“Then what’s the problem?”
“I don’t even know you.” None of this made any sense. He had to have been more than he seemed.
“And that’s a problem?”
“Of course it is.” A huge problem.
“Yet, you trust me.” He moved his hands to my hips. “Yet, you were doing a lot whole of getting to know me earlier.”
“That doesn’t mean I’m yours.” I tugged away from him, but it was a half-hearted attempt. I didn’t want to leave his side or his touch.
“Honey, you’ve been mine from the moment I laid eyes on you.” He tugged on my hip, pulling me against him. “After all, I’m the reason you’re here.”
“You mean because you found my ticket?” I still wasn’t quite sure how he managed that, but everything about this evening was impossible to imagine.
He stilled. “Wait. You haven’t figured it out yet? I’m surprised. I know how smart you are.”
“What do you mean?” A shiver crept up my spine.
“There aren’t a lot of us.”
“I already told you I haven’t met another.” I waited. There had to be more coming, and my bet was it wasn’t going to be very good.
“And I went searching...” he trailed off.
“Searching?”
“Yes.” He moved a hand to my shoulder. “Searching.”
It was my turn to freeze. “What do you mean?”
“I’m not trying to weird you out.”
“Well, you are.” I wasn’t going to beat around the bush. “You are really weirding me out.”
“I wasn’t stalking you. I never saw you until tonight.”
Stalking me? How did that even get on the table? “Then what were you doing?”
“Looking for someone else like me. And when I heard about you…”
“Wait.” I thought back to what he said about getting me in. “You got me the invitation.”
“Yes.” He ran his hand down my shoulder. “Well, I had some help.”
“What kind of help?” This was going to get worse before it got better.
“Harriet.”
“Wait. What?” Had I heard him right?
“You know what she is, right?”
“What do you mean ‘what she is?’”
“You know she isn’t human. You have to have figured it out. You truly believed she looks that good at seventy?”
Somehow, I knew he was telling the truth. “What is she?”
“A succubus.”
“What?” I’d never actually met a succubus before, but from my limited knowledge of the supernatural, I knew it was some sort of demon who seduced men. Harriet? I thought about it for a moment and realized it wasn’t all that crazy.
“So I wasn’t stalking. She told me we needed to meet. And this seemed like a good neutral place. So don’t be angry. I’m choosing to tell you everything. To come clean.”
“That’s why she closed the shop. That’s why she said I couldn’t work tonight…”
“You couldn’t work? You wanted to work on Halloween?” He raised an eyebrow.
“Yeah.” I let him lead us to the side of the dance floor so people weren’t stepping around us or bumping into us anymore. “Why not?”
“Because Halloween is one of the best nights ever.” His face lit up. “That’s why.”
“But see all the good it’s done me? A vampire princess is angry, and we also have an angry and heartbroken ghost to deal with.”
“Yeah, but the keyword is we. We are in this together. That’s new for you, right?” His hands returned to my hips. I didn’t want to like the feeling, but I loved it.
“You made it sound like you know of others like us, but you don’t know many?”
He ran his lips down my neck. “Not our age.”
“I don’t want you to want me just because we’re alike.”
“Who said that’s why I like you?” He ran his tongue down the sensitive skin of my neck. “My attraction to you goes way further.”
“How do you know?” I couldn’t stop a small moan from escaping my lips. “You wanted to like me.”
He laughed. “Wanting to like someone doesn’t mean you will. You can’t make yourself feel something.”
“Sure you can. Or you can at least pretend.”
“Pretend?” His lips flew from my skin. “Who said anything about pretending?” His lips devoured mine in an angry, possessive kiss. He immediately pushed into my mouth as his hands tightened around me, pinning me against him. He backed me up against the wall and pulled my hands above my head.
Somewhere in the recesses of my mind, I remembered we weren’t alone, but I had no room for rational thought. It was just him and me. And that kiss.
Finally, when I thought I’d combust, he broke the kiss.
“Whoa.” I struggled to catch my breath. My heart was beating out of control.
“Whoa is right. There is no pretending, Gabriella. We have a connection, and it’s about time you stop fighting it.”
“How about we worry about that after we help Adrian and get out of here before the vampire princess kills me?” I wasn’t sure how I was even talking.
“She's not going to kill you.”
“How do you know?” I’d only spoken with the princess a few minutes, but I knew she was dangerous.
“Because I won’t let her.” He put his hand under my chin. “I promise.”
I didn’t doubt him. “Why is she mad at me and not you, anyway?”
“We don’t know if she is angry with you. She just asked to speak with you. She liked you better.”
“That guy said I upset her.”
“Could be covering herself.” He shrugged. “You never know.”
“Then why didn’t you let me go?” I was glad he didn’t, but I wanted answers.
“You think I’m letting you walk into that alone?” He leaned close, pressing me back against the wall again. “Even if she wasn’t a vampire, have you looked at yourself tonight? You think I want you walking around here without me?”
“You let me walk in by myself.”
“I wasn’t far behind.”
“Who were you waiting for?” I knew I sounded jealous, but I didn’t care.
“I was getting a payment.”
