When Blood Runs Cold - Chapter 263

“What can I do for you two?” offers the bartender, holding out another beer to a passing member of the tavern, who takes his booze with a whoop. Upon catching sight of me fully, she does a double take, standing there shocked for a moment before she slides her arms down against the counter, lowering her eyes.

“Well excuse  me,” she laughs breathily, flicking a lock of dark hair behind her pastel green ears, which too, are flushed. “What can I get for  you?” she adds, eyeing me up and down now, her eyes shimmering under the light of the tavern glow.

It is obvious that this girl has never seen a vampire in these parts before, for despite the bulky, albeit slightly menacing appearance of my scarred companion, and the haunting glow of my golden eyes, she seems almost entirely unafraid. Then again, it is not uncommon for general Folk to take an opportunity to flirt with a vampire when they see one- mostly in the grim hope that they will be turned out of some sort of courtesy or spark some sort of undying love between them. Of course, these events are few and far between.

But for now, I decide to play the game. Fearlessness is a luxury I often cannot afford. If she so much as catches a whiff of who I am then either she will run for the hills or beg me to wed her at the nearest opportunity. Alas, that would be too much of a headache to bear.

“We are just here for some drinks, my fair lady. Tell me, are you from these parts?” I inquire softly, slipping into a seat beside the counter, lacing my fingers together now. Following my lead, Fangorn too sits down beside me, his eyes darting, listening. Around us, the sounds of the tavern become muffled as a bubble of shimmering darkness veils the room, but she does not seem to notice.

“I am indeed,” she giggles, flushing further, almost swooning as she stands behind the counter. “My father is a fairy who resides up near the crystal palace. But I prefer to work down here to help my mother run this tavern,” she says, gesturing all around her with a brief wave of her hand. Lowering my eyes, I mull over this statement for a minute.

The crystal palace, I muse to myself, inspecting this fair, green skinned girl with a touch of curiosity- a half faery, half nymph I have deduced. Just where we need to go.

Noticing the look on my face, she adds:

“If you were thinking of going up there, I would be careful. Just recently Queen Kagura has been given a lot of strife from her neighbouring kingdom- the Darklings. According to the rumours, the whole place has been hijacked by a white haired monster and is under lockdown. There is no word from their King either. She is quite distressed- as is the whole of her celestial court,” the bartender sighs, squishing her cheeks with something that might be frustration.

Sharing a look with Fangorn, I give a little nod.

“Yes, we have heard inklings about the situation,” I lie, resuming my gaze to the girl once more.

“But anyway,” she chirrups now, shaking herself upright. “What are you two strangers doing in these parts? I saw your companions you carry- you make quite the odd bunch,” she laughs to herself, busying herself with another order of booze before sliding it across the counter.

Quickly wiping up the spillages, she adds:

“Can’t say I have ever seen two creatures quite as handsome as you two around these parts, but I suppose there is always a first for everything!” she chuckles with a rumbling laugh, resting her chin against the palm of her hand as she leans across the counter towards me. Behind her, her dark translucent wings flutter nervously.

“Between you and me, I think you are the most handsome,” she says with a wink, pulling back to assume a once more inconspicuous posture, as though assuming that Fangorn wont be able to hear her low whispers of dreadful lust. Yet the ears of a vampire are keener than a bat and twice as sensitive- Fangorn would have caught every single note that young woman had uttered to me and smelt her wanton along with it. So perhaps for a moment, I let her fall into that trap of compulsion, let her believe that this pretty man who has walked into the bar isn’t only just after drinks tonight.

After all, I am no stranger to a small handful of contrivance when it is called for.

“Oh really?” I muse, pulling a small smile at the corner of my lips, but inside my mouth sours with disgust from the sheer thought of what I am about to do. It feels wrong to be so brazenly flirting with someone I have no direct interest in, nor will I ever. Especially considering I now have a wife, too. It feels despicable. But I can feel Fangorn’s gaze pressing into my back, coaxing me onwards.

Sucking in a breath, I mentally steel myself. A glamour will have to do. This wont take long.

Taverns are fine until they get rowdy. Fine until the back house turns into the number one site for a communal orgy. Things like this tend to happen in places such as these- places of enchantment and magic, where the rules are thrown out the window along with everybody’s tolerance for alcohol.

Pitiful.

“Yes,” she whispers, her eyes gleaming with delight. Everything about her seems to transform in that moment, the way she moves becomes sleek, elegant, her eyes seeming to glaze in awe as enchantment takes a hold of her. Perhaps she has never seen a vampire around these parts, never succumbed to the influence of ‘dark beauty’. Unfortunately, she is about to find out the hard way how painfully alluring that can be.

“Good,” I whisper in an equally low voice, letting my voice waver into the low notes of a glamour. Reaching my hand across the table, I raise her chin slightly, letting her eyes meet mine. Underneath her skin, I can hear her heart quicken.

Slowly, I begin to run my finger in circles around a cup stain on the table. “Then let me ask you to do something for me, my beautiful maiden.”

“Anything, anything at all,” she says, her eyes glazing further as her actions slow to a grinding halt, her fingers halting mid polish of a glass. I smile.

“I need a room- the largest you have in the tavern to stay the night in. If anybody asks who is staying in the room, you must tell them that an eldery couple have taken the place to stay, let us call them Mr and Mrs Windsnap, yes?”

“Mr and Mrs Windsnap,” she repeats, dazed, as Fangorn begins to whistle merrily beside me, an ample distraction. But all the while this happens, my eyes never leave her form, boring into her hazel eyes as though I might drill holes right through them. She is a pretty girl for a half nymph half faery- rounded and full breasted, with a lush green undertone to her delicate freckle marked skin. Even the horns at the side of her head profess some sort of elegance, all except her hands, which are rugged from the long hours of work at the tavern. I certainly hope she doesn’t get killed after this, it would be a shame for such a delicate life to go to waste.

“Good, good. And if anyone asks what I told you here, you tell them that you were merely flirting with me, and that I would not be staying in this tavern long,” I say just as Fangorn begins talking to a rowdy group of tavern regulars who swan up in leathers to take their seat at the bar. They give a quick glance over to me, sharp and unassuming, before turning their attention once more to Fangorn, who boasts his tales of the end to the Tavern company. Good, no attention on me or the girl, then.

“After we have gone up to our rooms for the night, I would like you to turn away any more customers who wish to follow us up there. Tell them it is fully booked, and if they do not oblige, I want you to do everything in your power to prevent us from being followed. Equally, I would like you to keep an ear out for tavern gossip. If you hear anything mentioned to do with souls, Azrael, or Serena, you must report them to me immediately,” I instruct firmly, closing my hand over hers. I give it a firm squeeze. “That is all.”

For a moment, she does not respond, her eyes, formerly vacant, now assuming a much more aware look. Giving me a dizzying and flirtatious smile, she says:

“And what would you like to order, my handsome fellow?”