Fire Burn and Cauldron Bubble (8 page)

With a sigh, I turned to face the foyer, and my mouth dropped open. It wasn’t the great expanse of white marble floor or the Corinthian columns lining the walls or even the ornate tapestries that caused my disquietude. It was the fact that inside, this was a three-story mansion, and upon seeing it from the street, it appeared to be a one-story ranch house.

I forced myself forward, the tapping of my heels against the marble echoing the palpitations of my heart. The vestibule flared into a giant receiving room where jackets and other unnecessary pieces of clothing were strewn this way and that, some lucky enough to have found a hanger. I continued to follow the sounds of music and laughter, wondering what in the hell I’d managed to get myself into this time.

The hallway stopped at a wide set of stairs. Swallowing hard, I started up the steps. At the top of the staircase, I faced the grandest ballroom I’d ever seen—a white baby grand piano played itself, and Louis XIV armchairs and love seats decorated the perimeter of the room, the white marble floor paling against the ornate gold work of the furniture.

There were people (the word
people
used lightly as they were not your average humans) everywhere, and all were in costume. I tried not to stare as a woman walked by, her entire body painted as if she were a snake. I couldn’t help my gaze as it followed her…yep, she was only wearing paint.

I pulled my attention back to the main ballroom, my blood rushing through my head, pounding in my ears. Most of the people in the ballroom were dancing and not the type of dancing I’m accustomed to—they were dancing on air, swaying as if an invisible floor were beneath their toes. Others stood along the sidelines, watching the dancers, and no one seemed to be in the least alarmed—as if this was an everyday occurrence and for all I knew, it probably was.

My shock turned to fear.

I slipped behind a marble column, trying to catch my breath. This was unreal, like nothing I’d ever seen before. The entire room seemed to be alive, vibrating with a foreign energy. There was a magic here that astounded me as much as it terrified me.

I forced myself to inhale through my nose and exhale through my mouth until my heart started cooperating. Peeking out from behind the column, I noted the various costumes in an attempt to change the direction of my wayward thoughts. There were plenty of vampire costumes, some pirates, witches everywhere and other beings I couldn’t even begin to categorize. I didn’t see any fairy costumes, though, and worried I’d stand out.

I took a deep breath, settled myself, and started down the stairs. Searching the crowd for a familiar face, even that of Bella’s would’ve been welcome at this point. Many eyes followed me, and I wondered if everyone knew I was a stranger and didn’t belong. As I met the gazes of those in the room, not one person smiled. A dart of apprehension plunged through me. With their frowns and narrowed eyes, they looked downright hostile.

“Hello, Poppet.”

The voice next to my ear nearly made my heart stop. I whirled around, nearly losing my balance, courtesy of my ridiculous shoes, and found a vampire smiling at me—that is, a man dressed as a vampire. And a damn good-looking one at that. My hand went to my heart to calm its sporadic beating, and he laughed at my reaction.

“I did not intend to frighten you,” he said with an English accent. My stomach flopped--I could honestly say I’d be happy never to meet another Englishman.

He was tall, maybe six-four or so and narrow other than a pair of decently broad shoulders. His black hair was gelled back and almost looked blue when the light hit it at a certain angle. His face was well-defined—high cheekbones and largish eyes that were so light they almost appeared to be white. Upon further inspection, though, they were ice blue. He’d drawn a widow’s peak on himself, doing quite the good job of assuming the persona of a vampire.

I collected myself. “You didn’t frighten me.”

He reached for my hand, smiled as he took it in his, and brought it to his lips. I hadn’t noticed until now that he had no aura. His hand was as cold as his eyes. Hmmm…very strange.

nt size="3">Pleased to make your acquaintance, Miss?”

“Wilkins.”

He swept his black cloak forward and bowed theatrically. “Ah, Miss Wilkins, you are ravishing, if I may say so.”

“You can call me Jolie.”

His expression changed then, and what appeared to be recognition flashed through his predatory eyes. He arched a dark brow and regarded me as if I was a Twinkie and he, a fat kid. “Ah, the witch Jolie, now I am even more pleased to make your acquaintance.”

Unsettled by the fact that he knew who I was, my voice was shaky. “And, who might you be?”

He bowed again. “You may call me the Count.”

I laughed. “Nice costume. You look the part.”

