by Elena Gray
The fact that he could understand what I was going through somehow comforted me. He seemed like the kind of guy who had it together, but if he was hiding something... It proved that we all hid behind masks, even if they were figurative.
I turned back toward him and smiled. “Thank you for inviting me tonight. Even though we didn’t get to spend much time together, I did have fun.”
“I’m glad you decided to stay.”
“You didn’t tell me that this party was going to be so crazy.”
“Yeah. About that...” He left the couch and approached me. “I should have made sure you had my number. Then I could have met you at the door when you got here.”
“It’s been an interesting evening.” What an understatement, but I didn’t want to dredge up the rest. Most of it was embarrassing, anyway.
“What did you think when you got here?”
I glanced up at the twenty-foot ceiling with wooden beams that crossed along the top. This was the smallest room I’d entered tonight. “I was serious about leaving when I saw how gigantic this house was. Before I even stepped inside, I thought it was amazing. This is the first time I’ve been in a house this big.”
“Yeah. This place belongs to my friend, Ashton. It’s one of many he has around the world.”
“What does he do? He must have some job to be able to afford all of this.”
“It’s old money. His family has been wealthy for many generations.”
“Hey, speaking of the owner. Does he have a dog? He’s black and stands about this high.” I held my hand by my waist.
Trevor shifted his stance and leaned against the wall to study me. “Why do you ask?”
His delayed response had me worried, especially when his eyes locked on mine. I hoped something hadn’t happened to the dog. If it weren’t for the stupid security guy, I might have found the owners before Curtis could run his mouth.
“I met this gigantic dog earlier. He was beautiful and friendly, but he ended up biting some jerk. The guy deserved it. The dog was only trying to protect me. I just don’t want animal control called.”
Trevor stiffened and his hands fisted at his sides. “Protect you? Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” I replied, waving him off. “He didn’t lay a hand on me. It’s the dog I’m worried about.”
“I don’t think you have to worry about him.”
How was he so sure? Perhaps he knew the guy taunting the dog. It’s possible this wasn’t the first time it had happened. For some reason, I had the feeling he knew the dog I was talking about. “Do you know Midnight? Is he okay?”
“Midnight, huh?” His brows rose. “Is that your nickname for him?”
“I wasn’t about to call him what the other guy called him. So what’s his real name?”
“Rogue.”
“Rogue? Hmm. That actually fits. He didn’t take any crap from the guy harassing me.” Now that we were talking about the dog, I realized how much I missed him. I’d always wanted a dog, but Mike was allergic. The first thing I was going to do tomorrow was visit a shelter and hopefully find a dog to adopt.
“I’m glad Rogue was there for you when I couldn’t be,” Trevor said, smiling.
“It’s not your fault. You didn’t even know I was coming.”
“This place can be a little overwhelming. I was looking forward to showing you around.”
If I had just said yes when he first asked me, we wouldn’t be having this conversation.
“Next time I’ll let you pick me up,” I said.
His eyes widened. “So you want a next time?”
“Maybe,” I replied, lowering my eyes to my clasped hands. Seeing the dried blood on my skin reminded me of the cut on my palm.
Trevor moved away from the wall and reached for my hand. He held it a moment before turning it over and rubbing his thumb over the red line on my palm. My stomach fluttered at his touch and I suddenly found it hard to breathe.
“What happened?” he asked.
I pulled my gaze from our hands and met concerned eyes. What had we been talking about? I needed to rein in my hormones so I could focus on his question. Oh, my hand. How had it healed already, especially with how much it had bled?
“Uh, it’s nothing. Earlier, I dropped my glass and cut myself.” I didn’t need to go into detail about my confrontation with Ruby. She might be one of his friends. Though I hoped he had better taste in friends than her.
His attention shifted to the window for a moment, then back to me. “Looks like you’re a fast healer.”
“I’ve never healed this fast in my life. Maybe the cut wasn’t as deep as I thought.”
