Undone (The Amoveo Legend) (21 page)

The music pounded loudly through the club as it reverberated through Olivia’s body. She walked the dance floor, taking note of the various humans writhing with one another amid the pulsating lights. She stuck out like a sore thumb, since she was the only one wearing a black Armani suit, not the leather or spikes of her faithful patrons.

Olivia waved at the regular customers peppered throughout the club and allowed herself a moment of pride. The Coven had become one of the most popular dance clubs for the Goth set in NYC, and she had worked her ass off to make it happen.

She liked it here and had no desire to leave, but the drawback of immortality was that moving on eventually was an annoying necessity—can’t stay somewhere for thirty years if you don’t age. Although, the prevalent use of Botox among humans certainly helped explain her lack of facial wrinkles.

Olivia scoped out the club and marveled at how far society had come—and yet not.

Humans who loved to dress like vampires, or what they thought vampires looked like, flocked to this place every night as the sun went down. Except Sunday—she closed the joint on Sunday, since the place used to be a church. She figured it was the least she could do. Olivia grinned and shook her head as she watched the humans wooing one another in their
vampire
garb.

Ironically, most vampires did not dress like horror-movie rejects; many adopted the fashion of the era they lived in, but not all did. Vincent, for example, liked the Victorian era so much that he still adorned himself in a top hat and ascot, although she thought it looked ridiculous. Vampires retained their individuality at least.

Imagine if they knew this club was owned and operated by an actual vampire who preferred silk and cashmere to leather and spikes. Olivia had to wear the leather sentry uniform every day for a century and loathed the idea of wrapping herself in it again.

I’d be a sad disappointment to them.

Olivia climbed onto the DJ’s platform and gave Sadie a pat on the back. Sadie was one of the best spinners out there, living or undead, and Olivia’s oldest, most trusted friend. She was dressed much like the patrons of the club, except Sadie actually
was
a vamp, and the girl had a serious passion for leather and lace.

“Hey, boss. Feels like a lively crowd tonight.” Sadie winked and smiled. “No pun intended.”

Sadie was the first vamp she had ever turned. Olivia and Vincent were traveling through a largely unsettled part of Arizona and picked up the distinctly potent scent of blood. The Apache Indians had been attacking settlers at that time, not that Olivia could blame them, and Sadie’s family had been among their victims.

Sadie was barely alive when she found her. The faint beat of her heart called to Olivia, and before she even knew what she was doing, she turned her. It was an instinctive need to save her, to help this poor girl who had lost everything, left seemingly alone in the world.

Vincent, of course, was less than pleased, and that was the beginning of the end for them.

Sadie winked and adjusted the headphones around her neck. “You’re just a sucker for hard-luck cases. Face it. You would rescue the world if you could.”

“Not the
whole
world,” Olivia said dramatically. “Just the ones who really need it.”

“I sure needed it,” Sadie said with a warm smile.

Olivia swallowed the surprising lump in her throat before looking back at the crowd. Sadie had tried to thank her on several occasions, but Olivia never let her get the words out. Deep inside she felt as though she hadn’t saved Sadie or the others. Perhaps the vampire hunters of the world were right. What if vamps really were damned to burn in hell for eternity? Would anyone thank her then?

Another loud, bass-driven song tumbled over the crowd as Sadie’s voice floated into her head.
Hey, boss. I see our VIP table is full again tonight with your boyfriend and his crew.

Olivia threw an irritated glance over her shoulder at Sadie and shot back.
He’s not my boyfriend. He just wishes he was. What a termite.
She could hear Sadie stifle a giggle as she navigated the crowd and made her way to Michael’s table.

How long has it been since you got laid? I forget.
Olivia did her best to ignore that last jab from her friend. Other than Vincent, Sadie was the only one who knew that Olivia had been celibate since becoming a vampire.
Don’t you think you’ve tortured yourself long enough? I never knew this Douglas guy, but if he really loved you the way you say he did, would he want you to spend eternity alone?

I’m not alone.
Olivia threw a wink over her shoulder.
I’ve got all of you, and sex is overrated anyway.

Damn.
Sadie’s laugh jingled through Olivia’s mind.
Now you’re just talking crazy.

Olivia shook her head and smiled. Her heart had been stolen long before Vincent made it stop beating, and besides, even if she did have her heart to give, Moriarty certainly would not be a candidate.

Michael was a greasy little worm who used his family’s reputation to get what he wanted. He came to The Coven every Saturday night with his gaggle of dirtbags, and Olivia could smell his fear and feelings of inadequacy a mile away. He’d been trying to get into her pants for months now, and apparently, was still trying, even after a multitude of rejections.

She felt his eyes on her all night and had managed to ignore him, but now, it was time to play the game. She had to placate the little weasel. Jerk or not, he was a customer—a customer who spent a lot of money in her club.

Olivia flashed the most charming grin she could muster as she approached Michael and his motley crew.

“Hey there, hot stuff.” He leered, and his lips curved into a lascivious grin. “I was wondering how long it was gonna take you to get your sweet ass over here.”

She wanted to bite his face off. What an asshole.

“Hello, Mr. Moriarty,” she said through a strained smile. “Are you gentlemen finding everything satisfactory this evening?”

“I’d be doin’ a lot better if you’d come here and sit with me.”

Olivia smiled tightly and looked at him like the black-haired little bug he was. “Well,
gentlemen
, I hope you’ll let me buy the final round here. It’s almost last call.”

She motioned to the waitress who covered the three VIP tables opposite the bar. Suzie, one of only two humans who worked at The Coven, came over quickly, but Olivia sensed her anxiety long before she arrived at the table.

“Sure, baby.” He leered. “You can buy me a drink.”

