After Dark Read online

  After Dark

  A Vamps Novel

  Nancy A. Collins

  Dedication

  In loving memory of Scrapple 1994–2008

  “Mama’s Little Stinker”

  Rarely do great beauty and great virtue dwell together.

  —Petrarch, De Remedies

  CHAPTER 1

  Cally had been to Rauhnacht parties before, but none as elaborate as this. The difference between how the New Bloods and Old Bloods celebrated the arrival of the Dark Season was the difference between a children’s Halloween party and the Carnival of Venice. Now that the opening waltz of the evening was over, the debutantes and their escorts were receiving congratulations from their parents’ friends and associates. Everywhere she looked, gorgeous women in glittering designer evening gowns and men in elegant dress mingled. The air was alive with laughter, live music, and the ring of fine crystal as the revelers toasted one another.

  At the center of the ballroom was a huge fountain fashioned of hammered gold offering an endless supply of O positive blood. As Count Orlock’s guests milled about, chatting and laughing among themselves, they were free to fill their glasses from any of its fancy spigots. A small army of Orlock servants wearing classic footman gear also carried platters laden with wineglasses for those revelers who thirsted for less-common blood types.

  The floor was open to whoever wished to dance the night away. Dozens of couples swirled about, moving in perfect time.

  As the only daughter of a single mother, Cally had grown up far removed from the glitz and glamour of the jet-setting Old Bloods. Then, after sixteen years of anonymity, her biological father had suddenly taken an interest in her. The immediate transition from a low-rent New Blood high school to Bathory Academy had been jarring. Cally’s problem wasn’t the challenge of adapting to a new life of privilege and financial security—she was pretty sure she could figure that one out. She was more troubled by the fact that she had just been introduced to all of Old Blood society (at least those who mattered) under false pretenses.

  Although Baron Karl Metzger claimed her as his daughter, Cally’s biological father was really Victor Todd, one of the world’s richest vampires and Baron Metzger’s lord and master. However, since Victor knew his wife, Irina, and his daughter Lilith would take a dim view of any pretender to the Todd bloodright, it was necessary for Cally to masquerade as another man’s child if she wanted to stay alive. The fact that Lilith knew the truth and was using it to blackmail Victor didn’t exactly make things easier. And as if that weren’t dicey enough, there was also the problem of Cally’s mother being a human.

  “My dear, there’s someone here I want you to meet.”

  Cally glanced up at Baron Metzger. “Who is it?”

  “Just a friend of mine. Ah, there she is!” he said, pointing in the direction of a woman dressed in a midnight-blue silk crepe gown with matching lambskin opera gloves.

  “Karl! By the Founders, it’s good to see you!” the woman said as she clasped Metzger’s hands, ritualistically kissing the air to either side of his cheeks. Her sleek, black hair was worn in a Cleopatra bob.

  “You look fabulous as ever, darling!” Baron Metzger smiled. “I would like you to meet my daughter. Cally, this is my old friend—”

  “Uh-uh-uh!” the woman said, wagging a finger in admonishment. “You know you’re not allowed to say the O word around me!”

  “Excuse me, liebchen, I forgot!” Metzger chuckled. “Make that my very dear friend Sister Midnight.”

  “Not the Sister Midnight?” Cally gasped in surprise.

  Sister Midnight was the owner of the most exclusive vampire-only boutique in New York City, with equally successful branches in Beverly Hills, London, Paris, Moscow, and Tokyo. If Victor Todd was the vampire world’s equivalent of Bill Gates, Sister Midnight was its Martha Stewart.

  “One and the same, I’m afraid,” she replied. “It’s nice to know my reputation precedes me, even among the younger generation.”

  “It’s an honor to meet you, ma’am!”

  “She is a lovely little thing, Karl!” Sister Midnight said, obviously pleased. “Where have you been hiding her all this time? I had no idea you had a daughter until I saw you coming down the stairs.”

  “Cally’s mother was one of my concubines,” Metzger replied matter-of-factly. “Now that my dear wife, Adela, is no more, I am free to formally claim Cally as part of my family.”

