I arrived at Thea’s apartment shortly before nine. Despite receiving confirmation from the delivery company, I’d had no word from her about the packages I’d sent. I assumed she was pleased. Then again, she had a tendency to surprise me. I wasn’t certain if she would be grateful or furious over the cello–or, for that matter, the dress. Given that I’d only known her for twenty-four hours, it shouldn’t bother me as much as it did. But something about Thea demanded my attention. She was an itch I couldn’t scratch. In my nine hundred years on this earth, I’d never met a woman like her.
“Wait here,” I ordered the chauffeur as he pulled to the curb. “I’ll only be a minute.”
“Yes, sir.”
I left the limousine idling in front of her building. When I had asked her to dinner, I’d failed to mention that dinner would be taking place amongst vampire society. There was hardly a day between now and this time next year where there weren’t some bloody engagements penciled on my calendar.
I smoothed the jacket of my tuxedo as I walked inside, wondering why there was no buzzer or extra security for her apartment building. It was yet another reason that she wasn’t safe here. The thief I’d nearly drained to death last night could have easily broken into where she was sleeping.
White-hot anger burned inside me at the thought, my brain already beginning to form a plan to deal with the unacceptable situation.
I knocked, and the door opened almost immediately. But it wasn’t Thea standing on the other side. The woman gawked at me for a second, her head tilting up like she was getting a panoramic look at me.
She was attractive for a human, with rich, olive-toned skin and a mass of glossy black hair piled on top of her head. She moved infinitesimally, giving me a glimpse of dancer’s tights beneath her robe.
“I’m here to pick up Thea,” I told her when she failed to muster a greeting.
She blinked dreamily and then shook her head as if she was clearing out fuzz. “You must be Julian,” she said, emphasizing my name in a way that told me that she had heard about me. “I’m Olivia, her roommate.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Olivia took one final look at me, sighed, and gestured for me to come inside. “Let me go get her.”
I took a few steps into the cluttered living room while Olivia skipped off to get her friend. It was amazing to think that three living beings lived here. Not because the proof of it wasn’t scattered all over the room–books, clothes, dirty dishes–but because it was hard to see how they had enough space. Human residences always felt a bit like cages to me. But this was worse than normal. Did Thea feel trapped in this world, or was it all she ever knew?
Turning to take it all in without the presence of Thea to distract me, I spotted a violet-colored cello case sitting on the kitchen counter. I crossed to look at it and found it open. The Grancino was the only acceptable option I could get so quickly in San Francisco. I hadn’t even seen the instrument, only the bill, when I signed off on the banking transfer. It was beautiful–not as lovely as the Stradivarius I’d asked Celia to track down–but a true work of art. Standing in the tiny apartment in the poorly secured building, it occurred to me that if any of the drug addicts that roamed the street outside knew what was sitting here, Thea wouldn’t be safe. Why hadn’t that occurred to me?
It wasn’t enough to get Thea the cello. I needed to get her a new place to live. Or at least, some security cameras, a security system, and some bars for her windows.
A gentle cough interrupted my thoughts, and I turned to find Olivia had returned. “She’ll be out in a minute.”
I’d attended enough Royal balls and courts and galas in my time to know when a lady was being presented. This time was a little different, though. Usually, a courtier read out a formal name instead of someone in their pajamas.
But as soon as Thea appeared next to her, I realized that it didn’t matter where I was standing or who had advised me of her arrival. She was more beautiful than any woman–human, familiar, or vampire–that had ever entered a room before.
Her auburn hair hung loosely, sweeping over her shoulders in loose coils. As she walked into the living room, the light caught its red highlights, which were complemented by the deep emerald green of her dress. Its fabric hugged her curves, showcasing her full, shapely hips and the tempting swell of her breasts. An ivory leg slipped past a slit that ended at the apex of her thigh. I had compelled a shopkeeper to open her store early in Union Square when I saw it in the window and then compelled a nearby tailor to hem it to an appropriate length–all before most of the city had woken for the day. It fit her like it had been made for her, and I couldn’t look away.
Thea clasped her hands together, glancing between me and the cello. “I hope…” she paused as if struggling with what to say. She turned to Oliva who shot her a pointed look. “I mean, thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” I swallowed. What had I done? The lie I’d told my mother was getting out of hand. How was I supposed to pass Thea off as my girlfriend without giving in to temptation? I couldn’t touch her, but seeing her like this, how the fuck was I supposed to resist?
“Shall we?”
Her eyes swept over my tuxedo–an Armani I’d picked up at the same time as her dress. Thea’s teeth sank into her lower lip, sending a spike of testosterone straight to my dick. I was in trouble. “I guess.”
