42nd & Lex (24 page)

“We're having company this evening. I’m
sorry I didn't call you earlier, but it was rather last minute.” Lucan is
dressed in a charcoal gray suit and pale lavender shirt with the collar open. The
last time I saw him he wasn't wearing anything all. I’m not sure which look I
like more. I feel under dressed if we are having company and Lucan is still in
his suit. I am in jeans, a white button down, and black riding boots. “No
worries. You look stunning as always.”

“You lie, but I love you anyways,” I retort
before kissing Lucan again. The amps make my lips numb and I rub them while
Lucan takes my purse and coat. The coat is a mere prop at this point since I haven’t
been outside since we left my apartment this morning. “Who's coming over?”

“The best friend in Italy I was telling you
about. He and his wife are in town. I told them we'd have dinner, if that's okay
with you. We talk all the time, but I haven’t seen them since the last time I
was in Rome about ten years ago.”

“Of course it’s okay with me. I’d love to
meet your best friend. Are we going out or staying in?”

“To the Enclave, if that's okay?” Lucan looks
a little uncertain. “They've never been and want to see it while they're in
town.”

“Oh, so they are vampire friends?” I ask,
trying not to seem too surprised. “I guess I should have figured that out given
the way you described how long you’ve known each other.” Other than the
Council, I haven’t really met any other vampires yet. This is exciting. It is
exciting to get to meet Lucan’s friends, too. Sarah is my oldest friend and our
relationship, at just a hair over two and a half decades, pales in comparison
to this. I can’t even imagine knowing someone as long as Lucan has known
people. Even if they’d only know each other a hundred years, that is longer
than I can comprehend. I stop my inner monologue realizing Lucan’s listening.

His face is arranged in an are-you-done-yet
expression. “Aye,” he pauses to make sure I’m focused again. “Well, Zaid is
vampire. Amelia is human like you. They've been together for a while and I
thought you might like to meet another mixed couple.”

I laugh. I guess that's what we are, a mixed
couple. “Wow! Yeah, I guess I hadn't really thought about that part, how
different we are.” I really am excited to meet people like us, especially
another human. I have so many questions. “Yeah, I'm stoked to meet them. Are
they meeting us there?”

“No, we're going to pick them up at their
hotel. I had your dress from Saturday night dry-cleaned, I thought you might
like the wear it. It's hanging in the closet.” I didn’t need to read minds to
know he is thinking of the last time that dress and I were in a closet
together. 

“Thank you, sweetheart, you think of
everything. I'll go get changed.” I head for the walk-in closet that runs the
length of the bathroom on the inside wall. Inside, I find my dress hanging in a
dry cleaning bag and a more functional pair of black heels that I brought over
from my apartment.

***

When we pull up to the Algonquin Hotel, the
valet is itching to get his hands on the black Fisker Karma Lucan has selected
to be our transportation this evening, but Lucan tells him we aren't staying.
The poor guy is crestfallen he walks back to stand under the valet stand's
heater. I can’t blame him, it is sleek and sexy and it has 400 horses in its
electric engine. I like it almost as much as the Evora.

I know Zaid as soon as he walks through the
hotel's font doors. He is tall, taller than Lucan, with bronze skin that belies
his Middle Eastern heritage. He is wearing a cream colored, calf-length
cashmere coat over cream-colored slacks and a black turtleneck. His coal black
hair falls in waves across his broad shoulders contrasting with the coat. His
dark eyes and thick lashes make him look like he’s wearing black eyeliner, but
not in a guyliner-Goth-band way. Amelia follows immediately behind Zaid and he holds
the door for her.

“Brother, it's been too long!” Zaid exclaims
in a rather booming voice, as Lucan jumps out of the car to greet him. “You
look well.”

“So do you, brother. How's Italia?” The two
men embraced in a hearty hug before he turns to embrace Amelia. “Amelia, you
look lovely as always. Please, get in, it's cold.”

Zaid opens the rear passenger door for
Amelia and she glides in. Once everyone is in the car Lucan begins with the
introductions. “Zaid, Amelia, this is Abri. Lei é la mia Sodalis.”

“Well, Abri, my brother is a lucky man
indeed. It's a pleasure to meet you.” Zaid reaches a large hand between the Karma’s
seats and we proceed to shake hands, curiously without any amps passing between
us. “This is my Amelia.”

