Kallias glanced at her, chuckling as he noticed the terrified expression on her face. “He just means that the vampires here are different. I told you that already,” he reminded her. “They don’t have to blend in with humans when they’re here, so they tend to be a little less…inhibited. Don’t worry. It’ll be fine.”
Rose didn’t look convinced. “Less inhibited?”
Kallias turned the corner and led the way down the next hallway, as if he’d been there a million times before. “Relax,” he sighed. “The last thing you want to do is freak out and draw attention to yourself. You have to act natural.”
As they continued walking down that hallway, the sound of a low, sultry drumbeat pounded louder and louder, soon accompanied by the sounds of other instruments, until eventually, the sounds blended together into the seductive, bluesy song that played in the room that they were approaching. Rose stiffened in shock halfway down the hallway as she noticed the scent of fresh blood.
“We’re almost there,” Kallias told her, pointing toward the door.
She swallowed as a wave of hunger shot through her. “I smell blood.”
“This is an entire colony of vampires,” he said. “What did you expect?”
“I don’t know if I can do this,” she said worriedly.
“Yes, you can,” Kallias assured her. “Just trust me.”
“This is a bad idea,” Rose muttered as they approached the door.
Kallias turned toward her. “Relax. We’re just going to go in there, ask a few questions about Alana, and then leave. It’s not a big deal. Just act natural.”
“Right,” Rose said, chewing on her lip, “but what exactly is natural?”
Kallias shrugged. “Just act however you’d normally act at a bar.”
“I’ve been to a bar once in my entire life, and I only went then because they invited the honor students from the university for free drinks,” Rose said.
He nodded. “Okay. Then, just do what you did then.”
“I ordered a Diet Coke, and then, I spent the rest of the night in the bathroom, talking to a girl with a Lord of the Rings piercing,” Rose told him.
He frowned. “What?”
“You know? ‘The One Ring to rule them all?’ From the Lord of the Rings?” Rose elaborated. “Well, she had one…in her nose. It was pretty cool, actually.”
“Are you being serious right now?” Kallias asked.
“Oh, it wasn’t real, if that’s what you’re thinking,” Rose added quickly. “If it were real, she would’ve been invisible. She wasn’t invisible. I could see her.”
Kallias stared blankly at her. “You’re right. This is a bad idea.”
“I told you so,” Rose muttered, shrugging.
He sighed. “I guess…just…try not to do anything too weird.”
She laughed at that. “I can already tell you that’s a lost cause.”
He stared at her warily for a moment, and then, he turned the doorknob. As he opened the door and stepped inside, the scent of blood grew more intense.
Rose reluctantly followed him inside, but when she reached the door, she froze, her eyes widening at the provocative scene in front of her. She didn’t know what she expected to see inside a vampire colony, but it wasn’t this. The room smelled a lot like blood and a little like sweat. Vampires filled every inch of the room. Hundreds of them, at least. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d seen this many people in one room. In the far corners of the room, she noticed tables and chairs, but in the center of the room, hundreds of vampires danced, moving sensually, in time with the low, bluesy music that filled the room.
Kallias glanced back at her and sighed. He grabbed her arm and tugged her away from the door. “Stop gawking. You’re drawing attention to yourself.”
“I can’t help it,” Rose grumbled. As he pulled her into the dark, blood-scented room, she did what she always did when she got nervous: she rambled. “I always thought the way people danced at college parties was sexual, but that doesn’t even compare to the way these vampires are dancing. I mean, if I didn’t know any better, I’d think some of these vampires were actually having sex.”
“Some of them probably are,” Kallias said dismissively.
Her eyes widened. “Wait, what?” she sputtered.
He sighed, “Look, I get that this is a little out of your comfort zone…”
“A little?” she said incredulously.
“But,” he continued irritably, “you have to stop freaking out.”
“I’m not freaking out,” Rose argued. “I’m just…weirded out.”
He frowned. “What’s the difference?”
She chewed on her lip thoughtfully. “I don’t know, but there is one.”
He gave her an annoyed look. “We need to blend in here.”
