* * *
Maz introduced me to everyone.I met hunters from Canada and Mexico. Not to mention the food was amazing. This entire conference was the highlight of my year. My gaze flicked to the wall where Sterling and a few other hunters chatted as I licked the remnants of chocolate cake off my spoon.
I felt off emotionally and wondered if I was having a mental breakdown or something. My entire life I’d seen all vampires as evil demons from hell and spending time with Luka was making me question that. I didn’t want to question my reality, I wanted things to just stay the same as they had always been. Safe and easy.
Without warning, Luka’s voice boomed in my head.‘I’m sorry about before. That was … inappropriate of me.’
I froze, eyes widening as I looked around the room, as if a bunch of human hunters could tell I was mentally talking to a vampire.
‘Where are you?’ I hissed.
‘In my hotel room.’
‘And you can talk to me?’ This was bad, so bad; we were two blocks apart. Shouldn’t that … I dunno, break up the signal?
‘I think every time I feed, our bond gets … stronger. I feel some emotions from you as well, to be completely honest.’
Oh, Lord, kill me. Embarrassment flooded my system.‘Well, don’t be so honest, then. I’m just having a weird time. My ex-boyfriend, Sterling, is here and it’s awkward.’
I felt sharp jealously spike through my chest for a split second and then it was gone.‘Well. Have fun. I just wanted to apologize if I made you uncomfortable.’
The mental link went dead and I felt an emptiness in my chest for a second, followed by guilt. Why had I told him I was with Sterling? Just to see if it would affect him? What was wrong with me? Ithadaffected him though. That’s what that feeling in my chest was … that jealousy was his.
“Seat taken?” Ruby’s voice said from beside me.
I snapped my head to look up at her and grinned. “No.”
She was wearing an elegant and revealing red gown, with her black hair braided over one shoulder.
Ruby looked across the hall at Maz, who was speaking to another House of Rose member, and then focused back on me.
“Do you like being at House of Rose?” she asked suddenly.
I frowned. “Yeah. I just made senior hunter.” I beamed.
She nodded, giving me a small smile. “Congratulations. Well, if you ever decide you want to go somewhere … more freeing…” She eyed my black velvet choker and I paled. “I’d love to welcome you to the House of Thorns. We may not be as devout, but we do feel strongly about justice and righting the wrongs the supernaturals have caused.”
What was she saying? House jump? That was so rare and super frowned upon. Hunters had a shelf life anyway. Most didn’t make it past their thirtieth birthday, and we were as die-hard about sticking with the house we were born into, as someone would be about a football team.
Ruby looked across the room and fidgeted nervously. “Well, I gotta run. You know where to find me.”
She stood, walking to the back wall where the refreshments were.
I followed her gaze and saw Maz walking toward us, a scowl on her face.
Did Ruby Thorn just try to poach me?
I … I didn’t even know what to think about that, but my first thought was that I would never leave Liv. Ever.
I chewed on a fingernail, replaying the part where she’d eyed my neck choker, when someone screamed, “Bloodsuckers!”
For a trained hunter, it took me way too long to process what was happening. I spun slowly, mouth agape, as dozens of vampires zoomed into the giant ballroom, crashing into tipsy hunters dressed in their best attire.
I felt frozen, staring at the attack and wondering how … why? Was this what Maz warned me about?
“Aspen!” Sterling’s shout broke the spell over me and I snapped into action. Reaching under my dress, I pulled out the two stakes I’d stashed there earlier in case Luka or his friends tried to kill me. I popped up onto the tabletop, my boot knocking over two glasses of champagne just as one of the vampires reached Maz.
The sixty-five-year-old priestess opened her mouth and hissed at the demon as she yanked a razor wire from inside her robes. My gaze darted in every direction, trying to see who needed my help the most. This wasn’t like a vampire attack on a bar, which happened often and the main objective was to protect the weak humans. The people these bloodsuckers were attacking here were trained hunters. Albeit most of them were drunk…
