Building From Ashes

She passed by a pub and remembered her confusing night out with Carwyn months before. It had been… lovely. Perhaps the most pleasant night out she’d ever had with a man. Not that he saw her that way. Not that he ever would, even if he flirted with her at times. That was just how he was. She’d overcome her silly, romantic notions about Carwyn ap Bryn when she was a teenager. Still… it was nice to feel noticed.

“Take care of yourself.”

She did. Though Jack could be a bit loose with her safety, Brigid never felt uneasy walking alone. She was armed and had been trained by the toughest vampires in Ireland. Blinking back her exhaustion, she decided to continue walking. Just a few more blocks to her bed and the sleepy oblivion she craved. That was the key.

If you made yourself tired enough, your mind didn’t have the energy to dream.

The following night, after dropping off the extremely unexciting report on a locker that no one visited, Brigid pulled on the dress Emily forced on her.

“Why am I wearing a dress?” she yelled from her room. “I hate dresses. And I don’t like you very much right now, either.”

“I can’t believe you didn’t even own one.” Emily eyed her with approval when she walked out of the room. “What do you wear to mass when you’re at home?”

Axel piped up from the couch, playing with Emily’s hair as she sat on his lap in Brigid’s small sitting room. “You go to church?”

“When I’m in Wicklow. And I have a few dresses there to appease my aunt. I don’t need any in Dublin because I don’t like them.” She adjusted the hem of her skirt as she walked. “And this dress is too short.”

“I like it! You look darling. Axel?”

The blond Adonis-like creature looked up. Axel was extremely good-looking. He was tall, with typically Scandinavian looks and brilliant blue eyes that shone in his pale face. He was lean, but his shoulders were broad and his smile was wide and friendly. He was beautiful. And that, Brigid thought, was probably the reason he’d lasted as long as he had. Because the strangest thing about Axel was, he really wasn’t all that sharp for a vampire.

Then he smiled and Brigid was reminded of his teeth. Well, those were sharp anyway.

“You are very beautiful, Brigid. And the dress is not too short. You do not have a man protecting you, but I will take care of you tonight.”

Emily cooed and patted his cheek. She liked that alpha-male, “my woman” kind of thing, so Brigid was sure her friend thought Axel’s offer was a nice gesture. Brigid just smiled, packed her small, concealed carry gun in her purse, and thought it was an unnecessary one.

“Thanks, Axel. Well, should we be off, then?”

“Sure!” Emily hopped off Axel’s lap and plucked her phone out of her purse to call the car downstairs. The three met the dark sedan out front, which would take them to the penthouse where the party was being hosted by some Italian friend of Axel’s.

Still mindful of security, Brigid asked, “So, Axel, who is this?”

The blond vampire shrugged. “Just a friend. He and I do some business together. Shipping. He mostly works in Europe.”

“He’s Italian?” Carwyn’s best friend, the fire vampire, was an Italian. But Emily had said that their host was a water vamp. Still, she wondered if this vampire and Carwyn’s friend were acquainted. “What’s his name?”

“Lorenzo.”

“Just Lorenzo?”

Axel smiled. “Yes. Like Madonna. Or Cher.”

Brigid snorted. Going by one name wasn’t all that uncommon, especially among older vampires, but she still found it pretentious. “Will there be many humans there?”

“There will be a lot of girls.” Axel smiled. “He likes women. But there will be some nice men, too, Brigid. And vampires. You should find a good one like me.”

Emily’s vampire boyfriend was nice, but had the old-fashioned notion—not unusual for middle-aged vampires—that a human woman needed a man. If she was very lucky, she might snag a vampire. In Brigid’s experience, the older vampires were smart enough not to underestimate the female sex. Some of the most vicious and ancient immortals were female and had a reputation for being far more dangerous than the males.

“Axel,” Emily warned with a giggle. “Stop.”

“It’s true,” he protested. “No man is the equal of a vampire. Emily has learned this.”

“Oh, hush.” Emily cuddled into his side. Brigid only rolled her eyes. Axel may not have been the brightest immortal she’d ever met, but he did seem to adore her friend. And he was friendly to her, as well. In fact, he was one of the most “human” vampires she’d ever met. But then, Axel was only around fifty years old.

She shook her head and looked out the dark window at the luxurious buildings they passed.

“I’ll stay as long as it’s fun, but don’t try to make me stay all night. I had to work today, so I’m not going to be able to party till dawn.”

She glanced over to see Emily and Axel with their tongues down each other’s throats.

Great, it’s going to be one of those nights.

“Can I get you a drink?”

Brigid turned from her perch in the corner, the automatic refusal on her lips, until she saw who was addressing her. “I… sure. Thanks.”

The young vampire smiled and a dimple appeared at the corner of his cheek. He was handsome in a boyish way that reminded her of Jack, but his accent was American and his smile was pleasant, not arrogant. He lifted two passing flutes of champagne and handed one to her.