Because the Night (The Night Songs Collection) (7 page)

“I’m kind of surprised.” I confessed once everyone had been taken care of. “It’s really quiet in here. I expected something out of the ordinary.”

“You haven’t seen anything yet. It’s still early.” Lennon winked, the movement exaggerated by her false eyelashes and thick eyeliner. “The nice thing is, since vampires don’t die, they’ve had a lot of time to make money. Most of them are loaded. They like you, they share.”

Even though good tips seemed promising, I wasn’t sure how much I wanted the vampires to like me. One already overwhelmed me. As long as money remained the only thing at stake, I could handle that.

As the night progressed, a DJ set up in the corner booth and began to spin loud, trancelike music. If any of the songs had words, they either weren’t in English or didn’t make sense. It was unlike any other music I’d ever heard before. I had to wonder if it was special vampire music, or if normal people listened to this as well. The stools along our bar began to fill in with a heavy disproportion of men, and Lennon and I took turns taking drink requests.

Near the back of the room, men and women wearing nothing but thin strips of underwear glided from the shadows. At first I thought they might be performers or dancers. Something about them seemed elegant and regal. After a few minutes of watching them, I realized they were offering themselves as food to the vampires. I watched a lean, blond haired vampire grab one around the wrist, pulling a black haired girl with vacant eyes onto his lap. With a feral smile, he lowered his lips and sucked greedily from her neck. He seemed to almost feed to the beat of the music.

All I could think of was Tristan.

“I haven’t seen you here before.” The honeyed voice of a woman greeted me when I turned back to the bar. She extended a pale, well manicured hand. “Allow me to introduce myself. Talis de Rancourt.”

I stared at her hand, forcing my hand to meet hers. I tried not to cringe at her cool touch. My eyes worked their way up her arm to her expensive burgundy suit. She’d tied her butter yellow hair back in some fancy sort of bun that I could never execute on my own. Her lifeless ice blue eyes were fixed squarely on mine. I shivered.

“As I’m sure you know, I am a part owner of the Alta Vista. I’m also the creator of the Sin City Vampire Club, Immortal Forever, and most importantly, Immortal Dilemma.”

I wasn’t sure what to do as she listed her credentials. I just nodded. I felt like such a child standing here next to this woman who commanded respect.

“All of these have been very successful franchises for me, Calliope. As you can imagine, I have a very clear business plan laid out for all of these ventures. I have very little patience for distractions. My time is money.”

How did she know my name?

“It has come to my attention that you have been spending quite a bit of time with Tristan Trevosier.” Like there was more than one Tristan running around here. “He is a very important part of my business. I created Tristan for a specific purpose. His image has been very carefully cultivated. Do you follow me, Calliope?”

I nodded. Holy crap.

“Like I said, I have very little patience for distractions. Tristan needs to stay focused. I can’t have him preoccupied by personal conquests.”

I felt my eyebrows raise and I opened my mouth to speak. Talis cut me off with a wave of her hand.

“These little meetings cannot continue.
You
are a complication that cannot continue. I refuse to waste my energy on such things. I just make them disappear. Do I make myself clear?”

Without waiting for my response, she turned on her heel and disappeared into the crowd.

I clenched my jaw and turned back to Lennon. “Do you know that woman?”

“Talis? She pretty much owns the city.”

“She just threatened me to stay away from Tristan.”

“Oh,” Lennon winced. “Talis can read the minds of her clan, so there are no secrets between them.”

“For someone who knows so much you’d think she’d keep a tighter rein on her boy toys.” My face darkened as I grabbed a rag and wiped down the bar.

“What fun would that be?” Lennon laughed, trying to cheer me up. It didn’t work. Lennon leaned forward, suddenly serious. “Listen, Callie, if she came here to talk to you, that’s not good, girl. She usually lets her thugs deal with people she doesn’t like. She must think you’re a real threat.”

My heart dropped into my stomach. “But nothing has happened between me and Tristan.”

“We need to talk when we aren’t here among all the ears.” She looked around the room and then back at me. “But I can tell you one thing. Talis doesn’t take prisoners.”

Chapter Twelve

“I don’t know about her.” Janelle wrinkled her nose when I came back from hanging at the pool with Lennon. Janelle had turned down my offer to come along. I couldn’t understand why she wouldn’t take advantage of her gorgeous pool. “She hangs out with Fire Dancer. Immortal Dilemma has a huge rivalry with them. They’ve had a lot of big bar fights and stuff. Tristan isn’t going to like you being associated with them.”

“Tristan’s not the boss of me. It’s not like he cares what I do, anyway.” Maybe this would get his attention. “Plus, I don’t know how much I’ll see him anymore, since his creator came into have a chat with me last night.”

Janelle’s eyes widened. “Shit, Callie, are you sure there’s not more going on than you told me?”

I collapsed onto the zebra print futon beside Janelle. She was using the living area of her one bedroom apartment as her bedroom, and had given me the bedroom. Everything out here was zebra print or hot pink.

