Bathe In Fire - Shadows of the Night 2

Chapter 30

Hi!

I just finished editing this one, and I'm dying to know what you all think about it. So, whatever your thoughts are/were while reading this, please let me know!!! I'm counting on you to help me make this as good as possible ;-)  Oh, and thank you for reading! I don't take it for granted, and I want you to know that!

Lara

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Chapter 30

I stared at the head vampire in disbelief. What in the three great witches' name was he doing here?

He was close. Way too close. And for a tiny moment I thought I felt his breath on my neck – pure, unadulterated electricity crawling up and down my skin in a slow dance.

“Hello, little witch,” Alexander said softly, his blue eyes resting on me.

I felt uneasy. Not that the fact that standing in front of the head vampire of New York in itself wasn't enough incentive. No, there was more to it. I felt uneasy because something in his stance and the texture of his voice told me that he was not amused. It was like a slab of dark clouds rolling in from the horizon, followed by a deep rumble of thunder that would shake and rattle anything in its wake. Was I imagining things? Was he simply annoyed by the crammed bodies around us? Or had he overheard part of my conversation with Laura? Could it be that simple? I sighed inwardly. Things were never that simple where the head vampire was concerned.

“Hi, Alexander,” I said, trying not to stare too much at his chest, which was only partly concealed by a black shirt, its top buttons left open. His marbled facial features were manly and sublime, perfectly shaped lips strikingly red against the whiteness of his skin. The unnatural glow and the way he moved whenever he entered a room made him stand out – and I hated to admit that it did so in a good way. Simply by being there, by the simple act of entering, he drew the collective eye to him with an eerie attract-repulse magnetism I had no name for. It was the kind of attention you felt compelled to give while knowing that too much of it could get you killed.

The first thought that popped into my mind was to ask just what I had been thinking. Certainly there had to be a reason why Alexander showed up, some nefarious, diabolical plan behind all this. I bit back the words. I didn’t need a fortune teller to guess the answer on that one. Yeah, I and Laura had already ventilated the topic of him being invited thoroughly. Still. The thought of Alexander coming here to sing me a Happy Birthday was too grotesque to entertain. So, why was he here?

“I take it you received my present?” he said, assessing my appearance with his unwavering gaze.

My breath caught when I saw something more in his eyes. I shivered. For a moment I believed it was something I’d seen before: The kind of look a woman got from a man – a look that was both assessing and thorough, almost like a physical sensation. The kind of look that made you feel you’re being undressed, layers of cloth peeled back to look at what’s behind.

Oh no, the tequila was messing with me and my head again. It had to be. There was too much wrongness in the territory my thoughts had been straying into. I stared back at his cold face in shock, becoming aware of the fire burning through my metabolism. I looked again. No, there wasn’t a single trace of anything remotely close to human emotions. I’d been seeing things. I decided then and there that I wouldn’t be having any more alcohol this night.

I ran my hand through my hair nervously. I take it you received my present, he’d said. It had been Alexander’s gift all the while. It was neither Andy, nor my godmother. I had my answer. And, was I any happier about it? No.