It took a lot to stop an orgy. My mother had managed it, though.
A hush fell over the room after her shocking announcement. I started through the crowd again, ignoring her decree, taking care not to draw too much attention to myself. But all around me there was a soft whoosh as collectively every being in attendance turned in my direction–or more specifically, in the direction of Thea.
“Fuck,” I muttered. I had expected my mother to be cold and condescending. I didn’t think she’d go as far as throwing Thea out of our house. Everyone moved in, trying to catch a glimpse at what had rattled the party’s hostess. The swarming masses closed between us, and I lost sight of Thea. Something pounded in my chest, propelling me forward to the spot I’d last seen her. I shoved through the crowd, earning a few harsh words and glares. But I was no longer concerned with being polite. I could only think of reaching her before anyone else did.
I spotted her just as the security team arrived. Thrusting aside a couple curious onlookers, I stepped in front of Thea like a shield.
“Julian,” she whispered, sounding relieved. Her delicate fingers closed around my bicep. She held on to me like I was an anchor as the guards stalked toward us.
“Gentlemen,” I said in a tone rich with warning. I’d known most of these men my whole life. Three of them were vampires, and two were humans. We weren’t exactly friends, but they felt like members of the family. None of that mattered now. I would do whatever I had to do to keep their hands off her.
“Sir.” Cassius, the head guard, gave me a stiff nod. “Don’t worry, we have this under control.”
He continued past us and stopped a few feet away in front of a vampire clad in all black. Unlike the masks the others wore, his mask covered his whole face. It was blank save for a single red slash painted across it.
“Please come with us,” Cassius said quietly but firmly.
The vampire remained in place as if he didn’t hear the request. People began to back away as the other guards circled him. A musty, sweet smell filled the air–the scent of fear. I’d smelled it on battlefields and back alleys, but never in a ballroom filled with vampires and witches.
“Don’t make this hard,” Cassius urged him as two guards flanked the uninvited guest.
He didn’t resist them, but they only made it a few steps toward the door when the party crasher called into the hushed room. “Carpe Noctem!”
Instantly, the mood in the room shifted. Whispers filled the space along with a number of harsh rebukes. The murmurs quickly turned into a buzz of conversations that filled the space. A few shouted back, hurling vulgarities at him.
“What’s going on?” Thea asked me.
I shook my head. I had no idea. But something felt off. I had never witnessed a public display of defiance during the social season, but I had no doubt that’s what this was. As Cassius and his men escorted the stranger from the room, a few people around us applauded as he was led past.
“What did he yell?” Thea whispered.
“Carpe Noctem,” I repeated with a sigh.
“Like carpe diem,” Thea said softly, continuing to cling to me. “But noctem…”
“Means night,” I said. “Seize the night.” I had no idea what it meant, but I doubted it was anything good.
“Why would he…?” Thea trailed off as Sabine reappeared on the stairs.
“What’s a party without a little excitement?” she called to the crowd. “May each of you find matches that strengthen the bonds and bloodlines of our families. Born of blood!”
“Born from magic,” the crowd responded.
“What..?”
I shushed Thea. Reaching for her hand, I spun us around until we faced each other. “Let’s find somewhere more private.”
A red flush appeared where her mask rested on her cheeks. The air around us filled with the scent of her blood. Darkness crept along the edge of my vision, and venom pooled in my mouth. Over her shoulder, I spotted Valente watching us. Hooking an arm around Thea’s waist, I yanked her to me and kissed her deeply. It was meant to remind him of my intentions. Regardless of what customs dictated, I’d staked my claim on Thea, and I would protect her from predators like Giovanni until I figured out how to extricate her from vampire society permanently.
But the kiss became something else. It was in the nature of kisses to do that. I’d found myself in bed with a woman more than once after an innocent kiss good night. And I’d felt the unspoken goodbye in a lover’s final kiss. Maybe it was that I wanted to claim Thea that changed this kiss into something far more serious than a warning. Her lips parted for me, and I invaded. There was no part of her mouth that mine didn’t explore. I would taste every inch of her, starting right here. I kissed her until the powdery scent of flowers transformed into a garden at midnight. Jasmine washed in woodsmoke. Rose blossoms laced with absinthe. Every vivid color met a million shades of black. She bloomed in my arms as I wrapped her in my darkness.
We broke apart as an impatient cough interrupted us. I turned to find my mother glowering at me. “Playing with your food?”
My lip curled, revealing a fang, and her eyes widened a fraction of an inch. Thea wouldn’t notice her reaction, but I had caught it. My mother wasn’t just concerned. She was afraid. It couldn’t be that important that I marry this season. Plenty of vampires took their time finding a familiar to become their consort. What was the fucking rush? I recalled what Giovanni had said earlier. There had to be a reason for the Council to enact the Rites permanently. I just needed to keep my head clear long enough to find out, but as long as Thea was nearby, that seemed impossible.
“You remember my girlfriend,” I said pointedly.
“I don’t believe she was introduced as your girlfriend.” Sabine swept closer, her smile full of ice. She’d chosen a silver evening gown that wrapped around her from one shoulder to her feet. “Welcome to our family home.”
Thea shivered as if she felt the chill in Sabine’s welcome, too. “Thank you for inviting me.”
It was a perfectly polite thing to say, but vampires only ever took etiquette so far. “I didn’t invite you, mortal. But all the same, you are welcome for the evening.”
I didn’t miss the subtle deadline on Sabine’s welcome. Neither did Thea, because her hand slipped down to squeeze mine. I took it protectively.
“Thea will always be welcome in a Rousseaux home,” I said in a low voice.
“Careful, my son. Don’t write invitations to others’ parties,” she warned me with the same cold smile on her face. “I’d like to speak with you alone.”
Thea tugged the hand I held, trying to pull away, but I tightened my grip.
