La Luxure: Discover Your Blood Lust (15 page)

"I didn't expect to see him here though," she
continued, her words high and bright. "It was a nice surprise." The
encounter with Armand had left her beaming and Julia was unable to
keep the giddiness from her voice, even as she tried to subdue
it.

"Which bar?" Dave wondered.

"The Cell. It's a Goth bar." She assumed.
"But you guys are welcome to join us if you like." Julia tried to
put enough emphasis on the word
Goth
to discourage them.

Mike wasn't keen on the idea. "Hmmmph."

Unfortunately, Beth was. "Oh, that sounds
awesome. What a great way to spend Halloween." She leaned into
Mike, pressing her hand against his chest. "C'mon, it'll be
fun."

"Yeah, I'll go," Dave piped in. Julia was
pretty sure her smile was turning into a grimace. This wasn't
exactly working the way she hoped.

Reluctantly, Mike nodded in concurrence.
"Okay fine. Goth bar. Sounds
great
." He rolled his eyes and
took a long drink of beer. "Can we watch this fucking parade
now?"

Chapter Ten

The mismatched group stood on the Decatur
sidewalk until the last of the floats and brass bands had sauntered
by and a police car brought up the rear. Armand stood separate from
them, a few feet back and on Julia's right. She and Beth stood at
the face of the curb, Mike and Dave crowded behind them.

A couple of times during the parade she tried
to move closer to Armand, but Dave always managed to step between
them, usually under the guise of reaching for tossed beads. She
eventually gave up, resolving to simply enjoy the moment as it was.
Every so often she'd glance back to make sure Armand was still
there and he always was, his gaze ready to meet hers. In spite of
the distance between them, there was an undeniable connection.
Words were unnecessary, and with a few lingering glances, a knowing
smile, and the occasional wink, they were able to have a complete,
albeit silent conversation.

Once the parade finally passed, there was a
strange vacuum in energy that was painfully apparent even with the
chorus of drunken shouts. The crowds broke up, and people spilled
onto the street. Curb to curb was lined with abandoned and broken
beads, discarded plastic cups, and other dirty, crumpled
throws.

Julia wrinkled her nose. One thing she
detested was litter. "What a mess."

"It is a waste isn't it," Armand concurred.
The moment the crowd had dissipated, he moved closer to her,
pushing through the thick tension clogging the air between Dave,
Mike and himself. "The city sweeps it, and I wouldn't take throws
away from our parades, but it's such a waste of resources."

So, Armand was an environmentally conscious
vampire. She supposed he had an even greater interest in preserving
the planet than most, considering how long he'd lived. Based on the
picture she'd seen in the museum, he was at least 100 years
old.

"Are we headed to this bar or what?" Mike
barked.

"Certainly," Armand replied tersely.

"Well, let's go, man. I need a drink."

Sorry
. Julia mouthed to Armand. She'd
never felt so embarrassed for being associated with a group of
people before. It was her fault though. She should have excused
herself from the others the moment she'd known she wanted to spend
the evening with Armand. She might not blame Mike for being pissed
at the forced situation, but he didn't have to be such an ass about
it.

Armand led them through the dark French
Quarter streets, Beth and Julia at his side, Dave and Mike at least
20 steps behind them. At Julia's request, Armand pointed out
historical buildings and points of interest as they passed. He was
an excellent tour guide. His deep, strangely accented voice was
captivating, and he seemed to know every detail about the city.
Every block held something fascinating, but Armand's delicious purr
could make even the dullest fact sound mesmerizing. He should host
PBS shows or teach boring subjects. Julia could have really used
him during some of her college classes. She certainly would have
found "Concrete Design" more tolerable - and maybe even gotten a
better grade - with Armand behind the podium.

Either that or she would have spent the
entire class shooting googly eyes at him and drooling on her
notes.

"What is that building?" Beth pointed to a
massive light gray building on the corner surrounded by a
formidable, solid fence.

