Chapter 13
Autumn
I suck in a breath of surprise, and Xander flicks his gaze to the side.
“Will,” he says in greeting.
Will simply nods. It’s a single movement of his chin, but it reveals so much to me. His anger, his disappointment…his defeat? No, that’s not right. Resignation.
I stare at him as Xander and I walk past, our steps taking us directly to Gaius Black.
This entire night is going to be a shitshow. I’ve been to hundreds of functions, galas, and other fancy parties with Dale and his powerful friends. They were never fun—I always felt hollow afterward, as if I’d been wearing a mask for hours and playing a part in a strange charade.
But this? This is unpleasant on a whole new level. I never should have come.
Will’s expression tells me everything. What has happened tonight sets the stage for so much more.
Xander and I reach Gaius. I’m now face-to-beard with the man. His gray eyes seem even colder as he smiles, flashing his fangs.
“Gaius, thank you for the invitation,” Xander says.
“This must be your plaything,” Gaius says, his pale eyes raking me in a way that makes me want to squirm and hide myself. “You didn’t say it was such a beauty.”
It? Oh, fuck this guy. I know not to open my mouth, though. If he’s hoping to get a rise out of me, he’s going to be disappointed.
A couple of men stand near Gaius. One is a vampire, and I wonder if he’s Gaius’s frerte, Benjamin.
He’s tall and lanky, with hooded dark eyes and blond hair that looks like it needs to be washed.
He reminds me of Sutton McGrath, one of Dale’s closest friends—if you can say anyone can be called a friend of Dale’s.
Sutton isn’t distasteful or outwardly displeasing, but there’s a slimy aspect to him, and this other guy has the same quality or aura.
Clarissa and I nicknamed him Slimy Sutton.
The other man is shorter. He seems younger, and he’s human. I would’ve expected to see Gaius’s amant, Freya, but this guy definitely isn’t her. He has a single piercing in his ear, and the other ear’s lobe is torn, like someone once ripped out an earring and it healed wrong.
Gaius stares at my neck. “It appears you couldn’t wait for the banquet, Alexander. Tsk, tsk. Did you spoil your appetite?”
“Not at all, old friend,” Xander says with a hearty laugh that just sounds wrong coming from Xander. “I only took a little nip.”
Gaius still hasn’t looked away from me. I shift from foot to foot, uncomfortable with the attention, and with the cold chips of gray ice that are his eyes.
“James,” Gaius finally says, “would you escort this plaything to the parlor until the banquet?”
“Of course, sir.” James nods and bows to Gaius, then turns to me. “Come along.”
James is objectively handsome with his square jaw and tousled, sandy brown hair. In a room full of sexy vampires, his good looks don’t count for much. The biggest appeal to me is his humanity, though, because it makes him safe.
I send a parting look to Xander, who is focused intently on something Gaius is saying. He ignores my exit. I can’t take it personally. There is more going on here than I will probably ever comprehend.
Will, though, watches after me as I leave with James, his eyes full of fear. I thought I knew why he didn’t want to bring me to this banquet, but I didn’t truly know until now. He’s terrified. No amount of explanations could have made this clearer to me than seeing his face now.
James takes me to a room adjoining the ballroom, where several other humans stand or sit, drinking from delicate champagne flutes or selecting hors d'oeuvres from silver platters displayed throughout the room.
I stand still, looking around at the expensive furniture, the oil paintings hung on the walls in gilt frames, the careful—and carefully rich—decor.
Someone nearby calls James’s name. He gives me an apologetic nod. “I’ll be right back.”
“Take your time,” I murmur, because this entire situation is weird as fuck, and I don’t mind taking a minute to get my bearings.
I find a tray of champagne flutes and select a glass. At the first sip, I feel myself relax, the tension easing from my shoulders.
When I start to take another sip, James comes rushing over. He shoots his hand out, cautioning me with a touch to my wrist.
“I wouldn’t,” he says.
I freeze. “Oh. Um, why not?”
James gestures toward a pair of chairs and sits in one, so I sit the other.
“I’m James,” he says, holding out a hand to shake.
I accept the handshake and remember to use my fake name. “Abigail.”
“This is your first blood banquet?” he asks.
“Yeah.”
“I can tell. So you wouldn’t know that the wine and food are laced with a potion called médusant—a potion that helps us forget, dulls pain, and makes us malleable. It’s fine if you want those things, because many of the people here do. But you should at least be informed, first.”
I don’t know what to say to that, except I am deeply grateful that he stopped me from drinking any more. Carefully setting the flute down on a side table next to my chair, I say, “Thank you for telling me.”
