Pigalle Palace (7 page)

Father came to the end of the bed and asked, “Is he secure?”

“Yes,” Legend and Onyx replied in unison checking the ropes.

“Why do I have to be restrained?” I questioned, feeling the pit of my stomach turn flips.

“The ropes are there to protect you. Your body is going to go through a series of unexplainable pains. It's going to feel like torture. You're going to have an insatiable thirst for human blood and want to kill to quench that thirst. We don't believe in killing to quench our thirsts and wouldn't want you to harm anyone.”

Father nodded his head at Mother.

“Are you sure this is the only way?” I asked for the last time with tears filling my eyes.

“The only way!” Mother almost yelled. “You ask too many damned questions.”

The room fell silent. The only sound we could hear was the hurricane's roar against the house.

Azura removed her cloak, came to the side of the bed, and stared down at me for a moment. Her eyes turned red as soon as my eyes locked with hers. I was mesmerized by the fire in them. She caressed the side of my face with her fingers and turned my head slightly to the right.

She cut her wrist with a dagger that was on the table. Her blood oozed out into a goblet. She added a small vile of poison—poison that would make my heart stop. She brought the cup to my lips for me to drink. I drank it quickly.

As soon as I lay back down, I felt this unbearable pain escalate from the top of my head to my toes.

Azura covered her eyes. To see me in such pain brought her to tears. Legend comforted her by wrapping his big strong arms around her.

I started mildly shaking before going into a wild convulsion I couldn't control. Though I was bound, it seemed as if I was going to break the ropes. My wrists and ankles bled from fighting to get free. I screamed and howled, “Please…stop this!”

“I can't watch,” Azura said, fleeing the room, and sobbing loudly. She could no longer take my agonized screams.

Mother closed the door behind her. For a few more minutes, they watched over me until I stopped shaking. They all finally left the room except for Mother.

“Your mother would be so proud at this moment. She loved you very much.”

I heard her talking to me, but I was losing consciousness.

She smiled down at me before placing a sweet kiss on my forehead. I felt chills as all warmth started leaving my body. My heart had stopped beating, but my eyes were still open. Seconds later, I blinked.

The hurricane of September 29, 1915, with its great rainfall, high winds and high tides, was by far the worst storm New Orleans had seen. Seemed like at that moment, the storm was at its peak.

“From now on, you shall be called Rain.”

I remember it like it was yesterday. A memory that hadn't been erased. I had all of my memories unlike my siblings. They remembered very little about our childhood and they had no memory of our birth parents at all.

As the years rolled by, I had only been in love a few times and one of them was a mortal. I didn't want to change her because I
didn't want her to live with this curse—to roam the Earth forever without being able to see your own reflection. That ability was something I wished I could get back.

This time, Essence was going to be the one I was going to spend eternity with because she was perfect for me.

Colette wanted to throw Essence a birthday party at Vaisseau to celebrate her twenty-second birthday. Since I'd changed her weeks earlier, I agreed it would be a good idea for her to enjoy her last birthday party.

It was a big event fit for a princess. I worked the bar with Legend and Soleil. Onyx was at the door and Azura collected money as usual.

People were swarming all over the place.

Essence stood at the bar. She looked sexy as fuck in that dress that clung to her body like Saran Wrap. My eyes traveled to the much cleavage she revealed and then down to her legs. I came to her side of the bar to fix her a drink.

“Rain, I'm so happy to be celebrating my twenty-second birthday.”

“I'm happy for you. You should celebrate your birthday every year. That is something we don't do at all.”

“You don't celebrate yours?”

“No, we don't celebrate. That's by choice. Birthdays are a reminder of what was… After so many birthdays, it's pointless. For you, this is still so fresh. You should celebrate as much as you need to.”

Suddenly, there were tears in her eyes. “This has all been driving me crazy, Rain…”

“I know. In time, things will start fading and certain feelings about things will go away.”

I reached out to touch her hand, but she moved it before I could. I frowned a little.

“I've decided to stay with Colette for a little while,” she stated.

“For the night?”

“No, for a little while. To get my head clear.”

“I don't understand.”

“I'll see you later…” She hopped off the stool and walked toward the other direction to the dance floor.

Legend put his hand on my shoulder. “She'll come around, bro.”

Soleil interrupted before I could answer, “You better hope she doesn't sleep with another man. Once she does that, your bond will be broken and the marriage will be over.”

That was a part of the vampire marriage covenant.

“She's confused right now,” I said, while I watched her grind with some other man on the dance floor. I gritted my teeth and fixed a drink for myself.

A stunning, dark-skinned woman maneuvered and found a spot at the bar. Skin was exposed everywhere in her skimpy gold dress that hugged her body just right and showed off every asset. She flung her long hair over her shoulder as she bit on her lower lip, and used her index finger to lure Legend in. When he didn't budge, she leaned across the bar toward him.

“Legend?” she asked him in the sexiest voice.

“That's me.”

