Page 9

CELESTE

T he Mermaid Gallery dazzled with exquisite paintings in gilded frames. I sought out one in particular—an ethereal painting of a dryad, her luminous skin intertwined with vibrant blossoms and twisting vines.

The auctioneers told us the bidding was about to begin. One of them, a witch, greeted us.

“Van, your seats are saved right up front,” she said with a smile.

“Thanks, Piper,” he said. “I appreciate it.” Then he turned to me and said, “I reserved the best seats for us.” He smiled as if proud of his accomplishment.

“Lovely,” I said, appreciating the gesture.

He introduced us. “Celeste, this is my friend, Piper. Piper, Celeste.”

After brief greetings, I thanked her for the seats and we sat down.

Piper and a shifter named Sloane started with a few smaller pieces that went quickly. I watched while I sipped my pink champagne, which was an expensive champagne with a healthy pour of blood. Van squirmed in his seat beside me.

I leaned over and whispered. “Is something wrong?”

“I can’t believe someone paid that kind of money for a bunch of swirls,” he spoke low in my ear. “Even I could paint that.”

I raised my glass back to my lips to stifle a chuckle.

He’d dressed up in this suit and put on a sophisticated air to come with me tonight, but it was clear this was not his scene.

Still, I appreciated the effort and liked having him with me—especially with the warmth of his breath on my ear, which affected me in a way I hadn’t experienced in decades. Definitely not with Lucien.

Speaking of which, there he was a few rows back and to the side, staring at me. I frowned and returned my attention to the next piece of art.

Finally, we neared the end of the auction and the dryad piece was pulled out.

“Can I get a starting bid of ten thousand dollars?” Her voice rose above the gentle hum of the crowd.

Bids quickly shot up, passing each other. My anticipation rose with each bid.

Time for me to play. “Twenty thousand.” I raised my number.

Van turned to me with surprise. I reached over and squeezed his hand to assure him this was fine. The bidding already felt like a contest of wills.

“Twenty-five thousand.” I knew that voice.

When I turned back, Lucien fixed his gaze on me and smirked. What was he getting at? Did he think he could win my affection by outbidding me?

“Thirty thousand dollars.”

I snapped my head back toward Van, who proudly held up his sign reading sixty-nine, almost as far as his arm would stretch.

I leaned closer to him and whispered, “What are you doing?”

“Getting you your painting,” he declared.

Oh my. He was so sweet. But could he even afford this? I had no idea how much he made working on a cruise ship, but I guessed it wasn’t enough to toss out fifteen-thousand dollar bids for a woman he’d just met.

“Thirty-five thousand,” Lucien hissed, shooting eye daggers at Van.

“Forty,” Van barked back.

Jeez, now they were going to have a pissing contest in the middle of the auction. This was ridiculous. Neither one of these men wanted the painting. The auctioneers’ eyes widened with excitement, and they sped up their bidding.

More bids passed, mostly with Van and Lucien warring against each other, and we passed the seventy-five-thousand dollar point.

I squeezed his hand and whispered, “I got this.” Raising my sign, I declared, “One hundred thousand.” While gasps echoed around us, this amount didn’t affect me. I had several more pieces that had cost much more and had appreciated with value over time.

I knew Lucien didn’t have that kind of money, and my bid finally shut him up. He didn’t want the painting anyway.

“One hundred thousand going once,” Piper said, her voice quick with excitement. “One hundred thousand going twice.” She paused. “And sold!”

I walked out of the ballroom smiling with my arm looped through Van’s.

He joked, “If that’s how much art sells for, I need to learn how to start painting.”

I chuckled. “Unfortunately, so many talented artists never sell a painting at all. I like to find talent among the unknown.”

“You must have a number of them at home.”

“A small collection, yes, at my villa. I also found some in New York that are in my apartment in Manhattan.”

“You’ve gotta be kitten me?” he said with a playful grin. “How many properties do you have? I don’t even have a permanent address now that I live on this floating hotel, let alone own multiple properties.”

“Oh, just a few more,” I said with a light wave. No need to emphasize the differences between us, which were already quite vast.

A low snigger made us both turn to see Lucien had stepped up behind us.

“You can’t seriously be with this boy toy, Celeste,” he said with a sneer, without even looking at Van. “He can’t even wear a suit that fits properly.”

I snorted in reply. “At least I didn’t have to buy it for him, like I had to do with almost everything for you.”

Van stepped up to Lucien so they were merely inches apart, their chests almost butting together. “Celeste has made it clear she’s finished with you, so I just suggest you back off.”

“Or what?” Lucien scowled.

“I’ll break each limb slowly so that you’d wish you were actually dead rather than undead.”

Lucien’s eyes gleamed, flashing red in warning.

“Are you about to do something that’ll get you fired?

” He stepped back and crossed his arms over his chest, his mouth spreading into a cold smile.

“I’d love to see that. After all, I’m a guest on this ship.

And you—” He peered down his nose at Van with a look of total disdain. “Do you sleep below with the fishes?”

“That’s enough!” I stepped in between them, pushing my arms to the side.

I couldn’t let Lucien bait Van into a fight that would cost him his job.

“Lucien, if anyone is going to make any type of report, it will be me noting your harassment. Now get the hell away from us or I’ll get your ass kicked off this ship at the next stop! ”

My chest was heaving as we glared at each other.

Blood surged with volcanic heat as it rushed through my veins.

Silence fell around us with an empty thud.

I’d never spoken to Lucien that way before.

That wasn’t how I’d been raised in an aristocratic society where keeping one’s composure was key.

I hadn’t even raised my voice like that when I’d discovered Lucien’s betrayal.

No, I’d struggled to keep my tone cool and measured.

But the way he threatened Van rattled me, and I had to do something.

Lucien ground his teeth before storming off. Van’s posture was ramrod straight and tension rolled off his body like fog.

I turned to him and sagged with relief. “Come on.”

He turned to me slowly, only tearing his glare from where Lucien had left at the last second. His eyes gleamed with golden amber, giving him a devastatingly feral look.

Without thinking, I threw my arms around his neck and relaxed against the warmth of his body.

He wrapped his arms around me, pulling me close.

His heart beat strong and steady against my chest. All the turmoil and devastation from Lucien’s betrayal and persistent pursuit that had built up over months dissipated as Van embraced me.

Something about him—his strong, protective, rebellious behavior—comforted me, even though he was so young and so different from the uptight world I’d been raised in.

Even if we were from different worlds, born in different centuries, I had to wonder—what if?

At least for one night.

“Are you okay?” Van asked, nuzzling close to my ear.

“Yes,” I said with a slight tremble, drinking in his alluring scent.

“Where do you want to go?” he asked.

His heart continued its thrum against mine, and the rush of his blood sang to my ears. Hunger grew, quick and sudden, and my fangs itched for one little taste.

I opened my mouth, utterly captivated by this devastatingly alluring shifter. “My suite.”