Kael stalks off with a grunt to get us bottles of water, and Rion goes too, mumbling about needing more hands, but I get the feeling they're just not impressed by Nathaniel's appearance.
If my friend has a cute boyfriend, that's nothing to do with them, and I'm here to support it. With my mind settled on the fact, I turn my attention to the man in question and encourage a smile as I try to fight through the awkward tension.
“Nathaniel, Ocean tells me you two knew each other when you were younger,” I state, and he grins, smiling at my friend like she hung the moon.
“We did,” he answers, stroking a finger under her chin before turning back to me. “The first time I ever met this girl, she fell out of a tree,” he explains, making Ocean’s cheeks turn pink as she shakes her head.
“What are you doing in a tree?” I blurt at my friend, and she shrugs.
“I liked the view up there,” she explains, casually.
“It’s not the only time I caught her up there, but it was the only time she fell. Maybe it was from seeing me.”
Ocean scoffs. “Please, I was six years old. I thought you were gross like the rest of the boys,” she retorts, and he grins.
“Of course you did.”
I shake my head in disbelief as they fall into their own quiet conversation, leaving Thorne and me to stand side by side. He doesn't say a word, not that I expect him to. There is plenty of people-watching I can do in here, so it’s easy to occupy myself.
Although it doesn’t take long for Rion and Kael to return with bottles of water, it does seem like an extra hundred people have arrived since they left, and the platform is busier than ever.
“Do you want to go somewhere quieter?” Thorne murmurs against my ear, and I roll my lips together as I glance aroundNathaniel to check out the pool room we usually sneak off to, but that's hustling more than ever.
Clearing my throat, I turn to the shadow fae, leaning in close so I don’t have to shout. “Ideally, yes, but I don't know where we’re supposed to go because you're not embarrassing me and trying to clear out the entire pool room tonight,” I explain, and he nods in understanding as my gaze drifts to Rion, the guy we both know wouldn’t have any issues doing just that.
“There are other places to go,” Kael offers, bringing the water bottle to his lips, and I find myself transfixed, watching his Adam's apple bob.
My heart flutters.
Desperate for a distraction, I swing my hand out to the side. “Lead the way.”
He doesn’t waste a second, spinning on the spot before slipping into the crowd. I turn to Ocean, ready to tell her it's okay if she wants to stay out here. I know she loves to dance, but she immediately nods for me to take the lead.
Kael is lost in the crowd, while Rion holds back with his hand extended, lacing his fingers with mine. I take the offer, letting him pull me through the crowd with Thorne a step behind me while Ocean and Nathaniel make up the end of the trail.
Instead of turning right toward the pool tables, I spot Kael up ahead, moving to the left through a closed door I haven’t paid attention to before.
The moment we’re in range, he opens the door and uncertainty quickly flickers through me. I get the instant feeling like I shouldn't be here with how dark it looks inside, as if it's a staff-only area or something, but the farther we step inside, and the more my eyes adjust, I realize my fatal error.
It’s dark in here for ambience, sultry in a way I've never seen before.
The door clicks shut behind us, dulling the sound outside significantly as my jaw drops. I don’t know where to look first as I try to take in the scene before me.
Four burgundy velvet booths line the far wall, each filled with vampires, both male and female. I wouldn't usually be so quick to assume what supernatural beings people are, but every single one of them seated in the booth has their fangs elongated and blood staining some part of their skin.
The person in the center of each table, however, I have no idea what they are, apart from the explicit knowledge that they’re a snack. On each table, there is a girl splayed out, back arched and legs spread, with every inch of her skin on display.
The only thing they’re wearing are crimson droplets seeping from puncture wounds across their skin.
Turn after turn, each vampire takes a bite, and the girls moan louder.
“Elodie, we can't just stand here and watch,” Rion murmurs, squeezing my hand as he pulls me from my thoughts. “This is a participation-only room,” he explains, and my eyes widen as a shiver runs down my spine.
My gaze snags on Kael’s a few steps to my left. He’s watching me intently, which only seems to make my pulse spike higher.
I hadn't even realized I'd stopped walking. Gaping? Yes. Frozen? No.
Remembering myself, I shake my head and turn to carry on moving with everyone.
