~Except from Edge of Darkness, #1 in the Dragons of San DeLain (We're skipping on to chapter 2 now)
Chapter Two - Connie
THE TWO days
following the attack on Austin, Kage notified all the leaders of San
DeLain of Nox’s death. He also told them what Nox had done to Austin.
He and Hudson had visited Kage and Austin, of course. Kage’s
protectiveness was in overdrive like he warned, and the tension around his
mouth and eyes were hard to miss.
Connie felt for him. It was obvious Kage was struggling, even
though he tried to hide it. Having his mate hurt was bad enough, but Connie
couldn’t imagine growing up thinking he was an only child only to find out he
had a sibling who was damned and determined to destroy him. And had
targeted Kage’s mate to maximize the damage.
They didn’t stay long since they didn’t want to impede
Austin’s recovery. The sun was setting as they drove away.
“Are you hungry?” Hudson asked as they left the Dominion.
“I could eat.” Connie was a dragon. There was never a time when
he didn’t want to eat. “What do you have in mind?”
Hudson stopped at a red light and tapped his fingers on the
steering well. “Hmmm. Club Nomadic is open.”
“Feeling energetic, are we?” Connie gently poked Hudson in the
ribs. “Sure you’re up to it, old man?”
The light turned green, and Hudson accelerated. “I’ll dance
your ass into the ground, then later through the mattress.”
“Oooooh, a challenge. I like it. Yes, let’s go play with the
vampires—see what they have going on tonight.”
Club Nomadic was a well-known queer club that was very popular
with the hip, trendy set. The building was located downtown, right in the
middle of San DeLain’s nightlife and was owned by a vampire, Raven St. Clair, who
was the Master of the City.
Hudson availed himself of the valet parking and followed
Connie to the entrance. There was a line snaking around the building, but
fortunately someone must have given the bouncer a heads up, because he and
Hudson were immediately escorted inside.
The outside of the place looked like any other modern
building, but inside was another story. Club Nomadic was an intriguing conglomeration
of Goth Victorian and steampunk, with vampire-like elements thrown in for good
measure.
There was exposed brick, concrete floors tinted black, open stairwells
heading up to the second and third floors, awnings throughout, and private
nooks enclosed with long, velvety drapery.
Heavy, ornate black leather furniture was scattered throughout
for people to sit and visit. Tables had low lighting to eat by. Black, ornate
chandeliers hung throughout the building. Décor pieces were made from vintage
leather, driftwood, old lanterns, and wrought iron.
A rolling fog creeped along pathways and onto the dance floor.
The massive bar filled the entire back wall, and a had a huge mirror behind it.
The vibe was creepy but sexy.
Dress ran the gamut from Goth Victorian, to steampunk, to regular
clothes, which he and Hudson wore. But clothing wasn’t what made Club Nomadic
interesting—it was the vampire element.
Everywhere Connie looked there were humans wearing fake
vampire teeth and red contacts. Some wore makeup to make themselves even more
pale than what they naturally were.
Well, the humans had it partially right. Vampires did have
fangs and pupils that turned red, but their forehead and brow area thickened
when they took their true form.
There was a television show from the late 90s that accurately depicted
vampires. Raven had not been happy, but the show had been so popular there
wasn’t much he could do about it.
That was not the only television series that correctly
portrayed certain paranormals. The gargles also got in trouble with a TV show,
but it was a cartoon that time.
But what was really surprising were the vampires who showed
their true nature. Of course the humans didn’t know they were among predators.
That was half the fun.
