RBC05 - Bloodline (24 page)

“I don’t think so.”

I closed my eyes and subtly changed his scent.

“You are the body guard, so you wait outside.” He nodded and left us to do just that. “Liridon you and Yanna go back out and watch for Alex, make sure he knows what’s going on. Anybody else have any ideas?”

“I’ve already contacted Eric and told him what’s going on,” Kate said.

Luna and Ling retrieved their swords and unsheathed them. “We’re ready. You won’t see us, hear us or smell us, but we’ll be here and so will our Watcher’s.” Then they vanished.

Before we could do anything else we heard Gruen loudly say. “What business do you have here, Sir.”

“I must see Madam Suzette,” a loud male voice demanded.

Liridon and Yanna snuck out the back and the rest of us split up. Letta, Rosa stayed in the back parlor, El, Charmaine and Amparah went upstairs and Kate and I headed to the front parlor.

“Jonathon, what are you doing?” I whispered as he entered the hallway in front of us.

“Allwain told me to go answer the door, so that’s what I’m going to do.”

I had assumed since Niranjana had gone home that he had too. I felt better knowing that he was here somewhere.

“
Damien
?” No reply, great.

“
Cain
?” Again, no reply.

Just as Kate and I got settled on the sofa, Jonathan opened the door. “What seems to be the problem here?” Jonathan asked.

“This gentleman wishes to see Mademoiselle DeMarques,” we heard Gruen say.

“And his name?”

“Arnaunt, Auguste Arnaunt.”

“See him in, Jonathan. It’s fine,” I called.

Kate and I stood in order to receive our guest, blended swords at the ready.

Jonathon escorted him in, followed by Gruen who stopped and stood in the archway with his arms crossed over his chest. I had never seen him angry before, but by his demeanor that’s just what he was right now.

“I had to see for myself,” he said as he approached. “My brothers are quite taken with you,
Madam.”

“And you are?” Kate said moving in front of me.

“Forgive my manners. I am Auguste Arnaunt,” he said with a curt bow. “I am requesting a private meeting, Madam Suzette.”

“I am sorry, that will not be possible,” Kate insisted.

“Sasha, leave us.”

She turned and gave me a questioning and concerned look.

Reluctantly she turned back, lifted her skirts and walked out.

“You won’t need the body guard either,” he sneered.

I could see Gruen behind Auguste shaking his head no.

“Close the pocket doors, Gruen. Go, ahead,” I urged the reluctant giant.

He stepped back into the hallway and pulled the handles on each side of the archway and slowly disappeared behind them leaving me with the supposed leader of the Noctu in the world of light.

“Please sit with me,” I said, gesturing to the smaller, more intimate settee.

He didn’t seem to be trying to block me in any way. I found him very powerful, though not as powerful as Meil. This surprised me.

“What is it that you wish to speak to me about? Your brothers told me that you may or may not be making an appearance in Paris, yet here you are. And a day earlier that I even dare hope.”

“Nevidius was right, you are
very
charming. He also proposed an idea to me regarding you, and your establishment. That is why I have come.”

“Go on.”

“In your profession, discretion is everything, is it not?”

“Yes, of course. What is it you are proposing?”

“I propose a partnership of a different kind. One that will leave you rich beyond your wildest dreams and if you so desire, very powerful as well.”

“I am not new to proposals, Monsieur Arnaunt.”

“I have no doubts about that. You will be entertaining the elite of every station. I want you to use your talents and make it your business to inform us of any vital information you may come across.”

“You have just told me that you realize that discretion is the cornerstone of my business. The confidences that are afforded by this establishment cannot be compromised. You understand that, don’t you? I wouldn’t last a day in Paris if customers did not think that what happened here was confidential in
every
way. I am sorry, but I must decline.”

“Impressive. It’s not often that one finds someone in a business such as yours who has scruples.”

“Now I would like to ask
you
a few questions, if you don’t mind.”

“Ask whatever you wish. But you may not get an answer that is agreeable to you.”

“What do you really want, Auguste? The impression I got from your brothers is that you have come here with the intension of taking over the vampire world. This infighting amongst those of our race could endanger us all and in turn create havoc in this world. My success depends on the elite continuing to maintain the lifestyle that they currently enjoy.”

Auguste seemed to be quietly trying to control his anger and as his control waivered for an instant, I realized that he had indeed been hiding the true strength of his powers from me.

His pause gave me a chance to really look at this Noctu vampire. He didn’t look like his brothers at all, yet I knew that, like me, this appearance might not be what he really looked like at all.

