A large table had been set up in the VIP section, and Nicu guided us over to be seated. Those who drank liquids other than blood were provided with glasses of champagne, while the vamps sipped what appeared to be red wine, but I was pretty sure it wasn’t.
Our table was a flurry of activity as vampires came and went, all wishing to have private words with Ethan. The two occasions where he showed them what happened to traitors must have made them extra eager to convince him of their loyalty.
I wore a tight black sleeveless dress that was moulded to every curve of my body, courtesy of Delilah. I’d already caught a couple of vampires surreptitiously giving me ‘I vaaant to suck your blood eyes’. It didn’t mean they were going to do it, of course, not when Ethan would tear their heads off for so much as laying a finger on me.
Still, I drew my magic to me as a precautionary measure, just in case any of them decided to act on their instincts. Delilah and Ira were on the dance floor, and I watched as Ira lifted her off the floor and twirled her around as though she weighed nothing. For a big guy like him, she probably didn’t.
A warm hand slid up my thigh, and I turned to see Ethan’s eyes practically glowing as he stared at my cleavage.
Knocking back a sip of champagne, I asked, “Feeling frisky, are we?”
His smile held an erotic promise. “With you, always.”
The next thing I knew he was leaning forward and capturing my mouth with his. His fingers moved farther up my thigh to my underwear, and I gasped when he pressed his palm between my legs. His other hand sank into my hair and gripped the base of my neck, pulling me closer to him.
“Ethan,” I whispered hoarsely. “This is a little public for my taste.”
“Shall we go somewhere private then?”
A tremble went through me. “That would be terribly rude to your guests.”
A waiter walked by and replaced my empty glass of bubbly with a new one, while Ethan’s heated gaze zoned in on my tongue as it snuck out to wet my lips.
“I suppose I’ll just have to get you later then,” he murmured right before Nicu appeared at the table with another old vampire who wanted to be introduced to Ethan.
I took the opportunity to pay a quick visit to the bathroom. After I’d done my business, I was accosted by two lady vamps who oohed and aahed over my dress and my hairstyle, complimenting me endlessly about every little detail of my outfit. I never realised just how much there was to be said about a plain black dress and matching heels, I thought to myself sarcastically.
“You must come shopping with us sometime,” said the blonde one. “I know a little boutique that you’d just love.”
“Oh, yes,” said the other, “and come for book club at my house. We always have small get-togethers on Thursdays, and we’d love if you’d join us.”
On and on they talked, and it finally dawned on me what was going on. They wanted to get in good with Ethan’s girlfriend because getting in good with me was a step closer to getting in good with him. For a brief second, the blonde’s eyes flashed black and her fangs slipped out. She seemed embarrassed as she quickly regained her composure, and her fangs disappeared back inside her mouth.
“I apologise,” she said. “You just smell so good.”
The other one laughed. “I didn’t want to say anything, but I was thinking the exact same thing.”
Suddenly, I didn’t feel all that comfortable being stuck in the ladies’ room with these two, so I hastily made my excuses and left. Sometimes I felt like a pot of honey next to a swarm of hungry flies when I was around vampires. Also, the champagne probably wasn’t such a good idea because I was starting to edge into the realm of ‘too tipsy for a vamp party’. Eager eyes seemed to watch my every move as I made my way through the club.
I was struck with the thought of how easily any one of them could attack me, and my heart skipped a beat. Panic gripped me. I really needed to find Ethan.
The place was so crowded that it took what felt like forever to get back to the VIP section. I couldn’t see Ethan anywhere, and my breathing quickened. Then someone gripped my arm, and I turned to find Lucas standing over me, his expression surprisingly etched with concern.
“Tegan, are you okay?”
I swallowed hard. “Um, yes. I mean, no. Yes. Uh, I think I might be having a panic attack.” I put my hand to my chest and rubbed, trying to calm myself down. “The crowd is freaking me out,” I said, and Lucas nodded.
“Come on, I’ll take you to Ethan’s office. You can have a moment to relax in there.”
He led me back to the office and opened the door to the empty room. I stepped inside and instantly felt much better. Lucas stepped in after me, but he left the door open a little, and I was grateful for that.
“Thanks,” I said to him. “There were these two women in the bathroom who wouldn’t leave me alone, and I just panicked.”
“They wouldn’t leave you alone?” he questioned.
“Well, not in a bad way. Not really. They were just being nice, too nice. And then they started getting all fangy and saying how good I smelled, and I had to get away.”
Lucas chuckled. “Fangy? Really?”
I waved him off. “You know what I mean.”
Lucas walked into the adjoining bathroom and returned with a glass of water, handing it to me. “Drink this. It might sober you up a little.”
“I’m not drunk.”
The only response I got was a cynically raised eyebrow.
“I’m serious. This is what I call tipsy. Drunk is a whole other ball game.”
His eyes trailed to the ceiling, and he seemed bored now. I sipped on the water and studied him.
“So, what was that all about with Amanda earlier? Ethan said you’d agreed to steer clear of her, and yet, there you were, getting in her space.”
“I wasn’t getting in her space. I was merely being polite. She needs to know I’m no danger to her.”
“It’s not that you’d be a danger to her. It’s more like she’s a danger to herself when she’s around you. She might feel the urge to offer you her blood.”
“Even if she did, I’d never take her up on that offer. I told you before, I care about her wellbeing.”
I eyed him now, curious. “Do you care about her romantically?”
His shoulders stiffened. “That’s none of your concern.”
“Oh, my God, you have real feelings for her, don’t you? You loooove her,” I sing-songed, something I’d never do if I wasn’t tipsy from champagne.
“Alright, you’re obviously feeling much better now. Come on, we should get back out there.”
Lucas guided me from the office, and we walked down the corridor that led back out to the main area of the club. Something felt off though, and when we emerged, I noticed that the previously crowded dance floor was deserted. Vampires huddled around the outskirts of the club, an air of fear permeating them. When I moved to get a closer look at what was happening, my heart literally stopped beating for a second.
In the centre of the dance floor stood Theodore and Rita, and in front of them were ten people, each wearing a black bag over their heads and matching black jumpsuits showing numbers from one to ten. Several witches and warlocks stood by the exits, blocking anyone from leaving the club.