Savannah Past Midnight (8 page)

“Sorry. You do things to me, woman.” I push away and
lean back against the sofa, taking a much needed gulp of ale in the
process. My hands are slightly unsteady as I set the beer down on
the floor by my right boot.

She speaks slowly, as if recalling a dream, “It all
began with a horseback riding accident.”

She watches me, as if to gauge my interest level
before continuing, “I took off on a racehorse, a massive Arabian
named Sacred Falls that I had zero business on. I was knocked off
his back in the woods not a mile away from the stable. The fall
subsequently severed my spinal cord. I wanted to die but didn’t
even have the faculties to carry out that selfish act. Thankfully,
my uncle Severin and his creator, Katerina rescued me. She was the
vampire who turned me.”

All business, I ask, “Did she have to kill you to do
it?”

“Nearly, yes. But you have to understand that I was
already dead inside. Colton, there was no hope for me. I would have
lain in that bed of mine until my body slowly withered away
completely. Every day I’m grateful for the chance I was given to
live as what I am now.”

“How old were you?”

“Twenty.”

“You look about that age now.”

“Yes. We don’t age. I most likely seem older because
of my confidence and the way I carry myself. When you have been
around for a few hundred years, less and less impresses you. Jaded
acceptance replacing rampant excitement would be the best way to
explain it.”

“I’ve seen the blaze in your eyes. Things fire you
up, wildcat.”

“
Specific
things, intriguing things, yes. I’ll
admit that I’ve always been drawn to danger and the unknown, the
unusual. This will never change. Does what I am bother you?”

“Nope.”

“That’s all you have to say on the subject of me
being a vampire?”

“Yep. I’ll be honest, I don’t give a flying fuck if
you’re a vampire, a ghoul, or a possessed demon, darlin’. Still
doesn’t change the fact that I like you and I wanna know more about
you.”

Her outstanding eyes are wide and wary. I wonder if
someone has hurt her in the past to make her this skittish. My
fists tighten at the thought.

“Now it’s my turn to get personal, cowboy. Why do you
fight? Tell me honestly.”

“Easy one—same reason you straddle that cycle every
night. Probably the same reason you took off on your final ride on
that racehorse as well—to
feel
something. To get that
indescribable feeling of power, of adrenaline that reminds us that
it’s all worth it.”

“That is a very interesting way to put it,
cowboy.”

“Don’t know shit about that, just know that fuckin’
rush is beautiful and pulls me out of the gray, the everyday, the
bland. It also helps me release the pent-up rage I’ve always had in
abundance. Add in the fact that I can make around a grand a night
for a ten-to-twenty-minute fight seems all right by me. Sure as
hell has helped out with the endless shit I have to buy to rebuild
this ancient place.” I reach down and tag my beer between my
fingers before taking another swig.

“You’re right, Colton.”

I lower the beer from my lips and ask, “ ’Bout
what?”

“About the rush. That’s exactly why I need it—crave
it, actually. I think I’ve always been drawn to danger.”

“Yeah, some of us are, like a moth to a fuckin’
flame, wildcat.”

“You mentioned rage. Where does that come from?”

“Had a twin. She’s dead ’cause of me. End of
story.”

Deep sorrow fills her eyes as she says softly, “I’m
sure there is more to it than that.”

I don’t want her pity. “Not really.”

She watches me closely as the thick seconds tick by
before I change the topic. “So you live with your uncle, then?”

She looks down at her ivory fingers. “No. I used to,
but then I began a relationship with someone he vehemently
disapproved of and basically forbid me to have anything to do with.
About a year ago I moved here to live with that person. We’ve since
broken up. Turns out my uncle was right about him. Now I live
alone, here in the city, until I figure out how to repair things
with my family back in Charleston.”

“Please tell me your ex isn’t the slick fucker with
the chick hair from Sub-Zero?”

“The exact one.”

I slam my beer down on the wood. “Dammit, woman, you
need your head examined. That guy looked like a dealer. Who knows
what low-down shit he’s into! He’s like you, a vampire?”

Her eyes narrow in fury. “Yes, and I’d watch your
mouth, cowboy. Running it like that could get you into
trouble.”