Rose laughed, “I couldn’t blend in here if I tried.”
“Well, you’re going to have to try,” Kallias informed her, “and succeed, if you expect us to survive this dangerous game that you’ve decided to play.”
Her smile faded. “What do you mean by that?”
He pushed her against the cold, crimson-colored wall and leaned in, so that he could whisper in her ear. “Look around you. These vampires are more animalistic than anyone you have ever encountered. What do you think they’ll do if they think we’re a threat to them? While we’re here, we have to blend in.”
Rose sighed, “Then, what do I do?”
Kallias stepped back and held out his hand. “Dance with me.”
She blanched. “Oh, no. No, no, no. That’s where I draw the line.”
“It’s just dancing, Rose,” Kallias laughed. “It won’t kill you.”
“I’m pretty sure it will, actually,” Rose argued.
“You forged an alliance with the most dangerous vampire known to exist without a second thought, but you’re terrified of a little dancing?” he asked.
“Forging an alliance with Aaron didn’t involve public humiliation,” she hissed. She crossed her arms. “I don’t want to dance, and you can’t make me.”
Kallias frowned at that. “That sounds like a challenge,” he muttered.
Rose squeaked as he grabbed her arm and dragged her out to the dance floor. “I don’t even know how to dance!” she complained as he spun her around.
He placed his hands on her hips and pulled her close, his lips brushing against her ear as he laughed. “Then, it’s a good thing I do,” he said playfully.
Rose reluctantly allowed him to pull her against him. A wave of desire rushed through her as his long, muscular body pressed against hers. She moaned softly as he kissed her neck. His large, rough hands brushed her bare skin, above the waistband of her jeans, as he urged her to move her body in time with his. She tilted her head back and groaned miserably, “This is so embarrassing!”
“How is it embarrassing?” he laughed, his voice low and gravelly in her ear, as they swayed together. “We’re doing exactly what everyone else is doing.”
Rose pursed her lips irritably. “It just is.”
The dark, primal sound of the music remained constant, even when the song changed, shifting to a slower, sadder song with long, mourning chords.
Rose suddenly looked around, gazing deeper into the crowd, although she didn’t know why. It was as if something had drawn her gaze, like a magnet. Or rather, someone, Rose realized, as she saw the flash of blue. On her left, amidst the too-many-vampires-to-count, Rose saw the intense, light blue eyes watching her. The longer she stared, the more clearly she could see Kara. A black-haired woman danced with Kara, but Kara wasn’t watching her. She was watching Rose.
Kara’s lips tilted into that mischievous smile as soon as Rose’s gaze met hers, and she lifted her hand, and—just barely moving her fingers—she waved.
Rose blushed and quickly looked away. “Kara’s here,” she told Kallias.
“I figured,” Kallias snorted. “Vikings tend to flock to places like this.”
“Huh, and I always
thought Vikings tended to be dead,” Rose said dryly.
He laughed. “Shh, don’t tell Erik that. He loves his heritage.”
“They all do, apparently,” Rose muttered, remembering that ridiculous oath that Kara had sworn to her. She cast another glance toward the mischievous vampire, blushing once again as she realized that Kara was still watching her.
“You seem to be relaxing a little,” Kallias said, his lips near her ear.
“Oh, good,” Rose said, “because I’m actually pretty freaking terrified.”
He laughed, “Then, I guess we better find a way to distract you.”
Rose moaned softly as his lips pressed against her neck. His lips parted to allow his tongue to trace the path of the artery, his fangs grazing against her skin. The blood bond that she shared with him reacted to the sensations, igniting her hunger and desire, causing her to crave the taste of his blood and the pleasure that arose in her when he fed from her. The thick, powerful scent of blood that filled the room and the sensations she felt as his body pressed against hers, moving so sensually against her, intensified her hunger, until it overwhelmed her.
“You need to feed,” Kallias murmured in her ear.
“I can’t,” she said, moaning as he kissed her neck. “Too many people.”
“You must,” he said. “There’s too much fresh blood around you right now. I can feel what it’s doing to you. If you don’t feed soon, you’ll lose control.”
