
“Do you remember me, Maxwell?” I boldly asked instead.
He tilted his head to the side. “Do you think I would have brought you here if I had not?”
Embarrassment seized me, but I lifted my chin, refusing to allow him to know that I felt unsettled, and I finally allowed myself to get a good look at him.
He hadn’t aged a day, still as handsome, as sexy, as sensual with every movement, even the slight rise of his chest. His dark hair was brushed back, and his suit fit him like a glove. His shirt was the barest shade of blue, which only made his dark eyes seem that much darker. The top few buttons were undone, giving him so much sex appeal that I thought I would combust. My gaze fell to his hands. As large as ever. To my surprise, he didn’t have cufflinks, not ouroboros cufflinks or any at all.
Ouroboros Society. I had assumed he was a member. They were vampires who wanted humans to reach their full potential. Those vampires chose to become patrons of those humans they wished to have as Chosen ones. Vampires were monsters, were predators, and predators needed their prey. Good help from the most talented of humans was lucrative, useful, and in high demand. After all, the better humans did, the better vampires did. Or at least, that was what I had learned over the years.
If he wasn't a member… maybe he wouldn't help me. I needed him now more than ever, but he hadn't given me what I needed. Well, not enough. The house, yes, my sister's nightmares, but when I had been about to ask for my parents to have better, higher-paying jobs that required fewer hours and days worked, he'd insisted I ask for me.
And I had.
And he had refused me, ignored me, abandoned me.
Now, I was back to ask him for what I needed, and I had no reason to think he would help me now.
Without a word, refusing to show any sign of my inner turmoil, I took the seat nearest me.
Maxwell did not sit, though he walked around the table to face me. His fingers drummed on the tablecloth.
“You mean to stay,” he said rather than asked.
“I have to talk to you.”
“I see.”
My mouth fell open, and I sucked in a breath. Telling him what happened… the words would not come, and I stared at the hands in my lap. The blood wasn’t visible. I had scrubbed my hands nearly to the point of being raw, but I could still feel the slippery substance on my skin even if I couldn’t see it anymore.
I was stained. Death had touched me, but I instead had been the one to inflict that fatal sentence on another.
And if he weren’t to help me when I needed him to…
But who was I to ask him anything? He had already saved my family, had saved me. Once I had given my parents enough money to move into a decent house with Amber, I sought out a man who knew mold like no other, and he confirmed with me what I had long suspected. The mold was called aspergillus fumigatus, and it could very well have caused serious health problems and even death had we continued to live in that house and breathed in the spores. It could cause invasive lung or chronic pulmonary infections even if we had managed to not die.
He had also saved my sister’s mental state as well by ridding her of the nightmares because she later confessed to me that she had been thinking about going to Cursed Ravine as I once had.
He had done so much for me already, for those I loved. Who was I to ask him for more?
After another moment, Maxwell nodded. “I am the host. As such, I must go and attend to my guests, but you are welcome to stay.”
Before I could say anything, he blinked and was gone.
In the doorway was a maid. She wore a simple dress that somehow seemed to put mine to shame.
In her hands was a dress that immediately called to mind the faint blue of his shirt.
And a golden necklace.
Apparently, he found my attire lacking.
As for the golden necklace…
I shook my head and refused both. I might be here to grovel and beg for his help, but I would not be dressed up like I was a toy. I was a living being, a human and therefore most likely weak in his eyes, but I would not be a plaything.
I had my pride, and I did not, would not, give in to that invisible tether between us that still drew me to him despite my hatred.
3
The maid trailed behind me. “Are you certain you don’t want to change?” she asked.
She’d already asked me that same question five times now, and each time, her voice grew more and more nervous.
Only the sudden thought that she might get in trouble because of my refusal caused me to halt, and I turned to face her.
“I am fine as I am now,” I told her firmly.
She lowered her head. “Then at least accept the necklace.”
The necklace. It was probably made of high-quality gold. Pure gold wasn't fit to be made into jewelry. It was far too soft, and it couldn't hold any shape without another metal mixed in.
Still, I brushed my fingers along the artifact. There was a pendant, but it was mostly covered by the dress’s fabric.
Could it be an ouroboros?
No.
Yes.
It was.
