Dance Until Dawn (16 page)

‘I saw you watching Beyoncé,’ she said.

At least she had not realised I had been watching her and not Beyoncé, that would have been embarrassing. But I felt surprised she had actually noticed me. So much for my ‘under cover’ tactics. Admittedly I hardly look like one of Beyoncé’s fans.

Against my better judgement, I sat down on the grass opposite her. Pulling my cigarettes from the pocket of my jeans, I offered her one, which she refused politely. I lit one for myself, and sat watching her as she sipped from her bottle.

‘Do you always wear sunglasses at night?’ she asked.

Obligingly I pushed the glasses on top of my head. She drew in a breath as she looked into my eyes.

‘Green eyes,’ she murmured, ‘like a cat’s.’

I reached forward and ran a gentle finger down her smooth cheek. ‘You are so beautiful.’

She smiled, and, feeling encouraged, I leaned in closer to brush her lips with mine. I ran my hand through her lustrous hair, and when I deepened the kiss, she wound her arms around my neck, dropping her bottle onto the hard grass. Regretfully, after a few moments, I pulled gently away. I knew I should leave while it was still possible.

As I drew back from her, I held her gaze. Her eyes were beautiful. So blue and intense, fringed by thick lashes.

‘Until we meet again.’ I touched her hair gently, and stood up abruptly. She still stared after me as I walked swiftly away. Any lingering doubts I felt had been dispelled. From that moment on, her destiny was assured.

Nightmares

Vampires surrounded me. Beautiful female vampires. They appraised and held me captive with their eyes – dead, cold eyes. I tried to back away, but they simply moved closer. Even the air around me felt full of threat and menace. The vampire women were so near to me that I could feel their cold breath on my face.

I tried to tell them I was a vampire too, but they laughed. One of them was so close, I heard her jaws snap together when she ground her small white teeth. One of the other women put a cold hand on my arm, and I jumped. They all laughed again, and the sound was like shards of broken glass falling on ice.

I could feel sharp fingernails as they dug into my arms. I knew they had drawn blood because I could feel it trickling down my bare arms. I knew what they intended – they were going to rip me apart with their bare hands.

There would be no coming back from this. I knew that too, beyond any doubt. There were too many of them, and they were incredibly strong.

It was all too late. I was too late. Too late to be a real vampire, and too late to make things work with Will.
Will
.

‘Elinor.’ A deep, familiar voice. ‘
Ellie
, it is all right. Open your eyes. Come back to me.’

I tried to fight my way out of a black tunnel, but my arms hurt, and someone gripped me by the shoulders. Someone called my name over and over again. I struggled to free myself, but couldn’t move. Whimpering in fear, I continued to struggle.

‘
Elinor
.’

My eyes opened wide, and I took in the first frantic breath of the night. I trembled and shivered and tried in vain to sit up. Will knelt over me on the bed, his strong hands gripping my shoulders. The moment I looked at him, he pulled me into his arms.

‘What the hell was that? Some kind of vision?’ My voice shook.

‘Ssssh. It was not real.’

‘There were so many—they wanted to destroy me.’

‘It was not real,’ he said again.

‘How do you know what I saw?’

‘I saw the same events,’ he said, ‘and I know who they are.’

‘
How
could you see?’

‘We have a connection, Elinor. I have explained this.’

‘Was it Khiara? Will she come here?’

‘Possibly,’ he replied. ‘But you will be safe with me.’

He cradled me in his arms, and I clung to him like a frightened child. He murmured endearments and gently kissed the top of my head.

‘They were almost certainly sent by Khiara.’ He said almost to himself. ‘She used to be able to invade my dreams wherever I was, but I am too strong now. It appears she can invade your dreams because you are connected to me, plus you are young, and not very strong as yet.’

He sat down next to me on top of the covers, and kept one arm around my shoulders as he pulled the duvet up and tucked it around me.

‘She can never hurt you physically through dreams, and the other members of her motley crew most certainly cannot.’

