Inhuman Heritage (2 page)

“Aram, this isn’t the prom. Aren’t you going overboard?”

“The car was my brother’s idea. This event is garnishing much attention from the press. He wants us to make an impression.”

The driver scurried around to open the door for us and it took me a minute to recognize him.

“Lance!”

I’d become more acquainted with Lance, the brothers’ go to daytime guy, as he was more often than not who I ended up dealing with over the phone when I was arranging to pop by the club. I had to warn them I was coming these days so that Aram could meet me in the private quarters. Once or twice I’d just walked in and Aram had switched his attention to me so suddenly upon my arrival that a couple of customers had nearly caused a scene. Aram got in first so that I didn’t have to try sliding across the seat in my new dress.

“Miss Cassandra. You look lovely.”

“Thank you, Lance.” I smiled at him sweetly. Lance was in his late thirties, graying slightly with deeply olive toned skin and tonight was wearing a perfectly starched chauffeur’s uniform. He shut the door, raced to the driver side, got in and pulled out. Aram placed his hand over mine on the seat.

“Don’t be nervous pet.”

“I’m not nervous. Should I be?” I gave him a level look. He gave me a small patronizing look in return.

“There will be press there. It is our first public engagement together. There will be scandal.” I slipped my hand out from under his, cupped his face in my hands and placed a soft gentle kiss on his mouth-I was trying not to smear my lip gloss.

“You’re the one that sounds nervous.”

He gave me one of his charming easy smiles and I inhaled deeply as the car pulled to a stop, catching a lungful of Aram’s very subtle cologne. The door opened on Aram’s side and he got out to a crescendo of exploding flash bulbs. He posed for a moment before turning to offer to help me out. I took hold of the dress gauging the distance between the curb and the car. I took Aram’s outstretched hand letting him pull me in a graceful arch to stand at his side. Lance closed the door behind us as I made sure my skirt was out of the way. I blushed at the murmured comments on my appearance and the gasps as a few reporters who had covered some of the investigations I’d been involved in recognized me. The scrutiny was unnerving. I looked at Aram and was happy to realize that I didn’t have to look up to him; both our shoes had been calculated with heel heights that matched us. Aram’s boot heels weren’t as large as he was naturally taller than me but mine made me conscious of every step. I wanted to be every bit as graceful as I knew my date could be.

I looked up at the theatre sign taking a deep breath, letting Aram hold the door for me as we went in. The foyer was sparsely filled and as I looked around, letting the shawl fall off my shoulders as I was now in the warm, I didn’t see Magnus. Part of me sighed with relief, that part of me that didn’t like confrontation. I kept scanning the area for him. It was an opening night, a special event, a huge one off gala party, he had to be somewhere. Aram’s hand on my arm reminded me that I was here with him, that I shouldn’t be thinking about my ex-boyfriend. We headed for the main doors, Aram handing our tickets to the young usher who blushed profusely from one glance at Aram’s countenance. I chuckled to myself about how dashing he must appear tonight.

Our seats were in the front row, rows upon rows going back from that up to the back, each higher than the previous. It was quite a pokey little theatre with drab old seats that flipped up as you stood and minimal lighting. At the top of all the rows was a small gallery of local art works that were being admired by those waiting for the beginning of the performance.

Jareth was waiting for us, Aribella dressed up at his side. Her hair was tucked neatly against the back of her skull and she wore a dress right out of
Interview with the Vampire
. It was deep blue with a bustle at the back and she had an antique cameo strapped to her throat on a blue choker. She was exquisite to look at. It appeared that she had dressed to match Jareth. His long black hair was tied back loosely with a blue ribbon that blended with the deep rich color of his frock coat. I had a feeling that if he turned around I would see it was the same color as his eyes.

Sienna was just off towards the end of the front row sitting down with Tarquin in an ash grey tux on his right and Vincent in a black tux (except he’d swapped the tux jacket for his own leather one) on his left. Nothing could get Vincent to leave that jacket off. Sienna himself was in a perfect white tux and looked very dashing, the spill of his red hair made stark contrast against the collar.

