Dark Melody: A Vampire Romance (Immortal Legacy Book 1) (3 page)

Nicole

A thick silence fell over the crypt. The air was so still that I could actually hear the beat of my heart.

Fixing my eyes on Ethan, I wondered if I actually knew him at all. The Ethan I’d seen tonight was not the same man that I’d known and worked with for the last year.

A faint smile touched his lips. “I see that you have lots of questions.”

“You think?” I made no effort to keep the sarcasm out of my voice. “What the hell was that all about?”

Ethan motioned toward the door. “Let’s get out of here. I’m sure you find this place as distasteful as I do.”

I didn’t have to be told twice. Ethan lingered to extinguish the candles before following me outside.

We made the walk back to the car in silence. I sensed that he was struggling to find the right words.

In the distance, sirens shattered the heavy silence. New Orleans had a dark side and it seemed I was getting a taste of just how dark it could be.

Sure, there were those jerks that lurked in the shadows, waiting to snatch your purse when you were least expecting it or the gangs that stalked each other, never giving a second thought to the blood they spilled.

I had lived in New Orleans all my life, so I was well acquainted with the kind of darkness that seemed to be a permanent fixture of the city. Like everyone, I knew it was there and I’d always done my best to avoid risky situations.

But perhaps there was another brand of darkness that no one knew about. If there were any truth to what I’d heard tonight, then the city streets were a hell of a lot more dangerous than I’d imagined. The night creatures would be deadlier than any criminal could be.

Now that I thought about it, if there was even a crumb of truth to this vampire stuff, they could easily get away with murder. Ignorance of their existence could definitely be used to their advantage.

When we reached the car, Ethan finally turned to me.

“Nicole,” he began. “I know you don’t believe in vampires or any other kind of hocus pocus, but they’re very real. You couldn’t even begin to imagine the creatures that are a part of our reality.”

Leaning against Ethan’s blue Ford Focus, I said, “So why don’t you tell me about it and let me decide what I believe and what I don’t?”

Folding his arms in front of him, Ethan peered down at me. The expression on his face was a mixture of amusement and sadness. “It happened about ten years ago … while I was still in college. One night I was walking home. I had a late class that night,” he paused, as if he wasn’t sure if he should continue.

“I wouldn’t make something like this up. I swear!” he said, placing his hand over his heart.

At no time did I believe Ethan was lying to me. I just thought he and Alec might have lost touch with reality.

When I didn’t say anything, he continued. “Well, I wasn’t too far from home when this guy stopped me. He was different; not like the usual riffraff. I mean, this dude was beyond Goth and really took that shit seriously. He was dressed all in black and his face was so pale that at first, I thought he must have been wearing makeup.

Ethan stopped suddenly. I figured the doubt I saw in his eyes meant that he was having second thoughts about confiding in me.

“Go on,” I urged. By this time I was even more curious.

“He was a vampire. He’d followed me as I left the campus. I would have died that night, if not for Alec.”

“Really? I’m a little confused. I take it from the conversation I just overheard between the two of you that Alec is a vampire. At least you both believe he is. Why would he save you?” I was skeptical, and with good reason.

Vampires weren’t real!

There was no way Ethan could be serious about this.

“Alec saved me because he is one of the unfortunate few that still retains a flicker of his humanity.”

Now that was something I wasn’t sure I could swallow. Alec seemed dark and cold, except for when he got close to me. Then he was pretty damn hot.

Although it all seemed way too bizarre to be real, I decided to play along. “So if he actually is a vampire, why would humanity be a bad thing?”

“Well, when you are a predator, having human traits can be a little troubling.”

The anguish I heard in his voice pulled at my heart. I was tempted to bombard him with a storm of questions, but I refrained. I wanted him to finish his story and if I interrupted, he might be tempted to stop talking.

“Alec ran the vampire off, but by then it was too late. I was already next to dead.” Sighing, Ethan leaned his back against the car. “He had to feed me some of his blood to keep me from dying. I mean, I did die, but I was reborn to be what I am now.”

The laughter burst from my mouth before I could stop it. “So now you’re a vampire too?”

“I am.” He nodded. “But I don’t feed on humans. I get my nourishment only from animals. I am always searching for a way to end this cursed existence. That’s why I joined the Light Seekers. They believe the same as I do. We’re not just killers. There’s a deeper truth to what we are. We want to uncover the answers.”

I was too stunned to say anything. All I could do is stare at him with my mouth hanging wide open.

“You don’t have to say anything,” he chuckled. “I can see it in your eyes. You think I’m crazy.”

“Do you blame me?” I finally found my voice.

“I could show you what I am, but it would only frighten you,” he said.

“Oh come on Ethan! Is this some kind of joke?” I still couldn’t accept that anything even remotely connected with vampires could actually be real.

“It’s no joke, but I wish it was. Haven’t you noticed anything strange about me at all?” he asked.

After giving it some thought, I had to admit that Ethan did have a lot of vampire traits or what could be considered vampire traits, according to legend. He never went out during the day and he sure didn’t eat much. When he did eat his meals usually consisted of red meat. I knew Ethan drank water, as well as beer.

“You eat human food and you drink water,” I exclaimed, grasping at all the different things that I was sure eliminated any chance of Ethan being a vampire.

“We are flesh and blood, and although we must feed on blood, we can eat solid food and we still need water,” he explained.

“Vampires are dead. They don’t need water,” I pointed out.

Ethan laughed. “Very true, if you’re in Hollywood. Not so true with real vampires.”

