Pigalle Palace Read online

  “What am I going to do now? Am I going to continue to sleep the day away and awake every night feeling this need for blood and sex?”

  “That’s why I’m here to help you,” he replied, standing on his two feet. “There’s a whole new life ahead of you and you can’t go back to doing things the way you did them before. If you’re not careful, you’ll kill anyone for blood and your insatiable desire for sex will become uncontrollable.”

  “Why’d you choose me?”

  He was back by the bedside in the blink of an eye. “You’re so beautiful. I had to have you.”

  My hunger was back. My stomach pangs confirmed that I wanted to eat. “I’m so hungry. Where’s Colette? I need something to eat.”

  “Colette won’t be helping you anymore. I’m going to make sure you get everything you need.”

  “Okay… Do you have anything to eat?”

  CHAPTER 9

  RAIN

  Bringing her back to Club Vaisseau in the middle of her transition was dangerous, but she needed blood. I hoped her thirst wouldn’t allow her to kill to get it. Once she had her first kill, the thrill from it would be too powerful, and she would no longer be one of us. One of the dark broods would have no problem taking in another scavenger.

  We had spare blood from blood givers. They gave their blood willingly to keep us alive in case of emergencies. Every night, in a small room inside the club, we collected blood and it was smooth and easy. We hunted normally, but this blood was for our emergencies only.

  If she didn’t get enough as needed, she would die. I could’ve taken her on her first hunt, but since it was excessively early to be exposed, I had to go into our emergency reserve. I wanted her to realize what was happening gradually. The smell of humans would possibly send her over the edge, and her strength at this tender moment would be too strong for me to control, but I took the risk anyway.

  As I escorted her through the back of the club around midnight, I made sure she wouldn’t come into contact with any humans. At that hour, the blood drive was usually over, giving us more than enough to get us through to the next night.

  As I expected, no one was in the room. I sat Essence down in a chair as her head rolled around. She was ready to get to sleep, but her hunger pangs wouldn’t let her. If I didn’t hurry, she was going to bolt out of the room at lightning speed and kill the first human she met.

  I opened the warmer and got out an airtight thermal. As soon as the container was opened, she could smell it. She snatched it from me and drank it quickly. Suddenly, she calmed down. Wiping the excess blood from her mouth, she stared at me.

  “Better?” I asked.

  “I’m better now.”

  “Good.” Worry fled from me. I could see the calm in her eyes. She was going to be fine.

  “What’s your real name, Rain?”

  “I remember being called Eric, early on in my life. I was told that I’m not supposed to have many memories from my life before I changed, but for some reason, I remember a lot of it.”

  “You have a woman or a wife at home?” She rose up from the chair and floated toward me.

  I took both of her hands in mine and lowered her feet to the ground.

  “I’m married...to you.”

  Essence shook her head slowly. “No, you’re not. Where’s your wife and don’t lie this time?”

  “I just told you. I’m now married to you.”

  She laughed hysterically, as if what I’d said was too funny.

  “It’s not a joke. This is the way it works, here, in Pigalle Palace.”

  She leaned even closer to me and whispered in my ear, “You’re one of the sexiest men I’ve ever laid eyes on. Your smooth skin, your dark eyes, and your incredible smile drives me wild. Can you really be all mines?”

  “Yes, I’m all yours.”

  Her eyes lit up with fascination. “It’s that simple, huh?”

  “It’s that simple.”

  She stared into my mouth as if she wanted to devour me. “When can we consummate our marriage?”

  “We’ve already done that, but there’s plenty more where that came from.”

  Essence moaned and wrapped her arms around my neck. “I hope you know what you created here.”

  “I know what I’m doing.”

  “Confident…I like. What are we going to do now? Stay in this tiny little room for the rest of the night?”

  “You’re going back to your dorm to get some rest because you need it.”

  “I think you should come with me. That sounds better, doesn’t it?”

  “I’m going to take you home, but I have to leave you because I’m working tonight. As soon as I’m off work, I’ll be right there with you, sweetheart.”

  “Maybe you shouldn’t work tonight.”

  “No can do.”

  She groaned.

  “Listen, I promise to be there as soon as I’m off. I have to be here tonight.”

  “Aw, too bad because I’m so ready to have you all night long. This good pussy needs you.”

  The words good pussy made my dick harder than a military tank. I knew how good her pussy truly was. I picked her up and laid her on top of the table. In a flash, I had her pants off.

  “Well, it looks like we’re going to have to take care of that before I take you home,” I uttered against her lips.

  She wrapped her legs around my waist and moaned. Deep inside of her, I thrust, back and forth, causing the table to rock with us. She felt better than the last time I was inside of her. This was going to be quick. I felt it. Our sex felt too good to stop. At that moment, I wasn’t worried one bit about anyone walking in on us. We were going to keep rocking until we both could no longer take it.

  CHAPTER 10

  LEGEND

  “Legend,” Chantal called from the hallway.

  My wife was standing in front of a tall body-length mirror. Her hair was in big loose curls, neatly in place, and her lips were looking like fresh fruit, mouthwatering and succulent. Once she completed her transformation, she was truly a foxy woman. Even though her beauty had me feeling compounded, I couldn’t help but see that she noticed she didn’t have a reflection.