Jareth turned around slowly as Aram and I approached. His eyes grew round and wide as did Aribella’s taking me in from head to toe. I looked down at myself and gave a little cough. His eyes snapped up to meet mine.

“Aram thought I would under dress if he didn’t step in.”

Jareth sucked his bottom lip to fight a chuckle. He took my hand bending to lay a light kiss on my gloved knuckles.

“You look beautiful my dear.”

“Thank you. I take it I should let Aram dress me more often.”

Jareth could no longer fight a grin. Aribella edged around Jareth to openly stare at me. It was almost offensive the amount of shock on her face.

“He should! I cannot believe the transformation. The polish it must have taken. It’s almost as if you’re a different girl from the one I met in that dark room.” I had met, no, saved Aribella last September from having her soul and blood stolen to be sold as black market ticket items. She was no more grateful to me for the rescue now than she had been then.

“Nice to see you again as well, Aribella.”

“Why did you not start dressing her sooner?” she asked addressing Aram. I stepped in front of him before he could speak and regained her attention.

“Because he’s usually trying to get me out of my clothes.”

I waited till Aribella, still the proper Victorian lady, turned away blushing so that I could roll my eyes at Aram. We took our seats to find that I was sat between the two brothers. One hot and one cool. I giggled a little to myself.

I’ve always liked the theatre but more the classics, Shakespeare and the like, a lot of modern plays were dry and dull or completely off their nut, much like the writers. The play was decidedly mediocre, with flaws in both the plot and the acting but it wasn’t the most unpleasant experience in my life. It was the milling about in the theatre before the after party that bothered me. The vampires had shut their club to host it so Aram had a stream of people to smile at and shake hands with. I floated out into the lobby hovering by the door. The press had gone to camp outside the club no doubt.

The Swan is small and I knew if fate was unkind, and it usually was, that now I was alone I would bump into Magnus. As fate would have it he appeared right then, right when I was alone and he saw me through the crowd. His hair was still the long blond mess it had always been but he was in a dark navy suit that fit his body so well and he was still so handsome. I swallowed hard trying not to let him know I’d seen him, but I couldn’t help but look his way again. He smiled at me. I felt cornered as he began to walk towards me. My pulse sped as I began to panic. What would I say to him? What would he say to me? We hadn’t parted on the best of terms. I told him that I never wanted to see him again, I’d refused his calls and Aram had refused him entrance to my apartment when he’d attempted to bring me flowers. I felt him grow closer and I took a step back watching as the candle on a stand ignited next to me. He smirked. Magnus remembered that as a sign of attraction but it could also be a sign of fear. Magnus’s smirk enlarged as he grew ever closer to me, the flame rose with each step because despite myself it was the stilted attraction between us that had my attention. I shook, because despite the fact that he was still as handsome as he had ever been, he had hurt me so very badly. I didn’t want him closer, I didn’t want him to touch me, his touch might make me scream.

Cool flesh pressed around me as Aram appeared. He coiled his arm around me like a shield, holding me tight and drawing me into his body. Magnus stopped dead just a couple of feet away. Aram lifted my chin and smoothly planted a kiss on my lips. I closed my eyes, the caress of his mouth melted everything away. The noise of the crowd, my fear, the whole world became silent. This was the way kissing Aram had become, a perfect silent world.

That was until the candle exploded. I pulled back from Aram to look at the mess behind us and to catch Magnus’s back as he stormed away. I caught his faint grumble for someone to clean up the candle. This time it was Aram I caught smirking.

“You are so sweet pet,” he said licking his lips. “Wait here, I will see if Lance has returned with the transportation.” I smiled at him begrudgingly letting go of his hand as he turned to walk away from me. I stood there alone again and a girl in a red polo shirt that had Swan Theatre embroidered over the left breast bent down to my side to sweep up the candle pieces. I turned to look at her and offer my help. She glared at me for all she was worth. I was taken aback, what had I done to this girl to earn a glare like that? Then I recognized her, she was the girl who had tried to stop me going back into Magnus’s office once, the one I had been sure had a crush on him. I stared back at her.