Olivia wanted nothing more than to glamour this guy into dancing naked in the middle of the club with only his socks on, but the image alone would have to be enough to get her through.

“Suzie. Please get our guests their last round.” She flicked her gaze back to Moriarty. “On the house, of course.”

“Yes, ma’am.” She looked like a skittish lamb surrounded by wolves. She almost hadn’t hired Suzie due to her naive nature, but Olivia was a sucker for hard-luck cases. Suzie was straight from the farm and as green as the fields she hailed from. By hiring her, she figured she could at least keep an eye on her.

Olivia nodded and said a brief good-bye before working her way to the front door. The place was starting to thin out, since it was just about last call. The tension in her shoulders eased as soon as she set eyes on the only other human who worked at the club—their bouncer Damien.

Damien, unlike Suzie, knew what Olivia and the others were. He was what some referred to as a
familiar,
but Olivia hated that term. It seemed like a dirty word, laced with innuendo and ill intent. Most humans who worked with vampires did it out of love and friendship.

However, Damien wasn’t just a friend—he was more like family. He was the only human who knew what Olivia was and kept her secret, and not because he had to, but because he genuinely cared. She’d met him when he was a boy, spending most of his nights on the streets and clearly heading down a bad path.

She’d heard his cries one night, and even though it was against Presidium rules to interfere with humans and their problems, she couldn’t help it. That cry of a young boy in the dark overrode any rules she was supposed to follow, and before she knew it, she was plucking him from what was sure to be a deadly situation.

She planned to rescue him from the local drug dealer and send him on his way. Yet the second she looked into the soulful, brown eyes, she was hooked. At first, she told herself that she would only check on him for a few nights to be sure he was safe, but those few nights turned into weeks, and then years. Since vampires couldn’t have children, Damien was the closest she’d ever have to a child, and she loved him as if he was her own.

“Moriarty’s still here?” Damien had barely finished the question, when Michael appeared in the vestibule with his posse.

“We were just leaving, big guy.” Michael gave him a smack on the back as he walked to the enormous stretch limo waiting at the curb. Olivia put her hand on Damien to keep him at bay. She couldn’t blame him for wanting to go after him, because she wanted to punch the little bastard’s lights out too.

“You know, Olivia, one day that guy is gonna get what’s coming to him,” Damien said quietly as the limo pulled away. “I just hope I get to see it.”

“You know what they say, babe,” she said quietly. “Be careful what you wish for. Besides, his money is as green as anyone’s.”

“I realize you’re not into live feeds like most of your
crowd,
but boy, does that guy deserve to be dinner or what? I know you can handle yourself, but I don’t like the way he speaks to Suzie or any other woman for that matter.”

She rubbed her temples absently as various patrons pushed past as they left. Live feeds were always best, but Olivia tried to avoid them. While the live feed was most rejuvenating, it was also the most dangerous. Live feeds were like a drug. The more she did it, the more she wanted it, and each time it got harder and harder to stop. Besides, blood memories came with it, and she wasn’t interested in anyone else’s baggage. She had quite enough of her own shit to deal with.

As she turned to go back inside, an oddly familiar voice floated over, and the scent of the ocean filled her head.

“Excuse me. Can you tell me where I can find Ms. Olivia Hollingsworth?”

Olivia stopped dead in her tracks, and the tattoo on the nape of her neck burned. Her fangs erupted, and little licks of fire skittered up her spine, as one note of that smooth, velvety voice banished all self-control. She closed her eyes and willed her quaking body to settle.

It can’t be.

Terrified and hopeful, Olivia steeled herself with courage she’d forgotten she had. She turned around, excruciatingly slowly, and found herself face-to-face with the man of her dreams and the love of her life.

The problem was he’d been dead for almost three hundred years.

Many thanks to everyone at Sourcebooks who work their buns off to get my books published. Thanks especially to Cat and Deb for the editorial expertise. To Danielle Jackson for her publicity with pop and to the art department for creating such gorgeous covers. Thanks to my agent Jeanne Dube for her tireless support and to Sheila McLoughlin for her beta-reading brilliance.

I have to extend a huge shout-out to Jason and Jennifer Nickelsen for sending me all those great pictures of the cabin at Schroon Lake and for answering my endless questions about the area. So glad we met all those years ago at Marist! Beer on me next time.

Thanks to the gals and guys on my street team, Sara’s Angels, for their ferocious support and positive attitudes. Thank you for working to get the word out about the Amoveo Legend, both on the street and in cyberspace. You rock, and I am so grateful to have you in my corner.

Thank you to my husband Will and my four sons. I love you all very much. You are my happily ever after.

Dream on…

Sara Humphreys graduated from Marist College with a degree in English literature and theater. She started her career as an actress, with credits including
Guiding
Light, As the World Turns
, and
Rescue
Me.
She specializes in public speaking, presentation development, and communication skills training. But she has loved romance novels and sci-fi/fantasy worlds for years, beginning with
Star
Trek
(she had a huge crush on Captain Kirk). She is now married to her college sweetheart, with whom she has four boys and two “insanely loud” dogs. They live just outside of New York City, a perfect inspiration for where things go bump in the night.

Sara’s fascination with sci-fi/fantasy eventually grew into a love for all things paranormal, including ghosts, shapeshifters, and the undead. She considers herself a hopeless romantic and a sucker for happy endings.

Sara’s first manuscript caught the eye of a major national bookseller, who championed her publishing career. Sara utilizes her acting skills during her writing, using sense memory recall and creating backgrounds for her characters so they have a history. Even for shapeshifters, she researches the animals and utilizes their natural traits in her characters who take on their forms.

You can find information about upcoming books on her website:
www.sarahumphreys.com