Page 14 of Beast of Blood and Roses
I huddled against the opposite wall, terror locking my muscles in place. “Stay away from me.”
“I’m not going to hurt you,mon petit. I only came in to check on you.” Her voice was gentle, almost motherly, but that somehow made it worse.
“What are you?”
She lowered her head, shame washing over her delicate features. “I’m a cursed vampire.”
Don’t panic. Don’t panic. Don’t panic.
But my heart wasn’t listening to my brain and it was racing around in my chest like a Maserati, crushing my lungs. The room felt like it was spinning. “Vampire? They’re real?”
“Yes. My husband, Fierro, me, we’re all vampires.” She sighed heavily, her shoulders sagging with misery. Pain flickered across her face. “Or at least we were.”
“Fierro? Who is Fierro?”
She sighed. “MonsieurFierro Bastia is the Beast.”
Horror clawed up my throat. I was trapped in a house full of monsters. I had to get word to Mr. Danvers. He was my onlyhope. He was the only one that I could call who might be willing to help me. He always said I was his favorite waitress. That meant something, right?
“What do you mean were?” I asked.
“We can no longer feed on blood. We eat like humans, but we haven’t forgotten about blood. A witch placed a powerful curse on us.” Tears glistened in her eyes. “My husband, Marcel, and I turn into statues right after dusk until right after dawn, and Fierro was transformed into a hideous beast.”
Horror and fascination warred in my chest. “Why?”
“Becausemonsieurmade a deadly mistake.”
I didn’t want to know, but I had to ask. “You mean he killed someone?”
She laughed bitterly. “Oui. Someone he shouldn’t have. I can’t tell you more.Monsieurforbids us to talk about it. All I can tell you is that unlessmonsieurcan find true love, we will remain this way forever.”
I cocked an eyebrow. She was definitely betting on the wrong horse—me, some nobody waitress from New Orleans, breaking a dark curse? It was ridiculous. But maybe if I played along with their delusion, they wouldn’t be watching as closely and I could escape. “So that’s why I’m here? You think I can break the curse?”
“If you got to knowmonsieur?—”
“How can you say that?” I snapped, anger flaring in my chest. “He’s a murderer. According to you he killed someone then got cursed. He’s probably murdered countless others.”
“He’s a vampire,” she said simply, as if that explained everything.
“I got that the first time.” I frowned, as if thinking it over. “So you really think I change him somehow?”
“I hope so. He’s lonely.” Her eyes filled with sadness. “Not just since he was cursed but even before that. He has always hidden behind his poker games and being an enforcer.”
I shook my head, trying to process everything. Working at Crimson Stakes, I’d heard all kinds of rumors about what happened in the bayou, but nothing about a cursed mansion. Surely someone would have noticed if wealthy people just vanished. “Where did you come from? How come no one knows about you?”
“My husband and I came from Paris, but Fierro came from Italy. He’s the one who turned us. We were dying from the plague and he saved us.”
My curiosity wasn’t satisfied. If I was going to be trapped here, I needed to understand what I was dealing with. “Who turned him?”
She watched me carefully. “I’m not sure if you know him, but Enzo Di Salvo. Fierro is one of his enforcers.”
A tremor ran through me. No this wasn’t possible. “Wait, you mean Enzo Di Salvo from Crimson Stakes?”
“Oui, do you know him?”
I licked my nervous lips and a tremor of fear shot through me, pinning me to the wall. I felt like a stuck butterfly. I swallowed hard, my throat suddenly dry. “Then Angelo Santi…” My voice trailed off.
“Is the king of the vampire mafia,” she confirmed gently. “You know of him too,oui?”
