"Oh, I'm so sorry!"
His voice met my ears like the way church bells used to, before I became an unholy abomination. That is to say, incredibly pleasant. Beautiful. And thankfully, unlike church bells, I could hear his voice without starting to itch.
An onslaught of urges hit me. I wanted to touch his face. I wanted to hold him, caress him. I wanted to sink my fangs into his—
What? No. I did not want to dothat.
Except I did.
Why?
Before I could even begin to unravel this messy tangle of thoughts, the human stumbled away, disappearing into the crowd.
Panic struck me. Where had he gone? Why did he run?
I realized in hindsight that he didn't look as confident as the other human partygoers, almost like he was frightened, and it wasn't an act or part of a play scene. His anxiety was real.
A fire burned in my chest, furious that he felt that way and eager to fix it. I had to find him.
I shouldered my way past vampire and human alike, not caring who I offended. Seeking this unique human was the only thing on my mind.
I'd lost sight of him in the crowd, but not that delectable scent. My nostrils twitched in anticipation as I followed his trail like a bloodhound. It suddenly swerved into one of the castle's many rooms. The door was closed and the cold scent of another vampire lingered in the air. My muscles tightened as a sudden pulse of anger ran through me.
How dare some other vamp take my human into a private room?
Myhuman? What was I thinking?
I shoved the door open.
3
Scotty
Just like therest of the castle, the room was dark and Gothic. It was quiet except for chatter beyond the walls and the low thumping of music. My heart thudded so loudly in my chest that I was afraid the other man would hear it.
He led me to an extravagant armchair in the centre of the room and I sat without questioning it. I felt dazed, like I was tipsy, except I hadn't drank a single thing. I was completely sober, yet I felt like I was under a spell.
The roleplayer approached me in a sultry way, letting his slicked-back black hair sway behind him. His high-quality contacts seemed to glow in the dim light. He slunk closer, touching his pale fingertips to my knee, making me shudder. I swallowed the thick lump forming in my throat. He was definitely close enough to hear my heartbeat now.
I felt strange. I couldn't tell if I was enjoying this or not. Theoretically this was the hottest thing I could imagine—being held up by a vampire roleplayer in a private room. It was something I'd fantasized about many times. But actually being here in the flesh with a random stranger touching me… I wasn't sure how I felt about it.
"What's your name, human?" The roleplayer asked with a smug smile.
My voice came out in a croak. "Scotty."
"You can call me Carnassial."
He didn't attempt to further the conversation. He leaned over me. My body stiffened as the tips of his hair brushed against my bare skin. I suddenly felt underdressed in only a T-shirt and jeans. I wished I had worn a sweater or turtleneck, anything to cover up my vulnerable body.
But that was silly. This was all a game. Carnassial wasn't actually a vampire, just a regular man pretending to be one. That's what this club was all about.
Spencer taught me that clubs were also about consent. He said that if I felt uncomfortable at any time, I could stop the scene immediately. It was a rule that every single person had to obey.
My urge to cease the scene flared as Carnassial let out a low, sinister chuckle near my neck. When did he get so close to me? I stiffened, my body instinctively wanting to get away. But Carnassial gripped the arms of the chair, effectively caging me in.
"Wait," I blurted out.
Carnassial clicked his tongue. "What is it?"
