Note: Please see Prologue for warning, copyright and disclaimer information.

Clubbing

Inside, the Pinnacle was all velvet and chrome. The entry was crowded, with a bench along one wall and a low table covered with pamphlets along another. Heavy blood red velvet curtains separated the entry from the dance floor, and partitioned what looked like seating areas with windows over the dance floor. A ramp led down to the right toward the dance floor, but Jax led us to one of the sitting areas.

"I asked, and the gentlemen you're looking for are in that room," he told Mac as he pointed the way.

Lucien and Yven sat with two women on a black couch to our right, and two overstuffed zebra-striped chairs sat across a low table from them. The far wall was glass and gave us a good view of the dance floor. Lucien greeted us pleasantly and told us to be seated.

Mac led me over to the far chair and sat down in it, then without a word pulled me into his lap and draped an arm over my thighs. To cover my shock, I pulled frantically at my skirt, although it didn't go down very far. I felt like I was on display as his property, and I didn't like that feeling.

Lucien said something in French to the women, and they pouted a little before leaving. Jax pulled the curtains closed behind them and sat down, but a moment later another woman, this one our waitress, opened them up again.

I asked for – you guessed it – coffee, but Mac surprised my by asking for a scotch on the rocks. Jax also asked for a drink.

After several minutes of small talk between the vampires, Lucien asked, "What exactly are your Thaumaturgical studies, young Cormac?"

"Right now I am researching the Movement of the Mind," he answered calmly.

"Yes, lovely little path," Lucien murmured.

"As I have been traveling, I haven't really found anyone to tutor me," Cormac added. "However, since I have decided to pursue that course I have done quite a bit of reading, but have not been able to produce any results."

"I see," he replied with a nod. "Well, concentration is the first key."

The waitress interrupted them with our drinks, which she sat down on the low table. When she left, Lucien floated his drink to him. I watched feeling almost bored; I'd seen far more impressive abilities in my lifetime, and most of them weren't from blood sucking fiends.

"It is something that of course takes time," Lucien added.

"Of course," Mac replied. "Don't all things?"

"All things worthwhile," Lucien said.

At that, Mac squeezed my waist a little, but I found I had to disagree with him.

"No," I said softly, I hoped for Mac's ears alone. "Some things are instantaneous." It had certainly been at once for me; the moment I'd seen Mac across the Memphis, I'd fallen for him hard. As I listened to Lucien and Cormac talk Tremere shop I remembered the first time I'd ever seen Mac.

I'd been waiting tables at The Memphis, a seedy bar in downtown Baltimore. He'd come in with Glenn and when I'd looked across the room and saw him there, the rest of the world faded away. He'd tried to talk me into dating him that night, but I wouldn't.

It wasn't that I didn't want to date him, it was more like I was afraid to. I knew the moment I saw him that dating would never be enough, that if I let him get close to me no one else would ever be good enough. I was right.

Mac had met Bobby that same night, and found out that he was a werewolf. He'd also helped Bobby with his first kill after a vamp attacked us. Funny how things change, isn't it? Now Mac was a vamp and Bobby had offered to kill him.

I set the now empty coffee cup on the low table. By now I realized that no one was going to say anything about my sitting in Mac's lap and had relaxed almost without even realizing it. I knew that Kindred played their little games with their ghouls, and right now we were smack dab in the middle of the playing field.

A few minutes later the DJ put on a slow song and Mac leaned forward to whisper in my ear. "Would you care to dance?"

I looked at him and smiled. "Yes."

He offered his hand to me and I took it, letting him guide me to my feet. "Excuse us, gentlemen," he said to the men on the couch as he stood up. "If you don't mind, we'd like to share a dance."

"Of course," Lucien replied. "Enjoy."

Mac led me by the hand through the crowd to the dance floor. We weaved through the couples until we were well out of sight of the room we'd been sitting in. At last he pulled me into his arms and I went more than willingly. I put my hands on his shoulders and felt his arms go around my waist.

The music was slow and sensual, weaving a web of seduction through the crowded room. It didn't matter that we couldn't understand the words of the song, we were no more immune to its spell than any of the other dozens of people swaying to the music.

I felt like I was dreaming. I'd spent so many years remembering what it was like to be held by this man and believing it could never happen again. Now I was in his arms and it felt like I had stepped into the past.

Gradually Mac's hands moved from the small of my back to my waist, then they traveled slowly down my hips to the outside of my thighs. I looked up and was lost in his eyes when I felt his cold touch on the skin of my leg just below the short skirt. I ran my fingers through the hair at the base of his neck and smiled softly.

Too soon the music ran out and a song with an upbeat tempo began to play. I expected him take me back to the others, but he didn't. Instead, he pulled me up tight against his body. He leaned down as I strained upward to meet his mouth. We kissed gently for a moment, but the kiss deepened quickly. The moment stretched out forever, seconds lasting for what seemed like days.

Someone in the crowd jostled Mac from behind, and he pulled away to stare down at me. I looked back at him, shocked at the passion I'd felt even after the dream I'd had earlier. I was breathing quickly, almost gasping for air. His eyes went to my mouth and I realized I was biting my lip.

"Allow me," he drawled.

"No, you have sharp teeth," I reminded him with a smile.

"Not yet," he said softly.

The Mac I'd seen for so short a time in our hotel room the night before was back and I wanted to cry in relief. I hadn't blown the chance that Gustav had given us after all. Finally I felt real hope that we could work things out between us, regardless of what our lives were like now. I put my hand on the side of his face and smiled up at him.

