Chapter 22
Though Thane has moved to the balcony above the stage, I can still feel his eyes on me, making it impossible to forget about what I’ve just done. Every time I glance up to make sure he’s still there, he’s already looking down on me like he’s waiting for something.
“Here, maybe this will help.” Kole hands me a shot of tequila, which I quickly toss back. When the burn of it reaches my chest, I steal the other shot out of his hand and down that one too. “I promise it really isn’t a big deal.”
“Yeah, sex is just a basic animal need,” Sienna offers with a smile. “I’m pretty sure every girl in here would’ve done the same thing if they had been sitting on Alpha’s lap.”
“Oh, really? Is that why everyone has been looking at me with judgy eyes?”
“They’re just jealous,” Kole answers with a shrug.
I shake my head and look at the ground, imagining myself melting into it.
They might think climaxing in front of an audience is normal, but I certainly don’t.
And the fact that I did so on top of Thane just makes it that much worse.
The effects of the mark are clearly intensifying.
I still felt the whirlwind of lust well after he had removed his fangs from my wrist, and it took too long for me to come back to my senses.
Even now, there’s heat flaring every time our eyes catch.
“Look, I’m really not in the partying mood now.” I start to head back to the stage, but Kole catches my wrist and spins me into him.
“Don’t let him ruin your night.” Kole slips his hand into mine and twirls me. When I come back around, he pulls me into a low dip. “Besides, it’s your one night with Kevin Bacon. It would be a shame to waste it.”
My head falls back as laughter escapes me, and when he pulls me back up, Sienna is already waiting with a tray of shots.
“Alright, you guys win.”
The shots of tequila seem to hit all at once, making the room spin.
Whatever embarrassment I had been feeling slips away as the effects of the alcohol begin to take over.
Suddenly, none of it matters anymore. Even the crowd seems to go back to minding their own business, and I finally allow myself to give in to the music.
The three of us dance around each other as the lights flicker different colors around the room and the giant screen on the wall plays neon images that change with the beat of the music.
A couple of times in high school, I managed to get into some shitty clubs using a fake ID, but they weren’t nearly as cool as this. Still, if I close my eyes, I can almost convince myself that I’m back in the human world instead of standing in the middle of a crowd of monsters.
Almost.
Kole pulls me closer, lacing his fingers through mine as we sway back and forth while Sienna grinds up against a werewolf with a thick manbun.
“You know, you’re a pretty good dancer,” I tell him, as he pushes me out and pulls me back in, making sure to keep our hands linked.
“Better than Kev?” He asks with a hopeful look.
“Well, I wouldn’t go that far.”
A look of challenge flashes across his face just before he tosses me into the air. He catches me, using the momentum to swing me between his legs, where he spins me and catches me before I can hit the floor. I’m still trying to get my bearings when I’m swept upright and spun around.
He spins me back into him and catches my right leg, wrapping it around his hip before grabbing the back of my left thigh and picking me up.
Kole dips me so low that I’m almost upside down, and a squeal of excitement escapes me.
A second later, he sets me back down and forces my back to him as his soft fingertips run along my bare stomach, sending a surge of electricity beneath my skin.
“Don’t underestimate me, Grey. I’ve been around a long time.” His lips brush against my ear with each word, causing my breath to catch in my throat.
He quickly whirls my hips back around, forcing me to face him, and suddenly, I’m hyper-aware of the way his cool hands seem to heat my entire body.
“I need some water,” is all I manage to say before I take off toward the stage, needing to put some space between us.
My attraction to Thane tonight was one thing.
We have the bond of the bite, but what’s my excuse with Kole?
Maybe it’s the tequila. It always makes me horny, and after everything that happened with Thane, maybe I’m just still worked up.
Or maybe it’s because he’s playing out my Kevin Bacon fantasies.
Either way, no more alcohol for me. It seems to only get me into trouble, and if I’m going to be living with a bunch of vampires and werewolves, then I need to keep a clear head.
As I reach for the pitcher of water sitting on the table, my head is yanked back by my braid.
“Having fun?” Thane stands over me, looking down while keeping a hold of my hair. When I attempt to lift my head up, he only pulls my braid back harder in response.
