Contingency (10 page)

I could hear laughing and music flowing from inside and swallowed the lump of fear sneaking its way up my throat. I was definitely not a socialite and I could even be described as something of an introvert. I liked going out and doing things, but I didn’t care to hang out or go to parties where there would be a crush of people. I always felt like I would be swallowed up in a sea of bodies, and I unfortunately tended to hyperventilate in tightly packed spaces.

I could do this though, I had to do this. I didn’t work this long and hard to fail because I’d rather be home reading in my boxers with Louis Armstrong playing in the background. I lifted my chin in determination. When I reached the front door I saw an older woman, elegantly dressed in brown silk greeting everyone as they made there way inside. The doorman took my invitation and then announced me to the woman in the receiving line. She looked over at me, assessing me with a quick glance and smiled warmly as I made my way closer to her.

“Mrs. Hannigan, we are so glad you accepted our invitation tonight. When I heard that a young widow just out of mourning moved into the area, I just had to be the first to welcome you to Charleston.” I smiled graciously at her even though I was pretty sure she had only wanted to be able to say she was the first person to have had me at her party. I would be great fodder for the gossip mill.

“Thank you so much, Mrs. Sebast. I am truly honored to have received an invitation to your elegant home.” She beamed at my compliment as I moved on into the ballroom of her veritable mansion.

I stood frozen in the doorway of the main room taking in the sight before me. Never before had I seen anything so breathtaking. The room was lit by hundreds of candles, and boughs of greenery, and flowers draped the entry ways. Women were dressed in lovely gowns in dozens of colors; and gentlemen dressed in their finest talked in groups, flirted with young ladies, and danced with them in the center of the enormous room. It was a dizzying spectacle and I couldn’t drag my eyes away from the scene.

Someone bumped into my elbow as I stood their gaping like a goober and broke the spell I had been indulging in. I took a deep breath and strolled along the outer perimeter of the ballroom in an unhurried pace even though my pulse was doing the opposite. Several heads turned my way discreetly and many more eyes swiveled my way to try and get a glimpse of the newest addition to their little society party. I hated to be the center of attention normally, but it was my goal to see and be seen at this party, so I was pleased to have been noticed on any level.

I stood at the refreshment table a half hour later with a glass of lemonade when Mrs. Sebast made her way over to me. She had a good looking gentleman in tow and looked way too pleased with herself. I braced myself.

“Mrs. Hannigan. May I call you Sage, dear?” I had just started to nod when she went on without waiting for my consent. “I was just telling Mr. Michaels here what a lovely young lady you are and how you were new to town. He insisted on meeting you right away so I brought him over to make introductions.” She smiled a Cheshire cat smile and Mr. Michaels held out his hand. I placed mine in his and he kissed the back of it lightly, smiling up at me with a twinkle in his green eyes. I found myself a little charmed and smiled back.

“Very glad to meet you, Mrs. Hannigan. Would you honor me with the next dance?”

I swallowed slowly and answered, “I’d be delighted to, Mr. Michaels.” This was it. I hoped my princess training was worth all the frustration I’d endured and I wouldn’t disgrace myself or Elaine.

At first I felt a little stiff while dancing, scared to death I’d make a mistake or trip over my gown or maybe my partner’s feet, but as the dance went on I felt more relaxed and confident in my abilities. I felt light and didn’t mind the company of the charming man I was dancing with. At the end of the dance I made my way back to the side of the room only to be asked by several other gentlemen if I’d save a dance for them. Partner after partner--I danced, laughed, flirted lightly, and kept a look out for Elaine and the others.

Feeling a little stuffy and overwhelmed I picked up a glass of wine and made my way to a verandah that opened out to a small garden to get a breath of fresh air. A slight breeze followed by a prickly static electric sensation on the back of my neck caused my footsteps to falter as a shadow fell over me. I looked over my shoulder and directly into the eyes of my very first vampire encounter.

