Chapter 32
Chapter Thirty-Two
Warren
The ballroom was magnificent as Lena thrust open the doors, revealing the candlelit room accented with heaps of gold.
Rich and extravagant, much like Lena herself.
Candelabras lined the walls, with a platform at the end of the room draped with tapered white silk to make a beautiful backdrop for a local jazz group she had hired.
I watched as they situated themselves and their instruments, plucking away until each one was adequately tuned.
Once they were done, they placed their masks over their faces and nodded to Lena that they were ready.
“What do you think?” Lena asked as she preened at herself in a mirror, adding an extra layer of color to her lined lips. She blew me a kiss when she saw me looking before turning around, gesturing at the room. “Satisfactory?”
The band began to play their warm-up song and I pulled Lena to the center of the room, spinning her around. She threw her head back and laughed, finding the groove with me as we danced.
“You outdid yourself, princess. I’m sure they will be pleased.”
Lena tensed slightly at my mention of the Authority, but she quickened our pace and forced a smile. “This could be the start of all my plans, Warren. If it goes well…”
“It will.” We slowed to a stop and I pulled Lena into an embrace. She stiffened for a moment, always the woman to pretend she hated it, before conceding and returning the hug. “Nothing will go wrong. Tell me the plan again.”
I knew Lena, and if anything would calm her unease, it was going through her carefully crafted itinerary. She was a woman in charge at all times, and that meant she always had rules to follow and plans in place.
“The doors open, and the vampires enter first. There are blood fountains to tide them over, and they absolutely must be masked. Once they have settled, the doors will open for the donors. They can mingle and choose their vampire, but they cannot be taken forcefully.” Lena motioned for some of our fellow coven members to come closer, settling her authoritative gaze on them.
“If you see a single vampire get out of hand, harming a donor or taking someone against their will, grab them by the throat and kick their barbaric asses to the sidewalk. Anyone who has a problem with that, find me, and I will be sure to make an example of them. You all may enjoy your evening, but remember that you are on coven duty, first and foremost, so anyone who does not fulfill their roles will answer to me. Am I clear?”
A collection of agreements were uttered and Lena dismissed them, leaving us alone.
“Get your mask on,” Lena commanded, pointing her finger to my chest, “and if you disappoint me tonight or cause a scene, I will be tempted to fire you.”
I placed a hand over my heart, gasping. “You wound me, princess.”
She narrowed her eyes, huffing. “I am not playing. Keep your shit together this one time. I have afforded you so much leeway these past years, I expect you to keep yourself in check.”
It was difficult not to flinch at her words and the honesty in her tone.
Lena had allowed me more freedom than anyone else in her coven and had covered my tracks countless times during my particularly outlandish nights.
I was remorseful that it had impacted her so much, but it equally hurt that she did not have enough faith in me to behave when this was something so incredibly important to her. Had I truly broken her trust so much?
I bowed at the waist. “You have my word. I will be on my best behavior.”
The air was charged with anticipation and exhilaration.
It was unlike anything I had ever felt or witnessed, and it was intoxicating.
Like the night on the bayou that had changed me completely, both humans and supernaturals alike danced and mingled as though there was no divide between them.
For one evening, everyone was equal in their desire to dance with darkness.
It was debauchery in its finest element, and I was bathing in it.
The man beside me, my plaything of the week, let his hands roam over me, whispering promises of pleasures he’d yet to achieve. He was fine, but nobody hit the spot that connected sex, lust, and love together—only one man could do that for me.
The thought of Levette both aroused and angered me.
I wanted to fuck him and fight him; to kiss him and tear him apart.
I could do neither and would not allow myself to even think of visiting him while I was home.
Still, it did not stop me from imagining thousands of scenarios that usually ended with us in bed together, blood smeared across our naked bodies as we tangled in the sheets.
“Be quiet,” I told the man, sinking my fangs into his throat. He moaned, and I gulped down his blood with a contented sigh. His hand found its way to the front of my pants, and I allowed him a few movements before I pushed him off. “Not here. This is not a whorehouse.”