He grinned, and his canines lengthened before my eyes. I took a step back as my breath caught, seemingly too frightened to come out of my mouth. So, vampires were real—Rand hadn’t been fibbing.

I guess I looked frightened because he recoiled his fangs, attempting to set me at ease. His lips turned up in a grin, and warmth crawled up my neck. He was a feast to my eyes and judging by the arc of his brows, he knew it.

“Do not be frightened, I mean you no harm. I have heard of your incredible…talent. I had not heard of your incredible beauty. Although, I must say your frock is quite…brave.”

I knew it was short, but there were costumes here that were easily more revealing than mine. As soon as the thought entered my head, a woman walked by sporting nothing more than two black pasties in the shape of witch hats covering her nipples and a pair of black thong underwear. I was dressed like a nun compared to her.

“Brave?” I laughed.

He shook his head and made a tsking sort of noise. “It appears our hostess did quite a lousy job of explaining, Poppet.”

Why the hell did he keep calling me Poppet? If I were correct, it was a pet name in style hundreds of years ago. Well, I guess that answered the question of his age.

I returned to the subject of my costume and Bella’s lousy job in preparing me for the party. “Maybe you can fill in where she failed?”

He chuckled and nodded, reaching for my arm to guide me to a vacant settee not far from where we stood. His hand was void of heat and felt odd against my skin—cold. I had to fight the urge to pull away.

“Well, where to begin…this party was given by Isabella, as I imagine you already know. It is in congratulations for the vampires who have now joined ranks with the witches.”

I was confused already, and he’d only spoken two sentences. “What?” I managed unceremoniously. Hats off to the Count for not losing his cool.

I took a seat beside him, and he rested his arm behind me, stretching out his long legcrossing them at the ankles.

“You are quite ill informed. Bella has been trying to unite all the night creatures—all vampires, wolves, demons, fairies—the whole lot of them. The vampires decided it was a good idea, so we joined her union and this party is in honor of that. Bella is hoping word will spread and eventually we will all join her cause.”

“For what purpose?”

“Ah…well in the words of your honorable president, a house divided against itself cannot stand.”

So, the good Count knew of Abe Lincoln—maybe knew him personally. I wondered what all of this could mean—why Bella would even want to unite all the other creatures.

My attention returned to the friendly vampire, and I had to laugh—he was quite the cliché, being everything you’d picture a vampire to be—tall, good-looking, dark hair, light skin and a riddler at that.

“That is why I was saying your frock, er, costume was brave,” the vampire finished and looked down at me in expectation.

I’d lost the train of thought and didn’t want to appear dimwitted or slow, but it seemed such would be the case. “What was why you said my costume was brave?”

“Well, the vampires are the only ones to have joined ranks with the witches. The fairies have undoubtedly given the union the most difficult time, so it goes without saying your costume requires a certain level of…courage.”

Great, so I’d been here for less than ten minutes and I’d already managed to offend everyone. Off to a great start.

I forced my attention back to the subject of the fairies while I thought this night couldn’t get any weirder. Not only did fairies exist, but they wanted nothing to do with vampires or witches. I couldn’t say I blamed them.

“Well, that would explain the unfriendly gestures in my direction.”

“Indeed it would. I would not let it chagrin you, though, as I said before, you are quite easy on the eyes.”

So, now he was flattering me…well flattery would get him nowhere. I might be slow when it came to the interests of the fairies and the unionized vampires and witches, but I was no idiot when it came to people with hidden agendas, and this vampire had one. “Well, thanks, but your charm won’t work on me.”

“I know. You are as immune to my charm as I am to your witchcraft.” He laughed, the sound deep and rumbling. “I cannot bewitch you, so anything you feel toward me is purely your own desire.”

Well, he certainly wasn’t lacking in the vanity department. “What do you mean?”

He shrugged. “I cannot use my vampire powers of persuasion on you, Love, so whatever you’re feeling is genuine.”

“How do you know I’m feeling anything toward you?” I asked, my tone biting.

He leaned closer to me, and I held my ground, not wanting him to think I couldn’t. He came inches from my throat and inhaled deeply. It took all my gumption to sit there and allow him to do so. “I can smell the desire coming off you, my pet, it is the headiest of all perfumes.” He inhaled again as if to prove his point.