My eyes widened and my pulse rate pick up even though I was trying my damnedest to keep it under control. The stone of Amerach warmed slightly as if to warn me to keep my wits about me, I didn’t want to accidentally time freeze anyone because of my intense fear. The vampire stared at me with an uncomfortable scrutiny, his gaze traveled slowly over the pulse point at my neck like a silken caress. I struggled to not to turn and flee. My instincts were screaming for me to do just that.

What seemed like hours, but could have only been mere moments, passed when his gaze finally snapped back to mine. He smiled like nothing out of the ordinary had just happened and his smile alone could have been used as a weapon since its affect was pretty devastating to my equilibrium. The man, er... vampire, was absolutely drop dead gorgeous. From his golden ringed hazel eyes to his shoulder-length deep brown hair, the vampire was astonishingly handsome.

The vampire then spoke to me as if we were old friends. “May I have the pleasure of your company, or am I intruding?” he asked in a slightly accented voice. My, my, he was sure of himself, wasn’t he? Men who thought they were God’s gift put me on edge and I felt my pulse slow as I filed this vampire under the same mental list I’d filed all other predators. He might be handsome and ooze sexual confidence, but he used and abused people, so he belonged on my shit list. I saw his eyes widen slightly as he probably realized my pulse had slowed and my eyes bored directly into his.

I was just about to cut him down with the sharp edge of my tongue when I realized what a mistake that would have been. I needed a foot into the vampire community and this vampire could perhaps help me accomplish that. I relaxed my posture that I’d unwittingly stiffened and attempted a small smile. “I would be very happy to have such charming company,” I said as genuinely as possible

I almost felt sorry for the poor blood sucker--he looked a little confused at my mixed signals, but held out his arm anyway. I looped my arm under his and allowed him to walk with me. Walking arm in arm and smelling his decidedly masculine scent while knowing what he was capable of just about shot my already fraying nerves.

The vampire seemed content to stare at me for the first several minutes during our walk and my pulse fluttered wildly in my throat. I was getting more pissed off at myself than at my companion and his annoyingly odd behavior. I guess snapping at him had been inevitable.

I came to an abrupt stop and he almost bumped into me. “Would you please stop staring, you are making me nervous,” I hissed through gritted teeth. “I mean, really, can we talk about something--anything?” I looked over at his unusually beautiful eyes and tried to smooth the scowl I could feel settling on my face.

His eyebrows rose at my out burst but he didn’t seem offended, quite the contrary he seemed pleased that I had snapped his head off. “What would you like to discuss? The weather? The party decor? I am at your service.” He gave a slight mocking bow as if he were being a gracious host.

I sighed, why couldn’t have gotten an easier vampire to work with? This guy was going to be hell on my nerves. “Why don’t you tell me something about yourself since I don’t know who you are or anything about you.” I said trying to sound sincerely interested in him. “I’d much rather talk about you.” He said in his silky voice. Gah, that’s it! He was
trying
to drive me insane.

“Ok, I will tell you something about myself if you promise to tell me something about yourself in return. Tit for tat.” I said. I grinned and fluttered my eyelashes a tiny bit to see if my womanly charms would work on him. He chuckled under his breath and the sound raised little goose bumps down my spine. “Ok, that sounds fair.” he motioned for me to begin as he took a sip of his wine.

I pursed my lips and thought about what I’d reveal to my vampire companion. I’d have to come off genuine. I took a drink of my wine and turned to look at the silent vampire. “I don’t have any family or even friends really and I don’t like to admit how lonely I am sometimes.” Where the hell did
that
come from? I frowned into my glass before taking another sip.

If he was surprised by my admission he didn’t show it, instead he looked at me until I felt like squirming. I cleared my throat. “And you?” I asked softly.

“Ah, yes, tit for tat, right?” he smiled like he was indulging me and took a long drink of his wine. In the back of my mind I wondered if he enjoyed wine or just drank it to keep up appearances. “I have found myself loathing social gatherings such as this the past few years.” His eyes darkened and his voice lowered as he spoke. “Until tonight, that is.”

