Blood and Guitars (28 page)

Jonas jumped on his laptop and immediately
sent out a video message to the fan club where people could sign up
to win a one-of-a-kind piece of abstract art in the likeness of
O’Shea. We had two hundred responses in twenty minutes. Aurora
entrusted the painting to Jonas for safekeeping until we could
randomly select a winner and send it to them. Stomachs rumbling at
that point, we collectively decided to go to dinner.

“You kids go ahead,” Karatz said when we’d
insisted he come along. “I’m going to put in a couple of hours
mixing last night’s song and then I’m going to head inside and call
it a night.”

“You do realize that if you stay behind, that
makes me the official chaperone?” Aurora teased him.

“Yeah. Good luck with that.” Karatz winked at
her and turned to me and the guys, adding, “Behave.”

“Yes sir,” I said with a salute. I led Aurora
to my Mazda and held the door while she got in. The guys all fell
in line behind me in their own cars as we pulled out. I drove to
the nearest place that was still open and they followed me into the
parking lot. It wasn’t a fancy restaurant, but it wasn’t fast food
either. We were seated near the front in a booth and placed our
orders with the waitress after perusing the menu.

I recognized the sound of teenage-girl
giggling from two booths down and I leaned forward and whispered,
“Fans at twelve o’clock.”

“Anyone have a writing utensil?” O’Shea
asked. “I think we’re about to get fan-bushed.”

“I think I have one,” Aurora said, looking a
little surprised. She dug through her purse and produced a pen.

“What else you got in there?” Chase asked,
trying to peer into Aurora’s bag.

“I get the mystery of it,” Aurora said as she
playfully smacked his hand away. “But I promise there’s nothing of
interest to you in there.”

Just as expected, it only took a couple of
minutes for the two girls in the other booth to work up the nerve
to approach us. They were giggly and nervous as they timidly
stepped up to the table.

“Hey ladies,” I said, smiling at them. “Come
on over, we won’t bite.” They smiled in relief and stepped
closer.

“We’re, like, you’re biggest fans,” one of
them gushed.

“We love fans,” Chase said. “What are your
names?” They introduced themselves as Kate and Trinity.

“My Mom’s name is Kate,” I stated.

“I know,” Kate said, blushing.

“Do you live around here?” O’Shea asked
them.

“We’re from Tampa,” Trinity said.

“We saw you guys on TV the other night,” Kate
added. “Is the new album really almost ready?”

“Getting close,” Jonas said. “We just cranked
out a new song tonight.”

“What’s it called?” Trinity asked. Then she
looked embarrassed like she wasn’t sure she should have asked.

“It’s cool,” I assured her, chuckling. “The
song is called ‘Untold You.’”

“That’s so amazing,” Kate said, looking
dreamy. “I can’t wait to hear the new record. Are you going to tour
after it comes out?”

“Definitely,” O’Shea answered.

I realized I’d completely forgotten my
manners and I gestured to Aurora and said, “Forgive me. This is
Aurora Evins.”

Aurora waved at the girls, smiling at
them.

“Wait a minute,” Kate said. “You’re
Aurora?”

Aurora gazed at her in mild confusion,
smiling and raising her eyebrow. “I… I guess-”

“You’re the artist who’s been doing the
paintings for the fan club!” Trinity exclaimed happily.

“That’s me,” Aurora admitted. I chuckled at
the look of astonishment on her face.

“I absolutely loved the one you did of Trey,”
Trinity added, smiling shyly at me before she turned back to
Aurora.

“And the crazy one of O’Shea, too,” Kate
said, flashing a big smile for O’Shea.

“That must be the best job in the entire
world,” Trinity said.

“I get to sit around and paint hot guys all
day,” Aurora said with a playful smile, shrugging. “No complaints
here.”

“Are you going to do more? I’d love to win
one.” Kate looked at Aurora hopefully.

“Sure,” Aurora said. “We still have Chase and
Jonas to go.”

We chatted for a minute longer and then posed
for some pictures on Kate’s camera phone. Then we all signed a
napkin for each of them and they went giggling back to their
booth.

“That was really great of you guys,” Aurora
said as soon as the girls were out of earshot. “I think you just
made their entire year.”

