Because the Night (The Night Songs Collection) (9 page)

Chapter Sixteen

“Blade, come on. Please, just call me back. I know you’re listening to these messages. I hope you are, anyway. I love you. I miss you. Please, let’s just try to make this work.”

I stared at the phone after I left the message. I’d lost count of what number it was. His silence swirled around me like some horrible nightmare I couldn’t wake up from.

Tristan had succeeded in taking almost everything away from me. My family had disowned me, Blade wouldn’t talk to me, and Janelle and I weren’t on speaking terms after I blew up at her about putting me on her website. Her only defense was that so many people had sent her pictures of me and Tristan together there would have been uproar had she not put up something.

I couldn’t look at her without seeing red. Who was more important, random people on the internet or her roommate? Somehow, I felt like she thought I got what I deserved.

I needed to talk to someone. Lennon was busy at work. Keisha wasn’t returning my calls. Tristan might have ruined my life, but right now, he was all I had.

A pass had been left for me at the box office. The fans in the lobby stared at me. Feeling self conscious already, I kept my head down and walked quickly towards were they were filming the TV show. Maybe this was a bad idea.

A producer led me to something called Video Village and invited me to sit in Tristan’s tall director’s chair to watch the band while they taped the show.

Being able to see behind the scenes fascinated me. The band rehearsed new material for their third album and the camera captured close ups of each member while they played. We had to stay perfectly silent during each take. Hair and makeup people rushed in between each scene to primp the band members. I giggled watching Tristan get his nose powdered.

“Hey,” Tristan leaned against the director’s chair after they finished the scene. “I have a room down the hall and a little bit of time before the show.”

“Okay.” God only knows what he had in mind. I’d be willing to bet not the same thing I did.

He closed the door behind us. He leaned in towards me, putting his hands on my shoulders.

I pushed him away.

“Whoa, what’s your problem?” he threw up his hands defensively.

I glared at him. “You’re kidding, right?”

“No, I’m not. Are you mad at me or something?”

I covered my hands with my face and dragged them through my hair in frustration. “Blade won’t talk to me after your little stunt the other night.”

“I’d say I’m sorry, but I’m not.”

“Of course not. Why are you trying to mess things up between me and Blade? You can have anyone you want.”

“Exactly.” His eyes seared into mine.

I pursed my lips, dragging my eyes away from his gaze. So infuriating yet so tempting. “I like Blade. A lot. Things are good. Or they were.” I narrowed my eyes at Tristan, to let him know where I placed blame.

“He’s not going to be around forever, you know.” He grinned at his own joke.

“You’re ridiculous.”

“You should be thanking me, Callie. If it wasn’t for me, you would have never met Bradley. You’d still be under your mother’s thumb on Martha’s Vineyard.”

“So should all those women that come here chasing you thank you for breaking up their marriages? All the ones who think they have Bloodlust?”

“If they were that pathetic to begin with, yes. But you aren’t like all those other women. That just won’t sink in, will it? Do I call them? Are they standing here with me right now? No.”

“Do you drive them absolutely crazy? No.”

I beg to differ.” He smiled in that wicked way he had, took a step towards me, stroking my arm. “Let me show you what being driven absolutely crazy is like. All you have to do is forget about stupid Bradley and do what you really want.”

“I haven’t heard from you since you became some supernatural rock God, and now that I have a boyfriend, you’re interested?”

“That’s not the only reason.”

I softened a little bit to hear him out.

“You came back to me. You’re fair game now.”

I kept my voice barely above a whisper. Anything else would have come out as a shout. “So I’m just a game to you. A toy.”

“I play nice.” He moved towards me, putting his hands on my waist and pressing his hips against mine.

I concentrated on breathing. “You don’t.”

I do. Just let me show you.” He breathed the word into my hair as he wound his fingers through my ponytail. “The blood. It’s erotic. It takes sex to a level you can’t even imagine.
That
is Bloodlust. After you’ve been with me, sleeping with Bradley will be as exciting as mopping the floor.”

“I’ve got to go.” I pulled away from him roughly, exhaling when I broke contact.

“I’ll see you soon, Callie.” He called after me as I made my way down the hall.

Chapter Seventeen

“Ready for Friday night with the freaks?” Lennon greeted me with a red glossy smile as I climbed in her car. She hit the accelerator with a jerking motion, almost sending me into the windshield.

“I think so.”

“Good. I’m glad Talis didn’t scare you away. She’s harmless, really. Well, when she doesn’t hate you. Most of us have worked there for a long time. We’re like a little family.”

“It takes a lot more than that to scare me. How busy are weekends at the club?”

“Not as busy as you’d think. The bands and stuff all play, so if the band boys come, it’s much later. Sundays and Mondays are our big nights, because those are the nights that a lot of the shows are dark. Nobody has to work. But just because it’s not busy doesn’t mean it will be boring. And you’ll still pull some bank tonight.” She swerved to avoid a bike rider, since she had been looking at me and not the road while she talked. I spent the rest of the ride reacquainting myself with the higher power.

