Lost in the Shadows

Chapter 17

                   

Star leant against the side of the velvet armchair, her legs tucked beneath her and Niko's hand twisted in her thick hair to keep her head resting on his knee in an enforced familiarity that made her cheeks burn with shame.

'You shine like the sun, my pretty,' the older man said, his voice rich and heavy with the same accent as Niko. 'It is no wonder my boy is enchanted by you. You are so much like his first love, I cannot blame him for wanting your blood.' Niko gave Star's head a little shake as he grinned at the curse that flew from her lips. Franco laughed and the sound was as rich and smooth as his accent. His slick, black hair gleamed beneath the dimmed light of a small crystal chandelier that hung from the ceiling and warmly illuminated the small room that had been richly decorated in haste. Franco couldn't bear to 'slum it' any longer and had sent Dino out bargain hunting the next town over to keep his taste for the exotic sated, until their inheritance followed the others over from Europe.

The older man took up most of the deep purple couch, his frame shorter and broader than Niko's. Another figure lay curled like a cat, pale against the dark cushions, his floppy hair dyed a washed out lilac colour that matched his tie-dye t-shirt that was spotted here and there with speckles that appeared black from a distance. Star knew it was blood from the smell, and the fact that Franco had shoved the boy into the corner the minute Niko had led her into the room, his small black eyes lighting up as he licked his lips and smoothed his features.

'I do hope you'll save enough for me, my dear child. I would demand first taste, but I know you have a score to settle here. So, on that note I will let you two have some privacy for a while. This is to be our blood parlour,' Franco continued, motioning to the windowless room, it's walls painted deep red to match the thick rug on the dark stained oak floor. 'We will while away the hours with our family, new and old should the gift of your life be accepted by us, fattening ourselves on the sun-soaked blood of the people of Santa Carla. Admittedly it's not as grand as I would have hoped – yet. There is time enough for improvements. We are immortal after all.' He shared a laugh with Niko and then gestured to the slumped, silent figure in the corner as he stood and shook the creases of his neatly pressed pants straight. 'Don't mind our little friend here. Louis will probably have a little nap for a while, he won't interrupt.'

                'I can't believe you haven't finished him yet, Papa.' Niko jerked Star's head around, so her eyes were tugged from the purple haired boy she recognised as one of the ride operators from the boardwalk – a boy who couldn't have been more than nineteen at most.

                'You keep me too well fed, my son. I cannot keep up with the blood you supply me with.' He stretched, rubbing the paunch that poked a little over his belt. 'Ciao, bella. I hope I see you soon.' The click of a key in the lock made Star swallow hard.

                'And so we are alone, il mio amore.' Niko yanked hard on the handful of Star's hair he still gripped to guide her up and onto his lap as though she were a puppet on a string. His other arm snaked quickly around her waist and he pressed his cold lips lightly against the flesh just below her ear. 'You smell fantastic. Of warmth and sunshine,' he murmured.

                'And you smell like puke and dog shit,' Star countered, feeling childish as she squirmed against his iron grip. She could feel his mouth open as he chuckled against her skin, his breath only marginally warmer than his lips.

                'How petty.' Her fingernails raked the skin of his bare forearm, digging down as much as she could. Star had never been one for long nails, but the nails she did have were strong enough not to bend or break under the pressure she exerted. She left a long line of even, bloody tracks almost from his elbow to his wrist. 'Ahh, you like it rough,' Niko laughed without even flinching. He looked down for a moment, as Star did, to watch the weal's knit themselves together again in seconds. Niko's skin was perfect once more, unblemished. 'You would need silver nails to do more than tickle me, Star.' His arm moved from her waist to grip the girl tightly by the throat. 'You'll see I like to play rough too, beautiful girl. But you are much more fragile than I, so I must hold back, for a while at least.'