* * *
The club ended up being called the Bleeding Hart, not heart, as in a male deer. Their logo was a white deer leaping past a blood red moon. An odd choice for a vampire bar, but then again, I had no basis for comparison. I had no idea if it was a private club or not, and was all set to try and charm my way past the doorman, when he seemed to recognize right away that I was a vampire and let us by with a nod before I could think of a convincing lie. With a grateful smile, I strode into the lion’s den, hoping I looked more like predator than prey.
Bridget didn’t bat an eye at my nerves, chalking it up to my general lack of experience in such things and made a beeline for the bar. I hovered near the door, scanning the room, telling myself I was trying to see if there were any other vampires present, but who was I kidding? I was looking for one vampire alone. I spotted him right away, sitting at a corner table with Mason and an Asian guy, his eyes hooded beneath a dark scowl. Yep, that was him alright.
Without preamble, Bishop approached me, robbing me of the chance to bump into him accidentally. “What are you doing here?” he demanded in a low voice.
“Getting a drink, same as you,” I tried for a nonchalant shrug, but I started to feel awfully warm again.
“That’s not why I’m here. I can’t believe you brought your friend to a place like this.”
“She has a name,” I frowned. Why did he have to be so cranky all the time?
“I don’t want to know her name.” Bishop scowled, but then he seemed to tamp down whatever bothered him. When he spoke again, he sounded more concerned than angry. “You’d better keep an eye on her, it’s dangerous to bring a human to a vampire bar.”
“There are other humans here.” I looked around, I could spot them easily in the crowd, though there were only a few.
“I didn’t say it was forbidden, I said it was dangerous.”
“She can take care of herself.” That and I planned to make sure she survived the experience without learning what kind of a bar she’d been to.
“Can you?”
It almost sounded like he cared… but he was probably worried about the place erupting into bloodshed on his watch. “I’ll be alright.” My chin came up in determination.
“Just try and keep a low profile, alright?”
“Don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine,” I replied with more confidence than I felt. More than anything I wanted to reach out and touch him, see him look at me with something other than disappointment, but for whatever reason, he decided I wasn’t worth his time. So, instead of following after him like a puppy and insinuating myself into his conversation with Mason like I wanted to do, I turned to join Bridget at the bar.
In addition to the long, mahogany bar and the leather booths lining the walls, there were little round tables sprinkled along the edges of an open space that could be a dance floor, though nobody was on it. A single waitress wove her way through the tables and an old fashioned cigarette girl offered smokes and other party favors as well. I supposed vampires didn’t have to worry about lung cancer. That didn’t make it smell any better though, as easily half the patrons were enjoying a smoke. Buried beneath the smell of alcohol and the haze of smoke, the scent of something else… something delectable teased the edge of my senses.
“You don’t have to hang out here with me if you’d rather go cozy up to your friend,” Bridget was already working on her beer as I approached the bar.
“He’s not my friend,” I muttered sourly.
“Could have fooled me. He’s staring at you like you’re a cool drink on a hot, sweaty day.”
My eyes went back to his corner, but Bishop didn’t seem to be paying any attention to me at all, he was deeply engrossed in conversation with the other two. Mason gave me a lopsided grin though and I waved at him in return with a faint smile.
“Who’s your friend?” The bartender sidled up with an appreciative smile for Bridget.
“You two know each other?” I blinked. I knew she hadn’t been to the bar before, what were the odds she’d know the bartender?
“Oh yeah, we go way back, how long has it been, Scotty? Two… maybe three minutes?” Trust Bridget to make friends without any trouble at all.
“Hey beautiful, what can I get ya?” Scotty grinned, looking me up boldly from head to toe. He wasn’t the type of guy I would normally talk to, he had more piercings visible on his face than anyone I’d seen before, but I knew from past experience with Bridget that looks could be deceiving. He was a vampire, which put us on the same side in my books. Ah, I was so naïve back then…
“Ah… surprise me, something strong, okay?” I flashed him a tentative smile.
“I’ve got just the thing,” he winked, pulling out several bottles of alcohol, to concoct a fruity but lethal looking drink.
“I love this fucking song!” Bridget hopped off the barstool and took off for the dance floor, completely unheeding of the fact that no one else was dancing. Sometimes I really wished I had her lack of inhibition, but considering the way everyone in the bar now looked at her, I decided I was happier staying out of the limelight. The thing is, I was catching plenty of interest, I just didn’t know it yet.
“Here you go,” Scotty slid the tall glass across the mahogany bar, watching me expectantly.
I took a tentative sip, pleasantly surprised. “It’s good, what is it?”
“Zombie with an extra kick of grenadine, glad you like it,” he beamed over my simple praise, swabbing at the counter with a wet towel. “This is the first time I’ve seen you in here, are you in town for long?”
“I… haven’t decided yet, I’m sort of playing things by ear,” I answered noncommittally, remembering Bishop’s advice.
“She’s going to be here a good long time,” a voice next to me said, and I turned to see a dapper man in his late twenties with dark hair and a closely sculpted beard smiling at me. He wore a fashionable suit of dark purple and diamond stud earrings winked from both of his ears. His accent sounded Australian, but subtle, not as broad as those ads on TV about shrimps on the barbie. “If we’re lucky, that is.”