I pulled away from him. “Unless you would rather grace someone else with your less-than-thrilling company, lay off.”

“No need to grow angry, Love.”

“I’m not angry,” I said, and the lie sounded stupid to my own ears. The vampire just smiled. “So, my powers won’t work on any otherwordly creatures?” I asked, ignoring him and the fact that he was right, I
was
lusting after him.

He shook his head, a deep chuckle resonating through him. “You are quite a new witch. All of this should have been explained to you. No, your powers will work on others, just not on vampires. We are immune to one another.”

I nodded and decided to pay attention to my first mental note, that being trying to find out why Count Dracula had such an interest in me. First things first, find out his real name. “Your name can’t really be Count?” I said, hoping he wouldn’t riddle with me on that front.

He cocked an elusive brow. “It is not every day I am able to act the part of Count Dracula. What do you think of the costume?”

“I think it’s pretty good but not very original.”

He pressed his pale hand to his heart, feigning heartache, and I had to give it to him, he’d make a good actor. For all I knew, maybe he’d been one. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say you’re avoiding the question,” I continued.

“Excuse my poor manners, Poppet, Sinjin Sinclair at your service,” he said with an orchestrated bow.

SIX

My heart fell to the floor. I’d thought there was something familiar about his face. This was the man Rand had warned me about! I didn’t know what to do, so I smiled meekly. “Pleased to meet you.”

He cocked an elegant brow. “Ah, do not look so disappointed. I suppose my reputation precedes me.” He grinned with fangs again.

I was quick to respond, trying to conceal my disquietude. “So it would seem.”

“Is the motto of this country not innocent until proven guilty?”

I had to give it to him, he was quick witted and…well, sexy as a son of a bitch. This Sinjin character didn’t at all seem the dangerous vampire Rand had warned of.

Speak of the devil, no sooner had the thought crossed my mind than I spotted Rand across the ballroom. He was dressed as a pirate—patch over one eye, red and white striped and ripped pants, short beard, the complet package.

Our eyes met and surprise registered in his before he plowed through the room, looking like every woman’s fantasy come to life. Sinjin, apparently noticing my attention was no longer his captive, turned to face Rand. I didn’t miss the sigh that escaped his lips or the sag of his shoulders.

“Sod it, here comes the hero,” he muttered, sounding like a child who’d been caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

With each step Rand took, the thumping in my chest increased. When he stopped in front of me, I had to catch my breath. He was taller and broader than I remembered.

God, I was a lovesick dumbass.

Ignoring Sinjin, he clasped onto my arm and yanked me to my feet. “Jolie, what the bloody hell are you doing here?” He pulled the patch away, so he could glare at me with both eyes.

“Hello Randall, how are you?” Sinjin asked with the same smile the serpent must have given Eve.

Rand didn’t smile in turn. “You know quite well Randall isn’t my name,” he snarled between gritted teeth.

Sinjin shrugged, studying his fingernails. “Rand, Randall...what difference does it make?”

Rand’s color went from a very attractive tan to a pinkish to an out and out red. His aura vacillated, the tips glowing purple. “For the life of me, Sinjin, I can’t figure out what business you have to discuss with Jolie. She isn’t a full-fledged witch yet, you know that.”

Sinjin grinned at me as a cat would a mouse. Maybe he was dangerous, certainly dangerously sexy.

“Do not be a todger, Randall. I have heard she is a new witch, yes, but I have also heard of her incredible…abilities.” He eyed me up and down. “But Bella failed to mention how blessed she is…physically.”

Even though he was smooth, I couldn’t keep the warmth from seeping through me. I wasn’t accustomed to such attention from the opposite sex, and I had to admit it felt good—especially since Sinjin Sinclair was a babe and a half.

Rand stepped in front of me, blocking Sinjin from view. “She’s not interested in you, Sinjin, so go find another witch.”

I peeked around Rand’s back to find Sinjin frowning. It was funny actually—like I was in the midst of the best dream of my life—being fought over by a pirate and a vampire.

“I’m not looking for a row. I was merely making conversation with a beautiful woman.” He winked at me.

Rand’s jaw tightened, and he turned to give me a discouraging look—had he been Medusa, I’d now be a grinning statue.

“Sinjin, I’m bloody well warning you.”