I shimmied out of my sweats covering my skimpy get up and joined Lennon in setting up the bar for the night. Other people arrived as we worked and disappeared into the back room. All of them shared a resemblance I couldn’t quite put my finger on, with their dead eyes and pale skin. The same people the vampires drank from Monday night. They looked like beautiful zombies.

“What’s up with them?” I asked Lennon when I was certain none of them could hear me.

“Oh, the Donors? The vamps have to feed, of course. They don’t need blood, as you know, but it gets them off. And this way they can choose the ones they want, kinda like a buffet on the Strip. All you can eat.” She giggled. “Did you think this was just a social club?”

“I don’t know what I think of this place yet.” I hadn’t really given much thought at all to what would go on here. My only real exposure to any vampires was with Tristan. His behavior was erratic and sometimes frightening, and I’d never seen him feed. “How did you get involved in all this?”

“Well, I moved here with Simon in five years ago from Nashville. He met me when I danced in a strip club. He’d been doing some session work for country singers, but it wasn’t his thing. He wanted a band he was really a part of. LA got too expensive for a lot of the musicians that were struggling, so we decided to come here because this was where they were all going. Dirt cheap rent, plenty of jobs. He got a gig on the strip playing with one of the Cirque bands almost right away.

“I danced for a while, but it wasn’t the same as it was in Nashville. All the weekend warriors expect way more from the girls in the strip clubs here. And the girls would do it! I’m no whore, you know? I didn’t want to screw tourists for money. So eventually I wound up here. It was different then. Immortal Dilemma, all the vampire bands, didn’t exist. The vampires were really still underground, so to speak. Everything changed with the recession. Simon got laid off when the show’s contract was up. When I heard through the bar that Talis was doing the auditions for Immortal Dilemma, he jumped at the chance. He always wanted to get out of the shadows and into the spotlight.”

It was like a perfect storm. “Did he know what he’d have to do to become a member?”

“He did, and because I worked here, we didn’t think it was so scary. They seemed, you know, kinda normal. And since they could feed off of energy, it wasn’t like he’d have to become a serial murderer to survive. Plus, what’s cooler than a rock n roll vampire? We were both all for it.”

“How did go?”

“Well, we’re not together anymore. It scared me, all the blood. I couldn’t do it at first. I’m sure you know what I mean. It freaked me out. And the partying. Once these guys realized they were invincible, they really put it to the test. But I am so thrilled for him. We’re still friends, we always will be. I’m so happy he’s so successful and living his dream.”

“Is this really what he wanted? I mean, they’re kind of stuck here. They can’t go out in daylight. Talis controls his every move.” I was still so skeptical that anyone could be happier as a vampire.

Lennon scoffed. “He never saw daylight anyway. He’d work nights, party nights, sleep during the day. Now Immortal Dilemma is almost a household name. He would have never got that without Talis. I mean of course, I’d never say that to his face, but it’s true. Someone like Simon needs structure, you know? Or else he’d just drink beer and play video games for the rest of his life. He’s just a big kid.”

Lennon’s story mesmerized me. I had yet to do any of my side work. “What’s Talis like?”

“She’s very charismatic when she likes you or you have something she wants. She’s a very smart business woman. That’s one of the things she wooed Simon with, how much power and influence she has. But she turned the entire band, created them so to speak, and now they’re all at her beck and call whenever she wants, you know, anything. That was hard for me at first, too. Even though I danced naked for money, I never slept around. I didn’t want my man doing it either. And I found myself with a guy who had to do it not only to satisfy his boss, but now he had a whole new set of urges he had to find an outlet for. He was almost like an animal at first. New vampires are scary, let me tell you.” Her eyes widened.

“But you went back to a vampire.”

“I did. After a wild and crazy ride like that, normal life is boring. And I love working here. I make great money working just a few shifts, I can go to school. It gives me freedom to do what I want. But I couldn’t date humans anymore. To be completely honest, I missed the Bloodlust. It’s addictive. A regular old orgasm, when someone actually gave me one, is like watching the six o’clock news after blood play.”

My eyes widened her last confession. Tristan hasn’t just been bragging when he told me I wouldn’t want Blade after being with him. It was true; at least, it had been for Lennon.

Would I ever be able to walk away from him?

Chapter Eighteen

“What are you doing?” I asked as I walked into Tristan’s apartment. Even after my grand exit the other night, he still lured me back in.

Soaked in the neon light that splashed in from below, he sat by the window on the floor, guitar in his lap and notebook by his side. “Working on a song.”

“For a new album?” I sat down on the floor beside him, my leg grazing his. I’d begun to crave his cool touch. He snatched up the notebook as I reached for it. Strange since he played music every night for thousands of people.

“This would never be on an Immortal Dilemma album.”

“Why not?”

“Totally different style. It would never work for the band.” He gazed off into the distance, uncomfortable. “We don’t write the stuff that’s on the albums.”

