I didn’t say anything and decided to drink some wine. I didn’t consider this a date because he tricked me and used my best friend to get here tonight. Nathaniel behaved like a normal human being and there was no trace of any kind of blood thirst in his movements. I wasn’t sure whether I made up my mind about him. He was handsome, rich, and available, but when we met I’d heard in his thoughts that he wanted to drink from me. But right now his smell was pulling me to him and maybe I liked his cockiness and his confidence.
God what am I thinking?
I’d always been a fast eater. I never went to a restaurant and spent hours eating my meal. Nathaniel was the same; he polished off his main course quickly, not leaving anything on his plate.
‘Delicious. I’m surprised that I have never been in this restaurant,’ he said.
‘I discovered it accidently with Ella, when we were hiding from the rain,’ I told him and asked the waiter for a glass of water.
‘So I guess that you enjoy spicy food?’
‘Yes, when I was younger my parents lived next to an Asian couple. They always used to bring us homemade curries, and since then, I fell in love with Asian cuisine.’
‘I love good food, but I have to admit that I love blood more.’ His seductive voice sent a tremor down my spine.
‘Okay, your time is up. Get to the point and tell me: what do you want?’ I asked, pushing away my empty plate.
His eyes filled with fire as he moved forward, staring into mine. ‘I want to be locked away with you in my bedroom. I want to undress you and I want to make love to you all night until you beg me to stop. I want to bite into you and drink from you. I know it’s wrong, but I can’t control my response to the intoxicating smell of your blood.’
My heart stopped beating for several long moments, and I wasn’t able to break away from his intense gaze. Fireworks exploded inside me. I felt as if I were swept away by a storm. I couldn’t breathe, but this time I was able to control my magic. He sat back, watching me with a smile on his face. This was so wrong; I shouldn’t even like him.
‘Are you on crack cocaine or something like that?’ I gasped, expecting him to start laughing. But he was just sitting there, staring at me with a tense and unreadable expression.
‘I’m insulted, Julia. I don’t take drugs.’ He shrugged. ‘Since that meeting I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you.’
‘Right,’ I responded, feeling my face heat up. He was trying to tell me he was serious. ‘Why didn’t you just say you wanted to fuck me and drink from me? That would have been so much easier.’
‘I’m a gentleman, Julia, and I wanted to show you that I had the best intentions,’ he said, running his hands through his sandy hair.
‘Well, let me tell you something, Mr. La Caz,’ I began, moving closer to him, ‘I’m not a slut. I would never agree to sleep with you. I don’t sleep with men after meeting them randomly at some business function. I don’t date vampires or half vampires. And last, I would never allow you to drink from me!’
His expression didn’t change. I was taking long rasping breaths; my blood was boiling with anger, but I was proud of myself.
‘You can ask me anything you want, Julia. I haven’t got secrets. I was trying to ask you to dinner, but you declined.’
I shook my head and laughed. ‘Nothing is going to change, Nathaniel. Even if I ask you questions, you still won’t get me to bed, and you won’t drink from me.’
‘Okay, let’s forget about what I said. I want you to ask me questions, Julia,’ he pleaded hoarsely.
Fine, if he wants to play this game, then we’ll play it. ‘So I assume you don’t have a girlfriend if you make that kind of proposition to a woman you don’t even know?’
‘I’m single and I don’t date, Julia, but I enjoy casual sex with beautiful women.’
‘Have you ever been in a long-term relationship?’
‘Yes, it was a long time ago and it’s just the past to me now.’
‘How old are you, then?’
‘Twenty-seven,’ he responded, sounding bored. ‘Are you going to quiz me all night?’
‘You wanted me to ask you questions,’ I said, frowning. I was sure he was annoyed with me but I was enjoying this conversation.
‘What else do you want to know?’
‘I think I’ve heard enough and I still don’t want to sleep with you. If you don’t do dating, then I’m afraid we are wasting each other’s time now because I'm a traditional woman,’ I said, hoping he understood this wasn’t going to work. He looked at me for a few more seconds and my body reacted again. I flushed.