I lifted the necklace, staring at the twin snakes eating each other’s tails, the infinity symbol made by their entwined bodies
in the middle of the design. So elegant and fitting.
It was precisely what a Chosen would wear.
I swallowed hard. This. This was what I wanted. I could take it and leave now and never see Maxwell again and still live. I would be safe.
Or would I?
No. No, I would not accept this. Not until he knew why I so desperately craved this.
Cravings could be fatal.
Not all Chosen are protected.
Vampires could be evil, just as humans could be, and just as humans could have enemies, so could vampires. Sometimes, you would hear stories about a Chosen being killed to get back at the vampire patron.
This alone might not serve to keep me safe.
Besides, he needed to give this freely, knowing the entire story, and he would have to be the one to put it around my neck. That was how it should be done, in my opinion.
Or maybe it was simply fear that he would grant me the necklace and then send me away that stilled my hand. If he did that, I was beginning to believe that would spell the death of me regardless.
“If you’re certain,” the maid said hesitantly.
“I am certain,” I informed her kindly. I smiled at her.
She blinked a few times and glanced at the ground and then back up at me again. When she spied that I was still smiling at her, she ventured a small smile back in return.
“I will return to the ballroom now,” I announced. “Unless…”
The maid nodded. “He will be expecting you.”
Hearing that made my heart start to race. It felt like it would pound its way out of my chest.
Feigning confidence, I returned to the stairwell. Seeing the multitudes of vampires below had me grabbing the railing, and I slowly descended the stairs.
Not that anyone was watching me.
As I took the last step, Maxwell appeared by my side. Without a word, he swept me into his arms, and we danced. So skilled was he that I had no choice but to follow his lead, and I never stumbled at all even though I honestly had very little experience dancing. I hadn't a reason to learn how to. My normal attire was jeans and a t-shirt, my long hair tied up in a messy bun as I hacked away at my computer. And when I said long hair, I meant long. My chestnut locks almost reached my shoulders, thick and wavy.
For the first time in forever, I had my hair down, and it flew around as he twirled me about. Was this the waltz? Did people still waltz? It was definitely some kind of formal dance. Other vampires were dancing as well, doing the same movements as we were, but I didn’t bother to pay them any attention, and they ignored me as well. I didn’t even know if another vampire danced with a human or if all of the other vampires danced with their own kind.
“Maxwell—”
“You didn’t accept… the gift.”
I swallowed hard and stiffened. For the first time, I faltered over a step, but he pulled me along.
“Do I not look good enough to be in your company in this? Most every woman owns a little black dress.”
He appraised me but said nothing.
“I need to talk to you,” I told him.
“You can.”
I glanced around. There were far too many ears here, but even if we were to return to the tea room, the vampires could still overhear.
But it seemed I had no choice.
“I need your protection,” I started when a dark shadow crossed over his striking features, and I feared the worse.
He thought I was using him.
He thought he meant nothing to me.
He thought I was so far beneath him that he would do Viktor a favor and kill me on the spot.
The change in his features became even more striking, and he parted his lips as he had before years ago in my room, enough for me to see his fangs.
“I need a drink,” he murmured, his tone both demanding and husky.
“No,” I said, taking a step back as much as his arms would allow.
“I am not asking,” he growled.
“No!” I jerked my arm back, forcing him to let go of me. Well, not precisely forcing. If he used his strength, I couldn’t possibly have accomplished that.
Taking another step back, I bumped into a dancer, and I realized that I was making a scene. The music had even stopped, making me wonder if there was a band here.
I swallowed hard. “Maxwell—”
“You come here uninvited, and I allow you to stay. I offer you a dress, and you refuse. Still, I allow you a dance, and you spur the one thing I ask of you?” Maxwell’s face was almost hidden in shadows. His face was that dark. “You are banished.”
Immediately, servants stood on either side of me, and I had no time to wonder at how they came to be so quickly. They gave me no choice but to follow them out of the palace.
For a long moment, I stood there, the door shut behind me. Now what?
I would have to figure something out. Maybe I could survive on my own. After all, I was a hacker. I could create a paper trail surrounding Annabel Gates and pretend to have her in one place while I lived halfway across the world.
That would be enough to throw a human enemy off my trail, but a vampire? That I couldn’t be sure of.
