Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Seventeen

My confidence wasn’t nearly so bright when I woke up. My bites were sore, and my body was still exhausted, even though my soul was glowing beneath the surface.

My vampire lover was already awake. He landed a kiss on my lips as soon as I opened my eyes.

“Good morning,” I said, and he laughed.

“I think it’s termed good evening, little one.”

“Yeah, I forgot, the good mornings are long gone.”

“Yes, I haven’t seen a good morning in a long, long time.”

I wondered if I’d be joining him in that one day. If I too would become a creature of the night. Now wasn’t the time to be thinking about that, though.

“What time is it?” I asked him.

“Late enough to be dark outside. Eight p.m. Time to go soon.”

Of course. The blood house.

“Yes,” he said. “That’s if you still want to go, of course.”

Even through the flutter of nerves, I knew I wanted it. My fascination was too strong to ignore.

“Let’s get you a wholesome evening breakfast first,” Hans said, and helped me out of bed.

He wrapped me in one of his sumptuous dressing gowns. A classic robe in burgundy.

“Is it another steak for me?” I asked when we reached the kitchen, but he grinned at me proudly and showed me a jar of strawberry jam from the cupboard.

“Frederick was a kind gentleman and delivered this earlier.”

He pulled out a bag of bat-shaped candy to follow, and I laughed.

“I’m spoiled!”

Hans’ beautiful smile was glorious.

“You deserve it. I wouldn’t say you’ve had all that much spoiling this lifetime. There’s a lot to make up for.”

The contrast jabbed me pretty deeply. He was right. I wouldn’t say I’d ever been all that spoiled my Mum or Grandma. They’d usually been criticising me every chance they got.

“Don’t worry,” I told Hans, stepping up to him. “I can get my own toast. You don’t have to keep looking after me.”

He didn’t hand over the butter knife, just kept on watching the bread in the toaster.

“No, you’re right. I don’t have to,” he said. “I want to. Now, get your tender butt over to the breakfast bar and sit yourself down. You need some sugar to get your blood levels up.”

“Thanks,” I said and did as I was told, grabbing myself a glass of water on the way.

“Good call,” Hans said. “You’ll need plenty of hydration for later.”

My stomach was fluttering at the thought of later. My confidence from last night still evading me.

“There’s nothing to worry about,” Hans said. “Any moment you feel uncomfortable, we can turn around and walk away. Your pace, your choice.”

I nodded. “Thank you.”

He delivered me a very generous helping of jam on toast and sat opposite me as I ate.

“What will the blood house be like?” I quizzed.

“Probably not quite like you’re imagining it. It’s not like a brothel, or a scene from a horror movie. It’s a lot more upmarket than that.”

“Yeah?” I pushed, but he shook his head.

“No spoilers. I want you to enjoy the experience through fresh eyes. No preconceptions.”

“Exciting.”

“Yes. It will be. At least, I hope so.”

I wondered how many times he had been to the blood house himself. What he’d done in there before, and what he’d seen. Who would be there, and what kind of games would they be playing… maybe things I’d never even thought of.

“No preconceptions,” Hans repeated, and I rolled my eyes.

“Are you going to be reading my thoughts for ever?”

He smirked. “Yes. Unless you block me.”

“Block you?”

He nodded. “Yes. There are skills you can learn in order to be more selective in what I get to hear from your mind. They are not suited to everyone, but I’m sure you would be quite adept in no time.”

“Really?” I asked between mouthfuls of toast. “Are you going to teach me? Can I be a selective mind-blocking student of yours?”

“It’s really not my forte. That’s in the realm of witches and wizards, not mine.”

I giggled. “Witches and wizards? Wow. Are you going to introduce me to some? Can I book in for a magic course?”

He didn’t laugh along with me.

“I’m sure it’s possible. They might be closer than you think.”

I got a shiver. Weird.

“Anyway,” Hans said, clearly changing the subject. “I thought we could do something fun on the run up to the blood house. Get you nice and relaxed with a few glasses of wine.”

“A bar?” I asked. “Do you have one in mind?”

The thought of being at his side in public again was very attractive. I’d be buzzing through every second to be on his arm.

“I do have one in mind,” he replied. “Shall we avoid the spoilers on that topic as well? How about that? A night full of surprises?”

“Sounds amazing. I’ll stop with the quizzing.”

