Out of the Dark (Forbidden Love) (5 page)

    
“Miss,”Ricco called from the front
,A
we have arrived.”  He wasted no time exiting the limo himself, and opening Brea’s door for her.  He packed her suitcase to the enormous arched wooden doorway, punched in a code on the small box beside the door, and motioned for Brea to go inside ahead of him.  The enormous door clicked and swung open softly.  Brea took a deep breath, steeled her nerves and walked through the open door.

   
“Holy cow,” she breathed.  The foyer was impressive, to say the least.  The walls were painted a delicate eggshell with paintings adorning them at precise intervals.  Expensive, no doubt.  A huge chandelier marked the center of the ceiling, hanging from a thick gold colored chain and dripping crystals.  The light shone through the crystals, sending patterns dancing across the polished hardwood floor.  It was breathtaking.

    
“Welcome to the Knight estate,” Ricco said with pride in his voice.  “Come on, I’ll show you around.”

     Brea followed wordlessly into the main hall.  It was circular, even the walls.  There were no corners to speak of, and the walls met about twenty feet up to form a domed ceiling.  At the center of the dome was a snowflake shaped sky light.  Heavily tinted, just like the rest of the outer glass.

     “This is the main hall,” Ricco informed her.  “This is where parties are held.  You will be spending quite a bit of time in here.”  He motioned for her to follow, and she did.  The next room was the library.  “This is where we keep our books.  Angel spends a good deal of time in here, working and reading, even though he has a proper office.  I am to inform you that you may read anything you like.”  Brea nodded.  She enjoyed reading when she had time.  She was shone the office, and finally, the bedrooms.  Most of the doors were closed, as they were occupied.

    
“When will Angel be joining us?” Brea asked.

    
“Later this evening, after the sun sets,” he answered.  He pointed to a door.  “This is Angel’s room.   He is sleeping now, but if you have urgent need for him, you are permitted to wake him.  And this,” he motioned to the door next to the first, “will be your room.”

     Brea entered the room in awe, this time managing not to openly gape.  The room was bigger than the living room and kitchen of her apartment put together.  There was a mahogany wardrobe on one wall, a matching vanity complete with mirror, and in the center of the room, a king sized bed.  It was made up with a white comforter and a lot of matching pillows.  Down, no doubt.  It looked so comfortable! 
“You have your own private bath and there are clothes already in the wardrobe for you to choose from,” Ricco was saying.  Brea barely heard.  She was already checking out the private bath, admiring the assortment of shampoos and body washes there.  She noticed there was a lot of strawberry scented items.  “If you  need  anything, just come down and ask for Freida.  She is the housekeeper and cook.  She will see to your lunch at about two.  Dinner is served at eight o’clock sharp in the dining hall.  Someone will be along to get you at that time.”  Ricco turned and then stopped.  “I recommend a nap.  It may be a long night.  The master of the house, as you know, is a night person.”  And then Brea was alone.

     She stood there for a moment, dumbfound and awestruck.  This was nice!  A girl could get used to living like this.  Brea opened the wardrobe and sucked in her breath.  There was a variety of clothing hanging there, everything from jeans and t-shirts to evening gowns.  There was a note pinned to the rail.

I hope these are to your
liking, I picked them out especially for you.  Since I didn’t know what you liked or would need, I may have overdone it a bit.

Angel

     So he had gone shopping for her.  Brea found
herself smiling at the gesture, but then remembered who it was.  Apparently, the man thought he could buy her.  Not likely.  She turned to the dresser and opened the drawers.  One was filled with bras and panties, her size exactly, most of them lacy and pretty.  Another was full of nightclothes.  Brea saw a flash of black lace and lifted the material.  Gah!  It was the scariest piece of lingerie she had ever seen.  It still had the French tags on it, to assure her it was new.   Brea wondered just what made him think she would wear it.   There was also a bathing suit.  It was a respectable two piece.  Brea knew what she wanted to do to pass the time until lunch.

