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Charles’s lips thinned.

“Alistair,” Asher said, genuinely pleased, and clapped his shoulder.

“I’ll take my leave.” Charles huffed and left with his coat rustling behind him. He did seem like a twat.

“And who is this human?” Alistair’s intense gaze settled on me. His hair was slicked back, but strands curled artfully at his forehead as if they could not be tamed with the rest of the waves. His name rang a bell . . . the vampire that owned the mall and Petunia. He seemed way more laid back than I expected. A different glazed-eyed woman stood behind him; she looked up at him adoringly. He hooked his arm around her shoulder. “Quite a beauty,” he said, tipping his head toward me.

“Don’t you have business to run or women to plunder? You hardly ever show up to these social events,” Asher said.

Alistair studied me carefully, analytic eyes roving over me. Curiously. Like a human inspecting a bug. I felt bare to him.

“Avoidance is not like you, Asher.” Alistair stared into my eyes. “What are you to them?” The low, almost musical tone of his voice told me he was trying to compel me.

“Their Pet.” I forced my voice to remain even.

Ren shouldered between us and gripped the front of Alistair’s fancy frilled shirt. Alistair only stared at him, serious and unmoving.

“Now now, I invited you all in good faith.” Calliope strutted up with a cheshire grin across her lips. “And for a bit of entertainment.” She winked at me. “Now I must take my leave. Catalina, pleasure to see you.”

“I can’t say the same.” The comment came without thought and I pursed my lips. Alistair threw his head back, releasing a deep belly laugh. Ren had tensed, but it was nowhere close to how wound up I was.

Calliope walked away, her tinkling laugh fading.

Ren clicked his tongue looking pissed, then he disappeared.

“Head off to mingle with others, love.” Alistair’s arm slipped off the woman and patted her ass. Irritation flashed over herfeatures before she stifled it and walked away. “Asher, let me take her for a turn.” Alistair invaded my space.

“No.” Anger spilled into Asher’s tone. I side-eyed him. Wasn’t he supposed to keep his cool? The other vamp seemed even more intrigued.

A loud rhythmic clapping echoed. One, two, three, in quick succession caused the cacophony to simmer to a murmur.

I followed the direction all the vampires faced. To the far wall across where a slightly raised platform had been set up—a stage. Vampires were so dramatic.

Calliope clapped her hands again, standing on the rising.

“Fuck—” Asher hissed, looking over the crowd at something I was too short to see. “Don’t move from here. Stay with Ren.”

“But.” I wheezed. Ren had left . . . I couldn’t tell Asher because he disappeared through the thickening crowd. I needed to get out of here before I became too compressed. I twisted, and a female vampire brushed past me. Her little arm nudge caused me to stumble. I struggled to catch myself. Then more bodies pressed into all my sides as they jockeyed to be at the front of the line. I panted, turning in circles, trying to find one of my vampires. I’d even take Jax at this point.

“Watch it human,” a vampire hissed, poking my shoulder. To an outsider it would have looked like it wouldn’t do damage, but his strength sent me stumbling back against a chest.

“Got you.” Alistair grinned down at me. I hurried to pull away from him. “Ah, ah, if you go running off, you don’t know who will catch you.”

I swallowed hard, turning from side to side. I couldn’t see my vampires. Tears welled in my eyes and panic settled in.

A sharp scream froze me in place. A smattering of applause exploded through the room. Freya dragged a man onto the stage. He fought against her grip, uselessly—so human.

“Let me go, let me go,” the man screamed.

“What’s going on?”

Alistair lifted the flute of blood to his lips and took a sip. Red stained his lips.

“A vampire broke law.”

“Law?”

“Exposure,” he murmured, leaning too close for comfort. His gaze caught mine. His nose slightly flared. “You . . . You can’t be compelled.”