I sensed her hesitation, although I didn’t quite understand it. She had consented to spend this evening with me. “Unless you’re having second thoughts,” I said, sounding as stiff as it felt in my trousers. “If you’d prefer I leave–”
“No,” she said quickly. “I just…where are we going?” She adjusted the strap of her dress, anxious energy rolling off her.
I held out a hand, noticing the curious expression on Olivia’s face when she saw the black silk glove I wore. “I’ll tell you in the car.”
Thea nodded, but she didn’t take my hand. Instead, she turned and hugged her roommate, whispering something she thought I couldn’t hear. Someday I would inform her that vampires had excellent hearing. Tonight, I found myself wondering what she meant by her words.
Turning, she accepted my hand, and we moved to the door.
“Have fun!” Olivia called after us. “Should I stay up..?”
I bit back a laugh at Thea’s horror-stricken reaction.
“We’ll be late,” I answered for her. Let her roommate decide what that meant.
Thea continued to chew on her lip as I led her down the stairs, making my slight erection harder by the second. If she wasn’t careful, I was going to do something we’d both regret.
But thoroughly enjoy.
When we stepped out of the building, she stopped and gasped. I turned to see what had caught her attention. A thick haze enveloped the street, making it difficult to see more than a few feet ahead of us. She couldn’t stop staring at the limousine. I hadn’t considered it would surprise her. It had been too long since something so mundane had wowed me. It was just another reminder that she was not part of my world.
So why was I dragging her into it?
“Where are we going?” she repeated.
“A party,” I said simply. “I forgot I had a prior engagement.” That wasn’t precisely true. I’d willfully ignored the social calendar Celia had tried to present to me. But avoiding the Rites wasn’t going to make them go away. I needed her for that. By the time my family realized I wasn’t going to marry Thea, the social season would be over, and I would be saved from dozens of hopeful familiars.
At first, I’d seen Thea’s virginity as a problem. Then I realized it was an opportunity. I would never risk enslaving her to me. It was a line I wouldn’t cross. Perhaps, though, I could make it easier on myself to resist temptation when picking out her dresses.
“What?” She whirled toward me, catching the skirt of her dress on a heel and careening into me.
I caught her easily. Steadying her, I let a hand linger on her waist. Even through the fabric of her dress and my gloves, electricity sparked in my fingertips. I should have released her, but I didn’t.
“You don’t have to take me.” She turned wide doe eyes up to look at me. “We can reschedule.”
“But I want to take you,” I murmured. In more ways than one.
She blinked rapidly, sending her lashes fluttering. “But why?”
“Do you have any idea how beautiful you are?” I brushed a finger down her arm, searching her eyes for the answer to my question–and the dozens of other questions crowding my brain. She didn’t speak, and before I could stop myself, I bent to search for the answer in her lips.
Her mouth parted, accepting the kiss eagerly. The floral scent that hung on her skin like a delicate cloak deepened into something earthy and intoxicating. I swept my tongue over her teeth, and she allowed her own to tentatively slide across mine. She gasped as it caught on the sharp end of a fang, and I drew back quickly. If she’d drawn blood, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to stop myself. I’d have her on the nearest flat surface, relieving her of her pesky virginity before I could think better of it.
“Careful, pet.” I fought the darkness swelling inside me. “I might lose control.”
She pressed her lips together and swallowed, the movement sending the tangy scent of iron to join the perfume surrounding her. I turned my head, trying to clear my nostrils before I lost control.
Why was I convinced this was the perfect plan?
“What if I want you to lose control?” Thea’s breathless answer sent a fresh jolt of desire through me. Christ, she was acting like I’d fed her my venom. I needed to get a handle on this situation. Fast.
I spotted her lower lip tremble and hated myself. “Thea, I–”
“It’s nothing,” she cut me off. Shivering, she wrapped her arms around her shoulders. “Once we’re in the car…”
I’d been cut off from humanity for far too long. She wasn’t upset. She was cold. It hadn’t even occurred to me that she must be freezing. Whipping off my jacket, I draped it around her shoulders, relishing how she clutched it tightly against her.
“Let’s get in the car,” I suggested. “I’ll tell you about the party.”
Thea nodded, but instead of starting toward the limo, she took a deep breath. “And we need to talk about the cello.”
“What about the cello?” I asked slowly.
“I can’t keep it,” she blurted out before falling silent. Her answer stunned me.
We stayed locked in a silent battle of wills for a moment before I forced myself to speak, “We can discuss it in the car.”
“Julian, I–” she started, but I’d already crossed to open her door. Thea’s shoulders slumped as she made her way to me. She stopped with one hand still clutching my jacket and turned to me. “Maybe this isn’t a good idea.”
Before I could stop myself, I laughed so loudly it echoed in the night around us. “No, Thea,” I said softly, gazing into her eyes, “it’s a terrible idea.”
