It was a surreal sensation, walking through the halls of a new school. I remembered what a nerve-wracking change high school seemed like during the first days of freshman year. Now it was not so much a big step as new territory.
I managed to get into a fifth period film elective with Noel so at least I'd see one familiar face during my day.
Mom invited Dante over for dinner after my first day at West. He brought over a bottle of sparkling apple cider, which my mom drank instead of soda. She hummed as she filled three champagne flutes and handed them out.
"So your classes are all right and the students seem cool?" Dante asked.
"Roger that, Dante."
Dante smacked his fist on the table. "That's the spirit!"
"Yeah, yeah, but enough about me," I said. "How's your semester going at the ol' U of A?"
"I have a good mix of easy and difficult classes. Need to allow time for the extracurricular activities." Dante winked.
Mom giggled as though we were all in on the joke. "Do you get called to duty very often?" she asked.
"Not that much, though this is turning into a busy year. The agents are sending me to Kotzebue this weekend."
"What's happening in Kotzebue?" I asked.
"There's a rabid vampire terrorizing the village."
"Do you need my help?"
"Much as I'd like it, this mission's simple. Anyway, it's your first week at a new school."
"I wouldn't mind," I said. "It's not like I get to travel anywhere else. Might as well get a glimpse of the back country."
"I wouldn't worry about that too much."
I shrugged. "Well, best of luck saving the town of Kotzebue. Don't forget to pack your mukluks."
"Right, I'll bring you back some seal meat."
I smacked Dante's shoulder, and he smacked me back. Mom grinned. I hadn't seen her this happy in too long.
Parts of me felt content. Other parts felt broken. The most important lesson I'd learned over the past couple months was to be strong. Sometimes, that meant laughing with company even with a heart split in two.
"Pssst," Noel said the next day in film class.
I raised a brow. She was seated beside me, and class hadn't started yet, so there was still a lot of noise as students walked in and settled into their seats. She must've been in a good mood because she wasn't all hooded as she tended to be when she was acting moody.
"Marcus is having a party Saturday night. He mentioned there are a couple vamps in town from Fairbanks who might show."
My heart began thumping.
"No one by the name you mentioned, but maybe I can find out something from these other two - Greg and James."
I tapped my pen over my notebook. "It's worth a shot."
I'd finally get a chance to meet Marcus.
Maybe Fane would show up.
Scratch that. That wasn't the reason I lied to my mom on Saturday afternoon about sleeping over at Noel's so we could stay up late working on a film project.
It would have been so much easier if I had been teaming up with Dante. Mom would have handed us party hats and said, "Have a good time. Stay out as late as you want."
I didn't have time for my mom's hang ups. I had responsibilities. Besides, maybe with a bit of sleuthing, Noel and I could figure out where Renard was holed up. That would show the agents just how valuable we newbies could be.
I don't know what Marcus did for money, but bank robbery wasn't out of the question. He had a tall two-story townhouse overlooking the inlet, and everything from the floor to the furniture to the decor to the lighting was magnificent.
Noel and I entered through a massive hand-carved wooden door with a panel of etched glass on each side and walked in over large slabs of sand-colored stone. I felt like Dorothy walking down the yellow brick road.
"Is this like the VIP Vamp party," I whispered to Noel. "You didn't prepare me for this."
Noel smiled. "How could I?"
There was a large open layout from the entrance to a kitchen that looked down into a massive living room several steps down. Artwork hung from the walls, and statues sat on pieces of furniture that were just as beautiful and unique as the objects they supported.
"Joyeux, Noel! There you are."
A man in a black and white floral silk shirt and white pants walked over and kissed Noel on each cheek. His hair was luscious. It flipped off his forehead and tapered off under his ears.
"Hello, Marcus."
He looked me over. "And who is this?"
"I'm a new student at West," I stammered. "But not...new. You know?"
"What is your name?"
"Aurora."
Marcus's eyes lit up. "Noel and Aurora. I like this. My dark haired duet." He reached out and took some of my hair in his hand.
I glanced sideways at Noel.
"Nice, very nice, but I do not like this scarf. You must not hide your neck. There is nothing as beautiful as...the neck."
I stared transfixed into Marcus's pale blue eyes as he spoke.
He turned back to Noel. "It is good you brought her here. Now make sure she has a good time."
"Yes, Marcus."
Once he'd moved away and I was able to breathe again, Noel took my arm. She led me to the kitchen. The cabinets were made of solid oak with custom iron handles. No two were the same. All of the appliances were stainless steel surrounded by granite countertops. Champagne flowed from a small silver fountain on the counter.
This was more like it.
