“The welcome committee has found us,” Damon replies with a grimace. “Every year, a group of Bluebloods makes it their mission to prank newcomers.”
“But you’re not a newcomer,” Cassie argues.
“Apparently, it doesn’t matter. I’m hanging out with you guys, so I’m fair game.”
“Prank us? What does that mean?” I ask through my growing panic.
“I don’t know. Each year, the prank is different.”
A tanned male with black-blue hair jumps in the circle, and at once, the crowd quiets down. “Welcome, everyone, to this year’s fresh-meat party. It has been a while since we had new regulars join our prestigious school. And thanks to that, we’ve been deprived of some good old fun.”
Shouts of agreement echo all around us.
Fucking great. I hope their idea of fun is not cutting us to bits.
I’m sandwiched now between Cassie and Damon, which helps me a little with the shakes but not by much.
“What are you going to do to us?” a brave male across from us asks.
“Do? I’m not going to hurt you. Sadly, that’s not allowed anymore.” He does look upset about that part. Fucker.
He signals at someone in the crowd, who hands over a large black plastic bag to the male in charge.
“Since we’re so close to All Hallows’ Eve, I thought it would be fun to find out why humans go nuts over Halloween candy.” He turns over the bag, dumping hundreds of delicious treats on the floor.
My stomach rumbles, and my mouth begins to salivate in an instant. The Snickers bars Aurora left in my room didn’t even make a dent in my hunger.
“You can’t be serious,” Damon complains.
The ringleader turns to us with a wicked smile on his face. “Oh, I’m dead serious. I hope you’re hungry, fresh meat. Feast.”
“What if we don’t?” another courageous male asks.
The Blueblood’s demeanor changes in the blink of an eye. His green eyes become darker, almost black with a hint of crimson. “Oh, you don’t want to find out. We might not be allowed to hurt you, but there are places in the institute where no one can hear you scream.”
Goose bumps break out on my arms. I don’t think he’s bluffing. And neither do any of my companions. They reach for a candy bar with shaking hands. I do the same, but I suspect the tremors running through my body are of hunger, not fear. I grab the biggest chocolate bar I can find and take a large bite without hesitation. It’s a struggle not to moan out loud. God, this tastes good.
I sense Cassie’s and Damon’s stares. They haven’t eaten their treats yet.
With my mouth still half-full, I ask, “What?”
“I can’t believe you just took a huge bite of that disgusting thing without flinching,” Cassie says.
Ah damn. I don’t know what eating human food does to vampires. My guess is, they find it pretty repugnant, just like I think drinking blood is gross.
“Oh, it seems we have a tough one here, folks.” The annoying Blueblood moves closer. He glowers at Cassie and Damon and shouts, “What are you waiting for? Eat!”
I try to make a sickened expression while I swallow a piece of heaven. I’m dying for another bite, but I want to see what the chocolate will do to Cassie and Damon first. Cassie slowly turns green as she chews on a piece of a Snickers bar. By her scrunched-up face, it looks like she’s eating poop instead.
“Come on. Don’t stop now. Keep eating, fresh meat,” the Blueblood yells in my face.
You don’t need to ask twice, buddy.
I take another big bite, trying to portray an appearance of defiance and revulsion. So far, the nimrod hasn’t realized I’m eating the chocolate with gusto. Damon makes a gagging sound next to me before he spews his guts out.
Gross. Now I want to puke.
Cassie takes another bite. Then, she covers her mouth with her hands and takes off, pushing anyone in her way.
Ah damn. It’s my cue. With regret, I toss the unfinished candy bar to the side and follow her into the restroom while the audience behind us hollers and laughs. Fuckers. All of them.
I take the stall next to Cassie’s, becoming nauseated for real as I listen to her throw up. Sadly, I have to make gagging sounds myself to pretend I’m as sick as her, which ends up forcing the little bit of chocolate I ate to come out.
Kill me now. Vomiting is the worst, and the fact that I didn’t even need to be doing this is just the cherry on top. My eyes are watering by the time I’m done.