“When I found you, I saw you heading outside with a guy. Do you know him?”
If I hadn’t been studying him so closely, I would have missed the way his eyes darkened. Did he think I was leaving the party with someone else? Had I made him jealous?
“Oh, him. No, I never met him before tonight. I think he might be security. I may have had a few incidents since arriving, but I swear I didn’t go looking for trouble. Somehow, it managed to find me. More than once. I hope it won’t cause a problem between you and Ashton.”
Trevor narrowed his eyes as he leaned in closer. “What made you think that guy was security? Did he tell you that?”
“No. I just assumed he was after he dragged me into the hallway and told me I needed to leave. He said I didn’t belong here. Were you not supposed to invite a guest?”
“That’s not what he meant.” Trevor released my hand and walked away from me. He didn’t stop until he stood in front of the fireplace, his full focus on the crackling flames. The loss of his touch left me feeling cold. Was he upset with me because security had gotten involved?
“I’m really sorry, Trevor. If you need me to explain to your friend what happened, I will. I’ve never been to a party like this, and I wasn’t sure how the whole role-playing thing worked. Somehow I managed to put my foot in my mouth every time.”
He glanced back at me. “Role-playing?”
“Yeah. I didn’t realize dressing as a witch meant that I had to act like one. Everyone seemed to be really into it.”
“I see...” He grew quiet as his gaze returned to the fire. “Do you know why I asked you here, Claire?”
“Uh…I assumed you needed a last-minute date.”
He shook his head. “I had no intention of asking anyone else. It just took me a while to get up the nerve to ask you.”
As much as I wanted to reply, I was at a loss for words. Was Trevor admitting that he was interested in me? Part of me wanted clarification, but I didn’t get the chance to ask.
Trevor tipped his head toward the door. “Did you notice anything different tonight? I mean about the people here?”
“Well, yeah. Some were funny, some were bold, and some were friendly. A few others were kind of aggressive or rude.”
He nodded, as if he was agreeing with me. “Other than their personalities, what did you think?”
I replayed his question in my mind. Was he looking for a particular response? It felt almost like a trick. “The costumes are amazing. I felt a little underdressed compared to everyone else. Some of them look realistic. I actually pissed off a witch because she didn’t like my costume.”
Thinking of my costume reminded me that I still hadn’t found my hat or my phone. I might never get it back. The security guy had promised to send it to me if I left, but here I was. Still at the party.
And with Trevor here with me, I no longer had any interest in leaving.
Trevor scrubbed his hand over his face before closing the gap between us. “The reason I asked you here was so I could tell you something.”
I held up my hand. “Trevor, can you hold that thought? I lost my phone earlier. I really need to find it.”
He looked torn, like finishing our conversation was the most important thing. I wanted to hear what he had to say, but the longer I waited to search for my phone, the less chance I had of finding
it.
Before I could explain why this was so important to me, Trevor released a breath. “Why don’t I go look for your phone and you wait here. Since you’re a magnet for mischief, you’re safer in this room. Then I can take you home.”
The disappointment on his face caused my face to heat. Guilt gnawed at me. We were just getting to know each other. He’d been on the verge of telling me something important to him, and I stopped him. After tonight, I’d be lucky if he ever talked to me again. I had to fix this.
“Just because we leave doesn’t mean the night has to end,” I said in a rush. “If you’d like, you can come back to my place and have a drink. We can finish our conversation there.”
Trevor smiled, but it didn’t seem to reach his eyes. “Sounds good. I’ll meet you back here in a few.”
When he closed the door behind him, my shoulders sagged in defeat. Why couldn’t I let finding my stupid phone go? It just may have cost me whatever chance I might have had with Trevor. If I didn’t know better, I’d think someone had put a curse on me.