He pouted but nodded, slumping into the wall.
I guided him to a chair, giving him a crystal glass filled with some sort of alcohol.
How Lena had found a bootlegger was beyond my understanding, but I knew better than to underestimate her.
She always got what she wanted, and keeping everyone happy this evening meant it would lead to success for her, and success meant power.
I left my plaything to his drink and did a sweep around the room, making sure everyone was playing nicely.
Lena had excelled herself, recruiting a variety of humans to fill the vampires’ eclectic taste of blood.
The mortals were dancing around with their chosen bloodsucker, high on the ecstasy that vampire venom provided.
Catching sight of Lena standing beside the band, I made my way over to her.
I bowed at the waist, dramatically inclining my hand to ask her to dance.
She smacked it away with a hint of a smile, continuing to watch the scene unfold before her.
All her hard work was paying off, and I prayed that she was proud of herself.
“You look pleased,” I asserted, pulling her into a half-hug. “Is my boss lady happy?”
She smirked and inclined her head towards the dance floor. “Yes, I am. Do you see that? Cohabitation. Equality. Promiscuity. Could you imagine a life like this? Where we are not hidden away and told that we are the demons feasting on the night. A life where vampires can own their power.”
“It sounds…picturesque. You truly think it could work?”
“I have no idea. But I have hope, and that is something I thought had left me decades ago.”
“Then I believe in it, too.”
Lena smiled, that beautiful smile that was so often locked away behind her cold exterior. It made me happy to see her proud of herself, to have some of that fear she harbored locked away.
Just as I was about to ask her if anyone had yet stepped out of line, the hair on my body stood on end. I turned around and saw a group of vampires entering the ball. Even though I could not see clearly through the crowd and mix of masks and feathers, my body knew: Levette was here.
I turned back to look at Lena who shrugged. “He had cheap moonshine.”
“You bitch,” I snapped, pulling away from her. “Why would you invite him here?”
Lena stepped closer, her toes touching mine as she invaded my space.
“Because you are acting like a child without him. I thought you would snap out of it, but no! Instead, you are half in, half out. Split between loving him and loyalty to the coven, to me. Consider it a gift; I relinquish your duty. I love you as my friend more than I honor you as one of my underlings, so let me do this for you. Let me free one of the burdens on your soul.”
It felt as though she had slapped me across the face with a burning fireplace poker.
If that was what she truly thought, it meant she had not understood anything I had shared with her.
She was passing me back off to him like I was an orphaned child desperate to be looked after.
I did not need her charity or pity, or for her to hand me back to the person who’d broken me just because I had become too much of a problem for her.
“You are dismissing me? I am no longer part of your coven?” I asked, hating that the hurt was clear in my voice.
Lena shook her head. “What? No. Warren, you are always part of my coven, my family. I am just sick of seeing you hurt yourself as punishment for loving him. You feel like you have to choose; I am making it so that you do not. Be free and in love. If I could, it’s what I would choose.”
She reached out to place her hand on my cheek, but I pulled away, shaking my head.
“You understand nothing, and that hurts more than anything. This was never just about him. The fact that you are so clueless proves to me that you have never tried to listen or understand.” I took a deep breath, pulling my mask back over my eyes.
“Fine. You are free of the burden I have caused you. I will ask nothing of you from here on out.”
I spun on my heel and stormed back to my mortal meal, leaving Lena in my wake. If she wanted me to run back to Levette, she had another thing coming. I did not need either of them.
“Warren, are you okay?” the human asked, standing up from his seat.
I grabbed his hand and pulled him onto the dancefloor. “Be a good pet and hush,” I ordered before sinking my fangs into the soft skin above his collarbone.
The bounce of the music pulsed through the room, covered only by the thudding beat of human hearts around the room. Senses were heightened, and my fangs were on full display, ready to sink into whatever willing mortal passed by.
I could feel him as I moved around the room, his eyes on me everywhere I went. I was desperate to turn, to see him as he watched me. Our souls were connected, even if we were trying so hard to fight it.