The Monster Ball Year 2

by Heather Hildenbrand

  Great, next she’s going to say I’ll sprout anew from my own tears or something, Sarah thought dryly. And yet, there was no denying that Katya’s premonition bothered her more than it should have.

  Finally, Katya flipped the third card. Flanked by dark clouds, an image of a rising tower with flames coming out of the windows greeted Sarah. Her breath hitched as she summoned the will to meet the mage’s dark gaze.

  It’s just a game, just for fun, Sarah told herself again, downing the rest of her cocktail in one gulp.

  “The Tower.” One finger with a crimson nail caressed the card, almost affectionately. “This represents your future, an obstacle to overcome. A shock is coming. Something that will shake the very foundation of your comfortable life and cast a shadow over all you hold dear.” Katya’s red lips were pursed in a sinister smile. “Is this everything you dreamed of, Princess?”

  The fact she had been recognized was even more startling than the dire predictions Sarah had been dealt. Was the mage just messing with her, intentionally rattling her cage? Or was it possible that Katya’s cards had really shown the future? Sarah shoved aside the possibility as quickly as it’d occurred to her. There was no turmoil in her life, unless the ongoing battle over her future counted.

  Maybe my family is going to marry me off behind my back? Sarah considered. That would only be a betrayal in the loosest sense, since the royal advisors had warned her numerous times that if she didn’t pick her own prince from the approved list, they would pick one for her.

  “Anything else?” Sarah asked, practically daring the other woman to give her more bad news.

  Playing with one of the many rings on her fingers, Katya raised an eyebrow. “Are you certain you want to know?” she asked.

  Sarah reached for her drink again, remembering too late there was nothing left. She cocked her head to one side and shrugged her shoulders. “I’m here,” she replied. “Might as well.”

  Katya’s gaze travelled to the entrance of the cube, and she nodded toward the party raging around them. “Someone here will change your life forever,” she said ominously. “Blood motivates him, magic surrounds him, and you will entrance him.”

  “Someone that’s here?” Sarah asked dubiously. She followed the card reader’s gaze, but it was impossible to see anything past the opaque walls.

  “Yes. Here at the ball,” Katya gestured to the opening. “Beware of his fanged smile.”

  With her eyebrows furrowed, Sarah wondered if the mage could’ve made a vaguer statement. “Like change my life how? Falling in love?” she pressed.

  Maybe she’s talking about the vampire at the bar, Sarah thought hopefully even though she didn’t believe in all this fortunetelling nonsense.

  Sarah was still looking away when Katya answered her question. “There is no love there. Only pain.”

  Chapter Three

  The Guy

  When Sarah left Katya’s table, she wandered back downstairs to the bar on the left of the staircase. The princess still wasn’t sure she believed cards could foretell the future, but she was sure she needed another drink. She wedged herself between two metal barstools and waited while the bartender delivered a drink to a pretty girl with wild red curls. The duo exchanged a few words while a tall guy in a skull tie and dirty boots looked on. Sarah caught the bartender’s eye. He flashed her a perfunctory smile that grew brighter and more flirtatious as he moved toward her.

  “What can I tempt you with?” asked the bartender in a sultry voice that made Sarah warm all over. His shockingly green soulful eyes stared down at her. She wanted to get lost in their depths. For a long moment, it felt to Sarah as though she did.

  “Hi,” she stammered.

  “Hi,” he replied, flashing her a brilliant albeit amused grin. “Can I tempt you?”

  The question wasn’t any less surprising the second time, but she did manage a somewhat more intelligible reply. “Depends. What do you have in mind?” She was pleasantly surprised to hear a flirty note in her own voice.

  The man chuckled softly, making him even more attractive than Sarah had initially thought. He wasn’t like the imbecile casters that normally courted her. Sensuality radiated off him like an aura. The tattooed scales down one of his defined arms made her wonder what other ink designs hid beneath his clothing. He offered her his hand.

  “I’m Decimus, but you can call me Dec,” he told her. “And I have lots of things in mind. Let’s start by getting you a drink.”

  Her coolness wasn’t made to last. With a high, breathy giggle, Sarah took his hand and introduced herself. “My name’s Sarah, and I’ll let you choose the cocktail.”

