by Wendi Wilson
“If I ever lost you…” he whispered into my hair.
“Geez, you guys, get a room!”
When I looked up, True was smiling and waving us toward the car that awaited in the parking lot.
As we waved back and headed her way, I mumbled under my breath, “If this were any other day, she’d be biting our heads off.”
“She’s been moody lately?” Levi asked quietly.
I nodded. “Very.”
I wanted to add that I thought it was Xander’s fault, but I didn’t want to risk True overhearing me and ruining the great vibe we had going. She’d been so cool with Levi and me, not even pouting that she was a third wheel since Xander had to do something for the dean and hadn’t been able to come shopping.
I was glad he didn’t come. How could I pretend to be cool with him when I’d seen him sneaking out of our cabin? I still wanted to get to the bottom of that, but, with the dean’s insistence we go shopping and get ready for the party, I hadn’t had time.
Should I tell the dean? Should I tell Levi? Maybe, but only when True was out of hearing. She would freak out again and muddy everything with her insistence I’d been mistaken.
When we approached, she greeted us with another chipper smile before slipping in the back of Levi’s car.
You’ve got a good thing going right now, Piper. Don’t spoil it.
Instead of ruminating on every freaking thing that could possibly go wrong with tonight, I focused on watching the city go by as Levi deftly maneuvered us across town. He turned down a quiet street with several very chic looking shops and pulled up to the curb.
As he put the car in park, a young man ran out of the shop next to us.
“Valet,” Levi said, leaving the car running. He nodded for us to get out while the valet came around to his side, and slipped into the driver’s seat.
True squealed quietly. “Fancy.”
“Be cool,” I said, staring up at the shop. Though, I wasn’t one to talk. I felt anything but cool as I took in the fancy boutique. The sign out front read “Voom” in a small black font. Other than that, there was no signage, but big glass windows showed racks of high-end fashion.
“Wait,” True said, scanning it. “This isn’t the place—”
“Just trust me.” Levi gave us a sly smile as he held the door open.
We entered and were immediately greeted by the scent of lavender and the soft tinkling sounds of indie folk music. With the high, exposed ceilings and perfectly placed spotlights, the shop declared itself far more posh than the mall stores. My eyes scanned the racks, noticing that there was only one or two of each fancy blouse or slinky dress.
“Ooo,” True said, her eyes lighting up as she caressed a cream-colored jacket.
A sophisticated woman walked toward us, her heels clicking on the polished concrete floor. She smiled warmly. “Good afternoon, ladies. Are you True and Piper?”
“Yes,” I replied tentatively. “How did you…”
Levi interjected. “I messaged ahead. Nicca is a friend. She dresses many of the ladies in The Society.” He gave me a pointed look.
“Ah,” I said, scanning Nicca again. Apparently she was a vampire, which made sense. She was so beautiful and cultured-looking.
“Let me show you a few pieces,” Nicca said, gesturing toward the back.
“I need to make a phone call, but pick out whatever you want.” When I started to protest, he gave me a smile. “Don’t worry, Piper. The dean can afford it.”
Grabbing my arm, True nearly wrung it to death with excitement. “Whatever we want. Oh, girl, we are going to tear it up. Come on.”
An hour later, we were outfitted with the most expensive attire I’d ever seen. Even though I felt uncomfortable spending so much money, Levi had come in and insisted I get the pricier of the two dresses I liked. Then he smiled, kissed me on the cheek, and carried the boxes to his car.
He was really racking up those boyfriend points today.
As we drove back, True kept remarking on how much she loved her dress and how good I looked in mine. It was so nice to see her happy that I didn’t mind when she monopolized the conversation. And the shopping didn’t hurt. I’d felt like Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman.
The warm glow followed me all the way to the camp parking lot where Xander stood waiting for us to pull in. Just like that, I was back to feeling nervous and agitated.
“Xan!” True called, almost jumping out of the car before it stopped. She ran to him and threw her arms around his neck. “You won’t believe the dress I got.”