“What is your problem?” She glared at me even harder like I was either stupid or brave for challenging her glare. She kept her eyes averted from me as she spoke.

“How could you break his heart like that? He’s been such a mess since you left him. How can you come here showing off your new boyfriend like this?”

“Firstly,” I said glaring back at her, my stare twice as hard as hers making her cower back from me. “I do not have to explain myself to you. I don’t know you and you do not know me despite what you may think. And secondly, he should feel bloody awful after what he did to me, he’s the one who slept with someone else.”

She looked at me stunned, mouth hanging open and a look on her face that said despite her female camaraderie for a scorned woman she still wanted to be on Magnus’s side. I felt anger boil in me and the top part of the candle that was still intact with the wick lit in the dustpan scorching her hand slightly. She yelped and dropped it all over the floor again smashing the dustpan down on the fire to put it out. I kept staring at her. How dare she try to judge me without any of the facts!

Jareth was suddenly by my side sweeping his arm around my shoulders and he led me outside. Aribella came bustling out behind us looking perturbed at Jareth’s sudden limpet-like attachment to me. He held my hands in his.

“Calm down, Cassandra, take a deep breath.”

I looked into his cool eyes and closed mine taking a deep breath, in and out. I felt my power back down. I realized I’d been amping it up as if I was going into a fight. When I felt calmer and more myself I opened my eyes looking right into Jareth’s. I gave him a brief embarrassed smile.

“I’m better now, thank you.”

“Good. I needn’t remind you that this is an important night,” said Jareth blatantly reminding me anyway. I nodded solemnly. He let go of my hands turning to offer his arm to Aribella who was greatly pleased to have his attention again if the look on her face was anything to go by. Aram returned to my side and I took his hand squeezing it tight. He brushed a lock of hair away from my face and kissed the side of my head.

“Come my Andra, we shall go, we shall dance and this night will get better and better.” I smiled slightly.

“Is that a promise?”

“Absolutely.”

Aram, Jareth, Aribella and I rode back in the limo together. Sienna and the twins Tarquin and Vincent had gone on ahead to be there to greet guests as they arrived. I rested my hands in my lap, keeping my eyes on them raising them only to check to see if Jareth was still looking at me. Every time I checked, he was and it was beginning to bother me. I reached to Aram who was to my left and gripped his hand. He smiled at me pulling me closer to his side. I leaned up to whisper in his ear, it was a futile gesture in a car full of vampires but it was the illusion that I meant for it to be a private conversation.

“Why is Jareth watching me?” Aram looked over to his brother who quickly turned his head to look at Aribella who was drumming her fingers looking entirely bored with the drive.

“I can think of one very good reason,” he said with a leer looking over my body. I squeezed his hand harder and I swear he winced. “You do not see how you look, pet but if I must answer with the most likely thing to your mind, it would be that he is keeping track of your emotions.”

“How?” I asked puzzled. Aram leaned in to whisper to me.

“His talent, pet. He is a reader, you would call it empathy. He can feel what you are feeling and if he chose could make you feel how he wanted you to.” I made a little round ‘O’ with my mouth and rested my head on Aram’s shoulders. I thought I might have been happier if I hadn’t have known that. To know that someone else knew how I felt, especially when I was with Aram and he was, say, shirtless. My cheeks heated up as I thought about that and I looked from under my lashes to the other side of the limo, Jareth was looking again. Oh God, I hid my face in Aram’s shoulder. I wonder if Jareth had known that time I had checked out his butt which much like Aram’s was fantastic. I told my brain to shut the hell up and stop embarrassing me.

Jareth shifted restless in his seat, he must have been uncomfortable with all the lusty vibes I’d started to give off. I took a deep breath and tried to calm myself down and for the first time I could feel Jareth there, trying to help me. I had myself back under control when we pulled to a stop outside the club.