Chapter 41 #3
Kenneth came in first, Eric behind him. The clip-clop of heels and a few giggles introduced them before I caught sight.
In walked eight stunning, barely clad women.
One girl wore a black leather bra, little black leather skirt and black high heels.
Others were in miniskirts and crop tops, with heels that gave them inches of extra height.
It was a fucking smorgasbord of boobs and asses.
Long flowing hair of a variety of colors, heavily made up with bright-red lips.
Eight vampires. Eight girls.
My insides began to simmer. My glare shot knives in Karson’s direction.
If it bothered him, he gave nothing away. “I see some things do not change with you, Rodney.”
“Why would we deny ourselves such pleasure,” Rodney declared, tapping his knee.
One of the blondes dutifully perched herself on his lap.
He stroked a hand down her thigh. The girl was smiling, but there was a blankness on her face, her eyes glazed as if she had taken drugs.
She’d need them to let that monster touch her.
Karson crossed his legs and took a casual sip of wine. When he refused to glance at me, I shot a painful foot into his calf under the table. His jaw pulled tight, and he gave me a cool, disassociated look. The look I gave him back fried his.
“Work your magic, ladies,” Rodney crooned.
One by one, they filed to the vampires, each girl seeming to know which one was hers. Prearranged, then. The whole thing orchestrated.
Eric sank his teeth into the neck of a blonde by the door. She had her head arched up, her eyes closed, and he ran a hand through the back of her hair with the caress of a lover.
Georgie stared wide-eyed, her face pale. “I take back what I said earlier,” she murmured.
A girl touched Josh’s shoulder, but he jerked back as though she’d just bitten him. “I’ve just fed, I’m good.”
A slender, tanned, black-haired woman strode toward Karson. She had legs that went on forever, a sixpack, toned arms, and a chest that could model bras.
My hands clenched around the glass. Each girl stood to the side of the vampire they were assigned like fucking robots.
“You don’t mind, Amy, do you?” Rodney asked.
Mind, oh I minded alright. It was a test, then. To see how much I cared for Karson. Or was it a test to see if he cared for me?
“And the award for the world’s biggest asshole goes to.” Georgie lifted her glass and slurred, her unfocused eyes fluttering between Rodney and Karson. “Oh, I can’t decide, is it Rodney or Karson?”
Rodney’s fingers trailed up the blonde’s arm, flicking her hair back, his eyes falling to the beat of her pulse.
I gritted my teeth as the woman smiled at Karson and then ran a hand over the side of his neck across the top of his shoulder, leaving it resting there. My stomach was a cauldron, a brewing concoction of jealousy and venom.
Stay calm, don’t react.
I tried to control the anger that simmered, fighting to remain calm. It’s a test, just a test, I repeated over and over again. Stay calm, stay fucking calm.
“Trust me, sweetheart, when I tell you it’s best you remove your hand from my shoulder and step away,” Karson said to Legs.
Her fingers left his shoulder and instead stroked his neck.
Sweetheart fucking what?
Rodney smirked.
I lost the battle. The table began to rattle, dishes bounced, and glasses toppled over, wine streaking the table, the chandelier above swaying like the chime of a grandfather clock.
Rodney laughed. I swung my head so fast to Karson I could have been possessed. A glass jumped from the table and shattered on the floor. He sighed like it annoyed him and arched one eyebrow.
“Take your syphilis-infected ass and move it away,” I hissed to the woman.
She didn’t move, this smiling goddess, zombie, leg, mannequin thing, she just stood there like she was deaf, and she was clearly blind too, because the shaking table and trembling lights had no effect on her.
Karson looked at the girl. “I’d suggest you step away before things get a little messy.”
The brunette stepped back.
I realized then with sudden gut-wrenching clarity that she was mind-controlled. They all were. The dishes stopped rattling, the light stopped swaying. The room was quiet except for the mad beating of my heart. The woman barely batted an eyelid.
Georgie reached across and grabbed the wine Josh had placed out of her reach, then sat down and poured a full glass, sloshing red over the edges.