“I’m sorry, do I know you?” I blinked, a little surprised at the interruption.
“Not yet. I’m Leander, pleased to make your acquaintance. I own this establishment.”
I accepted his offered hand, surprised when he bent over it, kissing the air above my wrist. “Nice to meet you, Leander, this is a nice place you have here,” I smiled politely. “But what makes you think I’ll be around for very long?”
“Call it a psychic impression,” he grinned, eyes twinkling.
“More like wishful thinking,” another voice interrupted from my left, and I turned, blinking in déjà vu. His double popped up wearing an exact copy of the suit, only in a muted blue. “I’m Jarrod, Leander’s elder brother and half-owner of the Hart. And you are?”
“Overwhelmed…” I breathed, taking his hand. Everyone was so friendly… I started to feel like the belle of the ball.
“You’re smothering her, Jarrod. I was greeting our pretty young miss.” Leander’s smile was brittle.
“Poorly, you didn’t even ask her name,” his brother replied, unfazed.
“Anja,” I said simply, leaving off my last name for the moment. “And I really should be getting back to my friend. How much do I owe you for the drink?” I looked to the bartender who had retreated a few feet with the arrival of the owners.
Scotty shook his head with a half shrug. “Nothing, it’s on the house.”
“Yes, of course it is. Anything you and your friend would care to order for the night is on the house,” Jarrod offered smoothly.
“Oh, I couldn’t possibly accept…”
“You’d best accept it, love. You wouldn’t want to see my brother when he’s been deprived of something he wants,” Leander quipped, and I wasn’t sure quite how to take that statement. Did he mean me, or was he being playfu
l? “In fact, why don’t the two of you join us at our table?”
I looked back to find Bridget on the dance floor, swaying to the beat with a total and complete stranger. For the space of a few seconds I gave myself a mental kick, some guardian I’d turned out to be. But once I realized the guy she danced with was human, I relaxed a little, figuring she could handle him. “Ah… yes, that would be very nice, thank you,” I nodded my assent, holding onto my glass with both hands when they each looked like they wanted to take my arm. Unfortunately, they both took that as an invitation of sorts and looped their arms through mine, escorting me to their table like oddly matching bookends.
At the corner booth were two girls, both human and unremarkably pretty, one fair haired like me but deeply tanned, and the other with smooth café au lait skin and bright copper colored hair, an interesting mix. The man at the table wasn’t a vampire, but he wasn’t completely human either. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it, but it definitely caught my attention. He was attractive, in a dangerous sort of way. Why I thought of danger… I wasn’t really sure. He wasn’t visibly armed, and there were a half dozen other men wearing a casual t-shirt and jeans in the bar. Hair so short I could clearly see his scalp through the dark stubble and five o’clock shadow to match, he exuded an easy confidence, even surrounded by predators. Didn’t anyone own a razor anymore?
“We found ourselves a new friend,” Jarrod beamed as soon as we reached the table. “This is Rob, Cammie and Jett. May I introduce Anja.” He presented me like a trophy and I smiled and nodded to each of them, trying not to look as awkward as I felt. “Scoot down then, girls, make room.” The girls each slid over without complaint, but Rob held his place, forcing one of the brothers to sit at each side of the semi-circular booth. I took the end spot, for which I was grateful, I would have felt trapped with either of the men blocking my way to the exit.
“I’m pleased to meet you all,” I nodded to each in kind, taking another sip of my drink which cooled my dry, parched throat.
“Rob, now that we’ve found another companion, you can have Cammie. You don’t mind, do you, sweetheart?” Leander said in an offhand manner. Clearly they weren’t involved in any kind of serious relationship.
“I don’t mind,” Cammie smiled blandly, but Rob looked completely disinterested in the offer.
“Thanks all the same.” His voice had a distinctly British lilt to it, but not polished, more like from the streets. “Don’t need your castoffs, mate.”
“Too right, Rob here does fine with the ladies, never you fear,” Jarrod winked at me.
“So… how long have you owned this place?” I asked politely.
“Since nineteen twenty-three.” Jarrod raised a champagne glass to his brother.
That made them both at least a hundred years old. I tried not to look too impressed, seeing as how I was supposed to be much older.
“It’s nice to have a private place to relax with our kind and proper villains, eh Rob?” Jarrod raised his glass to Rob, but he didn’t return the salute. Who knew vampires would be such heavy drinkers? But everyone there seemed to have an alcoholic beverage in front of them.
“Don’t lump me in with you lot,” Rob shook his head, eyes crinkling with a smile. “I’m just here for the free drinks.”
“Do you always keep such unusual company?” I asked the man. I couldn’t quite figure him out. He seemed almost annoyed by the twins’ company, but there he was at their table. Was he really just there for the free booze?
“It seems that way these days, but things are looking up.” He raised his beer to me before drinking, and I smiled softly over what I took to be a compliment.
“Now then, tell us every little dark secret you keep locked away in the dusty corners of your soul.” Leander’s eyes shone eagerly. “We want to learn absolutely everything there is to know about you.”