“No. Lennon said I should be concerned, too. Apparently she can read Tristan’s mind since she created him.” My whole body warmed wondering what Tristan thought about me to make Talis so enraged. “In fact, Blade is coming over soon. We’re going to hang out at the hot tub.”

“Ooooh. Sounds romantic. So you guys are a thing now?”

“I hope so.”

“What about Tristan?”

“I ask myself that same question every day.” I readied my bag. “I don’t think I’ll ever have the answer.”

“That’s not what I mean, and you know it.” Janelle looked annoyed. “Isn’t he the whole reason you stayed? You did ask me for help reaching him.”

“He’s a big part of it. But not all of it.” Now that I met Blade I could think about having a life beyond being a babysitter here.

Blade sneered at Janelle’s Immortal Dilemma posters that wallpapered the living room when he came over. I didn’t blame him. It was freaky to have Tristan’s paper face watching our every move. I ushered Blade out before he had a chance to make much small talk with Janelle. The last thing I needed was for her to slip something about my involvement with Tristan to Blade.

“I brought drinks.” Blade pulled a huge bottle full of purple liquid out of the Mustang. We walked hand in hand through the parking lot to the pool. The summer nights stayed so warm, I was surprised to find the pool area deserted. But not disappointed.

We poured our drinks and dipped our feet in the pool. “Cheers,” he said as he touched his glass to mine, and then put it down without drinking it. He wrapped his arms around me and kissed me. He nibbled at my bottom lip as his hand made its way through my hair, then he worked his lips down to my neck, tickling the dip just about my collarbone. I tried to catch my breath and kissed the top of his head as he lowered it.

“I could get used to this.” I giggled as we separated.

“Me too.” Blade ran his finger along my bathing suit strap. Without warning, he picked me up and dropped both of us into the water.

I shrieked with laughter. “We’ll wake everyone up!”

“I’m sure they’re used to late night pool parties. Or we’ll just have to break them in.” Blade nuzzled against my neck.

“I just don’t want to get kicked out.”

“Come stay with me.” Blade wiggled his eyebrows. “Your roommate is like the Queen of the Vultures, huh?”

“What’s a Vulture?”

“It’s what we call Immortal Dilemma super fans. They flock to dead things.”

“Clever. She runs a website for them.” I splashed at him for making fun of Janelle. “She’s nice. If it wasn’t for her offering me a place to stay, I wouldn’t be here.”

“That’s true. So how’s the job?”

“The bar seems cool.” I gave him a quick appreciative kiss. “Do you know Lennon? I love her.”

He nodded. “She’s good people.”

“I’m going to look into school, too. I wanted to go to fashion design school in Boston, but my mom wouldn’t let me.”

“Why? That’s ridiculous.”

“I know. But she’s really overprotective. She’s pissed at me for staying, so it’s important for me to show her I can do this.”

Blade wrapped his arms around me, pulling me closer. “I’m sure you’ll make her proud. You seem to be a girl who knows what she wants.”

“Oh yeah?” I smiled, tracing the muscles on his slick shoulders. “Do you know what I want right now?”

“What?” Even in the dark I could see desire brimming in his eyes.

“To see you go underwater!” I pulled him into the middle of the hot tub and dunked him.

“Oh no. If I’m going down, you’re going down with me.” If he said anything else, I couldn’t hear it fully submerged in the tub.

We pulled ourselves back to the edge, breathless and soaking wet after our wrestling match. “We never even turned this thing on.” Blade jumped out and turned the dial.

When he slipped back in beside me, we just sat there with my head against his chest not saying a word.

“I’ve never met anyone like you before,” Blade said softly. “I used to wonder why I moved here, but I’m starting to think it all makes sense.” He traced a hand across my cheek and my insides warmed, and not from the tub. “I can’t wait to show you the city, to introduce you to everyone, and get to know you better.”

“I’m so happy I stayed.”

“I hope we’re doing this for a long time. I know we just met, but I think I’m falling for you.”

“You’re talking to the girl who is never going home from her vacation.” I turned towards him, kissing him again. “I already fell.”

Chapter Thirteen

Tristan hadn’t answered my texts since he passed out the last time I saw him. He didn’t even know I was still here. I finally got his attention when I decided to take matters into my own hands on one of Immortal Dilemma’s nights off.

I’m coming to see you tonight whether you like it or not.

I already felt on edge that night as Tony led me to Tristan’s apartment because of Talis’ threats at the bar, but I could have sworn some of the Immortal Dilemma fans pointed at me and whispered as we passed. Just what I needed. More drama.

One of the windows in the living room was covered in plywood and caution tape.

“What happened to the window?”

“I smashed my guitar into it.” Tristan said as casually as someone else would say ‘I’d like fries with that.’

“Why the hell would you do something like that?”

“I got pissed off.” He looked like a child, sitting on the floor. “I’m sick of people telling me what to do.”