Rodney ran his hand up and down the blonde girl’s thighs, and she smiled at him.
“It’s a sad day is it not when your charms are so deplorable you have to mind-control girls to pay you attention,” I snapped.
“I can assure you,” Rodney responded lazily, his hand working closer to the girl’s core. “They are only mind-controlled to feel no fear and to forget what happens here tonight. They come to us of their own accord. Isn’t that correct, gorgeous?” he crooned in the blonde’s ear.
“It is,” she agreed, nodding, with a tiny voice that matched her petite frame. “We wanted to come. I met Rodney last night. He’s so charming and handsome I couldn’t resist him,” she gushed like he was the best thing since sliced bread.
I wanted to vomit. I suddenly hated bread. “The strip club must have been quiet last night, then.”
“I think, Rodney, it might be best if all the girls head to the entertainment room,” Michael said, standing and dabbing his mouth with a napkin. “Amelia and Georgie do not need to see certain things.”
A girl touched Josh’s shoulder again. He jumped to his feet and scrambled back. “Good idea, Michael. I fed before dinner, I’m not hungry.” He tried to smile but it was too rigid on his face. “But you all should go. Georgie, let’s go watch that movie.”
She blinked up at him and slurred, “What movie?”
He grabbed her arm. “The one we spoke about,” he muttered as he hauled her to her feet, dragging her toward the stairs.
Karson waited until the others began to move to the entertainment room. The table was empty, except for Rodney. He hadn’t moved. He was analyzing us, testing our relationship.
“Amelia, there is no need to be upset,” Karson said.
I bristled, wanting to slap the words out of his mouth.
I may have to be someone you don’t recognize.
Just be yourself, if you’re anything else he will see straight through you.
There was no acting required. “No need to be upset,” I repeated. “You are fucking with me, aren’t you?”
“Karson,” Mary said, sharper than usual. “I’m off now. Do you need anything else before I go?”
“No, Mary, thank you. Have tomorrow off.” He waved a dismissive hand. “I will sort the mess.”
“Some messes can’t be sorted,” I grated.
He dropped his gaze to me and drawled, “Perhaps it might be best if you go to your room or watch the movie with Georgie.”
Eric stood at the edge of the door with the blonde, his head tilted back, blood running down his lips as he sighed with pleasure.
The blonde whispered something in his ear.
He took her hand and led her outside to fuck, I assumed.
I drew a sharp breath. If he expected me to leave him in the clutches of that woman …
“Perhaps you could walk me to my car, Karson?” Mary said, drawing his attention back as she collected her keys from the hallway stand. “My eyesight isn’t what it used to be. I find it hard in the dark nowadays.”
Was she worried about Eric?
“Of course.” Karson placed his napkin on the table and stood.
“Are you coming, Rodney?” Monique poked her head around the corner. “It’s best to give them a moment before all the lights in the house go out again.”
There was a brief flicker of something unpleasant in his eyes, but he had no choice now. He smiled at her as he stood and threw out his arms like an enthusiastic priest at a lectern. “Let the fun begin.”
If I had holy water, I’d throw it at the fucker.
Monique closed the doors behind him, and someone turned the music up. Was it loud enough they couldn’t hear us?
“Asshole,” I said. I hoped he heard that.
“Yes, dear, that one is,” Mary muttered, distaste twisting her features. “But never mind Rodney.” Her eyes drilled into Karson. “What were you thinking allowing that thing in your house around these girls?”
“Some things are unavoidable,” Karson said quietly. “I need to know why he is here.”
“Be careful in your quest for knowledge you don’t lose what’s already tangible and of much greater value.” She glanced at me again, then to Georgie, who was rounding the top of the stairs with Josh.
Karson drew in a deep breath and let it out again. When he didn’t respond, Mary patted my arm. “I’m just down the road if either of you girls needs me.”
Karson followed her out.
I felt hot, I felt cold, I felt sick.
