I hope my song is fast too. That will be easier on Sebastian. I can tell Sebastian thinks the same thing. Julian watches his lover with an admiring eye as she gracefully glides past us. The song ends and Aidan comes to collect me. The music hasn’t started yet. I see him nod at the band. I should have known better, of course he can have any song he wants played. The band starts snapping their fingers and the female vocalist starts to sing ‘Fever’ as performed by Ella Fitzgerald and it is hot. Almost no one is dancing because it is difficult to dance to. It is a very erotic, steamy dance if it is done right and Aidan does it right. Heat comes off his body and I love it. I can’t help responding. My hips sway with the music and I let myself brush up against Aidan every chance I get. He takes advantage of this, letting his fingers run down my body, lingering as long as possible. I’m sure this is going to get me into trouble with Sebastian but I’ll deal with it later. I’m having too much fun as Aidan twirls me around and hugs me close, snapping me back and forth. When the music ends, he has my back to his chest and his mouth to my ear.

  “Thanks, love. You’re amazing.” He kisses my earlobe sending an electric pulse straight down me.

  Sebastian stands up ready to collect me.

  “You are an excellent dancer, Aidan.”

  Sebastian quickly pulls my hand out of Aidan’s.

  “I think I have the next dance, Lily?” Bast says stiffly. He glares at Aidan.

  “Of course, Bast.”

  I see Aidan point at the band again and the next song is “Stormy Weather.” Aidan has a wicked sense of humor. At least it is slow and Sebastian will be appeased somewhat.

  At first Sebastian is rigid, but he settles in as our bodies come together.

  “I could dance with you forever. Holding you close to me, Cherie, it is all I want to do anymore.”

  I move in close and enjoy being held in his strong arms. We dance that way throughout the song.

  “Ahhh, I see Indio. She doesn’t see us yet. We better warn Aidan,” I tell Sebastian.

  We return to our table but Aidan already knows.

  “I want to tell you goodbye and Happy Birthday again,” he whispers. “I’ll still be here watching out for you, don’t worry.” He quickly kisses me on the lips and Bast makes a growling sound.

  And with that he disappears. Thank goodness Phillip and Andrew are on the dance floor so we don’t have to explain anything to Phillip. Life is becoming too complicated. I’m getting confused about what each person knows and what to keep secret, not to mention where my feelings lean. They play another fast song and Sebastian swings me onto the dance floor. He dances with style and panache. It’s great to dance with a vampire, they never get tired, out of breath or sweaty. After the fourth song though, I begin to suspect that Sebastian has an ulterior motive. I think he’s avoiding facing Indio. She and Iris have made their way to our table and have joined Helena and Julian. They have a tall blond haired man with them. Hannah dances with various partners and has yet to meet them. Nobody knows where Andrew and Phillip are, and it’s safer for them that way. I decide it’s up to me to make the first move. Helena is cool and Julian is quiet, trying to pretend they don’t know what the witches have been up to.

  “You know, Sebastian, I could use a drink. Why don’t we sit down for awhile?” I say.

  “You can’t be tired, Lily, what are you up to?”

  “Nothing. You can’t avoid them all night.”

  “I might be trying to keep you safe. Maybe I’m not worried about myself but about you.”

  “I didn’t think about that. I promise I’ll be on my best behavior, Bast. Please, I want to know what they’re up to.”

  He sighs and kisses me for an indecent amount of time. I feel Indio’s angry stare. He glances at her and then down at me. He is not smiling.

  “Indio is not pleased with your show of affection is she?” I say.

  “No, but I wanted her to know where I stand. She can continue to delude herself if she wants but I will make myself clear, in public if I must. And I just wanted to kiss you.”

  He smiles slowly. I have to smile back. Aidan probably sends tiny heat rays at Sebastian as we dance and Indio sends daggers to me. We should drop dead any minute now.

  The song ends and we make our way to the table. A waiter hurries over and takes our order. I ask for my standard strawberry daiquiri.

  “Sebastian, I don’t think you’ve met our cousin, Alexander,” Iris says with the respect she would pay a visiting member of royalty.