I flush the toilet and sit down on the tiled floor, wondering when my next meal will be. I begin to imagine the most delicious dishes. Succulent burger with all the works and chili fries, pepperoni pizza, tacos. Ugh! That’s it. I have to go in search of human food, even at the risk of being found out. I have to eat.
The toilet next door flushes, and then Cassie’s raspy voice calls my name.
“Are you okay?” She knocks on my door.
“Yeah, I’m fine.” I jump to my feet and walk out.
Cassie looks positively ill. Her white complexion is even paler, and there are dark circles under her eyes that were most definitely not there before.
What the hell? How bad is human food to vampires? A lot of the vampires at Havoc were drinking alcohol without a problem.
“You look better than me. I can’t believe you took such big chunks of that disgusting brown thing.” She stares at her reflection in the mirror, and then she splashes cold water on her face.
“That wasn’t the first time I had been forced to eat human food.”
“Oh? How many times before?” She arches her eyebrows.
I make a noncommittal gesture with my hand. “I don’t know. A few times. It was brutal in the beginning.”
“I bet. God, it was the first time for me, and not only did it make me ill the moment it touched my tongue, but I felt light-headed too. Human food is poison to us.”
“Yeah. Isn’t it strange though that we can drink alcohol?”
Her eyebrows furrow. “I can’t. Can you?”
Ah shit. Did I say something wrong again?
“Eh, yeah, kind of.”
“Damn, Vivi. You’re hardcore. Only Bluebloods seem to handle the stuff without getting sick.” She narrows her eyes. “Are you sure you’re not a Blueblood?”
I snort. What a ridiculous idea. “Pfft. Did you not see me in Keepers class?”
“Honestly, I wasn’t paying much attention to anybody. I was too busy trying not to screw up.”
I shove my hands into my pockets. “Well, I sucked harder than a starving vampire.”
Shaking her head, she laughs. “You say the strangest things.”
“Yes, I’m a weirdo. Let’s see if Damon survived.”
I’m also hoping there’s some candy left that I can sneak into my pocket.
But the moment I step foot outside the restroom, my brilliant plan to scavenge for food is forgotten. Lucca is waiting for me.
“There you are.” He walks over. “Got rid of all that nasty shit already?”
“How do you know I was forced to eat candy?” I ask.
“You don’t know? It was my idea.” He smiles like the devil that he is. “Gordon couldn’t come up with anything grand, so I gave him the suggestion.”
From the corner of my eye, I catch Cassie slinking away. I’d stop her, but I don’t want to end my current staring contest with Lucca.
“That was mean,” I say.
“Nah, that was tame compared to the good old days.”
“You mean, before your grandpa nap?” I raise an eyebrow, not knowing where the sassy remarks are coming from.
This is Lucca, the most powerful Blueblood in the entire institute. Even staying as far away from the bloodsuckers as I could, I’ve heard stories about him.
He pinches his lips, narrowing his eyes. “I think I’ve had enough of smart-talking from you. Come on. I’m here to take you to a proper feeding. I could hear your stomach growling from the other side of the institute.”
He grabs my hand, and I freeze. “Feeding?”
The corners of his lips turn upward. “Yep. Let’s take care of that hunger of yours.”
17
Lucca
I’m enjoying the feeling of Vivienne’s hand in mine too much. She’s a human, a thief. I can’t allow myself to relish anything besides torturing her. When Gordon came to me to whine about the new rules at the institute, I couldn’t have thought of a better prank. Vivienne is starving, and since vampires become physically ill if we eat an ounce of human food, she’s in a tight spot. If she’s caught eating anything, she’ll be exposed for the fraud that she is. There’s human food around—familiars and our snacks must eat—but getting to it is the issue.
She didn’t notice my presence, but I was there, watching her squirm as she tried to appear revulsed by what she was eating when in fact she wanted to gobble it all down. I can’t wait to see how she’ll get out of this new situation I’m forcing her into.