When they started to make out, I turned away. Levi’s hand folded over mine.
“Don’t worry,” he whispers. “If Xander steps out of line, I can always rip his goddamned head off, too.”
He said it as a joke, but as I stared at the vamp with his tongue down my best friend’s throat, I realized I was considering the possibility. I didn’t trust Xander, and maybe tonight would be the night I figured out exactly what he was up to and put an end to it once and for all.
Chapter Eighteen
I swallowed hard, trying my best to dislodge the lump clogging my throat. My nerves weren’t because we were walking into a lavish party filled with vampires at The Thornberry Estate—been there, done that. No, my trepidation stemmed from the prospect of seeing Warren again after our last, not-so-pleasant encounter.
Would he be angry? I huffed a self-deprecating laugh past the golf ball lodged in my esophagus. Of course, he was mad. I’d kicked him right in his beanbags.
Come on, Badass Piper. Don’t fail me now.
No matter how hard I tried to get back that confidence I had before, I could not quell the fear. The almost debilitating anxiety stemmed from the eventual repercussions of my actions. And there was no doubt in my mind, there would be repercussions. Warren was too pompous to take my low-blow lying down.
Levi and I passed through the entrance into the ballroom just behind True and Xander. A man in a black tuxedo sporting long tails announced our names in a loud, baritone voice, and the room fell into silence. The couches I’d seen last time were gone, making room for the large dance floor in the center, and the soft light of the crystal chandeliers threw rainbows all over the room. Dozens of pairs of eyes landed on us, and that golf ball in my throat grew into a baseball.
After several uncomfortable moments, everyone turned back to their conversations and the noise level picked back up. Levi squeezed my hand as we moved forward, and I took a deep breath. Some of the tension that eased from my shoulders returned in full force as I realized I’d lost sight of True.
In a room filled with vampires.
It would have been different if I trusted Xander. If there was any tiny part of him that came across as honorable and sincere. But he’d skeeved me out from the very first, and seeing him sneak out of our cabin while everyone inside was asleep hadn’t helped. Not in the least.
My thoughts of True and her questionable choice of a boyfriend flew from my head as the crowd parted to reveal Warren Thornberry. And he was headed straight for us.
My fingers tightened around Levi’s, and he returned the gesture. We stayed where we were, letting Warren come to us. The Count’s handsome face looked pleasant and welcoming as he approached, but his smile didn’t ease my nerves. Warren wouldn’t want to make a scene in front of the members of The Society.
“Mr. Kass. Miss Williams,” he greeted when he reached us. “Welcome back to the Thornberry Estate. I am so pleased you decided to join us this evening.”
His voice carried across the room, which had quieted again with his first word. There was a buzz of energy around us, a sense of expectation that ramped up my agitation to a near-unbearable degree. It wasn’t so much Warren, himself, I was afraid of—he hadn’t tried to hide the fact that he wanted me. But his sense of superiority and archaic mentality would demand retribution for me embarrassing him.
And the rest of the vampires here were obviously starving for entertainment.
�
��Thank you for inviting us, Warren,” Levi said, and I nodded in agreement, unable to trust my voice.
“Piper, ma belle, might I have the pleasure of a dance?” Warren asked, turning his dark eyes on me.
Levi’s fingers tightened around mine, but he remained outwardly stoic. When neither of us moved, Warren looked at Levi through narrowed eyes.
“You don’t mind if I steal her away, do you Levi? For just one dance, I mean.”
“Of course, not.” Levi’s voice was low and growly, his tone filled with venom. “But the final decision is up to Piper.”
The dual-meaning behind his words startled me, but the feline smile that curved Warren’s lips lit a fire inside me that extinguished all traces of the fear I’d been feeling. He was confident he’d win. That somehow he’d convince me he was the better choice, and I’d dump Levi to be with him.
He. Was. Delusional.
“I’d love to dance,” I said, disentangling my fingers from Levi’s grip before offering Warren my hand.
