Redemption (Book 6)

4

"Welcome to New Orleans," Isaiah said as we stepped out of the car.

In the dark, there was something incredible about the city I could not put my finger on. It was beautiful, but somehow gritty. Magical and somehow so very real. I saw all the possibilities that awaited me, and I was speechless.

"It's the darkness that lies at the heart of the city," said Isaiah quietly.

"What?" I turned to him, distracted by the view in front of me.

"There is something inherently dark about this place," he explained. "Its founders made it so. That's the thing about darkness, it's alluring. Even the purest hearts are drawn to it, and that is New Orleans."

"All I know is that I'm drawn," I smiled at him. "Let's go get into trouble."

He laughed. "That sounds good to me."

We ended up in a grungy dive-bar that was packed with people, blasting music, and almost pitch-black. It was perfect for the kind of escapades I was planning. The dance-floor was packed body-to-body, everyone's hearts pumping to the beat of the bass. I could feel their blood like it was pulsating through my veins already. I turned a girl toward me and looked into her eyes.

"Don't scream," I said and she just stared at me blankly.

Digging my teeth into her neck, blood spilled down our bodies. I pulled away, pushing her back into the crowd, and licked the still hot blood from my lips. I bent my head back and moved to the music, living off the high the blood gave me. Moments later, the scent of blood caught my attention. From across the room, I saw Isaiah sinking his teeth into some pretty, leggy blonde. I moved through the crowd over to him and drank from the other side of her neck for a moment. Isaiah brushed past her and kissed me, the blood from our lips mingling together as he bit into me, my blood gushing into our mouths.

I turned around and pressed my body against his as he brought his teeth to the nape of my neck. I settled myself into him as he pierced my skin and I bled. Moving one of his hands from my hip, I grabbed his wrist and drank from his veins. His body and his blood were hot making my body burst into scalding flames. Turning myself around, I looked into his eyes as we danced. There was something in his eyes, more than desire or hunger, something that I could only assume was love.

"I'm going to get cleaned up before someone notices," I called out over the music, and I looked at the blood all over him. "Maybe you should too."

Walking toward the bathroom, I winced at the disgusting conditions around me. I felt an innate superiority to the people around me even more than usual, more than the fact that they were weakling humans, but that they lived in filth on a regular basis. Looking around me, I took some paper towels and wiped the blood from my face and neck, the wound having healed already. But there was still the problem of my clothing. That is when a girl who looked like she didn't belong there walked into the bathroom. Her dress was bright yellow and it came to just above the knee with a boat neck and a full skirt. Her shoes were white pumps and her hair was done into a neat little bun on top of her head. I smiled and walked over to her.

When I came out of the bathroom, I spotted Isaiah sitting at the bar in a new white t-shirt and a black leather jacket, which was pretty gorgeous on him. "Nice clothes."

I looked him over as I slid into the seat next to him and he glanced over at me. "Did you jump a girl on her way to her seventh grade dance?"

"No, some girl who looked about sixteen and is way over her head," I said.

"That sounds about the same description as could be for you," he replied.

"I might be sixteen," I flagged the bartender and ordered a whiskey neat. "But I am not in over my head in the slightest."

He laughed. "Okay."

"So, what else are you going to show me tonight?" I asked.

His eyes flashed. "You don't wear out easily, do you?"

I took the drink. "I am just getting started, honey, so keep up."

"Oh I think I'll manage," he took a drink from his glass.

"I don't know about that," I slid off the stool and backed up slowly onto the floor. "You're getting pretty old, Isaiah!"

For a moment, he just watched me dance, my body moving to the music. It wasn't something I had to think about, just arranging myself so that he looked at me with that look. He finished his drink and walked out to join me, his hands resting on my hips as I locked my fingers behind his neck. We danced a minute before I could feel the mischief coming up in my eyes. I slit my thumb and put my hand to his face. His lips closed around my finger and he licked the blood from it. My body squirmed a little as his grip tightened on my waist.

We danced and drank both blood and alcohol all night until I realized that the sun was coming up. I turned to Isaiah.

"Do the bars never close in this town?" I asked.

There was a devilish smile on his face. "It's just like I remember it."

He put his arm on my waist and we walked down the streets in the strange, eerie fog of the morning. As I looked at the beautiful, unique architecture, I marveled at this place, like nowhere I'd ever seen before.

"Where are we going?" I looked around us for a destination.

Suddenly, we stopped and Isaiah looked at me. "Here."

I looked to where he was pointing and then back at him. "I don't understand."

"You will," his eyes sparkled as we walked through the elaborate, iron gates into an enormous cemetery.

There were tombstones everywhere covered in moss and the mist hung low over the place in every corner, nook, and cranny. We weaved our way past old, garnished mausoleums, many which were falling apart and halted abruptly.