I covered my snort with a delicate cough as I wondered how many times he’d used that line on his unsuspecting victims. His eyes narrowed dangerously, making me wonder if he’d caught my inelegant snort.

“Well, don’t we sound like a cheerful pair.” I said, mostly to fill the awkward silence. I smiled widely at him and felt his arm stiffen under my hand. I started to remove my hand, wondering what I had done to make him put his guard up when he became statue still. I sucked in a sharp breath and my vision narrowed in on my vampire escort. I teetered on the brink of freezing time. I didn’t like to be surprised or not to know what was going on, it put me at a huge disadvantage and I couldn’t afford that.

The vampire’s eyes dilated and the gold ring around his irises became more pronounced. His glamour was slipping for some reason. I cleared my throat and gently removed my hand from his arm, not wanting to make any sudden movements. He seemed to snap out of his trance and his eyes mellowed out a bit.

“I’d better head back inside, it’s getting late.” My voice came out a little shaky. I could still feel the tension rolling off my companion and it freaked me out.

“Yes, that would be good. Sorry to have kept you too long. I’ve enjoyed our time together.” I nodded my head since my tongue wasn’t cooperating and walked quickly to the verandah doors, hoping it wasn’t too obvious that I was glad to get away from the vampire.

My relief, however, didn’t last long.

Chapter Seventeen

I was cornered by a rather obnoxious man, who seemed to want to monopolize my attentions, when something across the room caught my eye. I don’t know what it was exactly that drew my attention to the couple, they seemed normal enough and certainly no one else noticed anything amiss. All I know is that I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the young man and woman. My ass hat companion was chattering on about something or another, so enraptured with himself that he didn’t notice my inattention.

The young lady was extremely lovely and dressed in the height of fashion with thick raven black hair styled beautifully on top of her head. The gentleman was leaning in a bit too closely to be proper, speaking softly in her ear. I was just about to dismiss the scene when I caught a glimpse of the young woman’s eyes...ringed in red. I barely contained my gasp. I saw her give her gentleman friend a sultry look and then glided slowly out of the room. The man looked around quickly, gulped down the contents of his wine glass and a few seconds later followed the female vampire.

Holy crap! I wasn’t supposed to be hunting vampires. I was supposed to be making a splash in society. What was I suppose to do though? Just ignore what was happening and…
what
? Hope someone else would intervene? It wasn’t likely that any other ladies in the room had a dagger strapped to their thighs or a sgian dubh hidden under their silk skirts. Besides, I wasn’t the type to leave things up to fate. Fate’s a cruel bitch and I wasn’t waiting around for her to deal me any cards.

I quickly made an excuse to my self-absorbed admirer and made my way across the ballroom to find the female vampire. I walked quietly down a dimly lit hallway trying to breath deeply, center myself and regulate my pulse. I reached down and pulled the dirk from my boot, hoping I wouldn’t have to use it and yet feeling a thrill go through me at the thought of wielding it. The dirk felt right in my hand and I once again marveled at the connectedness I felt with it.

I dropped my hand to my side hoping if I came upon a stray partygoer my skirts would hide it. I paused outside several doors to see if I could sense anything from within, I didn’t want to give away the element of surprise. I walked a bit quicker hoping I wouldn’t be too late to stop the vampire’s midnight snack. I heard a shuffling sound a few feet away around a bend in the hallway. I held my breath and tightened my grip on my dirk as I rounded the corner. My heart nearly leapt out of my chest in anticipation. A door leading outside stood slightly ajar. I swallowed my fear before it could choke me and made my feet move forward so I could gently push the door open.

The full moon shined down on a scene straight out of someone’s nightmares, maybe even my own. Like a cruel lover, the vampire had the man in a sadistic embrace, holding him tightly against the house’s brick wall, and her fangs dug into his neck. The blood pouring out of his wound contrasted starkly with the bright white of his shirt. The vampire made guttural sounds of pleasure deep in her throat as she took his blood and his life. The animalistic sounds snapped me out of my shock and I cried out in fury as I lunged for her.