CHAPTER ONE
BEATRICE
"I received an invitation from Italy," I say as I enter the living room where my brother reads his morning newspaper. He prefers to read the news daily while I'm taking our dog Baltazar for a walk. I used to mock that he looks like an older man because everyone reads information online these days. But he ignored my jokes about it, renewing his subscription every year.
"What kind of an invitation?" Raphael puts down the newspaper and looks at me.
"An invitation to attend a Florentine masquerade ball," I continue enthusiastically as I let Baltazar off the leash, and he runs to Raphael to get his morning cuddles.
If someone saw my brother petting his dog, they would say he's the kindest person in the world. No one would guess that he's an almost three-hundred-year-old vampire who killed people for their sins for centuries. Yes, they were terrible people, but Raphael isn't the kind of man you would want to mess up.
"It's for the two of us." I sit next to him and pour myself a cup of freshly brewed coffee.
As for a vampire, my brother has too many people habits, like drinking coffee in the morning while reading a newspaper, but I'm used to it. Moreover, coffee tastes so good that I also drink a mug from time to time.
"Is it from someone I know?" He frowns his eyebrows. When he does like that, he looks much older than his twenty-eight years old, according to human age.
"It's from...my book club," I lie. If I tell him the truth, he would never let me go there. I'm sure, he won't come with me, so I'll save my secret.
To be honest, the invitation was sent fromSaint Philip, a secret vampire community, providently called 'Saint' in honor of its founderPhilip Carrisi, celebrated five thousand years from its foundation a couple of years ago. They usually invite wealthy vampire families worldwide to celebrate important events. It's kind of an Oscar afterparty for vampires. I always wanted to go, especially since they had already sent an invitation to our previous address, but Raphael rejected the offer.
"How did they get our address?" he asks in irritation, his eyes getting darker. He's angry about it, even though I have no idea why.
"I don't know..." I shrug and bite my lower lip, not to say more.
"Beatrice," he says strictly, looking straight into my eyes, "I'm not going to repeat the question."
"All right, all right, I might've mentioned to a couple of vampires at my book club that we moved to the Carlisle district to live," I confess, looking at him guiltily.
Raphael's expression changes; it turns from worries to anger. He doesn't like me to tell anything to others, but is that even possible? How can I have friends and tell them nothing about myself? But if I ask him about it, he'll say I shouldn't have friends; it would be safer.
My brother's obsession with hiding our identities and changing homes like gloves sometimes drive me crazy. He doesn't have close friends, except for a couple of vampires he works with and our cousin Titian, but they all live in London. They don't have to hide, at least not from other vampires, and I have no idea why we should.
When I asked my brother about it, he said it was about his business. He's a rich man because he broke the vampire's laws and went over the heads of many, which is why we must be careful.
I don't believe him. First, I've lived almost three hundred years and never seen him putting money over moral principles. I know my brother, and I can tell when he hides something. And I know that it's not about his business, but each time I try to talk about it, he shuts me down.
Raphael keeps looking at me without saying a word, and I shudder out of that look. Even though I'm his sister, it always feels like I'm much younger than him, not only four years old. With one glimpse of his, I already feel like I'm a child who disappointed his parent.
"I am a grown woman," I say, trying to sound confident, even though I already feel how my voice betrays me. "I can do whatever I want."
A long pause comes after as he keeps staring at me, trying to find out how serious I am about it.
Sometimes I argue with Raphael only because I'm bored, and that's when he lets me express my thoughts, listening carefully until saying his word. At other times he begins to argue with me right away to prove his point, to show me how 'irresponsible' I am.
"You can come, too," I say, unable to stand this silence. "Moreover, they've sent an invitation to you, and I'm just your plus one." I give Raphael a wide smile, trying to persuade him, but he doesn't smile back.
"I'm not coming, and you know that," he finally says with a steel voice, "and you won't go, too."
"You can't tell me what to do!" I object, knowing that it's not true. We still live together, and he's the head of our family. He supports me; I haven't worked a day in my life. Of course, it's mainly because my brother didn't want me to, but still.
"This conversation is over," he says, calmer this time, and returns to his newspaper.
"No, it's not!" I raise my voice and rip the paper out of his hands, "you can't ignore my needs!"
"Your needs?" he huffs, grinning at me. "And what exactly do you need right now?"
"I need to go on events to meet other vampires, to find my soul mate," I continue, quieter this time, "just like you did with Katie."