A/N
Hey guys!
Damn, today I was so frustrated with my writing. The chapter of Hell In Her Soul I posted today was crappy, so I wanted to write on my favorite little baby (yes, Grace is the book I enjoy writing the most), but then the realization that there'll still be two or more chapters without Elijah had my motivation going down rapidly.
Well then I saw an edit (added it to the media) and a new idea was born. What comes after this annoying note is called 'Gangster's Paradise' and is kind of a story in the story. It's completely AU and involves Grace and Elijah, but has nothing to do with the storyline (well, Grace wasn't even born in 1919), so you can skip it if you want to :) The story will be around 3 parts, which I will write/post whenever I find it fitting. So the next update will probably a usual part of 'Grace'. I'll make you notice if a part belongs to Gangster's Paradise.
I'm really curious what you think about this! Let me know <3 Thanks for reading <3
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New Orleans, 1919
It was probably one of the worst evenings Grace ever had. She sat all on her own in an overcrowded, dusty bar, gulping down drink after drink.
At least the singer that performed a song with quite scandalous lyrics was surprisingly talented. What she sang about was exactly what Grace felt. Vulgar, slutty, hungry for adventures. But also seriously mad and brooding. This mood was particularly dangerous. It usually ended in a lot of slit open throats and blood stained dresses.
Her hair was as always done into perfect, big curls. She had to be careful with them, as one clumsy touch could destroy the hour long work.
As always, Grace was hell of a sight. Whenever she entered a room, all eyes were on her. Men forgot their little wives. They hung on her red painted lips when her seductive voice sounded. She was the expression of their wildest dreams, she didn't even need compulsion to get everything she wanted. But they weren't what Grace dreamt of. She probably didn't really know herself what she truly wanted.
Sometimes she simply enjoyed the attention, but after a while, this game got dull. When she got her some years ago, leaving behind the small town she lived in and her family, she had the whole city at her feet. She was the queen of New Orleans, a whole range of vampires bowed down to her, they still were, but Grace had changed. The naiveté and innocent stupidness of her were gone. She now knew how the city worked and that she had no power at all. Grace was nothing more than a damsel at a man's arm. An expensive piece of jewelry.
She was ripped out of her dark thoughts when suddenly someone spilled some hot drink all over her. It was probably tea or coffee, as the steaming liquid felt hot on the skin of her décolleté, so hot that a human's skin would've burnt, but hers stayed untouched.
The man's mouth was an O-shape as he stared down to her cleavage. Grace wasn't sure if he looked that silly because he wondered how she could stay unhurt or if the glimpse of the silky skin of her perfectly shaped breasts was too much for him. Maybe a bit of both.
"I...I'm sorry."
He stuttered and didn't make an attempt to help her clean. How annoying.
It seriously tipped Grace over the edge. She felt her fangs lengthen and press against her lower lip. Her tongue pierced out and licked her lips. Usually Grace wouldn't feed in public and violate her husband's rules, but today she was savage. She wanted to do something forbidden. And this guy had the audacity to stain one of her favorite dresses.
"Not the slightest problem."
She whispered, but before she was interrupted by a voice that came up from behind her. Annoyed, she closed her eyes for a second to get the bloodlust back under control.
"Please, allow me."
The voice was deep and calm. Elijah had seen how this clumsy fool spilled his drink all over the young woman with one of the most delicate backs, the Original vampire had ever seen. Never could he resist from helping a woman in need. His manners wouldn't allow him otherwise, in contrary to this man who still continued to stare at her.
Grace turned around to face the man that dared to interrupt her meal. Her dark brown eyes bore into his, but she felt her breath hitch in her throat. Instead of starting with a row of insults, her red lips stayed closed. She suddenly had forgotten all the vulgarities she wanted to spill.
He wasn't even her type. But this small smile he had on his handsome face made her knees go weak. His eyes captured hers. Broad shoulders invited her hands to rest on them. Dark hair was slicked back into a perfectly fitting hairstyle.
She felt the urge to lick her lips again, but she resist because in his presence, she felt reminded that she was a lady and not a whore from the streets.
From the pocket of his jacket, he pulled out a silky handkerchief. His hand stopped mid way, hovering over her skin that urged Elijah to test if it was as soft as it seemed. He smile before his eyes met hers again. Of course he couldn't touch or clean her in parts that were so close to very intimate zones, so he gently grabbed her hand and placed the piece of fabric on it.
Grace lips turned into a smirk as she watched him. At least he had a sense of decency, even if the cleavage of her dark blue dress didn't left much to imagination. She liked it. He kept the mask of a gentleman up, even tough Grace knew exactly what was going on in his head.
