One Night Burns (The Vampires of Livix, #1) by J Gordon Smith Page A

transformed it into a fancy pouch purse I saw pictured somewhere, maybe a Steam-punk magazine at my friend Bethany’s.
    He canceled his call and my phone stopped ringing. He tipped his hat, “You look nice.” Curls and waves in his hair looked styled like an old photograph.
    “These old things?” I twirled like a little girl and giggled.
    “Do you have a hat?”
    “No.” I rolled my hair up in a tight bun and put a black web scrunchy around it with a pair of long hairpins.
    “Milady, you’ll catch the heat exhaustion without a hat.” he clicked his heals and tipped his head.
    “I had nothing that goes with the rest of this.”
    “Come, come milady,” he popped the trunk and pulled out several wide Victorian style hats that had laid carefully flat on the clean carpet. “I retrieved these from storage.”
    “You must really get into the festival to put it in long term storage.”
    “No, we have some authentic vintage pieces. You know.”
    “Oh, yeah. Sorry.”
    “Certain members of the family love reliving the old days in old clothes. You should see the 1960’s closet. The 1950’s has some dresses worn in movies or by a few movie stars for awards shows. My mother collected such things for a while. Though the 1970’s clothes are strangely absent for some reason.”
    “You’ll have to invite me over to play dress up.”
    “My mother would like that.” He held the hats out to me, “Which hat for you?”
    “The black one matches the best.” I admired our reflections mirrored in the car window. His reflection shown as clear as mine – so much for the vampires and mirrors legend.
    He leaned in, “There’s a rumor that three vampires originally founded Livix and that’s why we celebrate a Victorian Festival.”
    “Oh my, such gossip! Rhett – you devil,” I did my best Scarlet imitation, snapping open my fancy folding Japanese fan and brushing my fluttering eyes with a light breeze while I curled a sly smile at him.
    “But that’s not all.”
    “What do you mean?” The morning sun warmed everything enough I saw the wisdom in the offered hat becoming as practical as stylish.
    “Would you like to wear some authentic vintage pearls?”
    “Yes.” My hand fell to my chest like a fine lady, “That would go well.”
    He opened an old leather folder lined with aged silk that clung to the leather with delicate stitching. He removed an antique strand of matched pearls with a small cross at the clasp. “They’re a little lumpy since these are natural pearls from before pearl culturing. Matching a strand this long and overall uniform color and size took time.”
    “These are pretty old then.” I cautiously reached a single finger out to touch them gently, when I realized how I must look stroking the pearls like a kitten, I stopped.
    “A gift from a friend to one of my ancestors years ago. But no one ever wore them. Not sure why. Surprising it lasted this long.”
    “Why surprising? These are nice and if mine they would get worn for special occasions,” not for a casual festival.
    “The old days didn’t have the systems and culture we do to survive without feeding.” He leaned closer and brought his eyes up to mine, “Necks and necklaces are delicate in a vampire’s hungry embrace.”
    I paused, “So you’re telling me by putting this on that you’ll behave?”
    “Yes. Heirlooms old and new to protect.”
    He fastened it on. His hand brushed the sides of my neck and a tingle radiated around my thoughts and up and down my spine. My eyes closed as I sunk into the feeling. I bit my lip.
    When he finished straightening the necklace I opened my eyes and looked in the car glass, “I like the ensemble,” in spite of the fun-house reflection caused by the curve of the window.
    Garin took out his phone and set the camera mode. He snapped a few pictures of me. Close ups and ones farther away.
    “This is like prom.” I said between picture smiles.
    “I suppose so.” He moved for a different