Free Endless Night by R. M. Gilmore Page B

out a black lace mask. “May I?” he asked.
    A little confused, I turned my back to him to allow him to tie it up. Gently, he placed the intricate lace over my eyes and tied the long black ribbon at the back of my head. I felt a little silly, but when I turned back to face him, I saw he was pulling another from his pocket. A much manlier version of the one I donned, Cyrus quickly tied the black leather mask around his head with its straps. I noticed then he and I matched very well. His black on black three -piece suit had silk ribbing along the cuffs and lapel matching the hem of my tea-length black dress. The plunging square neckline of my dress and the thin straps were also of the same silk. Tatum had given me the dress, I was pretty certain this was intentional.
    Normally, this intentional match-y-match would’ve driven me insane, but the evening seemed to warrant such foolishness so I decided to roll with it. Besides, if I were stuck matching someone, it might as well be Cyrus Atossa.
    Prepared for my first ever vampire masquerade, I waited like a good little reporter for the man at the door to move the pointless red velvet rope. The rope dropped to the floor and Cyrus led us into the first real vampire event of the Halloween weekend. My first intentional evening spent with nasty little blood drinkers.
    And me without my camera.
     

Chapter Eight
    The room was large, like it may have been a warehouse at one point. It looked nothing like a warehouse now. Long white drapes hung from metal beams that ran along the high industrial ceiling. Each a few yards wide, hung from ceiling to floor. The red lighting made the white of the fabric appear pink and shadowed in shades of red. The drapes hung at random intervals throughout the space, forcing the guests to weave through them. The effect created a mystique to the extra-large space, adding a sense of intimacy and a slight uneasy feeling from the lack of open space. In any other setting, I would’ve liked the look of it, very Cirque du Soleil, but in a room full of people who may or may not want to have me for dinner, I was on the ready for something gory to happen.
    The floor was done in a black and white checkered pattern that covered the entire space. Again, the red light caused the white of the tile to appear a deep shade of pink. A large stage stood to the far wall encompassing nearly the length of it. To the left was a bar and my first stop. I’d expected there’d be more patrons than what there were, but I assumed we were a bit early judging by the gaggle of vampire folk congregating outside. I started walking toward the bar, which was not as packed as I thought it’d be, but was stopped by a hand on my shoulder.
    “My sweet girl, we don’t drink here. This…space…is for them.” Malcolm released my shoulder and flipped his fingers toward the crowd that had started to gather at the front entrance.
    Surprisingly, McTavish was appearing to treat me an equal. Sort of. He spoke to me in a normal tone using normal words. It was a start. I wasn’t buying it.
    “Um, ok. Then please direct me to the ‘white’s only drinking fountain’.” Yes, air quotes. And, yes, a fucking joke.
    He smiled at me then and my heart sank an inch in my chest. The look in his eye s was like the look a cat gets when it’s about to claw the shit out of your face.
    A heavy base drum hit from nowhere, breaking my concentration, and the lights changed in an instant from red to blue. Suddenly, the long drapes that hung so elegantly from the ceiling became home to mostly nude women. Each of the dozen or so pieces of white fabric was now adorned with a topless girl. Simultaneously, they slid down their drape, clinging with one leg and one hand. Again, a base drum beat; the girls released their grip and fell backward. Their downward descent continued, only this time hanging upside down. I was standing only a handful of feet away from a lovely brunette. She trailed down the cloth, growing