Authors: Aiden James
“But I suggest you not wait so long to do it,” he continued his playful rant, after somehow disappearing from between us and reappearing next to Tyreen’s right shoulder. “Sometime before Txema turns into an old, craggy witch of a woman…maybe when she’s thirty, no? Unless you two keep chitchatting tonight away. If you’re not careful, I’ve seen how Chanson’s great, great, great, grand niece gets when she hasn’t received prompt nourishment—and you have too, Tyreen. Txema might become that craggy witch much, much sooner and be completely ready to become a vampire this very night!”
“Only if you’re eager to experience the ‘true death’ from Gustav, since that would happen long before the bearer of the last birthmark of life gets turned into one of us!” said Chanson, sort of playfully—sort of not. She suddenly appeared in our midst. “In the meantime, I have a little surprise for both Txema and Tyreen tonight!”
My extremities were numb from all of the vampires gathered close to me, along with the arctic air pouring in through the gaping hole still present in the window. It, and our door, wouldn’t be fixed for a few more hours, since suitable lumber wasn’t easy to come by. I envisioned little Chinese orphans chopping wood in the dead of night, while their lazy vampire overlords told Gustav ‘our window and door repair crews are working diligently around the clock to get your issue taken care of promptly!’
“What kind of surprise?” I didn’t wait for the answer, anxiously pursuing my coat and some gloves since the room’s temperature had dropped to where I could see my breath rising in progressively longer mists.
Chanson motioned for Garvan to bring over a long dress box to me. At the moment, I was outfitted in jeans and the sweater I mentioned earlier. It had been comfortable-warm over fashion for me since we arrived at the palace a month earlier. But I should’ve known something was up, since they all were dressed up more than usual. While the guys were dressed in semi-formal Pierre Cardin, all the girls were dressed in Valentino evening dresses that bore only slight differences in design despite different colors. Raquel always looks splendid no matter what color or dress style she dons, but she opted for a fuchsia evening gown. Tyreen’s gown was almost hunter green, but it was softened with some other hue to where it matched her eyes perfectly. Chanson wore traditional black, but her gown bore slight ruffles along the neckline and lower hem.
I have to admit that I was deeply curious about what awaited me in the box. When I opened it, I was pleasantly surprised to find a pearl sequined gown. As beautiful as it was, I worried that I’d likely freeze my ass off in wearing it that night.
“That is why you will also wear this,” said Armando, beaming as he brought a beautiful white mink stole over to me.
“And this.” Garvan pulled out a dazzling diamond necklace along with matching earrings and bracelet from his coat pocket. He smiled shyly as he brought them over to me, and requested the honor to put them on me once I had changed clothes.
“And don’t forget these!”
Raquel brought over a pair of stunning white satin Manolos for my feet. Wearing her patented seductive smirk, she motioned for me to go ahead and change into my wardrobe for the evening—with all of them standing right there in front of me. Of course, I still have far too much modesty to do that in front of a mixed crowd—even when all of them had surely seen me in some stage of undress before. (You might want to revisit my previous journal for those details.)
“Let’s give her a moment of privacy, shall we?” said Chanson, placing her arms around Raquel’s waist to get her to come along.
They all turned to follow her out into the hallway, but Tyreen also had something to give me, as well.
“You’ll definitely be needing these,” she said, and then handed me the sheer hosiery I needed to make the dress look right. “And, I remember you once said something about dressing up like Princess Di when you were a little kid.”
She pulled out a pair of elegant white gloves from a small bag she carried. The gloves came up just past my elbows and were a perfect match for the dress.
By then, I had figured out something grand was going down, as had Tyreen. A very big vampire celebration was about to happen. Certainly, she had heard about the ones held in France on a regular basis, where Le chateau de douleur would rock as hard as the Playboy mansion in California ever has. Only vampire-style.
The question in her mind, I’m sure, was where in the hell would a party like that take place in this sterile, and soulless God-forsaken monastery?