  “That’s an easy order,” Dec replied, biting his lower lip in a way that made her insides feel like jelly.

  Sarah watched while the golden-haired bartender grabbed various bottles, flipping them around like they were extensions of his arms. When he capped the mixing cup and shook the cocktail, his muscles flexed in the bar’s dim light, and she wondered what sort of hobbies produced that sort of definition. Dec poured the drink into a glass with a neon-lighted stem and leaned over the top as though he might take a sip. Instead, flames poured from his mouth, lighting the cocktail ablaze and drawing shouts of approval from the other people gathered around the bar. A few even applauded, including a pale man standing nearby with a group of friends and eyeing Sarah appreciatively.

  Dec handed Sarah the drink. “Come find me again later, I’m not done with you yet,” he said, punctuating the suggestive offer with a wink.

  “Thank you.” She raised the glass to the bartender and then took a sip, catching and holding the gaze of her admirer.

  Two vampires in one night—what are the odds? Then she recalled the mage’s prediction. If she bought into the reading, then it would’ve seemed the odds were pretty good. Or bad. It depended how she looked at the situation.

  The drink was sweet, and the man was sultry. Pearly white fangs flashed as he spoke to a young, beautiful girl, her magical energy somehow both familiar and foreign. His energy was as dark as it was exhilarating. Katya’s predictions played in her head yet again. Was it tempting fate if Sarah ignored the warning? Was it really a warning if the mage was a fraud?

  The pretty girl—a water fae, Sarah believed—flipped her long, flawlessly curled hair behind her shoulders. Her face lit up in a warm smile while her eyes sparkled with genuine excitement. Even if she hadn’t been wearing a tight blue-gray dress that showed off every curve, she would’ve been stunning. With the outfit and perfect makeup, she was drop-dead gorgeous. Sarah felt a small pang of jealousy. She wasn’t sure why, not exactly. It wasn’t like she knew the mysterious fae or the hot vampire that may or may not play a role in her supposedly tragic future.

  “Tiff, this one’s for you,” Dec called, holding up a bright green drink in one hand.

  The water fae flitted over and accepted the glass with an easy, open smile. “Thanks, Dec.” Then, the girl turned to Sarah. “Hi! First time?”

  “Um, yeah.” Sarah gave an embarrassed laugh at having been caught staring. “I feel like I must have ‘newbie’ tattooed on my forehead. You’re the second person tonight to call me out.”

  The girl giggled. “I just didn’t recognize you is all.” She held out her free hand to Sarah. “My name’s Tiffany.” With her drink, Tiffany gestured to the vampire behind her. “And this is Mat.”

  “Sarah,” the princess replied.

  “Don’t worry, I’m a first-timer, too,” Mat said sheepishly.

  A chill ran down Sarah’s spine. Was it a thrill? Fear? Sarah couldn’t say for sure. She could feel the raw power churning inside of him. Was he a caster before being turned? she wondered. Most witches and warlocks lost their ability to perform magic if they turned vampire, but some exceptionally powerful casters did retain their abilities. The fact that Mat might be one such hybrid should’ve scared Sarah, particularly after Katya’s warning. Nonetheless, it didn’t. If anything, she was more intrigued than before. The blac
k shirt that clung to his muscular chest probably had something to do with her interest too.

  She was too curious for her own good. Or maybe she was just determined to prove the card mage wrong. If one part of the fortune proved false, then Sarah could safely assume that betrayal and grief would not dominate her future. Besides, the man in question didn’t appear terribly dangerous. Mischievous, maybe, like trouble but the fun kind.

  Don’t threaten me with a good time, Sarah thought, feeling emboldened. If this was going to be her one night of freedom from royal duties and the island’s security, she might as well make the most of it.

  “Nice to meet you, Mat,” Sarah said in her most regal voice.

  When he smiled, the vampire’s mirth didn’t reach his eyes. A flicker of something dangerously like recognition did. Sarah felt a creeping trail of ice climb up her spine. There was definitely nothing thrilling about that sensation.

  “You, as well,” Mat replied in an overly formal tone.

