Chapter 5
Chapter
Five
Iswear this mansion gets bigger every time I see it. I practically break my neck craning my head back to stare as I climb the front steps, the towering stone facade gleaming beneath the silvery moonlight like something from a dream.
As far as homes go, this one is completely fucking ridiculous.
It’s less house, more gothic billionaire fever dream, complete with turrets, balconies, and floor-to-ceiling windows that spill light across perfectly manicured grounds.
Tucked away on a private estate outside the city, it’s close enough to commute but secluded enough to feel like another world entirely.
Fitting, I suppose, for the home of a vampire king.
I still remember the first time I came here.
Months ago, for a donor gala hosted by Bite.
Taylor and I arrived in dresses we definitely couldn’t afford, prepared to drink expensive champagne and make a small fortune off ancient predators dressed in couture.
That’s the night we met James Devereaux, the elusive vampire king of the northeast who lives in this monstrosity of a mansion.
Impossibly gorgeous, filthy rich, and rumored to never feed from the same human twice.
Until Taylor.
One bite, and suddenly the immortal psycho was obsessed with my best friend.
Tay’s blood didn’t just taste good to James, it was downright addictive. The more he fed from her, the stronger he became. Turns out, there’s some ancient blood bond bullshit tying them together– like fate decided vampires deserve soulmates, too.
Sounds romantic in theory.
In reality, it’s dangerous as hell.
Apparently, blood bonds were thought to be extinct, and if the wrong vampires find out about Taylor and James, shit will hit the fan. To avoid putting targets on both their backs, the whole thing stays locked down tighter than government secrets.
Or at least it was supposed to.
Vincent seemed suspicious about their relationship, and apparently that’s enough to send everyone into panic mode.
The second I told Taylor about the way he interrogated me, she tattled to James.
Less than an hour later, one of his stupid luxury cars was waiting outside my apartment to bring me here.
The massive front doors of the mansion swing open before I can knock, and James’ butler is waiting on the other side in his usual immaculate black suit, his posture stiff as a corpse.
The guy’s expression never changes– not even the slightest twitch of emotion.
He’s human, but I swear he’s creepier than half the vampires I’ve met.
“Hey, Huxley,” I greet cheerfully as I step past him, beaming a grin. “Looking emotionally unavailable as ever tonight.”
As usual, he doesn’t reply. He doesn’t even fucking blink.
Taylor told me months ago that Huxley’s mute, but I remain convinced I’ll eventually annoy him into speaking out of sheer spite. If anyone can make a man talk, it’s me– so I continue chattering as he leads me deeper into the mansion, my boots squeaking against the polished marble floor.
“You know, one of these days you’re gonna crack and say something to me,” I tease.
Huxley doesn’t break stride, his blank stare trained ahead.
“I bet you secretly talk all the time when nobody’s around.”
He gives me nothing, but the faint sound of piano music drifts through the halls, growing louder the farther we walk.
It’s soft and elegant; haunting in a way that makes the whole atmosphere of this place feel even more obscenely lush.
Huxley finally comes to a stop outside a pair of open doors to the room where the music’s coming from, gesturing inside before disappearing down the hall like a Victorian ghost.
When I look into the piano room, it feels like gazing upon a movie scene.
Moonlight spills through towering windows, a fire crackles low in the marble fireplace, and at the center of it all, James is seated at the massive grand piano, his long fingers moving over the keys with lazy confidence.
Taylor’s curled sideways in his lap, her head resting against his shoulder while he plays.
It’s annoyingly adorable.
The song comes to a slow finish, the final notes lingering in the room. Then James lifts one hand from the keys, curls his fingers around Taylor’s chin, and turns her face toward his, capturing her lips in a slow, possessive kiss.
She melts into it instantly. One hand slides into his white-blond hair as she shifts closer, her head tilting to deepen the kiss. James grips her hips, guiding one leg over so she’s straddling his waist. The air in the room rapidly thickens, so sexually charged I swear I can almost taste it.
Before things escalate further, I clear my throat loudly to announce my presence.
Taylor startles, breaking the kiss and whipping toward me with wide eyes.
“Bex!” she exclaims, her entire face lighting up as she launches herself off James’ lap. She rushes over to greet me, throwing her arms around me hard enough to nearly knock us both over.
I laugh and squeeze her just as tight.
God, I’ve missed her.