“Come upstairs with me,” she said with bright eyes.

He turned away from her and focused on the dance floor.

“Hey, are you looking to have a good time? I can give you the best time of your life.”

“No, thanks.”

Legend never turned down a model chick that rated a ten on the scale. Ever since Chantal had become his wife, he had been changing for the better.

“Well, if you ever need anyone, here's my number.” She tried to slip a card into the palm of his hand, but he didn't take it.

She placed it on the bar and walked away. Her ass looked as juicy as a ripe mango underneath that short dress.

“Who was that?” Onyx asked.

“I don't know,” Legend replied with a shrug. “Have you seen Chantal?”

“She's in the lounge,” I said.

I looked to see if I could see Essence. She had disappeared into the crowd. I took in a deep breath and returned to the bar. I was hoping to see her one more time before the night was over, but
that didn't happen.

S
he astounded me in her red elegant, short, thin-strapped dress while she sat on a red couch in the lounge. A stylist hooked up her hair. I gifted the diamond earrings that were dangling from each earlobe.

“Did I already tell you that you look amazing tonight,” I complimented.

“Yes, Legend, but I'll hear it again. Thanks to you.” Chantal blushed while looking around the club. “This is a really nice turnout for Essence's birthday.”

“It really is. I'm enjoying myself.” I placed a kiss on her exposed shoulder.

She backed away a little. “Before me, did you treat all your women like this?”

“All my women?”

“Yeah… I'm sure all your women were beating down your door before you bit me.”

“Chantal, I never made any promises to anyone. I never broke any hearts. I never made any kind of commitment, so I didn't take care of any of them the way I take care of you.”

“Were you a womanizer?”

“Why are you asking?”

“A few women in here keep staring at me and I even heard a few
talking about how they had you and still can have you. You're pretty popular around here.”

“I used to be a wild boy. Let's not forget how I got you back to my place.”

She shook her head. “My jealousy is out of control tonight.”

“Everything is heightened. Any emotion you feel will be so intense this way. I have something for you.”

I took a ring out of my pocket. Even though we were already married, I hadn't given her a ring yet.

“What's that?”

“A wedding ring...”

She shook her head in disbelief as I slid the ring on her finger. Tears threatened to ruin her makeup and stain her face.

“Oh, this ring is amazing.” She had that hypnotized look in her eyes.

At first, I thought it was going to be too much for her. The six-carat diamond ring was far from simple.

“Chantal, you're my wife and as my wife, I want you to wear it.”

A big smile came across her face. “Are you ready to go home right now? I'm ready to get you home so we can make love all night long.”

“That sounds like a plan, but don't worry 'cause I got something in store for you as soon as we get home.”

She hugged me. I kissed her long and hard in front of every woman in the building. The looks on their faces were priceless. Chantal was all smiles after that.

H
elping out with the family business was something that I loved and we always had a blast working together. Azura could have as many men as she wanted and we could have any woman we desired. Since Rain and Legend were officially off the market, I could do anything with any woman. Club Vaisseau was exactly what we needed to feed our large appetite for sex, but lately I'd had my eyes on one woman only, Soleil.

I shut down the register at the bar and began organizing the receipts on the bar.

Azura took her private party upstairs leaving Soleil and me alone. Finally, I thought to myself, this was the perfect time to flirt with her. While I was thinking of what to say, she beat me to the punch.

“Are you heading out in a bit?”

“Yeah. You on your way out, too?” I asked.

“As a matter of fact, I am.”

She put the wet rag away and I watched.

I believed she came to work to impress me, wearing the extra-sweet-smelling perfumes. Her wild golden locks were like tiny, long spiraled curls in the form of an afro. Every time she was near me, I had to bite on my lower lip to contain the attraction I felt. She was that sexy. Her gold curly hair, flawless natural makeup,
perfect dimpled grin, and brown eyes had me feeling like I was in love.

“Would you like to share a cab?”

She didn't hesitate. “Sounds good to me. Let's go, handsome.”

After shutting off the lights, and locking the door, we walked down the alley out to the street to catch a cab. One was pulling up at the right time and we hopped in. We were going to two different locations, but I didn't mind riding with her. I wanted to stay in her presence for as long as I could. I couldn't keep my eyes off the way her breasts were nearly popping out of her corset.

“Why do you keep staring at my boobs?” she asked.

I chuckled. I was busted. “You look very nice tonight… You look very nice every night.”

“Thank you. You're not so bad yourself. How come you're single?”

“Why don't you have a man?”

“What makes you think I don't have a man?”

“What makes you think I'm single?”

“Azura told me. What makes you think I'm available?” she asked.

“If you had a man, I don't think you would've let me share this cab with you tonight.”

“This cab ride doesn't mean anything, Onyx. My man could be at home waiting for me.”

“But, he's not 'cause there is no man at home waiting for you.” I bit on my lower lip and then said, “You're gorgeous.”

She laughed to blow me off and turned her eyes to the window. “You're such a bad boy.”