Savannah Past Midnight (16 page)

It’s her car, I figure, and if she wants to risk
ruining the suspension, I don’t have much to say about it. I’m not
used to being in the passenger seat. Used to being in control.

“By the way,” I say to distract myself, “you never
did tell me how you can afford the uppity lifestyle? Or is that top
secret, super classified intel?”

“Hardly. Wise real estate transactions and stock
investments. When you’ve been around as long as we have, the
interest tends to compound, if you catch my drift.”

“Smart. I like that. So … what other
non-adrenaline based activities get your blood hummin’?”

“I love to travel. Any place new and unusual.”

She glances over at me.
Maybe we’re both a little
nervous now that I’m about to meet her family.

“How about yourself? Have you traveled much?”

“Been to California twice with a buddy I served with.
His parents live in Redondo Beach. Taught me how to surf. That was
cool as shit. I was stationed all over Afghanistan, but that ain’t
sayin much; place is a shithole. Only thing to do is either play
cards, lift weights or watch for what might be comin’ to fuck up
your day. I like Savannah: warm, laid back, and not far from the
beach. The folks are friendly and the food is off the charts. More
than enough for a simple guy like me.”

“I like Savannah for those reasons as well,” she
says. “In a way it reminds me of a smaller scale New Orleans.” We
follow the circular driveway right up to the door. “All right,
we’re here. Are you excited?”

I glance over, grab her hand and give it a playful
squeeze. “Hell, yeah. Although I admit that I wish I’d had a couple
of shots of whiskey before strolling in there tonight.”

“We can arrange for that once we’re inside. Relax,
they’re all cool, and they’re going find you fascinating.”

“Thanks for the reassurance.”

Opening the door, I step out and a wave of humidity
smacks me in the face. The derelict mansion has definitely seen
better days.

“Sure you got the right night? Nobody seems to be
home.”

There’s not a single light burning and the constant
noise of swamp critters and grasshoppers coming from the
surrounding woods noticeably ups the creepy factor.

“Oh, they’re here; I can hear them. Follow me. You’ll
see.”

Hear them? What the fuck? I strain to listen but
there’s nothing beyond the sounds of animal and insect
nightlife.

The battered stairs creak heavily under my weight as
I climb to the top of the porch and enter the decrepit but once
grand mansion.

I whistle low between my teeth as we step into the
foyer. The silver cast of moonlight illuminates some of the most
stunning woodwork I’ve seen in my entire life.

“Damn. This is amazing. When does this place date
back to?”

“It’s pre-Civil War era. I believe 1779. Come on,
I’ll give you the cobweb tour later. We’re running late.”

I open my arms and turn around in a circle. “So where
is everyone?”

She’s standing in a wide dark hallway with
fifteen-foot-high walls. Much of the fancy textured wallpaper has
peeled away. “Through here.”

Before the question, “Where?” can pass my lips she’s
stepping into a narrow passage that just opened in the wall.

I admire the well-worn heart of pine floorboards as I
rush to catch up. The space that she’s ducked into is pitch black
inside and I hesitate before stepping in with her. I can’t see her
at all and for all I know it could be an elevator shaft—missing the
damn elevator.

“Cosette?”

“I’m right in front of you. Here.”

Her slim fingers close around mine, pulling me
in.

“Hidden entryway. Interesting. Kinda James Bond.”

In the darkness a red laser light projects from a
flat screen panel. It tracks back and forth three times, scanning
her palm before the door slides shut.

“Whoa.”

The floor begins to drop in a controlled descent and
she whispers, “Easy there, cowboy. Just your everyday elevator. By
the way, are you nervous?”

“Shit no, woman. Lost that emotion years back after
havin’ to look over my shoulder every five fuckin’ seconds to see
if an IED was comin’ to blow my ass to shreds. After that I deal
with whatever comes my way the best I can. Besides, what’s the
worst that could happen, they all wanna eat me? Don’t think there’s
enough to go around if that’s the case.”
I am nervous, but I
don’t see the point in admitting it. I’m not afraid for my
life … only I do want ’em to like or at least accept
me
.

I blink in the darkness as her full lips press
against mine, her cool hands on either side of my face. “You amaze
me, my sexy male.”

