“An artist?” I recall his good looks and his rich ensemble. Dante did not strike me as an affluent, yet suffering artist. He looked like the heir to a Fortune 500 company that specialized in beauty products and conventional industry lies.
“Yes.” Gray nods. “And an exceptional one, too.”
I go quiet. There’s more I want to know, but prodding for more answers feels invasive. He’s revealed a lot, and based on his earlier reaction to my asking, he didn’t seem all that open to telling me. The clipped way he spoke, the rigidity in his posture, it all spoke to a level of anger that I didn’t quite yet understand. Dante must have done something awful to him to leave behind such a deep scar.
Gray slows and makes a right turn down a long, winding drive. There are little solar lights glittering its path on either side of the smooth blacktop, providing some lighting in the pitch darkness. There’s flush greenery and big, beautiful flowers growing everywhere. I’m starting to think he’s taking me to some midnight botanical garden when the drive opens up to reveal a large, well-lit mansion at the end.
With Dante forgotten, I turn to stare out my window with wide, ogling eyes. “Who the hell do you know that lives here?”
The mansion itself is mind-blowing. It’s a gothic two-story made up of dark stone and a black-tiled roof. There’s an overhang by the front door where people are gathered, bathedin the low golden light of a twinkling chandelier. It’s like every mansion I ever imagined someone from ‘old money’ might own. As if someone took every bit of the history in its stones and revived it.
“Distracted?” Gray’s face takes up the view, pulling me from my momentary awe.
“A little.” I say.
“Come on.” Gray offers his hand as he opens the door, a small smile pulling at his lips. “Let’s take a closer look.”
“Where are we?” I stumble out like a baby deer and fall right into his chest. With a chuckle, he rights me, and snakes an arm around my waist to secure me against him. I can’t help but blush at the contact. He’s being very protective, if not bordering on a little possessive, tonight. It’s kind of thrilling.
“Home,” he says simply.
“Home?” I echo, but he doesn’t answer. There are people everywhere, hanging out all over the lawn and in between the other cars parked along the drive. Ahead of us, there’s a big, beautiful fountain at the center of a roundabout full of naked people splashing around inside of it.
Gray leans down and whispers against my ear, “Stay very close to me. There are vampires everywhere.”
Everywhere? Sure enough, when I glance back at the fountain, I see flashes of red, small bright points from far away gleaming in the dark. The longer I look, the more I can make out the curve of a fang, and the wet shimmer of blood running down lips and chins.
“What the hell is going on?” I whisper.
“A party for vampires,” he says, as if it should be obvious.
I swallow. “Right. Guess that explains the naked people in the fountain then.”
Gray laughs again, a deep and satisfying sound that starts in his chest and vibrates throughout his body. It warms my skin to hear it.
We pass through the front door easily, and it’s like I stepped into an underground rave. There’s a heavy fog rippling soundlessly at our feet, and the distinct smell of incense and alcohol ripen the air. The music is a bumping, rhythmic blast of tech and pop threaded together like the people dancing to its tune, and the only light inside is coming from the glow of those painted in neon, bathed in the black light. It’s like I’m walking through a fever dream, lucid and unwilling to wake myself up.
“Give me your coat.” Gray startles me, shouting above the music.
“I don’t know…” I hesitate. My heart is hammering in my chest with anticipation. I want to dance, to slink into the crowd and sweat out the last few hours, but I can’t let go until I know why we’re even here.
“I promise”—he shrugs off his own, then holds his hand out for mine—“it will be returned to you intact. Not a single item missing.”
It isn’t that I’m worried so much about my belongings as I am about my person. I’m showing a lot of skin, even if it is covered. The sheer bodycon dress I have on over my lingerie isn’t exactly a shield against wandering fangs. I might have Gray with me, but I’ve been separated in big crowds before.
He isn’t the only vampire here.
Gray must sense the reason for my hesitation, and his face softens. He leans in close. “You’re safe with me.”
Silent submission is my answer as I shrug off my coat. Gray takes it, then hands it over to the valet. They hand him a ticket, which he tucks into his back pocket. A second later, he has his arm wrapped around me again, though this time it’s a little tighter.
“Shall we?” He smiles down at me, looking a little too devilish in this light.
With a deep breath, I nod. “Lead the way.”
I’ll admit, I had my reservations about walking into a vampire party.
There are fangs everywhere I look, but there are also regular people dancing around in the same half-dressed, practically naked getup. From the front door I could only see so much, and being up close and personal, I’m getting an eyeful. Between swarthy, painted chests, there are bare breasts covered in paint and plenty of people in just their underwear. Compared to the rest, Gray and I are actually overdressed. Besides that, no one is openly ripping someone’s throat out or gnawing on their wrists.
