Chapter 13 #2
Autumn steps out in the middle of the group, next to Gaius’s hopeful novicant.
James, I think the guy’s name is. He’s been hanging around Gaius for ages, hoping Gaius will finally turn him.
But why would Gaius transform a perfectly useful human who does his bidding into another expendable vampire warrior?
He won’t do it. I pity the poor asshole, always have.
Xander holds out his arm to Autumn, who takes it. He marches her to me. Just as they reach me, the chandelier goes dark, all candles doused.
A human gasps in fear.
The vampires, of course, can still see in the darkness. Autumn’s face goes slack with surprise and she clings to Xander’s arm.
“What’s happening?” she whispers.
“She shouldn’t be here,” I say.
Autumn looks as if I’ve struck her. “I’m sorry, I thought—Xander said—”
“I don’t blame you, love,” I say, gathering her to me and away from Xander’s grasp. “Let’s sit down.”
“I can’t see anything,” she whispers.
“We’re with you,” Xander says.
I shoot him a look over the top of Autumn’s head. Now he’s with her? After days of avoidance?
Several other vampires have found humans to drink from, and they’ve settled into sofas or pressed their humans against walls to slake their thirst. I don’t plan on drinking from Autumn tonight, although I can see and smell that Xander has already done so.
I grudgingly admit to myself that it was a smart move.
She’s unclaimed, but she still wears his mark.
I nuzzle her neck. Breathe her in. “Sweet little love,” I murmur.
“Why is it dark?” she asks.
“Blood banquets always are,” I say. “It’s tradition.”
“Tradition rooted in frightening the humans, sadly,” Xander says.
I run my teeth over the edge of her ear. She whimpers, a needy little sound. Makes me hard. This isn’t the place, though. Not for this. But the scent of blood is heavy in the room, and the wet sounds of vampires taking their pleasure in drink fill my ears. Autumn’s ass is nestled against my cock.
I wouldn’t take her here. Not where other vampires could plainly see what we’re doing.
But I want to. Fuck, do I want to.
Xander does, too. I can see it in the way he stands close, in the way he holds out a hand. He wants to touch her, but he closes his fist, refusing.
Dumbass.
Movement in the corner of my eye grabs my focus at the same time Xander straightens up. Gaius is approaching, and he stops next to us.
“Why aren’t you drinking from the other pets?” Gaius asks. “There is such a delightful selection here tonight, and what better place to try a variety than a blood banquet?”
“I haven’t seen anyone yet who excites my thirst,” I tell him. It’s the truth. I only want Autumn.
She is so warm, so alive in my lap. Even though she keeps herself motionless. Expressionless.
“You told me this one isn’t your amant,” Gaius says. “You could drink from anyone. I would even let you drink from Freya.”
It’s considered the highest honor to share an amant with a vampire who isn’t a part of one’s triad.
“That is most kind,” I say, “and I’m honored by the offer. But tonight I’m afraid I must decline.”
“Alexander?” Gaius says.
“I already have my fangs set on our pet,” Xander says, eyeing Autumn with a warning in his gaze. Wordlessly asking her not to respond to the “pet” comment.
“Very well.” Gaius sounds displeased.
He’s displeased? Too fucking bad. Even if I could bring myself to drink from another human’s veins tonight, the very idea of it hurts Autumn, and I could never do that to her.
Gaius moves on. “There you are, James.”
I glance over to see the human man standing still in the darkness.
“Yes, sir.”
“Join me and Freya.”
There’s no mention of Benjamin, Gaius’s frerte, and the slight will definitely be felt by Benjamin. Gaius’s triad doesn’t make sense to me. Never has. I can understand Autumn’s humiliation kink—she likes to be embarrassed and comforted afterward. But Gaius is cruel to Benjamin.
I suppose if it works for them, all right. But I could never treat Autumn that way. I wouldn’t be able to watch it happen to her, either.
“When can we leave?” Autumn asks, wriggling a little in my lap.
“Soon, love.”
And it will have to be soon. Blood banquets are, by their nature, violent.
They begin tame, the humans sometimes drugged with médusant to keep them quiet and docile.
But place any number of vampires in a room full of blood, and it’s like setting sharks free in an ocean full of chum.
It’s rare for humans to die. Not unheard of, though.
For now, I hold Autumn in my lap. My arms are tight around her. I nuzzle her neck, breathe her in. Within this room of chaos, she is my anchor.
The sounds of feeding grow louder, more violent. There’s a groan, a slice. The scent of fresh blood spilled.
“Will,” Xander says, his voice a warning.
Fuck. The banquet is twisting into a perversion of violence and cruelty. It happened faster than I expected. A man shouts in pain, then groans. Autumn’s eyes widen in fear. She can’t see what’s happening, she’s scared.
“Time to go,” I say.
Xander is already gathering Autumn from my lap. Rather than try to lead her through the maze of sofas and the people on them, he picks her up, cradles her in his arms.
We weave through the room, eyes on the doorway leading out.
I’m glad it’s too dark for Autumn to see.
There’s blood everywhere. Even when I can’t see it, I can smell it.
One human is held limp and motionless in a vampire’s embrace, his head lolling to the side while the vampire continues to drink.
The human’s heart is still beating. Faintly.
“Stop,” I tell the vampire, tapping on her shoulder. “He’s going to die.”
The vampire blinks up at me, her eyes sleepy. She’s blood-drunk. “Die?” she repeats, sounding confused. Hell. Maybe she has médusant in her system, too. It doesn’t often travel from a human’s bloodstream to a vampire’s, but it isn’t unheard of if the dosage is high enough.
“Yes. Or he’ll die. Release him now.”
“Okay.” She lets him go. He slumps against her lap.
It will have to be enough. I can’t do anything else for the man. Not if we hope to get Autumn out of here safely and quickly.
When Xander reaches the door, he abruptly stops. If it weren’t for my quick reflexes, I would have bumped into him.
Benjamin stands at the doorway, arms across his chest. “Gaius thought you might try to leave early.”