Should I leave and just let him party with other women? I stared at the door. He loved me, and he was treating me like I didn’t matter. I knew it was to keep me safe, but that didn’t make it any easier. Would he feed from them? Would there be some kind of vampire orgy he’d be involved with?
Do not hate me.
I would fucking hate him if he did that. I closed my eyes, trying to quell the distress roaring through me. I could pretend to be alright that he couldn’t show he cared, but this, this was another level. This I couldn’t accept.
“Amy,” Josh said quietly. He stood at the bottom of the stairs, sympathy in his gaze. “Are you alright?”
I shook my head, my words trapped in a throat too tight to speak.
“Come upstairs with us.”
“I’ll be up in a minute,” I rasped. I needed time to collect myself, to think. Probably I needed to use violence.
Josh’s eyes lifted behind me. I didn’t need to turn to know Karson was standing there. I could feel his presence vibrating through me.
I turned back, my jaw gritted, my fists curled.
His eyes darted to the closed entertainment room doors and back again. There was an uncomfortable look on his face, and he hesitated as if he didn’t know what to say or how to fix … this.
He rubbed the back of his neck. “Amelia—”
I didn’t want to hear his excuses, I was too angry, too hurt. “Don’t,” I whispered.
He drew a deep breath, and in a flash he had me in his arms and we were in the kitchen. He set me down. Two twenty-something women were packing away the last of the dishes.
“Get out,” he snapped.
They gasped as their eyes shot to us and practically ran out of the door. He closed the door behind them, then rounded on me.
“We have two options. You can come with me and stay by my side and see things you will not want to see. Or you can go to our room and trust I will not touch any girl bar to feed.”
I swallowed. I knew he fed from humans. Of course he did; all vampires did, aside from Josh. But he’d never done it in front of me … Knowing and seeing it were two very different things. The thought of his mouth on another woman—
Made me feel sick.
Made my want to break something.
Made me want to cry. Again.
I clutched the bench to hold myself steady.
“Rodney is here for a reason. He knows something, how much I’m not sure, but I need to know what he is up to. Your question earlier may have hit the nail on the head, but I cannot say for certain, and even if he did talk to Sarah, what that means.”
“You told me he’s your ally.”
“He is.” He paused, his jaw taut. “But where power is involved, few can be trusted.”
“Then I should stay and try to find out what he’s after.”
He shook his head. “No. You should do no such thing.” Dark shadows found a home on his features. “If he … he already doesn’t trust you. Please go to our room, get some sleep, and I will wake you up when I come up and give you every detail, if that’s what you need for you to be alright.”
As if I could sleep while he was here, my mind assaulting me with images of his hand in her hair, his lips on her throat, her hands on his body. As if I could be alright with being cast aside, left alone to rot amongst my thoughts, my heart shattered by rejection.
He’s doing it to keep me safe, I repeated in my head. I should be grateful he cared so much, I should nod, turn, go to my room.
“What I need to be alright is for us not to hide,” I whispered.
“What I need is to feel like I fit in, somewhere, any-fucking-where.” My lips trembled and tears slipped down my face as every broken piece of me all just came rushing out.
“What I need is to be loved fully and wholly for what I am, all that I am. Not hidden, not persecuted … I need to be loved and accepted for me.” My hand slipped to my heart as if trying to contain the burn.
“That’s what I need, Karson.” My words choked on a sob.
He stared at me, emotion surging through his expression as if the broken pieces of me hurt him too. His throat bobbed. I hated that I gave a fuck about his emotions right now.
“I’ll go.” Defeated, I dropped my head and strode toward the door.
“Amelia,” he rasped, his fingers taking hold of my hand so gently, I could have pulled away if I wanted to, could have kept walking. And yet, my body stopped. “I want you to—”
He froze, his grip tightening. “Stay here,” he ordered. A flash of black and the door snapped shut behind him. A sudden wind wailed through the foyer. When did a storm erupt?
Then I heard something else that turned my muscles to mush—chanting.
Chanting and screaming.