I was losing patience. All I was getting was bits and pieces of information. I wanted to get down to the meat of it. “Then what exactly is a
real vampire
then?”

“I think that’s something we all want to know,” he sighed. “All that is known for sure is that there is something in our blood that causes death, but then it reanimates us as another form of life. We must feed on blood to live. The sunlight will make us ill and it could kill us, but we don’t turn to dust as you see in the movies.”

“What about garlic and crosses … and breathing? Dead people don’t breathe.”

“You’re right. We don’t actually need oxygen, but I doubt you’d like what you saw if I wasn’t breathing. That nonsense about the garlic and crosses is all myth”

He opened his shirt to show me the crucifix he was wearing. “I always wear one.”

Stepping away from the car, I started pacing back and forth. “Well, even if you are serious, Alec doesn’t seem to have the same beliefs that you do.”

“There was a time when he did.” Ethan frowned. “Alec spent a long time searching for the answer. He claims that he never found any evidence that there was anything more to know. But there is. I’m sure of it.”

Remembering what he’d said to Alec in the crypt, I asked, “So what did you mean about me?”

“Let’s go. It’s probably not a good idea to hang around this cemetery,” he said as he was walking around the car to get in.

When I was settled in the passenger seat, I looked over at Ethan, still waiting for him to answer my question. Over the last year, I’d gotten to know Ethan pretty well - at least I thought I had. He was usually a straight shooter, so the fact that he seemed to be avoiding my question was a little disconcerting.

“Come on Ethan! What did you mean? Tell me everything.”

Ethan started the car and pulled away from the curb. “Where did you come from? I don’t mean the city, but who are your parents? What do you know about your family?”

Turning away, I stared out the window. It was my turn not to answer. As the moments ticked by, I did my best to focus on the scenes flying passed the window and not on his question.

How could I talk about something I knew almost nothing about?

My father was long gone. He’d disappeared not long after I was born. I’d never even seen a picture of him.

Mom remarried when I was still young and had another child with her new husband. Before long, my stepfather was gone too. While on his way home from work one afternoon he’d been involved in an accident on Interstate 10, and didn’t make it.

I was never close to my stepfather but there was something I was thankful for. He and my mother had given me the best little brother in the world. Sure, Jay had been a total pain in the ass sometimes. He was constantly getting into my stuff and messing up my bedroom. I couldn’t go anywhere without Jay wanting to tag along with me. From the time he was old enough to walk, Jay was like my shadow.

Tears pooled in my eyes. All I had to do was think about that little angelic face staring up at me with so much trust, and my heart shattered.

Some days he would drive me totally nuts with all his questions. He’d been curious about everything under the sun.

Why do bees sting?

Why can’t we see the moon during the day?

What happened to my dad?

Jay had more questions that I’d had time to answer, but what I wouldn’t do to have just one of those days back.

“Are you okay?” Ethan asked. “Why aren’t you answering me?”

I couldn’t turn to look at him. My grief was something I preferred to keep to myself and if he saw my tears, he’d start asking questions.

Clearing my throat, I said, “There’s nothing much to tell really. All I have is my mom.”

“What about your father?” he asked.

“He left when I was a young. I don’t know where he is,” I admitted with a shrug of my shoulders.

“I think you should try to find out as much as you can about your past because I’m telling you, Nicole, there’s something different about you. It’s almost like there’s something inside you that’s a natural repellent against that darkness that is so much a part of what a vampire is.”

“Maybe it’s my bright smile,” I joked, hoping to lighten the mood a little.

“There’s something you need to understand. Because you do have this unique quality, vampires will be more attracted to you. They’ll prey on you because they crave that light that’s inside of you.”

“Is that why you hired me?” I asked.

“Partly,” he admitted, “but I think there’s a reason why our paths crossed, and part of that reason could be that you can help us find answers. I can sometimes read your emotions, so I know you are a good person.”

My eyes narrowed. “I don’t think I like that very much.”

“It’s all okay. I don’t do it on purpose, and I don’t pry,” he assured me.

“I hope not,” I said, still glaring at him.

“What I need is for you to convince Alec Norwood to help us.”

Laughing out loud, I asked, “And just how do you propose I do that?”

“You have to talk to Alec … convince him to go to Omar and find out what it is he’s hiding?”

“That guy is way too scary,” I said, shaking my head. “Besides, he told you not to contact him again.”

“Nicole,” he sighed. “He likes you and I can tell by that blush on your face that you like him.”

Ethan had picked up on that quickly enough. Maybe he really could read emotions.

But I wouldn’t go so far as to say I liked Alec Norwood. That would be taking things a little too far, though he was one of the sexiest guys I’d ever met, and he had eyes to die for.

Of course, I wasn’t about to admit any of this to Ethan. “You’re probably off on your emotion reading this time. But if he really is a vampire, it wouldn’t matter if I liked him or not.”

“Yeah right,” he laughed.

“No seriously. I don’t like him. He’s way too forward.”

“Just don’t let yourself fall into the sex trap with him. Alec likes to consume his ladies,” he warned, a cryptic smile on his face. “In more than one way.”

I wasn’t sure if I should take him seriously or not. After all, he’d been smiling when he said it.

“Well, that’s a nice thing to know about the notorious Alec Norwood,” I muttered.

“Oh and Nicole … I know you’ve lost someone important to you.”

When I didn’t respond, he continued. “If what I have been told is correct, you just may get another chance to see that person, but that’s only if you can get Alec to help us get the information from Omar. There are dimensions that bring us closer to those that have passed over. Some call it the between world, but it is also known as the place of light.”