“Gotta love the fans,” O’Shea added. “We’d be
out of a job if it weren’t for them.”

Aurora bit her bottom lip in thought as she
gazed toward the girls again. I was sure it must seem weird for her
to have complete strangers approach us like that, but it had been
going on so long now that I didn’t think twice about it most of the
time.

“Do we get to see the paintings you’ve been
working on soon?” O’Shea raised his eyebrows at Aurora expectantly
and took a sip from his ice water.

“Soon.” Aurora gave him a reassuring smile.
“Give me a couple of days. I’m almost done.”

“Really?” O’Shea looked impressed. “I didn’t
seriously expect you to say that yet.”

Aurora shrugged and I thought she looked
distracted, like her mind was on something else.

“I can’t wait to start putting together a
live show with the new material.” Leave it to Jonas to change the
subject.

“Won’t be long now.” Chase peeled the paper
wrapper from one end of his straw and put it in his mouth. He blew
and the rest of the wrapper shot across the table, hitting O’Shea
square in the nose. I couldn’t help but smile until I saw Aurora
glancing nervously at the front door. That was when I noticed the
two large men that had come in. They were speaking to a server and
casting fleeting looks in our direction. I sensed Aurora’s unease
and reached for her hand.

“What’s wrong? Do you know them?” But she
didn’t answer me. Instead, she looked down at her plate again while
the server approached alone.

“Excuse me, Miss? The two gentlemen at the
door are asking to have a word with you.”

What was going on? “Who are they?” I furrowed
my brow in confusion.

“It’s nothing.” She forced a smile for me.
“I’ll be right back.”

I stood up to let her slide out of the booth.
“I’ll come with you.”

“I said it’s nothing,” she insisted. “I’ll
just be a moment.” She put a hand on my shoulder to stop me and
then walked off toward the door. I watched in confusion as she
stood with her back to me, speaking in hushed tones to the
strangers. They wore matching charcoal colored suits, with a
strange red symbol embroidered on the breast pocket. I couldn’t
imagine who they were or what they wanted.

Willing my heart to stay calm, I slowly
approached the Emissary. The situation would have been
nerve-wracking even if I hadn’t just been seen in the company of a
group of humans, but Trey’s presence made it all the more
worrisome. I hoped he would stay in his seat and not come closer. I
didn’t want to give the Emissary any more reason to take notice of
him than they already had.

“I was told you wanted to speak with me,” I
said quietly, keeping my voice down.

“You’ve been summoned by the Synod.” The
tall, black vampire met my eyes as he spoke. I felt him reaching
out with his power and was relieved that he couldn’t read my
mind.

I blinked at him. “The Synod? What could the
Synod want with me?”

“It’s not my place to explain.”

“I was just with them for the lunar eclipse
ritual.” My mind was reeling. What could have possibly changed
since then to make them want to meet with me?

“I’m afraid you’ll have to come with us.” The
second vampire spoke now. He was a thin, pale man, but I knew that
his stature was misleading, concealing his true strength.
Emissaries were full vampires and with that came unbelievable
strength.

I took a deep breath to center myself, seeing
no way out of this. “Give me a moment.” I forced myself to remain
calm. The first vampire considered me a moment and then gave me a
quick nod. The two of them retreated closer to the door of the
restaurant and stood, hands crossed in front, looking like the
secret service or something. I took care to wipe the concern from
my face before I turned around. Trey was watching me from the
table, his brow furrowed with worry.

“What was that all about?” he asked as I slid
into the booth next to him.

“It’s a long story.” I sighed, wondering what
he would believe. The lies were really piling up now. “A former
client of mine wants to meet with me.”

“Now?”

“He’s spoiled,” I added. “And filthy rich.” I
gestured with a jerk of my chin toward the men waiting for me near
the door. “Those are his security guards.”

Trey studied the vampires for a second. “Why
now?”

“I told you he’s spoiled. Apparently he
bought a new house and spent half the day trying to track me down.
He needs paintings to hang inside.”

Trey’s mouth opened in surprise. “Doesn’t
that creep you out?”

“He’s harmless,” I said.