Warren wrapped his large hand around mine, bowed over it, and brushed his lips against my knuckles before lifting his eyes to meet mine. “Excellent.”
A growl vibrated in Levi’s chest, but Warren ignored him as he whisked me out onto the dance floor. As my eyes drifted over the couples twirling around us, I realized they were performing some kind of old-fashioned waltz. I turned my eyes back to Warren.
“I don’t know how to dance like this,” I said, feeling my cheeks heat the slightest bit.
“You are so beautiful when you blush,” he murmured. Before I could respond, his hand tightened on my waist, and he stepped closer. “Just follow my lead.”
Then, I was spinning, my feet flying with the beat of the music and Warren’s strong lead. The music swelled as we neared the musicians set up on a small stage in the corner, and my heart raced with the tempo of the violin’s chords. We moved faster and faster, Warren somehow controlling my body with his strong grip on my hand and waist.
His eyes were locked on mine, holding my gaze captive as we moved. The corners of his mouth turned up as we spun around, and everyone else in the room disappeared in a blur of motion.
“You dance divinely, Miss Williams,” he complimented.
“Thank you,” I murmured. “You’re a good teacher.”
“I want you to trust me, Piper.”
“Trust you?” I asked breathlessly. All the spinning was making my head dizzy.
“Yes. Trust is necessary when two people form a relationship. Don’t you agree?”
“Relationship?” I shook my head a little, but the fog didn’t clear.
“Yes. You and I have a working relationship, and if I am going to teach you anything, you need to trust me. Do you think you can do that?”
“Yes. Trust,” I said, blinking.
The music swelled one last time before slowing to the song’s conclusion. Warren’s steps lost momentum, and he twirled me around one last time before dipping me backwards. When I looked up, his handsome face was right above mine.
“Good,” he said. “Now that we’ve settled that, I think we can forget about that unwanted gift you gave me at our last meeting.”
I gave him a short nod, and he pulled me upright. Levi appeared beside us, holding out an arm in a silent appeal. Warren bowed his head in my direction before relinquishing me to Levi, who swept me away as the first chords of the next song picked up.
“Are you okay?” he asked, his voice low and urgent.
“I’m fine,” I replied, all traces of my earlier brain fog gone. “Warren wants to forget all about the kick in the nuts I gave him and continue my training.”
“I don’t think you should, Piper,” he said. “I can train you myself.”
“I appreciate that, Levi. I really do. But don’t you think I would learn more from him? You know, since he’s so much older and has the experience?”
I could tell he thought I was right, but he didn’t like it. He pulled me through the double doors that led out onto the veranda. Dimly lit by small, bare bulbs strung up along the ceiling, the covered patio was deserted, save for us.
“You want to keep working with him?” Levi asked, his face filled with shock.
“I mean, maybe,” I said, twisting my hands. “He did teach me a lot. I think we can trust him, Levi.”
His head reared back at my words, making me second-guess myself. Was I wrong to want to keep training with Warren? I didn’t think so. Now that Levi was back, Warren had to know he didn’t stand a chance with me. Right?
I could see the doubt in his eyes as he said, “If you think that’s the right thing to do…”
“I do,” I said, nodding. “Besides, you have nothing to worry about. I love you.”
Oh, shit. Shit, shit, shit. What did I just say?
“You do?” Levi asked, his face filled with some emotion I was having trouble defining.
Hope. It was hope written all over his face and igniting green fire in his eyes.
“I think so,” I muttered, my eyes burning with emotion. “I mean… yes. I love you, Levi.”
Hello, Badass Piper. If anything I ever did qualified as fearless, it was this.
Stars exploded around me as I found myself locked in Levi’s arms. His lips sealed across mine, his tongue teasing my mouth open so it could slip inside. My fingers clutched the lapels of his tuxedo jacket as my body melted against his. I shivered as cool hands skimmed down my bare back, applying enough pressure to bring me closer while Levi’s mouth ravaged mine.
