Chapter One

Chapter One

I’d always loved Halloween. There was something about the scary costumes, the eerie thrill in the air, and the nights drawing in through the autumn that drove me wild. I loved cauldrons and broomsticks and ghost stories, but more than that – more than anything else – I loved vampires.

Yes. I, Katherine Jane Blakely, at eighteen years old, was still absolutely crazy about vampires. Just as I had been from a little girl.

I was pouring a wine for Frederick Brust when a group of the younger members came in through the main entrance. They were out on a guys’ social after a polo game earlier, and usually I’d have given them little more than a polite hello as they got seated and ready to order some drinks, but tonight was different. They were dressed up in Halloween costumes, even though there was still a whole week to go, and Max Eggerton, the very hottest young guy of the bunch, was dressed up as Dracula.

Max’s fangs were shitty white plastic, and the fake blood dripping down his chin was almost as cringeworthy as the flimsy red satin cape around his shoulders, but that didn’t matter. The very sight of fangs gave me tingles right the way up my arms. He looked twenty times better to me as an immortal vampire than he did as the young, hot kid on the block. Even in a cruddy costume.

He stepped up to the bar along with Stephan as soon as I’d handed the merlot to Frederick.

“What can I get you?” I asked them.

Stephan leant forward, checking out the selection of spirits despite the fact he already knew them by heart. The people here at Regency Gentlemen’s Club were the same crew of posh guys every single weekend. I almost laughed out loud at Stephan when I got to check out his costume in greater detail. He was clearly supposed to be a mummified corpse, but in reality he was swirled up in shabby toilet roll.

I was dressed in white myself, but my outfit was the total opposite of shabby. I was in a barmaid’s uniform of the highest calibre, fitting me nice and neatly. My hair was up in a tight, dark bun to make the most of the neatness. Understated, but nicely natural.

I always needed to look prim and perfectly proper in this role. A little mascara would do ok, but that was about all. Even my lipstick was nothing more than a natural sheen.

“I’ll go with a gin and Coke, please, Katherine,” Stephan told me.

I got another tingle as I looked at Max standing beside him. His teeth appeared even worse up close, but that made no difference. Plastic fangs still made my heart race.

My eyes were on Max’s mouth as Stephan ordered drinks for the rest of their group, on autopilot as I presented the bottles and glasses on the counter. My fingers were jittery on the bar tab screen as I tapped in their totals, still eyeing up the crappy red cloak around Max’s shoulders as he disappeared with their tray of drinks.

I was so caught up in the approaching Halloween air that I hadn’t noticed Hans appear at the bar. He was a pale, tall figure with the most glorious dark hair I’d ever seen. Way, way more worthy of my attention than Max Eggerton ever could be, fake fangs or not.

Hans Jacob Weyerwas his full name.

When I noticed him there I knew I’d fucked up – ignoring a club member who was waiting to order drinks. Inadvertently or not, it made no odds. It was incompetent. If my manager Eliza caught me, I’d be getting a stern telling off when the night was through.

“Sorry, sir,” I said, but Hans shook his head with a smile.

“It’s understandable to be distracted by vampires. I’ll forgive you this once, Katherine.”

I felt even more of an idiot for my distraction when I saw the pure perfection of Hans’ teeth rather than fake plastic ones. His beauty didn’t just lie with his teeth, either. His brows were sculpted dark, and his cheeks were angular in the most stunning of ways, and his lips were nicely filled out. Not only that, but he had the lightest green eyes in creation, and it only added to his presence. Striking – that’s one word you could use to describe him. Stunningly striking. Not least because of the gorgeous suit he was wearing. Black tie, white shirt, black tailored jacket. He could have been on his way to a funeral, but it looked great on him.

I was staring mutely at Hans when Frederick arrived back at the bar holding his glass of blood-red wine, and slapped his friend on the back in a friendly greeting. They shook hands and I noticed how lean Hans’ fingers were. His hands were as gorgeous as his face. Strong, yet delicate somehow.

I realised I was staring at fingers not faces when their hellos turned to distant silence, and there I was, being a crappy barmaid all over again.

Both men looked across as I stumbled back to my senses. I met Hans’ eyes, finally giving him the professional barmaid attention he deserved.

“Sorry again, Mr Weyer,” I said. “What would you like to drink?”

“The same for me, please,” he told me, gesturing to Frederick’s glass. “A large merlot.”

“Of course.”

I got straight to it, feeling his stare burning my back as I turned and uncorked a fresh bottle. Maybe it was the approach of Halloween, or Max’s plastic teeth, I didn’t know, but I felt prickles in weird places as I poured the wine.

Frederick was chatting about something with Hans, but his words sounded blurry behind me. All I could feel was the heat of Hans’ green eyes on my back. Turning to face him with his drink in my hand only confirmed he was watching me. I realised I was blushing, and I blushed even more as I handed him his drink.

“Katherine, thank you,” he said with a slight nod of his head.

I wondered again where his accent was from, just as I had done every night that I’d seen him. His voice was fitting of this posh London community, but not quite as British as the other aristocratic bloodlines that usually frequented this bar. His speech was impeccable, his tone low and confident, but different to the others. Hard to place.

It was Frederick doing most of the talking, not Hans, which wasn’t unusual. I busied myself slicing some lemons, trying not to focus on either of them as I pretended I was comfortable in my role, even though I was still trying to find my feet in this new city life I was living. It was hard. Some days harder than others. Some nights harder than ever.

This night felt like one of them.

Frederick was only chatting with Hans for a few short minutes before Benjamin Hastings made his appearance in the doorway.

