"I tried to save you from all of this," she whispered.
I swallowed hard. "I know."
Twelve
Arden
I slammed on the breaks and my car screeched to a halt in front of Jardin’s mansion. Rolling down the passenger window, I motioned for the guard at the front door to come over. He looked annoyed, but I frankly didn’t give a damn.
I was furious.
That sweet girl... her eyes had been full of fire and hatred.
I’d ruined the one good thing life had decided to give to me.
But maybe that was the price of my vampire life. Eternal life without sickness or weakness.
Just also without Eloise.
“Is there something I can help you with?”
The brute was massive. I thought he’d dent my car as he leaned through the open window.
“Yes, I need this delivered directly to Monseigneur Jardin. Go straight to him, you understand me? If I find out you took any detours, I’ll skin you myself.”
The guard nodded his head nervously as I handed him the microchip I had pulled from my phone. All the photos from Madame Leona’s office would be on there for Jardin to begin his plotting and scheming.
“And where are you off to, Master Arden?”
I waved my hand to dismiss him. “I’m taking the last few hours before dawn for myself. Tell Jardin I’ll be back in the morning for my next assignment.”
Without another word, I pushed the button to roll the window back up and my foot was hard on the gas pedal. My car purred as it raced down one road and another.
The traffic light in front of me turned yellow. I pushed harder on the gas and barely slipped through, red light basking the street in my rearview mirror.
I peaked out of the corner of my eye at the empty passenger seat. It’d only been an hour earlier, if that, that Eloise was sitting there next to me. She’d been going on and on about some book and then some society gossip or other.
I couldn’t give two craps about the topics themselves. But when Eloise spoke, it was enchanting. Her excited demeanor was enough to thaw my vampire heart.
My fists slammed into the steering wheel.
“Damnit, Arden. Pull yourself together. This was always just a job.”
The lie stung.
I slowed the car as I arrived at my destination. A sign reading “Casa Del Sangue” flashed red and purple, illuminating the line of people waiting to get into the vampires only nightclub. Luckily for me, I was a regular at the House of Blood and the bouncer was an old friend at this point.
I threw my keys to the valet attendant and strolled up to the entrance. Sure enough, the bouncer gave me a big grin and a slap on the back as he let me inside, the two guys next in line murmuring their displeasure.
The smell inside was repugnant. This wasn’t like the club I’d taken Eloise to. That was a place of dancing and drinks and picking up hot dates.
This place. It was where vampires could let loose in more ways than one. The stench of sweat, blood, and sex hung thick in the air. Flashing lights of various colors made it hard to see even with an improved eternal’s vision. Bodies pulsed on the dance floor like an ocean of depraved desire.
I found a couch and dropped onto it, ignoring the couple on the opposite couch. They were in a world of their own as the man brushed his fangs against her neck. Vampire blood was foul to the taste, but the thrill of a bite still attracted some young vampires.
I groaned and motioned for a glass of blood. I handed my card to the pretty woman who brought me a cup of cow blood. It would be disappointing compared to Madame Leona’s samplings, but it was the only thing the club could legally sell.
Sipping at my glass, I contented myself to watch the crowd. But the more I watched… the more I missed her. There was an emptiness in the whole thing.
I hadn’t felt something like that in literal decades.
There were other feelings too.
A hate for Leona. That woman had seen through me. But could I blame her? There was a twinge of admiration for the woman at the same time. She was fierce. Fearless in front of a vampire.
Where would things go from here? If things went right, Madame Leona would be off the market sooner rather than later. But what would become of Eloise?
I was pulled from my thoughts by a woman suddenly jumping over the back of the couch I was sitting on and plopping herself next to me with ease.
I tensed.
“Aw, that’s not the sort of reaction a girl wants from a guy.”
Evangeline’s fake pout made me uneasy. What also made me uneasy was how little of her body she was leaving to the imagination in her outfit.
She was wearing a tight-fitting, cherry red spandex dress. Her hair flowed around her bare shoulders, the tops of her breasts begging me to look. I did not.
And her skirt. It was riding up, nearly about to give me a full view of her nether area as her legs rested on my lap. Her heels were sparkling daggers.
I pushed her legs off me to avoid any show. She grumbled but pulled out a black lipstick and a compact mirror from her purse. She puckered up and applied a fresh coat of black before stuffing it all away and biting her newly painted lip with one fang.
“How are things going with your little extra credit project? What was her name? Eloise?”
The name dripped off her tongue like venom. She was taunting me.
“I don’t want to talk about it.” I gritted my teeth.
Evangeline shifted herself closer to me and purred in my ear, her hand on my shoulder. “So not well at all then. Poor Arden, was the precious little angel too much for you?”
I didn’t respond. I focused instead on the dark contents of my cup.
Evangeline bit my earlobe and I tried my best to not give her a reaction. But she knew just how to press my buttons.
“I guess Jardin will have to put me on the mission and I’ll just chop the girl up into pieces myself.”