  Sister Midnight nodded her understanding, seeming to accept his explanation without batting an eye. “I can tell she’s inherited your fashion sense! I absolutely love that gown you have on, my child! Where did you get it? Who’s the designer?”

  “Well, I, uh…” Although she was flattered by the praise, Cally was hesitant to admit what she was wearing was homemade.

  “Come, now—there’s no point in being modest!” Baron Metzger said proudly. “She designed the gown on her own!”

  Sister Midnight’s jaw dropped in surprise. “Cally, is your father telling me the truth?”

  “Yes,” she replied, blushing. “I made it myself.”

  “Do you have any more ‘originals’?”

  “Yes, but most of them are packed away right now….” Cally caught herself before she could say any more. The moment the Grand Ball was over, she was headed to JFK International Airport, where her father had a private jet fueled and ready to fly her to Europe. No one was supposed to know she was leaving, especially Lilith, so she had to be extra careful about what she said during the course of the night.

  Although she didn’t want to leave New York, she had agreed to the relocation out of concern for her mother’s safety and a desire to please her father. But she sensed that Victor’s sudden interest in her welfare had more to do with her having inherited a rare supernatural genetic trait known as the Shadow Hand than actual affection.

  Sister Midnight reached into her satin purse, took out a business card, and handed it to Cally. “Come by the boutique in a couple of days. Bring along a few samples of your work. If I like what I see, perhaps we can make an arrangement for something later on?”

  Cally blinked in disbelief. “Are you serious?”

  “I’m never serious,” Sister Midnight said with a throaty laugh. “But I do mean what I say!” She turned and waved at someone across the room. “I’d love to chat, darling, but I just saw someone that I simply must talk to!”

  Cally stared in awe at the business card. “I can’t believe that just happened,” she told the Baron. “I’ve always dreamed of getting a chance like this—but I never thought it would happen. It’s too bad I’m not in a position to take advantage of the situation.”

  “Don’t let such things dampen your spirits, my dear. From here on, you’ll have plenty of opportunities,” the Baron said reassuringly. “Now that you are one of us, doors that were once closed are open. All you have to do is walk through them.”

  As Cally mulled over Metzger’s words, Melinda Mauvais emerged from the crowd of expensively dressed partygoers.

  “There you are!” Melinda said, heaving a sigh of relief. “I’ve been looking all over for you!”

  “Who is this charming young lady?” Metzger asked, eyeing the other girl’s chic Valentino gown.

  “Baron—I mean Dad,” Cally said, quickly correcting herself, “I’d like to introduce you to my good friend Melinda.”

  “Pleased to meet you, sir,” Melinda said, offering him her hand.

  Baron Metzger clicked his heels as he bowed at the waist. “The pleasure is all mine.”

  “I’d like to borrow your daughter for a few minutes, Baron,” Melinda said, taking Cally by the arm. “My parents would like to meet her.”

  Anton Mauvais was a handsome man with a slightly puffy, fretful face, who appeare
d to be in his late thirties. Standing beside him was his wife, Layla, a slender, stunningly beautiful woman with skin the color of mahogany. She was dressed in a backless gold lamé evening gown and she wore her hair close to her skull, dramatically highlighting her catlike black eyes.

  “Mother? Father? I’d like you to meet my friend Cally Monture.”

  “You’re the half-blood, am I right?” Anton Mauvais asked, his voice as blunt as a hammer.

  “Dad!” Melinda groaned in embarrassment.

  “There’s no need to be rude, Anton!” Layla said reproachfully.

  “I’m not being rude, just truthful!” Mauvais snapped defensively. “The girl’s mother is a New Blood, is she not?”

  Layla sighed wearily. “For once, I would like to go somewhere without you bringing caste into the conversation!”

  Unsure how she should react, Cally was surprised to find her surrogate father suddenly at her elbow.

  “Good evening, Anton,” Baron Metzger said flatly. “Congratulations on the debut of your lovely daughter.”