‘Let’s just leave it as it is, Julia. Think about it. Besides, if you want to find your cousin you should stick with me.’
‘I said I’ll think about it, but you shouldn’t withhold any information; it’s against the law.’
‘I only said that I can help you. If I suspected anyone I would tell you straightaway, this is about knowing who to talk to,’ he said, obviously irritated.
‘Okay, I’m sorry for being a bitch, but you need to pay the bill. You forced me to have dinner with you so now take care of it. When it comes to your proposition, the answer is still no, but I’ll think about you helping me out with finding my cousin.’
‘I wouldn’t let you pay anyway, darling, but I like your style. As to your cousin, don’t leave it too late; we want to find her alive.’ His hazel eyes focused on my lips again. I could tell he was trying to make me lose control, but I was keeping my emotions on a leash. He was right about Dad. Maybe it was worth seeing what kind of cards he had up his sleeve.
He produced an elegant wallet and walked away to the bar, probably to take care of the bill. As soon as I was alone, I sunk back into my chair and closed my eyes.
Did he just ask me to be his fuck buddy?
I was worried about Ella. I never wanted to get her involved in this obscure paranormal world. When I opened my eyes, Nathaniel was approaching our table, and I wondered whether I should take a taxi home. He handed me my coat. I was concentrating much better tonight being around him yet again, but I was way too aware of his muscular body and his incredible scent.
‘How are you getting home, Julia?’ he asked.
‘Taxi, I guess. I would normally take the Tube, but it’s raining.’
‘You’re not going in a taxi. I’ll drop you home,’ he insisted, narrowing his eyes. ‘My car is just around the corner.’
‘I’m fine getting home on my own. I do it every night when I finish work.’
‘You finish work in the late afternoons and that’s fine, but it’s close to ten right now.’
‘I work shifts, Nathaniel, and sometimes I’m forced to finish at four in the morning and then I still have to walk home. I’m a big girl, so I can take care of myself.’
We were still in the restaurant, standing by our table, and I was ready to leave. But as soon as I finished the last sentence, Nathaniel’s pupils dilated and he pursed his lips in anger. ‘So you’re telling me that you walk alone in the middle of the night through London after what happened to your cousin?’
Me and my big mouth. ‘Well, not all the time and not now of course. Sometimes my work colleague gives me a lift home,’ I muttered. ‘Anyway, this is none of your business. I’m magical and as I said before, I can take care of myself.’ He was getting on my nerves.
‘Of course it’s my business, Julia. I can’t let you go home by yourself.’
I wasn’t going to stand in the middle of the restaurant and listen to his lecture. He wasn’t my father or even my friend, so he wasn’t allowed to tell me whether I could walk home alone at four in the morning. I started walking away; he caught me by the door, holding me by my elbow. I tried to ignore the cold shiver that travelled through my body, but he was so close it was impossible.
‘Julia, you are driving me mad. People don’t just walk away from me,’ he whispered through gritted teeth.
I turned around. ‘I’m not most people, Nathaniel, and you can’t dicta
te how I'm going to live my life, so just leave me alone.’
I was expecting him to pull away, but instead he took me by the elbow and dragged me out of the restaurant. ‘I’m taking you home, whether you like it or not,’ he said with a husky whisper.
The rain was heavy and I didn’t want to get soaked arguing with him outside. We ran towards a brand-new Aston Martin and before I knew it, he pushed me into the passenger seat. I had never been inside a car like this. I smelled the leather—and the same lemon and mint leaves. I loved his smell. I wiped the rain off my face when Nathaniel sat next to me.
‘Nice car,’ I said, folding my arms together.
‘Thank you. Where do you live?’ he asked, looking at me intensely with those light hazel eyes.
I smirked. ‘I thought that your powerful dark wizards already gave you that information.’
‘Don’t play with me, Julia. I told you I’m not patient. What if I lose control and kiss you right now?’
I drew a breath and the image of his lips brushing against mine flashed through my mind. ‘Twenty-four St. George Avenue. It’s not far from the office.’ I thought my response finally satisfied him because he started the engine and smiled.