     She stepped into the suit,
then covered herself with a towel.  Then, she padded down the hall barefoot and into the library.  She picked out a book and wandered to the back of the house. 

     Just as she suspected, there was a large pool out back.  She touched her toes to the water, then her whole foot.  It was pleasantly warm.  Dropping the book and towel aside, Brea leapt into the water.  She swam laps around the pool until her muscles began to complain, then settled in a lawn chair and read.

     “It is time for lunch, ma’Lady,” Brea looked up into the kind face of the housekeeper and cook.  Freida.  She was short and pudgy, grey hair framed her aged face.  Her eyes were warm and kind, her heart shaped face lined with age and laughter.  She reminded Brea of her long lost grandmother.

    
“You must be Freida, it is nice to meet you.  I’m Brea.”

    
“I know, ma’Lady.  I have prepared lunch for you.  Will you take it out here, or inside?”

    
“I guess I should come inside,” Brea mused, noticing that her skin was turning pink.  It was so easy for her to burn, she never spent much time outside.  “I will be there in about five minutes.”

     Brea ate her lunch
alone, and retired back to her room.  Freida was an excellent cook.  Brea was so full, she thought she might actually take that nap Ricco had suggested.  But once in her room again, Brea couldn’tbe still.  At last, she thought of what to do.  She fetched her cell phone out of her bag and dialed.
 A
Hey, Keelie, it’s Brea.   You are not going to believe this!”

     Angel was aware of Brea the moment she entered the front gates.  He could smell her, even in his sleep.  It pleased him that she made herself at home in his house.  That was what he wanted.  That was the purpose of letting her have free reign during the day.  He wanted her to be comfortable. 

     He heard her gasp when she found the lingerie he had left in her drawer.  He had no specific reason for buying it, wishful thinking, maybe.  He knew she would be stunning in it.  A man could hope, couldn
’t he?

     Even though he was awake, Angel made no move to go to her.  He listened as she talked to her werewolf friend on the phone, and he finally settled back into his slumber when he heard the steady breathing from the next room.  She had fallen asleep.  Good.  He would see her that night.

     The man on the other side was most definitely a vampire.  He was tall, six foot at least, pale skin and sharp, angular features.  His black hair was so black that it had a slight blue sheen to it.  It was restrained neatly behind his neck with a leather tie.  He stared at her momentarily with icy blue eyes, so pale that the color almost wasn
’t there at all. 

     Brea just stood there in the open door, staring at the man open mouthed.  She couldn
’t get over just how beautiful vampires were.  It was one of their weapons.  Prey would fall easier to something that was pleasing to look at.  And this man was definitely eye-candy.

    
“Hello, Breanna,” he caressed her with his voice, “I am Sebastian.  I am head of vampire security.  It is an honor to meet you.”

    
“Brea,” she corrected.

    
“Brea,” he said, nodding.  “I am supposed to prepare you for your duties while you are here.  Will you walk with me?”

     Brea nodded and stepped out into the hall. 
“Where’s Angel?” she asked.

    
“He is seeing to his responsibilities right now, he has asked that I see that you are entertained until he is able to return.”

    
“You mean he is out feeding on some unsuspecting fool,” she muttered under her breath.  Sebastian laughed.  Brea hadn’t meant to say it out loud, and she felt the blood pooling under her cheeks.   “I’m sorry, that wasn’t fair.”

    
“It is fine.  You don’t know much about vampires, do you?” he asked, smiling.

    
“No,” she admitted.

    
“I will be happy to inform you of anything you wish to know,” Sebastian offered.

    
“Do you feed on humans?”

    
“If the human is willing,” he answered honestly.  “When a willing donor isn’t available, we have supplies.  We keep blood on hand.  One never knows when there will be a willing partner.  We do prefer it fresh, however, it is not necessary.”

    
“Oh,” Brea said. 

     
“So you need have no fear of becoming dinner, my dear.  No one here will touch you without permission.  Angel has forbidden it, and it would be just plain rude.”  That was a relief to Brea.  “Besides,” he continued, “Angel will be joining us for dinner in one hour.  He will be most displeased to find you anything other than content.”