  “Thank you, Karl. Congratulations to you as well. I was just asking your girl here a couple of questions about—”

  “Yes, I know what you were doing,” Metzger said, cutting Mauvais off in mid-sentence. “She has been properly introduced to Old Blood society as my daughter. Should you have any further questions, ask them of me.”

  “For someone who so proudly paraded his bastard for all to see, you seem to resent the term ‘New Blood,’” Mauvais said with a sneer.

  “Save it for your fellow Purists,” Metzger replied coldly. “They have time for such drivel; I don’t.”

  Mauvais’s face contorted, and for the space of a heartbeat, he became a snarling wolf from the neck up, fangs bared, eyes flashing with a murderous fire.

  “Anton!”

  Layla’s voice was like the crack of a whip. Mauvais’s wolf head disappeared as swiftly as it had materialized. He scowled at his wife but quickly averted his gaze on seeing her anger.

  “I’m going to go freshen my drink,” he said sullenly.

  Layla Mauvais placed a hand on Metzger’s arm. “I’m so terribly sorry about all that, Baron. Ever since Anton joined Count de Laval’s retinue as an adviser, he’s been insufferable! Purist this, Purist that!” She took a deep breath, forcing a smile onto her face. “But enough about my husband! So, Cally, you are the one who saved my daughter’s life? I owe you a great debt.” Layla threw her arms around Cally in an unexpected embrace. “You have a very brave daughter, Baron!”

  “Is that so?” Metzger said, raising an eyebrow.

  “Did she not tell you? She saved my Melinda from Van Helsings.”

  Metzger’s surprise gave way to alarm. “She did what?”

  “We were clubbing,” Melinda explained. “There was an ambush. We would have been staked if it hadn’t been for Cally. She killed all three of them using her stormgathering ability.”

  Metzger turned to stare at Cally. “You killed three Van Helsings? All by yourself?”

  “Kinda,” Cally replied uncomfortably.

  The truth was, she hadn’t killed three Van Helsings on the pier that night. She hadn’t even killed two. Melinda herself had slain one of the vampire hunters, while she used her ability to control lightning to incapacitate the second. As for the third…well, the less said about him, the better.

  “Brave and modest,” Layla Mauvais said admiringly. “My Melinda is very lucky to have a friend like you, my dear! Just as you are lucky to have such a fine father.”

  “Yes, I guess I am.” Cally smiled and glanced across the room at Victor Todd, who was being congratulated on his daughter’s debut. As she watched, Victor put a fatherly arm around Lilith’s shoulders. The smile slipped from Cally’s face and she quickly looked away.

  ***

  “Good evening, Mr. and Mrs. Todd.”

  “Good evening, Jules.” Irina smiled. “You’re looking very handsome tonight.”

  “And you look as splendid as ever, madam,” he replied, kissing Irina’s hand. “My father wishes to congratulate Lilith.”

  “Of course, my dear boy!” Victor said, smiling indulgently. “Please take her to him!”

  Lilith leaned over and whispered into her father’s ear, “Why can’t Count de Laval come over here and congratulate me himself? Why do I have to go to him?”

  “Because he may very well be the next Lord Chamberlain, that’s why,” Victor growled back under his breath.

  Lilith rolled her eyes and sighed, just to make her feelings clear. The moment they were safely out of earshot, Jules roughly grabbed her arm.

  “What in the name of the Founders are you trying to pull?” he asked angrily.

  “What do you mean?”

  “I’m talking about Xander!” Jules snapped. “Why did you pick him to be your escort?”

  “You’re one to talk!” she replied heatedly. “You know how much I hate Cally, and you didn’t even have the decency to tell me you’re her escort for the ball.”

  “That’s different.”

  “How so?”

  Jules paused for a second as he tried to come up with a reason. When he couldn’t, he became angrier, as if that somehow proved his point. “It just is! Besides, we’re not bound yet. And even if we were, it’s not your place to tell me what to do.”

  Lilith was about to tell Jules she knew about his affair with her now ex-friend Carmen Duivel but stopped when she realized she was standing in front of his father. Count Julian de Laval was an elegant man who looked like an older, jaded version of his son.