  “What’s the matter, Chantal?”

  “This is crazy. I thought I would be able to see my reflection, but…”

  “Your reflection is something you will never see again, so get used to it. I thought I got rid of all the mirrors in here…”

  “I bought this one.”

  “Oh, I see.”

  I didn’t understand where her mind was. If she couldn’t see her reflection while at the store, why would she buy the mirror? Did she think it would magically appear once she got home?

  “My best friend, Jade, has been looking for me. I don’t know how to explain any of this. Will you help me?”

  “How much longer will she be in town?”

  “We were supposed to be leaving in two days. I don’t know how she’s going to react.”

  “You could always not say anything.”

  “She will think I’ve been kidnapped or something. I don’t want her to worry.”

  I pulled back my dreads into a ponytail. “Well, then, you’re going to have to make a decision. Either you can be a missing person or you can tell her the truth. The risk of any of those things is huge, but it’s up to you.”

  She thought for a little bit before she said, “I noticed that I’m much stronger than I used to be. I lifted the whole bed this morning by accident. I was looking for my shoe.”

  “You’ll start noticing a bunch of new things about yourself.”

  “Come here,” she said.

  I invaded her personal space and she pulled me against her. She started rubbing, creating warmth against my jeans, until she reached my crotch. She bit on her lower lip.

  “I might have to take your ass in this bedroom if you keep it up,” I said.

  She giggled. “Seems like you bring the freak out in me. I can’t help myself when I’m around. I feel this fi
ery passion all the time. It’s like I crave to feel you inside of me every second of the day.” She placed her breath on my neck before she kissed me. She began sucking on my neck. I felt her fangs graze me.

  “Hey, be careful there. You’ve never bit anyone before and I don’t want you testing it out on me.”

  Her bright eyes turned sad suddenly. I never allowed myself to feel any remorse about things I had done in the past. For some reason, my conscience was getting to me.

  “I’m sorry for doing this to you,” I apologized.

  She shrugged slightly. “I wanted you to.”

  Her nonchalant attitude stirred my curiosity. “I need to know more about you. People usually learn these things before getting married. Where are you from?”

  “Chicago.”

  “Chi-town. What brought you to Paris?”

  “All my life I wanted to come to Paris. It was supposed to be the dream vacation.”

  “Is it not the dream vacation you hoped for? Seems to me you got what you came here for.”

  “I never actually believed in vampires until I came to the Red Light District. I’ve always heard about them. Once I got here, I had to see one in person.”

  “How come you weren’t afraid of me?”

  “The vampire’s story has always intrigued me... Were you born a vampire?”

  “No, we weren’t born vampires. We were born with vampire blood. Our birth father was a vampire when he met our birth mother. She was…human.” My voice trailed off. I rarely talked about our birth parents because it was hard for me to remember anything about them. We were so young when they were murdered. “The mother and father that you know aren’t our real parents. They are our godparents, but they raised us because our parents were murdered. Being half-blooded only leads to death, so they transformed us.”

  “Where were you born?”

  “My siblings and I were born in New Orleans. It became too dangerous for us, so we found a safe haven, here, in Paris with other vampires.”

  She played with my fingers. Mushy wasn’t me, but for some reason I didn’t object to her affection. “You have smooth hands. I like a man with smooth hands.”

  I didn’t know anyone could make me feel the way she did.

  “You should shower with me before I leave,” I suggested.

  “Ooooh, that sounds good.”

  She followed me to the bathroom. I turned on the shower and brought her body to mine as I caressed her.

  “So, this is what it’s like to be married to Legend.”

  “What does it feel like?”

  “Feels perfect.”

  “Can I ask you something?”

  “Sure…”

  “Has a woman ever asked you to change her before?”

  “I don’t make it habit to lay with mortals. I tend to sleep with vampires only. I don’t tell mortals too much. Curious mortals usually end up dead.”

  “Have you ever been in love before? I’m not talking about lust either. I’m talking about serious love.”

  “I’ve never ever been in love. Honestly, I’ve never wanted to be in love. I’m…or I should say I was a ladies’ man.”

  There was so much mounted heat between us that I was ready to fuck her senseless. Chantal got out of my arms and adjusted the shower water to a nice temperature for the both of us.

  “Legend, I’m sure a lot of women come in and out of your life. You have the charisma to charm the panties off any woman you want… Whether you chose me by accident or not, I’m here and it feels like we were meant to be. I don’t believe in accidents. I believe in fate. This feels like fate.”

  “So, you think this is our destiny?”

  Standing in her black see-through bra and panties, she removed her top. “Yes…and now, I’m waiting for you to accept that.”

  She put her arms around my neck and gazed into my eyes. Chantal seemed as if she was exactly the woman to change me for the better. I put my hand in the water. It was too hot, so I adjusted the knob again.

  “I’ve never met a woman like you before.”

  She took off the rest of her underwear seductively. After pinning up her hair, she stepped into the water. “Are you going to get undressed and get in here? This was all your idea.”