He drove in silence, not taking his eyes off the road. I wasn’t going to strike up a conversation. We had both said everything we wanted to say.
When we reached my street, I didn’t want to wait in the car until he spoke. ‘Good-bye, Nathaniel,’ I said.
‘Goodnight, Julia.’
That was it; I got out and ran to my apartment, feeling oddly sad and disappointed.
Chapter fourteen
Well, actually, Mum, I had a date with a half vampire yesterday. He wanted me to become his fuck buddy. Oh, and he wanted to drink from me.
On Sunday morning, I woke up with a headache. When I looked at my phone, I was surprised that I slept until eleven o’clock. When I got home last night, I was exhausted, so I went straight to bed. I texted Ella just to make sure she was fine. She replied that she was curing her hangover from last night. That bastard really did change our plans.
Then I thought about our conversation. Nathaniel La Caz admitted that he wanted me and that he was attracted to me. I flopped on the pillow and thought about the way he’d made me feel all evening. My body kept sending signals to my brain, telling me about our mutual attraction. Yes, so he was hot and handsome. He also wanted my blood. And he was also arrogant, rude, and possessive. Still, there was something that I liked about him, but I couldn’t put my finger on it—and he wanted to help me to find Claudia.
After we’d gotten to the car last night, he seemed to change. We hadn’t exchanged a single word throughout the whole journey and then he’d only said good-bye. Maybe he realised I was way too much hard work. I didn’t know why I was even analysing the evening. I should just forget about him. I wasn’t going to sleep with him, no matter how hot and how rich he was.
I had to get my ass to my parents’ house today. I hadn’t seen them for over two weeks, and I already missed my mum’s cooking. I got up and watched some culinary programmes for a few hours, had some breakfast, and cleaned the apartment. I took some aspirin, and in the afternoon my head stopped hurting.
Around three o’clock, I was off to see my beloved parents. They lived in Hounslow, in a quiet neighbourhood that was mixed with magical and nonmagical creatures. As usual, I took the Tube. My mother worked as a medical secretary for the local surgery. They had a three-bedroom house where I had lived with them until I was eighteen.
When I was younger, I always used to hang out with kids from the neighbourhood. Some of them were magical, but most of them were just ordinary human kids. After I turned fourteen, everything kind of started to make sense, and when I decided to go to the university, I lost touch with most of the people I knew.
‘You’re finally here. What did you do to your complexion?’ asked my mother.
‘I haven’t even gotten through the door yet and you’re already starting?’
‘You need to get some sun. You look pale,’ Mum added, and then she hugged me.
‘I don’t need a tan, Mum,’ I said, inhaling the aroma of roast lamb and jacket potatoes. My stomach was rumbling. I already imagined the mouthwatering meat falling off the bone.
‘Go on, your dad is watching rugby and we are losing,’ she said, pushing me towards the living room.
My father looked like a typical elf: his hair was the same colour as mine—baby blond—and he had large, bright blue eyes. He was tall and broad in his shoulders. He had deep wrinkles on his forehead.
‘Oh, come on, you had a chance...you pri…’
‘Hello, Dad,’ I said.
He flinched and looked at me, embarrassed. ‘Julia, good to see you. Time flies when you’re having a good time.’ He asked me to sit by him. As a full-blooded elf, Dad was far more advanced with magic than I was. He had worked for the police for more than twenty years; the special Paranormal Unit had been established to deal with crimes that were committed by all supernatural creatures.
‘Yes, it’s after three, Dad. Have you been watching TV all day?’
‘Yes...well, no, I went out to see Pat earlier. He wanted to show me this new spell for homemade vodka.’
I giggled, trying to imagine my father attempting to make vodka. My mother wouldn’t allow it, plus he couldn’t use magic in front of her.
‘You know what would happen if Mum found out about this new idea?’ I asked, grinning.
He frowned, focusing on the screen. ‘I can always cast a memory spell,’ he whispered, smiling.
‘What are you two whispering about?’ asked Mum, coming back to the living room.
