Chapter 5
Emmy danced through two more songs — one with Toby, where she had to lead because he kept getting distracted by the aurora overhead, and another with Rhea that turned into giggles when they both tried to spin at the same time and nearly collided.
But the adrenaline from kissing Zander was fading, replaced by the bone-deep exhaustion she’d been ignoring all night. Her legs felt shaky, and when Felix caught her hand and tugged her toward one of the tables at the perimeter, she didn’t resist.
“You need to sit,” he said, settling her into a chair with the kind of protective fussing she’d usually bat away. Tonight, she let him.
Rhea dropped into the seat beside her, stretching her legs out with a satisfied groan. “That was fun. Also, you and Zander? Fuckingfinally.”
Emmy grinned, still feeling the phantom pressure of his lips on hers. “It was just a kiss. It isn’t like we fucked on the dance floor.”
Rhea leaned back, tilting her face toward the aurora. “If you weren’t still recuperating, my guess is you’d be downstairs and flat on your back.”
Emmy wanted to argue, but Rhea was probably right.
The copper bowl in the center of their table radiated steady warmth, the banked coals glowing red-orange beneath a fine layer of ash. She was naked from the boobs up, and she’d been fine while dancing, but she appreciated the heat while sitting.
She was just regretting not getting food before sitting down when Zander appeared beside their table, carrying a tray loaded with small plates.
He set it down with the casual grace of someone who’d spent millennia hosting elaborate events, though Emmy knew Master Vampires didn’t usually serve their guests personally. “You need to eat,” he told her, his tone leaving no room for argument.
Emmy looked at the spread, and a warmth bloomed in her chest that had nothing to do with the coals.
Chicken wings, fried mozzarella sticks with marinara sauce for dipping, chunks of eggplant layered with ricotta and herbs, baked until the cheese bubbled, and a plate of stuffed mushrooms, their caps filled with what looked like spinach, garlic, and more cheese.
A server was behind him with a pitcher of water and three glasses. He filled the glasses and left the pitcher, giving a slight bow before he left.
But what made her throat tighten was that Zander had put the vegetarian dishes closer to Felix, and the chicken between Rhea and Emmy.
Three of the dishes were foods Emmy loved that Felix could also eat.
He’d told her he was happy for her friendship with Felix, and this seemed like proof. He wasn’t going to go all jealous and try to pull her from her friends.
“Thank you,” Felix said quietly, and Emmy realized he’d figured it out, too.
Zander’s hand settled briefly on Emmy’s shoulder, a possessive touch that sent shivers down her spine. “Eat. All of you.”
“Thank you for taking care of meandmy friends,” Emmy said, unable to keep the smile out of her voice.
His thumb brushed the nape of her neck, and it felt like a promise of things to come — but then he was gone, moving back through the crowd to where Spence stood talking with a cluster of vampires.
Rhea was already reaching for the chicken wings. “You definitely need to keep him.”
Emmy laughed and grabbed a mozzarella stick, the cheese stretching as she pulled it apart. The first bite was scrumptious. She hadn’t realized how hungry she was until the food hit her system.
Felix took one of the stuffed mushrooms, his expression softening as he bit into it. “He remembered I’m vegetarian.”
“He pays attention,” Emmy said, and meant it. Zander noticed every detail about the people under his protection. It was one of the things that made him such an effective Master — and such a dangerous one to fall for, but it was much too late to worry about that now.
She ate a chicken wing and let herself just exist in the moment. Friends, good food, her lips still tingling from Zander’s kiss, and the aurora painting the sky above them in impossible colors.
A server brought another platter of chicken, two more plates of mushrooms, and several more pitchers of water, and the three devoured it all.
The ball now had people fucking on the tables without bowls of coal, fucking against the wall, and a few flock members bent over on the dance floor being fucked from behind while taking another cock with their mouth.
A lot of people still danced, but Emmy figured it was only a matter of time before most were fucking and few were dancing.
She regretted she probably wasn’t ready for that just yet, but was happy to be here at all.