“A payment?” Once again I was asking about something I probably wouldn’t like the answer to.
“I’ve worked jobs for several creatures here tonight. Some hadn’t paid up. I didn’t want you to see that stuff.”
“Why should I believe you?” I struggled to keep my hands off of him.
“Isn’t the better question why shouldn’t you?” Somehow he made that sound seductive. The kiss had made things worse.
“Guys, sorry to interrupt this thrilling conversation, but you need to see this.” Adrian slid between us.
Rexton jumped back. “What the hell, man?”
“It’s serious.” Adrian frowned.
“See what?” I stepped away from the wall.
Adrian’s frown deepened. “What Madelina is up to. She’s taking blood. Too much blood.”
Another chill ran through me, and this wasn’t from being touched by a ghost. “Where is she?”
“The roof.”
“I guess this conversation will have to wait.” Rexton kissed my hand. “Sorry if I thoroughly freaked you out. That wasn’t my intention.”
“Sure it wasn’t.” It was much easier to use sarcasm when his lips and hands weren’t all over me.
Chapter Seven
“So you do come when summoned.” Madelina stood from the white sofa.
“No. I came because I heard you were taking blood from guests.” I wasn’t sure where the bravado was coming from, but I knew it had a lot to do with the two girls passed out on the floor with goofy grins when we reached the roof. Without anyone telling me, I knew they’d been tossed there. Carelessly. They were both breathing, but that didn’t make everything okay.
“They are giving it willingly.” Madel
ina smiled, revealing her long fangs again. There was still blood on them. “And paying their dues.”
“You put them in a trance,” I snapped. “That’s not willing.”
“Who defines willing?” She shrugged. “And like you should talk.”
“What do you mean?” I was on an adrenaline rush over what I was doing and still recovering from my latest episode with Rexton.
“I know who you are, Rexton.” She ran her hand down his arm. “The question is whether Gabriella does.”
“What is she talking about?”
“You haven’t told her yet?” Madelina grinned.
“Don’t.” Rexton’s expression darkened. “We were interrupted.”
“Wait. What? Do you know Harriet too?” I looked between them.
She laughed. “Yes, I do. So, you know? You know you are falling into his little web?”
“Web?” My anger was slowly fading and being replaced by confusion. Unbelievable confusion.
“I’m not as human as you are.” Rexton averted his eyes from mine. “But I will explain that later. First, let’s get these guests away from her.”
“Not as human?” Madelina laughed. “Come on, Rexton.”
“Fine. I’m an incubus.”
“Wait. What?” I stumbled back. “Then you lied? I don’t get it. Can all incubuses talk to ghosts?”
“No.” He shook his head. “I get that from my mom’s side. It’s a long story.”
“A long story you didn’t tell me.” My anger returned even hotter this time. An incubus? Wasn’t that a demon? “No wonder I can’t stay away from you. And is that what you mean about me being yours? Did you plan to use me for my lifeblood or something?”
“Of course not!” His eyes flashed with light. “See, this is why I hate vampires.”
“Yes, vampire.” I returned to Madelina. “Rexton and I can talk later. Right now, I want answers. What happened with Adrian? And no pretending to be innocent. I saw what happened with your latest ‘willing’ partners.” I used air quotes. I was still hopping mad at Rexton and needed to talk with him, but first we had to contend with Madelina.
“He’s here isn’t he?” She looked all around as if expecting to eventually see him. “I know he is.”
I nodded. “He is.”
“And he’s angry?” Her expression tightened. She looked almost nervous.
“Confused. Angry. He’s a lot of things.” At the moment I could relate even though I knew being killed by his lover was worse than my current situation. Well, that was unless I ended up killed by my almost-lover.
“Ask her why. Please.” Adrian’s voice was low, barely a whisper.
“He wants to know why you did it.”
She pursed her lips for a moment before answering. “I don’t do exclusive. He didn’t get that.”
“So you killed him?” I raised an eyebrow. Sure she was a vampire, but she could have just ditched the guy.
“That wasn’t the original plan… but he was going to get me in a lot of trouble.”
“Let me say that again. So your answer was to kill him?” I didn’t bother to hide my condemnation. What she did was wrong on all levels. Vampire or not.
“There are some things in life that are more complicated than they seem on the surface.”
“No.” I shook my head. “That’s not going to work here. Complicated does not excuse killing someone to serve your needs.”
“It was him or me.” She started pacing around the small space.
“And you chose you.” I let the words hang.
“No.” She stopped pacing and came to stand directly in front of me. “That’s not true.”
“Don’t make this out to be what it’s not. You could have sent him away. Hidden him. There were other options. Instead, you tricked him. You made him think you wanted to spend your life with him just to snuff out his life. And he waited for you. He’s been waiting here for decades because you made him believe you loved him.” Tears slipped from my eyes. I was letting Adrian’s story get to me.
Rexton moved closer to me. Despite my anger and annoyance, I liked the feeling. I enjoyed the heat his nearness created in me.
She shook her head. “I loved him.”
“You probably don’t even know what love is.” It certainly wasn’t selfishly killing the person you supposedly loved.
“As if you do.” Madelina snarled.