  Tiffany glanced between the two, an odd expression causing her beautiful features to scrunch. “Do you guys know each other?” she asked.

  “No,” Mat and Sarah replied in unison. The princess laughed awkwardly. Mat’s gaze traveled to her throat. “That’s a beautiful necklace.”

  Sarah’s fingers skimmed the diamonds lightly. “Thank you. It was a gift.”

  “From your mother?” Mat guessed, making it sound like a curious inquiry. Sarah was positive he already knew the answer to the question.

  “Yes,” she answered shortly, eager to change the subject.

  The vampire gave her a knowing smirk. “It’s nearly identical to a piece that I once saw on display in a museum.”

  It is the one you saw, Sarah thought. And you know it.

  Before she could comment aloud, a second male voice joined the conversation from behind her.

  “If I didn’t know better, I might think these girls need rescuing.”

  When Sarah turned, a hot Latino guy with a wide, white grin stood with his hands on his hips. His impeccably cut black tuxedo was accented with a tight black button-down shirt and crimson bowtie. The guy’s tone was friendly enough, but his body language suggested he meant for his words to be taken at face value.

  The vampire’s attention shifted from Sarah to the newcomer. “I know you,” Mat said, genuine interest crossing his face. “You’re that pit fighter, the were-eagle. Andres, right?”

  “That’s what’s up,” Andres replied, tilting his head back. Suddenly, he seemed much less hostile toward the vampire. His gaze locked on Tiffany, one side of his mouth curving upward in an appreciative smile. “Those are some beautiful wings you have there.”

  Sarah covered her mouth to keep from laughing. While there might’ve been bird shifters in their midst, Tiffany wasn’t one of them.

  “You calling me an angel?” Tiffany asked. She giggled and raised her eyebrows. “I’m not that girl.”

  “Look, I don’t mean to be a dick,” Mat began, stepping between Tiffany and Andres. “But I was talking to the lady.”

  Obviously, the vampire was staking his claim over the fae, yet his dark eyes kept shifting back to Sarah. Which was a misstep on Mat’s part. Andres shoved the vampire’s shoulder hard. Mat’s head whipped around, fangs bared.

  And that’s my cue, Sarah thought, stepping backward discreetly and melting into the crowd. She did want to know more about the vampire, but this was her one night of freedom in a lifetime of catering to someone else’s agenda. Sarah was not going to spend the ball watching two grown men engage in a pissing contest.

  Fingers brushed her bare shoulder. She jumped, causing sticky liquid to slosh over the rim of her glass.

  “Sorry.” Andres pulled his hand back to show he meant no harm or offense. “I’m sorry about that, too,” he added, nodding jerkily to the spot where Mat had been standing just a moment before.

  “It’s fine. It happens,” Sarah said.

  The were-eagle gestured to a table filled with various shifter and otherworldly beings that Sarah had thought only existed in legend. “Do you want to sit with us?”

  “Can I take a raincheck?” Sarah asked. “I’m in the mood for dancing.”

  “Me too!” Tiffany trilled, stepping out from behind Andres. “Let’s do this, girl!” She held out her green drink to the were-eagle. “Hold onto this, okay?”

  He sucked in a deep breath and chewed his bottom lip. “Anything for you, gorgeous.”

  Downing her own cocktail from Dec in three gulps, Sarah set the glass on the tray of a passing waiter as Tiffany clasped her hand and dragged the princess through the crowd to the center of the dance floor.

  Chapter Four

  The Other Guy

  As a female royal, Sarah typically wasn’t permitted to visit nightclubs the way her brother was. Growing up, her governess had often told her that ladies never danced with abandon to pulsing music. Still, Sarah found her hips moving instinctively to the beat. Her head fell back, and she became entranced in the fiber optic lights above the dance floor. Tiffany grinned broadly as she sang along with the music and threw her hands up in the air, encouraging Sarah to do the same.

  When Dastardly Deeds launched into another song, Sarah shifted her tempo accordingly and took the opportunity to scan the other people around her. To one side, a tall woman with a lithe frame and orange hair moved her body in ethereal swirling motions that defied both logic and gravity. At times, her limbs moved so quickly they blurred. A man with a blond ponytail and bare chest moved alongside Sarah, his taut muscles rippling with sweat that reflected the changing colors of the lights above.