“Wait.” He studied me for the space of a
heartbeat. “You’re not seriously going to go, are you?”

I shrugged, trying to look like it wasn’t a
big deal. The rest of the guys were listening now. “I don’t really
have a choice. He’s too influential. I can’t afford to make him
mad. Plus, I can’t turn down the chance to make a bunch of money.
The last time he did this, he bought six pieces straight off the
wall at The Waking Moon.”

“I’ll come with you.” Trey started to stand
and I held up a hand to stop him. “What? I’m not letting you go
alone.”

“I’ll be fine,” I insisted, gesturing at the
men again. “Security guards, remember? What could happen?”

“I don’t care.”

“I do.” There was a hint of impatience in my
voice now. He was making this harder than it needed to be. The
longer I stayed and talked with him, the more reason I was giving
the Emissary to be suspicious. “I’m a big girl,” I told Trey.
“Believe it or not, I can take care of myself.”

Trey’s eyes grew wide. “I … I didn’t
mean-”

“Sorry about dinner,” I told him, including
the rest of the guys with a sweep of my eyes. “I’ll call you,” I
added, looking directly at Trey again.

I could tell it hurt him that I was just
leaving again like this, but what choice did I have? There were two
very real, very dangerous vampires standing nearby. I wanted to get
them as far away from Trey and the other guys as possible.

I picked up my purse and turned away, hoping
he’d be able to forgive me for this later. The Emissary opened the
front doors as I approached, holding them for me. I felt the hum of
power before I took a breath of cool night air. A dark stretch
limousine was parked across the street, its windows as black as the
car. The Emissary, who stood directly behind me now, followed as I
crossed the road. The thin one opened the back door for me and
gestured for me to slip inside.

A curious thrill had accompanied my last
excursion in a limousine, but the only thing I felt now was fear. I
took a deep breath, trying to center myself. I couldn’t face the
vampires waiting for me inside without my game face on. They’d
probably already smelled my fear, but I wouldn’t give them any more
reason to suspect that I was guilty of anything.

I bent low and climbed inside the car. I’d
expected as much, but it still surprised me when I looked up and
saw that all three Synod Elders were inside, watching me with
omniscient eyes. They all wore dark overcoats that gave them the
look of stern business-men. In a strange sort of way, I guessed
they were the vampire version of exactly that. The Emissary who’d
been holding the limo door moved to climb inside and I slid over to
allow him room. The other went to the front of the car and climbed
in next to the driver. Nobody said a word until the car shifted
into gear and pulled away from the curb.

I’d only ever heard of the mobile meetings
the Synod had in limos like this, but I’d never expected to
experience one for myself. I forced myself to remain calm, despite
the fact that I was getting more freaked out by the minute. I would
have given anything to disappear just then and never see the inside
of a Synod limo.

“So this is Aurora,” one of the Elders said
slowly. It was Bylun Falck. I recognized him from the Lunar Eclipse
Ritual. He’d been sitting on the left when Stanislav Vidic had
addressed the crowd and led us in the ritual. I met his gaze with
as little emotion as I could manage.

“She is as striking as you say, Vidic,”
another added. I knew this one as Dalek Vang. Stanislav only
smiled.

Great. They’d been talking about me. Being
the subject of conversation for the Synod was only one of the many
things I hadn’t aspired towards.

“I can see now why Antonio favors her so.”
Dalek was watching me closely. A shiver traveled the length of my
spine. “Beauty is synonymous with vampires, but she is a rare gem
even among our kind.”

How long were they going to talk about me
like I wasn’t sitting right there? I curbed my annoyance and bit my
tongue. Bylun leaned forward now, resting his arms on his knees and
inspecting me closely.

“Do you make a habit of associating with
humans?” he asked.

“Yes.” I spoke plainly, knowing they had just
caught me with Trey and the other guys, but still unsure of what
they wanted from me. “I am an artist,” I continued. “The majority
of my customers are human.”

“I imagine that is true,” Bylun said, leaning
back again.

“Is the legitimacy of my business in
question?” I asked, feeling a little bolder now.

“Certainly not.” It was Dalek who spoke this
time. “However, your judgment may be.”