She flushes red and her hand whips out and slaps me across the cheek.My bodyguard, late once again, lurches forward and grips Lavinia by the wrists, hauling her back.
Before I can go after her and kick her in the vag—and this time definitely for spite—the door opens and standing in the frame is a group of vampires.
The bar quiets.Despite the fact Mother primed everyone, the shock—along with the silence—is absolute.
No one moves.
It’s as if the entire place was flash frozen.Or perhaps, we have become the stilled vampires.This is ridiculous, they’re just people like us.Albeit gross ones that drink blood and fuck like savages—rather hot, orgasm-inducing ones.But how can I explain I know that?
I’m going to have to break the ice.
I strut up to the group and scan their faces.Octavia I recognise because of who she is.Red too.I’ve seen her with Morrigan’s friends.The others I don’t recognise.Two men, and…
Oh.Fuck.
My entire body freezes as our eyes lock.
Fuckety, actual fucking fuck with a giant, demon-sized mega fuck on the side.
There’s a moment where the earth opens up and swallows me whole.Adrenaline zips around my gut and into my limbs making everything tingle.The blood well and truly drains from my face into both my feet—and thoroughly unhelpfully, my pussy.
Dahlia.
Please don’t remember me.Please don’t remember me.Please, for the love of my sanity, don’t fucking remember me.
Her eyes narrow… and then widen.
She remembers me.
Oh my gods, I am so fucked.I am the forget-the-death-threats-Daria-and-Mother-will-just-execute-me-anyway kind of fucked.
Play it cool.
That’s what I’m going to do.
Play it real fucking arctic levels of cool and hope that she realises the political minefield she’d unleash if she blurts out that I snuck into Sanguiillegally.
Her eyes glimmer, her lips curl into a smirk that could shatter hearts, and I swear I’m going to be sick.
Bile claws up my throat; I swallow, and it definitely tastes of acid.Oh gods.I’m not laying down and giving up.I take a deep breath and pray that Dahlia has an ounce of political nous.Enough to recognise that she needs to keep her mouth shut.
I thrust my palm out, fingers tingling, and focus on Octavia.“Lady Beaumont, the pleasure is mine, Princess Penelope Lee.”
I’m kind of impressed with myself when I don’t flinch as her cool fingers slide into mine.I move to her girlfriend.“Red, nice to see you again.”
We shake hands.She isn’t vampire exactly.Her skin is warmer than Octavia’s, but she doesn’t feel human either.Morrigan did explain that she’s a dhampir or something.Whatever that is.Her bleached blonde hair is shaved underneath and all shaggy on top.I like it, though I think she could do with a fresh buzz.
I move to the tall suave one, a little too clean shaven and pretty for me.I prefer my partners rugged and demanding and a little dirty round the edges.Though I’d probably climb him like a tree if I were drunk.
“Xavier,” he says.I shake his hand and move to the next.
“Gabriel.A pleasure,” he says, tucking a book under his arm to shake my hand.
“The pleasure is all mine.”
He smiles before pulling another book from his back pocket.Last, Dahlia.I swallow what feels like a ball of iron.My whole body stiffens.What if she says something?What if?—
“Princess…” she says in a tone that screams of knowing exactly why she’s calling me that instead of Penelope.
