Magic and alphas a roman.., p.156
Magic and Alphas: A Paranormal Romance Collection, page 156
I walked through the now virtually empty dining room to the dance floor. More humans and vampires to watch, and I did revel in this. Adelie had been right. This was a much better version of the Blood Rite. Everyone, even the humans, was enjoying themselves.
I wanted to throw myself into the utter debauchery of the show, but I had a challenge the next morning and waking up still drunk, and probably sore, was a bad idea. I permitted myself one more human, though.
Watching the bodies swirl and loop, I spotted a few men who interested me. They were all starting to look tired, and it was going to be time to either bed them for real or send them home. I wanted one that was not overly tired.
A man on the other side of the dance floor caught my eye. He wasn’t tall, and he wasn’t breathtakingly handsome, but as Adelie’s Rinaldo, there was something interesting and alluring about him.
Crossing the dance floor, I took his hand. “A dance, sir?”
He spun me out onto the floor and pulled me back into his arms. “With a gorgeous woman like you? Of course.”
I smiled, humored by his flamboyant words.
“You are utterly beautiful.”
I laughed. “I am wearing makeup.”
“I can see it in your eyes.”
I let them spark red. “Can you?”
“Mierda, that’s hot. How did you do that?”
“Come closer, I’ll tell you.”
I quirked my lip in a smile as he lowered his head to my mouth.
Sinking my fangs into his neck, I drew on his vein—
I jumped back away from him in the next instant, and spit the blood all over his face.
Poison.
Chapter Eleven
The human was poisoned.
I stared at him, horrified, and in the next second, he fell to the floor dead.
Someone had been controlling him, keeping him alive until someone took a taste.
No, I corrected myself as I could still taste his blood on my lips, not just someone. Me. They’d found a man they knew I would find attractive and made sure he was in my path.
Moving to the wall, and keeping it to my back, I stared at the melee. There had to be someone in here who hated me or wanted me dead. The blood had been made with killing me in mind, I just knew it. It would be my luck. And they kept the human alive for me.
Were they still here?
I stuck to the edge of the room, my vampire senses as high as I could force them—with all the drunken blood in my body. I was glad I hadn’t thrown myself into the revelries. I’d be dead if I had. Moving quickly into the mostly empty dining room again, I put my ass in a chair and my back against the wall.
Poisoned human. They were trying to kill me.
Who were they? Who would try to kill a candidate when they were still in the trials? More than one of us had failed and died, or failed and been sent away, so it wasn’t as if the possibility of me dying wasn’t a factor already.
I wanted to enjoy this day.
I wanted to win my own personal challenge—and now it had all been tainted.
“Where the hell did she go?”
Somehow, I knew the whispered question just on the other side of the wall was about me.
“I don’t know! She slipped away. I expected her to go toward the door, and instead, she disappeared.”
Did I know these voices?
“We have to find her. She has to die.”
“I fucking know that, asshole! I don’t know where she went. She spat the blood back out, and now she knows we’re here. Come on. Let’s check the rooms outside the celebration. Fuck, why didn’t that work?”
I heard their footsteps as they started to walk away, and I stood to follow. But with the way my hair was styled, there would be no mistaking me for anyone else. I pulled the wig off and grabbed a human close by, striping their cloak off and shoving the mass of hair into their hands.
Putting them in Thrall for just a moment, I had the woman put the wig on as I pulled the cloak on and swished away after the footsteps. I could see the two people who had been talking moving quickly away from me, sweeping and searching the crowd. Lifting the side of my shift, I pulled out the short sword I carried when I was leaving the stronghold.
The two figures, weaving through the oblivious crowds, met up with a third and fourth person.
One snapped, “Where is she?”
The woman, who had originally been looking for me, turned around and scanned the crowd, glancing right over me because I was wearing the black cloak and had lost the hairdo. I stifled my gasp and turned to watch from the corner of my eye.
Hortensia. I knew her. She was the candidate prospect one step below me. If I had said no to the trials, then she would have been the candidate asked. She was a horrible hag, no matter how beautiful she appeared.
I never considered the other possible candidates would want to kill me. But it made sense. Kill me off, and they moved up to candidate. They’d be closer to being the queen.
Hortensia, though? She was just pathetic.
I glanced again and caught a flash of another pale face in another cloak.
It was her daughter. The nasty child named for the goddess of wisdom. Athena.
Shit. Her daughter wasn’t so pathetic. She was ruthless and intelligent.
This was double bad.
Even if I won the throne, Hortensia would never stop trying to win. She was going to try to kill me. Either I could walk away and hide in my room, or I could take care of my business right here, right now.
This was a show of my own strength.
Someone had to die for this transgression. Going after Athena seemed wrong because she might just be her mother’s pawn in this. So I had to go after her mother, then.
The four offenders were on the move again.
Though Athena veered in a different direction with one hooded figure.
Hortensia stayed close to the other in a cloak.
I moved closer to hear over the music what they were saying.
“Your daughter fucked this up.”
“Shut up, Umar. She’s nothing without me, and you know that. You sent her off to control the human, and you didn’t tell me. I would have insisted one of us keep an eye on her. She is still young, no matter how smart she is.”
