Chapter 49 Roman
Of course, Sorinah would pick the swankiest hotel in the French Quarter for her extended stay in the city.
She would never again find herself living in squalor now that she’d built her fortune through the centuries.
From abused peasant girl to ruthless Ancient, Sorinah had certainly fought to better her position in the world after becoming a vampire.
Aiden and I walked through the doors of the Omni Royal Orleans and tried to fit in. New Orleans was full of supernaturals posing as humans, and this place was one of the sanctuaries. For those who could afford it anyway.
Aiden shuddered beside me. He had changed into a black suit with a white button-up and a bright red tie.
With his blond hair slicked back and his unnaturally prominent cheekbones, he could have passed for a model, a celebrity, or one of the city’s wicked.
Exactly the kind of toy Sorinah was looking for.
“You don’t have to do this,” I said, suddenly regretting some of my decisions today.
But Aiden simply tugged on his jacket and monitored the lobby. “Yes, I do. We need her.”
“I don’t want to make you—”
“You asked me. Not forced me. And I agreed.” He took in the double staircases on our right and left and then noted each statue, highlighting the ornate balcony on the second-floor terrace. “This place freaks me out,” he admitted.
“Wasn’t this one of your playgrounds?” I teased, knowing Aiden had found many of his targets here in the past.
“That was before.”
I understood. “Before Katarina.”
Aiden gave me a small smile and shook his head. “Exactly. Now, where is the vampire queen?”
No sooner had the question left his lips than two extra tall and extra wide vampires jogged down the stairs.
Eyes only on us, they still managed to attract attention from the others in the lobby.
Dressed in head-to-toe black leather, their shaved heads, tanned skin, and biceps bulging out from beneath their vests made them something worth looking at.
They screamed danger and I watched the humans cower.
“Here we go,” I whispered under my breath and straightened my own jacket.
“Tiny Tim and Tiny Todd have arrived,” Aiden muttered, and I stifled a laugh. I had centuries on these men, but we weren’t here to challenge Sorinah, and I needed to make sure I kept my temper in check.
“Come,” one of the men grunted when they reached us. “She is waiting.”
Aiden wiggled his head, making fun of the way the man spoke to us, but I simply waved my hand and gestured for him to follow the leather twins.
“You know, I didn’t get the memo that this was gladiator night,” Aiden said to the backs of the vampire guards as they climbed the stairs in front of us.
“I could have worn my subligaculum. It’s red.
” When the guards didn’t acknowledge his comment, he added with a mock whisper, “That’s a loin cloth in case you didn’t know. ”
I stifled another laugh when I should have warned him not to press his luck. However, Aiden was nervous, and cracking jokes was his way of dealing with what awaited him upstairs.
“Too bad,” he continued to muse as we waited for the elevator.
“I haven’t dressed up in a while.” And just to increase the tension a little more, as soon as the doors opened, Aiden teleported inside, giving the guardian vampires a start.
He winked at them and smirked, and I swear I felt their anger surge to the surface.
I’m sure they weren’t used to others acting so brash with them.
They were Sorinah’s after all, and no one messed with Sorinah’s people.
No one besides Aiden, who probably had a death wish, even though he also probably couldn’t die.
I’d never confirmed that.
Maybe I should have before coming here tonight.
I said nothing as I pushed past them and stepped into the elevator. The two guards followed and pressed the button. “Ooh,” Aiden clapped. “The penthouse.”
Hiding my smile, I dropped my chin and shook my head. As long as Aiden could keep his carefree attitude, he would survive whatever Sorinah had in store for him. I would make sure of that.
The elevator opened into a small lobby area with one set of double doors on the wall directly across from us. The dark cypress wood had been carved into a forest scene, depicting trees, and birds, and deer frolicking about. Kind of ironic, considering the huntress occupying the suite inside.
One of the guards knocked and then they both moved to flank the entrance. Feet shoulder-width apart, they stood tall with hands clasped in front of them and staring straight ahead. Sentinels. Handsome statues trained well.
The doors opened, and a cool rush of air flew out, wrapping us both in wisps of power. “Come in,” Sorinah’s disembodied voice called out from within. Aiden glanced my way, his brows pinched, and a slight blush creeping up his neck. I nodded. Yes, we were really going to do this.
Leading the way, I stepped through the threshold and sucked in a calming breath.
