Page 20 of Blood Moon

Delilah

The restaurant was gorgeous. I’d never been inside because the waiting list was years long. It was hard to believe that I was not only here, but with the owner. Life seemed surreal sometimes.

“I can’t believe I’m here right now. This menu is crazy. I have no idea what to order,” I admitted, feeling a little out of place.

Viktor must have picked up on my discomfort, because he leaned forward and put his hand on my wrist. “You simply order whatever sounds good to you right now. Let’s start with drinks. I’ll be getting my usual, which wouldn’t interest you, but I can help you decide if you’d like,” he offered, and somehow I knew that his usual would involve drinking blood in some form.

In a way, it was nice to know that the vampire population was being taken care of. Just thinking about them hunting humans made my insides feel wobbly. He hadn’t told me a lot about how their feedings worked, but there had been enough to know that I was safe with him.

It didn’t matter to me anyway, there was something about Viktor that kept pulling me toward him. I didn’t think I could resist him if I wanted to. And if I were being honest with myself, I didn’t want to.

He helped me choose a glass of wine, an appetizer, and an entree, then insisted that I have the creme brulee for dessert. I wondered how he knew it was my favorite, but didn’t mention it. Once our food had been ordered, the waitress didn’t come around for a while.

“You were planning to explain things to me, right?” I asked, trying to steer the conversation back to what we’d discussed in the car.

“Yes, I told you that I would explain about my wife.” He paused and looked at his hands.

“If you’re not ready to tell me, it’s OK. I understand. I just want to get to know you better. Whatever you want to share is fine.” I figured there was no reason to ruin a night out if he needed more time.

“Thank you, but I gave my word, and that’s the one thing I try to keep. It’s not easy for me to talk about Kat, but I think that knowing will help you understand why I’m so against you going anywhere with Strain.” Viktor paused and looked into my eyes.

“I’d like to understand,” I responded, trying not to get lost in the way the light reflected in his eyes, making them more golden than brown.

“Kat and I met as she was finishing law school. I had just completed my Masters in Business, and we ran into each other at a coffee shop near campus.” He looked off into the distance as he spoke, as if he was lost in another time.

“She was beautiful, but what got to me was how kind she was to everyone. We had coffee that day, then went on a date the next night. After that, we were inseparable. At least until I learned her dark family secret.”

Viktor stopped talking for a moment as the waitress brought our appetizers and refilled our drinks. When she walked away, he continued.

“A few weeks after we started dating, I realized that her brother was constantly calling her. He wanted to know where she was and who she was with all the time. It was pretty annoying, but Kat always defended him. ‘‘Eli’s a good guy. He just worries,’ she would say. He paused and looked at me again. I could tell that this was hard for him.

“It’s his fault she’s dead. His men set the bomb that killed her. I can’t let that happen to you,” he blurted suddenly.

“Wait, are you saying that Strain was your wife’s brother?” I had to have misinterpreted what he was saying. It made no sense. Those two hated each other. They couldn’t be family, could they?

Viktor nodded solemnly. “He was her older brother. I struggled with how close they were, and it nearly drove us apart for a while. After a few years, he and I became friends. Then she went to work for his boss, and she was killed in an explosion. I lost my mind when I lost Kat. It was hard. Sometimes it still is.”

“I’m so sorry. I don’t understand, though. Why would he have his men blow up his own sister?” I knew that it was a bad idea to ask, but I couldn’t help it.

“Because she was pregnant with my child, and he couldn’t stand the thought of her being with me. Their relationship was the only thing Kat and I ever fought about. Everything else was easy.” He paused again and looked at me. “After the bombing, when I lost it, I sought out some shady people. That was when I became this.”

“Why?” I couldn’t stop the question.

“So I would be strong enough for revenge. I’d lost everything. There was no reason to live. I had planned to offer my life as a sacrifice, but the vampire I went to had other plans. He convinced me that revenge was a better path. I was young and stupid. I had just lost my family, and I wasn’t thinking straight.”

I tried to understand what he’d been going through. I couldn’t imagine being in that situation. Having everything you’d ever wanted, then having it taken away like that would be devastating. I didn’t know what to say, so I just nodded, and he continued.

“Once I had transitioned, I began to amass my own wealth. As a human, I had access to my family’s money, but I needed more if I wanted to take Strain down. My mentor helped me set everything up, and my parents loaned me a large sum of money as a nest egg. I didn’t think that they would understand my need for revenge, but I was wrong. They wanted Strain to pay for what he’d done to their grandchild.” Viktor raked his hand across his face and into his hair. I could tell that this story was taking a toll on him.

“So you’ve spent all this time gathering the resources to get back at Strain for taking your family from you. I get it. I’m sorry that this happened to you; to your family.” I knew that there was nothing I could say to make it better. A tear ran down my cheek. We sat in silence for a bit. I didn’t know what else to say, and it was clear that he had no desire to talk about it anymore.

After an awkwardly long pause, I let him change the subject back to discussing the bar. Midnight could be a lucrative business if it was taken care of. Viktor agreed with most of my ideas, and suggested that I work with him on the design. I was thrilled. Our food came, and I got caught up in the scents and tastes. Conversation lulled, but it wasn’t uncomfortable.

The food was every bit as good as it had been rumored to be. I ate every bite, moaning as if I were having sex. I tried to control myself, but I couldn’t. Viktor didn’t seem to mind. He just sat there, drinking from a coffee mug and watching me.

I had so many questions, but it didn’t seem fair to throw all of them at him in one night. I wanted to know everything about him and about vampires. Maybe I would make a list and ask a few at a time over a couple of weeks or so. I almost asked him if that would be okay, but something stopped me. Instead, we finished dinner in awkward silence. Well, after I finished with my foodgasm.

Chapter 19