“Oh… um… thanks.”
“But I did have one note for the show’s artistic director.”
“What’s that?” I asked, curious.
“It would have been more compelling if the weapons were real.”
I searched his eyes, but I didn’t think he was kidding.
“That would make for a short run,” I said.
Lucian grinned wolfishly. “Yes, I suppose it would, but it could be billed as dinner and a show.”
I stared at him blankly. I knew blood was a thing in your family, but you were always so controlled and careful about it. How did Lucian and Lena go about satisfying their thirst?
“Are you hungry right now?” I asked.
Lucian licked his lips slowly. “We’realwayshungry. It’s both a blessing and a curse.”
“So, are you and Henri close?” I asked. A change of subject was in order.
“We’ve drifted apart over the years, but I hope we will soon be much closer.”
“That’s… good.”
“May I ask you a personal question?” Lucian asked, leaning in a little closer. I’d swear his nostrils flared. Was he sniffing me?
“Yes,” I said, uneasy.
“When Henri told you of the Angel of Death’s prophecy, was there some part of you that suspected it might be true?”
I pursed my lips and stared at the torn label on my bottle of water. I’d been picking at it without realizing.
“I didn’t care,” I said honestly.
Lucian nodded as though understanding. “I am sorry that it couldn’t be easier for the two of you. Such devotion in a human is hard to find.”
I puzzled over his words, and we arrived soon after at a driveway concealed by a jungle of tropical plants. There was a guard waiting at the wrought-iron gate. His suit looked similar to Lucian’s, and he wore dark sunglasses despite dusk already settling. I remembered what you’d said about having a sensitivity to light in your bloodborn body and wondered if that was the reason. The gate opened and the limo continued up a long, circular driveway until it came to a stop in front of a beautiful, sprawling, white stucco mansion.
I should have been terrified entering into this strange compound inhabited by blood-sucking demons, but the thought didn’t stick. I felt giddy and weightless, like I was high on weed with a dash of ecstasy thrown in. The blood in my body was flowing to all the wrong places.
“Does everyone in your family have the power of seduction?” I asked Lucian as we climbed out of the limo.
His gaze swiveled toward me, and a slow, self-satisfied smile spread across his face.
“Yes,” he purred. “Are you feeling it now?”
“Ummm…”
He took my hand and stroked my arm just a little, sending a cascade of tremors through me that weakened my knees.
“So receptive,” he remarked slyly, then let me go.
I followed him up a wide marble staircase. Lucian didn’t touch me again, but I felt anchored to him as we walked, as though some invisible force compelled me to him.
He led me to a large sauna. Steam from the baths obscured the view so I couldn’t really tell how large the room was. An open window near where I stood overlooked a large tropical garden that was decorated with fountains and statues, most of them nude.
“Our servants will tend to you,” Lucian said, then went and sat on the ledge of the open window, still watching me.
