the dark trees for maybe half a mile before the car began to slow, and an oasis of light appeared in front of us. I leaned my head out the window until I could see the house ahead: a three-story mansion with a blocky, vaguely Egyptian-looking exterior, outlined by twin rows of pink flowers. It was oddly like coming upon a gingerbread house in the forest—if the gingerbread house were an Art Deco mansion surrounded by azaleas. I’d never seen such a display of color in a single breed of flower. They looked like a watercolor cloud holding up the building.
The ride had seemed long, but I didn’t think we had actually traveled far from the city center. What was a property like this doing in the middle of Atlanta?
Warton stopped the car right in front of the entrance. He climbed out, heading for my door, but I pushed it open myself, prompting an annoyed look from the bottom half of his face. He turned toward the front door, but it popped open and a man rushed out at vampire speed.
He stopped in front of me, smiling broadly: a short man with a big handlebar mustache that somehow worked perfectly on him. His skin looked tanned—vampires froze however they’d looked at their death—and he was dressed in a simple white button-down and brown pants tucked into tall black riding boots.
“Good evening, Ms. Luther,” he said warmly. “I’m Abner Beaumont Calhoun, but everyone calls me Beau.”
I was so distracted by the surreal location that I automatically stuck out my hand. Without missing a beat, Beau reached out and took it in both of his, shaking vigorously.
“Your home is beautiful,” I said. “I wasn’t expecting, um, this style of architecture.”
He smiled, displaying twin rows of crooked white teeth. Vampires had access to plenty of teeth whiteners, but I’d never yet met one who’d tried braces. “Let me guess—you thought it’d be an antebellum mansion? A plantation house or similar?” His eyes were twinkling.
“I guess I did,” I admitted.
“Most of the fine homes in Atlanta were burned during the war,” he said matter-of-factly.
I wasn’t sure how to respond to that, so I searched for something true to say. “The flowers are gorgeous.”
“Thank you,” Beau said, smiling proudly. “This house is actually called Azalea Manor. They’ve been planted around the building since it was built in 1928. Do you garden?”
“No, not really,” I admitted. “My friend’s mother was a big gardener, though, and I spent a lot of time at her house.” I felt a brief pang of grief for Hazel Pellar.
“Ah, I see. Well, I’m not a gardener either. These days my niece oversees the azaleas.”
“Your . . . niece?”
He waved a hand. “Great, great, great, et cetera.”
“She’s human?” I tried not to sound surprised. Very few humans were allowed to know about the Old World, and I didn’t know any vampires who openly kept in touch with their descendants. I had sort of thought it was forbidden, the way Quinn wasn’t permitted to be near Holly. Maybe it was different for cardinal vampires.
Beau simply nodded. “I’d like you to meet her, actually.” He held out the crook of his arm. “Would you mind a stroll over to the stables? She’s usually with the horses this time of night.”
I looked from his face to the proffered arm and back. If I took his elbow, I’d have to use my left—my shooting hand. “That would be nice, sir, but I would prefer to walk unassisted,” I said as politely as I could.
I wasn’t sure how he was going to respond to that, but he threw back his head and laughed, a deep rumbling sound. “Yes, of course. Pardon me, Sergeant Luther. For a moment there I forgot to whom I was speaking.”
That made me blink. My military rank at the time of my discharge wasn’t a secret, exactly, but it wasn’t something I went around advertising. “Please call me Lex,” I said, trying to keep my voice from getting tight.
“Of course, as long as you’ll call me Beau.” With a little follow me wave, he started down the path, and I quickly followed.
Someone had planted solar-paneled lights on either side of the walkway, so I could at least see where I was stepping. The path was made of a thin layer of wood chips covering reddish-looking dirt. Trees loomed dark and close on either side, making me uneasy. Then I thought, Snakes, and I became very focused on watching my step.