Rand clasped my hand and forced me away from Sinjin. I glanced over my shoulder at the man who could so rile the ordinarily languid warlock and caught his secretive smile—a smile that for all intents and purpos was for me alone. I’d need to learn more about the history of these two.

When Rand decided we were far enough away from the vampire, he faced me. “Jolie, what are you doing here?” He looked every inch the pirate, and I couldn’t stop the whirring of my overactive hormones. Pirates are pretty damn hot.

Then I remembered his salutation offended me. I crossed my arms over my chest and attempted my best glare. “No ‘wonderful to see you again’ or ‘I love the costume’. Instead, all I get is ‘what are you doing here?’” I paused to catch my breath. “I was invited.”

“Who invited you?”

“Your friend Bella,” I snapped. The purple edges of his aura flared up at the mention of Bella.

“Bollocks!”

I hadn’t imagined he’d be thrilled to see me, but this apparent disinterest hurt. “You don’t have to babysit me, Rand; you can go off and do whatever it was you were doing. I realize you didn’t invite me, but I was invited all the same.”

His expression softened. “I didn’t mean to sound as if I’m not happy to see you, Jolie. I am. But I’m worried about your being here. Bella invited you, so everyone would know who you are.”

I shifted, scanning the crowd. “Why would she care if everyone knows who I am?”

He stepped closer to me, blocking the crowd from view. “To ensure you won’t be able to return to your normal life. If you’re known in this society, your powers will be known. Well, for all practical purposes, they already are. News of your reanimating Jack spread like wildfire. I made a deal with Bella so you could go about living your life, and now I find you in the middle of the lion’s den.”

“A deal with Bella?” I asked, wishing someone would sit me down and fill me in.

Rand sighed as if the story would be a long one, but he must’ve known I’d demand answers. Grabbing my hand, he led me down a hallway into a bedroom. He closed the door behind me and motioned for me to take a seat on the bed. My thoughts immediately turned to our near kiss and I blushed like an idiot.

Rand didn’t seem to notice. He paced the room, his hands on his hips. “I hoped I could spare you from all of this, but it appears that’s not possible now. Bella…”

“Wants to unite all otherworldly creatures, and so far she’s just succeeded with the vampires.”

He nodded. “I see that bloody bastard Sinjin discussed it with you. Yes, that’s so. Anyway, it’s Bella’s wish to unite all the non-human species.”

“Why?” I interrupted.

He cupped his hands behind his head and exhaled. “It’s a good plan in theory. There’s too much warring between the legions—that is the vampires kill the weres and the weres kill the fairies, and so on. Bella believes we would be much more powerful if we…”

“Could all just get along?” I inted, regretting the cliché and overused statement, but it just seemed to fit. “But for what purpose?”

Rand sighed and stopped in front of me. “Do you recall when I told you witches and warlocks are a dying breed?”

I nodded as he continued.

“About three centuries ago, a group of humans discovered a band of vampires and witches in the woods of Gratz, Austria. The humans attempted to escape, but the vampires defeated and fed on them, leaving them for dead. But some of them weren’t dead and they survived the attack.”

“Did they turn into vampires?” I interrupted.

“Not exactly. It’s not possible to turn into a vampire unless you drink the blood of a vampire at the same time he drinks your blood. Anyway, somehow vampire blood did make its way into some of the humans and although it wasn’t enough to turn them into vampires, it gave them extra strength and the quickness of a vampire. They became what we call Lurkers, humans who seek to destroy all otherworldly creatures. And their population has increased over the years. Now, they’re the biggest threat to our existence.”

And my existence. The thought wasn’t a pleasant one.

“So, Bella wants to unionize to defeat these humans? What’s so wrong with that?”

“In theory, it’s all fine and good, but Bella is not the ideal candidate to lead such an effort. She’s out for herself and would take advantage of the position it would put her in.”

I nodded, feeling the situation was finally making sense. “So, how do I figure in this?”

“She wants to give everyone reason to join her. You’re that perfect reason.”

Well crap and a half, this couldn’t be good. “Why?”

He shook his head, annoyed I wasn’t following him. “There wouldn’t be any bad blood between the creatures if you can bring back all their dead. In a way, we’d all start from scratch again, no harm done. That and it replenishes the union. No beings would ever need to die.”