I lean forward and speak low and slow, “Let me be
crystal clear, darlin’. I’ve never said nothin’ that I don’t mean.
Period.”

She stands in a blur of motion. She’s so impossibly
fast it catches me off guard, causing me to jerk backward.
Seething, she stares down, grinding out, “Neither do I. This
conversation is over. Goodbye, Colton. Good luck with your
house.”

“Wait!” I jump up, unwilling to let her pull her
disappearing act on me again.

“What is it?”

“I only meant that you’re too fine a woman to ever be
with some lowlife like that dick, er, I mean guy. That’s all. Can’t
fault a man for statin’ the God’s honest truth, can ya?”

“Just watch your step. I make my own rules and I
don’t care to be second-guessed.”

“Sensitive, wildcat?”

“I guess you could say that. At least about personal
issues.”

Time for a change of subject. I want to explore the
attraction between us.

I tag her left hip and gently pull her against me. “I
bet you’re sensitive in many places that I want to learn
about.”

“What? W-we … this … can’t happen. Let me
go.”

“Nope. Want you too damn bad to do that. What are you
afraid of?”

“Injuring you beyond repair.”

I burst out laughing, finding her statement
ridiculous. “That’s not possible, sweetheart. Now, where were we?”
I lean down to try and press my lips against the ones that I’ve
been dreaming about since the night I first laid eyes on her. They
nearly connect when she pushes hard against my chest, making me
stagger back two steps. Her eyes are huge and look both haunted and
frightened.

“No, this can’t happen,” she insists. “I … I
don’t trust myself.”

Doesn’t trust herself? What the hell? She can’t
possibly think she could harm me, does she?

Without another word she bolts for the door, flying
down the shadowed steps at an unimaginable speed as I struggle to
keep up.

“Wait! Cosette! Don’t go!”

By the time I stumble out onto my front porch, she’s
long gone. I hear only the distant growl of her engine as it echoes
through the stillness of the night.

Knowing that she can’t possibly hear me, I whisper
what I was trying to say before she fled, “Whatever it is, Cosette,
whatever you’re afraid of, I’m gonna fix it. You’re going to be
mine, whatever the cost.”

Now I just have to figure out how to find her
again

Frustration rolls through me like a wave. Annoyed, I
slam my hand against the porch post and growl in frustration,
“Shit!”

“
W
atch how confidently
Ambrose stalks his prey, Cosette. See how he takes his time, how he
patiently waits for just the right moment to approach her?”

Severin and I watch him from the rooftop overlooking
the western façade of the Palacio de Lebrija. He’s standing
motionless in the inky shadows as she approaches from the right.
The silken fringe of her oversized azure-colored Manila-silk shawl
sways in a nearly hypnotic motion as she sashays up the sidewalk of
Calle Cuna. When she’s twenty feet away, he smoothly takes two
steps forward, revealing himself to her. She halts before him, and
it’s instantly clear that the gorgeous woman is attracted to him.
What female wouldn’t be? At well over six feet in height with
shoulder-length corn silk-colored hair he’s definitely exceptional,
especially amongst all the dark-haired, dark-eyed people here.

We listen closely as he controls the situation,
speaking softly yet flirtatiously. Within minutes she offers to
take him back to her room at a nearby hotel, assuming he can meet
her fee, that is. He hands her the money up front and tells her
quietly, seductively, that he’s thirsty and would like her to
accompany him on a walk to a nearby late-night tavern before
heading to the hotel. With money in hand, she readily agrees,
obviously proud to be seen on the arm of such a distinguished and
handsome gentleman. It’s always fascinating to me how his angelic
beauty and carefree smile is interpreted as harmless. I have come
to learn over the past few months that it couldn’t be farther from
the truth. He can be as deadly as a Bengal tiger when he chooses.
We all can.

“He won’t kill her, will he?”

“No. He will most likely have sex with her before,
during, and after he drinks from her, but Ambrose is controlled and
respectful. He will spare her life.”

“She is very beautiful.”

“The finest prostitutes always are. They rely solely
on their looks to survive. The unattractive ones never last
long.”

“Why is that, Uncle?”