I'd take the high-class assignments over boarded-up shacks in rundown neighborhoods any day. I couldn't imagine anyone foul enough to be friends with Ivo turning up to this grand affair. Guess I'd just have to enjoy myself and see if I could pick up any information.
"Champagne?" Noel asked, looking at the empty glasses on a silver tray beside the fountain.
"I don't know. My last experience with champagne was a bit rough. Then again, I did drink an entire bottle in one sitting."
A lean young man with tight abs and thick dark hair walked into the kitchen. Noel's eyes lit up when she saw him. "Henry!"
So this was Henry. He embraced Noel.
"Henry, I want you to meet my friend, Aurora Sky."
Henry turned to me with a devilish smile and extended his free hand to not exactly shake, but grasp, mine for several beats. "Any friend of Noel's is a friend of mine. Welcome, Aurora."
"Thanks."
"Aurora just transferred to West as well," Noel added.
"Wonderful, then my girl here is in good company." Henry broke away from Noel to grab two champagne glasses. "May I?" he asked, filling each glass in the fountain.
"Thank you," I said after he handed me a glass.
"What's this, Henry? Trying to keep all the beautiful ladies to yourself?" An equally dashing boy strolled into the kitchen. His hair was light brown and streaked with gold highlights.
I was beginning to understand how Whitney and Hope could willingly allow themselves to be bitten.
Henry grinned. "Gavin, meet Noel's friend, Aurora Sky. She's new at West."
"A pleasure," Gavin said, eyes sparkling like the champagne in my glass. "We are very happy to have you at our school."
"How about we give Aurora a tour of the palace?" Henry suggested.
"Good idea." Gavin held his arm out for me.
I took it. Might as well get a lay of the land. Henry did the same for Noel. So they were ridiculously charming. Big deal. They'd had centuries to practice.
Henry led us across the stone steps that connected the door to the kitchen and living room. "These stones were imported from Jerusalem."
I looked down. "You're kidding."
Henry grinned. "Come see the upstairs."
The upstairs to Marcus's palace was accessed via a spiral staircase with wood steps. Its iron railing curled and twisted like meticulously planned doodles from the posts to the steps. I pulled my arm out of Gavin's to walk up single file.
There was a view of the living room from the balcony at the top of the stairs. Henry led us into a guest room with a bed high off the ground, the mattress level with a large window. "Marcus believes that if one has an ocean view, he should be able to see it from his bed."
"Makes sense," I muttered, staring around the room in awe.
The space was covered in art and curiosities on all sides. You'd think it would look cluttered, but the effect was fascinating. Statues sat on the floor beside upholstered armchairs and chaise lounges. There was a large turtle, his back made out of green tiles, and a three-foot statue of a faun like the one in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe standing beside a stained glass lamp. A hand-carved wooden lion sat at the head of the bed looking into the room.
I no longer felt like Dorothy. Now, I was Lucy stepping through the wardrobe into Narnia.
"Wait until you see the shower," Noel said. "It has its own room."
I just laughed.
Henry led us to a glass wall enclosing a walk-in shower with a rainforest mural inside done entirely in tile. The shower could easily fit ten people.
My eyes were bugging out of my head. "Wow."
"Yeah," Noel said.
"Want to see the rest of the rooms?" Henry asked.
I nodded.
The next door we came across was shut with a silver bat dangling from the doorknob.
"That means do not disturb," Gavin said. "There's one for each guest room should you ever need it."
My cheeks heated instantly. I looked away.
Henry swooped in and took my arm. "Come on, there are plenty more rooms to see. This place is like an after-hours museum. Lucky for us, Marcus is fond of company. You'll find the gates to the palace are almost always open."
I glanced at the artwork on the walls as Henry escorted me into another guest room. This one was painted and decorated in various shades of orange. There was a hand-sewn bat pillow propped on a low seat, his flat felt wings spread over the chair. He looked straight ahead with orange glass eyes.
"This is the October room," Henry said.
I craned my head around the room. I had to ask. "How did Marcus get to be so rich? Don't tell me he's been saving for several centuries?"
Henry laughed. "No, nothing as mundane as that. All this is paid for by his benefactor, Richard Nielsen, of Nielsen's Fine Art Gallery."
I should have been revolted. Instead I smiled and nearly laughed. "You mean Marcus is a kept vampire?"
Henry chuckled. "Marcus enjoys the good life."
"And his lover is human, correct?"
"That's right."
"He doesn't care that Marcus is a vampire?"
"He cares a lot. It's an added bonus, in fact."
I screwed up my face. "So he likes all the bloodsucking and biting?"
