Page 6 of The Vampire’s Mercy (Blood Melody #1)

My body rejected it. Wrangled it, slamming it into the floor. But on the outside, I went a little swoony.

“I—”

The woman from the vestibule appeared. “Let him go, Vaughn. He’s not for you.”

Vaughn’s eyes blazed with fury, his gaze tearing toward her. “Mind your business, Layla. This is between—”

“He’s for Silvanus.” Yay! Someone cut him off. “I suggest you release him.”

The prick let me go, eyes narrowing with anger.

Awesome! Bagged myself a king.

Aidan smiled down on me today.

I took a step back, Layla putting herself between us. “Be a good boy.”

“Don’t call me boy,” Vaughn warned.

Layla laughed. “Take your fragile ego away from me. Find someone else to snack on.”

He shot me an angry look, then turned, striding out of the VIP area without another word.

Vaughn. I saw the killer in his eyes, the hunger, the lust. He was a monster on a leash, and my guess was that leash snapped often. Attending illegal feeding balls, killing innocent victims who couldn’t get the right paperwork in place. Yeah, I knew his ilk. I’d killed fuckers like him.

When the vampires were gone, everyone would see the murk they’d swam in.

The curtain would be lifted, bullshit flushed out of their eyes.

During the war, vamps were nothing but their true selves.

Hunters, killers, guzzling blood and turning mortals into vamps without a care in the world.

But they never expected our resilience, our tenacity to push back.

Until it all went away.

Layla folded her arms. “Are you alright? You’re too adorable for your own good.”

I nodded, giving her my cutest smile. “When is the king arriving?”

“Soon. Relax, get a drink. Let the night wash over you.”

I’d made the right impression, catered to the king’s tastes, and found myself in the delicate heart of the operation.

Thank you, Aidan.

“Don’t worry about Vaughn,” she added. “I’ll be around to look after you. Now, go and enjoy.” She left me alone, sliding into a booth.

I went to the bar and ordered a sparkling water even though I really wanted a cold beer.

I could sense roses close by. Behind the door at the far end of the bar. I smiled around the rim of my glass, the flowers giving me a boost to chase away my anger.

The darkest parts of my heart called for Vaughn’s death. Right now. They wanted me to go after him, stake him in the middle of the dancefloor before he took someone to his penthouse to kill.

His existence left a festering brand on my soul. I wanted him dead and only I could deliver it. Well, apart from sunlight.

My stakeblade was an infusion of silver and the wood of a cherry tree.

A magical pairing brought together in the old war forges, strong enough to destroy a vampire’s heart and kill them permanently—unlike simply beheading them.

The damn head would grow back, seeing as vampires were experts in swift regeneration.

But there was no coming back from a stakeblade or from burning up in the sunlight.

I sat on a barstool, drink in hand, taking in the vampires and the mortals who’d offered themselves up for vamp snacking. They were all dressed to the nines, presenting to the higher class of vampires in this room.

These VIP bloodsuckers were the high rollers. They were from the king’s court or big business vamps with their fingers in all the pies. It cracked me up how the sheep scrambled to be in their company, so desperate to be bitten by a classier pair of fangs.

Teeth were teeth.

Vamps were vamps.

You can’t polish a turd.

I checked the time. 11:01p.m. Maybe the king would show up at midnight. Fine. Whatever. I’d be patient.

Vamps passed me by, eyeing me up, chatting to me briefly, but making no moves, clearly having been warned I was off the menu. Now and again, Layla would check on me before disappearing into her booth.

I ordered another water before striking up a conversation with some mortals. We spoke about any old shit from the weather, clothes, how hot the vamps were tonight. Anything that made me fit in, becoming the cutie pie elf waiting for his fruit to be plucked by the highest of all vampires.

Someone pass me a sick bucket.

Midnight arrived. Still no king. I ordered another drink, listening to the babble of those around me, joining in with conversations that made my temples ache.

