Karson stood by the fireplace, regarding me with an open curiosity.
Michael sat his drink on the coffee table and stood up, wearing dark pants and a black t-shirt, revealing a leather necklace with a silver pendant and a tanned, sleek chest. His beauty, like Karson’s, was enough to make any woman’s heart flutter. I presumed they were designed by nature like this to draw their prey. Like a glow worm on a cave wall, the insects drawn by the beauty of their light, only to become dinner.
Michael kissed my hand. “Amelia, you look radiant tonight.”
Monique turned her head away and pursed her lips. Were they a couple? I had not seen exchanges of affection between them, but they seemed to arrive and leave together, and she was most definitely annoyed when he paid me attention. The thought left my mind when Dahlia walked in, dressed exactly as she had been the first night in the bar, all black. She was incredibly sexy, in a lethal, don’t-mess-with-me way.
“Dahlia, lovely to see you, you look gorgeous, as always,” Michael said.
“Michael, I wish I could say the same.”
He smiled. He made no attempt to reach for her hand.
Karson stepped toward the door, he indicated with his hand. “Shall we?”
I followed them in and paused just inside. The table was full of food. No decanters of blood, which was a relief. There were three lit silver antique candelabras placed evenly down the table. The lighting was dim, the side door was open, the sheer white curtain caught by a gentle breeze floated in softly. The room held an elegant, romantic vibe. I studied Karson as he pulledup the end chair and sat down, I wondered if the room were an unconscious reflection of a part of his soul he kept buried somewhere beneath the tough exterior.
Michael pulled a chair out for Dahlia, indicating with his hand for her to sit. Ignoring him, she grabbed a plate, knife and fork and moved behind him, seating herself at the end of the table. It was a huge table, she would be a long way away. I didn’t know where to sit, all the plates were set up on one end. Next to Karson or Michael? I didn’t want to sit anywhere near Monique. They all sat down. Delaying the process for as long as possible I picked up a yellow rose and smelled it, all thorns had been removed, cinnamon and honey floated in my nostrils.
“What’s the matter, Amy—are you scared we’ll bite?” Monique said in a way that suggested she might like to.
Yes.My stomach twisted. I didn’t respond. I placed the rose back in the vase.
“You sit beside me, Amy,” Dahlia ordered.
I collected a plate and knife and fork and found a place about halfway down the table. The smell of lamb, freshly sliced and still misting, rolled up my nose and made me feel nauseous. They began serving from the various plates. Monique forked pieces of meat, still dripping with blood, onto her plate. I had to look away.
“Are you expecting more guests, Karson?” I asked.
“No, why?”
“How much do you eat?”
He spread out his hands with a casual indifference. “It’s better to have too much than too little. Please help yourself.” He gestured with his head to the food. It seemed an excessive waste to me, one which was hard to fathom. Which made me think of the homeless man.
Beware of the one with red eyes, so much blood, so much blood.
A wave of cold rolled from the base of my neck to the bottom of my spine. Gooseflesh crawled over my body.
Karson glanced at my arms and got up to shut the glass door.
God, did nothing get past him?
“Is there something wrong with the food?” he asked as he sat down.
Monique huffed a laugh. “She’s too worried she is the food.” She took a bite of carrot, making sure to show me her sharp pointy fangs.
I shifted uncomfortably on my seat.
“Monique,” Karson said, lifting a steely gaze in her direction. “Must you?”
“Ignore her, Amelia,” Michael said, throwing her a pointed look. “You would think after all these decades she might have found some resemblance of maturity.”
Decades?
Monique responded with a sly smirk, forking a piece of crimson meat into her mouth. I scooped some roast potatoes, corn the color of morning sun drizzled with lashings of melted butter, pumpkin, cauliflower, broccoli, beans, and carrots. I took a bite of potato. It was crispy on the outside and marshmallow soft on the inside.
An awkward silence hovered all around us.
