I awoke next as dusk was settling over the city. From my window, I could see the goldfish-orange sun sinking low behind a white steeple. The entire house was silent, and for a moment, I couldnt remember where I was. Then everything came back: the butcher shop, the vampires, me being flung against the wall.
Lexi.
As if on cue, she glided into the room, barely making a sound as she pushed open the door. Her blond hair was loose around her shoulders, and she was wearing a simple black dress. If looked at quickly, she could be mistaken for a child. But I could tell from the slight creases around her eyes and the fullness of her lips that shed been a full-grown woman, probably around nineteen or twenty. I had no idea how many years shed seen since then.
She perched on the edge of my bed, smoothing back my hair.
"Good evening, Stefan," she said, a mischievous glint in her eye. She clutched a tumbler of dark liquid between her fingers. "You slept," she noted.
I nodded. Until Id sunk into the featherbed on the third floor of the house, I hadnt realized that Id barely slept in the past week. Even on the train, Id always been twitching, aware of the sighs and snores of my fellow passengers and always,alwaysthe steady thrum of blood coursing through their veins. But here no heartbeats had kept me from slumber.
"I brought this for you," she said, proffering the glass. I pushed it away. The blood in it smelled stale, sour.
"You need to drink," she said, sounding so much like me speaking to Damon that I couldnt help but feel a tiny pang of irritation--and sorrow. I brought the tumbler to my lips and took a tiny sip, fighting the urge to spit it out. As I expected, the drink tasted like dank water and the scent made me feel vaguely ill.
Lexi smiled to herself, as if enjoying a private joke. "Its goats blood. Its good for you. Youll make yourself sick, the way you were feeding. A diet made exclusively of human blood isnt good for the digestion. Or the soul."
"We dont have souls," I scoffed. But I brought the cup to my lips once more.
Lexi sighed and took the tumbler, placing it on the nightstand next to me. "So much to learn," she whispered, almost to herself.
"Well, we have nothing but time, right?" I pointed out. I was rewarded with a rich laugh, which was surprisingly loud and throaty coming from her waif-like body.
"You catch on quickly. Come. Get up. Its time to show you our city," she said, handing me a plain white shirt and trousers.
After changing, I followed her down the creaking wooden stairs to where the other vampires milled about in the ballroom. They were dressed up, but all looked faintly old-fashioned, as if theyd stepped out of one of the many portraits on the wall. Hugo sat at the piano, playing an out-of-tune rendition of Mozart while wearing a blue velvet cape. Buxton, the hulking, violent vampire, was wearing a loose, ruffled, white shirt. and Percy had on faded britches and suspenders that made him look as though he were running late to play a game of ball with his schoolmates.
When they saw me, the vampires froze. Hugo managed a slight nod, but the rest merely stared in stony silence.
"Lets go!" Lexi commanded, leading our group out the door, down the slate path, through zigzagging alleyways, and finally onto a street marked Bourbon. Each entryway led to a dimly lit bar, from which inebriated patrons stumbled out into the night air. Suggestively clad women gathered in clumps beneath awnings, and revelers acted punch-drunk, ready to laugh or fight at a moments notice. I instantly knew why Lexi took us here. Despite our odd attire, we attracted no more attention than any of the other lively revelers.
As we walked, the others flanked me, keeping me in the center of their circle at all times. I knew I was being watched sharply, and I tried to remain unaffected by the scent of blood and the rhythm of beating hearts.
"Here!" Lexi said, not bothering to consult the rest of the group as she pushed open a saloon door that read M ILADIESin curlicue script. I was impressed by her boldness--back in Mystic Falls, only women of ill repute would ever enter a barroom. But as I was fast realizing, New Orleans wasnt Mystic Falls.
The floor of Miladies was caked with sawdust, and I winced at the overwhelmingly acrid smell of sweat, whiskey, and cologne. The tables were packed shoulder to shoulder with men playing cards, gambling, and gossiping. One entire side of the room was filled with Union soldiers, and in another corner, a motley band consisting of players with an accordion, two fiddles, and a flute was playing a jaunty rendition of "The Battle Hymn of the Republic."
"What do you think?" Lexi asked, leading me to the bar.
"Is this a Union bar?" I asked. The Union army had captured the city some months back, and soldiers stood sentinel on nearly every corner, maintaining order and reminding Confederates that the war they were fighting looked to be a losing cause.
"Yes. You know what that means, right?"
I scanned the room. Aside from the soldiers, it was a solitary crowd. Single men drowned their loneliness at wooden tables, barely acknowledging their neighbors. The bartenders filled glasses with a mechanical air, never seeming to register the people for whom they poured their wares.
I understood immediately. "Everyone here is a stranger passing through."
"Exactly." Lexi smiled, clearly pleased that I was catching on.
Buxton cleared his throat in disapproval. I could tell he didnt like me--that he was waiting for me to slip up so he could stake me without incurring Lexis wrath.
"Hugo, find us a table!" Lexi commanded. Hugo walked his hulkish frame over to a rough-hewn table next to the band. Before he could even open his mouth, the blue-coated soldiers at the table glanced at each other and stood up, leaving half-filled mugs behind.
Lexi pulled out two chairs. "Stefan, sit next to me."
I sat, vaguely embarrassed that I was so compliant, like a child. But I reminded myself that even Hugo followed her lead. Lexi had Power, and she knew how to use it.
Percy, Hugo, and Buxton also settled around.