Because the Night (The Night Songs Collection) (6 page)

Chapter Ten

“I’m not going.” I announced as I made more coffee from the little hotel room pot.

“What the hell are you talking about?” Keisha exclaimed as she shoved things back into her suitcase.

“I don’t want to go home.” I winced at the bitter taste of the coffee, and then put the cup down on the counter with conviction. “I want to make a go of things here.”

“You can’t just decide not to go home. People don’t do that. Besides, do you understand how your mother is going to kill me if I come home without you?”

I sighed. “I’ll deal with her.”

“You can come back.”

“She’ll never let me. She won’t even let me go to school in Boston.” I had been accepted to the School of Fashion Design. My mother thought it was impractical and wouldn’t sign the paperwork. Last I checked, everybody wore clothes. The only way I’d managed this trip was to tell her about it the last minute after everything was paid for. Even at that, it was still touch and go until the plane left the ground.

“What are you going to do here?”

“I’ll get a job. Janelle needs a roommate. The rent is way cheaper than anything back home. Come on, what am I supposed to do, work at my mom’s restaurant for the rest of my life? Wondering what could have happened?”

“It’s the busy season. She needs you.”

“She’s got a two inch thick pile of applications. I’m sure one of them can make coffee and sandwiches as well as I can.”

“What about your fashion design?”

“I can do that here. And it’s probably easier to go to school, living in a city.”

“So you’ve got this all figured out.” Keisha shook her head. “I told you that you should have slept with Blade. Got it out of your system. Instead, you’ve got to be all hopeless romantic. And I do mean hopeless.”

“It’s not just that.” I laid back down on the bed, in no hurry since I had no intention of getting on a plane today. “Tristan needs me.”

“Tristan Trevosier is a grown ass man. And some drugged out undead freak. There is nothing you can do for him, Callie.”

“Wow, you’ll be the first person I call when I get into trouble.”

Keisha clicked down the locks on her suitcase and looked at me, defeated. “You can always count on me, Callie. But this is just a bad decision. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a plane to catch. And a beheading waiting for me.”

“Just trust me. I have to try this. I can always come home.” I got up to hug Keisha. She wouldn’t let go of me. I stiffened as I felt her sobbing against me.

“You’ve got time to make it to the airport. Please rethink this.” She kissed me on the cheek when she finally let go. I felt bad, she actually looked sick.

I flopped back down on the bed after she left. I had a little bit of time to relax before Janelle came to pick me up. Emotion bounced through my body.

Sure, I was terrified. But I’d never been so excited about anything in my entire life.

Chapter Eleven

“Have you lost your damn mind?” My mother reacted just like I expected she would.

“No. I really want to stay for a little while. I like it here.”

“What are you going to do, Calliope?” My mother only used my full name to let me know her next move was giving me up for adoption. That wasn’t an option anymore. “Swing from a pole?”

“No. That’s not the only thing that goes on here. I’ll get a job. And go to school. I can have a future here.” I chose my words to jab at her.

“Well, you better figure it out. If you’re not at that airport when I pick Keisha up, you can stay there for good.” The dial tone rang in my ear before I had a chance to say another word.

I fought tears as I held the phone against my chest. My mother regularly went for the jugular, but I hadn’t expected to get disowned. It would never stick once my dad got wind of this. I was Daddy’s girl. He’d always let me come home.

I hoped.

“Your mother might be kind of evil, but at least she taught you how to cook.” Janelle savored every bite of the meal I’d made her. All she ever ate was fast food. She was going to die of a heart attack before she turned twenty five. Now I was available to cook for Janelle for the long haul.

“I love to cook. It’s kind of nice to have free reign in your kitchen.” In general, I just liked to make things. Food, clothes, what have you. We’d just picked up the basics for me: an air mattress, bedding, a lamp and plastic storage bins. I planned on making curtains, a bedspread, and throw pillows later. I didn’t want everything to be the same as what everyone else had. I needed a job before all the free time made me crazy.

“You get to keep me after all.” I told Blade when he picked up the phone. “I hope you meant what you said.”

“That is the best news I’ve heard all day. In fact, that’s the best news I’ve heard ever.” My heart healed a little bit after the scathing reaction my mom had to the same announcement.

“So, know anyone who’s hiring? I need to fund this little adventure.”

“Actually, I do.” This was the best news
I‘d
heard all day. “My friend Jack needs help. It’s some hoity toity vampire bar, but the public isn’t allowed so it’s not that bad.”

“How many vampires are there?” What was going on in this city? There so many that they needed their own social club?

“God, you have no idea. I’ll pick you up in half an hour and we can swing by.”

Embrace was located several blocks west of the Strip, between a strip mall and an apartment complex. Like any other building in the city, its flat black exterior looked dusty and worn in the sunlight. I expected to walk into a gothic, blood red interior, shadowy and mysterious. Instead, a clean, light gray décor greeted me, with a white bar, white shiny stools, and white tables. A silver pattern textured the wallpaper. Provocative art hung proudly on the walls, and modern abstract lighting hung from the ceiling.