“Ahh! Ben!” Frederick exclaimed, then went on over to give a good evening as Benjamin hung up his coat. I was left with his strange, beautiful friend at the bar.

“You like vampires, then?” Hans asked me out of the blue, and I gave him a stupid smile.

“Yes, you could say that. I’ve loved vampires since forever.”

I wasn’t lying. I’d been besotted with them for all time. Cartoon vampires as a toddler turned into gothic horror movies as a teenager. I’d even loved a cartoon duck called Count Duckula when I was growing up.

Hans smirked at me. “Which is your favourite?”

“My favourite vampire?” I laughed. “That’s not an entirely fair question. Picking a favourite sure is hard…”

“Go on, at least give it a try,” he pushed. “If you had to pick one single vampire to drink the life out of you, which one would it be?”

I swear my heart skipped a beat, and I burnt up. Hot and bothered.

Hans tipped his head, seeming to notice.

“It is warm in here tonight, isn’t it, Katherine?”

I blinked, wiped my brow, cringed. Shouldn’t have done that. “Warm. Yes.”

“So, your favourite vampire?” he resumed.

“Dracula, of course.”

He laughed a low laugh.

“Which version of him? There must be at least two hundred versions or more. Novels, movies, TV. You must have your favourite.”

“Ok, yes. I have my favourite.” I paused. “Gary Oldman. Bram Stoker’s Dracula. The movie.”

Hans gave a nod of his head as he sipped his wine.

“Good choice. He plays Dracula so very well.”

“Yes, he really does,” I agreed. “Don’t get me wrong, I love Keanu, but seriously. It would be Gary for me, most definitely.”

“I am guessing you wouldn’t be slaying him at the end of the movie, then?”

I shook my head, grinning. “No. Definitely not.”

I thought Hans would be done with the vampire small talk at that point, but he shot a glance over to find Frederick still chattering with Benjamin. He leant his elbows on the bar, leaning in closer.

“How about the 90s Interview with the Vampire movie? Did you like that one?”

“Yes,” I said, then pre-empted his next question. “Armand for me. Number one choice.”

“Very nice. Louis or Lestat in second place?”

“Lestat.”

Hans’ smile was as beautifully dry as the red wine he was drinking.

“You’d still enjoy Louis, though?”

I nodded. “I’d adore Louis. I’d adore all of them. Even the evil smug guy who kills Claudia.”

“Ouch,” Hans said. “That’s quite a statement.”

Hmm, he had a point. I pictured Claudia scorching to death under the sunlight and changed my mind.

“Actually, no. He pushed it too far. I take that back…”

Hans took another sip of wine before he quizzed me some more.

“How far does your love of vampires go? How about Buffy the Vampire Slayer?”

I rolled my eyes with a smile as my polite barmaid mask began to slip down.

“Is that even a query? Doesn’t everyone love Angel? And don’t get me started on Spike.”

“I’m not interested in everyone,” Hans said. “I’m interested in you.”

The whole room felt like it disappeared in that instant. Hans’ green eyes were fixed on mine, and his lips were perfect as he raised his glass to them, and I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think, couldn’t break myself from the spell in his words.

I’m interested in you.

Did he mean more by that? Was there something pointed in his tone?

The flush blooming on my chest told me the answer.

I didn’t have time to think about it. The noise of the bar returned at full volume along with Frederick and Benjamin and put an end to our little exchange as they took their seats beside him. I got Ben a double whisky, and then I faded into the background, getting a fresh round of ice for the tray once Eliza joined me back from the lounge.

The guys talked, and we served drinks, and I did my best to be a good barmaid, but still, all through my shift I couldn’t stop thinking about Hans. My eyes shot him a glance every time he was in sight, even though I kept my attention on service as best I could. His words were an unending swirl in my head.

I’m interested in you.

It made my skin prickle.

Later into the evening the regulars began to disperse. Max and Stephan’s gang were off back to Finley’s, and Kristoff Kelly was hitting the casino with Leroy Marsden and his crowd.

It was Frederick and Benjamin who rose from the bar together, and I expected Hans to be up and out of there with them, but he waved his goodbyes and remained in his seat, just the other side of the bar.

“See you soon, gentlemen,” he said.

“See you soon, gentlemen, thank you,” I offered as well, but my voice sounded timid somehow.

I looked around for Eliza, but she was out of sight. It was just me and the gorgeous man and his beautiful green eyes.

He finished up his glass of merlot and stared right at me.

“One final question for you on the vampire front, Katherine,” he said. “Would you really, truly want to get bitten by a vampire, if given the chance?”

I smiled. “One that looked like Dracula, or Louis, or Lestat, or just anyone?”

He didn’t laugh.

“An attractive one, but one in real life. Someone who would be genuinely desperate to sink his fangs into you and take your blood.”

The words came out before I’d had time to think.

“Yes, I would.”

“Really?” he asked. “You are sure about that?”

“Yes,” I said again. “I’m very, very sure about that.”

Once again, Hans didn’t smile, just nodded. He got to his feet once Eliza appeared at the other end of the bar.

“I hope that one day, you get to live your fantasy,” he told me, this time with a smirk. “Goodnight, Katherine.”

There was a glimpse of something in his eyes. A sense of knowing. A sense of power. Something that would have sounded nothing but crazy to myself if my heart hadn’t thumped so hard and fast. It just didn’t make any sense. The prickles on my chest ran riot as I watched Hans Jacob Weyer walk away.

On reflection, I should have known something was coming.