‘But they can scare the hell out of me.’

His lips twisted into a small smile, ‘They can indeed scare the hell out of you.’

‘What did it mean?’

Will was silent for a moment, his dark brows pulled together in a frown, while his hand played absent-mindedly with strands of my hair,

‘There is no denying that Khiara knows of your existence,’ he said at last, ‘and it is fairly obvious she is not too happy about it.’ His lips curved in a smile again.

I realised to my embarrassment that I was still clinging to Will, and made a movement to draw away, but he tightened his hold.

‘There will be no more running away,’ he remonstrated. ‘I think we have both endured enough of that.’

‘I’m not exactly used to depending on anyone,’ I said.

‘That is evident,’ he said. ‘Would you like nourishment, or would a bath better soothe your nerves?’

‘What about the Thirst?’

‘I think there is time. You are stronger each night.’

I nodded. The thought of wallowing in a hot bath was too tempting to turn down.

Will swung his legs off the bed, but when he went to move away from me panic descended again, and I clutched at his arm. ‘I don’t want to be left alone yet.’

‘Then come with me.’

When I hesitated, he went into the other room, and returned seconds later with a man’s dark blue silk shirt. Throwing it across to me, he said, ‘Put that on, it should be long enough to cover all you want to.’

He was an intuitive man. An aggravating, domineering and often arrogant man, but oh-so intuitive.

‘Thanks,’ I muttered. I pulled the shirt on and buttoned it under cover of the duvet.

I slid out from the bed and when I stood up the shirt almost reached my knees.

‘It looks better on you than it ever did on me,’ said Will. ‘I think you should wear it often.’

He walked over to the door that led to the bathroom, where he stopped to wait for me. When I reached him, he put his hands on either side of my face and looked down at me, his eyes bright with a myriad of different greens. He bent and kissed me softly on the lips and then wrapped his arms round me.

‘I will keep you safe Elinor,’ he said. ‘At all costs—at any cost—you will be safe. I promise.’

‘I believe you really mean that,’ I said.

‘I very rarely say things I do not mean. It would be a waste of time.’

7 March

I am perturbed by Elinor’s nightmare. It means Khiara has already forged some kind of connection to her, and this is not a good thing. Initially I felt tempted to leave the city – perhaps the country – altogether for a few months. However, I do not think we can solve the problem that way. I fear we must sit this out, and try to beat Khiara at her own game.

I am sure some vampire lives will undoubtedly be lost in the coming weeks, but I am equally sure it will be neither mine, nor Elinor’s. Khiara’s worst trait is her naïve belief that she is more powerful than any other vampire. How the mighty will fall – and the more painfully, the better.

Dusk

I felt so relieved to be out of the house and away from my nightmares. Although it might have been possible we were actually going toward them, if those women were in Will’s club. From what Luke had said, some of Khiara’s cronies had visited the club over the last few nights. The thought of meeting any one of those women in the flesh filled me with abject terror. Our cab drove nearer to—to who knew what? At that moment in time, I felt truly thankful to be devoid of any psychic abilities.

I had been too busy to go clubbing much in recent years, because my evenings were always taken up with performances, but I knew a lot of clubs and trendy bars had sprung up in the Hoxton area during that time. It used to be a fairly deprived and somewhat forgotten part of London. Now it was considered one of
the
places to go clubbing, even more popular than the West End. No doubt Will had started his club at just the right time. I was looking forward to an evening out, even though I was filled with trepidation at what it might entail.

The cab pulled up outside the old railway arches in Rivington Street, and the nearest arch had a discreet blue sign over its door that said, simply,
Dusk
.

‘Here we are mate,’ said the driver unnecessarily.

‘Thank you,’ replied Will, and thrust a £20 note through the open window for him. The driver scrabbled around to get him change, but Will waved him away, and sprang lithely out of the cab. He leaned back in to offer me a hand out. I could get very used to his effortless charm and manners. Most modern men would have been in the club ordering a drink by now, leaving me to scramble out of the cab – and probably pay for it too.