“Because, my sweet Cosette, life is cruel. You play
the hand you’re dealt, and if you happen to be an ugly prostitute,
then you will inevitably starve to death.”

His head swings to the right. “Stay here. I detect
another vampire close by. If you choose to feed, use the skills
I’ve shown you.”

“I will. Please be careful.”

As the last word slips past my lips, he disappears
into the night air. I admire Ambrose for fulfilling his needs—all
of them. I’ve been aching for a man’s touch recently, nearly as
much as I crave blood. Could I trust myself to have sex and drink
blood at the same time?

As I contemplate this heady, arousing possibility, I
hear
him
for the first time. A low, soft hum, beautifully
melodic. I watch from above as the young man with the robust dark
curls rounds the corner, instrument case in his olive-hued
hand.

He’s mine
.

My landing is silent as I drop down behind him onto
the sidewalk. The night is chilly, with little activity on the
street. He must be on his way home.

I swiftly catch up to him, and when I’m only three
paces away, he senses someone and whirls around to face me. His
almond-shaped eyes widen. He’s obviously not expecting to see an
attractive blue-eyed woman staring up at him.

He smiles softly, a dimple prominent on his left
cheek. His accent is lush and fluid as he purrs, “
Hola,
hermosa
.
¿Cómo estás?
” Hello, beautiful. How are
you?

I grin mischievously, “
Me siento sola
.” I feel
lonely.

He begins to speak again, but I place my index finger
against his full lips and make a shhh sound.

I smile brightly and tip my head toward the arched
alcove of the entryway leading into the
palacio
. There are
plenty of heavy shadows perfect for what I have in mind for us
tonight.

He glances both ways, up and down the foggy street,
before being led into the darkness. Even though he can’t see in the
dark, my night vision is keen. His eyes flare with excitement as I
press my body against his, causing him to back up against the
smooth marble wall.

“Mmm,” he groans as our lips meet.

His kiss is searing, eager as he lets go of the case
to thread his fingers through my hair. He smells clean, like the
ocean. I can feel the hard length of his sex straining against his
dark slacks as his toned body writhes passionately against mine.
Both of us are growing frantic for more—more pleasure, more
fulfillment. I gasp as one of his hands slides into the silk bodice
of my gown, gently palming my breast.

Losing control. Must stop this, now
.

The warning is like a screaming siren in my skull as
the lust and hunger rapidly spin into an unstoppable cyclone within
me.

My fangs have fully dropped and he jerks back as his
pink tongue inadvertently nicks one.

His blood … so rich and pure.

He doesn’t have a chance to push me away before one
hand clamps down against his mouth and the other pins him against
the stone by his shoulder. My blade-like fangs waste no time
plunging into his tanned neck. His low, muffled cries of terror
barely register as the perfection of his warm blood floods my
mouth. The combination of sexual arousal and hunger makes it a far
more exquisite experience. I pull deeply, savoring his closeness,
his heat. The shared connection between us. His struggle soon
ceases and he moans in the pleasure that my bite provides. I didn’t
glamour him as I should have—I was far too excited to remember to
do so—but after the initial sting of the bite all he’s feeling is
bliss. I can hear his heartbeat become faint. I know I should pull
away, that I’ve already taken too much, but I don’t want my best
encounter yet to end so quickly. His blood is
so
tasty ….

No, just a little more
.

His tall frame slumps against me as I ravage his neck
like a complete savage.

“Cosette, stop immediately.”

Severin’s voice behind me is uncharacteristically
flat and menacing. With difficulty I unhinge my jaw and pull away
from the beautiful young man.

“Oh!”

My stunned cry echoes helplessly throughout the
arches. Without my support he drops straight down to land in a heap
on the black and white marble floor. His vacant eyes are wide with
confusion.

My eyes fly to my uncle’s, “We have to do something,
I … I took things too far. Tell me what to do. Help him,
please!”’

With his eyes never leaving the corpse of the young
man, he says solemnly, “Nothing can be done for him now. We must
dispose of his body. This is what I’ve warned you against
repeatedly, Cosette. From now through to the end of your
existence—if it ever ends and assuming you have any conscience
whatsoever—you will regret the selfishness of the choice you just
made.”