“You think she’ll do whatever you tell her, Tensia?”
“Yes, she will. She’s my creation, and she knows it. She doesn’t care for the crown, but she understands I do. All I have to do is kill that twat and mate with Nial.” Her head moved again, scanning the room for my flowers and hair. She gave a pouty stomp of her foot. “Where the hell did that bitch go?”
Umar snorted. “You’ll never control Niallan. You know that. He will string you up by your toes, and drain the blood from your groin so you can drown in it as it fills your nostrils.”
Her face twisted. “Must you be so gross?”
“I’m a vampire, you stupid cunt. Lest you forget, I regularly rip throats for pleasure.”
“Hunting.” She shivered in revulsion. “Oh, there! There she is!”
The two of them marched into the parlor where there were a lot more vertical bodies around to hide my smaller stature. I saw the hair and flowers moving happily through the crowd, stopping to say hello to people, and bobbing on.
Hortensia and Umar were watching and closing in on my wig and flowers. They were careful and stuck to the darkest shadows. They got very close before they made their move to grab the woman wearing my hair.
Umar wrapped an arm around the waist of the woman and pulled her back into the dark. I could still see the flash of steel, a dagger at her throat. He hissed, “Hello, Gwynnore.”
The poor woman was startled and terrified, and I made my move.
I wrapped my arm around Hortensia’s shoulder. “Why, hello, Tensia. How are you?”
I poked the sword into her back, delight spreading through my blood as she gasped in shock.
Umar spun, dragging the woman around with him. He was clearly stunned.
I grinned at him. “Did you really think I would be that vulnerable after tasting poisoned blood and watching the man die on the dance floor?”
“You bitch,” Hortensia ground out.
“Me? You sent a poisoned human into the Blood Rite. How many vampires are now dead because they tasted him before the poison was fully bloomed, huh? You don’t deserve the crown you covet, and you sure as hell haven’t earned it.”
“Let her go,” Umar demanded. “I’ll kill this little human bitch.”
“You mistake me for my friend.” I snorted. “I don’t make pets of humans.”
He drew the knife across her neck, and she dropped to the floor, gurgling her last breath through her gouged throat. I stared at him standing there, licking the knife as he smirked. Umar asked candidly, “And you’re not bothered by that?”
“Not even remotely.” I wasn’t sugary sweet and shit.
He pulled out a gun and pointed it at me. “How about this?”
I twitched an eyebrow. “I don’t know… How about this?”
I drove the long knife up into Hortensia’s back, up through her heart, and out through her breastbone with a shattering crack. Umar pulled the trigger when the knife poked out of her chest, but I merely moved Hortensia’s limp body into the trajectory, and the bullet lodged in her brain.
I progressed at vampire speed, yanking the knife out, letting her nearly lifeless body fall to the ground. I spun and whirled the blade up at an angle at Umar. I sliced clean through his neck before he even released his finger from the trigger. His head just sat there on his shoulders, his permanent expression in death one of surprise.
I grinned and nudged his head off his body, watching as it fell and rolled away from me, stopping with dead eyes staring at me.
Grabbing Hortensia’s body, I lifted it up at an angle and sliced her head clean off in an easy move, and kicked it over to rest next to Umar’s—side-by-side, their lifeless eyes gazed up at me.
Failures. The both of them.
Athena and the other companion stood mere feet away, their mouths agape.
The companion lifted his hands as if he were going to move against me.
I whipped the bloody knife up. “Try it. The aesthetic would be even better with a third head staring dead at the ceiling.”
The room erupted in applause. The humans all watching had thought it was all a show for their entertainment, so I whipped around and bowed to them, accepting the praise for something they didn’t even understand. As I turned to leave again, I found Lord Otto and Lord Cato standing in the shadows, three body lengths away, their expressions void of any emotion.
Apparently, they had been spying…and they had let me handle it.
I threw the knife on the floor in front of them. “Clean up on aisle ten.”
Someone’s muscled arm wrapped around my waist from behind, lifting me off my feet.
Then I was yanked away.
Chapter Twelve
I somehow pulled my gun out and attempted to bring it up to the head of the person dragging me away.
Niallan slapped it away. “What the hell is your problem?”
“Someone just tried to kill me, you assbag.”
He dropped me to my feet and pushed me out the door of the celebration rooms and into the foyer. “You just beheaded two influential vampires in front of all of the castle and two thousand humans!”
Holstering the gun, I shrugged. “They thought it was a show. They’re all drunk and horny anyway. What do they care as long as they get laid and get more of the punch?”
“You should be more concerned about the vampires who just saw you behead an old vampire and her companion—possibly friends of theirs.”
“Then they chose the wrong friends.”
“Don’t be fucking flippant!” He jerked a finger at the room. “Those vampires are going to want retribution.”
I stared him dead in the eye. “That was retribution. They fed me and who knows how many other vampires poisoned blood. Blood, dying blood from laudanum. If the corrupted blood doesn’t get them, the poison will.”
He paused. “Fuck. Why didn’t you lead with that?”
