32. Catalina
THIRTY-TWO
catalina
We arrived at Calliope’s quickly because of Ren’s hectic driving. Fairy lights had been strung around the two columns framing the front door and they glittered with each step through the pathway cutting through Calliope’s front lawn. The backdrop of her mansion consisted of tall pine trees swaying with the chilly breeze.
“Remember to behave accordingly,” Tobias murmured into my hair and pressed his lips to my temple. He brushed my hair over my shoulder. I’d elected to straighten it and so his movement made the tips flutter against my butt.
All the rules mushed in my head, but I understood the gist. Behaving accordingly consisted of keeping my mouth shut and my head down.
Hopefully Petunia wouldn’t be in attendance, she was obnoxious.
I lowered my head and took a few steps back until I trailed behind the vampires.
“It’s a stupid custom,” Asher hissed. I peeked up to find his blue gaze fixed on me.
“You never complained about it.” Ren cupped the back of his neck and forced him to face forward. Ren winked over his shoulder at me.
They had other humans? My stomach dipped. They were ancient, of course, of course . . . The cement steps glittered with each step forward as the little stones embedded within glinted. My heart shouldn’t be hurting from the comment. My jealousy frustrated me to no end, but I couldn’t help how I felt.
I kept my head lowered, following close at Jax’s heels, the one who hung back. It wasn’t lost on me that he’d slowed so I could catch up, but he still stood a bit in front of me. This vampire world wasn’t something I wanted or could change. The hierarchy they lived under seemed an overkill, but I understood it. Nature had a food chain.
My heel caught on the groove of the stair, and I hobbled forward. That was what I got for not paying attention.
I slapped my palm on Asher’s back. The soft fabric of his linen shirt dipped, and his muscle twitched under my touch. He looked over his shoulder at me with a sly grin.
“There’s no need to paw my clothes off, Pet.” My hold on his shirt tugged it down so the collar skewed to the side, exposing the seductive line of his muscled shoulder.
“Ren,” Calliope chirped, illuminated by the light spilling out of her mansion. I yanked my hand away and backed up. His chuckle followed me. He enjoyed my embarrassment. I lifted my foot and stretched my ankle side to side. I’d twisted it with my lack of attention. Walking in heels was as easy as breathing for me, so it better not fail me now.
“Calliope,” Ren responded. She raised on her toes to kiss his cheek. What in the world? They weren’t behaving like one of them had trapped the other for close to a month. Questions bubbled behind my lips, but I clamped them shut.
The clink of glasses and the chatter of people inside spilled out of the home. Ren moved out of the way, allowing me a clear view of the female vampire. Calliope wore a sleek body suit.
Upon entering, every guest surrounding the open foyer looked at Crimson Coven. They posed a striking group. All were tall and each attractive in different ways. Tobias looked every part an aristocrat, Asher and Jaxon looked like striking, intimidating Vikings, and Ren’s wide shoulders and relaxed stature gave him a threatening, unpredictable air.
The vibe felt more upscale than I’d anticipated. I was talking ball gowns. It felt like I’d walked into a Halloween party with a Marie Antoinette theme.
“Enjoy yourselves, Crimson Sires. We have a show and a game later.” She waved her hand in a flourish. “Let me introduce you to the Burrow Sire. He’s in town for the weekend.” Calliope hooked her arm through Ren’s and . . . he followed, weaving through throngs of people. Curiouser and curiouser. Did sharing a Sire bind them in some way?
“Follow Ren,” Tobias’s tone held none of the warmth he always directed at me. He spoke toward me as if I were inconsequential. I slinked after Ren as he strode toward the table hosting various champagne glasses full of red liquid. A vampire woman stood behind the bar. A nose ring glinted in the dull lighting coming from the rounded sconces.
“Freya,” Ren said, raising an eyebrow and motioning at the bar. “Calliope still punishing you for fucking me?”
My gaze flew to the back of his head.
Freya sneered. Her braids were wrapped in a tight bun with a few framing her face. Her lips twitched. “I had a little too much to drink that night, Ren.” She tsked. “Don’t cause me any more trouble. You know how sensitive my baby girl is.” She leaned over the top of the bar toward a glaring Calliope to pinch her chin. She’d let Ren’s arm go at some point. “Now here.” She thumped a wine glass on the counter. Amazingly, it didn’t shatter.
“It’s fresh, but if you prefer straight from the vein there are feeding stations in the upstairs family room if you’re not craving the same old blood.” She directed that last bit at me, dismissively scanning my face. Her lips twitched into a faint smirk.
