Page 4 of Eternal Kiss

Once Doug had his baser urges contained, he began playing at The Limelight, and soon, our club was packed nightly. Doug developed a fanbase of men and women who tried to catch his attention. With his dark hair and green eyes, the young man was a looker, but it was his talent with the horn that transfixed the masses. Hell, I was as mesmerized as the patrons. He was living his dream, but he did so without his woman and child. That was his one regret in agreeing to be turned. Instead of getting to say goodbye, he walked away without looking back. He couldn’t force himself to call Trina, so he wrote her a letter. He couldn’t admit to what happened the night of the riot, so he lied and said he was running from trouble. If I had been able to pass my gifts to him, he could have brought them along, but he couldn’t explain to Trina how he could no longer eat human food or walk in the sunlight. Instead, Doug sent monthly checks to help raise Dinah.

Dinah.There was no way I would allow her to walk into her father’s house – now her house – and see it in such disarray. Since my coven was large, I couldn’t police the city alone, so I’d long ago formed a team of vamps to patrol in my stead, and I paid them an outrageous amount to remain loyal. It took a few years after I gained control from Constantine to weed out the worst of our kind, but once I had, trouble had been almost non-existent. Until eight days ago. I called Stefan, the captain of my security team, and told him what I needed. I then called Doug’s attorney and compelled him to keep Dinah away from the house for the time being. My plan was to personally replace everything that had been destroyed. I couldn’t replicate all the antiques or paintings, but I could move some of mine from storage. Even if the attorney had a list of all Doug’s belongings,I could assure him the replacements were equally as valuable. Since I didn’t have enough time between now and my date with Dinah, I directed Stefan to begin moving my things the next morning where I could be there to oversee everything. I trusted Stefan, but I did not have faith that whoever destroyed Doug’s possessions wouldn’t be watching.

The team Stefan chose couldn’t clear out the wreckage until the sun went down, so I locked up the house, planning to meet them back there after my date. I should call and reschedule, as I was in a prickly mood, but the need to see Dinah overrode my attitude. I drove Uptown to my largest house. It was a French two-story with over ninety-six hundred square feet and where I stayed when I needed to be alone. I had long ago purchased all the houses around mine, ensuring only vamps had access to those properties. I offered Doug one of them, but he opted for a place in the Garden District to be closer to the club.

Instead of pulling into the garage, I parked in the circular driveway, then made my way to the second-floor balcony that overlooked a perfectly manicured courtyard. I poured a glass of brandy and sipped it while leaning against the railing. For too long, life had been perfect. I led my coven in a mostly peaceful existence among humans and whatever other creatures roamed the streets at night. I fed when I needed to, which wasn’t often. I fucked whenever I wanted, choosing humans since there was less drama that way. The last time I bedded a vamp, she assumed she would become my queen and caused dissention amongst the other females. I staked her to prove a point. It had been a while since I last had sex. That had to be why Dinah was so appealing. I needed to get close to her, but if whoever killed Doug somehow found out I fancied his daughter, would they target her too?

Until I moved to Louisiana, I hadn’t met other supernaturals. I didn’t know exactly what type of beings they were, like the male who dressed and spoke like a pirate. DominicDubois was not human, but what he was, I couldn’t say. There were others who were not human. Had one of them found out about vamps? Did they somehow know I was king of my kind? If so, why go after Doug and not me? I didn’t have a team of security guards flanking my every move. I was the deadliest, so it wasn’t necessary. Maybe that was it. They couldn’t kill me, so instead, they hurt me another way. Maybe the killer would return to The Limelight once it reopened. Speaking of which, I sent Arabella a text requesting she contact the employees and let them know they were needed the next night. Their schedules were set in stone, so there was no need to scramble to ensure we had the right people on the right day. I had personally called each one to tell them the news of Doug’s demise while letting them know they would continue to be paid while the club was closed. The staff had been with us for years, and I didn’t want them to even consider moving to a different job because of the unexpected time off.

As the shadow from the lowering sun crossed my lawn, I realized the time. Since I was meeting Dinah as Luke and not myself, I glamoured my clothes into something casual. I didn’t expect her to have brought a nice dress for the type of restaurant I frequented. I also forewent my high-end sports car for something less conspicuous. I strode to the house next door where I kept a nice four-door sedan to make it appear someone lived there.

I sent Dinah a text through the car’s Bluetooth that I would escort her from her room to the car. When I pulled into the covered drop-off area, she was exiting the building. Stubborn female. She did allow me to get out and open her door. I gave her my best smile, one I only allowed when I was Luke. A club manager slash bartender needed to put on a friendly façade.

When we were both seated, she gestured at her clothing. “I hope this is okay for where we’re going. When I packed, I didn’t expect to need a nice dress.”

“You’re perfect.” I put the car in drive and headed away from the hotel. New Orleans had numerous restaurants near the heart of the city, but I opted for one on the outskirts of town. It was housed in a former pharmacy and was more intimate than most. “Do you like your job?”

Dinah glanced at me, but I kept my eyes on the road. “It keeps me busy. I’ve met many country music stars, but most often, I’m at a desk fielding phone calls and emails. It’s not exactly where I imagined I would be when I was younger, but it pays the bills.”

“That didn’t answer my question. Do you enjoy it?”

“I don’t hate it, but I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life when I was in college. I knew I didn’t want to be a nurse like my mother, and my father didn’t pass along his musical talent, so I opted for a business degree.”

“And now that you’re older? Have you thought of something which you might enjoy?”

“Not really. My life isn’t bad, Luke.”

“I wasn’t implying it is. I’m of the opinion that most people get stuck and don’t look further than what they have. Granted, there are those who are unable to rise above their situation, but most don’t even try.”

“Does that mean you always wanted to manage a jazz club? Was that your life’s passion when you were younger?”

“My ambitions were not such that I wanted to rule the world, but I do love my job.”I just can’t tell you what it is.“I meet different people every night, and I get to listen to the best genre of music while doing so.”

“I take it you and my father were close?”

“He was my best friend.”

“Did he…” Dinah cleared her throat. “Did he find someone else? You know, a woman?”

“No. Your mother was the love of his life.”

“Do you know why he abandoned us?” Dinah whispered.

Not able to bear the sadness in her tone, I reached over and grasped her left hand, threading our fingers. I was surprised I’d gone that long without touching her. Something in Dinah Caan called to me on a cellular level, and I needed her as much as my next drop of blood. “It wasn’t by choice. Your father… Let’s just say the night of the riot changed everything for Doug. If he had remained in Memphis, your life and that of your mother’s would have been in danger.”

“Then why didn’t he explain that? Why up and leave without a word to my mom?”

“It was safer for you both if he cut ties. I know that doesn’t appease the heartache, but he felt it was easier that way. He couldn’t remain in Memphis, nor could he return until it was safe.” I squeezed Dinah’s hand. “It was never safe.”

“But he lived his life out in the open in New Orleans. He played at The Limelight every night where anyone could find him if they searched his name on the internet.”

“True, but here he had protection.”

“Not enough, obviously,” she muttered, and that drove a metaphorical dagger deep into my heart, knowing she was right.

“He shouldn’t have been alone, Dinah. I don’t know what he was doing at the club after hours. Why he was there without his security team. He left at his usual time. I locked up behind all the staff and closed out the system. When I arrived the next morning, there was no indication anything was amiss until I found his body. I called the police, and together we went over every inch of the place. There was no evidence someone broke in, so we assume he met his killer willingly. There is a keypad on both front and back entrances. Doug entered his code at 4:53.”

“Are there no security cameras?”

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