The feeding room is mostly used by regulars. Many humans come here to serve as nourishment for our kind. We pay them, but there’s a selection process. The younger, more attractive humans are reserved for Bluebloods. What’s left is shared by the rest. Since Blueblood money pays for the snacks, it’s more than fair that we take the best.
But not even the most beautiful humans are giving me what I need. All I can think about when I feed is Vivienne. I haven’t even fucked any of the girls who begged to feed me, and I’ve felt unfulfilled after each meal.
I steal a glance in her direction. Her stubborn chin is raised high, but her mouth is tense, and her brows are furrowed. Her hand is sweating in mine, which would be a major turnoff in any other circumstance. She’s terrified of what might happen in the feeding room. I wonder if she’ll actually try to drink from another human.
This is going to be very entertaining.
We turn a corner, almost at our destination, when Therese decides to show up and sour my mood. She blocks my path, spares a scathing glance in Vivienne’s direction, and then turns her displeased gaze on me.
“Lucca, I was wondering where you were. Aren’t you going to the Living in a Digital World class?”
“No.”
My simple answer doesn’t sit well with her. Tough shit. We had good times together; I won’t deny it. But I don’t care for her enough to make an eternal commitment like some vampires do. Mating was a thing back in the old days, but it has become less and less important now that we can’t procreate anymore.
“Where are you going with her?”
“I don’t see why I have to tell you that.”
Vivienne’s hand tenses in mine. I’m sure she wants to run away now that Therese is wasting my time. But I tighten my hold and then do one better as I rub my thumb over her wrist. Her pulse accelerates with the touch, and her breathing becomes shallow.
“Fine. Have your fun with this filthy whore. You’ll get tired of her eventually and come running back to me, like you always do.”
I open my mouth to reply, but Vivienne beats me to it.
“I’m not a whore,” she says through clenched teeth.
“Who says you can speak to me, bitch?” Therese turns to the human, body poised to strike.
She would have, too, if I hadn’t stepped in front of Vivienne. She’s my toy, my prey, and no one else can touch her.
“Get lost already, Therese. Desperation is a very unattractive trait.”
“Fuck off, Lucca. You’re not the only royal in town.”
She strides away, but her comment gets to me. Who the fuck is she referring to? She’d better not be speaking about Boone, that rat who deserves nothing but a slow death.
“Ow!” Vivienne complains.
“What?” I snap, still riding on the anger triggered by Therese’s comment.
“My hand. You’re going to crush all the bones.”
Hell. I didn’t realize what I had been doing. I release the pressure but don’t apologize. She doesn’t deserve any kindness from me.
“Let’s go already.”
“Oh, like it’s my fault we stopped.”
Where is this feistiness coming from? She was a meek, trembling human when we first met. It seems that by pretending to be one of us, she’s gained some courage. I like this new version. It will be much more fun to punish her when she’s putting up a fight. I’ve never cared for cowards.
Since classes are in session at this hour, the feeding room is almost empty. The few regulars waiting in line do pay attention to us though. All thanks to Manu’s lie that I fought Boone to defend Vivienne. And now, I’m escorting her. To the rumor mill, we’re an item now. Relationship gossip is not something I care for. I only pay attention to whispers when it’s related to politics.
The coordinator, a regular vampire who stopped aging when he turned around fifty, walks over with his clipboard in hand. “May I help you, sir?”
“Yes. My friend needs to feed.” I shove Vivienne forward. “Please pick a fresh one. She hasn’t eaten in a while.”
He gives her a stern look. “Not feeding regularly is not smart, young lady. It can trigger bloodlust, and no one wants to deal with the aftermath of that. Come on; follow me.”
He turns around, making a tsk sound. Vivienne doesn’t move though.
“What’s the matter, sugar?” I ask in my most seductive voice.
“I don’t like to feed in public,” she replies without meeting my stare.
“Nonsense. All vampires do. It’s in our nature. Unless there’s a reason you’re being picky about who sees you chomping down on some delectable human.” I smile, knowing very well what my comment will trigger.
