Nothing could have prepared me for what I found on the other side of the door. I stepped into a ballroom that looked like something out of a fairy tale. Ropes of white flowers hung like delicate rays from crystal chandeliers that looked bigger than my entire apartment. A few tables dotted the perimeter, but otherwise there was no furniture. Instead, the gleaming oak floor had been reserved for dancing–or whatever other activities were planned for the evening. All around me, beautiful people in masks primped and gossiped as they waited for the orgy to begin.
Orgy. The word kept tumbling around in my head. It had to be some type of joke. It couldn’t be a real orgy. People weren’t just going to get naked and go at it, right?
I slipped into a corner, doing my best to keep to myself and not draw any attention. If they’d been waiting on Julian’s arrival, as I suspected, it would only be a few minutes before they let us loose and I could find him. I couldn’t help picturing a large gate being thrown open and all the pretty people in here stampeding into an arena like the running of the bulls.
“What’s so funny?” A black woman joined me in the corner. She waited, watching me with curious brown eyes framed by a mask lined with glittering peacock feathers. Although it obscured her face, it couldn’t hide her stunning beauty. High cheekbones held the mask in place over a wide, shapely nose. Her closely cropped hair had been styled into old-fashioned waves. She smiled when I didn’t speak. “Come on, I’m not going to bite.”
“You might not,” I said dryly, earning a laugh from her.
“I suppose we are in mixed company.” She held out a hand to introduce herself. “I’m Quinn Porter.”
“Thea Melbourne.” I reached to take her hand, but she stared at mine.
“No gloves?” she asked with an arched eyebrow.
“Oh.” I withdrew my hand quickly, realizing her own hands were covered in elbow-length plum velvet gloves. “I didn’t know I needed them.”
“I’m sorry.” Quinn shook her head and grabbed my hand. “That was rude. I was just surprised. They aren’t technically required for us, but it’s tradition and I’m told vampires hate when we go bare-handed. What did you say your family name was?”
“Melbourne,” I said feebly. She grew thoughtful, and I knew she was trying to attach the name with a bloodline. “I’m not a familiar.”
“Well, that explains it.” She sounded relieved. “I thought I’d forgotten a whole family, and my grandmum would not approve! I swear I’ve been studying vampire and familiar bloodlines since I learned the alphabet.”
“You didn’t forget anyone,” I reassured her. “I’m nobody.”
Her head craned back. “That’s funny because I’m looking at you right now. How many nobodies can you see?”
I grinned a little, relieved that I’d managed to find a kind soul. I’d been prepared for a den of vipers.
“So you’re a human, then?” she asked conversationally.
“Yep, and I have no idea what I’m doing here,” I confessed. The longer I stood in the room and waited, the dizzier I felt. It had to be my nerves getting to me. Thanks to hundreds of cello performances, I usually felt comfortable at parties. But I was also usually the entertainment, not a guest. Was that why everything felt so strange?
“That sounds like a story.” She leaned a hip against the wall, showing off her impressive curves. “Let me guess, it starts with a boy? Or, a vampire?”
“Yes. A vampire, I mean.” I couldn’t fathom thinking of Julian as a boy.
“It must be serious,” she said. “It’s unusual for vampires to bring human companions to the Rites.”
“How unusual?” I asked before I thought better of it. There were more questions that I wanted to ask. I had a lot of them, but Julian had warned me about being too casual with details. If we were going to trick his family into believing we were a couple, I couldn’t admit that I’d just met him or that I had no idea what was going on or that with each passing second, I felt more and more like my brain was going to burst from trying to wrap my head around his crazy world. “Julian didn’t mention it.”
“Julian Rousseaux?” Her voice pitched up an octave. “That explains it. He’s not a big fan of these things. At least, according to my grandmum’s extensive notes.”
“Yeah, I get that impression, too.” I wished I had extensive notes to help me navigate this. I wanted to know what she’d learned about my fake boyfriend during her research, but I couldn’t ask. Or could I? “I have to know what people say about him. The Julian I know is very different away from all of this.” I gestured to the ornate space around us.