Feeding stations? Smooth your expression, I chanted to myself. A laugh a little too loud dragged my head toward where Asher was speaking to a lithe beautiful woman who was hanging onto Asher’s every word. As if sensing my attention, Asher turned and met my gaze, his lips twitched down the barest inch and he blocked my sight of the woman, giving me his back. So, this was what they meant when they said ‘trust me’. More detail would have been appreciated. A couple glided by, blocking Asher from my view completely. My lips thinned. No sign of Tobias or Jax in the crush of mingling bodies either.
A long coat brushed against my leg.
While my attention had been elsewhere, a male vampire had approached. He rivaled Ren’s height. The bottom of the tweed coat fluttered at his knees. He stood to my left while I hovered behind Ren who had yet to turn around. Freya slinked away and Ren finally turned.
“Ren Crimson, your absence was noted at the club last month.” The smile across his lips seemed smarmy. I wanted to cringe back from his proximity, but that wouldn’t be very ‘Pet’ of me. His hollowed cheeks gave him a gaunt look that didn’t take away from his attractiveness.
“Charles,” Ren said, smirking. “We’re all bound to get distracted by pussy once in a while.” The words rolled off his tongue with such ease. I rocked my weight from one foot to the other. My toes were starting to get numb.
“Indeed, we are,” he purred and my skin crawled. “Is this the said pussy?” I looked up at the attention and his smile widened like a creep. I valiantly tried not to cringe and stuffed down my urge to huddle behind Ren.
“Say hello,” Ren ordered, placing a palm at my spine, forcing me forward.
Instead of saying anything, I turned my head slightly to the side to offer my neck. I focused on the flared collar of his black buttoned dress shirt. He stepped close enough that I could smell the faint sweetness to his breath, but it was overwhelming, to the point that nausea twisted my gut.
Charles’s fingertips grazed my throat. I couldn’t stop the tremble of my hands. My pulse jumped. Dead eyes stared at me.
“I’ll be honored to sample your human.” His head lowered and I held my breath. It shouldn’t be too bad, just like when the guys bit me. It’d feel good. I licked my lips, relaxing my shoulders.
Ren slapped Charles’s touch away and yanked me back by the back of my neck. I grabbed onto his long leather jacket, so I didn’t topple to my ass.
“I said, ‘say hello,’ not offer yourself to him.” He showed me too much fang. I swallowed with effort and dropped my eyes, working to steady myself on my toes. His grip on my neck turned painful.
Charles stiffened; his hands still held out from where he’d been about to pull me toward his mouth.
“Well,” Charles raised both eyebrows. “I suppose . . . not?” He chortled. Ren’s arm banded around my waist, his large fingers settling on my waist none too gently. A puff of air escaped my lips. Ren was pissed.
“It is not like we have not exchanged blood-whores in the past.” Charles made another reach for me, but I curled tighter to Ren.
“Not this one.” Ren’s jawline bunched and he seemed increasingly irate despite the curl of his lips. I thought we were supposed to be blending in? They nailed into me that I must behave as their blood-whore.
Whatever challenge he sensed, Charles visibly thrived on it. Glee filled his odd, almost black eyes.
“Are you denying me a taste of a human?” Charles tilted his head. In the snap of a rubber band, he no longer seemed to find humor in this. He seemed ready to strike at Ren—a cobra about to attack. We were supposed to be blending in.
“Stop.” I hung onto Ren. Fear rode me hard and my breathing elevated.
“Is a human . . . speaking?” Had I messed up? No shit, I messed up. I wanted to apologize, but I knew it would only make things worse, so I lowered my eyes.
“Seems like she is. Come now, don’t tell me your human doesn’t try to defend you?” Asher dragged his words out in a mocking manner. He glided up with a smirk, blocking my view with his wide back. “You know how possessive Ren is. Wait a few days and he’ll lose interest.” I gritted my molars so hard my jaw hurt.
Ren’s hand at my waist flexed. I peeked up at him. His eyes were narrowed, but his expression was stiff.
“You will not punish her insolence?”
Asher scoffed, “We enjoy humans with a bit of fight.”
“You may have your human do as you wish, but she will not disrespect the customs.”
“Charles, you crotchety twat, what has you blithering?” a rakishly handsome vampire with a golden skin tone queried. “Are you trying to feud with Crimson Coven?” He smirked. “Your Sire may not take too kindly to that.”
Charles’s lips thinned.
“Alistair,” Asher said, genuinely pleased, and clapped his shoulder.
“I’ll take my leave.” Charles huffed and left with his coat rustling behind him. He did seem like a twat.
