The Monster Ball: A Paranormal Romance Anthology

by Heather Hildenbrand

  “And I would prefer not to break them simply because you’re choosing to be difficult.”

  “Oh,” she said standing. “I’m so sorry that my kidnapping and imprisonment is causing you difficulties. That’s the very last thing I intended.”

  Her cheeks flushed with her annoyance as she crossed the room to the wardrobe.

  “Sarcasm does not become you,” I said.

  She withdrew the key and came to my side.

  “And your arrogance does not become you. Now ask me nicely.”

  “I did ask you nicely.”

  “No, you commanded me nicely. Ask.”

  “Joseline, will you please remove the cuffs before my sister returns and I find myself unable to provide you the safety I promised?”

  She rolled her eyes at me.

  “That was most unbecoming,” I said.

  “And your request was still arrogant as hell.”

  She leaned over me to uncuff the far hand first. The move brought her too close to me. I inhaled deeply, noting the scent of the sun in her blood. A day without its glorious rays, and she still retained its vitality. My mouth watered.

  The metal clinked open, and I grabbed her hand before she could move.

  She looked down at me, only inches from my face. The honey brown flecks in her eyes as she studied me caught my attention. It reminded me of autumn leaves in the daylight. A color I hadn’t witnessed for myself in centuries.

  “Is this where you change your mind and drink me like the blood bag I am?” she asked, her voice soft yet defiant.

  “This is where I take the key and finish the task,” I answered even though I liked her suggestion far better.

  She relinquished the key, but before she could straighten away, the door opened.

  Julia strode in, her sweeping glance assessing our intimate pose, and smirked.

  “I knew she would tempt you. If you’re done, I’ll take her away so you can get ready.”

  I blatantly scrutinized her outfit, the same as she’d been dressed in before, as I uncuffed my other hand.

  “I do believe you will need more time than I to dress, dear sister. I’ll keep Joseline in my company. Thank you.”

  Her smirk never left her face.

  “The cuffs again? Let me guess. You never even tasted her. After all the trouble I went through finding one that stank of the sun, following her home, and taking her from her apartment? You could be more grateful and at least take a small sip. Or maybe you realized how disgusting she would taste?”

  “Go away, Julia,” I said, sitting up.

  During our whole exchange, Joseline hadn’t moved. She still leaned in close to me, a sure sign of trust. Or perhaps knowing which of us—Julia or me—presented less of a danger. Letting my sister take her away would answer that question very quickly, and I couldn’t allow that.

  Instead of pushing Joseline away, I pulled her into my lap and softly kissed the side of her neck. The taste of her skin sent of jolt of hunger through me. I wasn’t entirely sure which kind.

  “As you can see, I don’t find anything about her disgusting. Now, go away. I’m not yet finished with your treat.”

  “Liar,” she said, stalking across the room. “I know your games, Lucas. You’ll try to set her free now that you’re well. We both know you can’t just let her walk away. She’s seen too much.”

  Joseline trembled in my arms. Finally, some sense from her. However, it wasn’t the scent of fear that tickled my nose a moment later but her anger. I rubbed her arm, hoping to calm her.

  “Her fate is not up to you,” I said.

  “Fine. I will return her to her pen until the morning when Father will have time to deal with her. She’s a distraction and you need to get ready.”

  I tensed, ready to lash out as Julia reached for Joseline. However, a flash of silver light brightened the room, stopping me.

  Joseline

  Lucas tilted his head back and laughed, true humor spilling from his lips and echoing in the room. I shivered in his arms unable to look away from his mouth. The spot where his lips had brushed my neck still tingled, and his continued caress on my bare arm wasn’t helping the feeling disappear.

  “It looks like her fate isn’t up to father either,” he said, his mirth still very visible. “We’ll see you at the ball.”

  Julia turned and stormed out of the room. No sooner had the door closed than Lucas settled his dark blue gaze on me.

