The Vampire and The Paramedic (11 page)

“This is delicious,” She said. “I wish you
could taste it.”

“I can,” James replied. “I can eat small
amounts of regular food without any upset to my stomach.”

“Well, in that case, try some of this.” She
slid her plate over to him, and he took his fork and stabbed a
piece of pasta, swirling it a bit to pick up some sauce and placing
it in his mouth. He had not tried human food in some time, and he
had to admit, the pasta was cooked perfectly. It was al dente, and
the sauce was superb. He’d have to say something to Kristof about
it.

“Good, right?” She asked, taking another bite
herself. “I could finish this whole plate in one sitting, but I’d
never be able to go out dancing if I did. Can I get a box for the
rest?”

“I’m sure you can,” James said. “Are you
ready to go? No dessert?”

“Not right now,” She said. “Maybe we can get
something for dessert later.”

James raised his hand and got Kathryn’s
attention. She came right over, raising an eyebrow in question as
she approached. “My companion would like a box for the rest of her
food, and we’d like the check when you get a chance.”

“No problem,” the waitress said. She took the
plate from in front of Brynne. “I’ll be right back.”

James and
Brynne waited patiently for her to return, finishing their drinks.
Brynne excused herself to go to the ladies’ room, and James took
the opportunity to tap a reminder into his phone. He'd get Celeste
to have Kristof pull the video surveillance from the restaurant so
he could pull up the picture of the blonde gentleman at the bar.
Maybe one of his colleagues would recognize him.

Kathryn returned and transferred the
remainder of Brynne’s plate to a Styrofoam container. She handed
James the check and a pen. He looked it over and jotted down a note
with the tip amount and handed the receipt slip and pen back to the
waitress. She nodded a thanks and left.

Brynne had returned and watched the exchange.
“You didn’t give her a credit card or anything.”

“I have an account with Kristof for me and my
employees. He’ll send Celeste a bill at the end of the month and
she’ll settle everything,” He said. “It’s much easier that
way.”

He slid around the table and out of the
booth. “Shall we go?” He asked. “I think I promised you some
dancing.”

“Yes you did,” Brynne said with a smile
taking his proffered hand as they left the restaurant. “I’m looking
forward to it.”

“Well, then, my dear, let’s be off.”

The next stop on the plan James had for the
evening was Sensations. Sensations was an Unusual night spot in Elk
City’s downtown district. While humans frequented it, too, there
was a whole upstairs area that was open only to Unusuals and their
guests. James was sure that Brynne had been in the club itself
before. It was popular among the Elk City residents. But she would
receive an education by entering the Loft upstairs.

They walked the few blocks from Sabatani’s to
the club, enjoying the night air. James looked over at Brynne as
they walked and smiled as she absently swept a wisp of hair back
behind her ear, blown free in the light breeze. She seemed to be
having a good time, at least there was a satisfied glow floating on
the surface of her mind. He hoped his plans to take her up into the
loft would not be too shocking. He didn’t think so.

Brynne was strong and confident and
surprisingly open-minded. At least it was surprising to him. He
supposed he was a bit old-fashioned but what did you expect from a
person as old as he was? There was a time, not too long ago, that a
woman would never have gone out unattended with a gentleman caller
who wasn’t her husband. That was the whole point of being a
gentleman caller. You called on the lady in her home and visited
with her in the relative safety amidst her family and friends. If
you were to meet while out on the town at an event, it was in a
group and in public. It had made the finding of prey of a certain
class challenging and a bit of a game for his kind once upon a
time.

That was different now, in the permissive
society that a large part of the world had become. The government
allowed them to live peacefully, if not openly, alongside their
human counterparts and feed from willing participants as long as
that didn’t lead to any deaths or coercion. It was better now, but
still a hidden and secret society in many ways. He was about to
lead Brynne into a world where she was going to see things that
could well scare her away from him and other Unusuals. He didn’t
think so, but that was the risk he was about to take.