‘You’ve made him very happy,’ I said. ‘You must have given him a hundred per cent tip.’

He shrugged. ‘He probably needs it.’

We walked toward the door, where a tall West Indian man stood. He was immaculately dressed in a tux, and looked pretty impressive, although more than a little intimidating.

‘Good evening to you, Zachary,’ Will nodded a greeting.

‘Good evening Sir, it’s nice to see you again,’ he replied, as he opened the main door for us.

There was a small reception area just inside the door, where an attractive dark-haired girl sat behind a gleaming mahogany desk. She brightened up immediately when she caught sight of Will, but her enthusiasm dimmed noticeably when she saw me. She recovered well, and smiled brightly at Will as she angled her body forward to rest her arms on the desk, showing off her ample cleavage to maximum advantage.

‘Good evening Will, how wonderful to see you again,’ she said huskily, batting long, dark eyelashes.

‘Hallo Tanya,’ he said, and smiled back at her. ‘How are you this evening?’

She dimpled and batted her eyelashes again. How much more
obvious
could she be?

‘I’m very well, thank you Will,’ she breathed, and gazed up at him in adoration. ‘Is this your wife?’

Was it my imagination or did her voice grow colder with the question? Some women are so transparent.

Will glanced at me, and his look was one of pure mischief.

I raised my eyebrows, but said nothing.

Will turned back to Tanya, who was clearly dying for the answer.
Oh I wish
 …

‘Yes,’ he replied. ‘This is Elinor.’

‘We haven’t seen her here before, have we?’

Before I could think of a suitable response, Will answered for me, ‘She has been away.’ He raised my hand to his lips and kissed it, his amused eyes never leaving mine. Pulling my arm through his, he escorted me through the doorway that led to the dark, welcoming interior of the club.

‘Did I miss something?’

‘Miss something?’ Will still looked amused.

‘Like a church ceremony, reception, honeymoon—all that stuff.’

He laughed. ‘Trust me, you would not have forgotten the honeymoon.’

Incorrigible.

We walked in to the main area of the club. The interior shrieked elegance as I had known it would. The walls had been kept as plain brick, although they’d obviously been treated with some kind of varnish. The floors were carpeted in the seating areas, but left as solid flagstones elsewhere. The low ceiling was dotted with hundreds of tiny bulbs, which kept the lighting soft and discreet.

The club stretched the length of three railway arches. The first was a lounge and reception area filled with soft leather sofas and low tables, with a bar running the full length of the room. The second room had a stage and an under-floor lit dance area, with tables and chairs around the outside. The last room contained another bar and an elegant restaurant. It was all beautifully designed, and no expense had been spared.

‘Impressive,’ I said.

Will led the way to the bar in the lounge where the sole barman was arranging clean glasses. He glanced up and grinned as we approached, showing incredibly white teeth.

I nearly did a double take. Surely I should be able to spot a fellow vampire? Whatever he was or wasn’t, he clearly appeared to be yet another example of a heart-stoppingly handsome man. I had never found too many when I’d been alive, but maybe I’d just been looking in all the wrong places.

This man would be hard to miss, that’s for sure. He stood well over six feet tall, lean and lithe with thick hair so dark it looked black, until the club lights picked out the chestnut and mahogany highlights. Dark eyebrows framed a pair of the bluest eyes I’d ever seen, which gave him an ancient Celtic look. Although, the fact his left eyebrow had been pierced by a gold bar put him right back in the twenty-first century. Dressed in faded jeans and a white vest t-shirt, he looked more like an advert for Diesel than a barman. Around his right bicep was a tattoo made up of Celtic knots, interwoven with a kind of Celtic dog design, which I thought a little strange.

I glanced back at Will. Amused green eyes glinted back at me and my stomach gave a little flip. It was at that moment I knew no other man would ever be able to compete with him as far as I was concerned.