“I don’t know if I do, but I know what it’s not.” Sometimes knowing what something wasn’t was even more helpful than knowing what it was. “I know it’s not putting yourself first. That’s not love. That’s selfishness.”
“Do you know who you are talking to?” Madelina stepped even closer.
“Not really.” I resisted the urge to step back even though my flight response was revving to go. I refused to show weakness. “What I’ve realized tonight is there is a lot about the world I don’t know. So I’m going to focus on what I do know. I do know that there are some good ghosts out there. Good ghosts who deserve help getting to the next place they are supposed to be. Even if Rexton isn’t exactly who he said he was, at least he showed me that.”
“I’m still me.” Rexton put an arm around my waist. “Just not as human as you thought.”
“I don’t know what I am. I don’t know why I can do what I can do. But it doesn't really matter. Right now, what matters is you making amends with Adrian, Madelina. He deserves it.”
“How can I make amends with a ghost?” She laughed. “Is that a joke?”
“Tell him the truth.”
“Hasn’t he been listening?” She looked all around again.
“Yes.” Adrian came to stand on my other side. “But so what?”
I read between the lines to determine what he really needed. “He wants you to talk directly to him.”
“But I won’t know what he says back.” She thankfully gave me a tiny bit of breathing room.
“We can translate,” Rexton quickly replied.
He was so close to me with his arm tightly wrapped around my waist. Why did I enjoy his touch so much? Was it because of what he was, or was some of it real? Whatever real was. But I had to stop worrying about Rexton. Right now, it didn’t matter. This was about helping Adrian.
“Fine.” Madelina returned to the couch. She put her hands in her lap and stared at them for a moment. Then, she lifted her head up. “Adrian, I’m sorry.”
“For what?” Adrian hovered right beside me. He was watching her with wide eyes.
“He asked for what,” I shared his reply.
“For tricking you. For killing you. For all of it.” Madelina pressed her hands down into the couch on either side of her. “This is ridiculous. I hope this isn’t a joke. If it is, I may have to kill you, too.”
“It’s not a joke.” I wished it were. Our evening would be going down in an entirely different direction if it were. “He’s here. In all his eighties glory.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Adrian appeared wounded.
“No offense. I’m just making sure she realizes you’ve been suspended as you were.”
“Wait. He’s talking to you right now?” Madelina rose to her feet.
“Yes.” Hadn’t she picked up on that already?
“How does he think I look?” She smoothed out her hair.
“Are you serious?”
“What?” Madelina put a hand to her chest. “It’s a fair question.”
“You killed the guy, and you are concerned with whether he thinks you look good?”
“She is no longer attractive in my eyes,” Adrian spoke in a stoic tone. “Now that I know how dark her soul is.”
“Dude, she was a vampire when you dated her. How are you only seeing the darkness now?” Rexton rolled his eyes.
“Says the incubus who was hitting on my friend.” Adrian moved closer to me.
“Your friend?” Rexton looked around me at Adrian. “She’s more my friend than yours.”
“Are you two done?” Norma
lly I’d have just walked away, but that wasn’t an option. “Unless you’ve forgotten, this isn’t about me. This is about Adrian and Madelina.”
“I never should have brought you into this, Gabriella.” Adrian reached for my arm, and as expected, his hand went right through me. “I’m sorry.”
“None of this is your fault.” He wasn’t the one I was annoyed at. It was the rest of the current company. “And I’m fine. But what would you like to tell Madelina?” I was all about helping him, but we didn’t have all night. At least I didn’t think we did. I wasn’t sure when the party would be over, but it had to end eventually. Plus, I really needed to have a talk with Rexton before the night was over.
“Tell her what I said.”
“Wait. The whole dark soul thing?” I wasn’t sure if I wanted to tell a vampire princess that sort of message.
“Yes. And that is that.”
“Remember I am repeating his words, so don’t kill the messenger. He says he no longer finds you attractive now that he knows how dark your soul is.”
Madelina started to laugh. “Still the same Adrian. Even a few decades couldn’t change that.”
“Really?” I knew this wasn’t nervous laughter. She was really laughing at the situation. “That’s your response. To laugh?”
“How else should I respond?” She pulled a lipstick out of her purse and reapplied her bright red lip color. “Cry? Shudder in shame?”
“Let’s go.” Adrian crossed his arms. “There’s nothing left to say.”
“Yes. Let’s do that.” I turned, happy to have my back to that woman.
“Gabriella,” She called my name.
I turned even though I really didn’t want to. “Yes?”
“Be careful with Rexton. You may find he’s more like me than you.” She turned away, and I knew we were being dismissed even if we were the ones who’d started leaving first.
“Adrian?” I caught up with him on the stairs. “You okay?”
“Yes. I am. Thank you.”
“I know it didn’t help much.” But I’d given it all I had.
“It helped a lot.”
Rexton linked his arm through mine. “I think it did the trick.”
“The trick?”
Rexton gestured to Adrian. He was more translucent.
“Oh.” I met Adrian at the foot of the stairs. “Good luck. With whatever comes next.”
The Monster Ball Year 2 Page 52