“Brynne, I need to prepare you for the next
stop in our evening,” James said as they walked down the
street.

She looked up at him, smiled and said,
“Uh-oh, here it comes.”

They stopped, and James drew her to next to a
building so they could talk more privately away from the other
nighttime pedestrians. “What do you mean, ‘here it comes?’”

“Sometimes guys worry about that thing that
will scare the woman away,” Brynne said. “There is always
something. Usually, it doesn’t show up on a first date, but
eventually he needs to show the other person who he is when he’s
alone, and no one else is around. Maybe he picks his nose or farts
a lot. It’s always something.”

“And you think this is something like that
with me?” James asked.

“All I know is, all of us have things we hide
from others and are afraid to let other people see. It’s only
human.”

James quirked an eyebrow at that, and she
laughed. He loved that laugh.

“Look, you’ve been open and shared your world
with me, warts and all, so far,” She said. “You’ve answered
questions when I’ve had them, and I appreciate that. As long as you
continue to do that, I think I can handle what you have to tell or
show me.”

“What you’ve got to understand is that I’m
about to take you deep inside our world,” James said. He reached
out and took her hand. “I wonder if it’s too soon, but I want you
to know what we’re like, what I’m really like. I want to give you
the chance to run if you want.”

“James,” she said, placing her free hand atop
his where he held her hand. “I’ve been to Sensations before. It’s a
nightclub. A little wild but nothing I haven’t seen before.”

“But we’re going to go upstairs to the
Loft.”

“I didn’t know there was an upstairs part of
the club,” Brynne said. “I always assumed it was just apartments
and offices like the rest of these downtown buildings.”

“There are apartments on the upper floors,”
James said. “But the second floor, the Loft, is open only to
Unusuals and their guests. The entry way is disguised, and the
signs are visible only in the UV spectrum where we can see it.”

“Ok, sounds like fun.”

“It’s also where we Unusuals can be ourselves
without pretending to be human,” James explained. “You’re going to
see things that might shock you. Even learn things about me and my
past that you might have questions about.”

“So,” Brynne said, meeting his intent gaze.
He could sense that typical Brynne determination surfacing. She was
remarkable. “Let’s make a deal. I’ll withhold judgment and
questions until afterward and work hard to keep an open mind. We
can talk afterward and I’ll be honest with you about anything that
I saw that concerned me.” She smiled as she finished. “Does that
sound fair?”

“It sounds more than fair,” He said,
returning her smile. “Ok, Brynne, you’ve been warned. Let’s go and
take you to the Loft at Sensations.”

James could sense her determination and a
twinge of excited anticipation. He guessed she was as ready as she
was going to be for what she was about to see. They turned back out
onto the sidewalk and headed down the street for the remaining half
block to the club. He noticed that she still held his hand. It was
a pleasant sensation, and he gently squeezed it as the bouncer
recognized him and unhooked the rope at the entrance to let the two
of them in, ahead of the line waiting outside.

The music was loud, pumping with a steady
electronic dance beat. James leaned down and shouted near her ear.
“So where do you think the entrance to the Loft is located?” He
thought he would challenge her to see beyond the obvious. She
looked up at him and then began looking around the room, peering
through the flashing lights on the dance floor and the DJ’s booth.
She scanned carefully and then pointed.

“Over there,” She shouted over the music.
“There’s a door that says ‘Staff Only’ but I just saw several
people enter past the bouncer standing there.”

“Very good,” James congratulated her. “Are
you sure you are ready?”

“Lead on,” She said. “You’re not scaring me
away that easily.”

James took her hand, and they wormed their
way around the outside edge of the crowd, making their way to the
back corner and the doorway Brynne had picked out. The bouncer
standing there nodded to James and turned to punch a number into a
keypad there. James waited until he was finished with the code and
then reached to open the door as the magnetic lock released. He
glanced at Brynne, and she winked at him. He shook his head and led
her down the hall to a wide staircase that led upstairs. The music
muted to a dull thump as the door latched behind them. At the top
of the stairs was a wide entryway that opened up into a space as
large as the one below and just as crowded with patrons. The music
wasn’t quite as loud but had a similar beat and electronic
style.