Her eyes followed, drinking in the velvet-flocked wallpaper that covered the walls. Every few feet, a floor-to-ceiling mirror framed in gold had been hung, making the already massive ballroom look even bigger. More than a few familiars were preening in front of it, practicing flirtatious glances or curtsies.
“I believe that,” Quinn confirmed. “He tends to avoid vampire society when he can. Not that he has much of a choice since his sister died. That makes it his turn.”
My mouth went dry, but I managed to keep my face composed. Puzzle pieces began to fall into place. He’d mentioned his sister but no details. Julian might have been leaving me clues, but I was far from having a complete picture. I needed to change that if I was going to keep passing as his significant other.
“I’m surprised he brought you here, knowing that he’s expected to marry a familiar.” She sounded sympathetic. Try as I might to heed Julian’s warning, I felt comfortable around Quinn.
“It’s complicated,” I agreed. “He seemed really surprised that this was–” I lowered my voice “–a Blood Orgy.”
“Oh wow!” Her dark eyes widened behind her mask. “You didn’t know? You poor thing! Did he at least tell you what to expect?”
“He was a bit too pissed when we got to the door and found out,” I admitted. I was doing a pretty good job at making this all sound normal without giving away any clues that I’d known Julian for all of five minutes.
“Shit. Okay, hold on.” She looked around her in a frenzy. “We probably only have a few minutes.”
As if to back her up on that, the familiars around us started to act strangely. Whispers rippled through the groups, and then people started taking off their clothes.
“This is a real orgy, isn’t it?” I asked hopelessly as I took in a lot of naked flesh. Most still wore something. I’d mistaken the velvet and silk robes worn by many as party attire. Under them, though, were a dizzying array of lace and leather, velvet and chiffon. A man across from us shucked off his robe, revealing a golden, muscled chest. His lean torso tapered into a hewn v that disappeared under the low-slung waistband of his silk pants. He turned, and I got a glimpse of…everything. Silk, it turned out, didn’t leave much to the imagination. Several women had opted for lace bustiers that lifted all their assets into prime viewing, but a few wore nothing more than chiffon slips that floated dreamily over their nude forms. My core clenched, winding tighter with each sensual glimpse I caught. Julian had worked me up in the limousine and then dropped me into a roomful of sexy people. I was going to have a word with him later about managing expectations.
“Yes and no,” Quinn said quickly. “It is an orgy, but you’re taken. I mean, Julian brought you, so he’ll come to find you right away.”
I nodded, swallowing hard as a woman passed her sequined robe to an attendant, leaving her clad in a fringe skirt with nothing under it. Several ropes of pearls were draped artfully over her pert breasts. She was breathtaking. I couldn’t tear my eyes away from her. I wished I could be like that: fearless in the face of all these strangers.
I glanced up at Quinn. “Should I…get naked?”
Julian really should have mentioned this bit.
“No! I mean, unless you want to. We’re not all parading around like meat,” she murmured, sounding a bit peeved at the whole ordeal. “I mean, orgy or not, I’m going to need some foreplay first. Or, at least, some venom.”
“Venom?” I whispered absently.
“He hasn’t fed you his venom yet?” she asked curiously. “He must be a gentleman, but, word to the wise, don’t let him hold out on you. You’ll have the best sex of your life.”
If only that were true. Standing here, watching as familiars readied themselves to seek pleasure with the waiting vampires, I wished I’d never told Julian I was a virgin. If I hadn’t, I wouldn’t be one now. How was I supposed to cope with the war drum beating down there all night?
“You asked why I was laughing before,” I said. “I was imagining everyone in here running out to find a vampire, like it was a bad game show or something.”
“You’re not far off,” she giggled. “Just hang back when they sound the gong, so you don’t get trampled. Let the eager ones go first.”
“Thanks.” I took a deep breath, grateful she was here to guide me through this. “You don’t have to hang back on my account, though.”