I glugged down another large glass of water when I was done with my toast and candies, then picked out another of my dresses from the drawing room. I went for a classic black number this time. This one was fitted tight, with a high neck and long sleeves. It was definitely the best choice for hiding bite marks.

I gestured to my shoe collection when Hans appeared in the doorway.

“Will I need to run across London again?” I joked. “If so, I’ll go in sneakers.”

He laughed back. “We’ll give you a break from the chase this evening. There will be more than enough to thrill you.”

I went for a pair of black heels, nicely high but not towering enough to risk tumbling on cobblestones. Not tonight.

Hans got ready in another stunning tailored suit as I did my hair and makeup in the ensuite. We looked each other up and down before we left the bedroom, and the heat was there between us in full force as we descended the stairs. It was so intense, it felt like I was plugged into him, together as one. It uplifted me, made me feel proud as well as horny.

“Time to go, which is lucky,” he said, offering me his arm as we neared the front door. “If we hang around here much longer, I’m going to have to tear that dress off you and sink my teeth in.”

“Don’t tempt me,” I said. “If we hang around here much longer, I’ll be doing it for you.”

There was a cab ready for us outside. Hans helped me into the back seat before he got in alongside me, and I waited with bated breath for him to reveal the destination. Maybe another Westminster trip, or somewhere gothic in Camden, or one of the bustling bars in Soho…

I did a double take when he gave the driver our destination.

“Regency Gentlemen’s Club. Southall.”

“But, wait,” I said. “I’m not a member.”

“Pah,” Hans scoffed. “They can call it a gentlemen’s club all they like, but it’s so outdated it’s ridiculous and they know it. You’ll be most welcome there at my side. The regulars all think you are incredible, even though you were only working there a few short weeks.”

It made me feel so good to hear that. I’d seen them as clients, not contemplating for a second that they’d have seen me as anything more than a girl pouring drinks for them.

“No,” Hans said. “You definitely made an impression.”

I squeezed his knee in silent thanks for his revelation.

“I hope they recognise me with my hair out of a bun.”

“Oh, they will. You’re a very distinctive girl.”

It was odd when the cab dropped us outside the main entrance of Regency. I’d only ever used the staff door around the back.

“Ready?” Hans took my hand in his.

I thought I was prepared for it until I saw the eyes fix on us as we walked through the club. There was so much shock and surprise on people’s faces as Hans offered me a stool alongside Frederick at the bar and sat right next to me.

“Katherine,” Frederick greeted with a nod, as though we were great friends. “Lovely to see you.”

I grinned at him, as though I was living in a conspiracy movie.

“Thanks for my things, and for the jam, too,” I whispered. “Oh, and the bat sweets.”

He winked and raised his glass of merlot.

“You’re very welcome.”

Eliza stared at me when she saw us there, open mouthed as she approached.

“Hey,” I said, with my fingers twisting in my lap, expecting a confrontation at my sudden departure. But none came.

“Wow, you look incredible,” she told me. “And congratulations! The management told me you’d be moving on to a great opportunity.”

Hans took my hand visibly, squeezing my fingers on the bar top.

“Katherine is a superstar,” he told Eliza. “Both personally and professionally. It’s an honour to steal her from Regency, but my apologies for taking an such asset from you.”

I swear she sighed as she smiled at him. “She deserves it.”

I got another lovely glow at the flattery. This emerging self-worth was a world away from how I’d felt about myself through my years back home.

“A merlot for both of you?” she asked, and Hans looked at me.

“Yes, please,” I said.

A look passed between Frederick and Hans before Frederick excused himself for a bathroom break.

“I’ll be back in a moment,” he told me, and for once, up close, I realised he was taking his glass with him.

Empty.

I got another strange tickle of a sensation, and it still took me aback, despite the fact I should be getting used to them by now.

“Is Frederick really taking that empty glass to the bathroom with him?” I whispered to Hans.

“Yes,” he whispered back. “Trust your instincts. Feelings not thoughts, remember?”

I let the tickle spin around inside me. Trust your instincts.

“What do you think is happening here?” Hans queried. “You wouldn’t have seen it before. We were very careful to hide it from view, and even the most observant people aren’t all that observant. But your instincts are heightening. View this as a tester of instincts. Say what comes into your head.”

“Is he, umm…”

I struggled to voice it out loud. In case I was wrong.