Tyreen left me to change into my wonderful outfit—the beautiful gown and accessories fit for a queen. It really touched my heart and lifted my mood. But, still there was a feeling of foreboding I couldn’t shake. I was on borrowed time…borrowed time against what fate had in store for me. The image of a deadly noose that slowly tightened around my neck sent a series of rapid chills up and down my spine. Perhaps it was just the deepening cold air seeping through the window-wound on the third floor of Xu Zheng Palace.
Regardless, I decided right then to make the best of whatever time I had left there…. And, to try and embrace Christmas with my vampire friends in a place that didn’t seem to care about it or any of our Western ways.
Party on!
Chapter 6
“I’m glad you let me put these on you.”
Garvan’s cold fingers grazed the back of my neck while the clasp to the even colder diamond necklace was set in place.
I didn’t even need a mirror to tell me the necklace looked fabulous. No telling the worth of the piece, but the artisanship was so refined and the individual stones so brilliant that the glistening necklace would enhance any woman’s beauty.
“I thank you so much, Garvan…they are quite lovely,” I told him. “I’ll return them to you in pristine condition when the party’s over.”
I returned his admiring smile with a loving one of my own. Even though he couldn’t be roused that afternoon to come to my rescue, I still considered him my chief male protector. In the event something prevented Chanson from being there for me, Garvan would be the very next vampire I’d ever call upon.
“Now, will you escort me to the place where this ‘gala’ is to be held tonight?” I fluttered my eyes while fanning them as if I held a Chinese paper
shànzi
.
“It would be my ultimate pleasure to do so!” he beamed, while casting a proud glance toward Armando. Tyreen had her left arm hooked inside Armando’s right one—a more than suitable distraction for her to temporarily forget about her loved ones left behind in America. “But the diamonds are my gift to you, Txema. Think of it as an early Christmas present.”
For a moment, he lowered his guard and I could almost see his soul beneath the vampire mantel he must wear. There was a stronger hint of amorous longing than I’d seen before in his eyes, and yet such loneliness therein, as well. I knew I must do a much better job of protecting his heart than I did when I went gallivanting with Racco in France. Garvan deserved better than that.
“Chanson…should we walk or fly to the ballroom?” said Armando.
“This place has a ballroom?”
Tyreen and I voiced the question in near unison. And here I was kidding about an actual gala to Garvan.
“Yes, it does,” said Chanson. For the moment, she waited for all of us to join her and Raquel in the hallway. “Garvan, if you’ll secure Txema to where she doesn’t lose a shoe or anything else, flying will be fine.”
“Consider it done!”
Before I could respond, the frigid air around us suddenly grew even colder, but only for a moment. The world around me became a blur, and unlike the last time I did this, the rooms, corridors, and kitchens we soon passed through were warm. Could this be a small reward for what I went through earlier?
That fantasy lasted just a few more seconds and then a blast of arctic air more menacing than what seeped through the window upstairs greeted me. We moved swiftly from the palace’s main building and past the rest of the complex, until we reached a two-story pagoda-like structure. Torches on long, thick poles surrounded the building, and the bottom section was completely enclosed in large glass windows.
I assumed this must have been one of the latest additions to the complex when the entire palace was upgraded to the modern world back in 1781, as the beveled glass in an oriental pattern reminded me of what my mother liked to look at in the more upscale antique shops back in Richmond. Also, the ornate copper decorations upon the exterior had long since oxidized. So I was pretty certain about the age…just surprised this place was located at the rear of the complex.
Thankfully, a fifteen-foot wall surrounded the complex. Otherwise, I’d worry about Ralu’s Chinese defectors leaping over the wall and attacking us at the palace’s weakest point. Then again, we already had other vampires in our midst that were potentially a much worse menace. I shivered at the thought of who would win the fight between a raptor-like dragon and one of Ralu’s deformed warriors.
“Here we are. Before you step inside, I want you to close your eyes for a moment,” said Chanson.
