An Angel Among Vampires by M. Cheykota Page A

warehouse. The one on my left has cocoa colored skin, black eyes and a short buzzed hairstyle. He is wearing a tight black t-shirt and new, black jeans. His shoulder holster contains a black 9mm Berretta. My gaze travels to the other guard on my right. He has lighter skin than the other guard does. His rich coffee colored skin looks smooth and soft. He has a perfect goatee and is nearly bald. The upper body of this guard is hiding behind the tailored suit jacket he is wearing to conceal the revolver he flashes at me when he notices me staring at him.
    Tightening my grip on Austin’s hand, I nervously follow him to a limo waiting. The lighter guard opens the door for us, giving me a knowing smile so he can expose his fangs in an attempt to intimidate me. Austin climbs inside, pulling me in beside him. Both black men climb in behind us and sit in the seat across from ours, shutting the door behind them.
     
     
     

Chapter 7
     
     
     
    Austin gently strokes my fingers, staring at me as the limo pulls away from the curb. Trying to ignore his steady gaze, I pay close attention to where we are going and to my surroundings as I stare out the dark, tinted windows. I can sense the guards eyeing me with a mixture of curiosity and contempt the entire way to our final destination. Although the tension inside the limo is high, the ride to Austin’s house is short and quiet.
    We pull up to Austin’s house and I stare at it in admiration. His house is not quite a mansion, but it is not small by any means. It is located in a decent neighborhood, but too far away from the city for my liking. The two-story house is a newer build with a three-car garage with a long driveway in front of it. The house has a large front yard with mostly desert landscaping.
    The limo door opens and we all get out. Austin leads the way as we walk towards the front of the house. The darker guard steps closer to walk at Austin’s right side, as the other lighter guard in the suit moves up to my left.
    The darker guard opens the door and Austin walks inside, pulling me inside behind him. I am surprised to encounter no resistance when I enter his home.
    I’ve never tried going into a vampire’s house before. Maybe I do not need an invitation to go into a vampire’s house. Maybe the invitation only needs to be from a human’s house. Normally I have to wait outside anyone’s house until I get an expressed invitation to enter. At least that part of what I read about vampires is true.
    Austin interrupts my thoughts, answering my unspoken question. “I silently invited you in, in case you were wondering why you did not need an invitation.”
    “Oh.” Nodding, I take a quick look around the house. There are stairs directly off to the right and directly ahead of us, there looks like a family room. To my left, someone has converted the formal living room into another family room. Vampires are lounging on the couch, watching TV. All of their heads turn towards us to stare when we enter. Some begin to stand to greet Austin. Many of the women frown when they see me standing next to him, but none of them voice what they are thinking aloud so that I may hear.
    I wait patiently and quietly for Austin to finish his greetings, trying my best to be unforgettable. When he finishes his greetings, Austin nudges me up the stairs. Keeping my head down, I allow my hair to obscure my face.
    We enter a large bedroom at the end of the upstairs hallway with a king-size bed. The black lacquered headboard is flush against one of the four blood-red painted walls. The bed covers are black silk. The blood-red leather couches and ottomans skillfully placed around the room match the walls perfectly. I stand in the nearest corner, out of everyone’s way as Austin waves his hand at the vampires that followed us into the room.
    “Leave us and do not disturb us until nightfall.” He orders the two black vampires.
    The darker vampire opens his mouth to object, but Austin stops him with a