I threw my glass of blood onto the floor, letting it shatter. In one swift motion, I rose from the couch and dragged Evangeline to the nearby wall, my hand around her neck, holding her so she stood on her tiptoes.
Her hands were on my hand, making sure she had at least a finger of breathing room as I squeezed.
She gasped for breath, a smile beginning to spread on her face as her eyes studied me closely.
“Maybe you’re not quite the pansy I mistook you for. Maybe there is a man in there.”
My mind blacked out. I didn’t have any plan for what I was about to. I just had to stop it. All of it.
I had to stop Evangeline from running her mouth and grinding my nerves raw.
I had to stop the thoughts of Eloise filling my head. Her eyes. Her laugh. The gentle touch of her hand.
My mouth crashed against Evangeline’s. She didn’t seem at all surprised as she kissed back with an equal amount of force.
My grip on her throat didn’t lessen, but her hands began to touch all over my body. One hand in my hair. One hand roving over my chest.
Her tongue slipped into my mouth, and she let out a moan.
I pulled away, and my breath heaved. Evangeline’s chest rose and fell rapidly, her grin inviting me in for more.
I released her, much to her disappointment.
“I have to get back to work.”
Evangeline pouted again, and I sneered in disgust. “At least you know now that you don’t need your little mortal in order to have a good time, huh?”
As I slipped past vampire couples to leave the club, I found myself wishing the sentiment were true.
Kissing Evangeline was supposed to help get Eloise out of my brain.
All it had done was etch her ever more permanently there.
Thirteen
Eloise
"Did you find the dress?" My hands shook in my lap as Jewel peeped her head around the door and into my room. My makeup had already been done for an hour and my hair an hour before that. I had been waiting anxiously, staring at m
y blood-red lipstick and my eyelids carefully shadowed in smokey hues. My hair was pinned up in a tightly braided updo. Loose curls hung gently around my cheeks, framing my face.
Jewel nodded her head. But unlike her usual demeanor, which was quiet and huddled into the smallest version of herself that she could, this time she was bright and clearly excited about the big reveal that came next. She swung a large white dress bag around from behind the door and held it up, a squeal escaping her lips. She looked shocked at herself for breaking protocol, but I smiled and waved off the indiscretion.
The girl laid the bag on the bed and turned back to me, rocking on the balls of her feet. "Would you like assistance getting it on?"
I rose from my chair and reached out to pull her into a grateful hug. "I would like nothing better."
It took a little more effort than I had expected, as the dress was complicated and delicate in design. But after some struggling and sucking in so that I couldn't breathe, I finally got into the gown. Jewel put her hands up to her mouth and jumped up and down. She was so small that she barely even made a sound landing back on the ground. She motioned with her finger for me to do a twirl and I complied.
"Miss Eloise...you look like an angel. Well," she giggled. "Maybe an avenging angel."
I placed my hands on my hips and struck a pose. Jewel grabbed me roughly and spun me around. I wanted to question what she was doing, but then I saw myself in my mirror and whatever breath I had left in my body caught in my throat.
The ensemble was skin tight and hugged my body like a second skin, leaving none of my figure to the imagination. The bodice was made of sheer fabric, black sparkling lace covering just enough to maintain my dignity. The neckline plunged between my breasts. The skirt of the dress was a black fabric that cascaded and flowed, a slit over my left leg almost going all the way up to the bodice. There were sleeves on this dress with matching sheer fabric and beaded black lace that looked like it was tattooed on my skin rather than a part of the ensemble.
Matched with my makeup and hairstyle, I looked dangerous. An image of a black widow popped into my mind. My other outfits at the other balls had been fit for a princess. This was fit for a wrathful sexual goddess. I was proud of myself for putting this together in such a short period of time. But there was a twinge of regret on my face for everything that had led up to it.
You're being petty. Is parading yourself like a cheap piece of meat really worth it to get back at a guy?
The accusations I threw at myself in my mind stung. But I pushed them to the side. It didn't have to be sleazy or cheap to wear a dress like this. It could be empowering if that's how I wanted to view it. Deep down, however, I knew the point of my appearance at the ball tonight was in fact just to hurt Arden. I was ready for him to walk in, cocky as ever, and I was ready to see his jaw drop.
The music downstairs had already been playing for an hour, but I wasn't late. I had planned it this way. I wanted to ensure that everyone was already downstairs and ready for my grand arrival. I twirled some of my loose strands of hair around my finger to tighten the curls more and exited my room, blowing a kiss back at Jewel.
At the top of the staircase, I had a sudden wave of insecurity. This was unlike anything I had ever done. But was it really? I was the girl who disobeyed her mother and waltzed into the ball a month earlier. I was the girl who had slapped a vampire in the face, for god's sake! If I could do those things, why couldn't I walk in and totally own this party?
None of the vampires were in the entryway at the base of the staircase, but the second I walked through the doors of the ballroom, all eyes were on me. My mother was across the room and I watched her glass almost drop from her hand in shock. But, to my surprise, her face did not turn into a mask of anger or disappointment. It, instead, turned into one of approval. I wasn't her little baby in this moment. In this moment I was a young woman taking control of a horrible situation just as she had done a dozen times before. There was pride in that look, although I would no doubt hear something about my finery the next day.