  “Aren’t you curious about that letter?” he asked.

  I looked down at the silvery slip of parchment that I held in my hand. The source of light that had caused Lucas to laugh. Whether illuminated by the moonlight shining on it or from some other source, the paper seemed to glow. Given how it had arrived—not there and then suddenly there—I wasn’t overly surprised by its otherworldly appearance.

  Carefully, I turned the paper over and read the brief words.

  Joseline Gorset Parker,

  Just as the moon has brought me to you,

  so shall the moon bring you to the ball.

  October 31st

  The Witching Hour

  “I don’t understand,” I said.

  “The ball in reference is affectionately known as the Monster Ball. It seems its proprietor knows you are more than you appear, Joseline.”

  I tore my gaze from the shimmering paper and stared up at Lucas, feeling so many things I probably shouldn’t. Hope. Excitement. Attraction to the man who drank blood and had glowing red eyes when he was upset.

  “Are you trying to tell me I’m like you?” I asked.

  He chuckled. “Hardly. You walk in the sunshine. I cannot. I’m not sure what you are.” He leaned in and inhaled deeply close to the spot he’d kissed. The tingling started anew.

  “You smell human.”

  “Maybe because I am.” Even as I said the words, a small part of me shook her head no. All of this felt too right.

  “Humans are never invited to the ball. Now, as much as I enjoy having you in my lap, I think it’s time to get ready for the ball.”

  He lifted me off his lap and stood me beside the bed. I fought to hide my disappointment. His skin might be cool, but everything else about him I found warm and inviting.

  “I thought you didn’t want to go.” At least, that was the impression Julia gave with her high and mighty comments about him attending burned and scarred.

  “I don’t. But your invitation gave me a reason to hate attending a little less.”

  He stripped off his suit jacket, his muscles rippling with each movement, and tossed it aside before reaching for his phone. I watched him send a text with the realization that no one at the ball would be human, and given our conversation, vampires weren’t the only supernatural creatures to exist. Just what would I be walking into? Excitement tried to push my common sense aside. I needed to think of my parents. What would they do when I didn’t call them tonight?

  “I’m not sure I want to go,” I said.

  “As it’s been pointed out to me, one simply does not refuse an invitation from the proprietor.”

  “And if I do?”

  He turned to look at me, the humor fading from his eyes. As his deep blue gaze held mine, I found my attraction to him siding with the excitement of learning just what existed out there. Common sense didn’t stand a chance.

  “I would beg you to please reconsider,” he said softly. “If the temptation of finding out what you are is not enough to entice you, I can only add that this would be a night of wonder that you would never forget. There is no ball as indulgent and prestigious as The Monster Ball.”

  A flash of blue light illuminated his room near the door, almost blinding me. I lifted my hand against it and looked at Lucas. He smiled and took my raised hand. A tingle of awareness raced through me.

  “Did I mention that you could wear a one of a kind, magically created gown from the one and only Cress De Quie?”

  A tittering laugh filled the room. The source, a short, fair-skinned woman
, stood right where the explosion of light had appeared. Her delicate features and gossamer gown mesmerized me. As did the fact that she floated a foot off the floor. Definitely not human.

  She winked at Lucas and shook a wand-filled hand at him.

  “You’re a horrible flirt and waited until the last moment to message me, as usual. Naughty boy.”

  “I honestly did not plan to attend. But, the fortuitous appearance of Joseline,” he told her, lifting our still clasped hands, “has changed my mind.”

  Her shrewd gaze swept over me.

  “I can see why. She’s the complete opposite of the other one I just had to dress.”

  “Please, spare me the details,” Lucas said, his good mood evaporating. “I have no interest in what my parents are planning.”

  She clucked her tongue.

  “You should. It’s your life.”

  “Which is exactly why I have no interest, Cress.”

  I opened my mouth to ask what they were talking about when the woman zoomed toward me. No wings, just a glow at her feet and a breeze as she rushed at me without moving a limb.

