Chapter 1
Awareness hummed in Raul’s blood. Something seemed to be calling to him. He tried to concentrate on the stage, where a group of talented actors sang and danced their way through a darkly humorous murder mystery. But he couldn’t shake the feeling thatsomethingwas out there. He used his vampire senses to search the theater for any hint of danger. They didn’t find anything that posed a threat.
Raul relaxed back in his chair. The show was excellent and he was enjoying it. He simply needed to give one hundred percent of his attention to the performance and stop worrying about strange feelings. Just as he renewed his focus on the play, the lead actress delivered a cheeky line before sauntering from the stage. A moment later, the MC stepped out from behind the curtain.
“It’s time for our intermission. We’ll be back shortly with a decadent dessert that might be deadly.”
Raul applauded along with the rest of the audience. When the lights went up, he rose to stretch his legs. The two dates who’d attended the theater with him rose as well.
“This show is great,” Alan said.
Linda, his other date, laced her fingers through Alan’s. “I see a friend of ours over there. We’re going to go and say hello.”
Raul nodded and the two humans went off to speak to their friends. As more of the crowd began to move around during the intermission, Raul recognized a few of his acquaintances. Upon noticing him, they came over to pay their respects.
A burly vampire, with muscles straining the fabric of his suit and his bald head shiny with sweat, greeted Raul first.
“Nice to see you, Mr. Raul. What do you think of the show?”
The vampire accompanying him smiled. She was dressed entirely in green—her gown, shoes, jewelry. Even her hair and lipstick were in the same emerald shade.
“Is it worth leaving that beautiful ranch of yours for a few hours?” she asked.
Raul laughed. He was a known homebody. He socialized as needed for work, but he was most comfortable at home, riding over his property or in the house watching movies.
“It’s worth it. The actors are doing a fantastic job.”
Another acquaintance, a human in a vintage beaded evening gown with long strawberry blonde hair offered their opinion. “I love the singing voice of the president character, but I think she’s the killer.”
Their small group began debating who they thought was the culprit behind the show’s murder. As they talked, the live musicians finished their song, a string rendition of Jewel’sFoolish Games. After the audience’s quiet applause, they set their instruments aside and rose to take their break. The musicians filed out of the theater, and a DJ came out and started to play a set of old nineties R&B hits over the theater’s sound system.
In the quiet lull before the first recorded song began to play, Raul heard a soft laugh. Happy, bright, and delicate. He turned, searching for the source of that delightful sound. He didn’t see who it came from at first. Then, a woman in a black dress moved to the side, revealing the person standing behind her.
That beautiful laugh came from a petite, East Asian human, with short, stylishly cut flaxen blonde hair, and golden skin. The young man was dressed in a caramel brown suit with cream trim on the lapels and a cream button up shirt beneath the jacket.Raul’s heart began to pound as he watched him smile. The awareness humming within him finally made sense.
“Excuse me,” Raul said in the general direction of the person who’d been speaking to him. Without another word, he left the group and moved across the room, headed directly for the lovely human who’d caught his attention. “Hello,” he said once he’d reached him.
After saying goodbye to the person he’d been speaking with, the young man turned and looked up at Raul.
“Hello.”
His voice was as soft as an angel’s kiss. Up close, Raul could see that pale brown freckles dotted the bridge of his nose and the tops of his cheeks. His lips were pink and lush and his dark eyes were still sparkling from his earlier laughter. The human was so gorgeous that it took Raul a moment to realize he was staring. He mentally shook himself from his trance. “I’m Raul,” he introduced himself as he held a hand out.
“I’m Ji-Su.”
Ji-Su accepted the handshake, his warm, fine boned hand all but disappearing inside Raul’s large grasp.
“It’s nice to meet you.” A quick glance at his neck showed recently healed marks from a vampire’s fangs. This lovely human already belonged to someone. Disappointment burned in Raul’s chest—startling in its intensity. He checked to be sure that Ji-Su wasn’t available. “Are you here alone?”
“No. I’m with my patron and his friends. They stepped outside to smoke.”
His blood patron. Ji-Su was a blood pet. “Tell me, Ji-Su. What do you do when you’re not looking so enchanting that you bewitch strangers at dinner theaters?” That precious laugh came again. Hearing it up close sent a tingle of pleasure down Raul’s spine.
“I’m a gaming streamer.”
“Ah, forgive me if I’m not quite sure what you mean by that.”
A deep dimple appeared in Ji-Su’s cheek when he smiled.