Only one man stood in the room as we entered, entering totals from paperwork into his laptop from behind the bar. He belonged in the sunshine, the streaks in his blonde shaggy hair and the lines on his face showed in the harsh overhead light. He smiled when he saw us approach and came up from behind the bar to exchange one of those fancy handshake slash chest bump thingies with Blade.

“Jack, this is Callie,” Blade introduced me, and Jack smiled warmly as he shook my hand. He had the appropriate amount of body heat and I let out a sigh of relief. I hadn’t expected to find someone living and breathing here. Maybe this place wouldn’t be all undead patrons and blood martinis.

“Blade tells me you have a ton of restaurant experience and you’re looking for a job.”

“I’ve worked in my mom’s restaurant for years. But it’s not a bar. Do you guys serve food?”

“We don’t have a big eating clientele.” Jack smiled and Blade rolled his eyes. “And we can teach you to make the drinks. What does your schedule look like?”

“Wide open. Just one little thing. I don’t drive.”

He looked down at my application. “One of other bartenders, Lennon, lives in your complex. I can ask if she wouldn’t mind giving you a lift. Or the bus will bring you here.”

“That would be awesome.” This was so easy, I had to wonder if it was too good to be true.

“I’d be pairing you up with her anyway for training. You can start this weekend. Do you have any questions?”

“I don’t know. Is there anything I should be asking you?” Like, ‘what’s the catch?’

“We have a very specialized clientele here. A lot of people think they can handle being in such close contact with our patrons, but they can’t. They see too much, then freak out and leave. I want you to be comfortable here. If you have any concerns, you can come to me.”

Blade and I walked out hand in hand into the late afternoon sun. “Thanks for hooking me up.” I stopped so I could kiss him.

“No problem.” He wrapped his arms around me and I leaned against Molly to let him return the kiss. “I’m so glad you stayed.”

**

“Are you sure this is legit?” Janelle asked as I pulled my hair back in preparation for my first shift. “I’ve never heard of this place.”

“Whatever it is, it’s definitely a bar. I don’t care who goes there. It’s a job. I thought you knew everything about the vampires?”

“I specialize in Immortal Dilemma.” She sounded a bit condescending.

I was starting to think Janelle needed me more than I needed her in Operation Tristan.

She shrugged and leaned against the bathroom door. “I rely a lot on the fans for news, too. I can’t be everywhere at once. And honestly, other vampires just don’t matter to me.”

I waited outside for Lennon. An unfamiliar beat up Toyota pulled up in front of my building. The girl driving craned her neck to squint at the house numbers. She stopped in front of my building, waved at me, and rolled down the window as I approached the car.

“Hi, are you Lennon?”

She was a pretty girl, with multicolored curled hair caught up in an old fashioned style fastened by a flower. Her red lipsticked lips broke into a wide welcoming smile. Most of the rest of her face was covered by oversized sunglasses with crystals along the side of the lenses.

“Yes! You must be Callie! Hop in.” She pulled away from the curb, jerking and fast, before I even had a chance to fasten my seatbelt. “So how long have you known Jack?”

“Just for the interview. He’s a friend of Blade, the guy I’m seeing. I just moved here like now.” I didn’t know how to explain what I was doing here.

She raised an eyebrow at me. “Seriously? From the way Jack was talking, I thought you guys were old friends. He speaks pretty highly of you.” Lennon wove in and out of traffic, hitting the brake at the last possible second before we rear ended the car in front of us.

I clutched the door handle and my foot hit the imaginary brake the whole way to Embrace.

“How long have you known Blade?” she asked. I couldn’t tell if she was just trying to be nice and make small talk, or if she was seriously interested.

“About a week. I came on vacation, and well, I decided to stay. As crazy as it sounds.”

“You know, I get it. Sometimes you just know where you need to be.”

My eyes widened to hear someone say that. Finally, someone understood. “Well, I’m afraid you’ve got your work cut out for you, since I hear you’re training me.”

“Nonsense. Anyone can do this job. There’s a training manual I can give you. Everyone likes getting a drink from a pretty girl. They’ll forgive a lot. Are you a morph? The vamps will respect you more if you are.” She pulled into the parking lot of Embrace without hitting the brakes.

I threw open the door and jumped out of the car, grabbing the hood as my knees trembled. Maybe I’d find another way to get to work after this. On the plus side, after driving with Lennon, vampires hardly seemed like a threat.

“What is a morph?” It sounded like something out of science fiction.

“Oh, right. Jack said you might be a little green. A morph is a human that drinks vampire blood.” She said it matter-of-factly. Like it was normal.

I fought back a shiver. “I met my first vampire a couple of days ago and I definitely didn’t drink any blood. What makes a morph different?”

“The more you do it, the more powers you gain. Well, some of it stays. You build up a tolerance, I guess. It’s a little different for everyone. And if you keep doing it, the Bloodlust doesn’t wear off. You’ll always be sensitive to things. I saw this one guy at a party who could climb walls. Me, I have trouble with daylight and I can move really fast.” All the sudden she was in my face. “See?”