‘Hallo Stevie,’ said Will, leaning his arms on the bar. ‘How are things?’

‘Hi Scary Undead,’ replied Stevie with a cheeky grin, his voice deep, yet soft. ‘Business is good. We’re pretty busy most nights.’

‘Excellent,’ said Will, and as he turned to me, ‘Elinor this is Stevie, a good friend, and the manager of my club.’

Stevie held a large hand out to me and I put my own in it. His clasp was strong, but he released my hand quickly as if afraid of hurting me.

‘Good to meet you at last,’ he said with a smile.

At last?
That’s what Luke had said when he met me. Weird.

Stevie regarded me seriously for a moment, then said, ‘So Ellie, how are things?’

I was taken aback by the question, but Will answered it for me. ‘She is getting there,’ he said, his emerald eyes holding mine captive. ‘It has been a tough call though, has it not?’

I nodded, and he traced a finger down my cheek, which made me shiver.

‘Good for you,’ said Stevie. ‘You’re in good hands anyway.’

‘So I believe.’

Will’s eyes held mine. He smiled his slow, sexy smile, the one that melted me inside from head to toe.

Stevie gave a quiet laugh, and wandered off to serve a gaggle of admiring females who’d gathered at the other end of the bar. He soon became engaged in flirtatious banter, and I watched the professional way he dealt with them. He kept his distance whilst flirting and giving the impression he desired them all. Clever.

‘I’m surprised all your clientele aren’t female with Stevie behind the bar,’ I said.

‘Do not tell me he has you captivated as well?’ asked Will with raised eyebrows.

‘There’s no contest and you know it,’ I said with a smile, feeling absurdly pleased he appeared jealous.

‘That is the safe answer,’ he said half seriously. ‘ So, ask me your question.’

‘Do all the staff here know about you—us?’ I didn’t even bother asking how he knew I had a question this time.

Will leaned back against the bar. ‘Stevie knows, obviously,’ he said. ‘He is a lycanthrope, and we share each other’s secret. Zachary is a vampire, which you should have picked up on.’ He gave me a stern glance, but I was too busy digesting the earlier part of his answer. It was just as well the music from the dance area was so loud, because I almost shrieked the next question, much to Will’s evident amusement.

‘A lycanthrope? What the hell is a lycanthrope?’

‘Stevie is a werewolf,’ said Will, with a half-smile.

I stared at Will. He didn’t appear to be joking. Three months ago I hadn’t even believed in vampires, and now the normal world as I knew it lay in tatters. Werewolf?

‘Does he work when there’s a full moon?’ I remembered the full moon as being very important to werewolves in all the films I’d seen.

‘It is safer for our guests if he does not.’

I turned to watch Stevie mix and dispense drinks with speed and efficiency. Another barman had joined him now. The newcomer was at least a head shorter than Stevie, and conventionally nice looking as opposed to drop dead gorgeous. That really was a novelty in Will’s world. The man must be human.

‘Henry is human.’ Will pre-empted my next question.

‘I guessed,’ I said. ‘So how come the lovely Tanya hasn’t got herself eaten?’

Will laughed with genuine amusement, and a couple of girls passing by looked at him with longing in their eyes. I shot them a venomous glare, and they looked away hastily. I may not have completely made my mind up about Will quite yet, but I had still begun to regard him as mine. However illogical that was.

‘You sound as though you wish she would get eaten,’ he said, still laughing.

‘She’s just annoying,’ I said. ‘I hate eyelash-batterers, they always turn out to be professional man-eaters.’

‘Overt and obvious flirting cuts no ice with me, my love,’ said Will. ‘I have seen it all before, many, many times.’

I’ll just bet he had. I felt momentarily surprised at the way the endearment slipped out so smoothly, and more than a little flustered, so I made no further comment. He stood away from the bar and held a hand out to me. ‘Come and have a look around.’

