The view from the terrace of Sébastien's private nightclub allowed some blessed respite from my troubles, the landscape stretching out across the prestigious neighbourhoods of the sixteenth arrondissement of Paris, all the way to the Avenue des Champs-Élysées.
Dawn was growing near, and I wondered what the new day would bring for all the Parisians and tourists, about to begin their adventures in the famed City of Love. I was pretty certain their day wouldn't involve family bombshells that could rank on the Richter scale, vanishing billionaire fathers or vampire Elders intent on hunting them down as an act of revenge for simply existing.
There had been times, admittedly, during self-exile inside my cottage in the middle of nowhere, that I'd hoped for something more – something to take the edge off the boredom and loneliness, but this had never once been on my bucket list of Things to Achieve Before I Hit Twenty-Five.
It was one thing to know that you were Vampire Enemy Number One, but when that enemy happened to be a love-crazed, jealous and powerful vampire who now sat at the head of the Vampire Council, suddenly boredom and loneliness didn't seem quite so bad.
'Sarah?' Sébastien's soft tone dragged me from getting lost in the Paris panorama. 'Excuse my intrusion, may I join you?'
'It's your home,' I said, with a shrug, before glancing at the horizon. 'Although, it's close to sunrise. Are you sure that you should?'
The vampire smiled; his eyes warm. 'And are you sure that a Sensor should care so much whether a vampire strays too close to the daylight?'
I withdrew, seeing the faces of my mother and grandmother and instantly feeling the sting of shame. 'I never said I cared.' I sniffed. 'I just don't think I'd care much for the stench of burnt vampire. Probably take forever to wash out of these clothes, and besides, I just borrowed them, they're not mine.'
'Hmm,' Sébastien replied, his gaze running over my form in a way that told me he was not just studying my outfit. 'I did not think this style seemed quite right for you.'
'No?'
'Non,' he said, his eyes meeting mine with a devilish spark. 'You would look much better draped in something French.'
Right. Right. I exhaled, feeling the blood rush to my face in a flash of unwelcome heat.
On the horizon, the darkened skies were fading to a bruised violet, the night's last curtain call before daylight crept into the early hours. Sébastien surprised me by walking to the balcony edge where I stood, looking towards the encroaching light. At first, I would have marked it as a challenge – the great Parisian leader's refusal to show fear in the face of the sunrise – until I saw the wistful softness of his gaze.
'You miss it, don't you? The sunrise?'
He smiled but continued to look at the muted light. 'Sunrise. Sunset. Everything in between. Sometimes, the loss is... indescribable.' His eyes found mine. 'You are surprised to hear this.'
'I just figured that vampires all live for the night.'
'Oui, because we have no choice. But there is not one among us who does not yearn for it a little.' He leant forward, casually resting his elbows on the edge. 'I, myself, would give anything to see it again. To know its touch. To feel the warmth on my skin.' Fading into silence, the vampire looked almost in a trance, only to suddenly pull himself away, turning to look at me again as if he had just remembered I was still there.
'I trouble you, no?' he said.
'Yes,' I answered instantly.
Sébastien laughed then, his whole beautiful face lighting up, his laugh loud but still somehow sounding like sweet music from his mouth. 'Chérie, if only you knew how rare it is to hear such honesty. Usually, people tell me only what they believe I wish to hear.'
'Maybe they have good reason for that. You know, like ending hanging upside down with their throats cut kind of reasons?'
Sébastien's eyes flashed. 'I am not sure I have ever chosen that fate for anyone.'
'No?'
'Certainly not.' He wrinkled his nose. 'Why buy expensive rugs just to destroy them? Such a thing seems like a sacrilege to me.'
He said it in such a way that I wasn't sure if he meant it, or whether it was some kind of screwed up vampire humour. Sébastien Dufort's charm was as sure as the sunrise, but I could easily imagine him tearing out the throat of anyone who displeased him. His allure was captivating, but it came with a dangerous edge that triggered my curse, sending a constant wave of unsettling sensations over my skin.
'Tell me, chérie, why do I trouble you so much?'
My eyes widened. 'You mean, apart from making jokes about blood ruining your antique rugs?'
Sébastien's mouth twitched. 'Oui, apart from that.'
I took a breath. 'Well, apart from the blood on the rugs thing, and the fact that you're a vampire...'
'Naturellement...'
'You seem perfectly... well, perfectly pleasant, all things considered, and yet I can tell the others don't trust you. Vincent, for example...'
He raised a brow. 'Ah, Vincent. You do not need to concern yourself with that, chérie. Vincent has always been unhappy about my arrangement with Michael, and much like yourself, he has always been honest with his objections. Michael is his friend. His concern is natural, no?'
'But why? Why should he be concerned?'
Sébastien sighed and gestured towards the city. 'Paris is my kingdom. It is my domain and has been for over one hundred years. It took a great many sacrifices to take control of this city and a great many more to remain so until this time. Do you think I have done all that by being pleasant? Make no mistake, I do what needs to be done for the good of my people and for my city. If your friends do not trust me, it is because they know I can be your greatest ally or your worst enemy, but it is not I who will determine what our relationship is destined to become.'
When he turned to look at me, his eyes looked almost black, a sweeping veil of darkness that sharpened his handsome features and gave his beatific smile a cruel edge.
