Ash(34)

My eyebrows shot up as Ryder cleared his throat.

“I’d love to,” I said with a fake smile. I trusted Lucas, but only to a certain extent. Still, there was no reason to let him know that.



The next night I was summoned to the fiftieth floor. Jayden informed me that this level held the penthouses. Lucas lived the cushy life. I wondered what he’d been like as a human, before becoming vampire and all powerful Quorum member. Maybe I’d find out tonight.

Lucas opened the door and gestured for me to step inside. I crossed the threshold into his massive apartment, and wondered for a moment why the Quorum members would want their places up high with all that sunlight around. Made more sense for them to be in one of the twenty sub levels. Of course, the moment I ventured a little further into the room, my feet sinking into soft carpet, I understood exactly what the draw was. Floor to ceiling windows spanned the entire side of his apartment, and just like when I ran on the roof, the view was spectacular. He’d never see the sun rise across the city, but maybe the moonlight was enough for him. I guess it had to be enough.

Lucas’ place was very open-plan, each room seamlessly blending into the next. The furniture was expensive but simple, all creams and whites. Which was not a surprise considering his love for that trench coat. Which he wasn’t actually wearing right then, but still his slacks and button dress shirt were in shades of white.

“What happens when the sun rises?” I asked, taking in the wide expanse of windows which covered everything from the river to the edge of the Portland.

“The same shutters close over our floors.” He stood next to me, both of us at the window of his main living area. “I could have taken one of the basement suites, but I already mourn the loss of the sun. I don’t want to lose anything else.”

His words mirrored my own thoughts from before. That was the most personal revelation I’d heard from the reticent vampire. For the hundredth time I wondered why he had taken such an interest in me. It felt like more than the fact I was an ash-unicorn – something deeper.

“Come,” he finally said. “Dinner is almost ready and I don’t want it to get cold.”

I followed him through a few more impressive rooms, catching a glimpse of the massive stainless steel and marble-benched kitchen, before we ended up in a simply adorned medium sized room. It held not much more than an eight-seater dining table, which had two place settings made up on it. There was also an antique-looking hutch, which was oddly out of place in his very modern penthouse.

“That was my wife’s.” He must have noticed my interest – his words were so low I almost missed them, even with ash hearing. “She loved it, took her months to restore it, and I just couldn’t part with it … even after.”

My breathing went a little ragged, matching with his. The usually cool, calm, and collected male was leaking emotions all over the place. It was hard hearing that tone of loss, and I wondered what had happened to his wife. What had happened to him? How did he become a vampire?

As we took our seats across from each other, I hoped that I might have some answers tonight. The silence between us grew, but it didn’t really feel uncomfortable. I figured he must have someone cooking, because there was no way for him to be here and in the kitchen. Unless that was his superpower.

Nope. An ash male entered the room then, carrying a long tray which he placed gently into the center of the table. He proceeded to lift the very heavy looking silver-inlaid cover, and beneath was a veritable feast.

I sucked in deeply, the scents of seafood and pasta wafting toward me. My stomach roared to life and I had to restrain myself from actually launching across to fill my mouth with that goodness.

Lucas chuckled. “I do so miss that love for food. I pretty much just have blood now.”

I knew vampires could still eat food, but they didn’t need to, and they didn’t particularly enjoy it. Another ash entered then, and in his hands was a bottle of red wine. He showed the label to Lucas and the vampire nodded. The ash popped the cork with a whoosh of release, and the wine was allowed to breathe. Lucas filled both of our glasses; the scent hit me immediately. It was all red grapes, sweet apples, oak barrels and … blood. I straightened. Holy shit. They had alcohol with blood in it? Why the hell hadn’t I known this before now?

He talked as he poured. “This is a special blend that my company is manufacturing. It’s new to the market. I was hoping we could be the testers tonight.” The silver in his eyes flashed at me as he lifted his head and lowered the bottle to the table again.

I was intrigued. Lucas not only was a Quorum member, which was a fulltime job on its own, he also had a company that made cool things. Like blood alcohol. I reached for my glass, the wine swishing against the sides a little as I brought it closer to my face. My eyelids fluttered closed as the deeper tones of the scent hit me. I allowed myself moments to breathe it in. Blood had such a tantalizing smell for me now, that copper filled with spice and heat and life. Team that with rich grapes, the juicy sweetness of red apples, and aged wine and, well, shit, I was pretty sure Lucas had a winner here.