“Strength in numbers.”

“Yes, so when news spread of Jack, I went to Bella, and I made an agreement with her. She was to leave you alone. I told her you weren’t as strong as I’d thought and that I did the majority of the reanimation myself. Clearly, she didn’t believe me.”

My shoulders slumped, and I stared straight ahead, looking at everything, but seeing nothing. “So, that’s why Bella invited me to this party?”

“Yes, she wants to announce that you’re now working for her.”

My mind spun like a roulette wheel, and I wished I’d never agreed to come here. “Are you on her team?”

He shook his head. “No, I haven’t yet agreed to anything. I was quite surprised to receive the invitation here tonight. I can only surmise Bella wanted to show me how many have alreadyjoined her ranks to entice me to her side.”

“I see.”

“Having you here tonight was much more important to her than having me join her legion, though. You’re the newest and most valuable addition to the unionizing efforts. And now that you’ve shown your face, you can’t return to your old life.” There was a finite sadness to his voice.

I couldn’t bridge the idea that my being here wouldn’t allow me to return to my former life. “I’m not a prisoner. I can just walk away and go back home.”

His smirk wasn’t an encouraging one. “And she would come for you. An ability like yours won’t be ignored.”

Clearly, he was upset, and I still didn’t know enough of why he was upset to be truly upset myself. “You said to Sinjin that I was just a new witch.”

He shook his head and stepped back. “He knows I was trying to protect you. This couldn’t have been any worse. I’m going to have words with Bella.”

“Well I could decline the offer.”

He laughed as he shook his head. “You don’t understand, Jolie, you have no choice. Our society isn’t like yours. There’s no freedom of choice or democracy. And now if you don’t have a protector, you’ll be forced to join her union.”

I had no idea what he was talking about. God, it sounded like the mob or something. “A protector?”

He sat next to me, which was a relief because I was getting tired of watching him pace. “There are rules in this society, Jolie. Rules I haven’t explained to you and hoped I wouldn’t have to. I wanted you to return to your old life until you could decide if you wanted to give it up for this one. Now, it seems the choice has been made for you.”

“I don’t understand,” I said, my voice so thick, it barely made it out of my mouth.

“If you don’t have a protector in this society, then you have no one to champion you. You’d be forced to join ranks with Bella.”

Forced? This was sounding worse and worse. “How does a protector, as you call it, make any difference?”

He stood and started pacing again. “If you have an employer, or a protector, then you’re safe. Bella wouldn’t be able to force you into her union if someone else has already unionized you. If she wanted you for a particular job, she’d have to go through your employer.”

This made a little more sense, but I didn’t understand how an employer, as he called it, had anything to do with it. “So, just for the sake of argument, why would it be so bad for Bella to be my protector, since she wants to do so?”

“She’s a greedy, selfish bitch.” He paused and ran an agitated hand through his hair. “I didn’t want to tell you because it’s so horrible…”

My heart forgot to beat for a few seconds. “Go on.”

“Once I retured Jack to Bella, and she realized she’d now have to assume responsibility for her father, she killed him on the spot.”

“She did what?!”

“She would kill you as soon as look at you.”

My stomach churned as if I’d swallowed a gallon of sour milk. How anyone could kill her own father was beyond me. Okay, so working for Bella was not an option. “Why couldn’t I just say I’m working for you?”

He shrugged and didn’t quite meet my eyes. “I’ve always been on my own, I’ve never been protected by anyone, nor have I ever offered protection. I’m not certain I’d be the best alternative. I’ve not agreed to join Bella, but I’m not enough of a threat yet for her to try to convince me.”

“If you aren’t protected then how come no one comes for you?”

“I’m very powerful, and it would be no easy feat to get me to bend to someone’s will. I answer to no one.”

To some his comment may have sounded arrogant, but there was no conceit in his gaze, just honesty. And I believed him. But powerful warlock or not, it was his fault I was in this mess in the first place. So he hadn’t invited me to this party, but he’d invited the attention of other people who might wish me harm. As far as I was concerned, he was the first wrongdoer in this tangled web.

“I’m sorry about all this, Jolie,” he said, as if sensing my thoughts.

I stood and started for the door, needing to escape. Rand was at my side instantly. “Can we leave?” I asked, my lips tight.