“Believe me, I’m not interested in running out there and jumping on the first vampire dick I see,” she said in a flat tone that left no room for misunderstanding.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to–”
“Don’t worry about it. All that studying and preparing, and I’m my family’s worst nightmare come true.” She leaned closer and whispered, “I want to fall in love. I know I’m not supposed to care about that. A good match is a good match, but…”
“What’s good about a match without love?” I said softly.
“Exactly. I mean, I know the perks of making a good match. I mean, look at this place! Of course, most familiars who produce an heir are turned.” She sighed. “But I don’t want a match. I want a mate. I guess I want it all.”
“Why settle?” I agreed with her. It would be easy for anyone to be taken in by the fabulous wealth and privilege on display. Add a chance at immortality to the mix, and that would be enough for most people. I liked Quinn for wanting more than that.
“If only my family agreed. But they’re so obsessed with the damn treaty–” The deep vibrating crash of a gong. On the other side of the room, two double doors opened. Quinn’s arm flew out, shoving me against the wall as familiars crowded toward the party. Once the majority were past us, we stood and smoothed our dresses.
“Thanks,” I said breathlessly.
“Are you ready for this?” she asked.
I took one look at the doors that led to the Blood Orgy, gulped down a surge of fear, and nodded.
“Stick close to me until you see Julian,” she advised me.
I did as she suggested, moving by her side as we made our way into a stunning multi-story atrium. Lush, exotic plants were clustered around velvet couches and benches. My mouth fell open as I watched one of the women in a chiffon dress approach a vampire lounging against the sloped back of a divan. She dropped into his lap and stretched her neck in invitation. He smiled at her, his hand drifting between her legs to her naked sex before his mouth clamped down, and he began to feed.
“Do you think they know each other?” I asked numbly as the woman began to moan. I wasn’t sure if she was responding to the hand intimately exploring her, or his feeding.
Quinn shrugged. “Who knows? I mean, there is another way to snag a vampire.”
“Which is?” I murmured.
“Get knocked up. Oldest trick in the grimoire,” she teased. Then the smile fell from her face. “I’m sorry that was thoughtless.”
“Why?” I couldn’t look away from the vampire and the woman. She had shifted to straddle him now, grinding her bare bottom over his trousers until he reached to free himself for her. I looked away, embarrassed to be watching such an intimate act. That was silly since they didn’t care.
“Because you can’t give Julian an heir.” She patted my arm, chewing on her lip as if delivering bad news. “Only familiars can conceive with a vampire.”
Something twisted in my chest, but I hid the sharp, unexpected pain behind a smile. “Oh that,” I said, forcing a laugh. “Sorry, I’m a little distracted.”
“Why would that be?” she said with a snort.
We maneuvered our way through the crowd, managing not to get swept into any of the small groups forming in clusters throughout the atrium. Moans filled the air around us, and with each step I took, I found it harder to block the sights and sounds out. The strangest thing was that I wasn’t embarrassed or shocked. I was turned on. It was beginning to take hold of me when Quinn elbowed me and pointed.
“Is that him?” she asked.
Julian stood halfway up the stairs as if he’d been surveying the crowd. My eyes met his, and I knew he’d been looking for me. He nodded, one unspoken command, to stay put, and then started toward me. The crowd parted for him. Even people mid-ecstasy seemed to shift to allow him passage. The world shifted on its very axis as Julian crossed to me through the orgy.
“Doesn’t look so complicated to me,” Quinn whispered before he reached us. “I think he knows exactly what he wants.”
That made two of us. But as Julian approached me, his blue eyes never leaving me, I couldn’t help but wonder.
Why?
Before he reached me, the gong rang out again, causing even Julian to pause. The crowd fell silent as Sabine Rousseaux made her entrance, sashaying to the top of the stairs with effortless grace.
“Welcome, my friends.” She spread her arms out in an elegant gesture, reminding me of a conductor before his orchestra. Of course, that’s what we were to her: instruments for her to direct, players meant to entertain. “Before you enjoy your evening, I’m afraid we have a pretender in our midst. Please give us a moment to remove our uninvited guest.”
And then all eyes fell on me.
