Belle Morte (Book 1, the Belle Morte Series)

CHAPTER TWO

Edmond

Edmond strode down the hallway of the north wing, Ludovic at his side. The donors had all settled in for the night; Belle Morte was still and quiet.

"Some of the new donors were, ah, interesting," Ludovic said. "Sometimes I forget that it's common for women to cut their hair so short these days."

"You're too old fashioned, my friend," Edmond said.

Ludovic gave him an amused look. "Didn't you recently dismiss the suggestion of installing CCTV because you don't understand how it works?"

"Touché."

Edmond glanced at the chandeliers overhead. Even now, so long after electricity had become part of everyday life, he still marveled at it sometimes, still half expected to wake up with only a flame holding off the shadows. So much of the modern world was absolutely beyond him.

"The girl with the auburn hair—that's Irene Mayfield, isn't it?" Ludovic said.

"She said on her application that she prefers Renie."

"But that is her, yes?"

Edmond nodded.

"Is Ysanne sure she should have brought her here?"

"Ysanne knows what she's doing."

"Does she?"

Edmond hesitated. Ysanne wasn't just Lady of the House, she was his oldest friend. Their bond had been forged over hundreds of years, and June Mayfield was a secret that Ysanne had trusted him with. He should trust her in return. But he loved Ludovic like a brother, and they'd been through too much together for Edmond to simply fob him off.

"I'm not sure that keeping the truth from Renie is the best course of action," he admitted, "but it's the one Ysanne has chosen and we must respect that."

Something about Renie intrigued Edmond, and it wasn't just her beauty—although she was beautiful, all soft curves and tumbling autumn hair. Maybe it was how she'd acted when she'd climbed out of the limousine. Most donors relished posing for the cameras and answering questions, but Renie had done neither. He suspected she was here to find the truth, but did she really not care about the fame? If so, she was the first donor Edmond had met who'd felt that way.

Ludovic pushed back a strand of hair escaping from the ponytail at the nape of his neck. "Are you sure you can't tell me what's really going on? We all know Ysanne is keeping something from us, and it's to do with those Mayfield girls."

"You know I can't say anything."

"The truth will out."

"I'm sure it will."

Ysanne had told Edmond what was really going on because she knew she could trust him with her life, but he hadn't anticipated the weight of the secret. He hadn't anticipated how it would feel to lie to almost everyone in the house, especially Ludovic. They'd always been honest with each other. Now he'd have to lie to Renie too. It shouldn't matter—he didn't even know her—but he couldn't stop thinking about the vulnerable way she'd held herself when she was confronted by all those cameras.

Edmond shook his head.

It didn't matter how lovely or how intriguing she was. She was here for a reason, and when that was done, she would leave Belle Morte and he would never see her again. He'd spent a very long time building a wall around his heart, and no one was getting past that, including Renie Mayfield.

***

Renie

Satin sheets were part of the vampires' glamorous world but I couldn't sleep in them. I missed my own comfy duvet and the pillows I'd had since I was a kid, decorated with yellow flowers that had faded to grayish smudges. This new bed was too big and cold, the sheets too slick. Coupled with my black silk pajamas, I slid around like a greased seal. I should have picked one of the lacy nightgowns instead, but they'd seemed so over the top.