After what might have been an eternity or only a few seconds—I wasn’t sure which—Levi ended the kiss. He brushed his nose against mine before leaning his head back far enough to gaze into my eyes.
“I’ve never been in love,” he whispered, his tone thick and husky with emotion. “I never felt that zing in my chest when I was still human… and certainly not since I became what I am today. That is, until I met you. You made me feel something I hadn’t felt in two decades—alive. I think that’s part of why I was such an asshole to you when we first met. I didn’t want to believe what I was feeling. I was scared to believe it. But after all these weeks, I feel it, still.”
I swallowed thickly against the emotion clogging my throat. His words were perfect, but his voice… his voice made me believe him. Made me feel everything he was feeling.
“I love you, Piper Williams.”
My hands, still gripped in the folds of his jacket, tightened as he leaned closer to seal his words with a kiss. If he meant for it to be short and sweet, that plan fell by the wayside as I pushed my tongue into his mouth.
My fingers relaxed their grip on his lapels and slid up over his shoulders and into his hair. Gripping the soft strands, I held on tightly as Levi took over the kiss, angling his head to trail his mouth across my cheek to my ear. A groan rumbled in my chest as his tongue skated over the shell of my ear before flicking the lobe.
When his lips pressed against the sensitive skin of my neck, I thought I was going to faint. Fireworks exploded behind my eyelids as a soft moan escaped my lips. Heat coursed through my veins, pooling in my center as I bucked my hips, unconsciously seeking some kind of release.
Then the world turned to ice, a shiver wracking my body as I blinked my eyes a few times. Levi was several feet away, his hands clenched into tight fists at his sides.
“I’m sorry,” he said, his eyes darting from mine to my neck and back again.
“Sorry?” I repeated, my voice sounding as confused as I felt. “Sorry for what?”
I was panting hard, my poor, pounding heart dying for more oxygen. Other parts of me were pounding too, and I shifted my weight from foot to foot in an effort to ease some of the tension.
“I came on too strong. We’re at a party, for Christ’s sake.”
“I don’t care where we are,” I said. “I just want to be with you.”
I didn’t know if my words were making any sense. I didn’t know if this was the right time or the right place
. I just knew what I felt. And I knew what I wanted.
Frustration welled inside me as Levi just stood there. He was beating himself up for what amounted to probably the greatest moment of my life thus far, and that frustration quickly morphed into anger. I stomped forward, stopping just inches from him.
“Do you regret this?” I asked, motioning between us.
“Piper, no,” he said, his face filling with anguish. “I don’t regret anything when it comes to you, and I never will.”
“Then kiss me.”
“I can’t get carried away. I could hurt you, and—”
“You won’t hurt me,” I said, cutting off whatever doom and gloom prediction he was about to make. “Kiss me, Levi.”
I didn’t know where this hot-blooded, aggressive version of myself was coming from, but I liked her.
Passionate Piper. Hmm… needs work.
All thoughts fled my brain as Levi lunged forward, his mouth ravaging mine with a hunger that exceeded my own. A moan vibrated between us, and I wasn’t sure if it was mine or his. My hands tore at his jacket as his fingers gripped my ass, grinding me against him.
It felt like I’d finally broken through whatever dam held back his emotions. They were flowing freely, filling me with a heady heat more precious than food or water. Every nerve ending in my body sparked with electricity, and I wanted more.
“Oh, jeez. Get a room.”
An unseen force ripped us apart, and I whirled to see True standing just outside the doors that led back into the ballroom. I gasped for air, pressing a hand against my chest to keep my heart from beating right out of it.
“True?”
My synapses weren’t firing on all cylinders, and I couldn’t quite make sense of what was happening. My best friend stood there in her gorgeous dress, tapping one toe against the stone floor as she glared at me. Her arms were crossed over her chest as she huffed a sigh.
My brain finally put all the pieces together as her words replayed in my head. Unlike when she’d used them at the mall, there was no hint of playful teasing in them now.