She gasped, her fingers intertwining in his long, brown hair, as he grazed his fangs against her neck. Her body reacted in extremes to the sensations, and intense, painful hunger burned through her, so intense that it felt as if it were ripping her apart. She opened her eyes, her gaze drawn instinctually toward the bright red blood that flowed down the neck of a woman dancing in front of her.
“Rose, you’re starting to lose control,” Kallias warned.
“Yeah,” Rose agreed as she watched the man drink the woman’s blood.
She continued to watch the blood in a hunger-crazed daze as Kallias led her away from the dance floor, toward the farthest wall from the door. Like all of the walls in the Tomb of Blood—except for the bedroom walls, which were painted various colors based on the wishes of the occupants—crimson-red paint colored the wall, a color that resembled blood a little too closely for Rose’s liking.
Kallias caught Rose against him as she staggered, nearly collapsing.
“I feel so weak,” she mumbled as a wave of fatigue washed over her.
He pushed her up against the wall and kissed her. The roughness of the kiss brought her out of the daze, and her body instantly responded to him. She clutched his shirt, tugging him closer, until every inch of his body pressed against hers. Adrenaline coursed through her blood, as her instincts urged her to feed, as the need for blood overrode every thought in her mind, until it consumed her. She cut his lips with her fangs, moaning as she tasted his blood in the kiss.
Kallias groaned as she sucked the blood from his bottom lip, and then, he moved his hands down to her thighs. He wrapped his hands around her soft, jean-clad thighs and lifted her up. Rose wrapped her legs around his waist, a soft, breathless moan escaping her lips as his body pressed against hers in the exact place that she needed it most. A spark of red flashed in her eyes as she shifted her gaze down to his neck, watching the strong, steady pulse of his carotid artery.
He tilted his head to the side, baring the colorful, tattooed skin of his neck to her, and that was all the invitation she needed. She buried her fingers in his hair and sank her fangs into his neck, moaning as his blood filled her mouth.
Rose drank his blood with a desperation unlike anything she’d ever felt before. She didn’t know whether it was the strange, sensual environment or, more likely, the fact that she hadn’t fed in over twenty-four hours, that left her in such a desperate, hunger-crazed state, but she couldn’t regain control of herself as she fed so mercilessly from him, his warm, thick blood pouring over her lips and down his shoulder, soaking into the fabric of his long-sleeved, black shirt.
Kallias groaned as the endorphins flooded his bloodstream, washing his body in disorienting waves of desire and pleasure. The way she moved against him as she fed—rocking her hips in an attempt to increase the pressure of his body against hers—only intensified his desire for her. Even as he felt his strength fading, he didn’t want to stop her. He wanted to let her drain every drop of his blood, if she wanted, and draw out the euphoric sensations caused by the blood-sharing for as long as possible, but he knew, logically, that falling unconscious in the middle of a crowded room would be a bad idea. So, he reluctantly pulled back.
“I knew you weren’t a prude,” said a familiar voice. “Erik’s full of shit.”
Rose blinked in shock and slowly turned her head, her mouth falling open as she found Kara standing in the shadows, just a few feet away from them.
Kara’s piercing, light blue eyes watched them shamelessly, sparkling with intrigue and amusement, but then, suddenly, almost unnoticeably, her brows furrowed, her mouth tilting downward into a confused frown. She quickly hid her confusion beneath that sideways, flirty smile and walked toward them.
Kallias dropped his hands and stepped back, practically dropping Rose on the floor. He raised an eyebrow at Kara. “Were you watching us?” he laughed.
Kara shrugged easily, not the least bit embarrassed. “It was hot.”
Kallias snorted, “You’re basically a female version of Erik.”
Too shocked to think of an appropriate response, Rose just watched, her eyes as wide as saucers, as Kara walked toward her, closing in beside her. In an effort to keep just a tiny bit of space between them, Rose leaned back against the wall as Kara moved closer, cornering Rose between Kallias and the wall.
