towered over him.
“Bell has asked to meet these two,” Tanish said, giving Joseph a stern look.
Joseph growled under his breath and turned back to the gate.
“And you’re not immortal,” Tanish said. “You can be killed. It’s just harder than it used to be. Much harder.”
“Not too hard,” Joseph called behind him. “We’re here,” he said tersely in the direction of the house.
“So we don’t age, or what?” Chad asked from the stone drive, eyeing Joseph warily.
Tanish sighed. “Get up,” he said, holding out a hand and helping Chad off the ground. “That’s partially true. You don’t see old vampires and that’s because you have to be very healthy to survive the transformation. You also don’t see many young vampires for the same reason. But we do age. It is very, very slow, but we do.”
“Cool,” Chad said again.
“We’re here!” Joseph repeated.
A tall woman appeared seemingly out of nowhere on the other side of the wrought iron. She had dark skin, and brooding brown eyes.
“Holy crap!” Chad said in alarm. “Where did she come from?”
Tanish glared at him.
“Joseph,” she said, nodding. “Tanish,” she said with what was almost a bow.
“Nice to see you, Jess,” Tanish replied with a charming smile.
“Open the gate,” Joseph said impatiently.
The woman named Jess smirked at Joseph, and took her time with the lock, extracting an old fashioned skeleton key on a heavy chain from under her shirt.
“You look lovely tonight,” Tanish said as the gate swung wide. Joseph rushed past them.
Her eyes brightened a bit at Tanish’s remark, but she didn’t respond, and instead stared appraisingly at Chad.
“New turns?” she asked.
“Has it ever been more obvious? This is Chad,” Tanish said, gesturing to the stocky man next to Michael. He smiled broadly and practically leapt through the gate in his excitement.
“A lady vampire,” he said, shaking her hand and looking amused.
“And this is Michael,” Tanish said.
“Nice to meet you,” Michael said quietly, with a respectful nod.
“Hmm,” Jess said in surprise. “Interesting.”
Tanish flashed his thousand-watt smile. “You really do look beautiful tonight.”
“Stop it,” Jess said and shooed him like she would a fly.
Joseph reappeared behind them. Michael didn’t think he would ever get used to how fast they moved.
“Let’s go,” he said, “Bell won’t wait all night.”
“Alright, come in then,” Jess gestured to Michael.
Michael stepped over into the yard feeling foolish.
The house was one hundred yards past the gate. It was enormous. Even from this distance Michael could see that there were at least a couple of dozen people dancing on the well-lit terrace. Jazz drifted across the smooth lawn.
The vampire named Jess closed the gate gently and locked it. The five of them marched across the well-kept lawn toward the house. As they approached, the music washed over them from the side of the house where hundreds of Chinese lanterns hung over the circular patio. People with fancy clothes and sparkling wine glasses laughed and swayed with the music.
Michael could feel his anxiety rising. His palms were sweating. He tried to straighten the wrinkles in his pink button-down, and frowned at the dark stains on his dress pants. I hate parties.
But they did not go out onto the terrace. Instead, Joseph led the group through the tall oak front doors. The ancient-looking door knockers bore two bold letters—B and S. They rattled angrily as Joseph threw the doors open. They were in a large entry room with white stone floors, leading to beautiful cherry wood stairs, each step as wide as Michael’s whole apartment. Joseph pointed them down a hallway that was just past the staircase.
“You good?” he asked Tanish.
“I think I can handle it from here,” Tanish replied, but Joseph was already gone.
The hallway was very wide.
“Bell has asked to meet these two,” Tanish said, giving Joseph a stern look.
Joseph growled under his breath and turned back to the gate.
“And you’re not immortal,” Tanish said. “You can be killed. It’s just harder than it used to be. Much harder.”
“Not too hard,” Joseph called behind him. “We’re here,” he said tersely in the direction of the house.
“So we don’t age, or what?” Chad asked from the stone drive, eyeing Joseph warily.
Tanish sighed. “Get up,” he said, holding out a hand and helping Chad off the ground. “That’s partially true. You don’t see old vampires and that’s because you have to be very healthy to survive the transformation. You also don’t see many young vampires for the same reason. But we do age. It is very, very slow, but we do.”
“Cool,” Chad said again.
“We’re here!” Joseph repeated.
A tall woman appeared seemingly out of nowhere on the other side of the wrought iron. She had dark skin, and brooding brown eyes.
“Holy crap!” Chad said in alarm. “Where did she come from?”
Tanish glared at him.
“Joseph,” she said, nodding. “Tanish,” she said with what was almost a bow.
“Nice to see you, Jess,” Tanish replied with a charming smile.
“Open the gate,” Joseph said impatiently.
The woman named Jess smirked at Joseph, and took her time with the lock, extracting an old fashioned skeleton key on a heavy chain from under her shirt.
“You look lovely tonight,” Tanish said as the gate swung wide. Joseph rushed past them.
Her eyes brightened a bit at Tanish’s remark, but she didn’t respond, and instead stared appraisingly at Chad.
“New turns?” she asked.
“Has it ever been more obvious? This is Chad,” Tanish said, gesturing to the stocky man next to Michael. He smiled broadly and practically leapt through the gate in his excitement.
“A lady vampire,” he said, shaking her hand and looking amused.
“And this is Michael,” Tanish said.
“Nice to meet you,” Michael said quietly, with a respectful nod.
“Hmm,” Jess said in surprise. “Interesting.”
Tanish flashed his thousand-watt smile. “You really do look beautiful tonight.”
“Stop it,” Jess said and shooed him like she would a fly.
Joseph reappeared behind them. Michael didn’t think he would ever get used to how fast they moved.
“Let’s go,” he said, “Bell won’t wait all night.”
“Alright, come in then,” Jess gestured to Michael.
Michael stepped over into the yard feeling foolish.
The house was one hundred yards past the gate. It was enormous. Even from this distance Michael could see that there were at least a couple of dozen people dancing on the well-lit terrace. Jazz drifted across the smooth lawn.
The vampire named Jess closed the gate gently and locked it. The five of them marched across the well-kept lawn toward the house. As they approached, the music washed over them from the side of the house where hundreds of Chinese lanterns hung over the circular patio. People with fancy clothes and sparkling wine glasses laughed and swayed with the music.
Michael could feel his anxiety rising. His palms were sweating. He tried to straighten the wrinkles in his pink button-down, and frowned at the dark stains on his dress pants. I hate parties.
But they did not go out onto the terrace. Instead, Joseph led the group through the tall oak front doors. The ancient-looking door knockers bore two bold letters—B and S. They rattled angrily as Joseph threw the doors open. They were in a large entry room with white stone floors, leading to beautiful cherry wood stairs, each step as wide as Michael’s whole apartment. Joseph pointed them down a hallway that was just past the staircase.
“You good?” he asked Tanish.
“I think I can handle it from here,” Tanish replied, but Joseph was already gone.
The hallway was very wide.
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