Chapter 7
I continued to pace the room as I waited for Trevor to return. He’d left twenty minutes ago, and as patient as I was, the blood on my hand made me nauseous. I wanted to wash it off. At least it made my costume a little more realistic. Instead of a naughty witch, I looked like one who’d made a sacrifice.
A house this size had to have a bathroom nearby. I crossed the room and inched the door open. A glance up and down the hallway reassured me there was no one else in sight, not even Trevor. And if I was lucky, the security guy would be preoccupied with someone else. I could sneak down the hall, find the bathroom, and make it back to the study without anyone noticing.
As I slipped into the hall, I closed the door behind me and tiptoed toward the opposite end. The first couple of doors were locked. The next turned out to be a closet. I tried a couple on the other side of the hall, but all I found was another closet, an office, and what appeared to be a sitting room.
There were only two doors left. What were the odds the last one I picked would be the bathroom? With the way my luck was going, the odds were good. Opening the first of the two, I was mortified to find I had intruded on two people getting it on.
The girl was straddling a guy, while his head was buried in her neck. She was moaning and squirming, but all of her clothes were on. It looked like I’d intruded on their foreplay.
As I backed toward the door, the guy’s head lifted, revealing sharp fangs dripping with blood. His eyes locked with mine and I stood frozen. No matter how much I willed my feet to move, they remained cemented to the floor.
In a flash he had tossed the girl on the floor and slammed the door behind me, trapping me in the room with them. I had no idea how he could move that fast, and I didn’t want to stick around to find out. No amount of special effects could fake that.
When he walked back around me, he sniffed the air, then gripped my wrist as he pulled my bloody hand toward his nose. Inhaling, he released a long sigh.
His gaze returned to mine, and I took in his striking features. His jet-black hair was secured in a bun, his eyes were so icy blue, they almost looked white, and his lips…damn, those looked kissable.
His tongue darted out, licking the dried blood off my palm. My breath came out in short gasps. This wasn’t real. I must have hit my head and I was dreaming, because vampires definitely weren’t real. Only this guy felt real. The warmth of his tongue and the scrape of his teeth confirmed it.
“I...I thought this was the bathroom.” I was such an idiot. Of all the things to say, I chose that. I really didn’t do well under pressure. I wanted to tell him that the blood on my hand was real and not fake. But I was too embarrassed to say anything. He would be disgusted if he knew the truth.
“I guess today is my lucky day, then.” His thumb rubbed over the faint red line on my palm, the movement oddly comforting.
How did I keep finding myself in these situations? The security guard was right. I should have left when he told me to. I definitely did not belong here. While playing the game had been fun in the beginning, as the night wore on, role-playing had become weirder and weirder.
I managed to pull my hand out of his grasp and I backed toward the door. “Actually, I’m not feeling very well.” I reached behind me, blindly searching for the doorknob. “I think the bathroom is the next door over.”
There was some kinky shit going on in this room and I wanted no part of it. Whatever cult they were in, I had no desire to become a member.
The guy closed the distance between us, boxing me in against the door. His fingers trailed down my cheek, only stopping when he reached the curve of my neck.
“I don’t think it was a mistake that you found me.” He leaned closer, his lips brushing my ear as he asked, “Do you believe in fate?”
My heart hammered in my chest. For the first time tonight, I felt afraid. I looked to the woman leaning against the wall for help, but the only thing she was paying attention to, was her phone. She was sitting there covered in whatever they’d used to mimic blood and she was surfing the web. Didn’t she want to clean that goop off?
“Do you?” he repeated.
I swallowed the giant lump in my throat. Did he really expect me to answer that? “I...I guess so.”
He inhaled a long and deep breath. “Did you know that every person has their own scent? Just the same as we all have unique fingerprints and DNA.”
I didn’t need a science lesson from this guy. What I wanted was to get the hell out of this room. If I attempted to escape, he would stop me. I had no doubt in my mind.
“Your scent is enticing,” he said, licking his lips. “I can see the pulse in your neck throbbing, as your blood pumps harder to your heart.”