I didn’t know if he meant me, or Talis. I felt like I was walking on eggshells.

“I got a visit from Talis. At my new job. I’m staying, you know.” I held my breath as I waited for his reaction.

“I know. I heard.” He wouldn’t look me in the eye. “So what have you been doing, now that you’ve upended your whole life in paradise to live in this hell?”

My mouth dropped. “I’ve been trying not to worry about you.”

“How’s that working out for you?” He finally looked at me, his eyes twinkling. He thought this was funny.

Now I couldn’t look him in the eye either. “Not so great.”

“Don’t bother.”

My mouth dropped. He just didn’t care. “Are you always like this?”

“Like what?” He pretended to not really be interested in my answer.

“Like this.” I motioned towards him, as he sat surrounded by empty glasses and bottles. “Mr. Vampire Rock Star Who Destroys Everything In His Path.”

He wrinkled his eyebrows, and I think I may have actually surprised him by calling him out on his behavior.

“Yes,” he laughed out loud. “Yes, I am pretty much this guy all the time.”

Of course he would think my sarcasm was funny. How could I ever expect him to take anything seriously? “Do you like this?”

“What’s not to like? I can do whatever I want, whenever I want,” his eyes ran up the length of my body. “Have whatever I want.”

I didn’t want him to see my knees buckle. How could I prove my point when somehow he still managed to turn my insides to jelly? “Well, I don’t like it so much.”

“Is that so?”

“It is.”

“Well, what can we do to fix it?” He smiled again.

“Just be normal old Tristan who doesn’t wear leather pants every day. Act like the person you were on Martha’s Vineyard.”

Tristan had never been virtuous, but now he seemed like a bombed out hollow of the person he was.

He laughed out loud again, and just for a second, I saw a flash of the Tristan that I’d come here for. Maybe I was on to something with the tough love thing.

He got up and made his way to the couch. “Come sit with me, Callie.”

I took the invitation of his outstretched arm to sit right against him. I tried as hard as I could to pretend his cold, hard body was the most normal thing in the world.

“Talis knows everything I do because she can read my mind.”

I nodded. “I heard.”

“She knows how I feel about you.” His voice was low, and his arm tightened around my shoulders. “What I want to do with you.”

I swallowed hard, eyes wide. I didn’t know if he meant sex or murder. I was afraid of the answer.

“I never stopped thinking about you, Callie. It killed me not to answer you. But I didn’t want you to be any part of this. I got in over my head and nobody, including you, could get me out. I was too embarrassed to tell you what kind of shit I stepped in this time. I knew how much you’d hate this. So I set you free.”

“And I came back to you,” I whispered, playing with the hair draped against his chest. He smelled like cake frosting. I willed myself to look into his eyes. “You know what that means, don’t you?”

What the hell was I doing? It felt as natural as breathing to fall back into this pattern with Tristan as he took my face in his hands and kissed me. I didn’t know how to respond, so scared of those sharp fangs. My whole body tensed up.

“I can’t do this.” I blurted out. His mouth dropped. He wasn’t used to hearing no, and especially not from me. “I’m seeing someone.”

He laughed. Not the response I expected. “You don’t waste any time. Good for you. What do you tell him when you come here?”

“What?”

“What do you tell him when you come see me?” He didn’t back away, his face just inches from mine.

I gulped. “I don’t.”

Tristan’s lopsided grin spread to a full smile. “So, who’s the lucky guy?”

“His name is Blade.” I whispered, as if his name was a secret I wanted to keep from Tristan.

“What?” He seemed a bit surprised, or maybe he didn’t hear me.

“Blade.” I said louder this time.

Tristan laughed again, harder than he did when I pushed him away. “Oh my God, you’ve got to be kidding me, Callie. Not that guy.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Has he ever told you why he’s not one of us?”

“Excuse me?”

“I guess not then. You should ask
Bradley
.” He used his real name like an insult.

“Well, I guess that would explain why he hates you so much.” That didn’t deliver the shock value I was hoping for. “Why don’t you just tell me, Tristan?”

“Fine. If you insist. He came here from Canada or Colorado or whatever backwoods place he’s from, and auditioned to be a part of the band. Obviously he didn’t make the cut.” He leaned in close to me again. I backed away. Listening to him talk about Blade made my hair stand on end. “He wasn’t good enough, Callie.”

“Maybe he’s better than this.” I raised my eyebrows and crossed my arms in front of my chest. “His windows are all in one piece.”

Tristan shook his head. “He wanted in. Bad.”

I guess it would explain Blade’s bitterness towards Tristan, Immortal Dilemma, and the whole vampire scene. My brain swam as this information refused to settle. I never expected Blade to have a secret like this.

“So he hates me, huh?” Tristan smirked. “Does he know —”

About you, Tristan? I shook my head before he had a chance to finish.

“Don’t expect me to help you keep your dirty little secret.” He leaned back, looking triumphant, and took a sip of his drink.