His ruggedly handsome face, with square jaw line was topped with shorter, wavy brown hair. His light hazel eyes, with long thick lashes were full of the confidence of someone in his position.

Human women would find him irresistible. It is one of the many traits possessed by the vampire race.

“So being profitable is the number one thing on your priority list?”

“I have always had to depend on only myself. I don’t have powerful siblings or beings on which to rely.”

As soon as I said it, I regretted it.

His jaw tensed, “I too have done what I needed to do to survive,” he said angrily, “and it wasn’t always agreeable. We are more alike than I think you would like to admit, Suzette. If you refuse to align yourself with the winning side in all of this, it will cost you more than profits.”

“So you
are
going to wage war on the ruling class? You would destroy them so that you can take their place. Can you give me the guarantee that that won’t destroy us all?”

“There
are
no guarantees in life, Suzette. I can promise you one thing. I will not leave this world now, none of us will.”

“Including the Belnovus? You look surprised. It’s no secret. One thing you need to know about the royals is that they have always had their way to find out about everything. And I have mine. There is also that little problem called the Five.”

“Ha! You think I’m afraid of five, whining royal, vampire women? As talented as they may be, they can’t stop what has been put into motion. Do you see them in Paris? No, and there is a reason for that. I am making sure there are plenty of things to keep them busy in America,” he said standing, angrily pacing in front of the fireplace. “As far as the Belnovus, they are created vampires that are a very important piece of this puzzle.”

He looked over to me then, realizing he was saying more than he ever intended to. He shook his finger at me and smiled.

“You are very good. I can see why you are so successful. Think about all that I have proposed. I look forward to the party tomorrow night. If you change your mind about being on the winning side in this fight, you know how to contact me.”

“Auguste, has any royal ever told you that you had to go back to the underworld? Any of the Noctu for that matter, or even any Belnovus?”

“No, but they refuse to let us live as we were meant to live; off of the blood of others.”

“Because it endangers us all. Vampires were nearly wiped from the face of the earth, the last time dark vampires rose, centuries ago. If it hadn’t been for the royals we would have been. Because we have evolved and adapted, we live freely and peacefully. Why can’t you just let it be, and live in peace? In this world there are many pleasures to partake of that don’t include ruling.”

“Are you suggesting that
you
could be one of those pleasures?”

“One never knows what he is missing while he pursues unnecessary gains.”

“I see I will have to watch you very closely. Are your girls…?”

“And so much more, but you can see for yourself tomorrow night.”

“Yes, I am very much looking forward to it now. Paris may become my permanent home,” he mused, offering his hand.

I let him help me up and walked him to the archway. He threw open the doors, finding Gruen standing exactly where he had been when they were closed.

“I’ll show you out,” Gruen growled, angrily.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

G
ruen opened the front door for Auguste and followed him out, closing the door behind him.

I proceeded to the back parlor, “I assume you were all listening.”

“We couldn’t hear a thing, even Allwain tried,” Kate said.

“Really? Auguste is able to hide his talents very easily. He is much more powerful than I first thought. Though Meil still seems to have the edge somehow.”

I explained what he had told and asked of me.

“Auguste will definitely be joining us tomorrow, with much less drama than I had feared. I’m starving, let’s have dinner. Has Alex returned yet?”

“No, not yet, but they may just have been waiting for our guest to leave,” Letta said as we walked to the dining room. “No sign of Luna or Ling either.”

“I like them already. If we ever get to have some leisure time, I would love to visit Hun in his home country,” El said.

“I would be happy to just spend time at
our
home!” Letta sighed.

We heard the door open and Gruen’s distinctive thundering footsteps in the hall. “Alex, Liridon and Yanna are about to come in the back way. Ling and Luna followed the Noctu,” he said as he pulled out a chair and sat down.

“You saw them?” Sasha asked.

“No, but I can smell them,” he said with his usual grin, which made us all laugh.

“Gruen, have you ever smelled a scent like Auguste’s before?” I wondered.

“Hmmm, I’ll have to think about that. Yes, I think I have. When I figure out where I will let you know. What’s for dinner?”

Now Amparah and Charmaine joined us followed by Liridon, Alex and Yanna.

“Finally you are all seated,” Sarah said. “I’ll start bringing in food. Jonathan, please pour the wine before you sit down.”

“No wine for me Jonathan, even the smell of it is making me nauseous,” I said.

“That’s new. Red wine never bothered you before,” Kate said. “Maybe what happened to you has affected you more than you know.”

“You are probably right. Since Charmaine, Amparah and Yanna have all felt changes, I’m sure I will too.”