She whips her face to mine with eyes as round as saucers. “No reason.”
The coordinator, finally noticing that Vivienne didn’t follow him, calls her name.
I place my hand on her lower back and push her forward. “Come on. It won’t be that hard. As a matter of fact, I’m going to watch it, so you can practice feeding with an audience.”
She’s shaking more violently than before, but she doesn’t try to convince me to leave. We reach the booth where a plump, middle-aged woman is waiting. She glances at Vivienne with an air of bored resignation, but when she turns to me, her dull eyes sparkle.
“Oh, I didn’t know I was feeding a Blueblood,” she says.
“You’re not. She’s the one in need of some nourishment.” I give Vivienne a nudge toward the human, and then I pull up a chair to enjoy the show more comfortably.
“Hi,” she says shyly.
The older woman sighs loudly, cocking her head to the side to expose her neck. Vivienne is at a complete loss of what to do. She doesn’t even know how to position herself. Finally, she settles for standing behind the woman, who is shorter than her. She opens her mouth, revealing sharp fangs that I know are fake. I’ve looked up the type of spell she’s using. Everything we see is an illusion. Vivienne’s teeth are blunt, like always.
Before she takes a bite, she lifts her eyes to mine. Something indiscernible flashes in them, and I hate that it came and went too fast for me to comprehend. She closes her eyes and bites the woman’s neck like she means business. But since she doesn’t have sharp teeth, nor does she produce the special pheromone that makes humans relax when we puncture their skins, the woman lets out a scream.
Vivienne jumps back while the human turns around, pressing her hand to her neck.
“What did you do to me?” she asks.
“I’m sorry.”
There’s a hint of blood on her lips. She was actually going to drink from a fellow human.
Why does she want my necklace so badly that she would go through all the obstacles and dangers to accomplish her goal? Who is she really?
The coordinator comes rushing by, clipboard in hand. He stares at Vivienne first and then at the blubbering woman. “What happened?”
“I don’t know. Her bite, it hurt too much. This has never happened before,” the woman replies.
“I think Vivienne has forgotten how to feed properly. You know how it is with regulars; they have no manners,” I say.
“Ugh, I’m so sorry,” she says again before she takes off.
She’s covering her face, but I smell her tears anyway.
That’s right. Cry, little thief, and get used to it.
18
Vivienne
I tried to be strong. I thought that if I drank only a little bit, Lucca would leave me alone. But he stayed, and I messed up. Of course my bite would hurt that poor human. It’s not like I have real sharp fangs or the venom in them that makes humans pliable.
I still remember my first bite. It hurt like a mother, but I think it was only because the regular enjoyed making his victims suffer. A lot of bloodsuckers thrive on human pain, and I bet Lucca is one of them. If he can find humor in torturing one of his own—fake-vampire me—then he will do much worse when he finds out I’m the human who poisoned him.
I’m crying, which sucks, but it doesn’t suck harder than bumping into a brick wall as I try to escape to my apartment. I don’t need to look up to guess who I collided with. Immediately, the putrid smell wafting off him makes me gag.
“Where are you going in such a hurry, fresh meat?” He holds me by the arms, digging his nails into my jacket.
“Let go.” I try to break free, but it only makes him dig his nails in further.
If he keeps applying pressure, he’s going to make me bleed. I can’t have that, so I stop struggling at once.
“Ah, that’s much better. Now, let’s see what Lucca finds so fascinating about you.”
With a flick of his hand, he rips the first three buttons off my shirt, exposing my bra. My pulse skyrockets, and I think I might be sick for real. This is déjà vu, and when Boone fixates his hungry gaze on my neck, I wince, dreading what’s sure to come. He’s going to bite me and then probably rip my throat open once he tastes my human blood.
“Leave me alone,” I beg, hating how I can barely utter those words.
“I don’t think so. Lucca likes you, so I must make you suffer.”
Dark Prince: A Vampire Paranormal Romance (Blueblood Vampires Book 1) Page 9