“Not anymore,” I answer through clenched teeth, looking past him at the ceiling. He keeps my head pulled back, but turns my face with his other hand, forcing me to look at him.
“Good. Now it’s my turn to have some fun.”
Thane releases my braid, and I pull my head back up, taking a giant step away from him. His eyes seem to drift past me, and I turn around to see what has his attention. Two men push through the ceiling-high curtains, wheeling in a large round structure.
I turn back to Thane, who has a pleased look on his face. “What is that?”
“I believe your people called it a dunk tank,” he answers with a dark grin. “We’ve made some adjustments, though.”
Before I can say anything else, Thane grabs a hold of me and takes off.
When he lets go, I find myself standing on a platform just above the giant tank that has been positioned in the middle of the dance floor.
My arms flail as I try to gain my balance, but when I look down, my heart skips.
Instead of a pool of water, there’s a pool of blood.
“Tonight used to mark the one night of the year when we vampires could come out of hiding,” the woman with the pale pink pixie cut announces into a microphone from in front of the tank.
“Now it symbolizes our freedom from the humans. Freedom that we fought for and earned!” The crowd on the dance floor erupts with cheers.
“What better way to celebrate than to punish a member of the very species who forced us to hide in the shadows?”
Sienna looks at me from the stage with pity, while Kole stands beside her emotionless.
As much as I hate to see the pity on Sienna’s face, something about Kole’s detached demeanor hurts more.
Just a few minutes ago, I was in his arms laughing, and now he’s looking at me like I’m nothing more than his brother’s pet.
The pang of it shocks me, but I barely have any time to process it before the platform I’m standing on gives way.
The metallic tang of blood slips between my lips when I come up for air.
It’s almost like I can taste the dead. Their lost lives, clinging to me with hopelessness.
As the chaos in my mind screams at me, my body seems to work on its own, climbing up the ladder on the side of the tank.
A hand reaches out, and I grab a hold of it on instinct.
When I look up, Thane flashes me a wicked grin.
I try to let go, but his grip is too tight, and he positions me back on the platform with his vampire speed.
Again, the platform falls away, and I plunge into the vat of blood.
This time, when I come up, I immediately begin to choke.
It feels like I’m drowning as the smell and taste flood my senses.
My eyes sting, but every time I try to wipe them, it only gets worse.
Memories of the Last War come to life in my mind. Decapitated heads, torn limbs, harrowing screams, rotting corpses, heart wrenching cries. They all come rushing back so vividly that it’s like it’s happening all over again.
Suddenly, my throat closes up, making it hard to breathe while I fight to keep my head up.
I try to feel for the bottom, but the tank is too deep for me to touch, and I can’t see where the edge is anymore.
As panic crushes my chest, more blood makes its way into my mouth, coating my tongue with the taste of death.
I try to move, but it feels like quicksand, pulling me down faster.
The paralyzing fear I felt during the attack reignites, taking control of my body, and the roar of the crowd begins to muffle as I struggle to keep my head up.
The more I gasp for air, the more panicked I become.
For a second, I feel my head dip beneath the pool of blood, but then strong arms wrap around me.
I’m almost positive I’m being pulled out of the tank, but I can’t seem to open my eyes. Every time I try, they’re met with a burning sensation from the blood seeping into them.
As the seconds tick by, the oxygen in my lungs grows scarce.
Every terrifying moment of the past three years replays in my mind, crippling me.
I hear my name being called, but the voices are so faint, and my head is so dizzy.
I’m not sure if I’m still being held or if I’m lying down.
There’s a disconnect between my mind and body now.
It feels like the moment right before falling asleep, but the memories of the Last War feel so real that part of me wonders if I’m already deep within a nightmare.
The incessant sound of steady beeps echo through my mind as I try to figure out what’s going on.
It feels like my body is being pushed down, but my consciousness seems to be clawing its way to the surface.
My eyes flutter open, fighting off the brightness of the fluorescent lights that seem hellbent on blinding me.
In an attempt to get away from the direct hit of them, I turn my head toward the beeping.