“And who is this human?” Alistair’s intense gaze settled on me. His hair was slicked back, but strands curled artfully at his forehead as if they could not be tamed with the rest of the waves. His name rang a bell . . . the vampire that owned the mall and Petunia. He seemed way more laid back than I expected. A different glazed-eyed woman stood behind him; she looked up at him adoringly. He hooked his arm around her shoulder. “Quite a beauty,” he said, tipping his head toward me.
“Don’t you have business to run or women to plunder? You hardly ever show up to these social events,” Asher said.
Alistair studied me carefully, analytic eyes roving over me. Curiously. Like a human inspecting a bug. I felt bare to him.
“Avoidance is not like you, Asher.” Alistair stared into my eyes. “What are you to them?” The low, almost musical tone of his voice told me he was trying to compel me.
“Their Pet.” I forced my voice to remain even.
Ren shouldered between us and gripped the front of Alistair’s fancy frilled shirt. Alistair only stared at him, serious and unmoving.
“Now now, I invited you all in good faith.” Calliope strutted up with a cheshire grin across her lips. “And for a bit of entertainment.” She winked at me. “Now I must take my leave. Catalina, pleasure to see you.”
“I can’t say the same.” The comment came without thought and I pursed my lips. Alistair threw his head back, releasing a deep belly laugh. Ren had tensed, but it was nowhere close to how wound up I was.
Calliope walked away, her tinkling laugh fading.
Ren clicked his tongue looking pissed, then he disappeared.
“Head off to mingle with others, love.” Alistair’s arm slipped off the woman and patted her ass. Irritation flashed over her features before she stifled it and walked away. “Asher, let me take her for a turn.” Alistair invaded my space.
“No.” Anger spilled into Asher’s tone. I side-eyed him. Wasn’t he supposed to keep his cool? The other vamp seemed even more intrigued.
A loud rhythmic clapping echoed. One, two, three, in quick succession caused the cacophony to simmer to a murmur.
I followed the direction all the vampires faced. To the far wall across where a slightly raised platform had been set up—a stage. Vampires were so dramatic.
Calliope clapped her hands again, standing on the rising.
“Fuck—” Asher hissed, looking over the crowd at something I was too short to see. “Don’t move from here. Stay with Ren.”
“But.” I wheezed. Ren had left . . . I couldn’t tell Asher because he disappeared through the thickening crowd. I needed to get out of here before I became too compressed. I twisted, and a female vampire brushed past me. Her little arm nudge caused me to stumble. I struggled to catch myself. Then more bodies pressed into all my sides as they jockeyed to be at the front of the line. I panted, turning in circles, trying to find one of my vampires. I’d even take Jax at this point.
“Watch it human,” a vampire hissed, poking my shoulder. To an outsider it would have looked like it wouldn’t do damage, but his strength sent me stumbling back against a chest.
“Got you.” Alistair grinned down at me. I hurried to pull away from him. “Ah, ah, if you go running off, you don’t know who will catch you.”
I swallowed hard, turning from side to side. I couldn’t see my vampires. Tears welled in my eyes and panic settled in.
A sharp scream froze me in place. A smattering of applause exploded through the room. Freya dragged a man onto the stage. He fought against her grip, uselessly—so human.
“Let me go, let me go,” the man screamed.
“What’s going on?”
Alistair lifted the flute of blood to his lips and took a sip. Red stained his lips.
“A vampire broke law.”
“Law?”
“Exposure,” he murmured, leaning too close for comfort. His gaze caught mine. His nose slightly flared. “You . . . You can’t be compelled.”
I gritted my teeth, holding his gaze and blinking as innocently as I could.
“Compelled? What do you mean?” My effort to sound nonchalant didn’t work out.
The corner of his lips twitched. “Interesting. Very interesting.”
Acting ignorant wasn’t working. I swung my head side to side, but none of my vampires were in sight. Shit. Fuck.
“It’s really not,” I said, forced.
He leaned close and his nose flared again. Shit, he was sniffing me now?
“Your scent . . .” he hummed and closed his eyes. A few seconds passed. He opened them. His eyes had dilated.
“Would you like to switch to my Coven?” His fangs flashed. “I’m sure I can come to an agreement with the Crimson Sires.”
“No, thank you.” The words came out sounding like a jumble.
He took another step closer.
“If you change your mind.” He handed me a black card. His name was embossed in gold font across the front and on the back was a number. I gawked, limply holding the card.
I couldn’t address the madness of the statement because cheering swelled. Whirling around, I shoved the card into my bra. Vampires huddled closer, making it difficult for me to see.