There was no better scent for a vampire than the smell of their maker.
Like it was ingrained into my soul the minute Sorinah had taken the last bit of breath out of my body and shared her immortal life force with me.
The sweet taste of cinnamon, vanilla, and citrus mixed with the tangy undertone of metallic blood…
the perfect combination that set my senses on fire.
“Jesus,” Aiden muttered behind me. “What’s that smell? It’s like a—"”
“Roman,” Sorinah cooed, interrupting Aiden’s impending insult.
“What a pleasant surprise.” She was standing next to the dining table that separated the kitchen from the bedroom.
Wearing nothing but a black lace teddy and a sheer white robe, her petite body screamed of sex.
Long, wavy, dark hair flowing down her back, her sun-kissed porcelain skin glowing in the dim lights from the hundreds of candles she’d positioned around the suite.
Placing one red stiletto heel in front of the other, Sorinah gracefully sauntered toward us. “And you brought me a present.”
I heard Aiden suck in his breath the moment he saw her. Sorinah was a lethal package wrapped up in a disarmingly sweet-looking body. She’d been in her teens when turned, and that youthful facade had tricked many men and women over the centuries. Myself included.
Reaching forward, I leaned in to kiss her. Her soft lips clamped onto mine and I whimpered as she bit down with her fangs. Not all the way through, but a teasing nip reminding me who was in charge here.
“Nice to see you again so soon.” She leaned around me to look at Aiden. “And you brought the fae. How delightful.”
“He’s here with me,” I reminded her. “Not for you.”
She pulled her plump lips into a pout and looked no older than a fifteen-year-old for a moment.
“Not fair,” she fussed. “You’ve always been such a tease, Roman.
” Turning on her heel, she moseyed slowly to the kitchen island where two glasses filled with red liquid sat.
Grabbing one of them in her manicured hands, she turned back to me and made her offer.
“For you, my love. As I know you haven’t been to the old country in quite some time. ”
Aiden made a noise. Yes, she was offering me blood taken from a human in Romania many centuries ago. A fine wine of sorts for us vampires and a luxury Sorinah had always indulged in.
“You are too kind to me,” I said in thanks, taking the goblet and sipping on the delicious warm blood. Shivers danced across my skin as the liquid slid down my throat, almost as arousing as tasting Katarina’s blood. Almost.
“And I have some champagne for the fae, if you like,” she offered Aiden.
To his credit, he handled himself well as he walked around me and said, “That would be lovely,” and then picked up Sorinah’s hand and gently kissed her fingers. For all of Aiden’s faults, he was probably the best flirt of all of us.
Sorinah giggled and pulled her hand back. Walking gracefully enough she seemed to float, she rounded the island and started opening cabinets. It took her three tries before she found the champagne flutes and set one gently on the counter.
“Don’t you have people for that?” I asked with a grin, wondering how many, other than the two guards out in the lobby, we should be watching for.
“I sent them all away tonight.” She pulled a chilled bottle of champagne out of the ice bucket sitting near the refrigerator and deftly popped it open. “I thought it would be… nice for us to have some time alone.”
I wanted to tell her that we wouldn’t be staying long. And I really hated that she’d sent everyone away. But I needed to play her game if I was going to get the end result we all needed.
Once Aiden had his glass and thanked our host, Sorinah waved us through the dining area and into her bedroom.
A massive king bed with a fabric headboard covered in pearls filled the room.
At the foot was a bench where Sorinah had displayed the variety of lingerie options she’d apparently decided against. Conveniently leaving them out in the open.
“Oh,” she giggled when she saw us staring. “I’m so sorry I didn’t put those away. Though nothing you boys haven’t seen before, am I correct?”
We both nodded and took another sip of our drinks. Anything to keep us focused on the task. “Sorinah,” I started and watched her slink onto the bed without spilling a drop of blood. “You know why we are here.”
She puffed her lips and sighed. “Must we talk business?”
“Yes.” Running her hungry eyes up and down Aiden’s body, I stepped in front of him and forced her to look at me. “Your presence in New Orleans hasn’t helped my case—”
“Oh, I disagree, amant. I believe my presence here is what has kept you alive these last few weeks.”
“The Crescent Coven will be coming for us.”
“Of course, they are,” she interrupted, her perfectly plucked eyebrows creasing together. “They can smell the weakness wafting off you.”