BloodGifted (15 page)

Chapter 10

The Ritual

LAURA

On Monday night
Alec arrived promptly at nine. When I opened my front door there he stood, looking absolutely gorgeous in a black tuxedo—what, no long black cloak?—dazzling smile and a bouquet of flowers. His lavender eyes widened as he handed me the bouquet.

‘You’re a vision, Laura,’ he said.

I glanced down at my dress then back at him. ‘Thank you.’

He took hold of my hand and brought it to his lips; his eyes never left my face.

‘Let me put the flowers in water before we go,’ I said. Alec followed me in.
Well, there goes another vampire myth
.
Vampires don’t need to be specifically invited in.

‘Nice apartment. How long
have you lived here?’

‘About eleven years
.’

I’d bought the unit after finally persuading my parents
I needed a place of my own. The problem was, most people believed I was in my late teens and too young to live on my own. Even the Real-Estate agent didn’t take me seriously till I produced my driver’s license, which showed my age as thirty-nine.

I
arranged Alec’s flowers in a crystal vase and placed them in the centre of my dining room table. The mix of daisies and pink roses, interspersed with bunches of greenery, were lovely. I inhaled the delicious scent and heard a snap. Alec had broken off a rose bud and slid it into the comb that secured a section of my hair.

His hand then slid down the loose strands while his eyes travelled slowly over my face, down the length of my body and back again.
It was so sensual I wasn’t sure whether he was trying to seduce me, or whether this was normal vampire behaviour. But whatever, it made my toes curl.

‘You treat all
Ingenii
like this?’

He
chuckled. ‘Only showing my appreciation.’

‘
I’m flattered.’

His gaze held mine
and it took some effort for me to break away. I collected my purse from the sofa. ‘Where are we going?’

‘Vaucluse. The R
itual is being held there.’

Rich part of town, big houses
, I thought. ‘Will there be a lot of people?’

‘Several hundred.’

My breath caught in my throat. He turned me around to face him, his hands firm yet gentle on my shoulders. ‘I won’t let anyone touch you and I’ll do my best to make my bite as painless as possible.’

I shuddered.
‘I was bitten by a dog once and it hurt like hell.’

Something flickered in his eyes. ‘If that
dog were still alive I’d kill it!’

I gasped. Was he serious? ‘There’s, no need… really. It was a long time ago.’ I was horrified at the thought and made
a mental note not to buy a pet for the next fifty years—just in case!

‘What about your bite?’

‘Vampire saliva contains a type of anaesthetic which deadens the pain, when we choose to use it. I will tonight.’

He’d better!
‘And you won’t lose control?’ I tried to keep the tremor from my voice.

‘I won’t. P
romise.’ He smiled, offered me his arm and led me down to his car—a blue Mercedes Sports.

‘Do all vampires drive pretenti
ous sports cars?’ I asked and waved my hand at the vehicle. I needed to focus on something other than this coming ceremony.

‘You want to take the bus?’

‘You got something against my proletariat sensibilities?’

He chuckled and opened the door for me. ‘Laura, your f
amily lives in Earlwood, not exactly working class.’

‘True, but I can sympathise.’

‘The Mercedes is more fuel economic on petrol than most small cars, and better mechanically…’

I laughed. ‘Are you trying to justify yourself? Any excuse
to drive a hot sports car,’ I teased as I buckled my seatbelt.

Alec lowered his head
, shook it, but when he looked back at me his eyes were smiling. ‘Okay. I surrender. Can I drive now?’

I flashed him a smile as h
e started up the engine and it really purred. I’d never been in a sports car. This was a new experience for me and I was going to make the most of it.

‘How fast does it
go?’ I started to play with the shiny buttons on the dashboard.

‘Not so fast that your boyfriend will arrest me.’

‘He’d enjoy doing that.’
I stared out at the city lights as Alec wove through the Monday night traffic.

‘I’m sure he would.
How long have you known each other?’

‘About four months.
’ Really, we were still getting to know each other.

‘Enough time to form an attachment
,’ he said quietly.

It was hard to tell whether he meant that as a rhetorical statement or not. When I didn’t answer
straight away he glanced at me.

‘
I suppose it is.’

‘Do you love him?’

For a moment I didn’t know what to say. Our relationship was still relatively new and I wasn’t sure how I felt. Nor did I particularly wish to discuss it with Alec Munro. ‘Why do you ask?’

‘You didn’t answer my question
.’

‘And I’m not going to. It’s private.’ I turned my head to look at him
. He glanced at me at the same time.

Neither of us spoke for a while. I would have loved to know what he was thinking.
Then he said something I didn’t expect.

‘You know how to dance, Laura? A
s in someone’s arms, not standing in front of your partner and jiggling.’

‘Jiggling?’

He smiled. ‘You know what I mean.’

I really had to concentrate, as his smile had a way of leaving me breathless.
‘Oh, I think I can manage.’

Part of my training as a primary school teacher was in p
hysical education with dancing part of the curriculum. I could do a mean waltz.

‘T
here’s dancing and entertainment after the ceremony.’

‘Vampires dance?’

He laughed. ‘Wait till you see the band leader.’

Curio
user and Curiouser!

His face grew serious an
d he changed the subject. ‘Laura, when we arrive please don’t go wandering anywhere on your own. Many among my kind can’t be trusted. Some here tonight are envious and dangerous and would do anything to possess you. They could even try to abduct you to stop the ceremony from taking place.’