“It's so great to meet you, Abri. Lucan has
told us so much about you.” Amelia and I shake hands as well. She is probably
in her mid thirties with long honey blond hair and hazel eyes. Her accent is
clearly American, faintly New Yorker even.

“It's wonderful to meet both of you,” I say.
“How long will you be in town?”

“A week or so maybe. Zaid has some business
here and it’s been so long since I’ve been back to America.” Amelia playfully
squeezes Zaid's arm. “Zaid here is not a fan of the city.”

We all chat easily while Lucan navigates
across town to the Enclave. I wonder if Serge will be there this evening, or
worse, Mark. As we pull up, I strain to see who is manning the valet stand. A short
Hispanic man is at the post and I breathe a sigh of relief.

Lucan and Zaid are out of the car and
opening the doors for Amelia and me in the blink of an eye. “
You look so
beautiful
,” Lucan thinks at me as he takes my hand to help me from the car.

“Thank you,” I whisper in return.

Lucan scans his card as the valet drives the
Karma off. The camera overhead pans around to look us over. A green light and
the sound of the locks clicking on the heavy door signal our admittance. Zaid holds
the door open for us as Lucan leads the way into the lobby.

“Abri, you and Amelia make yourselves
comfortable. Zaid must check in with the Council before we can go any further.”
Lucan motions towards the plush chairs that line the far wall of the lobby. “It
won't take long, ten minutes tops.” Lucan and Zaid whisper something to the receptionist
before she nods and motions for them to continue past her.

“No worries,” Amelia says, settling into the
first chair. “He has to check in with the local authorities any time we travel
to a new jurisdiction. It's a formality really, like going through customs.”

I nod in reply even though I have no idea
what she’s talking about. Vampire customs? “So how long have you and Zaid been
together?” I ask, hoping Amelia won't take offense to my being so forward.

“Well, that's a long story. What do you know
about Sodali?”

“A little. I mean, I know Lucan and I are,
we are each other's—yeah, I know a little.” Amelia's question takes me by
surprise. Lucan had explained that finding your Sodalis is extremely rare.
Could it be that Amelia and Zaid are not just a mixed couple—as Lucan called
it, but also Sodali? “Are you and Zaid?”

“Yeah, we are. How long have you and Lucan
been together?” she asks, skirting my original question. I expected our common
bond would get the conversation started but Amelia is having none of it.

“Ah, just over a week.” I manage a small
smile. It feels strange to admit that out loud, even to someone that knows what
I’m talking about. “It seems like longer though. We have just really clicked.”
It strikes me as odd that she won’t answer a simple question like how long she's
been with her boyfriend, husband, whatever. She’s not wearing a wedding band, but
maybe vampires don't believe in wedding bands.

“I know what you mean,” Amelia replies, with
a smile that doesn’t quite reach her eyes.

“So how did you two meet?” I try to turn the
conversation back to Amelia and Zaid.

“Here in New York. We were both visiting and
happened to be suck on the same subway car.” She pauses and glances towards the
elevator bank. “Oh, the boys are on their way back up. I'm starving!”

I start to ask how she knows that, if she can
read Zaid's thoughts when they aren't touching, but I stop myself. It’s obvious
she doesn’t want to talk. “Me too. The food here is really great.”

Lucan and Zaid appear at the far end of the
lobby, sparing me any further awkward conversation. I can’t help but feel that Amelia
and I were left together to chat about our mutual situation. If so, the least
she could do was answer a few preliminary questions.

“Ladies, this way,” Lucan says as he holds
out his hand for me. “Did you two get to know each other?”

Not one to miss an opportunity, I answer
before Amelia can change tack on me again. “We did. Zaid, how wonderful for you
to find your Sodalis as well. Lucan tells me it's very rare.”

“That it is, my dear. That it is. Lucan and
I are two very lucky men. I don't know how much Amelia told you about our
meeting, but it is quite a story. Maybe we can bore you with it over dinner,”
Zaid adds with a wink. No doubt knowing I am practically on fire to know as
much as I can about them.

Lucan leads us back to the Enclave's dining
room. I recognize the hostess as she greets us. “Welcome. Your table is this
way. Ms. Cole it is pleasure to see you again,” she coos as we walk back to a
semi-private alcove off the main dining room.