Where are you?

Layla came over, a beautiful werewolf woman on her arm. “How are you doing?”

Counting down the seconds until you’re bone dust. “I’m fine.”

“So cute,” she said, her companion giggling. “It shouldn’t be much longer now.” She checked her extremely expensive watch. “I would say maybe twenty minutes or so.”

“Okay.” I gave her my best smile. “I’ll order another drink.”

“Is that water?” the werewolf asked.

“Yeah, I’m not a drinker,” I lied.

See how much beer I’ll put away later to toast a mass-execution well done.

She sneered at my glass. “I don’t see the point in drinking water in a place like this.”

Maybe if I smashed the glass in her face, she’d see the point. Or just bleed profusely.

“I’m not a fan of alcohol.” I spoke with such a saccharine tone I made my guts roil.

She huffed. “Go hard or go home, I say.” A whole minute’s worth of ranting followed, in which she spewed three highly offensive opinions no one wanted to hear. Especially me. But I nodded, I listened, I kept my act up.

Layla’s sweetness dropped, her brows pinching together. “I think you’ve said enough. Let’s stop bothering this nice elf.” She dragged the woman away before she spouted more bullshit.

When it hit one o’clock, I witnessed my first feeding of the night. A vampire snogged the face off a werewolf, him pawing at her with huge wolfy hands.

Things got steamy quickly. His shirt came off, revealing a hairy chest and chunky gold chain.

Her dress slid down, exposing her breasts.

After some explicit touching, she sunk her fangs into his neck.

Gently. Sexily. He moaned, holding her, eyes rolled back in ecstasy.

Blood dribbled down his neck in a tiny stream.

Those around me loved it, beginning their own sexy moments.

My executioner instincts flared, my feet ready to launch me forward, my fingers twitching for the stakeblade. Watching this went against every one of my principles.

I’m going to puke.

Another couple beside me got naked, kissing their way down to the floor, writhing, moaning, the vampire guy biting the human woman’s wrist as he pumped his hips.

By Aidan. My heart jumped in the bad way, my hands curling into fists.

Get it together.

Damn. Things were getting too real now. It was one thing to hang around in this club, but being a witness to an actual feeding took things to a different place. A dark and horrible place I couldn’t bear, couldn’t be privy to without losing my head to violence.

The woman reached her other hand for me. For a moment, I thought she needed my help. But she wanted me to join them.

I turned my back, weaving through the bodies, my head spinning, my insides churning.

Practically tumbling through the bathroom door, I lumbered toward a sink, grabbing its edge and battled against the tide of emotions that’d been unleashed.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

Get it together.

I retched, an acidic bubble bursting in my throat. My head wouldn’t stop spinning, brains caught in a sudden surge of rejection.

Aidan, give me strength, I begged.

The harsh stink of bleach and cleaning products attacked my nostrils. I gagged, but soon found myself touched by the essence of a bouquet of pink chrysanthemums in a vase on a shelf close to the sink.

“Thanks, sweeties,” I told them.

They jiggled happily.

But it wasn’t enough to stop my tailspin.

This disgusting shit poisoning this world was too much. I had to kill them all. Stab, slice, break, destroy. Purge this filth from the world, watch this club burn along with every single one of them.

Pearl…

I swallowed a scream, my sister’s face blazing across my mind.

Not here.

Not here.

Not here.

“Aidan help me,” I pleaded out loud this time. “Aidan—”

A wave of pleasure washed over me, getting my dick hard in an instant, my lust coming down like rain in the Mer Domain’s monsoon season.

Fuck!

Buzzing with pleasure, I went to my knees, arms falling to my sides. With each second, I turned to jelly, head hazy, my boner straining to be free.

“What the…” I rasped, the breath practically snatched from my lungs. “What the fucking fuck…”

I laid down, stretching out like a starfish. Trembling, too weak to move, and kind of afraid.

Had the vampire king arrived?