He grinned and took a wallet from the inner pocket of his jacket. He placed a hundred-dollar bill on the bar. “Keep the change.”
“I think I like you,” I said.
“The feeling is entirely mutual.”
“Who are you, anyhow?”
“Nicolai is a vampire elder,” Thierry said. “Whom I hope is only passing through town.”
That surprised me. I’d expected a vampire elder to have a long white beard and walk with a cane. Not look like that Russian boxer who kicked Stallone’s butt inRocky IV . Live and learn.
“Yes, I will not be here long. I have been in town on other business, but I wanted to investigate the rumors I’ve recently heard before I leave. Of the Slayer of Slayers.” His gaze moved leisurely down my face and neck to my chest. “Is it true that you killed eight hunters that night without sustaining a single injury?”
“It was nine,” I lied. “And Idid break a nail. See? Rumors can’t be trusted.”
One hunter named Peter who wanted me dead. One gun. Me or him. Nightmares ever since that woke me almost every night in tears.
Yeah, it was good being the Slayer of Slayers. Big fun.
I glanced over at Thierry. Thierry, my boyfriend, who had referred to me just a minute ago as his bartender. I didn’t think I liked that very much. But maybe he figured that our personal lives were none of
Nicolai’s business. Plus he said some vampires were dangerous, and I knew this dude was one of them. I could feel it. His age, his power, crawling up my arms like dancing ants.
Nicolai nodded. “Your talents are being wasted here. I would like you to consider joining the Ring.”
“Forget it,” Thierry said quickly.
“What’s the Ring?” I asked. “Does it have anything to do with that scary movie with the creepy little girl in the well? Because that really freaked me out.”
He laughed. “The Ring is a group of vampire elders who act as counsel to the vampire community.”
“A useless organization of self-involved, power-hungry opportunists who love to hear themselves talk,”
Thierry growled.
Nicolai’s smile grew cold. “We do what we must to survive. And we do what we must to help others of our kind survive. However, we prefer to do so in the open, not hiding in the safety of the nearest dark corner.” He looked around the club. “Interesting that this place is so hard to find, isn’t it? Still hiding from the past, my friend?”
George approached with another drink order, but the look Thierry shot him was enough to make him quickly scamper away.
“As you said, we all do what we must for survival,” he replied simply, his face and voice regaining a lack of any discernible emotion. However, I could have sworn the temperature in the club had just dropped about ten degrees.
My eyes had widened at their exchange. “Time for another drink?”
Nicolai glanced at me with a tight smile. “That would be nice.”
I poured another shot of Jack Daniels. Nicolai produced another hundred-dollar bill that he held out to me. I reached forward to take it but he pulled it out of my reach.
“As I was saying, the Ring is interested in meeting with you to discuss your future with our organization.
Your involvement would, with your admirable reputation, inject the Ring with new energy in our fight against the hunters. The fact that you also appear to be young, beautiful, and charismatic will only help.”
Beautiful, huh?
“She will not consider it,” Thierry said.
“I believe that is a choice for Sarah, not for you.” He turned back to me. “I will be in town for three more days. Think about it. I will be in contact again.”
“No,” Thierry said.
Nicolai frowned at him, then a smile curled up his lips and he glanced at me. “I think I see what is going on here. The two of you are romantically involved, I take it? I believe I have also heard rumors that Sarah is involved with a master vampire.”
I opened my mouth to answer, but before I could, Thierry did it for me.
“No, we are not involved in that way. I am simply concerned for Sarah’s future safety.”
I blinked as my breath caught in my chest. Right. Not involved. There it is, then. Veronique was right.
I tried to meet his eyes, but he wouldn’t look directly at me.
Nicolai laughed at that. “I believe Sarah has proven that she needs no one to look after her.”
“I disagree.”
“Of course you do.” Nicolai stared at him for a long moment before he spoke. “You owe me, Thierry.
Do not get in the way of this. Unless there is some other reason you wish to protect her?”
He owed him? What was that supposed to mean?
I watched Thierry to see his reaction. His face was so tense I thought it might shatter. His throat worked as he swallowed. He broke the staring contest between the two of them first.
“Of course Sarah can do as she likes,” he finally said.
I let all of it wash over me and ended up feeling dizzy. This was all happening too fast for me to properly register what was going on.
Nicolai wanted me to consider joining the vampire elders because he believed the rumors about me to be true. I wasn’t supposed to reveal that it was all a big misunderstanding, otherwise I would be killed so the reputation would stay intact. Got that. Crappy corner to paint myself into, to say the least, but I was on board with that.
Thierry didn’t refer to me in mixed company as his girlfriend or even hint that I was any more to him than an employee.
Not on board with that. But there were more important things to focus on at the moment.
I cleared my throat. “So you want my answer before you leave town.”
“That’s correct,” Nicolai said. “It is quite an honor to be asked. To be honest, I expected you to agree right away.”
He thought I’d jump right on the vampire bandwagon of rallying the troops by joining some organization