No shit. I was in fight or flight mode right now.
“I really need to go,” I said, forcing a fake smile to my lips.
Just as I suspected, the second I attempted to move, he pressed his body against mine, pinning me to the door. He lifted a strand of my hair and rubbed it between his fingers. “I can’t let you go. Not after I’ve had a taste.”
Drinking my blood was not an option, pretend or not. I thought about screaming for help, but with the loud music, there was no way anyone would hear me. I could only hope that Trevor would return to the study, find me missing, and come looking for me.
“My friends are waiting for me,” I said. “I really should get back to the party.”
“The party is in here, little one, not out there.”
I glanced over his shoulder at the girl he’d thrown from his lap earlier. Her nose was still in her phone. Maybe if I reminded him she was in here, he would back off.
“Listen, I didn’t mean to interrupt, and I’m not into threesomes. You two can carry on with whatever you were doing without me.”
My fingers brushed the knob. I clutched and twisted it, but Mr. Tall, Dark, and Creepy grabbed my other wrist. Then he brought my hand closer to his face. Each second he spent studying it left me curious as to what he was thinking.
Before I could ask, he placed his lips around my index finger and sucked on it. My instincts screamed at me to jerk my hand free, but I was too paralyzed by fear, especially when I felt the sharp tip of his fang. Then there was a tiny prick that caused me to wince.
When I yanked my finger out of his mouth, a speck of blood appeared.
“Oops.” His deep tone sent goosebumps cascading over my skin. He didn’t seem to notice. My finger still held his attention. More blood slid down.
What the hell? He actually bit me.
I shoved my hands against his chest, my blood smearing on his shirt. It was like slamming into a brick wall. He smiled and reached for me again. I ducked under his arm and ran to the other door in the room. Yanking it open, I found an empty closet.
Shit.
I needed another way out. I searched the room and the only other option was the window. We were on the first floor, so I wouldn’t break a leg
.
I didn’t even get a chance to open the curtain. Hands gripped my shoulders and spun me around until I was face to face with the vampire. I stomped on his foot and he didn’t even flinch. Was this guy made of stone?
“Little one, there’s no need to be afraid. I would never hurt you.” His blue eyes began to darken until they were pools of sapphire. It had to be a trick of the light, or maybe he was wearing some kind of high-tech contacts.
Whatever was going on with his eyes, I couldn’t tear my gaze away.
“Who are you?” I whispered, leaning closer to him. He thought I smelled good. He was the one who smelled amazing. There was something about his cologne that had me inhaling a deep breath.
Warmth snaked its way through my veins and my head felt weightless.
“I’m your destiny.” He released my shoulder and circled his fingers around my wrist. Lifting my hand to his mouth, he stuck the tip of his tongue out and licked the trail of blood from my finger to my wrist. His eyes closed, and he moaned. Wait, did I moan too? No. No. No. This was so wrong. I needed to stop him, but part of me wanted to know what it would feel like for him to lick other parts of my body.
I opened my mouth to speak, but all that came out was another moan. What the hell was he doing to me? The way his lips brushed my skin while he stared at me with hooded eyes made my body heat.
He lifted his head from my arm and a hint of a smile formed on his lips. “Ready to join the party now?”
Deep down, a voice inside told me to shake my head and demand he let me out of this room. Instead, I lost myself in his deep blue eyes. He gripped my hip with one hand while sweeping the other up my arm and over my shoulder, until he reached my neck.
“I promise, you won’t feel any pain,” he said. “Relax.”
The last time a guy spoke those words to me was when I lost my virginity to Billy Porter in the bed of his pickup truck. And it was a damn lie. That shit hurt.
Now, this fake vampire wanted to sink his teeth into me. To believe it was fangs would mean I believed he was actually a vampire. They didn't exist, except in the movies. This guy was either a weirdo with a fetish for drinking blood, or he was a deranged serial killer.
