Page 81 of Only Fangs

“Do you mean Brody, my business partner?” I ask him primly.

“Business partner.” Even that sounds like a slur on his tongue.

“What do you want?” I demand.

He runs his hands through his black hair, styled into a more formal version of the modern vampire quiff. It springs back into place perfectly. He always did have annoyingly amazing hair, thick and lustrous and never a single strand out of place, like it was made of Lego or something. An image of Brody pops into my head, the way his hair was mussed as I pulled away from kissing him, standing up at all angles like a halo. But the image shatters as I hear Benedict’s words. “Your business partner is human.”

“Ha.” I inject as much derision into the word as I can, as if the idea is so preposterous it’s not worth taking seriously for even a second.

“What do you think Mr Hele will do when he finds out?” He pokes his tongue out of the side of his mouth as he appraises me, a snake coiled to strike at his prey. I fucking hate Benedict Dalton. “I don’t know what the hell you were thinking, bringing him here like that.” He makes this tsk-tsk noise, the same one he always used to make when I did something he didn’t approve of. And believe me there was always something he didn’t approve of.

I take a breath, fisting my hands at my sides so I don’t smack him in the face. But Jesus Christ I want to. I want to feel that nose crunch against my knuckles. I’m not normally prone to violence but for this prick I would make an exception. “Just tell me what you want, Benedict.”

He looks me up and down, taking his time, letting his gaze linger on my curves. I stand steadfast, desperate not to show how he makes me want to vomit when he looks at me like that. “You know what I want. I want you, Ari.”

But when he says he wants me, he doesn’t mean in a sex way. Or even in a relationship way. He means he wants me as a plaything, a doll he can break. He’s already broken me once and I lost almost everything escaping him.

“Fuck you, Benedict,” I whisper and slip past him into the bathroom. The cubicle on the far left has a secret panel inside and I use it to slip back to the party without having to walk past him again.

He can’t know for sure about Brody; that I’m convinced of. We’ve done everything to keep the charade going and I think we’ve got everyone fooled. No, he’s just trying to mess with me. But I’m not the same woman I was back then. I’m stronger. More capable.

Are you? The haunting voice in the back of my mind decides now is the time to make herself heard.

Maybe she’s right. After all, I did make the deal. Yes I was desperate, but ultimately this whole mess is my doing.

I find Brody back in the crowd.

“You OK?” he whispers in my ear, voice full of concern.

“Fine,” I reply and flash him a smile. I’ve decided the best way to deal with the whole Benedict situation is to ignore him. I’ll just pretend he doesn’t bother me, that nothing he says makes any impact on me at all. If I don’t play his games he’ll get bored and move on to another victim.

There’s a sense of something in the air, a crackle of expectation. We’re all waiting for the great Andrei Hele speech to round off the evening, but it feels like everyone is starting to get bored.

And then he walks out onto the stage. A pedestal has been placed for him to stand behind and there’s something almost pulpit-esque about the set up. He looks like a preacher who’s about to give a sermon to his faithful flock. A shiver runs up my spine. He really does think of himself as a messiah. The way some people believe the rumours he’s the very first, the father of all vampires, doesn’t seem quite so far-fetched when I see him like this.

“Brothers and sisters,” he says, spreading his arms wide. There’s a low cheer from the crowd. Wow, they all really do revere him, the outpouring of devotion is palpable. It’s creepy and weird and the shiver intensifies.

Chapter 42

Brody

“Brothers and sisters,” Andrei repeats and the crowd falls silent. “We stand on the cusp of a new dawn. A new world in which our kind will finally be given the recognition we deserve, the status we crave. Soon there will be no more restrictions for us vampires; no more doors slammed in our faces, no more opportunities denied. The humans have always feared us. Feared our fangs, yes, but also our intellect. Our cunning. Our ambition. They have worked to oppress us. To push us down and deny us our future. They are jealous spiteful little worms.” I swear he’s looking straight at me as he says it. Those blue eyes boring into my skin as he bangs on and on about the scourge of humanity.

He knows. I know it as sure as the night is dark.

“But we will take our rightful place. The new bill going through parliament will grant our kind extraordinary rights and then we will swoop in to the positions of power. We will take everything.”

He pauses and looks out into the room. “But there is one thing that’s worrying me. Brothers and sisters, we are old. Look around you. Where are the youngsters? The new blood with their new ideas who will carry our kind forward into a glittering future? We need more vampire marriages. We need more vampire babies. Now then.” His smile widens. “Where are they?” He scans the crowd as though he’s looking for someone. But then his gaze snaps to me. “Oh, there. Miss Haywood and Mr Jackson, if you would please join me on the stage.” It isn’t a question.

Ari turns to me for a moment and I see the confusion on her face. I wonder if she sees the fear on mine?

The rest of the audience starts to applaud, all eyes on us as we make our way towards the stage. I feel like a lamb being led to the slaughter, deep in the knowledge of my own mortality and not yet prepared to meet my god.

There are steps to my left, only eight or so but they feel like a herculean task to mount, my feet dragging as I climb behind Ari. I take huge gulps of air, desperately willing my heart to slow down.

Andrei reaches for Ari and pulls her into an embrace. The clapping from the audience intensifies. I stand at the top of the stairs, feeling exposed. Andrei beckons to me. “Now then, Mr Jackson, don’t be shy. I know you’re an integral part of the whole endeavour.” He smiles at me, his features lupine, teeth glinting in the candle light.

I’m going to die tonight.