What if one of Viktor’s associates was at the ball? I could change my hair, cut it, dye it. Maybe even under the knife and have my face changed. Yes, that would be extreme, but to live… I might not have a choice.
With the start of a plan in mind, I resolved to forget all about Maxwell. He could take that necklace and choke on it for all I cared.
I marched down the pathway with my shoulders back and head high. Honestly, I should be terrified, and deep down, I probably was, but for the moment, I felt a semblance of calm serenity that I thought I would never feel again.
Bypassing the ornate golden fence, I flinched when a shadow stirred.
"Who…" I trailed off when I recognized Maxwell. I inhaled deeply. I'd left because he'd banished me, so why was he here?
He brought a hand up to cup his ear.
I dropped my gaze down to my hands.
“I know vampires think humans are weak, and we are compared to you. That’s just the way of the world.”
I risked glancing up at him. His expression was unreadable.
“Thank you,” I blurted out.
His eyebrows lifted.
"I never did… I don't believe I ever thanked you for what you did. For my parents, for my sister… for me. How did… How did you stop my sister's nightmares? I suppose I don't need to know."
In a slow, calculated move, he crossed his arms. A man of few words, as ever, but the gesture spoke volumes.
He didn’t want or need my thanks. He wanted my story and nothing more.
“I accidentally killed a vampire,” I blurted out in a rush. “I need your protection.”
Maxwell blinked a few times, and I couldn’t help smiling. He was speechless. I had rendered him speechless.
I loved it.
“You…”
“Yes. I killed a vampire.”
“Which one?” he demanded.
“I believe his name was Magnus. I didn’t know that until later, once his father…” I eyed Maxwell. “I don’t understand how a vampire could have a father. I don’t think his father is human.”
“Magnus.” Maxwell briefly shut his eyes, and for a moment, a flicker of distress flashed over his expression.
Maxwell, distressed? How was that possible?
“How did you manage to kill him?” Maxwell asked. “No. Tell me about Viktor. How did you come to know him?”
“After I killed Magnus, I was threatened by Viktor. Not to my face. I… I got the impression he likes to play games.”
“Yes, that he does,” Maxwell growled. “He’s a master manipulator who loves torturous mind games.”
“It sounds like you know him rather well.”
“I have the displeasure of not only knowing Viktor,” Maxwell said grimly. “He and I are rivals. You want protection? From Viktor? You might not want to com
e to me, Annabel Gates, because I do not know if I can grant you your request.”
4
“Your rival?” I blurted out, not understanding. “Business rival?”
“Does it matter what kind of rival he is?” Maxwell snapped.
I drew back. I knew as much as I could about Maxwell. When you knew your way around a computer and could hack just about any system, you could learn about anything and everyone.
Maxwell was old. He had been turned into a vampire when he’d lived in Italy during the Renaissance. Yes, he was hundreds of years old. I couldn’t uncover any details about his human life, however, but he had left an easy enough trail after he became a vampire.
He migrated over to the United States during the first world war. Why? I hadn’t uncovered a motive. For years, he lived in the capital and then Florida and then Texas, Louisiana, California… Right now, he lived in Pennsylvania, the Pocono Mountains region. It was wintertime now, but in my haste to come here, I hadn’t bothered with a coat or even a jacket. Worse, my dress was sleeveless, but I lived in Texas. Even when I moved out of my parents’ house, I stayed in my hometown state.
Ironically enough, Maxwell had moved away from Texas long before I was even born. How he discovered me, how he found me, why he cared… Those were the reasons why I had looked him up in the first place, but those answers had eluded me.
As Maxwell glared at me, a single strand of hair crept down onto his forehead. Without thinking, I reached up and brushed it back for him. His hair was as soft as he was hard, and I swallowed hard, hating the way he was glaring at me but also accepting that I had caused a major issue for him just by coming here.
Hell, I had caused a massive issue just by killing a vampire. I wasn’t the first human to kill one, and I wouldn’t be the last, but most humans who kill a vampire are killed and brutally within a short amount of time.
Most but not all.
At least, that was what I was hoping.
“I hadn’t realized you two were connected,” I murmured.
“And if you had known?” Maxwell asked. He hadn’t flinched away from my touch, but he also hadn’t responded to it or acknowledged it at all.
Fatal Cravings: Immortal Keeper Vampire Paranormal Romance Series Page 2