We’ve just stopped and the steel door starts to slide
open. The light streaming in makes me squint as I murmur to her,
“Yeah, well, feeling’s mutual, and that’s sayin’ somethin’.”

The low bass rhythm of Daft Punk is the first sound
that greets us as we step into the clean contemporary décor of the
room that lies ahead.

“I see Alina’s busy playing DJ again.”

She reaches for my hand and strides down the
ultra-modern hallway.

A feminine voice rings out, “Hey guys, welcome! We’re
back here in the living room.”

We round the corner into a massive lounge area, and
before I have a chance to look around, four sets of eyes are
drilling right into me.
Fuuuuccck.

I’m pulling in air through my nose, trying my
damndest not to hyperventilate before the intros even happen. I’m
hardly aware that Cosette’s hand is rubbing down and back against
the sleeve of my Henley. It’s
him,
the one with pitch black
hair and eyes exactly like Cosette’s, who turns the contents of my
veins into arctic slush.
Yeah, I’d so never want to step in the
ring with that scary motherfucker
. Intimidating seems to be a
word invented to describe his deadly aura. He’s sizing me up for
what seems like a hole he’s about to dig.
Jesus Christ, if I
make it outta here tonight, I’ll definitely have shaved a couple of
years clean off my life span.

“Sorry, guys, we’re twenty minutes later than
expected,” Cosette says. “Everyone, this is Colton.”

A leggy brunette wearing head to toe tight leather
steps forward and greets me with a beaming smile, “Hey there, I’m
Alina.”

If it wasn’t for her elegant, refined looks the
revealing outfit would land her right in a porn video featuring a
lot of bondage. She continues on, “And this is my man,
Ambrose.”

She gestures over to a towering blond man who’s just
landed a difficult right corner pocket shot. He straightens, rolls
the pool stick between his hands and grins at me. “Nice to meet
you. Quite a shiner you have on that eye of yours.”

“Yeah, usually sportin’ one of those. You
British?”

“English.”

“Oh.”

“You drink, mate?”

“Fu-, I mean, yeah.”

“What’s your poison then?”

“Whiskey or beer usually, but I’m not picky.”

“Well that’s bloody marvelous. Tell me you can hold
your own at pool and I’ll convince Cosette that she has to keep
you. Choose your weapon.”

His head tips to the pool sticks neatly suspended on
a mahogany rack. “I’ll grab you a Boddington’s and we’ll have
ourselves a quality match.”

“Right on.”

A gorgeous blonde woman wearing a short red dress
steps forward. “Hi, I’m Calla. It seems like you’re fitting in
already. I hope you’re hungry. Severin’s quite the chef.”

She glances back at Mr. Vampen-creepy and smiles
softly. He’s still eyeing me suspiciously, as if I might be capable
of mass murder.

I decide to cut through the tension and use what
manners I’ve managed to learn, considering my upbringing. After
all, I’m a guest in his place. I cross the room and stand in front
of him, purposefully not getting too up close and personal. We’re
eye to eye and I nearly lock up. His irises are so light that they
seem to be frosted. The eyes of a detached, stone cold killer. One
who’s posing as a French male model.

I hold out my hand and will it not to shake. “Hey,
I’m Colton. Nice to meet you.”

He stares down at my scarred hand and I feel the
first flame of embarrassment begin to lick up my neck, wondering if
he’s going to let me stand here all night with everyone watching as
he blows me off.

He finally clasps my hand in a firm shake. His voice
is deep and has a slight foreign accent. “It’s a pleasure to have
you here tonight, Colton. Cosette has told me that she is quite
fond of you. Make yourself at home.”

“I appreciate that.”

Jesus. Talk about breaking the ice. He seems to take
note as I breathe out a long sigh of relief that I’m still standing
and
alive.

“Hey, where’s Case and Kiana tonight? I thought they
would be here?” Cosette takes a glass of wine from Alina and flops
down casually on the winding suede sectional.

“He planned a surprise for her weeks back—a trip to
Morocco. He’s kept it top secret. She thought they’d be around
tonight, but when she found out they were leaving she told me to
tell you she’d make it up to you.”

“The honeymoon is definitely ongoing with those
two.”

