No one wanted to miss an orgy hosted by Sabine Rousseaux.
Delicate seven-foot glass chandeliers hung from the twenty-foot ceiling. Each was handblown by Milanese artisans to look like flames blazing above guests. Venetian silks covered the floor pillows scattered around antique tables someone had found in Paris. Opium pipes lay on most of them, an extravagant party favor. Judging from the glassy eyes of some of the vampires I passed, most had already indulged. My father had added Roman dining couches in a fit of nostalgia and most of them were already being put to use.
The party had yet to officially begin, but the orgy had started. It was customary for eligible familiars and vampires to engage one another in feeding and fucking at these events. For those already spoken for there was clearly no need to wait. And ineligible siblings were more than happy to entertain themselves with each other. I spotted several of my peers glaring at the frenzy beginning around them while they waited for the doors to open to the real event. A female I’d met in London a few centuries ago, tipped her head in greeting in my direction and then bent to whisper something to her friend. The females looked back at me with predatory eyes.
It wasn’t unheard of for pureblood vampires to marry each other, but it was the rare pairing that produced a match that might survive the Rites. I ignored them, knowing their interest would fade when they got sight of the male familiars on offer.
I passed a trio of guests pressed against the wall, already half undressed. The female draped over one of the males, moaned loudly as they took turns thrusting inside her. Her head dropped and she caught my eye, flashing me an encouraging smile. Apparently, two wasn’t enough to satisfy her. Another time I would have gladly joined them and relieved the need that had been building up since the moment I’d first seen Thea.
“Rousseaux.” A hand clapped me on the shoulder, and I turned to find Giovanni Valente. He smiled at me, but it didn’t reach his eyes. They watched me with the wariness of a snake. “I wondered if you would be here.”
I tipped my head in greeting. “I didn’t have a choice.”
“And your lady?” he inquired. “Is she with you tonight?”
“She’s here, but she’s waiting with the familiars,” I said lightly.
“I was unaware that she possessed any magic.” He was baiting me now. Searching for information about the relationship that I claimed to have with Thea last night.
“Only over me.” I smiled. “Still, she couldn’t be brought in here.” I gestured to the opium den.
“Ah yes. I forgot the Rousseaux family still followed the old rules.”
“I was unaware there were new ones.” My relationship with him had always been one of mutual necessity. He wasn’t what I would call a friend. He could be counted on when fighting on the same side, but the rest of the time his interest lay purely in himself. That wasn’t unusual for a vampire, but unlike most, he held little regard for his own bloodline. Of course, he would think it was off for me to be here. If he hadn’t wanted to come, no one held enough sway over him to force the issue.
“What do they say? Rules are made to be broken.” He shrugged. “Of course, perhaps, someday, she will be allowed in here. Your relationship must be serious if you’re letting her anywhere near your family.”
“You mean, my mother?” I let my boredom seep into my voice. The less interested I was, the sooner he would leave to find more fascinating company.
“Sabine can’t be happy that you’re involved with a human.”
“Mothers are rarely happy when status is on the line.”
“True,” Giovanni laughed. “Perhaps, though, your lady will enchant her like she did to you–and me.”
I froze. I didn’t have a choice. Inside me, darkness raged, urging me to attack him. The comment sounded innocent but I understood the suggestion behind it. Humans were fair game until they were bound to another vampire through one of the many archaic methods at our disposal. His message was clear. He would respect my claim to her until there was reason to question it.
After that, he could and would do as he pleased.
After I regained enough control, I smiled wanly. “I’m certain she will.”
“But the Rites,” he continued. “You are a firstborn, correct?”
“My sister,” I corrected him. “A few minutes before me.” It was a gamble that he didn’t remember her–or the fact that she had died.
His eyes narrowed for only a moment as if searching through some internal Rolodex. In the end, he grinned. “Naturally. It will be your turn during the next season.”
“I doubt the Rites will be in play then.”
He leaned closer and lowered his voice as if the vampires fucking and smoking all around us gave a shit about what we were saying. “Not if the rumors are true.”
“Rumors?” I repeated.
“I think you need to catch up on the Council’s activities,” he advised. “Or decide what you’re going to do with that pretty little piece of flesh soon.”
“What are you talking about?” I’d lost patience with Giovanni and his exploratory conversations that only led to more questions.
“The Rites,” he murmured, accepting an opium pipe from a passing attendant. He sucked a long drag from it, his eyes turning to glassy onyx. “They’ve enacted them permanently.”
CHAPTER TWENTY
THEA
Nothing could have prepared me for what I found on the other side of the door. I stepped into a ballroom that looked like something out of a fairy tale. Ropes of white flowers hung like delicate rays from crystal chandeliers that looked bigger than my entire apartment. A few tables dotted the perimeter, but otherwise there was no furniture. Instead, the gleaming oak floor had been reserved for dancing–or whatever other activities were planned for the evening. All around me, beautiful people in masks primped and gossiped as they waited for the orgy to begin.
Orgy. The word kept tumbling around in my head. It had to be some type of joke. It couldn’t be a real orgy. People weren’t just going to get naked and go at it, right?
I slipped into a corner, doing my best to keep to myself and not draw any attention. If they’d been waiting on Julian’s arrival, as I suspected, it would only be a few minutes before they let us loose and I could find him. I couldn’t help picturing a large gate being thrown open and all the pretty people in here stampeding into an arena like the running of the bulls.
“What’s so funny?” A black woman joined me in the corner. She waited, watching me with curious brown eyes framed by a mask lined with glittering peacock feathers. Although it obscured her face, it couldn’t hide her stunning beauty. High cheekbones held the mask in place over a wide, shapely nose. Her closely cropped hair had been styled into old-fashioned waves. She smiled when I didn’t speak. “Come on, I’m not going to bite.”
“You might not,” I said dryly, earning a laugh from her.
“I suppose we are in mixed company.” She held out a hand to introduce herself. “I’m Quinn Porter.”
“Thea Melbourne.” I reached to take her hand, but she stared at mine.
“No gloves?” she asked with an arched eyebrow.