I surveyed the room, subconsciously looking for Arden. I didn't see him, but I knew he was bound to be in there, probably in a corner somewhere enjoying a drink and whatever his newest target was. I stopped myself from continuing my search for that moment and instead put a smirk on my face. Time to shine.
I didn't need anyone to escort me around the ballroom this time. I walked by myself, introducing myself to a vampire here or there. I sashayed by the food table and picked up a chocolate-covered strawberry, biting into it slowly and locking eyes with an especially attractive vampire. He took my gaze as an invitation and strode over, leaning into the wall next to me and openly eyeing me up and down.
"Well, aren't you a dazzling sight?" He crooned in a deep voice that trailed off into a hiss.
I rolled my eyes and feigned disinterest. I actually was disinterested, but I didn't want him to give up before Arden could spot me, so I shifted my dress to show some leg through the slit.
"Playing hard to get, are we? Or perhaps you require a guarantee of a beneficial arrangement before expending the energy to speak to me?"
He took a few steps closer and I could feel him breathe on my neck before he came around to where I could get a better look at him. He must have been very young when he was turned into a vampire. His blonde hair was in a sweeping wave on his head and his ocean blue eyes twinkled as he placed a hand on my elbow.
"Are you a diamonds type of woman or do you prefer something... more elusive?"
Arden, now would be a good time for you to get jealous. I'm already sick of this guy.
I leaned forward to whisper in the vampire's ear. Whatever I said meant nothing to me, but it was the only way I could keep him occupied while I looked around the room for those eyes that had pierced me. But he wasn't there. It wasn't that I just couldn't spot him; he wasn't there at all.
My eyes narrowed. I wondered about what, or who, he was doing at that moment. My cheeks flushed, but it was hard to gauge if it was from anger or the sudden longing I suddenly felt at the thought of Arden's body entangled in bedsheets.
I reeled away from my own thoughts. Had my mind really gone there so quickly? The vampire I had been entertaining pulled away and looked at me questioning, his eyebrow arched. I must have stopped talking when my mind went to more... private matters. I flashed him a smile and forced a laugh.
"I don't think I've had enough to drink. Please excuse me. I'll find you once I've had a bit more of my liquid courage."
I finished with a wink that apparently sold the stranger on whatever he thought I was offering. He bowed to me and I hurried away. I left the ballroom with some nods to the guests as I passed and made my way to one of the corridors adjacent to the entryway and behind the staircase. It was one of the hallways less used because the only things attached to it were an empty office and the doors to the varying stairs for the servant's quarters in the underground levels.
I enjoyed the quiet, dark privacy of the hallway and breathed deeply to still my heart. Time had flown by inside the ballroom, but it was clear Arden was not going to grace the ball with his presence. Mother had probably warned him not to. I thought about it and realized I had probably told him not to as well.
But then I heard a voice. Two voices, actually. They were hushed, but anxious. One I instantly recognized as my mother's, but the other was unfamiliar to me. They were coming from the empty office room that I thought never got used. Mother's main office, a lavish, spacious affair, was two halls down from there. What was she doing in there? I hadn’t even noticed her leave the event.
I was thankful the hallway was carpeted, so it muffled the sound of my heels on the floor. I tiptoed closer to the door and listened closely to the voices that definitely had an angry twinge to them.
"I should have known he would waste no time in striking now that I've discovered his rat in my house." My mother hissed angrily, and the sound of what I assumed was her fist hitting the desk startled me.
"But he's involved!" She whispered louder and fiercer at the mention of a man. "If he's part of this, then Jardin must have organized the whole thing. But you've never steered me wrong, so, once again, I will listen to your words of advice. We'll wait until the morning and I hope to any god above who cares to listen that neither the boy nor the shipment is harmed."
What was she talking about? Luckily, I didn't have to ponder for long. The man, who I assumed was some adviser to my mother, spoke again and gave me all the horrifying details I needed. "What should I tell the carrier boy's mother? Should I alert her that her son has been kidnapped by Arden and his fellow goons during his latest assignment?"
My heart dropped into my stomach. A carrier was someone who did the actual dirty business of smuggling blood across borders. Madge had giggled about one who had kissed her in a corridor similar to the one I now hid in. The carrier boys were usually young, eighteen or nineteen was a common age. Would Arden really do such a thing as to kidnap one? And the way my mother spoke, it sounded like a strong possibility that he could hurt this carrier. Had he moved on that quickly from our separation?
I heard footsteps as the adviser was heading to the door that I hid by, and I started planning my escape. But my mother's voice stopped him again.
"Where are those rascals right now?" Her voice was drenched in resignation. Her hands were tied at that moment and she knew it.
The adviser rattled off an address, and I squeezed my eyes shut to quickly memorize the numbers and street name. Before either the adviser or my mother could exit the room and find me eavesdropping, I quickly left the hallway and stopped in the entryway. To my left was the ballroom. To my right was the front door.
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