"It's the Ursuline Convent." Armand stopped
and the women followed his lead. "Do you see how all of the
shutters are closed on the top floor?" he said in a slow, quiet
voice that drew Julia and Beth closer. "Legend has it, hundreds of
years ago, when New Orleans was merely a lowly port city filled
with pirates and whores, young women from French convents were sent
here to help spread the word of God in our temptuous town. The plan
backfired and many of the girls were raped, killed, or something
worse." A small smile slid across his face and he cocked his
eyebrows. "Their coffins are said to be stored in the attic of the
convent, and ever since, the shutters have remained closed.

"They say," he continued in a voice so quiet
Julia had to move her ear close to his mouth to hear him. "There
are
vampires
up there."

He would know.

"Who are
they
?" Beth wondered, her
forehead almost touching Julia's.

Armand shrugged. "Legend. Lore. Locals." He
tossed a wink at Julia. "Now I don't know about vampires, but this
is the south, and it gets damn hot in the summer. Heat builds in an
attic. It would make sense to open those shutters to vent it. So
either they're trying to keep something out, or keep something
in."

"What are you guys staring at?" Mike asked,
resting his hand on Beth's shoulder. The moment he touched her, she
screamed.

She spun and smacked his chest. "Don't scare
me like that!"

He held out his hands in defense. "What?"

With a huff, she started down the street.
"Let's go. I need a drink."

"Well, are you done with your
scary
stories?" Dave asked Armand, his tone snide.

"Stories? How can you be sure they're merely
stories?"

"Please man, spare me." He shoved past
Armand, aggressively brushing his shoulder as he did. "Beth is
right. I need a fucking drink. Desperately."

"Julia," Armand held his arm out, indicating
for her to follow.

She shook her head at him. "You are evil,"
she said with a grin. A wink was his reply. "You know, you're going
to get Dave so riled up, he's going to start pissing on his
perceived territory."

"Should I get you a rain coat?"

"God, I hope not."

"Armand! Dude, are you taking us to this
fucking bar or not?" Mike shouted from across the street.

"Your friends are lovely," Armand muttered as
he pushed his silky stride to maximum lengths. Julia had to jog to
keep up with him.

"Colleagues," she reminded him. "Big
difference."

"Noted." Ignoring the icy glares from the
men, Armand breezed past them with more grace than Julia could
manage in her little finger.

The next block looked familiar, but Julia
wasn't sure when she'd been there until a gorgeous trio approached
them. She recognized the perfect pin-up girl wearing red angel
wings and the man she'd been with the other night. The third in
their group was a man with spiked, bleached blond hair, and black
eyeliner. They might have been in costume, but it was hard to
tell.

Luxure
was on this street.

"Armand!" the woman cried. They alternated
kisses on the cheek and Julia felt strangely jealous by the common
European greeting. She noticed Dave roll his eyes.

"You're looking beautiful, Angel. As usual."
He inclined his head in turn toward each man. "Ash. Hail. Happy
Halloween."

The holiday salutation was exchanged and
Angel glanced around at the group. Grinning, she bit her lip, the
bright white teeth a stark contrast against the shimmering red
gloss. Her dark eyes lingered on Dave, and she wetted her lips.
"Mmmmm, are you bringing in fresh blood?"

Armand laughed. "Not quite."

Julia was surprised by Angel's overt
declaration and even more surprised when the beautiful woman's deep
brown eyes settled on her. "Well, maybe not all so fresh. You were
at
Luxure
the other night."

Julia nodded.

"Angel, this is Julia." Armand made no effort
to introduce the others.

"Nice to meet you, Julia," Angel said. "I
thought you looked familiar. Although," her eyes trailed over the
length of Julia's body, "I think I like this look better."

Julia felt her cheeks warm under Angel's
approving gaze. Vampires had sex appeal mastered, that was for
sure.

"Well, I'm afraid we need to get on our way,"
Armand said.

Angel's perfect brow wrinkled. "Aren't you
heading to the bar?"

"Not tonight."

"Not at all?" Armand shook his head. "Oh,
well, I suppose we'll manage," Angel pouted.

"I'm sure you will," Armand said with a
grin.