‘
You didn’t tell me this before!’ And I wish he hadn’t told me now.

‘I didn’t want to frighten you.’

Gee thanks!
‘But once the Ritual’s over, I’m safe?’

‘Yes.’

I took a deep breath and willed my heartbeat to slow to its normal pace.

‘I have friends here as well, one in particular who’ll protect you at all costs,’ h
e stressed. ‘My sire, Luc. The ceremony is being held at his house.’

‘I met him at my aunt’s place last night.’
And he terrified Matt so much he would have gone for his gun if he’d been wearing it.

Alec
glanced at me again. ‘He’s one of the five officiates.’

‘Oh, okay.’ I thought for a moment. ‘You mentioned the other night that he was my grandfather Owen’s guardian.’

‘That’s right.’

M
y family had kept such a secret all these generations. Grandad knew I’d inherit one day yet he barely ever spoke to me. So what that he’d been a busy doctor with his own practice and family never figured high in his priorities. But still, you’d think on his deathbed—a few years ago—he may have mentioned something!

My mind reeled with questions. One was
whether Alec had ever known him, but that would have to wait. We turned into a private lane and massive iron gates loomed up ahead. Security guards in grey uniform scrutinised the car as we entered.

Did he say house? The
sandstone building at the end of the driveway was a magnificent neo-Gothic mansion of a style popular sometime in the late nineteenth century. A copper-clad tower dominated one side of the building. I gaped at turrets, arches with stained glass windows and gables, while stone gargoyles stared impassively down at all who entered.

Perfect place for a vampire gathering
.

As Alec drove in, I rolled down the windows and inhaled the heady
scent of eucalypt from the trees that lined the expansive driveway. Crushed gum nuts and leaves crunched under the tyres as he turned the car into a large clearing capable of accommodating up to a hundred vehicles. An area had been cordoned off for parking and was almost filled to capacity with a range of limousines and luxury cars, including one or two Ferraris, a Porsche, even a sleek red Corvette.

‘Sports
cars!’ I turned to him with an I-rest-my-case, look.

He smiled and eased into a spot marked, Reserved for Princeps. Coming
around to my side, he opened the door and linked my arm through his as we made our way to the front entrance. ‘Laura, stay close to me the whole night. Promise me.’

To my surprise, h
e sounded concerned.

‘Promise.’

The impressive and heavily lacquered front door had carved eucalyptus leaves along the outside edge, and two multi-coloured glass window panels greeted the visitor at eye level. I did a quick scan, expecting to see cobwebs and scuttling spiders, but there were none. Then I wondered if we’d be greeted by the obligatory creepy butler, such as Lurch, from the
Addams Family,
and held my breath as the door opened. The porch was flooded with golden light and soft music could be heard in the background as a tall, blonde–haired man stepped out. It was Luc Lebrettan.

I think I gave an audibl
e sigh of relief.

He smiled warmly and lifted my hand to his lips. ‘Laura, it’s a pleasure to see you once more.’

Again, I experienced a sense of familiarity and felt the same prickling as on the previous night.

‘I believe you and Luc have already met?’ Alec asked.

‘Yes, at my aunt’s,’ I replied. Alec had said he was one of the five officiates, which meant he had to be one of the oldest vampires here. I only found out how old Alec was because I asked him outright.

‘There has been a change in the order
of events. The Ritual will be performed first followed by the usual festivities,’ Luc said and glanced briefly at Alec. ‘I’m sure Alec has explained to you the situation we would like to avoid. Ensuring your safety is our priority.’ There was the slightest hint of the French accent I’d noticed at our first meeting.

‘I understand
,’ I said.

‘L
et’s go in.’ He tucked my arm into his so I was sandwiched between him and Alec.

Luc
led us through the house, but there was no time to stop and admire the amazing interior. A marble staircase led to an upper floor before dividing into two separate wings. Above us loomed stone arches, balanced on pedestals in the shape of sculpted angels. Stencilled images of griffins, dragons and other medieval mythological creatures decorated the walls. Our footsteps echoed on the white marbled floor which, here and there, was interspersed with boldly coloured Victorian tiles featuring scrolls, fleur-de-lis and acanthus leaves.

I leaned over to Alec
and nudged him slightly in the ribs. ‘Why does Luc own such a castle?’ I whispered.

‘I
t reminds him of home,’ Alec replied in a low voice.

‘France, Laura. I’m originally from the Rhone valley. My family has a Chateau there. I’ll tell you about it sometime.’

I’d forgotten about vampire hearing.

We reached a set of double
doors. Waiting for us were eight figures who inclined their heads as we approached. Among them, in a floor-length white silk cloak, was my Aunt Judy. The fabric swished as she came to my side to give me a hug.

‘Don’t be nervous
, dear. I’m sure Alec explained everything. I’ve been through this myself and it’s going to be fine.’ She gave me a reassuring smile.

The other figures—seven men and one woman—
regarded me curiously. They were a mix of ages and impossibly attractive. The thought raced through my mind
: Does being transformed into a vampire make one
stunning or did they simply pick on the young and beautiful in the world
? Three were wrapped in gold cloaks, while the other four were covered in scarlet. I could just make out sword tips protruding from beneath the cloaks of the four-in-red.

‘Laura.
’ Alec drew my attention to the gold-cloaked figures. ‘I would like to introduce the Elders—Maris, Kwame and Zhao.’ He indicated each in turn. I inclined my head assuming that was the correct form of greeting.