Calla and Alina exchange eye rolls and Alina
practically snorts, “To say that Case has ‘stamina’ would be the
understatement of the millennium.”

The three women burst out laughing. Feigning disgust,
Ambrose waves them off. “Come on, Colton, leave the ladies to chat
about their rubbish while we suss out each other’s skills. Drink up
before your pint gets cold, mate. Tapped a fresh keg tonight. Go on
then. As our guest, you get to do the honors and break first.”

I take a slow swig from the frosty glass, choose a
stick and lean down to break hard and fast, all the while thinking
that they aren’t all that bad.

So long as they aren’t hungry, pissed off, or
worse—both.

I lean back in the oversized dining chair, absolutely
stuffed to the gills from the tender filet mignon and mouthwatering
sides that were generously served up tonight. I was surprised to
see them eating real food. Everything I’ve read about vampires or
seen in the movies or on TV made me expect I’d be the only one
eating, but these vamps love their food, wine, and single malt.
’Course these vamps are real.

From the opposite end of the table, wine glass in
hand, Severin says, “Cosette mentioned that you are a fighter. Tell
me about it, please.”

I use the fancy linen napkin to wipe my mouth before
speaking. “Honestly, not much to tell. Couple of times a month I
fight MMA style for money. Fights are illegal ’cause of the
gambling involved, not to mention there’s no license on the
abandoned building where most of the matches take place, but that
doesn’t stop the crowds from showin’ up in droves.”

Genuinely curious, he asks, “And who taught you how
to fight?”

Shit. Don’t want to go there, but not gonna lie to
him either.

I can feel the inevitable frown on my face as I pick
up my wine glass, drink deeply of the smooth Merlot and answer, “My
father. I was a skinny kid who didn’t take crap off anyone. Trouble
was, I didn’t have the skills or the bulk to back up my mountain of
pride. My old man hung a boxing bag out in the barn and made it his
mission to teach me how to fight.”

“It’s admirable that he taught you how to defend
yourself.”

I huff out a laugh that makes his eyes flare in
surprise. “Yeah, well, that wasn’t exactly his motive.”

“Then what was?”

“He was embarrassed that his kid was always seen in
town and at school half beaten to shit simply because he was too
weak to defend himself. So he changed that.”

I shrug as all five vampires stare at me but stay
silent.

His next question catches me off guard. “Have you
seen the wolves that have been hunting Cosette?”

The tension is thick as I stare back at him. “Yeah,
only once, but it wasn’t like any wolf I’ve ever seen. It was huge,
like a hybrid or a wolf on ’roids or somethin’. And it was
ferocious, like rabid level. Scary as shit, actually. Was about to
shoot it but Cosette took it down before I had the chance.”

“So, Colton, what is
your
take on why she is
being stalked?”

“My take? Personally, I didn’t like the look of that
asshole ex of hers. Maybe he’s got somethin’ to do with it. What I
can
tell you, Severin, is that I’m all over it. She’s my
priority and I know that you and your family can kick my ass with
your superior strength and all, but Cosette’s my girl and so long
as I’m sucking wind and still standin’ upright then any threat to
her life is gonna have to get past me first, and believe me, I’m
not gonna make it easy.”

“Impressive. I think I’m beginning to like you,
Colton.”

“Thanks, man. I’ll admit, at first you scared the
hell out of me, and that’s a pretty rare thing.”

His smiles gravely, and says, “You’re wise to fear
our kind. Amongst other things, we are first and foremost
predators, Colton, killers at the highest level. I don’t know what
Cosette has told you in regard to vampires, but weakness is not a
trait that bodes well in our race. It’s tantamount to a death
sentence. I admire your human strength, your tenacity. It will
serve you well.”

“Serve me well for what?”

“For keeping you alive, however long that may
be.”

He stares at me as if he’s definitely holding back
intel and it shakes me to the core.

Cosette gets up and looks right at Severin. “Enough
of this intense talk. We came for dinner, not a self-defense
seminar. I’m going to take Colton for a walk around the property
now. We’ll come back in for a drink before I drive him back to
Savannah.”

As I get up from my seat, Calla chirps, “Gorgeous
night to head down to the lake. The best things definitely happen
by moonlight.”