Chapter Ten
L eonard had gotten up this morning, rung the theatre and reserved the box. Then he’d booked a table at Romano’s; his favourite restaurant. Romano’s was a little highbrow, but the food was second to none, plus, it was situated not far from the theatre, in Upper Lunaton. His favourite corner table; which offered a modicum of privacy, was now reserved for them after the ballet finished this evening. Once everything was organised, he’d put in a couple of hours work in his den, checking over his shares, selling those that had run their time, and buying a few thousand shares of a new fledgling company that had real potential. Satisfied; and a few thousand pounds richer, he’d headed over to the house where Balin was still healing. After spending a little time with him, and taken a bit of ribbing; due to having to date a human, he’d been satisfied that he was on the mend. They’d been worried for a while there, especially after the set-back he’d had earlier in the week when he’d tried to tear into his own stomach. The psycho bitch, Maisie; the black witch who’d captured and tortured Balin, had actually placed a be-spelled rune-stone inside of him. She’d done it purposely to stop him from shifting and healing. Luckily for them, Sophia; a white witch, and the one his old friend Luc seemed to have the hots for, had worked it out. Now, after it had been removed, he was not only on the mend, but could once again shift into his black jaguar form and speed up the process. Everyone was now breathing a little easier. Well, where Balin was concerned anyway. Unfortunately, the psycho bitch was still out there.
Leonard had gone out to help in the search for her, something they’d been doing in shifts for a while now as they tried to locate her. She had to be stopped before she brought their kind to the attention of the authorities with her indiscriminate killings, of humans and immortals alike. There was already a reporter nosing around - slimy little bastard was causing them a few problems with their searches as he kept popping up. The sooner Maisie was found and taken care of, the better for everyone. If humans ever realised that there were immortals walking amongst them, there would be mass hysteria, and they’d be hunted like mindless animals. They’d be studied, and analysed, their brains and bodies dissected as scientist experimented until they could understand them. Now that, they couldn’t allow, which was why the authorities hadn’t been notified or involved. If anything, they wanted to keep them far away from it. Which meant he also had to go to the main police station in Upper Lunaton tomorrow morning with Jaden, just in case he was needed.
It was all such a mess. The bitch had killed a human delivery driver. As he had a pregnant fiancé and young child they couldn’t dispose of the body and change perceptions; which they’d normally do. They were unsure how him meddling with her mind would affect her pregnancy, and he would not have the possibility of doing harm to an unborn child on his conscience. So, tomorrow, his job was to make sure that the authorities were kept in the dark by changing a few perceptions. Plus, the authorities wouldn’t be of any help to them as a human would have no chance against an immortal. They were faster, stronger, and lived, well, indefinitely. Some could shift into animals, some; like him, drank blood. There were witches who could wield magic, both good and bad, and so many more. Basically, most creatures written about in fairy tales or whispered about via a myth had some basis. As the saying goes, ‘there’s no smoke without fire’. Therefore, Maisie was a threat to everybody, humans and immortals alike. As she was lethal and had no conscience in her thirst for greater power; she also threatened their very existence. They could not keep covering up her killings because at some point, they’d miss someone, and then their kind would be out in the open. That’s when the nightmare would truly begin, because the pitchforks would be sharpened and the torches lit as the humans began their hunt.
Several unsuccessful hours later, he’d headed home, foul tempered and frustrated at how successfully the bitch had one again managed to cover her tracks. All he’d wanted to do at that point was go out to find a willing woman to lose himself in. Only he couldn’t do that as Luc had cock blocked him due to the terms he’d put on healing the rift in their friendship. If he had sex with another woman while dating Jill, he’d renege on their bargain. If he didn’t take Jill on 5-dates, he’d renege on their bargain. But the real kicker was that he couldn’t even screw Jill, whom he’d be more than happy to. Because, yes, you guessed it, if he did have sex with her before their fifth date, he’d renege on their bargain. Basically, he was screwed any which way he turned, without being screwed.
Oh, the irony.
Luc had his hands and his pants zipper tied, because he was desperate to heal their friendship. The guilt for his part of Luc’s curse had ate at him. So much so, that he’d even followed Luc to Lower Lunaton when he’d moved here a few centuries ago. He’d had his home built on the next plot of land so that he could try to watch over his friend when he couldn’t take care of himself. His curse meant that during daylight he turned to stone, a caricature gargoyle, complete with claws.
Leonard paced around his den, frustration and anger eating at him. He needed to chill out, but was limited on what was available to him, so opted for a shower. Like it or not, he still had a date tonight.