Once we are seated and drinks ordered Zaid
begins the conversation in earnest. “So, dear Abri, what do you want to know?”

I decide to start at the beginning. I figure
Amelia won't take offense to the repeat, owing to the fact that it is obvious
she isn’t going to be the one to tell the tale. “How long have you two been
together? Amelia said you met in here in New York.”

“Ah, well, you are direct, aren't you? Lucan
warned me about that,” he chuckles. “Amelia and I have been together almost a
hundred years.” His expression turns to one of apology, as if he knew my
reaction wasn’t going to be a polite smile and nod of the head. “Well, hell, I
guess I’m being a little too direct myself. Sorry about that Abri.”  

My head spins and I feel a little flutter of
nausea as my brain processes his words. It is totally conceivable for Zaid and
Lucan to be that old, but Amelia is human. I am aware that Lucan can hear me
but I don’t care. This is fucking ludicrous. For the first time I feel like
I’ve been duped into believing something that’s not real, like everyone gets
the joke but me.  

“This is why I didn’t want to be the one to
tell her,” Amelia says accusingly, looking back and forth between Lucan and
Zaid. “Zaid, explain it to her quick before she passes out.”

“Right. Well, when one Sodali is human and
the other vampire their joining confers certain benefits on each party. For
instance, I can spend more time in the sunlight now because of Amelia's human
nature and she, well, she has the benefit of not aging, because of my vampire
nature.”

My stomach drops. My mouth is dry; my head is
rotating on its axis like fucking globe. I feel the overwhelming urge to run or
vomit, or both.

“Would you excuse me for a second?” I manage
between clinched teeth. “I can’t do this— I mean, I just need some space—er,
air. I’ll be right back. You all stay here and enjoy. I just...
I just need
to put a very large amount of wall space between us.”
I manage to finish
the last part in my head for Lucan.
 

I give him a look that says sit-down-and-don’t-move
while I slam my mind shut from his prying brain waves. I grab my purse and take
off in the direction of the lobby door without looking back. My shoes make a
thunderous clacking noise on the marble as I try not to run to the front door. I
pause just long enough for the electronic lock to release and then burst out
into the night. I’d been wondering when this vampire business was going throw
me for a loop. I guess it’s now.

The valet guy, a different one than had
greeted us earlier, is lounging against the valet stand. He jumps up as I
sprint towards the sidewalk. 

“Are you and Mr. O’Reilly leaving so soon,
ma’am? I can bring the car around if you would like,” he stammers through a
heavy Caribbean accent.

“That won’t be necessary,” I reply as calmly
as possible. He is more than likely a vampire and I don’t want to risk him
sensing my distress. “I need cab though.”

“I can call you one. It will be a minute or
two, aren’t too many that drive by here.” He picks up a phone on the stand. He
looks puzzled as he puts the receiver to his ear, no dial tone. Perfect. “Hello?”
he says tentatively. “Yes, sir. Right away, sir.”

There had apparently been someone on the
other line already. “Mr. O’Reilly has instructed me to bring the car for you. He
said he will take a cab home and you can meet him there if you wish.”

“Oh, well, okay.” I want to decline the
offer but I realize I don’t have any cash on me for cab fare. How stupid of me,
I know better.

The valet disappears around the corner and
is back with the Karma in less than thirty seconds. Yup, he is definitely a vampire.
For some reason that makes my skin crawl.   

“Thank you,” I say as he holds the driver’s
side door open for me. “I'm sorry I don’t have any cash to tip you. Just let
Mr. O’Reilly know.”

“He already told me ma’am. It’s okay. You be
safe now.” The valet shuts the door and walks around to the back of the car. I
hit the lock button the door and let out a huge sigh of relief. What in the hell
just happened? I catch movement out of the corner of my eye coming from the
Enclave’s front door and without looking to see if it is Lucan, I hit the gas. 

The Fisker’s tires squeal as I tear off down
the block. The street is wet but the traction holds. I hook a left at the
corner and make my way back out to the main road. I’d never been to this
section of the city before meeting Lucan, but I am damn certain I can find
Chinatown from here. Eventually. I am so not going back to the Chrysler
tonight.