“I like how wild you are when you feed,” Kara murmured. “Very sexy.”
Rose blushed. “Uh,” she managed to say, “why are you so close to me?”
Kara very slowly placed her finger over her lips. “Shh,” she whispered, suddenly very serious. She discreetly pointed at Rose’s eyes. “I’m hiding you.”
Kallias glanced at Rose, and understanding lightened his brown eyes. “Shit. Rose, your eyes,” he said nervously as he watched the swirling, red haze.
“What? Right now?” Rose squeaked, covering her eyes with her hands.
Kara grasped Rose’s wrists to stop her. “Don’t cover them. You’ll only draw attention to yourself,” she whispered. Her warm, soft hands caused Rose’s skin to tingle. “Just keep your eyes on me. No one can see you. I’m in their way.”
Rose reluctantly looked up, meeting Kara’s unnerving, icy blue gaze.
“How long do they usually stay like this?” Kara asked quietly.
“Sometimes, just a minute,” Kallias answered. “Sometimes, a few.”
Kara nodded, but her gaze never left Rose. Surprisingly, she didn’t seem terrified by the sight of Rose’s inhuman, glowing eyes. Just…intrigued. “You’ll have to explain this to me, eventually,” she told Rose, her lips twitching upward.
“Eventually,” Rose agreed, her heart racing rapidly against her chest.
Kara tilted her head to the side, a mischievous gleam sparkling in her eyes. Then, she reached into the back pocket of her leather pants and pulled out a silky, black handkerchief. She stepped even closer to Rose, causing the front of her body to press against Rose’s, their soft curves and firm muscles melding together. Her smile grew as she heard Rose’s breath hitch at the contact. She lifted her hand and pressed the silky fabric against Rose’s face, watching the stunned confusion that flashed in Rose’s strange, red eyes. “You made quite a mess, didn’t you?” she teased as she wiped the thick, wet blood from Rose’s face.
Rose blushed and said the only word that she could remember: “Uh…”
The silky fabric glided over Rose’s face as lightly as a feather as Kara finished cleaning off the blood. Rose wanted to grab Kara’s wrist and stop her, but she was too stunned to even
think, much less move. The fabric brushed sensually over Rose’s lips, causing her lips to tingle pleasantly. Rose’s stomach clenched as another, unwarranted shockwave of desire shot through her body.
A pleased smile pulled at the edges of Kara’s lips, as if she somehow knew what kind of effect her peculiar actions were having on Rose. “Better,” she murmured as she pulled the handkerchief away from Rose’s face. She reached out and grasped Rose’s hand, watching as Rose frowned bewilderedly at their joined hands, and then, she tucked the handkerchief into Rose’s palm and closed her hand around it. She leaned forward and whispered in Rose’s ear, “Keep it. Sometime in the near future, you’ll need it to clean my blood off of your lips.”
Rose just blinked, completely and utterly speechless.
“Your eyes are blue again, by the way,” Kara said as she stepped back.
“Oh,” Rose squeaked, barely even managing the one-syllable response.
Kara winked and then ventured off toward the dance floor.
As soon as she left, Kallias burst into loud, hysterical laughter.
Rose glared at him. “Why are you laughing?”
“If you could see the look on your face, you’d laugh, too,” he snorted.
She scowled. “She’s pretty strange, isn’t she?” she muttered, glancing toward the dance floor where she saw Kara already flirting with another woman.
“Strange isn’t a strong enough word to describe her,” Kallias chuckled.
Rose glanced down at the handkerchief in her hand. She rubbed her thumb across the thin cloth, admiring its smooth, silky texture, as she tried to make sense of the emotions that kept rising up in her around that strange, flirty vampire. Rose tucked the cloth into her pocket, not sure what else to do with it.
“Are you ready for this?” Kallias asked.
Rose looked up. “Ready for what?”
“What we came in here to do,” he said impatiently. “To ask questions.”
She shrugged. “As ready as I’ll ever be, I guess.”
“Good,” Kallias said, “because we’re about to have a chance to do it.”
The Tomb of Blood Page 24