Once clean, he began to feel a little better and again found himself looking forward to his evening. He was interested in witnessing Jill’s first impressions of the ballet. It added to the whole experience, especially with a ballet virgin.
Bad choice of words Leonard realised, as he pulled up outside Jill’s house and found her closing and locking her front door. As the Maserati was fitted with tinted windows, it gave him a chance to observe her without detection. His eyes began with her hair, which she wore in chic chignon. A few wispy tendrils of her deep caramel hair loose and framing her pretty face. They dropped down her body in an appreciative, leisurely perusal. She wore a little black sheath dress and his eyes swept from the sweetheart neckline and capped sleeves, to the hem, which stopped just above her knees. It was tastefully fitted to her curvy frame, just offering a tantalising hint of the shapely body beneath. Leonard found it much more sensual than some of the overtly snug and sexual clothing he’d seen many women wearing. She’d teamed it with a pair of moderately heeled black pumps, showcasing her surprisingly long legs. Instead of a necklace or beads, Jill had opted for a jaunty, slim red scarf, which hung loosely from her throat and ended, mid chest. It showed off, not only the length of her neck, but also her pert breasts, as it nestled between them. As she dropped her keys into her bag and tucked it beneath her arm, his eyes were drawn to her legs again. He then began to wonder if the sheer black nylons she wore were tights or stockings. He visualised running a hand up her leg to find out which it was, and the mental image of his fingers moving from silk to silky smooth skin elicited a moan being dragged from deep in his throat. His dick twitched at the idea of touching her so intimately, and he licked a fang as he tried to adjust himself in his seat.
Leonard watched as she closed her gate. Then his innate good manners kicked in and he alighted the car, with a slight wince. Straightening his charcoal pinstriped suit jacket, he tugged it down over his groin and moved around the bonnet to the passenger side.
“Good evening Jill, I hope you’ve had a pleasant day,” Leonard murmured, holding out a hand. When she accepted, placing her own in his, he pulled her in and bending forward brushed a light kiss over her cheek.
“Hi Leo, you look very dapper,” Jill smiled brightly, and his eyes dropped to her plump red lips.
“Thank you, you look very beautiful,” he told her. Then, stepping back, opened the passenger door and used the hand he still held to help her in, settling her into her seat. Once the seatbelt was fastened; and door closed, he moved around the car and got back into the driver’s seat.
“Some classical music to help get you in the mood for our evenings entertainment,” Leonard told Jill. He then set the volume on the cd player and started the car, indicating, he pulled out. The soothing sounds of Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake filled the car as he moved through the light, evening traffic.
“Do you enjoy the ballet?” Jill asked, as Leonard turned right, entering the heavier, main flow of traffic leading into the centre of town.
“I used to enjoy it very much. At one time, it was a grand affair going to the theatre to watch the ballet. Women dripping in expensive jewellery, and showcasing fashion designer’s creations in the way of elaborate ball gowns. There was always a strict dress code, and their partners were not allowed in unless dressed in a tuxedo. Then again, few would dare try, because it was all a lead up to the after parties where they got to mix with the rich and famous,” he told her drolly.
“What was the first ballet you attended?” Jill asked, easily imagining Leonard rubbing shoulders with societies elite.
“The ballet was in 1581, I believe, ‘Le ballet Comique De La Reine,’ inspired by Homers ‘Odyssey.’ It was performed in the ballroom adjacent to the Louvre Palace in Paris. Catherine De’ Medici, the French queen at the time, arranged the performance to celebrate her sister’s wedding. It was a very grand affair, and guests in their thousands attended. The queen herself, as well as a lot of her court, also took part in the performance. Then again, Queen Catherine was well known for throwing very expensive and elaborate parties. Although, there are theories that there were other ballets before it, it’s the earliest that I can remember,” Leonard informed her with a shrug.
“No, you misunderstand, Leo. Which was your first ballet, because I’m pretty sure you weren’t around in 1581,” Jill laughed.
“Silly me, my apologies, Swan Lake.” Leonard gave a hearty chuckle, followed by an exasperated shake of his head, giving the impression of his error. Mentally, he castigated himself for yet another slip around her. He needed to be more careful, but found he was so comfortable in her company that it was becoming natural to share with her. A dangerous thing for an immortal with a human, especially one who knew nothing of their kind. He would have to weigh up his words more carefully, from now on. After all, it was not just his own life he was guarding, but that of all immortals. A slip in front of the wrong person could cause a man hunt, and devastation for many families, who would find themselves fighting for their very survival.