  “I was waiting for you to undress me first.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry. I can still undress you.”

  “That’s okay. I’ll undress myself for you. You can do it next time.”

  I removed all of my clothes quickly and joined her inside of the steam unit. As soon as I was in, our lips met immediately. “Chantal,” I whispered against her.

  “Yeah?” she whispered back.

  “I’m happy that you’re with me.”

  “Only say it if you truly mean it,” she replied.

  “I mean it. I am falling in love with you.”

  “You don’t mean that, Legend, or do you?”

  “I mean it.”

  All kind of weird emotions poured from within me, yet I wasn’t afraid to express myself.

  While I washed her with the jojoba oil soap, I sucked the back of her neck, leaving a red passion mark on her light skin. She turned to face me. Taking the sponge from my hands, she washed my body and ran her fingers all over me.

  I got on my knees, positioning myself between her legs. My dreads were getting wet, but I didn’t care.

  She moaned lowly. “You know what happened last time you were down there?”

  “I promise not to bite this time.”

  I licked along her inner thigh, spreading her legs wider before blowing lightly on her clit. Her hands gripped my head as I made circles with my tongue on top of her pearl tongue. With each stroke of my tongue, her breathing increased. She rested her long legs on my shoulders. I sucked her clit, rolling my tongue skillfully.

  She had my dreads in both fists as she grinded against my face. She gasped, “What are you trying to do to me, Legend?”

  “What you want me to do to you now, Chantal?” I asked, rising to my feet.

  She took ahold of me and guided me inside of her. Once inside, I thrust my hips into her.

  “Oooooh, Chantal.”

  “I like the way you say my name.” She moaned.

  I loved watching her sex face as her walls clenched me tighter.

  “Whose pussy is this?” I asked.

  “Yours.”

  “Who am I?”

  She panted as she moaned and exclaimed, “Legend!”

  CHAPTER 11

  RAIN

  I remember the New Orleans hurricane of 1915. It was the day that I became immortal. The storm began on the night of September 28 and reared its ugly head by the date of my birth, September 29. It became extra tropical at 7 a.m. and we had winds of 130 miles per hour by nightfall.

  I paced back and forth in the shadows of the darkened underground room. I could hear the horrible gusts of wind rattling and shaking the whole house. All windows, doors, and hurricane shutters were closed and boarded up with plywood, but it seemed like our roof was about to be ripped off. Our power had already gone out, so candles were the only light we had.

  I wasn’t afraid of the hurricane. I was terrified of something much greater.

  I was old enough to grasp the concept of what I was to become, but I feared this night. I wanted so desperately to change the hands of time so I wouldn’t have to go through with it. There was nothing I could do. Pacing my bedroom for a while longer, wearing nothing but underwear beneath a gray robe, my own questions refused to let me be idle.

  Truthfully, I had no other choice. What I was about to become was irreversible; ultimately my destiny. My siblings had to go through it and it had saved their lives. It was my turn.

  After taking a few long deep breaths, I stared at myself in the mirror because it would be the very last time I would ever see my reflection again. That alone made me wish that I were dead instead.

  A single knock on my bedroom door jarred me out of my bottomless thoughts. “Come in,” I said.
>
  My godfather entered the bedroom. We called him Father. He said, “It’s time.”

  I took a very deep breath, exhaled, and then followed him down the candlelit hallway of our home. My rapidly beating heart pounded and drummed faster the closer with each step. I clutched the necklace my birth mother had given me before she and my birth father were murdered. I’d had it in my possession since I was five years old. I never lost it.

  My godmother, Serene, whom had been in our lives since then, gently closed the door behind us. We called her Mother. Wearing full hooded black cloaks, Legend and Onyx held candles with both hands.

  “Eric,” Azura said, taking a whiff of my neck. “Tonight is a very special night for all of us. You’ll be the only one to touch the sun and you’ll be able to reign as King one day. The Divination can now hold true.”

  She gently placed a kiss on the side of my face. It was soft and gentle, a sisterly kiss. I stared at her trapped youth for a moment before swallowing the hard lump that was forming in my throat. The fact that I, too, would never age, grow old, or die was too much for me to fathom. To roam the earth for eternity was something no human could do.

  I bowed gracefully at Azura.

  “Remove your robe,” Mother ordered sternly.

  I did what I was told. As the robe fell to my feet, Azura took my hand into hers. She led me to the bed where I lay down. Legend and Onyx placed the candles by the bedside. Legend started to tie my right hand first and then right foot to the edges of each bedpost with strong ropes that couldn’t be broken. Onyx did the same to my left arm and leg. My breathing became more intense.

  Father came to the end of the bed and asked, “Is he secure?”

  “Yes,” Legend and Onyx replied in unison checking the ropes.

  “Why do I have to be restrained?” I questioned, feeling the pit of my stomach turn flips.

  “The ropes are there to protect you. Your body is going to go through a series of unexplainable pains. It’s going to feel like torture. You’re going to have an insatiable thirst for human blood and want to kill to quench that thirst. We don’t believe in killing to quench our thirsts and wouldn’t want you to harm anyone.”