'Okay,' I mused, biting on the inside of my mouth. 'So, you are fully admitting people don't trust you, and yet here you are, offering to help us find this Montague guy. Why? What's in it for you?'
Sébastien smile widened, the darkness banished. How a vampire could possess a smile so full of light was beyond me and yet he did.
'I desire to feed my curious soul, chérie. This mystery of yours intrigues me almost as much as it does you. If Montague Kerr holds the answers you seek, I wish to know of them. Also, if the stories of your talent are true, I would rather have you as an ally, than an enemy. In all the history of this great and terrible war between our kinds, there has never been an alliance between Sensor and vampire. It would be quite something, no?'
When I didn't answer, he chuckled, turning his back on the creeping light haunting the horizon and brushing at a non-existent crease on his shirt.
'It is okay. I understand the concept of any acquaintance between us must seem like a madness. Maybe it is. But let us never say never. Great things can be achieved from the most unlikely of friendships.'
'Friendship?' I said.
'Absolument.' His sweeping gaze was a storm over my skin. 'Unless of course, you have something else in mind?'
'Can I ask you something?' I said, pretending to ignore his blatant flirtation.
'Mais certainmente! Anything.'
I glanced back through the doorway to the club, where the velvet teal high stools lined the bar and the matching plush sofas curved around the dancefloor where lights pulsed softly through frosted glass. It looked immaculate and barely used, but I had a feeling that wasn't quite the case.
'I've never known anyone to have a club in their home before,' I commented. 'I assume it's some kind of exclusive vampire club?'
Sébastien leant casually against the balcony, the pre-dawn breeze flicking at his hair, like a lover's fingers caressing his locks from his forehead. He brushed over his lower lip with the pad of his thumb, as he looked out over the maze of streets.
'Well, to start with, this is not really my home,' he said. 'I have several properties within the city, but my true home lies just outside the borders. I love Paris. It lives within my blood. I love the excitement and thrill a city can bring, but I also long for the tranquillity you can only find in the countryside. I hope one day, you will be kind enough to visit me there. I think a soul such as yours would understand why I adore it so.'
He gifted me another sweeping look, one that felt like it burned everywhere it touched.
'But, in answer to your question, it is an exclusive club, however not just for vampires. I enjoy a diverse clientele. I say, clientele, but they are all close companions or associates, whether vampire or human. Those who take pleasure in my hospitality are here strictly by invitation only.'
My eyes widened. 'Wait a minute, I know that you have humans working for you, but you pay for their loyalty. Are you saying that the humans who come here also know what you are?'
Sébastien raised an amused brow. 'But of course! A vampire cannot run a city such as this, without aligning himself with all the right people, and that must mean humans too. I do my research, chérie, and those who make it through those doors are the result of relationships built over many years. I take my time to ensure they earn my trust, because apart from money, time is the most precious of commodities of which I have the privilege to possess.' He turned to face me, still resting his elbow on the balcony edge, but I saw the heat in his eyes and the leisurely smirk on his lips. 'My private club is not just about exclusivity but is also based on mutual desires. You will find the humans who frequent here, are those who gain pleasure from being in the company of creatures such as myself.'
I must have looked completely horrified because Sébastien chuckled to himself and held up his hands in an apologetic gesture.
'Sarah, désolé, but you must know that not all humans think of us in quite the same way as you do. Your mother, for one. Michael's mother too. And then there are those with particular tastes, shall we say, that only we vampires can assist with.'
My stomach churned. 'I really don't want to know.'
'Non? A pity,' he replied. 'You know, your Michael often frequented my club during his visits to Paris.'
My patience snapped hard. 'Okay, first of all, he's not my Michael and I'm not his Sensor. We are very much two separate entities who have zero connection, apart from this whole weird dream thing and apparently both being hunted by the Council. That's it.'
He laughed again, louder this time, sliding closer along the edge. 'Sarah, please, do not be angry with me. I am teasing, that is all. But I have to say, in the words of your Shakespeare – although personally I much prefer Racine and Moliere – the lady doth protest too much. As does Michael.'
'What does that mean?' I said, my anger growing.
Sébastien gave a nonchalant shrug. 'You hate him. He hates you. It is all so very tedious, chérie. And also, not true.'
'What's not true?'
He rubbed at the back of his neck, and grimaced. 'Ah, I think perhaps I have stayed too long. I will bid you good morning, mademoiselle. Be sure not to remain here, the shutters will be closing tout de suite.'
Without another word, Sébastien headed towards the door, still massaging the nape of his neck.
'Sébastien, wait!' I called out, starting to follow him, only for the vampire to turn abruptly, returning quickly to stand just inches from where I had frozen. I couldn't back up. I couldn't retreat. It would have been a weakness and the Parisian leader would have seen it for what it was instantly.
'Oui, chérie?' Amusement danced on his lips. In his eyes.
'What did you mean by what you just said? Why isn't it true?'
Sébastien reached out and gently traced a lock of my hair that had fallen loose. I swallowed.
'Tell me, Sarah, what do you know of these dreams Michael has?'
I frowned. 'Nothing really. Just that I started appearing in them when I killed Luther Baines.'
'Ah,' he said, releasing the lock of hair. 'And that is all?'
'Yes,' I said, overwhelmed with confusion. 'Why? What is he not telling me?'
Sébastien smiled. 'Ask him. I think you will soon realise it is not quite as simple as he would have you believe. Ask Michael what happens in these dreams of his, chérie.'