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I force a smile and say, “Sorry, she’s…anxious. First vampire party.” I thrust my hand his way. “But yes, that was Casey and I’m Annie. So nice to meet you, Edmond. Colin’s told me so much about you.”
The prince among men winces, but even the wrinkly places on his forehead are beautiful. “Oh dear. All good things, I hope?”
I nod. “Of course! He said that you’re the clan’s best negotiator and ambassador abroad, and that you have quite a way with words.” I exhale a soft laugh. “But I bet being the most gorgeous person ever born probably doesn’t hurt with the negotiating, does it? It’s so hard to say ‘no’ to beautiful people.”
His bright blue eyes take on a cunning sparkle, and a dimple pops in his cheek. “You aren’t wrong. But I don’t imagine my usual tricks would work on you, Annie Wonderfully. You seem like you could spot a politician with an agenda a mile away.” He glances over his shoulder before turning back to me and adding in a softer voice, “And I’d wager your sister is the same. I’m pretty sure the sight of me turned her stomach.”
I flap a dismissive hand. “Oh no! No way.”
“Yes, way. I’ve never seen golden skin blanche that white.”
“Oh well, I’m sure that didn’t have anything to do with you. Like I said, she’s nervous.” But she didn’t seem nervous before Edmond popped up beside us and her abrupt departure has me a little worried.
I motion toward the other side of the tent, “I should probably check on her, though. I remember my first vampire party. Blaire was positive one of you was going to go for my throat and she’d have to do her best Buffy impression to get me to a human hospital in time. No matter how kind you all are, there’s something…instinctive that makes a person wary at first.”
“Probably the part that realizes you’re lower on the food chain,” he says, his tone more sober than it was before. “The Blackmore vampires have taken vows not to feed on unwilling humans, but there are always a few bad apples in any bushel. It’s smart to be careful, even at a public event like this one. And keep a sharp eye out when venturing outside of town.” He rests his hand gently on my arm above my elbow, giving it a squeeze. “There can be dangerous things afoot on these long winter nights.”
“Wise words,” the dearest voice I’ve ever heard rumbles from my right.
I turn to see Baron holding a glass filled with light pink liquid that he holds out to me with a rare smile. “You looked thirsty. I thought you might want a lemonade.”
“A lemonade would be won…” My words trail off and my tongue forgets how to shape words as Baron leans in to press a swift kiss to my cheek. Instantly, my heart swoops and every cell in my body begins to vibrate with longing.
I’m so thrown by the kiss that Baron’s next sentence slips right past me.
When I realize I’ve zoned out, I clear my throat, gulp breath, and croak, “I’m s-sorry, what was that?”
He smiles, a friendly smile, the kind of easy grin a person gives a woman he has no desire to see naked before a blazing fire ever again. “I’ve been sent to fetch Edmond. Darcy wants his opinion on the new amphitheater he’s building at the back of the property. I hope you don’t mind. I’ll send him back to you as soon as we’re finished.”
“Oh.” I blink, swallow, then blink again. “Of course. I’ll…see you both later.”
Edmond smiles. “Thank you, Annie. It was so nice to meet you. I look forward to knowing you better and to putting your anxious sister’s mind at ease. Have a lovely time.”
I watch as they circle the dance floor, careful to avoid the couples spinning to a string quartet cover of Don’t Stop Believin’, with my heart hammering in my ribs.
What the heck was that?
It’s as if the growly, jealous Baron, never existed. As if he—and that steamy night in his cabin—were creations of my overactive imagination.
The same imagination that thought memorizing my favorite sonnet and reciting it for him tonight would prove that we’re cut from the same bookish, poetic, word-loving cloth, the kind they used to use to bind books hundreds of years ago.
I feel like a fool, an arrogant, deluded idiot who smugly assumed the man she was pining for was pining for her, too.
But that clearly isn’t the case, and I have no idea why…
Did I misjudge his reaction to seeing Colin and I together last night? Maybe he wasn’t jealous after all? Or maybe he took my threat to get naked with every vampire in town seriously and decided I was moving on? Or maybe he’s simply happy to see his brother and can’t be bothered with a boring, insignificant woman he accidentally stuck his penis in over a month ago.
Cheeks burning with shame, I set my un-sipped lemonade on the edge of the bar and go searching for Casey. But an hour and several rounds of awkward small talk later, there’s still no sign of her.
Finally, I manage to penetrate the crowd of well-wishers surrounding Blaire and Darcy and pull Blaire aside.
“Have you seen Casey?” I ask, trying to keep my tone light. I don’t want to upset her on the night of her much-deserved celebration. The spell they worked to shield the town might not have been that difficult, but Blaire went through hell waiting for Darcy to come to his senses and realize they were meant for each other.
The thought makes me want to confess everything to Blaire—she could certainly empathize with the way I’m feeling—but her next words take that option off the table.
“Yes, she left because vampires are the worst,” Blaire says, glancing quickly around to make sure she hasn’t been overheard before adding in a softer voice, “Obviously, not all vampires, but Darcy and Colin are deluding themselves if they think Janet is the only creep in this clan. Some bloodsucking dickwad tried to pay Casey a hundred bucks for a drink of her blood because he ‘hadn’t tasted Indian princess in a few centuries.’ Can you fucking believe that shit?”
My head rears back. “What? You’re kidding.”