‘Nothing, darling. I’m just trying to find out what Julia has been up to.’
Oh Daddy, if you only knew.
‘Apart from your cousin Yvonne, Mathilda also had a baby. I found out yesterday—baby boy, eight pounds and they called him Ivory,’ Mum said, laughing. Whenever I visited Mum had to go through the family news. Mathilda was my dad’s sister’s daughter. She married a fairy. I never liked her; she always thought she was better than anyone else.
‘It’s a pretty name, Ivory,’ I mumbled.
‘I suppose it was about time they had children. She is in her thirties, anyway,’ added Mum, sitting on the chair next to us. Mum adored classic love stories and romance novels, and she’d been convinced Jasper was the one for me. She kept telling me she wanted a grandchild, not understanding I didn’t even have a boyfriend yet. ‘So what’s new, hon? Have you had any dates recently? Am I going to meet a nice man anytime soon?’
Well, actually, Mum, I had a date with a half vampire yesterday. He wanted me to become his fuck buddy. Oh, and he wanted to drink from me. ‘No, Mum, I’m not dating anyone at the moment. How is work?’
‘Oh, it’s fine as usual. We have a new doctor. He is odd, constantly in his office. He only goes out for lunch and never talks to anyone.’
I looked at my father, who was still following the match. These were the standard questions, and every time I came, she always asked me whether I was dating anyone.
‘I better check the meat,’ she said and disappeared from the living room.
‘Your Aunt Dorothy is in a terrible state. She called ten times yesterday begging me to start an intensive search. The problem is that I don’t have any leads. Claudia had just finished her classes. All her friends stated that she was going home.’
‘She saw me on the street and started waving; then that van pulled over and they took her,’ I said quietly, feeling guilty that I couldn’t do anything to stop them. Maybe I should have just agreed to meet with Nathaniel and see if he could help.
‘Okay, there is more to this,’ Dad whispered quickly, looking towards the kitchen, where Mum was singing to the radio. ‘I just want to make sure your mother won’t hear us. I don’t want to worry her. A lot of fairies and elves have been reported missing recently and I think your cousin has been targeted because she was a pure elf.
From now on you have to be more careful when you walk home in the middle of the night.’
‘Dad, you know that your charm is strong. If anyone attacked me, you would know right away. Why do you think they are only targeting fairies and elves?’
‘That’s what I’m trying to find out. In the past few days, more and more fairies and elves have vanished without a trace, and so far we haven’t found anyone. We have spoken to the Vampire Association, but they’re denying any involvement. So I don’t want you to walk home in the early hours of the morning. It’s too dangerous.’
‘I’ll ask someone to give me a lift, then. Do you have any suspects apart from La Caz?’ I pressed.
Dad sat back on the sofa and flexed his fingers. ‘That’s the problem; we have nothing. I will be meeting Pat and the rest of the guys tomorrow for ‘practice’ session so I’ll see if anyone else has any ideas. At the moment, our unit is working like crazy, trying to find any witnesses or connection to all these random kidnappings and of course Claudia.’
When Dad went to his “practice” sessions, Mum believed this was a session at the local gym, but the truth was that Dad was meeting other elves in the neighbourhood for charm casting. They gathered once every two weeks in the community centre. Dad often asked me to attend, but I was never interested. I couldn’t handle excess magic, never mind trying to learn new spells, so that’s why avoided magic like a fire.
My grandparents, especially my grandmother, strongly encouraged me to keep paranormal genes in the family. She lived happily in Kent along with my grandfather Fred.
Once Dad told me that my cousin was taken because she was an elf, I was determined to call Nathaniel right away and force him to take me to whoever might know more about these kidnappings.
Chapter fifteen
I can do this; he won’t intimidate me this time.
When we finally sat down to have dinner, I was ready to eat a horse. Today my mum was serving a traditional Sunday roast lamb. During dinner, she had an opportunity to fill me in with all the news from the neighbourhood. I found out that Leslie next door was getting divorced, Tom from number eleven was going to leave with his daughter, and Caroline was selling the house.