  “Wow,” I breathed. “I wish I would have met you first.”

  “Oh, come now. Lucas is quite impressive in his own right,” she said.

  “She met Julia first,” Lucas said.

  A smile lit her face.

  “You, my dear, are my new favorite client.”

  “Client?”

  “Of course. I am Cress De Quie, the dressmaker for those lucky enough to warrant my attention. And you most certainly do. Now hold still while I take your measurements.”

  She twirled the wand in my direction. A spark and a fizzle emerged, and a tingle ran over my skin.

  “There we go. Do you consider yourself a modest girl?”

  I looked down at myself. I wore thin shorts that barely covered the bottom of my cheeks and a tank top that, while covering, didn’t really leave too much to the imagination as far as shape went.

  “I suppose not,” I said.

  “Lovely. The modest ones are a pain in my ass.” She turned to the side and started to swirl her wand in the air as if stirring an imaginary cup of coffee with it.

  “Go on, now. Magic takes time. Your dress will be ready after you have yourself a nice long soak.”

  Lucas took me by the hand and crossed the room toward the bookshelf near the fireplace. He pulled back a book, and one of the sections of shelves slid open. I stared at the marble bathroom in confusion.

  “Why in the hell would you hide the bathroom?”

  His chuckle warmed my middle again.

  “I have no idea.”

  Trying to ignore my unexplainable growing attraction to him, I stepped inside and looked at the steam rising from the already full bathtub. Flecks of gold floated on the surface.

  “I will leave you to prepare,” he said, backing out of the room.

  Chapter Four

  Glamor and Glitz

  Lucas

  The low murmur of their voices stopped abruptly. I straightened my cuff and strained to hear how they were progressing. Cress had disappeared into the bathroom with her creation, which she’d ordered me not to peek at as it had started to form.

  “Just wow,” Joseline said suddenly. “Does this come with glass slippers too?”

  “Don’t be crass.”

  I chuckled. Cress didn’t do anything as ordinary as glass, and I hoped she outdid herself with Joseline’s creation.

  I glanced at Joseline’s invitation that still rested on the bed. The timing of its arrival had been perfect. For me. I wondered if it would benefit her, though. I didn’t doubt she belonged to our world in some way. The invitation alone proved that. However, I wondered if I should have let her leave like she’d wanted. Why help introduce her to a world I had no love for?

  “Stop scowling,” Cress said, calling my attention to the doorway.

  She floated a few inches above the ground, her magic keeping her afloat. Her eyes swept over me, and she gave a brief, satisfied nod. The formal suit she’d conjured for me hadn’t taken nearly as much time as the mysterious dress for Joseline.

  “Are you ready?” she asked.

  I held my arms out to show her I was completely dressed.

  “I meant, are you ready to see my creation?”

  “She means the dress,” Joseline called from behind her.

  “Hush, you,” Cress said with a giggle.

  At my nod, she moved to the side and beckoned Joseline forward.

  The moment Joseline stepped out, I forgot to breathe. Her sun-kissed strawberry hair had been swept up into an elegant twist and pinned with a line of twinkly white and green gems. With her hair up, there was no distraction from the green, leaf-shaped embellishments that clung to the gossamer material of the gown. If not for the embellishments across her bust and hips, she would be completely exposed, for I could see her legs quite plainly through the green fall of her skirt.

  I wished the embellishments would disappear as much as I wanted them to remain. Looking at her elegant perfection and the slim column of her throat, a hunger grew inside of me. I wanted to taste her. Knowing the dangerous path of disappointment that doing such a thing would cause me to walk, I suppressed the urge and sipped from my glass of blood.

  “Well?” Joseline asked.

  “You are stunning.”

  “You think this dress is amazing, check out these shoes!” She lifted the hem of her gown, which was designed to mimic vines growing from a bed of leaves, and showed me her diamond and emerald encrusted heels.

