As we pull up, all eyes turn to us. Vampires tend not to use cars. Petrol is scarce and they’re expensive to maintain, so only the wealthiest families have them. Our sleek black Mercedes is going to turn heads. I practise smiling, but my lips are dry and stick to my teeth. I consider telling the driver to keep going, to take me away from here, safe behind metal and smoked glass.
The car door on my side opens. Kyle is standing there, his hand out.
‘Get out,’ he hisses.
I stare at him. He widens his eyes at me.
Right. Pull yourself together, Emelia.The waiting line of people are craning their heads and chattering excitedly, some of them holding up their phones. But when I take Kyle’s hand and step from the car, their tone changes from excited to questioning.
My stomach sinks even further.
Heir to half the planet, and these people don’t even know who I am.
ChapterThree
UNDER THE DOME
The guards hold the club doors open. At least they seem to recognise me. I realise that, maybe, this is going to be even more difficult than I thought. I lift my chin as I walk past the waiting line of people, clutching Kyle’s hand as though it’s stopping me from floating away. My legs feel as though they don’t belong to me, my stomach an endless sea of rolling waves. I’ve never been anywhere without at least one of my parents. I’ve never been to a nightclub, either. And now I’m about to do both with someone who’s basically a stranger. But if I want my plan to work, I have to get used to being alone. To being out in the world. Things will be different when I’m living with humans. There will be no guards, no Raven emblems, nothing to tie me to who I was. So I fight the urge to pull away, to run back to the safety of the car. As we enter the club the guards bow their heads, saying, ‘My lady.’
The doors close behind us, leaving us in a dark hallway. Kyle lets go of my hand, his lip curled. I rub my palm on my skirt.
‘Come on,’ he says, impatient.
All at once, I’m angry. Who in darkness does he think he is? ‘Just a minute,’ I snap.
He sighs. ‘Do you think I want to be here, either?’
‘What?’
‘I know you don’t like me. I also don’t care. But we can’t stand in here all night. So let’s just get it over with.’
My mouth opens, then closes. But before I can think of anything smart to say, Kyle opens another door, going through. I blink, then follow him into the nightclub.
Candles flicker at intervals along the walls, gold and black garlands hanging from their metal sconces. There’s a large chandelier set high in the glittering domed roof, candlelight sparking from the mirror fragments embedded in the dark curves. People are everywhere, swaying on the dance floor, packed into lush red leather booths at the edges of the room.
‘Well, if it isn’t the heir to Raven.’ I turn to see a blonde vampire approaching. She’s dressed in silver, tattered lace wrapped tight around her lean form. I vaguely recognise her.
‘Stella?’ It’s a shot in the dark, but hits true. She smiles, her green eyes lighting up.
‘You remembered! I’m so glad you could come. We don’t see you that often. Still, I suppose that’s not surprising.’ Her head tilts to one side, the green eyes less warm, more calculating.
Oh, so this is how it’s going to be, is it? ‘I don’t go to many things. I choose my parties carefully.’ I smile, not showing my teeth. Kyle coughs, though it sounds more like a laugh.
Stella narrows her eyes. ‘Well, we’rehonouredyou decided to come to this one. You and your… friend.’ Her gaze flicks to Kyle, then back to me. ‘Let me greet you properly,cousin.’
She takes me in her arms, cold and hard, her hug crushing. I can’t breathe, and my legs buckle. Her face is buried in my hair, her nose moving across my neck, sniffing me. This is beyond the pale, even for family. ‘Stop,’ I gasp.
‘Let her go, please.’ The words are polite, softly spoken, but I feel Stella flinch, her grasp loosening. I take a deep breath, the muscles around my ribs protesting. Kyle has a hand at the back of my waist, the other still on Stella’s shoulder. She’s glaring at him.
‘How dare you!’
‘You were hurting her. Perhaps you forget?’
I’m still trying to catch my breath. Bitch. She did that on purpose. I shoot her a glare. ‘Nice to see you again, Stella.’
‘Sure, it’s been a blast.’ She curls her lip, then turns away.
‘Are you all right?’ Kyle is close to me, his voice low.