“Of course. Your vampires should have told you.”
With a little laugh, I say, “They try to get away with telling me as little as possible. It seems to be a theme among us.”
He looks down and fiddles with something on his wrist. “This must all be so strange to you. What else do you need to know?”
“I just don’t know what to expect. What happens next? Are they going to march us out there and drink from us?”
“Pretty much.”
My guess was meant to be sarcastic. I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised that I was right, though, what with Gaius talking about Xander spoiling his appetite. Also, heck. The very name of this party, blood banquet. It’s so fucking obvious.
Whatever was in the champagne has me feeling braver than usual, or more loose with my words.
It’s more than the alcohol, too. I definitely got whatever “potion” James mentioned, because I feel loose and floaty.
I shift in my chair, trying to smooth the puffy skirt of my gown beneath my legs, and ask James, “Are you going to feed Gaius? I thought he has an amant.”
“Right. He’ll primarily drink from Freya, of course. But he also enjoys variety, and he enjoys Freya’s jealousy when he bites other men and women.”
This is so freaking weird. I could already guess that Gaius is a manipulative asshole, but this makes it real.
James adjusts the thing on his wrist, running his fingers over it. Seeing me watching him, he says, “You’re wondering about this bracelet.”
“It’s a bracelet? I can’t really see.”
“It was my sister’s,” he blurts.
From the way he phrases it, to the sad expression in his eyes, I immediately understand that she’s dead, or they haven’t seen each other in a very long time. Somehow, she’s out of his life.
“I’m sorry,” I say.
“It’s…I’m healing.” He sighs, blinking quickly.
She’s dead, then. Oh hell, am I making this dude cry? I reach over and touch his forearm, hoping to offer comfort while I blink back tears of my own. “I lost my mom. We never completely get over it, do we?”
“Thanks,” he says. “I’m sorry about your mother. You’re exactly right. The thing is, you look a bit like my sister. She had light brown hair like yours, and hazel eyes. She would have loved the dress you’re wearing.”
“Oh, wow,” I say, because I don’t know what else to say.
He plucks at the bracelet on his wrist. “She would have wanted you to have her bracelet.”
“Oh, no, I couldn’t.” It’s too much. He shouldn’t give me something so special.
“Please. It would honor her. And it could give you strength. Help you remember who you are, what you stand for.”
Well, shit. I imagine myself in his shoes, how I would feel if I met someone who reminded me so strongly of my mom. If I had something of hers I’d want them to have.
Before I can respond, the ornate, carved door opens and a woman steps inside, announcing, “It’s time for the banquet.”
“Here.” James thrusts the bracelet into my hand. “Please.”
Closing my fingers around it, I say, “Thank you. I’m touched, truly.”
He gives me a soft smile. “Wear it always? Remember her?”
I touch the little bracelet. It’s made of leather, with stone and metal beads knotted into place at intervals. It’s actually quite beautiful. “I’ll wear it always,” I promise.
Everyone’s shuffling out of the room, and I have no choice but to join them.
“Be brave,” James says. “Remember who you are.”
Will
Xander talks to Gaius for another minute. I wait off to the side. I’ve already spoken to Gaius. Glad to be done with that chore.
Finally finished with Gaius, Xander makes his way to me. Before I can speak, he says, “I understand, and I still disagree.”
“You don’t fucking understand,” I say in a low voice.
“I do. And you’re wrong.”
“Fuck.” I look away from his face. Can’t stand the sight of him. “You have no idea what danger you’ve put her in.”
“Someone tried to kill me earlier tonight,” he says. “They very nearly succeeded.”
Before I can ask questions, Gaius steps forward, Freya and Benjamin with him. His movement is purposeful. Gaius says, “We may be calling San Esteban our home for a while. William and Alexander have been so kind as to allow us entry to this fair city. Their hospitality will not be forgotten.”
Fuck. Fuck. He knows he’s overstepping. He’s just waiting to see if we do anything about it.
The vampires in the room applaud.
Gaius takes one of Freya’s hands, and Benjamin takes the other. In unison, the two men lean in and bite Freya’s neck, one on either side. Freya’s eyes flutter shut, her brow wrinkling in temporary pain before smoothing into bliss.
Gaius pulls away from her, licking his blood-stained fangs, while Benjamin continues to drink. Raising his voice, Gaius says, “Let the blood banquet begin.”
I barely see Xander move. One moment he’s at my side. The next, he’s waiting in front of the door where Autumn disappeared a few minutes ago.