  “It feels like they’re giving me a foot massage every time I take a step.” She moved around the room, making a slow circle. I didn’t look at the shoes but followed the slow sway of her hips.

  “I can see my work here is done,” Cress said. “I’ll send my bill. And stop destroying my suits, you naughty boy.”

  With that, she disappeared in a flash of blue, leaving me alone with Joseline.

  She turned to face me, a smile on her face.

  “Next time you’re trying to talk someone into going with you, lead with the shoes.”

  I chuckled.

  “Are you ready?”

  Her smile slowly faded.

  “So how many monsters are going to be at this thing? Nothing against monsters,” she added quickly.

  “I’m not sure. I would say several hundred easily.”

  She took a slow, deep breath, her amber gaze locked with mine.

  “I guess I’m as ready as I can be.”

  Joseline

  Lucas picked up our tickets, crossed the room, and offered me his arm. Dressed in a tux and fully healed, he was heart-stoppingly handsome.

  Wrapping my arm around his, I let him lead us from the room. My pulse fluttered with excitement, and heat gathered in my stomach at our simple contact. I had it bad.

  The sound of my heels against stone echoed in the thankfully empty hall. I only had a fleeting thought of calling my parents as he led me outside. The full, bright moon lit the garden just outside the door.

  He stopped and looked down at me.

  “I thought I’d grown to hate viewing beauty in the moonlight, but I’ve never seen anything more perfect than you in this moment.”

  My heart wanted to melt at his words. Unable to help myself, I set my hand against his chest. Trying to stop the crazy spin his words had started in my middle, I focused on my fingers instead of the intensity of his gaze.

  “Is this a vampire thing?” I asked.

  “Compliments?”

  “No. This feeling.”

  He was quiet, and I looked up. A flicker of red ignited in his gaze but died just as quickly as it appeared.

  “What do you feel?” he asked.

  “Attraction. To you. A very toe-curling, panty-dropping level of attraction.”

  He looked away from me, his jaw twitching.

  “I didn’t think admitting to wanting a guy would upset him.”

  “The only reaso
n it upsets me is because it reminds me you’re something I cannot have.”

  I frowned.

  “It’s a little early in the night to assume I’ll say no. Especially when Cress didn’t make me any underwear.”

  His gaze locked on mine, and he tenderly brushed the back of his knuckles along my cheek.

  “It’s almost midnight. A time when smart girls ask to go home.”

  “You’d take me if I asked?”

  “I would.”

  He said the words, but I could see the regret in his eyes.

  “Take me to your ball, Lucas.”

  The moonlight grew brighter, a beam focusing on us. One moment we stood in his garden, the next we stood just outside the overgrown courtyard of an ancient castle. I looked up at the two crumbling towers on each side of the arch we stood before and shivered. It wasn’t just the sudden drop in temperature but the location too. I had the feeling the moon had just moved us to a different part of the world.

  “Come. Let’s get you inside.”

  “Are you sure there’s a ball here?” I asked. Through the arch, I could see the castle was crumbling as well. Bits of wall missing along with sections of the roof.

  “The moonlight brought us here,” he said, confirming what had just happened. “It doesn’t make a mistake.”

  He led me through the arch, and a tingle ran through me. In a blink, everything changed. The towers were whole and no longer dark with age but light, clean stone. Just inside the arch, a well-tended courtyard, purple lights flickering in the light fog hugging the ground.

  I barely noted anything or anyone else until we stood before the opening to the castle itself. Two very lifelike gargoyles stood on each side of the door. The statues were the size of Lucas. Perhaps even a bit larger.

  When we stopped before the dimly lit tunnel, one of the statues transformed into a man.

  “Your tickets,” he said, holding out a hand.

  Lucas reached into his pocket and produced the required glowing papers. Hearing someone behind us, I glanced back at a stunning blonde dressed in red. The cleavage she displayed was almost as distracting as her pointed ears. I smiled at her and turned back around before she thought I was staring.