My eyes slip closed as I breathe her in, not quite ready to let go. She still uses the same floral-scented shampoo, but I swear she smells different now. Expensive, like James.
When we finally pull apart, her expression immediately shifts from excited to worried.
“Are you okay?” she asks, her brow creasing in concern.
“Psh, I’m fine,” I scoff, leaning around her to peer toward James and wiggling my fingers in a little wave. “Hey, Dracula.”
He acknowledges me with the barest incline of his head, looking exactly as thrilled to see me as I am him.
Taylor glances between us with the exhausted look of someone all too used to refereeing this dynamic. “I’ll get drinks,” she offers quickly, turning to start for the bar cart.
“Whiskey!” I call after her, knowing James always stocks the expensive kind that’s been aged for decades and goes down oh-so-smooth.
“I’ve got it,” he murmurs, already rising from the piano bench to head her off.
She shoots him an appreciative smile, veering instead toward the seating area across from the fireplace and waving for me to follow. I do, flopping down beside her on a plush velvet sofa right as a dark shadow darts across the room.
“What the…?” I gasp, clapping a hand to my chest before realization dawns. “Ozzy!”
Taylor’s kitten launches himself onto the couch beside me like a furry missile. He’s even bigger than the last time I saw him, all oversized paws and fluffy black fur with bright gold eyes.
“Well hello to you too, tiny demon,” I chuckle, scruffing his fur as he starts climbing me like a tree. “Tay, he’s gotten huge.”
“Yep, and even more mischievous," she replies fondly, reaching over to scratch behind his ear. “James says he’s feral.”
“I said he’s evil,” James corrects from the bar cart across the room.
Ozzy chooses that exact moment to sink his teeth into my finger, making me yelp.
“Yeah,” I choke, prying him loose and swatting him away. “He’s definitely your child, James.”
James shoots me an unamused look as he returns with drinks, handing me a crystal tumbler of whiskey before passing another to Taylor. Then he settles into the armchair across from us, stretching his long legs out in front of him.
Tay takes one sip of her drink, then gets up and drifts toward James as if pulled by gravity itself.
He hooks an arm around her waist, tugging her down sideways onto his lap, and she immediately relaxes against him, one hand resting absently against his chest while he drapes a possessive arm over her thighs.
Ozzy hops up to join them, stretching across the back of the chair, and the visual is honestly absurd.
A terrifying vampire king, his gorgeous soulmate draped across his lap, and their black kitten perched behind them like a gargoyle.
Definitely a Hallmark moment.
“I heard about your incident,” James murmurs as he raises his drink, eyeing me over the rim of the glass.
I take a slow sip of my whiskey, suddenly feeling like I’ve been summoned to the principal’s office. “I didn’t tell him anything,” I reply, licking my lips.
James studies me, his icy blue eyes unblinking. “Be that as it may, the fact someone asked at all confirms there are rumors circulating. Clearly, you’ve been connected to Taylor. Meaning you’ll be targeted to get to us.”
“They can ask all they want,” I huff, reclining back and crossing one leg over the other. “I’m not saying shit.”
He frowns, clearly unimpressed. “Maybe not intentionally, but that doesn’t mean it won’t happen. Some vampires are capable of making you say things without even realizing.”
“With what, their mind control powers?” I snort.
“Exactly,” he deadpans.
I roll my eyes, but I don’t miss the way Taylor shifts slightly against his chest, her jaw tightening.
She knows something.
More importantly, it’s obviously something that she chose not to share, which is bullshit because we used to tell each other everything.
Seriously, fuck James Deveraux for claiming my bestie as his blood-bonded soulmate and disrupting our dynamic.
I cut him a glare, but he just goes on, completely unbothered.
“I assume you’re aware that all vampires have supernatural gifts,” he continues, his long fingers idly caressing Taylor’s thigh. “Speed, strength, enhanced senses…”
“Yeah,” I interrupt. “I’m familiar.”
He tilts his head, those steely blue eyes sharpening. “But did you know that beyond the norm, a rare few possess additional gifts?”
My brows lift in surprise despite myself. “Like what?”
He takes a slow sip of his drink, seemingly drawing this out just to annoy me. “Some have telepathic traits,” he finally murmurs. “Others, psychic abilities, or enhanced cognition…”
“Like Dr. Faulkner,” Taylor chimes in, darting me a glance. “You met him at the last donor gala, remember? He’s basically a genius.”