Page 5 of Blood as Sweet as Roses

Paige

It was quiet on the third floor, but as I go down the stairs, the sound of pounding music and laughter grows louder and louder. I was expecting some classical piano, maybe the hushed tones of whispered conversation, but this sounds like an exuberant house party.

My nerves heighten. It’s not that I don’t like parties, I’ve just never been very outgoing.

I’ve always attended parties with Amanda, who acted as a buffer when I felt awkward or didn’t know anyone else.

I wish I hadn’t waited so long to come downstairs.

I should have asked Chelsie and Sean to wait for me, so I didn’t have to come down alone.

But it’s too late now. And I need to think of this as a job. I’m not a teenager at a party, I’m an adult providing a necessary service.

And getting paid very well for it.

As hard as I try to focus on that, I can’t stop the squirming feeling in my stomach as I continue down the stairs. What will it be like, getting bitten by a vampire? Is it going to hurt?

That’s a stupid question, of course it’s going to hurt…

“Paige!” shouts an upbeat voice.

A familiar voice. It’s Chelsie, beaming up at me from the bottom of the stairs. She’s holding an enormous glass of red wine, and waving frantically with her other hand.

“Over here!” she yells, as though it’s possible to miss her.

A rush of relief comes over me, and I hurry down the stairs toward her. She’s standing beside Sean, who’s busy scanning the hallway. There are some other people here, holding glasses of wine, wearing red dresses, heels, unbuttoned shirts…

“Do you see any vampires?” Sean whisper-shouts.

“I think they’re in the other room,” Chelsie says, nodding down the hallway. There are several open doors, where the sound of music is coming from.

I notice that Chelsie and Sean are more dressed up than I am. Chelsie wears a tight, form-fitted red dress, cut low over her chest. Her wispy hair is up in a tight ponytail, her neck on display. Sean wears a pair of black dress pants low on his hips and a tight, black V-neck shirt.

“Wine, miss?” says a voice behind me. A server bends down, holding a tray of wine glasses. He’s dressed formally in black and maroon.

“Oh!” I gasp. I’ve never been served like this before, and it makes me a little uncomfortable. “Um, ok, thank you…”

I accept a glass from the tray. My hands are a little shaky, and I take a sip of the wine to ground myself. I’m not much of a drinker, and I’ve never liked wine much, but this is delicious.

“It’s good, right?” Chelsie says, taking a generous swig from her glass. Then she grabs my other hand. “Come on, they said that there would be a speech at midnight!”

I would rather stay out here, but Sean and Chelsie make a beeline for one of the open doors, where the sound of music is coming from. This house seems very old, so I’m expecting it to be a small room, and I’m surprised when we enter an enormous, cavernous space.

It’s easily the size of a large restaurant, or a lounge.

It’s very dark, lit only by a few red, neon lights.

The decor is a combination of gothic and modern, with low, velvet couches and sleek standing tables around the perimeter.

In the center of the room, the floor lowers down a few feet into a dance floor, where people are packed tightly, their bodies oscillating to the thrumming, bass-heavy music.

This is where the vampires are. I can’t immediately tell exactly who’s alive and who’s dead, but there are a few people who are clearly not completely human.

There’s a man with long, blond hair laid out across one of the couches, another, shirtless man in his lap.

He’s not drinking his blood, but his fangs are out, peeking down over his lips as the other man strokes his cheek.

Across the room, another vampire leans against a standing table, his pale eyes gazing intensely at a woman who’s dancing. She notices him, and smiles provocatively in his direction, flipping her bloodred curls over her shoulder.

My stomach sinks.

I’m a complete idiot. How did I not realize that this is what this was going to be like?

I’m completely unprepared for this, and totally out of my element.

I turn to ask Chelsie if she knows where the bathroom is, but her and Sean have already disappeared into the throng.

I’m all alone, standing awkwardly in the doorway.

I’m about to scurry back up to my room when a large group shuffles in after me, laughing and chatting. To make way for them, I sidestep into a dark corner, clutching my wineglass to my chest. I feel immediately like I’m back in high school. The loner kid with one friend and a weird mom.

Before I can spiral further, a booming voice rings out throughout the room.

“Silence!”

My heart freezes at the sound. Immediately, the music stops, and all chatting, laughing and other activities cease. Vampires and living humans turn to the back of the room, where a woman sits atop a raised platform, on an ornate, golden throne with a blood-red seat.

A powerful shiver crawls up my spine. She’s clearly a vampire.

Her pale skin is almost white, smooth and unblemished.

I didn’t notice her before, probably because she’s sitting impossibly still, her gaze as powerful as a laser.

She has sharp, grey eyes that survey the room like a ruler assessing her subjects.

She has a magnetic presence, commanding attention the moment she speaks.

But there’s something else about her that makes my heart jump into my throat.

Her hair is cropped closely to her head, just a few dark strands falling into her eyes.

She holds herself in an assertive, dominant way, as though she owns the entire world and couldn’t care less.

As though anything she wants could be her’s.

She wears an impeccably-tailored blazer and pants, her crisp white shirt underneath unbuttoned at the top.

I can see the curve of her collarbone at the base of her neck.

There’s a watch on her wrist, masculine and expensive.

I’ve never seen a woman like her. Hard in all the right ways…and soft in all the right ways…

Her voice fills the thick air like fog. “Tonight, we celebrate the death of our late king, Xavian Night.”

I swallow. I didn’t realize that someone had died. But she doesn’t seem very somber about it. The other vampires certainly aren’t openly grieving.

“Xavian led our clan with an iron fist and a heart of steel,” the vampire continues, a smirk at the corner of her mouth. “He brought great prosperity and power during his death, and we mourn his loss!”

The other vampires raise their fists in a chorus of shouts. The sound is supernatural and overwhelming, and I jump, almost spilling my wine.

“So tonight, we drink, we dance, we fuck, and we call in a new era!” the woman booms, her terrifying eyes gleaming, full of triumph. “An era of strength and power…unmatched by any other vampire clan on the continent!”

Again, the vampires cheer, the humans joining in now, raising glasses.

I’m not sure what’s happening, and again, I feel totally out of my depth. But I’m glued to the spot, unable to take my eyes from the magnetic figure on the dais.

“But first,” she hisses, beckoning to one of the humans. She’s pretty, with soft honeyed curls and large eyes, wearing a black dress. She eagerly hops onto the platform and prostrates herself before the vampire, extending her neck out.

To my horror, the vampire opens her mouth as her fangs elongate down her chin.

I had no idea they could get that long. Their sharp edges glint in the neon lights.

She moves like a lion, taking down its prey, stealthy and focused.

In a smooth motion, she sinks her fangs deep into the woman’s throat. The woman moans, her thighs trembling.

I gasp, and stumble backward into the wall behind me. Wine spills onto the carpet, but nobody’s paying any attention.

The vampire removes her fangs from the woman’s neck. Then she holds her body out before her like an offering. Thick, crimson blood spills out from the two bite marks, gushing onto the floor.

“To Xavian Night!” the vampire shouts, her voice thick and deep through her long canines.

“To Xavian Night!” the other vampires cheer.

Trembling uncontrollably, I stumble out into the hallway.

What have I gotten myself into?