Her expression was quite mischievous, as if she had an incredible prank to play upon me. Or did she find amusement in the fact the mink stole was a small deterrent for the balmy temperatures at present, as I was shivering badly? I seriously doubted that the North or South poles could be any colder right then. I definitely didn’t want to linger outside the building that supposedly housed a ballroom—especially when I noticed a roaring fire in one corner of the main floor. It was hard to tell by the distorted images through the windows, but it looked like the fireplace was huge. Shimmering shapes moved about inside, making it look like a good crowd. At least some body warmth, unless of course they were all vampires.
I closed my eyes, and at Chanson’s request, so did Tyreen. A few seconds later, Tyreen let out a joyous yelp that was followed by ‘Oh my God!!’
I opened my eyes, thinking Tyreen must not have closed hers. But before I could call her on it, all I could do was stare at the building in disbelief. Disbelief that threatened to provoke a tearful response.
A myriad of colored lights had suddenly come to life inside the pagoda. Through the beveled glass, I saw evergreen wreaths and garland, along with a tall cedar tree that was covered with lights in the middle of the floor.
“Won’t you come in?” said a familiar voice I hadn’t heard in over a month.
“Franz? I can’t believe you’re finally here—where have you
been??”
The last of my vampire protectors stood in the doorway, dressed in a full black tuxedo with tails. Franz Blutliebhaber looked the most uncomfortable of any guy I’d ever seen. Not that he was dressed like this alone, as there were at least forty other male vampires in formal and semi-formal attire from what I could see among the shifting shapes moving inside the building. Franz’s piercing blue eyes and high cheekbones made him look like the classic rugged blonde movie star. His dazzling smile would make most girls—and quite a few guys—swoon. But I knew he’d rather be wearing combat fatigues or something else with a long trench coat.
“Oh, it’s so
good
to see you!” I told him, after I threw my arms around him. His sage-like musk scent enveloped me, further enhancing his virile sexiness. “But, where have you been?”
“I returned to France with Racco and his crew after we dropped you off here. Gustav sent me and several other vampires to try and infiltrate the smaller vampire nations that are falling left and right to Ralu’s ruthless advances throughout Scandinavia and Eastern Europe.” He pulled away slightly so he could face me. “Me and a few of Racco’s people flew in on one of his choppers this evening to be with you. We’re only here for the next few days and then we must return to Racco’s villa in Milan.”
I’m sure my smile faded, despite every effort on my part to hold it steady. Hearing about Racco’s latest whereabouts was like being stabbed with a cold stiletto blade through my heart. Why didn’t he come, too? Meanwhile, Garvan looked relieved. For those curious, Franz and my relationship is strictly platonic—as is my relationship with Armando. Maybe they’ve always deferred to Garvan, whose flirtations and protectiveness have always been far more than brotherly. Regardless, neither Armando nor Franz ever showed serious interest in any amorous affection with me.
“You’re holding up the party, Txema!” Armando wagged a finger that said no-no-no! “If you’d like to share my body’s temperature, then keep on talking outside, and you should achieve that experience in the next few minutes. As for the rest of us…follow me to the blood cocktails and some overdue fun!”
He disappeared, along with Tyreen. I felt the wind as they sped by us, along with the slight echo from Tyreen’s surprised yelp. Meanwhile, Chanson, Raquel, and Garvan joined Franz and me just outside the doorway.
“It’s good to see you, brother!” said Garvan to Franz. “Come, let’s all share a drink!”
Splitting between Franz and I with his arms around us both, Garvan herded the rest of us into the building. To my surprise, the second floor appearance outside was simply a façade, as there was only one big room with a high ceiling. Unlike every other flooring I’d seen in the complex, this one was made from layered hardwoods. The gilded walls and window frames bore intricate oriental designs similar to the building’s exterior. Torches and candles were everywhere inside, and the colored lights turned out to be small candles attached to colored glass—much like the original colored lights used more than a century ago in America.