“My Lord James,” The woman standing at the
top of the stairs said as they approached. She wore a short and
tight red cocktail dress and four-inch heels. Her blonde hair was
short and spiked with hair product. “What a pleasure to see you. We
don’t often have you gracing our doors. Your table is ready,
though, as always.”

“I thought it had been too long since I had
been here, Bianca,” James said, taking her hand and raising it to
brush it with his lips. “I also had a special friend to whom I owed
a night out on the town. She’s done much for our community, and I
wished to introduce her to more of it.” He turned and gestured to
Brynne.

“Is this the Brynne Garvey I’ve heard so much
about?” Bianca asked. She took the paramedic’s hand in hers. “My
dear, you’ve made a name for yourself recently. Word has gotten
around about how you helped deliver that Fae child. It’s a pleasure
to welcome you to the Loft at Sensations.” She gestured behind her
to the room. The Loft was two stories high, and there was a balcony
that circled the walls with spiral staircases at the corners.
Platforms suspended from the ceiling held male and female dancers
in various states of undress.

James nodded to Bianca in thanks, then took
Brynne’s free hand and led her into the room. He sensed her wonder
as she saw a woman in a wispy white short skirt and blouse launch
herself from the balcony, spread her fairy wings and glide across
the room. She settled on the floor by the bar, folding her wings
again where they immediately blended with her dress and looked just
like a part of her dress’s ruffles and lace.

“Did you see that?” Brynne asked. She looked
up at him. “That was amazing.”

“Yes, I suppose it was,” James said. “There
will be a lot here that will amaze and maybe shock you. Remember
your pledge to me, all right?” She squeezed his hand and continued
to look around as they crossed the floor to a round booth on the
side of the dance floor near the bar. There were velvet ropes
around it supported by waist-high brass poles. A short, squat man
with a long gray beard unhooked one of the ropes and held it aside
as they approached.

“Welcome back. my Lord,” The small man
said.

“Thank you, Joel,” James said, offering for
Brynne to enter first. “I’d like you to meet my companion, Brynne
Garvey.”

“I had heard she was accompanying you out
this evening,” Joel said. He stiffly bowed in her direction,
rapping his heels together with a clacking sound. “It is my
pleasure to serve you, Paramedic Brynne. What can I get you to
drink this evening?”

“Uh, it’s just Brynne, Joel,” She said,
blushing at the attention. “I suppose I should have something
special, say, a Cosmopolitan?”

“Excellent choice, and you Lord James?”

“Do you have a young AB negative?” Joel
nodded, and James continued. “I’ll have that. Uh, in a cup.”

Joel shot a glance at Brynne and then bowed
again with a clack of his heels. “I shall be right back.”

“What was that all about?” Brynne asked. “He
seemed startled that you asked for a cup.”

James slid over closer to sit next to her in
the booth. “Look casually past my shoulder to your left but try not
to stare.”

She did, and he could tell by the way she
tensed slightly next to him that she had seen what he was referring
to. He looked over his shoulder at the raven-haired female vampire
casually feeding on a shirtless red-haired man in his twenties.
There was a thin line of blood running down his chest from where
she was latched onto his neck. From the look on his face, he seemed
to be enjoying it as much as she was despite the pain, or perhaps
because of it.

Brynne drew away from him a bit, looking at
him. He returned the look levelly.

“I warned you that you might see some
shocking things here. For every fairy taking flight, there are
going to be other things that you might not be as pleased to see.
But it’s part of our world,” James said. “Part of my world.”

She stole a glance at the couple in the booth
nearby again and then looked back at him. “So if you hadn’t
specified a glass or a mug or whatever, Joel would have brought you
- a person?”

“Yes,” James said. “Because of my personal
preferences and tastes, likely a woman between the ages of 21 and
30, with AB negative blood type.”