Henry looked me over carefully. "A lot more than you, apparently." He took my arm and led me back to the door. "What Richard really likes is a man who won't age and a man who can't get sick."
I looked away. "Oh."
"We'll be down in a moment," Gavin said as Henry and I started out of the October room.
I glanced back. Noel was conveniently inspecting figurines on a Creamsicle-colored shelf.
"Don't worry," Henry said. "I'll show Aurora the way back." He turned to me and smiled. "It looks like you could use a refill."
I glanced at my half-empty champagne glass. I hadn't drunk that much. How could I with my mouth hanging open in awe of the place?
"Sure," I said.
When I looked back over my shoulder, the silver bat hung from the doorknob of the October room.
"You are curious," Henry said to me smoothly. "And yet cautious. I'll be honest. It makes me want to bite you even more. You should not be here until you are ready." He whispered inside my ear. "The others aren't as considerate as I am."
Shivers ran down my spine.
Henry released my arm at the foot of the spiral staircase. "Enjoy the party, Aurora Sky."
Part of me wished Henry would escort me downstairs. Why did vampire boys have to be so much cooler than normal boys like stupid Scott Stevens?
Dante had said the first bite was better than sex. Maybe it was vampire sex that was better.
On that thought, my cheeks heated. I looked over my shoulder in time to catch Henry slipping inside the October room.
Why was it I wished I could trade places with Noel right then? Maybe it had something to do with the two hotties who would soon be sinking their teeth simultaneously into her neck.
I shook my head violently to clear the visual.
Fine, back down to the party I went. I was just the assassin here. I didn't get to engage in love bites with devastatingly hot vampires. Nope, I got the meanie, nasty, psychotic sickos who ripped through my flesh like rabid wolves and bled all over my clothes.
Remind me what the perks of my job are again?
By the time I'd made it down to the first floor, I'd emptied my champagne glass. I took it inside the kitchen and held it under one of the spouts spurting bubbly.
"Hi there," a woman with platinum blond hair said. "I haven't seen you before. I'm Rachel."
"Hey. My name's Aurora."
The woman smiled. "Well, Aurora, it's nice of you to join us."
People certainly knew how to mingle here.
"Let me know if anyone bothers you."
"Um, thanks." Was this woman a vampire? I didn't see any bite marks on her neck. Vampires really ought to stick out more.
"Don't mention it." Rachel smiled and walked out of the kitchen.
I followed her out and leaned against a wall overlooking the living room. Now me, I wasn't a mingler. I was more of the type to stand nervously in the corner thinking about how I didn't know anyone.
"Hi there." A man in his late twenties joined my side. Like all the other males partying at the palace, he wasn't bad to look at. "Are you friends with Marcus?"
"We just met."
"Same here. I'm William, by the way."
"Aurora."
"That's a pretty name." He smiled and tilted his head toward the living room. "My girlfriend goes way back with Marcus...centuries back."
I turned and looked at him closer. "Your girlfriend's a vampire?" Was it Rachel? How many inter-species couples were there at this thing? Maybe dating Fane wasn't such a big whoop after all - apparently, everyone was doing it. I scanned the women in the crowd. "I haven't met any lady vamps."
William chuckled. "No, you don't come across too many fanged females. Quite the pity."
"How long have you been together?"
"About a year."
"And you're not worried about what will happen when you get older and she doesn't?"
William smirked. "How old are you?"
"Eighteen."
"Shouldn't someone your age be living in the now rather than worrying about the future?"
"It's never too soon to think about the future."
"Life's short. It could end at any moment."
I glanced into the living room. My eyes rested on Marcus. "Or it could go on and on."
William followed the direction of my eyes. "For the chosen. As for the rest, what does it matter when they die?"
I shrugged. Sounded sort of dark.
"Would you like to meet your first lady vampire?"
"Sure."
"She's outside having a smoke. Do you smoke, Aurora?"
"No."
"Ah, of course not, you've got your future to think about."
I guessed it wasn't Rachel, then, because she was standing beside a telescope at the window with another blond woman.
"Do you have a coat?" William asked.
I shook my head. "I left it in the car."
"Then we won't stay outside long."
William hurried me along the front path. "She's smoking by the street," he said. "House rules."
I rubbed my arms. At least I was wearing a long-sleeved shirt. "You know, maybe I should meet her when she comes back inside. That's the trouble with being human," I attempted to joke. "We're susceptible to the cold."
"She's right up here," William said. "Hey, Wendy," he called. "Where are you?"
The name set an alarm off in my head. Before I had a chance to panic, William turned and looked directly at me. "There you are."