“Wow. Okay.” I felt a bit more comfortable as she backed away from me, laughing. I just met this girl fifteen minutes ago. I wasn’t ready for parlor tricks yet.

“So who’s this vampire you met?” she asked as we let ourselves into the building.

“Tristan Trevosier.”

Lennon let out a low whistle. “I have to hand it to you. I mean, Tristan. Like, that’s no small feat.”

“We’ve known each other a long time. I just didn’t know he was a vampire.” I said as I hoisted myself up on a barstool. “Nothing else is going on. I really like Blade.”

“I know.” Lennon sympathized. “But still, it’s major. He’s, like, unreachable.”

I didn’t feel totally uncomfortable talking about Tristan with this girl. But I couldn’t help but feel a little guarded about it. “Can we just start training? And talk about this later?”

“Of course. Sure.” Lennon looked around under the bar like something was missing. “You look like a size small, am I right?”

I nodded.

“I’ll go grab your uniform. Did Jack tell you about it?”

“No.”

“Ha. Well, he doesn’t hire ugly girls, I’ll tell you that. I need to find the training book. Have you bartended before?”

I shook my head.

“Shit, then you need it. I’ll be right back.”

She disappeared for a few minutes then came back with a small baggie of clothes and a thick binder. “You can wear whatever shoes you want. I usually wear boots.”

I pulled the contents of the baggie out, and found myself searching in the empty bag for more. “This is it?” All I pulled out was a black studded bra top and a pair of matching lycra booty shorts.

“Yeah. That’s cool, right? You’ll look great in it, I’m sure.”

It was so out of my comfort zone it wasn’t even funny. This get up would make me look like Robo-Slut. But I really needed this job so I forced a smile to my face. “I guess I’ll get used to it.”

Lennon giggled. “Okay, here’s the book. Honestly, our clients pretty much order Venom or wine. Whatever you do, don’t drink the venom. It’s too strong for humans. If they order something you don’t know, they’d rather you ask what’s in it than fuck it up. Some of them are a bit, shall we say, eccentric. But all the recipes are in here, along with some other rules and regulations. It’s basic restaurant stuff, except for vampire etiquette.”

I flipped through the pages, trying not to feel overwhelmed between the tiny outfit and the giant book full of recipes in front of me. Lennon started setting up the bar for business. I watched her, taking mental notes as she worked. “So, how long have you worked here?”

“Almost three years.”

“How long have you been, a —” I struggled to remember the world.

“A morph? About two years. I’ve been in Vegas for five years. I dated Simon before he joined Immortal Dilemma, have you met him?”

“No.” All I knew was Simon played bass. I didn’t care about anyone but Tristan.

“Good guy. But he changed, obviously, when he joined the band. Became a vampire. I supported him, it didn’t really freak me out that he wasn’t alive anymore. But the drugs and the blood got to be too much for me. You seem so sweet, I don’t know how you can handle Tristan, to be honest with you. He’s ten times worse than the rest of them. He thought he was untouchable when he was alive. Now he
knows
it.”

I stared down at the bar and traced a finger along the shiny surface. “To be honest, it’s hard to see him like this. I knew he had problems back when we first met, but he didn’t act like that with me. Now, I never know what to expect when I’m around him.”

“Yeah. And you never will. There are no consequences for him now.” She fixed her lipstick before she continued her story. “So after Simon and I broke up, I got out of the scene for a while. Tried to straighten out, be normal. But I got sucked back in. I craved it, you know? I
wanted
the blood. I couldn’t believe it. My boyfriend now, Jacey, he’s in Fire Dancer. Have you heard of them?”

It sounded familiar. I nodded.

“He’s such a sweetheart. They’re much more focused on the music. I mean, I don’t expect anything serious out of him. I know better than that with these guys. They have to feed. I have to look the other way. But I’m enjoying what I’ve got while I’ve got it.”

I thought about that statement for a moment. Maybe Lennon had it right. Maybe I should just take what Tristan was at face value. Not expect anything else.

“So, are all the vampires the same?”

“What do you mean? Of course not. That’s like asking if all snowflakes are the same. Everyone is different.”

“That’s not what I mean. I mean, do they all have the same vampire traits?”

“I think so.” Lennon seemed puzzled about my question.

“I just want to know what happened to Tristan, but I’m afraid to ask him.”

Lennon sighed. “That doesn’t surprise me. From what I hear, Tristan fought becoming like this.”

A chill ran down my spine.

“I didn’t think he’d still be in denial.” She added, her eyes cast downward.

“Well, what do I need to know?”

“Basic vampire stuff. They can’t go out in daylight, they’re stronger and faster than regular humans, the blood gets them off, but they really feed off of energy.”

Jack appeared seemingly out of nowhere, shocking me back into reality. “So, how are you doing, Callie? Feel like you’re ready to work tonight’s shift?”

“I’ll give it my best.” I was still wondering what I had gotten myself into, but I was up to the challenge.

Patrons began to trickle in and fill the booths around the perimeter of the bar. Lennon and I worked it out so I took the orders, and she showed me how to make the drinks. So far, you’d never know we were the only humans in the room. Nothing seemed different than a regular bar.