"Excuse me for a moment, Sir."
She looked up to the tall man's face one last time before she took off to the ladies' room. While looking at her reflection in the mirror, she dried her skin with the handkerchief the handsome man had given her. Fortunately, it probably just had been tea, so it didn't leave any stain on her dress.
When she was satisfied with her shape again, she walked back outside. She was sure that her 'savior' must have already left, but her curiosity urged her to check. Surprised when she saw his broad shoulders still residing in front of the counter, now with a drink before him, she strutted back to her place, immediately drowning the drink that was left from before.
Elijah lifted a brow when he saw this young lady drinking like an old sailor. Grace noticed his amused expression, but didn't return the smile. Her short climax of good mood had vanished shortly, knowing that she could never give in into this new desire she had just discovered.
"So many sorrows to drown?"
He large hand slid the small glass of booze that was standing in front of him over to her. Grace stared at it suspiciously, trying to sort out if there could be vervain in it and that this was an attempt to take her life.
"I don't know how this could be any of your business."
She spared him a glance, ignoring his offered drink completely. Elijah chuckled, she definitely was a clever girl. He had just arrived in New Orleans, never expecting what kind of female beauties could walk around here. She was extraordinary. Her kind of hidden sass only added to it.
"It isn't. Still, I'm curious. But I'm also told to be a good listener."
Elijah spared a short glance to her small, slender hands that were placed on the counter. She played with two rings that were attached to her left hand. A massive engagement ring was under the more subtle, but still money reeking, wedding ring. For a short moment he was distracted he swallowed harshly. Married. Out of reach for him. But still he felt this deep attraction to her. He wanted her, from the moment he laid eyes on her.
What was on her right hand was much more interesting. On her index finger sat a small golden ring that carried a tiny blue stone in it. A lapis lazuli. She was a vampire, it didn't really surprise him, because he could've sworn he saw fangs piercing her kissable lips when she turned around.
"There's nothing to tell."
Grace mumbled, it was obvious that it was a lie. Even her capacity to lie weakened in the presence of this man. Elijah moved a little closer to her, so no one could eavesdrop on them.
"Is it your husband? Doesn't he threat you well?"
His eyes showed serious concern. It surprised Grace that he actually seemed to be interest in her problems. But why? She never had seen him before and he didn't seem to be on an agenda. Usually her attackers always gave themselves away by Grace seeing right through them.
She sighed and allowed herself this moment of weakness. She probably would never see him again anyway.
"Depends. He gives me everything the world has to offer. But sometimes, it's not the material...or physical...needs we want satisfied."
There was a tensed silence between them, as they stared each other in the eyes. For one split second, Elijah wanted to do something reckless. He wanted to kiss her, let her forget about her sorrows and show her that happiness was much more than wealth, especially in their world.
"Men that treat women like you that way should be struck dead. You deserve much more."
His voice was barely a whisper, but Grace's sensitive hearing could make out every word clearly. Suddenly, he hands clenched into fists and she shot him a glare, her brown depths harder than stone.
"Well, and what alternative do I have? You? No, you look exactly like those men my husband does his business with. There's no way out for someone like me. Love is for the weak. For the ones, that will end up dead."
There was so much sadness in her words, it made her voice nearly break. But she kept herself together. She was about to leave him standing, but the man grabbed her upper arm. He held it gently, but still making it clear that he wasn't finished with her after that outbreak.
"You're right. I'm not the kind of man you should be with. But there's a whole world in front of you. You can conquer it on your own and then decide if you want to share it with someone."
His words moved something inside her. She could just stare into his eyes and the cold expression vanished from her face. Elijah's throat dried when he saw that the vulnerability illuminating her features, brought a new kind of beauty to her.
Unbeknownst to them, they moved closer to each other. Grace's gaze moved to his lips and so did Elijah's. Her head was empty, so she couldn't even see what kind of consequences this choice could have. The room was full of people, probably a high amount of her husband's spies would witness what was happening here. He would have her head chopped off. But Grace couldn't care less.
Elijah's hand cupped her cheek and his thumb stroked her high cheekbone as he leaned in to capture her lips, but mere inches away from her soft lips, he stopped. He could feel her cool, unsteady breath on his skin. She was so close, the shape of her perfect curves pressed onto his chest.
Grace closed her eyes, ready to give into her own death sentence. This was what she wanted the whole time. It was him. She waited for him the whole time.
Suddenly, she felt the warmth of his body vanish. When she opened her eyes again, the mysterious man was gone.