Alan stroked his hand down my cheek then stood. ‘I won’t be gone long.’ He headed for the door.
‘He is attracted to you,’ Devereux said, nodding in the direction of Alan’s retreating form, ‘and you to him. But you are also attracted to me. And there are some confused – intense – emotions about your friend on the dance floor.’
I frowned and studied his face. What arrogance! But, more important, how did he do that? He’d been uncomfortably accurate. His psychic skills must be off the charts.
‘I thought you promised me you wouldn’t try to read me.’ Obviously his abilities are much more reliable than mine.
‘Yes, of course. I apologise. You are quite right. I do not wish to spoil the mystery between us. You look especially lovely tonight.’
‘Thank you. So do you.’ Perfect, Kismet. Tell the man he looks lovely. What a dweeb. I suck at small talk. ‘Er, how long have you owned this club?’
The corners of his mouth quirked up in a gentle smile and his eyes softened, as if he sensed my discomfort. ‘I purchased the old church when I arrived in America. The vampire craze had been re-ignited by Anne Rice’s books and I allowed myself to be convinced that an occult-themed dance club would be a profitable venture. It has proven to be so.’
Hmm. Okay. Good. Maybe he really is just playing a role . . .
‘Do you own other clubs?’ I looked around the crowded room. ‘I imagine it would take a lot of patience to hang out in such a busy, noisy place every night. I don’t think I could do it.’
‘No.’ He shook his head. ‘I own no others. The Crypt is unique. And I quite agree with you about the chaotic environment. In fact, I rarely spend time in the main area. If I am here at all, I am likely downstairs with friends and colleagues. Most of my business still takes place in Europe, so I am often there.’
‘What part of Europe are you from? You have a very interesting accent.’ I studied the lines of his handsome face.
‘Ah.’ He smiled, gazing into my eyes. ‘I have lived in many places – France, England, Ireland, Scotland, Spain, Russia, Germany, South America, and more.’ He laughed. ‘I even lived in Transylvania for a short time while I did research for the décor of this club. I suppose you could call me a world traveller. My accent remains strong because I frequently converse in other languages. Many of the places I work are non-English-speaking, so there has been no reason for me to Americanise myself. I seem better suited to days gone by than to modern times. It is only recently that I have discovered sufficient motivation to remain in this country.’
There was something magical about the sound of his voice, and his words held me like aural arms. I found myself completely relaxed and at peace in a way I’d never experienced before.
‘What motivation?’ My heartbeat accelerated.
‘You.’ He angled towards me, waiting, his lips close enough to kiss. I breathed in the soft, spicy fragrance of him and closed the gap between our mouths before I even had a conscious thought about doing it.
We kissed long and deep, our tongues exploring, melting into each other. It was as if our physical bodies merged together and we shared the same heartbeat – the same life force. Every cell in my body desired him, and there was no one else in the room except the two of us. All the noise disappeared and we floated in a private universe.
When we finally pulled apart, I gazed into his eyes, which glittered like jewels.
Kissing him had been wonderful. Pure pleasure. But why had I done it? How was it that Devereux could override my nerdy shyness? I clearly wasn’t myself around him. I didn’t know if that was good or bad.
He whispered, ‘My gaze will not entrance you tonight.’
‘What?’ I didn’t care about making sense of that. I only wanted to drink him in with my eyes, to touch him, to kiss him again. In fact, in that moment, nothing else mattered. Then I asked myself, Why doesn’t it matter? What’s wrong with me? It wasn’t like me to indulge my physical desires in public. Why was I suddenly so uninhibited?
‘Why am I so fascinated by you?’ I asked, running my fingers along his cheek. Did I say that out loud? I’m acting drunk, but I’ve only had a couple of sips of my drink.
‘We have that effect on some humans.’ He took my hand in his. ‘I am very pleased you feel that way about me. I hope to fascinate you even more.’
I got distracted watching his mouth for a moment.
‘Kismet?’
‘Huh?’ I pulled away from him and blinked a couple of times to rouse myself. ‘See? That’s what I mean. Why do you have that effect on me?’
‘Do you remember when you asked me what Bryce had done to you and I said he had altered your brain waves?’
‘I remember you said that, but it didn’t make any sense to me. How can someone alter my brain waves just by staring at me?’
‘It is about entrainment. I have done a lot of reading on this subject over the last twenty years. One benefit of living a long time is the acquisition of knowledge.’
‘Entrainment?’
‘Allow me to explain. Think of an old clock, the kind with a swinging pendulum.’ He moved his hand back and forth, as if he was conducting an orchestra. Sharing his wisdom obviously pleased him and I grinned as I watched his enthusiastic presentation. Professor Devereux.
His graceful motions expanded into wider arcs. ‘The rhythm of the swing is very strong, very powerful. Then think of putting several smaller, newer clocks on the same wall with the old clock, each pendulum swinging in a different pattern. Soon, all the new clocks will begin swinging in time with the old clock. The power of the old clock overwhelms the newer ones and they join with it. Am I making sense?’
I skimmed my fingertips across the top of the hand he’d rested on the table. I couldn’t seem to stop touching him.
‘Yes, I know about that. It’s like when women all start having their cycles at the same time, as if we get in sync with each other or something. But what does that have to do with you?’
He nodded and held up his index finger, prepared to continue with the lecture. ‘Let me put it in musical terms. Vampires . . .’ He paused, frowning. ‘What is wrong?’
He had seen me shift my gaze down when he said the word ‘vampires’. I brought my hands together in my lap. Saying that word reminded me I was taking advantage of someone who might be psychotic, delusional, or at the very least mentally confused. There I was, making out with a virtual stranger and encouraging him by listening to his stories. That felt bad as a woman and as a psychologist. I raised my eyes to meet his, surprised to discover him grinning at me.
He shook his head. ‘You are the most stubborn woman I have ever met. It is becoming troublesome that you will not accept what I am. But I will continue to answer the question you asked and you will simply have to humour me.’
He lifted one of my hands, brought it up to his mouth, and kissed my palm with those incredibly soft lips. Even that small contact caused my heart to race and my libido to tap me on the shoulder. His lovely turquoise eyes sparkled, and he somehow managed to appear sexy, angelic, and dangerous all at the same time.
My mouth went dry.
‘As I was saying, in musical terms, vampires give off such a powerful energy or tone that everyone entrains with us. The vibrational frequency that emanates from the undead is stronger than any other, and so it overrides whatever was there before. That is without our even looking at anyone. If we gaze into a human’s eyes without holding back, it is a form of mind control. We are able to change your brain waves.’
‘Are you talking about hypnosis?’ I knew he was a hypnotist! And, apparently, a damn good one.
He leaned closer. ‘It is much more similar to brainwashing than hypnosis because in hypnosis you are always free to choose.’
‘So,’ I reached over and played with a lock of his hair, ‘you’re saying the power of what you are is so strong that I’m pulled in whether I want to be pulled in or not?’