“Because I’m positive Lord Otto and Lord Cato know what the fuck was happening. I didn’t need to tell anyone. They already knew and wanted to see how I would handle it. And, besides, everyone in that room is blood drunk and screwing whatever they could grab!” I tore my arm out of his grip. “I should have done the same. I should have had a nice dick in there, gotten drunk off the blood, and had a good night instead of trying to keep myself sober and rational for my challenge tomorrow.”
My feet pounded hard against the rock ground as I turned to run away from him.
Growling, he caught up with me. “Regardless, you caused a scene in there that didn’t need to happen. If the Overlords knew, then you should have let them handle it. So what the hell is your problem?”
I glanced at him. “Back there? Hortensia. Now? You.”
“What kind of bullshit answer is that?”
“There’s nothing bullshit about it.”
“Are you drunk? Or just this childish?”
I ground my teeth together, a fleeting embarrassing flush staining my cheeks. “I was surrounded by two thousand willing humans! You think I didn’t partake?”
“Didn’t anyone—”
“For shit’s sake, Nial! I’m not childish like you said. I just didn’t expect to have an attempt on my life during the Blood Rite. So, yes, I enjoyed myself.” I growled under my breath, conceding one issue. “Maybe a little too much.”
“You’re a stupid girl, you know that?”
“Go away. I dislike you right now, ’cause you’re an asshole, and I’m probably not even going to find a couch arm to rub off on thanks to this mess.”
“Why the hell would you rub off on a couch arm?” His anger was gone, replaced with confusion.
“Because I’m a candidate, and I’m not just going sit and spin on any old unknown dick that points my way, no matter how blood drunk and horny I am!”
“Are you horny?”
“Oh for—” I started to walk away and then marched right back. “I had one guy come while I was drinking, and I helped another come while my best friend rode him. Do you think I’m horny?”
“You really want to take a ride on a dick, don’t you?”
He was too close, and I wanted him closer. I was disgusted by my reaction to him.
I muttered, “Go away.”
Lifting an eyebrow slowly, he considered me. “You can’t stop thinking about me, can you? That’s why you weren’t screwing anyone in there. You can’t get it out of your head how I shagged your ass in the hall.”
I choked on a laugh and started walking. “Well. That takes care of that. Shagged, my ass.”
He followed, his hands shoved into his pockets. A little smile curved the edges of his mouth as he stared at the ground. Quiet. Oh so quiet.
Sadly, the truth was, I greatly enjoyed his shagging in that hallway. So much so that I hadn’t stopped thinking about it and hadn’t wanted to seek out someone else to satisfy the urge that feeding gave me. It was why I had challenged myself not to find a nice thick erection and ride until my eyes crossed. I also wasn’t going fuck my meals—but no one else had even remotely piqued my interest. Which was a huge problem since I still couldn’t stand this asshole.
“You’re thinking about my dick.”
“Oh, you think about that enough for everyone in the stronghold. You don’t need my help.”
A magical cool breeze tickled my neck, which was one thing, but when it focused in and pinched my nipple, I turned and growled, “Keep your magical mitts off my tits, you shit.”
“She’s a poetess!”
“Fuck off.”
His voice was right in my ear. “I’d rather fuck you.”
With a sidelong glance, I sized him up. The last time was erotic, fulfilling. I was left desperately panting and quite nicely satisfied. And I was still wet and wanting from the Blood Rite. I couldn’t stand this arrogant buffoon, but… he did have a nice cock.
My brows puckered. “Are you offering?”
“If you’re interested in finding a bed and not a hallway.”
“And what if I like fucking in hallways?”
“I’ll have to reconsider my offer and find a hallway.”
Oh. He wanted me. This was an interesting development.
I hummed softly. “Find me a bed, then. And no slashing my clothes off. You wrecked a very expensive bra.”
He magically tweaked my nipple again, but this time, didn’t let go. “I think I can manage that.” The magic continued to caress my nipple, flutters of sensation curling my toes.
I wiggled my shoulders so I didn’t pounce on him right now. “Stop that.”
Grinning, Nial took the lead, his magic finding the second nipple as we walked.
I didn’t mind walking behind him. He had a very nice ass.
His attitude, though, left a lot to be desired.
It took me only a moment to realize we were heading to his bedroom. That was a bold move, but if it meant I wouldn’t be bent against a wall, it was better than the last time. I made myself a quiet little promise that this would be our last time. I needed to find someone else I could tolerate when his dick wasn’t busy doing its duty.
Unlocking the door, and holding it open, Nial invited me into his room. I couldn’t see anything except the clock on the nightstand. He had to have some weird druid bullshit spell going on to keep the room dark. He shut the door behind us, and the dark completely overwhelmed me. It was disconcerting.
As a vampire, I wasn’t used to being robbed of my sight.
Pressing against my back, Nial’s hand took hold of my chin and turned me toward him. His breath passed over my eyes, and the room immediately lightened up, gifting me with the magic to see through his spell—as his magic also kept my breasts entertained.
“Undress, Gwen. I don’t want to waste time doing it for you.”
“Still bossing me around.”
“Do you want to get laid or not?”
“You’re crude.”
“Because asking for a fuck is so haute?”
