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Muttering, “Thanks,” Ronan took Shannah by the hand and walked through the door. They went down a narrow entryway and passed through a curtain of black beads.
It was dark inside the club, so dark that Shannah could scarcely see Ronan even though he was right beside her. Candles provided what little light there was in the room. Several couples were dancing to slow, sultry music provided by a three-piece band. Other couples and singles sat at a long, curved bar, some with drinks in their hands. She wondered, morbidly, if they were drinking blood. Like Ronan and the man who had answered the door, just about everyone in the room wore black.
Still holding Shannah’s hand, Ronan skirted the dance floor until he came to a curtained booth in the back corner of the room.
A softly feminine voice bid them enter.
Shannah wondered how the occupant of the booth had known they were there. Her heart was pounding as Ronan parted the red velvet curtains and ushered her inside.
A young woman sat in the booth. The seat was black leather, the table looked like black marble.
But it was the girl who held Shannah’s attention. She was young, no more than fifteen or sixteen, with long yellow hair and dark brown eyes. Her skin was smooth and clear, almost luminous. She wore a tight-fitting red spandex top. Several gold bracelets glittered on her wrists.
“Please, sit down,” the young woman invited.
Shannah slid into the booth.
“Ronan,” the girl said. “It is good to see you here.”
“Valerie, it’s good to see you again.”
The girl held out a slender, well-manicured hand. “It has been far too long since your last visit to my city.”
Taking Valerie’s hand in his, Ronan made a courtly bow, then turned her hand over and kissed her palm.
Valerie smiled, displaying even white teeth. “And who is this?” she asked, glancing in Shannah’s direction.
“Valerie, this is Shannah. She’s a friend of mine,” he said, sliding into the seat beside her.
Valerie inclined her head in Shannah’s direction. “Welcome to the Sarcophagus, friend of Ronan.”
“Thank you.” Shannah clasped her hands in her lap, unnerved by the woman’s unblinking gaze and the unmistakable aura of power that surrounded her.
“So,” Valerie said, turning her gaze on Ronan once more, “what brings you here after such a long absence?”
“A yearning to be among those of my own kind,” he replied easily.
Valerie glanced at Shannah again. “I see. Have you forgotten that mortals are not welcome in this place?”
“No, but Shannah is curious about the way we live.”
“Indeed?” Valerie looked at Shannah more sharply. “And why is that?”
Shannah shrank back against the seat, unable to speak under the weight of the vampire’s gaze.
She had no doubt that Valerie could crush her with a thought.
“Valerie, let her alone,” Ronan said.
The young woman waved a graceful hand. “Very well, friend of Ronan, you may stay with my blessing. And you,” she said, speaking to Ronan, “I will expect you to come and see me again before you leave the city.”
With a curt nod, Ronan slid out of the booth, reached for Shannah’s hand, and helped her to her feet.
Skirting the dance floor, he found an empty table and they sat down.
“Who is she?” Shannah asked.
“Valerie? I guess you could say she’s the reigning vampire queen of Las Vegas.”
“But she…she’s just a girl. She can’t be more than what, sixteen?”
“Valerie looks young because she was only fourteen or fifteen when she was brought across, but that was over a thousand years ago.”
A thousand years! It was beyond incredible, Shannah thought. What would it be like to live that long? What did one do to pass the time? Surely, in a thousand years, a person would have seen and done everything there was to see and do. She tried to imagine what it would be like to be a teenager for a thousand years, then shook her head. What would it be like to be twenty-four forever, to never change? To never grow old. To never die…
“Don’t let her youthful appearance fool you,” Ronan said. “She’s a powerful vampire, perhaps the most powerful one in existence. So powerful that the sun no longer has the power to destroy her. This is her city. No vampire is allowed to remain here without her permission.”
“She seems to like you.”
“We’ve shared a few good times in the past.”
“What does that mean?”
“Just what I said.”
Shannah stared at him, afraid to ask what “vampire good times” might be.
A short time later, Ronan led her over to the bar where he introduced her to several men and women. He hadn’t told her they were vampires, but if what Valerie had said was true, they must be. She forced a smile and tried not to stare, stood quietly while Ronan talked to one of the men for a few minutes. She noticed that the vampires were all beautiful. Their skin was clear, their hair thick and lustrous, their teeth very white.
“Do you know all of these…people?” she asked as they moved away from the bar.
“No, not all of them.”
“Valerie said mortals aren’t welcome here. Does that mean everyone in here is a vampire, except me?”
He nodded. “Scared?”
She glanced around the room, noticing that more than one vampire was watching her intently.
She hoped it was only curiosity, although she couldn’t help feeling that they were looking at her as if wondering what she would taste like. “Do you blame me?”
“I guess not,” he said with a wry grin. “Would you like to dance?”
She glanced at the couples on the dance floor. Most of them were dancing so close together it was hard to tell where one person ended and the other began. The music was dark and erotic, the low beat of the drum echoing in the room like the beating of a heart. “I don’t think so.”
“Come on,” he urged, taking her by the hand. “I promise not to let anyone take a bite out of you. Except me.”
“Very funny,” Shannah muttered as she followed him onto the dance floor.
She felt terribly self-conscious as Ronan turned and drew her into his arms. But she soon forgot they were surrounded by vampires, forgot everything but the thrill of being near him.
He held her close, his body brushing against hers, making every nerve ending tingle with awareness. The arm around her waist was strong and sure. His breath was warm on her cheek, his hand moved up and down her back in long, lazy strokes.