“Who does?”

“I don’t know. Someone Talis hires. She controls everything.” That last sentence sent a shiver down my spine.

“Do you like it? Being in the band?” I had so many questions for him.

He smiled sadly. “I better. I don’t have any choice. But yeah, I do. Where else could I be me?”

“If you had a say, is this what you’d be doing?”

“I never had a say in anything, Callie. Even when I was alive.”

I knotted my fingers together in my lap. Tristan always had everything handed to him on a silver platter, and he never felt like he had any choice? What did that say for the rest of us?

“I’d like to hear your song.”

“I’ll play it for you sometime.” He smile was still sad, but at least this time it reached his eyes. “There’s a party downstairs tonight. Let’s have some fun.”

“Alright.” It sounded loaded. What should I expect from a vampire rock star party?

The lobby of The Sin City Vampire Club throbbed with heavy metal as women clad in only thongs and stockings spun from poles high above the crowd. The room was thick with bodies and just dim enough so you didn’t know who you were sliding by.

Tristan led me by the hand to a roped off VIP area. A half naked waitress appeared immediately.

“What do you want?” The way he said it, I had to remind myself he was talking about cocktails.

“You order for me.”

He smirked, gave an order to the waitress, and then turned back to me. “Buckle your seatbelt.”

The waitress reappeared with two nearly identical drinks. I looked down at the glasses and back at Tristan, who still looked pleased with himself. “What did you do?”

“Live a little.”

I lifted the glass to my lips. “You’re not going to tell me what it is?” He watched intently as I took a sip. The vanilla liquid seared my insides. I shuddered involuntarily as it made its way to my belly.

Tristan laughed, satisfied.

“You ordered me Venom?” I hissed and pushed the vampire drink towards him. “Isn’t this crap lethal to humans?”

“It’s a Venomtini. It’s a more potent version of what they serve the crowd here, but it won’t kill you.”

I snatched the drink back, curious to see if it got any better after a few sips.

“Let’s walk around.” Tristan held his hand out to me. The room swam already from the concoction, and I clutched his arm to keep steady.

He introduced me to several friends, but the music and alcohol pounded through my veins and I couldn’t understand what anyone said. It didn’t seem as important as staying upright. I smiled, nodded, and prayed we’d sit back down soon.

A women in a purple latex catsuit stopped Tristan. She ran her finger down his chest while she whispered something in his ear. She never took her eyes off of me. He nodded and she smiled widely.

“I’ll be right back.” He came close to my ear so I was sure to hear him.

“Are you kidding me?” At first I was just concerned with being left to my own devices in the middle of the room. Then I realized what he was probably going to do with this girl.

“We’re just friends, remember?” He winked, squeezed my arm, and then disappeared into the swarm with the girl in tow. She blew me a kiss before she followed him. I practically fell over when he let go of me.

That bastard.

Lights pulsed to the beat and bodies swirled to the music. I had no idea how to get back to the table. I took a long sip of my Venomtini and contemplated my next move.

“Where did Tristan go?” A face emerged from the crowd, putting out an arm to stop me from swaying. It was Monkey, the band’s drummer.

“I have no idea.” My tongue felt thick and fuzzy in my mouth. “I really need to sit down.”

Monkey was much more of gentlemen than my chaperone to this party. He led me back over to the table.

“You know, we’re not all like him.” He whispered in my ear once I sat down. “Some of us know how to take care of a woman.” He caressed my shoulder. Maybe he wasn’t so much of a gentleman after all. I shied I way from his touch. I didn’t want to be rude, since he had rescued me. I smiled and saluted him with my half empty drink. He got the message and left me alone.

The waitress reappeared and asked if I’d like another drink. Would I ever.

I slumped in my chair, watching the party for what seemed like forever. Tristan came back, leaning into me without sitting down. “Still nursing that drink?”

“Nope. It’s a new one.”

“Jesus, Callie, slow down.”

“Don’t tell me what to do! You just took off with that slut and left me here like an idiot.”

He squatted down in front of me, so our foreheads touched. His cool skin felt amazing and I could lose myself in those dark eyes of his, if I wasn’t seeing double. “When you’re the one who wants to take off with me, then you can tell me what to do.”

I turned away from him, disgusted, and crossed my arms in front of my chest.

“I think we should call it a night.” He sighed, no longer looking amused.

“Why? We’re having such a good time.” I glared at him.

Firmly but gently, he lifted me to my feet and led me out of the club back to the private elevator leading back to his apartment. As it began its ascent back up to the sky, my stomach crawled into my throat. I leaned up against the wall, closing my eyes.

“You’re staying here tonight.”

“Tristan,” my words sounded garbled, like someone else said them. I had to hold on to him to stay on my feet. “I can’t do that.”

“I’m not sending you home like this. Come on, I’ll make up the couch for you.” I looked at him with as much wonder as I could muster. “Just friends.”

“Just friends,” I mumbled into his chest as I slipped into blackness.