  “No, I haven’t had the pleasure.” Sebastian presents the smooth charming façade he keeps for the sisters, but I can sense his hyper alert mode kick in along with Julian and Helena. He extends his hand but Alexander looks at it disdainfully. Sebastian manages to withdraw his hand and act like nothing has happened, but I can tell he pulses with anger over the insult.

  “Lily, you are a graceful, accomplished dancer,” Julian says.

  He manages to look completely at ease. Helena is remote, but elegant.

  “Thank you, Jules, the credit goes to my partner. Bast is a fabulous dancer. Perfect at everything.” I know Aidan is probably gagging but the look on Indio’s face is priceless.

  “It looked to me like Sebastian was doing all the work out there. You didn’t even need to remember where to put your feet,” Indio says.

  “I didn’t have to do much work. Sebastian was very exuberant. He gets that way when he is happy.”

  “Maybe he was covering your mistakes so you weren’t embarrassed?”

  “No, no. If I’d missed a step I wouldn’t have been in the right spot for the big ending.”

  Indio slams her drink back and her sister puts her hand on her arm to quiet her down. Sebastian tries to ignore our fencing. He glances at me with a raised eyebrow. Alexander simply looks bored.

  “Iris, how is that translation going?” Julian interrupts smoothly. “I’ve been curious about it. I have to say, I may be having second thoughts about helping you.”

  “That would be most welcome news, Julian.” Iris is pleased, ignoring the tension her sister has brought to the table. “We’re still no further with our attempts,” she admits. “We can’t have just anyone translate it. It’s ancient, and it’s very important to get it absolutely correct. Of course we thought of you first.”

  “I’m flattered. Let us meet next week and talk about the terms.”

  Julian projects the gravitas of a vampire over seven hundred -years-old. He is regal and wise and Iris eats it up. She doesn’t suspect anything. She truly believes Julian is doing her a favor because he is interested in a scholarly way.

  “What translation is this, cousin?” Alexander asks, now interested.

  “Nothing we deemed worthy of your attentions, cousin,” Iris replies softly.

  “Ahhh.” Alexander starts to watch me.

  I get a tingly feeling as he probes me magickally. I’m sure he’s trying to ascertain which spells I have been protected by. He continues to stare at me intently. Sebastian gets restless. I feel him twitching next to me. The others make small talk. Whatever Indio and Iris have done, I know Alexander is the much bigger threat here.

  Abruptly he gets up and leaves. That is unsettling to say the least. Sebastian seems to relax a little when he goes.

  Hannah shows up then, bouncing into her seat, having just danced with a plethora of men. We introduce her to Indio and Iris. She immediately picks up the vibes.

  “So, Indio, what are you drinking? It looks like you’re dry. Let me get you another drink.” Hannah flags down our waiter and waits for Indio to answer. Indio is taken aback by Hannah’s show of kindness and smiles for the first time that evening.

  “I’ll take a cosmopolitan, thanks.”

  “Make that two, please. I just love your outfit, Indio. Very vintage, it fits with the decor.”

  “Thank you, your dress is lovely.”

  “Oh, this old thing, I had this hanging around for ages. I go more Goth these days but thought I would dress the part tonight. It’s fun to dress up. I even dyed my hair for the occasion. My hair was fire engine red yesterday, now it’s called Edgar Allan Poe Black.” Hannah stops chattering. “Ahhh, here are our drinks. Let’s have a toast. To new friends! Drink up!”

  “To new friends.”

  Indio drinks half her drink. Hannah orders four more of the red, lime-smelling drinks before the waiter leaves.

  “Hannah, maybe you should slow down a little, ma petite.”

  Hannah actually hisses and shows her fangs at Sebastian and Indio laughs. That makes Hannah laugh and they get giggly and finish their drinks just as their new drinks arrive.

  We all know a vampire can’t get drunk so we wonder what she’s playing at. The witch bitches must not know vampires can’t get drunk because they obviously believe that Hannah is getting toasted.

  Andrew and Phillip are doing something that resembles a cross between aboriginal dancing and a seasick ballet. Whatever it is, they have their groove on and are enjoying themselves.