    
“What is for dinner?” Brea asked, her stomach rumbling.

    
“We will have steak.  If that is not satisfactory for you, I will ask Freida to prepare something different for you.”

    
“Don’t be silly, steak will be fine.”

    
“Very well, now, as for your job here.  You are to assist Angel directly with the preparations for the arrival of the council.  That means preparing the menu, suggesting the wine, overseeing the decoration of the Great Hall, shopping and ordering supplies, things like that.”

    
“What council?”

    
“The vampire council.  All the leaders from across the globe will be here in less than a week’s time for the monthly meeting.  It is Angel’s turn to host.”

    
“I suppose it worked out well with his tour schedule then,” Brea said.

     Sebastian laughed. 
“That was the intention.  His tours are scheduled to accommodate the meetings.  He is at a meeting in every town he performs in.  Otherwise, he would not be able to continue his life as a musician.  The responsibilities of a clan leader are vast, and he does a phenomenal job of balancing the two.”

    
“Clan leader?”Brea gulped.
 A
He’s a leader?”

    
“Yes.  He is the leader of all the vampires in this region.  Did he not tell you that?”

    
“No, it must have slipped his mind.”

    
“It is not a position he advertises.  Many people, humans and vampire alike, would see him dead because of his position.  Humans who are ignorant or afraid of vampires see the opportunity to eliminate a powerful being, and take it.  They do not consider the consequences of their actions, nor do they consider the vampire’s people.  We, under his reign, know and love Angel.  But others would kill him to take his throne.  Therefore, we keep his identity secret.  All clan leaders do. I trust you have been informed about our privacy policy?”

    
“Yes, I know.  Don’t worry, I have no reason to betray the trust of your people.”  So the famous Angel Knight was a clan leader!  A ruler of other vampires.  His music was a cover for his travels.  How very interesting.

     Sebastian led Brea into the dining hall.  There were several people already present, milling around and talking quietly to each other.  Brea recognized Ricco and Freida
and a few from the restaurant.  That was it.  One man approached Brea immediately. 

    
“Ma ’Lady,” he said, taking her hand, “I am Jacque.”

    
“Brea,” she answered, noticing how his eyes seemed to change from a honey color to a golden brown right before her eyes.  His dark hair was cropped short, spiking up at uneven intervals.  He wore a silver ring through his eyebrow and matching rings in his earlobes. 

    
“
Enchante
,
Mademoiselle
,” he cooed in French, kissing the back of Brea’s hand.  “You are as lovely as ever.”

    
“Um, thanks,” Brea mumbled.

    
“Jacque is part of Angel’s personal security, as well as his drummer,” Sebastian explained.  Brea thought he looked like a drummer. 

     Brea met the others one by one, each of them kissing her hand and slightly bowing to her.  It made her very uncomfortable.  There was Rebel, the guitar player, Gage, the bass player, and Antonio, the rhythm guitar player.  All of them were exceedingly nice,
and all of them gave Brea the creeps.  At least, this time, no one asked her if she was on the menu.

     Angel stood just outside the entryway to the dining hall.  He listened to his family introduce themselves to Brea, and to her responses.  Everyone was perfectly polite, perfectly formal, as they were told to be.  Angel smiled.  The young
woman seemed to be getting along well.  He wondered what she decided to wear?  Had she chosen one of the items he bought for her?  Or had she worn one of her own? 

     Angel had taken great care in dressing himself that evening.  It was to be the first of hopefully many nights to come.  He wore his black leather pants, a blue silk dress shirt, and his boots.  He tied his long black hair back behind his neck, and had even splashed on the smallest amount of cologne.  It was a fragrance many females seemed to enjoy, and he hoped Brea would like it as well.

     He was deliberately late for dinner.  He had guests earlier, but he could have made it on time.  No, he wanted to make an entrance.  For Brea.  He had to do anything and everything to get and keep her attention.  After deciding that he had piddled enough, Angel stepped into the dining hall.