“You aren’t wrong,” Hans said. “Just speak it.”

“Is he bleeding for you? Into the wine glass?”

Hans smiled like I’d just won a competition.

“Your senses are indeed heightening. Very good, Katherine. That’s an excellent sign.”

An excellent sign of what, exactly?

The trapdoor thumped into my mind.

Luckily, the thumping was interrupted when Frederick arrived back at the bar with a fresh glass of merlot. I couldn’t believe I’d never noticed that before. It was plainly obvious that Eliza hadn’t, either. She handed us our freshly poured glasses, completely unaware.

She didn’t notice when Hans switched glasses with Frederick with a cheers. I joined in with them, amazed by the full scale of the association between them. Frederick was definitely a lot more than an accountant.

“Are you enjoying your new opportunity with the excellent Mr Weyer?” he asked me.

I nodded, with a genuine smile.

“Very much. It’s been quite a shocker of an experience so far, but a very good one.”

Hans squeezed my fingers again.

“She’s a very, very astute learner, and very inquisitive,” he told his friend. “We’re going to be visiting the Manor later.”

Frederick’s brows shot up as he sipped his merlot.

“The Manor? Really? That’s quite a sharp introduction.”

Hans nodded, with a proud look on his face.

“Yes, but I’m certain she can handle it.”

I wasn’t so sure I agreed with him when I saw the look pass between them. I felt utterly out of my depth.

A merlot or two would definitely help me.

I finished my first one quickly, and Eliza refilled my glass in an instant. My second turned to a third, and conversation flowed steadily with both with Hans and Frederick, and also between me and the people I used to refer to as sir when I was pouring their drinks. They chatted to me easily when they arrived at the bar, as though me being there was most natural thing in the world.

Hans hadn’t been lying when he said they liked me. I saw it in their eyes.

I felt it.

It went to show one thing, with crystal clarity. My life was definitely better suited to here than it was in Orcop. I didn’t belong in Orcop at all.

Hans cleared his throat and leant in to whisper something, no doubt reading my thoughts, but he didn’t get the chance.

I spun like I’d seen a ghost when the entrance door opened and the eccentric George Miller appeared.

“Oh my God,” I said to Hans, my eyes wide on his. “I thought George was… gone!”

I clapped my hands together. It was such a relief to see George there, and wow, there was a woman alongside him as he stepped inside.

“Is this a bring your partner night or something?” I said when I saw her.

I was so grateful that George had survived his planned death that I smiled up at Frederick.

“Thanks,” I whispered. “That’s amazing. I’m sure you must have had something to do with the turnaround.”

Only Frederick looked at me blankly.

“Thanks for what?” he asked, his gaze turning in the same direction as mine as George and his partner crossed the room.

There was no reaction from Frederick when he saw them. He shot a look at Hans and not at me.

“Is she seeing George?”

“I imagine so,” Hans replied.

He put a hand on my shoulder firmly, turning me towards him.

“What’s happening, Hans?” I whispered, my senses dawning.

Feeling, not thinking. Instincts. But no. No. It couldn’t be…

Hans leant in closer than ever. His lips were a ghost against my ear.

Which was fitting, wasn’t it? Given the words he was about to tell me…

Instincts. Instincts.

Feelings and whispers…

“George Miller is dead, Katherine. He died two nights ago. A terrible accident in his home. People will be so upset in here when they find out.”

My stare shot straight back to George as he took a seat at the other end of the bar from us. He waved and pointed me out to the woman at his side, both of them smiling happily.

It was insane.

George Miller was THERE, in crystal clear vision, but nobody else so much as caught sight of him, bustling around him like he didn’t exist.

“You can see him right there, can you?” Hans asked me, and I nodded.

“Yes, and the woman next to him.”

“Fantastic! His wife Margaret, I imagine. How lovely. Do they look happy?”

“Yeah, they look happy. They’re waving at me. George looks like he’s won the lottery.”

He did, as well. He looked like the happiest man in the world with his wife – Margaret – at his side.

“Excellent,” Hans whispered, and raised his glass to me. “Congratulations on your emerging skills. You will make an amazing ghost whisperer. Well done.”

“Yes, well done,” said Frederick, and raised his glass too.

A ghost whisperer.

I was going to be a ghost whisperer?

I didn’t know whether congratulations were truly in order, since I very nearly fainted out cold on the floor.