  “Iris, would you like to dance,” Julian surprises all of us by asking her.

  “I would love to, Julian.”

  Sebastian holds out his hand to me.

  “Cherie, would you risk it again?”

  “Of course.”

  “Oh, brother.” I hear Indio mumble. Hannah laughs. Hannah better be trying to get on her good side, because she’s going to piss me off if she isn’t. I send her a look of inquiry. She winks. Indio is too busy murdering me with her glare to notice.

  Sebastian and I meander onto the dance floor. It is a slow dance so we have time to talk.

  “I thought this would give Hannah a chance to speak to Indio,” Sebastian says.

  “Do you think she has something in mind?”

  “Without a doubt. Hopefully, Helena will take the hint and leave the two of them alone. Ahhh yes, she is going to the ladies room.”

  “I hope this works,” I say. “I don’t like leaving anyone alone with Indigestion.”

  Julian looks at us from across the room with a big grin on his face. Vampire hearing – gotta love it. Sebastian throws his head back and laughs.

  “What did you think of Alexander being here?” I ask.

  “You need to ask? I’m not sure why he was here, but I don’t like it. The girls want to keep what they are doing a secret from him and that is very interesting. I’m not sure it was part of their plan for him to tag along. I also get the sense that they are afraid of him.”

  “He was creeping me out. I think he was checking me out magickally. When he was looking at me I felt all tingly in an uncomfortable way.”

  “I thought he might be doing that. It makes me even more concerned. We’ll talk about this later.”

  We focus in on Hannah and of course we can hear what Hannah says to Indio.

  “Lily’s been my friend but I can’t believe the bitch has snagged Sebastian,” Hannah confides to her new BFF. “She must have tricked him somehow. He’s much too good for her.”

  “I know, right?” Indio agrees enthusiastically. “She is definitely a whore. She’s seduced him and wormed her way into his heart. If only he would wake up. She must have used a love spell. It’s the only thing I can think of, conniving red-headed bitch.”

  “I’d like to spike her drink with dog blood if I could get my hands on any.”

  Hannah is heading into dangerous territory. I love Hannah, but sometimes she speaks before she thinks about what she says. Well, a lot of times she speaks before she thinks. Mostly it’s humorous but tonight it could get me into a lot of trouble.

  “What would that do to her?” Indio is instantly on point.

  “It would make her violently ill. We can’t tolerate animal blood.”

  The truth is we can tolerate and live on animal blood if we have to, all except goat blood. Why goat blood? I don’t know, something to do with pagan ritualism - Julian can tell you all about it. I never really wanted the details. I know it makes us deathly ill. I just know enough to stay away from it. It’s cursed for a vampire.

  “Would it kill her?” Indio definitely has a gleam in her eye.

  “No, just make her very sick for awhile.”

  “Well, I have something better planned, something more permanent.”

  “Do tell, sista,” Hannah says as she cozies up to Indio. “I’ve wanted Sebastian for the last fifty-seven years. I’ve waited patiently. Long enough.”

  “I can’t. It’s a secret. Let’s just make it clear that Sebastian is mine. But maybe you can help us. Let me talk to my sister. We could use another strong woman, even if she is a blood sucker.”

  “Hey, I prefer Ganja Girl, if we’re going to label.”

  Indio giggles and reaches for her drink, which she finishes in one gulp. She’s bleary eyed and swaying a bit in her seat. Hannah orders her another one.

  The song ends and we all sit back down. Helena comes back and Julian asks her to dance.

  “Helena and Julian make a formidable pair,” Iris comments.

  “They do move gracefully together,” Sebastian says, choosing to misunderstand her meaning. He squeezes my hand, instead.

  I smile at him understanding.

  “Lily, come dearest.” We are up and dancing again. I presume to give Iris and ‘Ol Irritable a chance to talk with Hannah.

  “I don’t know if I can stomach any more mutual admiration between those two.”

  Sebastian smoothes away the hair on my forehead and kisses it.

  “You know the truth, ma petite. I chased you relentlessly and am still chasing you. If I remember correctly you still have not told me you love me.”

