“Then let’s dance.” He pulls me with enough strength to make me stumble over my own feet. “By the way, my name is Walter.”

His smile is almost contagious, and, helplessly, I end up returning it with a small, timid one. I let him guide us to the center of the hall where the other guests dance without concern; some are naked, others still wearing bits of clothing. And others… what they’re doing couldn’t be called dancing-

maybe dancing on each other’s skin is a very modest way to

describe it.

“My name is ra.”

He ces his hand gently on the small of my back while the other intertwines with my fingers, stiff from the cold. We take a few hesitant steps until I get used to the rhythm. He’s patient the entire time, saying nothing when my foot moves the wrong way and ends up stepping on his. He merely smiles, shakes his head, and guides our movements again.

“And how does he treat you?” he asks after the first song.

I take my time to answer. Yes, his treatment could use some serious improvement, and his constant disdain doesn’t help my self–esteem–like every time he sniffs me and twists his face–but it’s true that I’ve never seen my physical safety in danger despite all the warnings I got at the beginning. He hasn’t tried to throw himself at my neck either, and for him, maybe I should count that as a positive behavior point.

Am I insane? A positive behavior point? Let him burn in hell, he’s a brute, and I shouldn’t be praising the bare minimum any gentleman should offer–like not assaulting ady and respecting her.

“If you keep thinking so much about me, my ego won’t fit in this hall.”

I jump at the sound of his voice in my head, and immediately my eyes search for him. I can’t find him. What I do find is Walter’s worried gaze.

“Is something wrong?”

“No, nothing, I’m just easily distracted,” I excuse myself. “He treats me well, at least better than I expected. Many times I question my very existence; I barely seem to exist for him.”

“That’s good, isn’t it?”

He twirls me around, then holds me by the waist to prevent me from losing bnce and making a fool of myself.

“That’s wonderful,” I agree.

We smile at each other amidst all this chaos.

“What’s wonderful?” I could recognize that tone of voice even in the midst of absolute chaos. Velvety, seductive, and with just the right edge of roughness. “I suppose you were talking about me.”

I immediately step away from Walterb, /bwho seems to pale just as I did when I first arrived. I’m surprised by his reaction–l thought he’d be used to Cassian’s presence, as he doesn’t seem new to these kinds of events. Cassian’s gloved hand extends toward me and I look at it the way one would look at a rabid dog about to bite.

Chapter b26 /b

b“/bbCome /bwith me.” The authoritative tone leaves no room for objection. “Walter, your master is blooking /bbfor /bbyou/bb! /b

Walter runs off before Cassian even finishes the sentence, leaving mepletely alone staring at the gloved hand in front of me. Cassian’s eyes stare at me insistently, so I end up sliding my hand over the cold, hard material and blet /bhim blead /bme? wherever he wants to take me. My heartbeat grows more frantic as my mind imagines the possibilities.

Unfortunately, I’m not wrong in expecting the worst.

Cassian pulls us both behind one of those heavy velvet curtains, where darkness reigns and the sounds from outside are muffled. I think I stop breathing. His hand leaves mine only to grip my neck as he presses us both against the cold bsurface /bof the marble.

“It’s time I put something in my mouth, dear.”

“No.” I try to squirm in vain; the weight of his body is immovable. “No, please.”

His eyes be curious as his finger caresses the skin above my pulse.

“Why do you think I brought you here? I hope you didn’t think it was so you could enjoy yourself dancing with mediocre humans,” he hisses. “You’re here to do what so many blood rubies have cost me. Nowb, /blift your head and let me taste you.”

My fingers, in a desperate attempt to push him away, clutch the shirt under his suit and try to distance his chest from bmine/b. I shut my eyes tightly, determined to hold back the tears of terror welling in them so he won’t see them.

At my refusal, he ends up burying his hand in my hair and pulling it, leaving my neckpletely exposed. He brings his face close, I feel his nose sniffing my skin and then the edge of his fangs grazing it. My entire body trembles with fear, shrinking smaller with each second. I try to think of something pleasant, anything that could make me be somewhere else.

I

Suddenly the warmth of his breath against my skin disappears, as do his hands from my hair. I hear the sound leather makes when he removes it from his hand, and then I see the shine of that w–shaped ring.

With his other hand, cold to the touch, he takes my wrist and before I can reactb, /bhe cuts me. My wrist hangs over his mouth, into which a thin stream of blood begins to drip. Even in the shadows, I think I see how his eyes gleam in an unnatural way. While he feeds, I feel my legs shaking and threatening to give out beneath me. I don’t know how much time passes until I manage to say something.

“Cassian.” My voice is barely a whisper. “Cassian,” I repeat. “I… I’m going to faint.”

feel my legs getting weaker, like hundreds of an at. “I… I’m going to faint.”

crawling all over my body. My vision blurs a bit, but I can bsee /b

Cassian’s tongue licking my wrist, and then his hands slide under my dress to tear a part of the lining. He ties it around my wrist and tightens it iso /imuch it hurts.

“It would’ve been easier if you had let me bite you.”

I still feel dizzyi, /ialmost as if my body no longer belongs to me. I bring my hand to my neck with some difficulty and btouch /bmy intact skin.

“I heard you don’t bite us.” I sound weak, “Never.”

I hear him click his tongue and the sound of leather as he slides it back onto his fingers. Then bhe /bbgrabs /bbme /bbtightly /bbby /bbthe /b

b23:27 /bSat, 2 bAug /b▼ D

Chapter b26 /b

elbow and pulls me out of the shadows. I feel his body very close to mine as he leans toward bme /bbslightly /b

“Maybe things will change.”

He pulls me even harder and we move among all these vampires with quick steps, not bumping into any of them bthanks /bbto /bhis excellent reflexes. Despite the knot on my wrist, I feel fragile, as if I could copse at any moment. I even see blittle /bbdots /bin my vision. An attractive man with silver hair down to his shoulders and green eyes blocks our path. I immediately remember he’s the one Walter pointed out earlier–Aeron De’ath.

“Leaving already?” he asks with a lopsided smile and a mischievous glint in his eyes. “It’s not like you to leave bthe /bbparty /bbso /b

stay longer among us.” soon. Give me a few seconds and I’m sure I could find a man or woman to entice yout

He winks.

“Aeron, I’ve lived a long time–no one surprises me anymore, much less entices me to anything.”