  A yelp from Tiffany drew Sarah’s attention back to the girl dancing beside her. Alarmed, Sarah’s head whipped to the side in time to see a red ribbon snake around Tiffany’s wrist. Holding the other end of his bowtie—which he was using as a magical lasso of sorts—Andres grinned at the object of his affection. With a flick of his wrist, the shifter twirled Tiffany until she spun into his arms.

  Seeing the water fae’s face light up, Sarah laughed aloud with only a slight twinge of longing. Not for either the shifter or the fae, but for the connection they’d developed so quickly. It didn’t matter if their romance extended beyond a single night. They were just enjoying one another’s company.

  The alcohol had loosened her up to the point she could’ve been dancing alone in her bedroom, and Sarah let the sensations of freedom and anonymity consume her. Two more songs turned into three. Sarah’s feet ached from jumping with the beat in her silver sky-high heels.

  Just as she considered taking a break to find another drink, an arm snaked loosely around her waist from behind. Sarah tensed instantly. At home, strangers weren’t allowed to get close enough to touch her. A whole contingent of bodyguards made sure of that.

  You’re a long way from home, Sarah reminded herself as she craned her neck to look up over her shoulder. Hypnotic eyes the color of espresso stared down at her from beneath long, sable eyelashes. The chiseled features were so classic and symmetrical, he could’ve been mistaken for a Greek statue if he stood still long enough. Only the dark scruff on his pale cheeks convinced Sarah that he might belong in their modern times.

  It was the vampire she’d spotted—or rather, the one who’d spotted her—when she first walked into the ball.

  “You,” she stammered.

  “I’ve been waiting all evening to say a proper hello.”

  Eyes wide and mind blank, Sarah had no idea what to say next. Luckily, the music was too loud for conversation to be possible. She hesitated for a brief second before turning to face the vampire and letting her body get back into the rhythm. Sarah swayed just close enough to the stranger to feel the heat radiating from his body. Though his arm never strayed from her hip, he also never pulled her closer or tried to touch her further.

  Respectful and hot, Sarah thought. Talk about tempting.

  The beat slowed with the next song. The orange-haired girl and the guy with the blond ponyta
il moved together until it was difficult to discern which set of sweaty limbs belonged to whom. A few feet away, Tiffany and Andres were joined at the hips, their bodies moving in perfect harmony. He whispered something, and the water fae giggled happily. Still, Sarah’s dance partner remained tantalizingly close, leaving half a foot of charged air between them.

  As the final notes of the song rang out in the space, the singer began playing an absent riff on the guitar. Her perch on the third floor made everyone’s heads snap back as they looked up. “We’re the Dastardly Deeds,” she called, flipping her long, pastel hair with one hand. “Welcome to The Monster Ball!”

  Those around Sarah cheered loudly. Her dance partner leaned down until his mouth was beside her ear. His lips brushed her skin when he spoke, sending a coil of excitement through Sarah’s gut. “I’m Thaddeus,” he said. “My friends call me Tad.”

  “Sarah!” she replied, standing on her tiptoes and shouting to be heard over the band’s introductions.

  Tad gave her a lazy smile, the points of his fangs sticking out over his bottom lip. “Looks like you could use another drink. Can I get you something?”

  Sarah nodded and flipped her hair back. Though the move was meant to be flirtatious, she worried that it looked more awkward than anything. “Surprise me,” she replied.

  “I’ll be right back,” Tad promised. In a blur, he disappeared at vampiric speed.

  Sarah fanned her flushed cheeks. The night had just taken a turn for the romantic, she decided, watching Tad appear at Dec’s bar. Well, maybe not romantic exactly…romance required knowing more than a person’s first name. Still, unless Sarah was misreading the situation, the chemistry between her and Tad was off the charts.

  Then, a sobering thought occurred to her, and she froze: I’m a sweaty mess. I must look awful. Sarah could imagine her carefully applied makeup smeared all over her face. And her hair, well, she didn’t want to picture that tangled nightmare. I can make it to the restroom and back before he returns, she decided.