“She goes where I go.”
Sabine rolled her eyes. “This is private family business. For the blood only. Sebastian is already waiting, and your father is supposed to call.”
“And the others?” I pressed. “Where are they? Or were my brothers left off the guest list?”
“They are busy and ineligible until you make a match. Besides, it’s not necessary to involve your other brothers,” she said.
“Why?” I’d been present when my mother called a family meeting to discuss a paper cut. It was odd to leave my younger brothers out even if they were otherwise engaged.
“Because the current issue is time sensitive and I’m not waiting for them to join us from the ends of the earth,” she said with a sigh. “I’m sure she’ll be fine.”
“I’ll take her to my quarters.” I didn’t care what my mother thought about the situation.
But she was one step ahead of me. “Your quarters are being used.”
“For what?” I immediately regretted the question as I caught a glimpse of a familiar writhing on a vampire’s lap in the corner. “Never mind. Then I will find her somewhere safe.”
“Are you implying the party isn’t safe?” Sabine asked with downturned lips.
“Not for a human,” I muttered. But it wasn’t her concern that mattered. Looking to Thea, I found her staring at the two of us with a dazed expression. Dealing with my mother would have been bad, and going to a vampire party would have been overwhelming. We had blown past all of that and straight to a fucking fever dream. “Pet, let’s find you somewhere for you to catch your breath while I speak to my family.”
Thea blinked before nodding.
“I will see you in the study,” my mother said, tossing one last disdainful look at Thea.
“Come on.” I led Thea through the crowd, keeping her close to my side. Every now and then, I would steal a glance to find her watching the frenzied fornicating around us with curious, round eyes. This hadn’t been what I meant when I told her I would teach her about pleasure.
We stole up to the second floor where Han, one of the family guards, was turning lost guests back toward the rooms open to them. I nodded to him as I slipped past with Thea in tow. Han cut off a few grumbling guests with a sharp word, and they fell silent, staring after us.
“Do you live here?” Thea asked.
I shook my head, catching Han pointing the wayward guests toward the wing my quarters were in. My mother had actually opened them up for an orgy. I supposed it was her not-so-subtle way of pushing me from the nest. “I have my own place, but I usually stay here after events.”
“Will…” Thea swallowed and asked a different question as we started up another flight of stairs. “Where are we going?”
“Somewhere quiet,” I said. I wouldn’t leave her to fend off advances at the party, and after her blunt introduction to vampire society, she needed to catch her breath. She needed somewhere that wasn’t choked with the fumes of blood and sex. By now, she had to be rethinking our arrangement.
When we reached the roof, even I breathed easier. The heated pool reflected the stars overhead and streaks of city lights from a distance. Up here, it was quiet, except for the sound of falling water from two fountains mounted near the end of the pool. Most of the summer furniture had been taken inside, but a few loungers had been left clustered around a gas fireplace. But it was the view that caught her attention. She took one step toward the railing that ran along the perimeter of the roof and gasped.
Low fog rolled like smoke across the bay which stretched as far as even I could see. The bridge was illuminated against the night, its lights sparkling on the hazy water below like stars. Thea shivered, wrapping her arms around herself as she drank in the view.
“Here.” I showed her to one of the loungers and found a blanket in a nearby basket. “This should help, but let me start this.”
I walked to the fireplace and turned it on. After a few seconds, the heat began to radiate around us.
“Thank you.” Thea snuggled into the blanket around her shoulders. She might have looked cute, but she was biting her lip, which sent my mind to a decidedly different place.
“You’re welcome,” I purred, kneeling in front of her. Every ounce of my being wanted to stay here with her, slowly erasing all the things she’d seen downstairs with my hands and lips and tongue. My desire must have been obvious, because Thea lowered the blanket enough to slip an arm free. She wrapped it around my neck and brought her mouth to mine, her fingers tangling in my hair.
Or maybe she was having the same thoughts.
It took effort to break away from her, but the second I managed to, she lunged forward and stole another kiss. I seized forward, cradling her body as I maneuvered us onto the lounge. Her skirt pooled open, and Thea lifted her legs to frame my body.
“Pet.” I nibbled her jawline as my palm slid to cup her ass. “I need to go.”
“Don’t,” she moaned, reaching to draw me back to her siren lips.
“If I don’t go, someone will be sent to find me, and then we’ll be interrupted.” I continued down, trailing kisses along her throat. I paused to linger over a bluish vein where her scent was so strong I could almost taste her blood on my tongue. “And I have a hard enough time keeping control of myself as it is.”
“Screw self-control.” Her eyes were wild, and I laughed softly.
“Believe me, I want to,” I grunted, brushing my mouth lower until it swept over the velvet peak of her bust. Thea gasped and the air filled with new earthy scents that promised I would find her wet between her legs. Could she make this any fucking harder? Or make me any fucking harder, for that matter? But there was one thought that swept through the dark desires shadowing my mind. “I won’t have my first taste of you like this,” I whispered against her skin. “I need to take my time. I need to be alone with you where I can worship your body as it deserves to be worshipped. You’ve been patient, Thea. Not much longer, and I will give you exactly what you deserve, pet.”
Her hips stopped rocking against me, and she stared up at me, panting heavily before she finally managed a nod. The arm around my neck slackened and fell to her side, and I bolted to my feet before I lost control again. I wrapped the blanket around her shoulders and dared a kiss on her forehead before I strode away.
I didn’t dare look back until I’d reached the door leading to the stairs. When I did, I found her watching me with eyes that sparkled as brightly as the lights on the water.
“Julian?” There was no tremble or hesitation in her voice as she called into the night. “Don’t make me wait.”
I swallowed the urge to return to her now and screw self-control as she’d suggested. Instead, I opened the door and sprinted down the stairs.