After exchanging parting words, the two
groups continued on their separate paths. Julia watched Angel and
her companions walk down the street towards
Luxure
. If there
had been any doubt left in Julia's mind about the humanity of
Armand and now, Angel, it was dispelled. The woman moved with
perfect, cat-like grace, even in 5" heels.

Her companions seemed more human. The dark
haired one, Ash, must be a repeat meal since Julia had seen him the
other night and watched Angel lick the blood from his weeping
wounds. Maybe Armand's brand of vampires could feed off humans
without killing or "turning" them.

That would support her subspecies theory, and
certainly made the fantasy of being with Armand even more
appealing.

Unfortunately, it was still just a
fantasy.

They passed through Jackson Square and Julia
looked for the Rom fortune teller. Would he freak out if he saw
Armand? Judging by his reaction the last time she'd seen him, she
imagined he would. Luckily, he wasn't there.

"Hey, let's stop for a drink," Dave said, not
waiting for concurrence before disappearing into a large, open air
bar. Mike and Beth followed and Julia glanced at Armand.

"Do you want something to drink?" she
asked.

"No, thank you." Of course not, why would he?
"What about you?"

"I think I'm okay." She still had a little
Absinthe sloshing around in her cup and the earlier ones were
creeping up on her. Her head still felt surprisingly clear even
though she knew the alcohol was altering her senses. It must be one
of the unique, fabled properties of the
Green Fairy
.

"Your know," she started, her eyes on the bar
containing the other half of their awkward group. "We could make a
run for it while Dave and crew are occupied."

"You mean, just turn and sprint for
cover?"

She turned to his grinning face. "Why not?"
She glanced around. "We could hide behind the arches of the Cabildo
Museum and wait. I'm sure they'd give up pretty quickly."

"What happened to being cordial?"

"I don't care anymore."

He cocked an eyebrow. "No?"

"No." Julia bit her lip. "Well, a
little."

"And after they've lost interest, where would
you like to go?" he asked in a low, husky voice. His hazel, lust
filled eyes locked on hers, sending her heart into overdrive.

"Anywhere you want," she replied
breathlessly. "Anything you want."

A grin spread across his face, his fangs
gleaming in the murky light. "That's a dangerous proposal," he
whispered, leaning close to her.

"Should I be frightened?"

"No. You should be turned on."

She waited for him to kiss her, anticipation
charging through her veins, turning her stomach into a quivering,
quaking mess.

"Okay guys, you ready to hit it?" Dave's
voice burst in, inconveniently interrupting them. It was the third
time he'd managed to do so and was, frankly, getting old.

Armand looked equally irritated. With an
audible sigh, he pulled back. Giving Julia a pained smile, he said
quietly, "We should have run when we had the chance."

It was only a few short blocks before the
hand painted sign of The Cell greeted them. The doorman's eyes
popped when he saw Armand. He blinked a few times. "Armand," he
said startled. "I'm surprised to see you here."

"I do venture away from my comfort zone from
time to time, Kindle," Armand replied with the tiniest of
smiles.

If the bouncer had any color in his skin, he
would have blushed. "Of course. Of course." He said hastily and
inclined his head through the dark doorway into the even darker
bar. "Enjoy your time."

As Julia followed Armand inside, she heard
the bouncer ask the rest of their party for cover and IDs.

The Cell was similar to
Luxure
in many
ways, from the long, narrow alleyway leading to the front door, and
the small courtyard entrance, to the dark, gothic feel, to the
pulsing music vibrating through the floor from somewhere upstairs.
But that was where the similarities ended. Where there was a sleek,
sexiness to
Luxure's
décor, The Cell was more haunted house,
with faux stone walls, metal cages, and bleeding candles. She
didn't think the decorations were for Halloween, either. There was
definitely a permanency to them.

There were a few of the patrons that
possessed the same lithe, graceful glamour that oozed throughout
Luxure
, but most looked like Dave and Mike. Those that were
similar, seemed to recognize Armand, sometimes nodding towards him,
but more often just staring as he passed, like he was some
celebrity or royalty.

Taking her hand, Armand led her upstairs
where the crowd thickened considerably. Before him, the crowd
parted, and they eased through the throngs of writhing dancers
crammed onto a tiny dance floor.