  I look down at my feet searching for the words to say. I have strong feelings for Sebastian. Strong lust and I do love him. I’m just not sure if it’s in the way he loves me. Not yet.

  “You don’t need to say anything. When you are ready you will tell me. I have no choice.”

  All I can do is to stare into his melting brown eyes. They are the most sincere eyes I have ever seen. I could get lost in his eyes. He bends down and kisses me again and I eagerly return the kiss.

  Soon enough we are dragged back to Indio. She starts to slur her words, but still tries to convey to her sister how dedicated Hannah is to my demise. Yippee. Just what I need, a fan club.

  “She is sooo cool, Iris. She’s ready to lay the bitch out, I’m serial. I mean serious. We need a vamp on our side, Iwis.” Iris appears somewhat disgusted with her sister’s state.

  “It could give us an edge,” she admits. “She could be a decoy to lure them in. It just might work.” Iris looks at Hannah levelly and then over at me. I quickly turn away. “You know ­­- I like it,” Iris agrees.

  “Are you sure you’re committed to bringing Lily down? It won’t be pretty,” Hannah asks.

  “The bitch screwed me over. She knows I want Sebastian,” Indio says.

  “Sebastian seems to be more trouble than he’s worth,” Iris comments.

  Hannah hisses, fangs out once again and Indio calls her sister a bitch.

  “Okay, okay. I admit he is nice to look at,” Iris says trying to make peace.

  “He’s more than that. He’s charming and smart and sexy and a beautiful person too,” Hannah says.

  “Hey, watch it.” chimes in Indio.

  “Sorry,” Hannah says and grins sheepishly. “Couldn’t help myself.”

  “Indio can’t seem to live without him at the moment, so we are going to have to acquire him one way or another. Hannah, you can join our little party. Come by our house tomorrow at noon.”

  “I can’t, I’ll still be sleeping. Can we make it three?”

  “You don’t stay up all the time? I thought vampires were sleepless?”

  “Only the old ones, I still have to sleep.”

  “Does Lily have to sleep?” Iris asks suddenly very interested.

  Hannah hesitates for a second.

  “Probably, I’m never awake to find out.”

  I could tell she didn’t want to tell them about this vulnerability, but she has to reply. Poor Hannah, she definitely put her foot in her mouth tonight.

  Sebastian and I walk back to the table then and Iris assesses me with a new look in her eyes. I don’t like it. I don’t like it at all. Sebastian looks like he likes it even less.

  “It’s time to cut your birthday cake, Cherie,” he says as he signals a waiter to bring my cake over to the table. It is lit up like the Bay Bridge. The sight of it makes me reflect on all I have seen and done. My travels to Europe with Sebastian at my side. The almost painful first years of being a vampire while I learned how to survive. Losing my family and all my friends as they died around me. Laughing with Helena, Julian and Sebastian. Andrew’s friendship, Hannah, my sister. Aidan’s touch. Most of it brings happy memories. I smile to myself and am thankful for my family and friends. Sebastian helps me blow out the candles.

  The band plays “Happy Birthday” while everyone sings, everyone but Hannah and Indio.

  I make sure I use my hand sanitizer and then handi-wipes for good measure before I make the first cut into the cake. I hear Indio snigger at this but I figure her for a mega germ carrier. Her problem.

  The waiters and waitresses finish up. I just hope they’ve washed their hands. They pass generous pieces out to everyone. It’s the first time I’ve spent any amount of time with Andrew and Phillip. They’ve been having a great time partying all night. I’ve only caught glimpses of them on the dance floor or at the bar. It’s been better this way. They’ve had fun and avoided this mess with Indio and Iris.

  “This cake is to die for, Miss Lily,” Phillip says. “Mr. Sebastian never cuts corners, always the best.”

  Andrew smiles as he helps himself to his second piece.

  “Andrew, please eat my piece as well. I have an upset stomach and you have been working so hard out on the dance floor. A man has to keep up his energy,” Helena says as she passes her cake to him, cleverly covering up her abstinence. I take my cake and cut a few pieces off with my fork so it looks like I have been eating off it. Another little trick from Vampire 101.