  “Good evening, Your Excellency,” Lilith said, curtsying. “You wished to speak to me?”

  “Indeed we do, my dear,” Count de Laval replied languidly. “We wish to confer our congratulations upon your introduction to the Old Blood.”

  “I’m honored, Count de Laval.”

  “We would also like to thank you for appointing our nephew as your escort.”

  “Since your son could not serve in that capacity,” Lilith lied, shooting a sharp look at Jules, “I decided his closest male relative would be the next-best thing. Xander is an excellent dancer, by the way.”

  “In that, at least, he resembles his mother’s side of the family.” Count de Laval looked Lilith up and down, taking in her long blond hair, sparkling blue eyes, and Marchesa gown. “Your dress highlights your figure wonderfully, my dear. If there is one problem with women of our caste, it’s that they have narrow hips. You, on the other hand, have very nice, wide hips. That will help during pregnancies.”

  Lilith had to bite her tongue to keep the outrage inside her from spewing forth in a torrent of choice obscenities. Who did he think he was? More importantly, who did he think she was? Some peasant girl brought in to freshen up the bloodline? New stock so his grandchildren wouldn’t end up bat boys? As she turned away, Jules followed her.

  “Why didn’t you tell me that’s why you picked Xander?”

  “Like you said: we’re not bound yet. I don’t have to explain myself to anyone, let alone you. Don’t bother taking me back to my parents—I can make it on my own.”

  ***

  “So—what did Count de Laval have to say?” Irina asked eagerly, pouncing on her returning daughter like a hungry cat on a mouse. Besides crosswords and sudoku, one of her favorite hobbies was puzzling out the hidden meanings buried within the idle chitchat of others.

  “You mean other than him making it clear he views me as nothing more than a broodmare?” Lilith replied, her voice quavering in outrage. “He looked at me like I was something he scraped off his shoe!”

  “Did he say anything about me or your father?”

  “No, he didn’t. And even if he had—so what? It would mean as much as if he’d talked about his valet—possibly even less!”

  “Keep your voice down! We’re in public!” Victor snapped, flashing his displeasure. “Count de Laval is ethnarch of the descendants of Faroch the Enslaver—he can look down his nose at us all
he wants! At least for now, that is. Once you and Jules are formally bound, it’ll be a different story.”

  “Daddy, I really, really don’t like Count de Laval! And to be honest, I’m seriously thinking about breaking up with Jules! If it was up to me—”

  “But it’s not up to you!” Irina hissed, grabbing Lilith’s wrist hard enough to make her wince. She had long ago learned the art of inflicting pain on her daughter while outwardly appearing to be a doting mother. “As for Jules, you don’t have to love him or even tolerate his company—just marry him and bear his offspring: that is all. And that’s exactly what you’re going to do, young lady! Because I’m not going to let you get in the way of my very own palace on the Côte d’Azur, you understand?”

  “Perfectly,” Lilith said as she massaged the quickly fading bruises on her wrist.

  CHAPTER 2

  Carmen Duivel smiled wanly as her escort, Sergei Savanovic, handed her a champagne flute full of blood. Sergei frowned. Normally Carmen was the life of the party. He’d never seen her so subdued before.

  “What’s wrong? I thought you’d be whooping it up with Lilith and the others. Why are you sitting on the sidelines, watching everyone else party?”

  Carmen heaved a deep sigh, and for a moment it seemed like she might cry. “I know I should be out there having a good time, Sergei, but this has turned into the worst night of my life—ever!”

  “It can’t be as bad as all that.”

  “Just before midnight, while we were in the waiting room upstairs, things kind of got out of hand between Lilith and Cally. I ended up saying some things I shouldn’t have and, well, Lilith found out about me and Jules.”

  “I stand corrected: that is bad!” As Jules’s best friend, Sergei had known about the affair from the start. He had his own opinion about why Carmen was sleeping around with Jules, but he knew enough to keep his trap shut.