When we returned to the room where the others waited for us, Mac sat me on his lap once again. I drank more coffee and listened politely while Mac and Lucien discussed Tremere magic and alternate realities, but my mind was elsewhere.

Some time later, Mac decided it was time for us to leave. He made our excuses to Lucien and Yven, and we followed Jax to the car. While he drove, Mac pulled out his phone and dialed it. Of course I listened, turn about is fair play after all and he was always listening to my phone conversations.

"Brenda,'' he said when she answered. "I'm just checking in. How are things?"

"Everything's fine over here," she told him. "How are you guys?"

"Good," he replied. "You've been to Nashville before, haven't you?"

"Yeah, a couple of years ago."

"What do you know of a Bruckman's Imports?"

She thought for a moment. "Not a lot more than the fact that the company was involved in Jason's disappearance, I believe. That is one of the places we looked for him."

"There was one here in Paris," he told her. "It appears they've since gone out of business. And the man that Dougal was hunting when I last saw him was in Nashville and received a package, or rather, crates."

"It's still operational, as far as I know," she said. "Still open and doing business. I don't know anyone who's running it specifically, but I know that its Brujah associated."

"Yes," he murmured, "I believe Nashville will be our next stop."

"Well, I know some people in the area," she told him. "If you are planning on traveling tomorrow, I could take an early flight and meet you there."

"I don't believe we're going to be leaving tomorrow," he replied. "Maybe the end of tomorrow night. I would like to spend at least another night in Paris."

Part of me was glad to hear that we would have more time together, but part of me wanted to get back to Salem so I could keep an eye on Corrine.

"I can introduce you to the prince," Brenda offered. "We helped put here there, so I'm sure she'll be receptive."

"That would be appreciated," he said. "What clan controls the city?"

"Gangrel," she told him to my surprise, "but they're not the real leadery type. Bruce came back from there before all the shit went down with the Sabbat and he said that things weren't going really well with them in control, so I don't know how much longer that will work out. Who knows, maybe going down there something will happen to change power again."

"We'll see," Cormac replied coolly. "Thank you, I will speak to you again tomorrow evening. Good night."

"Good night."

He turned the phone off and glanced over his shoulder at me. I pretended to be watching the traffic, resting my head against the back of the seat until we got to the hotel.

When we walked into the lobby, it was after four. Mac was carrying the clothes we'd changed out of to go to the club, and Jax was carrying his own. The large room was nearly deserted, except for a vampire sitting with a woman in one of the conversation areas. They were in deep conversation and didn't seem to notice we were there.

The elevator stopped at the third floor on the way up, and a tall woman got on. She looked vaguely familiar to me, but I couldn't place her. She got off again on the fourth floor, and we continued up to the fifth.

I was wondering what would happen when we got to our room when I heard Mac swear softly. "What?"

"We may have trouble," he told me.

Down the hall I could see the vampire from the lobby at the door of the room just past Jax's. He kissed her neck as she unlocked the door and glanced down the hall at us when she went into the room ahead of him.

Mac nodded in that direction. "But then again, maybe not."

The vamp nodded back and followed the girl into the room.

Mac turned to me. "Do you plan on going out again this evening?"

Where exactly did he think I wanted to go? "No, wasn't planning on it."

He looked at Jax. "I don't plan on going anywhere either. It is still several hours until sunup; you are free to do whatever you want."

"No problem," Jax replied. "I'll be in my room if you need me."

"Weren't you two going to go out for breakfast?" Mac asked me.

"Room service," I told him.

"Very well," he said. "Good night, Jax."

"Good night." Jax unlocked his door and went inside as Mac opened the door of our suite.

He let me in first then followed, making sure the door was locked behind us. The room was still laid out like our apartment in Baltimore, and seeing it after everything that had happened tonight gave me goose bumps.

Mac took off his leather and put it on chair along with the bundle of clothing in his hands. He removed the figure-eight holster and set it down carefully on top. When he took off the lame vest, I wondered when or if he was going to stop undressing. He laid the vest down on top of his guns and stood there looking down at his pants, a bemused look on his face.

He smiled at me. "I'm not sure about the pants," he murmured.

"Oh, but they look so special," I drawled with a smile.

"Don't they just," he said wryly.

"I bet they would be the rage at the chantry," I teased.

"Only with Rafe," he told me, adding, "Cause Rafe is so with it."

"Yeah," I said dryly. "He's with it with Brenda."

"She has more influence over him than just his wardrobe."

Of course she does, she's his master. She has a hold on his mind that can't be broken short of death, that's what you get for drinking a vamp's blood. "Does this come back to the only having friends by blood thing?"

"I'm not sure if the puppy is ghouled," he murmured. "I mean the canine."

"She has a dog?" I thought all animals hated vampires.

"Yes, well, a dog want to be," he conceded.

"I suppose it's a yip-yip," I said.

"Yes."

I smiled. "She seems the type."

His cell phone rang, and he reached down to pull it from his jacket pocket. "Oh, Brenda will be joining us in Nashville as well," he said as he turned on the phone. "Hello?"

"Cormac?" I heard a female voice say on the other end.

"Ah, Summer," he replied, turning away and walking into his bedroom. He closed the door behind him.

I didn't like hearing that another vamp would be intruding on my time with Mac, let alone that it would be Brenda Thompson. I was also disappointed that I wouldn't be learning anything about the dear Ms. Walker.