I took his hand and followed him to the lounge – almost full, mainly couples in huddles on the sofas, chatting and drinking. The atmosphere was one of relaxed friendliness, I felt at ease in there at once. That could, of course, have been due to Will’s calm presence at my side. We went into the dance area where the music was absolutely deafening – at least it sounded deafening to a new vampire like me. Will didn’t seem too bothered. The dance floor was crowded, and I felt the familiar adrenaline rush that dancing always induced in me. I’d missed music so much over the last few weeks. I had never gone without it for so long before, certainly not in recent years.

‘Would you like to dance?’ Will looked at me with a smile.

I shook my head. ‘I’m not sure I can at the moment,’ I felt strange at the thought of dancing. My usual confidence seemed to have deserted me.

‘Give it time,’ was all he said.

‘Do you have bands play here?’

‘We do. Stevie arranges that side of things. He is adept at finding the good up-and-coming bands before they become too big and unaffordable.’

Will led the way back towards the main bar, to a staircase on the right-hand side of it.

‘I need to say hallo to Errol.’

I wondered what Errol would turn out to be. Another vampire … a demon? Maybe even a warlock?

We went up the stone staircase to a balconied upper floor, where there were more sofas and armchairs and several low wooden tables dotted about. A small bar took up the corner of the room, where another good-looking West Indian man served a tall Goth and his girlfriend. Will wandered over to the bar. The Goth couple walked away with their drinks as Will greeted the barman. ‘Hey Errol, this is Elinor.’

‘
Ellie
,’ I said.

‘Hi Ellie, it’s good to meet you.’ His voice was a deep, rumbling bass.

He held out a hand sporting several heavy gold rings. I shook his hand and smiled back at him.

‘Hallo Errol, how are you?’

Errol turned back to Will, and grinned cheekily at him. ‘So is she the reason you’ve been AWOL for so long?’

‘She is,’ said Will.

‘Gets my vote man.’

Will acknowledged him with a slight nod, and I wondered how long he had been absent from the club.

‘About six months,’ said Will.

I frowned at him. ‘I do wish you wouldn’t keep doing that,’ I muttered. ‘I never know whether I’m speaking aloud or not these days.’

‘Stevie says the club’s been busy,’ Will carried on his conversation with Errol.

‘Yeah man, real good,’ said Errol, nodding. ‘Every night is real good, we’re getting a lot of good publicity in the music press too. Zac had to turn away the youngest Geldof girl again the other night, but it means we got pictures and a mention in
Metro
the next day’

‘They will all be old soon enough,’ said Will. ‘I wonder what the great hurry is.’

‘Will.’

We both turned to see Luke coming up the stairs.

‘Let us find a seat,’ said Will. He waved a hand at Errol. ‘See you later Errol.’

‘Sure thing,’ came the reply.

Will’s fingers touched the small of my back as he guided me toward the only unoccupied sofa in the farthest corner. We sat down on the sofa, and Luke sat on the low table facing us.

‘Any news?’ asked Will without preamble.

‘Katarina has just come in with a couple of others,’ he replied, and Will grimaced.

‘How lovely.’

‘And Honyauti has arrived,’ he continued.

‘How is our Native American Chief?’ asked Will.

‘In a nutshell?’ Luke smiled. ‘Cold and exceptionally pissed off.’

‘Why is he here then?’ I asked.

Will glanced at me. ‘Because I asked him to come here.’

‘Are you the boss of him too?’

‘Something like that,’ he said.

Will and Luke suddenly turned their heads at exactly the same moment to look back toward the bar. Approaching us came a trio of beautiful young women. The girl in front was small and dark-haired, with a wicked elfin face. Her tiny frame was clothed in low-slung black trousers and a shimmering silver midriff top. Her long nails were painted blood red – and I recognised her. She came to stand at the end of our sofa, which put her between Luke and myself. The two women behind her were taller, both blonde and both beautiful. The first girl directed her dark gaze to me and gave a malicious smile.