“Oh.” I withdrew my hand quickly, realizing her own hands were covered in elbow-length plum velvet gloves. “I didn’t know I needed them.”
“I’m sorry.” Quinn shook her head and grabbed my hand. “That was rude. I was just surprised. They aren’t technically required for us, but it’s tradition and I’m told vampires hate when we go bare-handed. What did you say your family name was?”
“Melbourne,” I said feebly. She grew thoughtful, and I knew she was trying to attach the name with a bloodline. “I’m not a familiar.”
“Well, that explains it.” She sounded relieved. “I thought I’d forgotten a whole family, and my grandmum would not approve! I swear I’ve been studying vampire and familiar bloodlines since I learned the alphabet.”
“You didn’t forget anyone,” I reassured her. “I’m nobody.”
Her head craned back. “That’s funny because I’m looking at you right now. How many nobodies can you see?”
I grinned a little, relieved that I’d managed to find a kind soul. I’d been prepared for a den of vipers.
“So you’re a human, then?” she asked conversationally.
“Yep, and I have no idea what I’m doing here,” I confessed. The longer I stood in the room and waited, the dizzier I felt. It had to be my nerves getting to me. Thanks to hundreds of cello performances, I usually felt comfortable at parties. But I was also usually the entertainment, not a guest. Was that why everything felt so strange?
“That sounds like a story.” She leaned a hip against the wall, showing off her impressive curves. “Let me guess, it starts with a boy? Or, a vampire?”
“Yes. A vampire, I mean.” I couldn’t fathom thinking of Julian as a boy.
“It must be serious,” she said. “It’s unusual for vampires to bring human companions to the Rites.”
“How unusual?” I asked before I thought better of it. There were more questions that I wanted to ask. I had a lot of them, but Julian had warned me about being too casual with details. If we were going to trick his family into believing we were a couple, I couldn’t admit that I’d just met him or that I had no idea what was going on or that with each passing second, I felt more and more like my brain was going to burst from trying to wrap my head around his crazy world. “Julian didn’t mention it.”
“Julian Rousseaux?” Her voice pitched up an octave. “That explains it. He’s not a big fan of these things. At least, according to my grandmum’s extensive notes.”
“Yeah, I get that impression, too.” I wished I had extensive notes to help me navigate this. I wanted to know what she’d learned about my fake boyfriend during her research, but I couldn’t ask. Or could I? “I have to know what people say about him. The Julian I know is very different away from all of this.” I gestured to the ornate space around us.
Her eyes followed, drinking in the velvet-flocked wallpaper that covered the walls. Every few feet, a floor-to-ceiling mirror framed in gold had been hung, making the already massive ballroom look even bigger. More than a few familiars were preening in front of it, practicing flirtatious glances or curtsies.
“I believe that,” Quinn confirmed. “He tends to avoid vampire society when he can. Not that he has much of a choice since his sister died. That makes it his turn.”
My mouth went dry, but I managed to keep my face composed. Puzzle pieces began to fall into place. He’d mentioned his sister but no details. Julian might have been leaving me clues, but I was far from having a complete picture. I needed to change that if I was going to keep passing as his significant other.
“I’m surprised he brought you here, knowing that he’s expected to marry a familiar.” She sounded sympathetic. Try as I might to heed Julian’s warning, I felt comfortable around Quinn.
“It’s complicated,” I agreed. “He seemed really surprised that this was–” I lowered my voice “–a Blood Orgy.”
“Oh wow!” Her dark eyes widened behind her mask. “You didn’t know? You poor thing! Did he at least tell you what to expect?”
“He was a bit too pissed when we got to the door and found out,” I admitted. I was doing a pretty good job at making this all sound normal without giving away any clues that I’d known Julian for all of five minutes.
“Shit. Okay, hold on.” She looked around her in a frenzy. “We probably only have a few minutes.”
As if to back her up on that, the familiars around us started to act strangely. Whispers rippled through the groups, and then people started taking off their clothes.
“This is a real orgy, isn’t it?” I asked hopelessly as I took in a lot of naked flesh. Most still wore something. I’d mistaken the velvet and silk robes worn by many as party attire. Under them, though, were a dizzying array of lace and leather, velvet and chiffon. A man across from us shucked off his robe, revealing a golden, muscled chest. His lean torso tapered into a hewn v that disappeared under the low-slung waistband of his silk pants. He turned, and I got a glimpse of…everything. Silk, it turned out, didn’t leave much to the imagination. Several women had opted for lace bustiers that lifted all their assets into prime viewing, but a few wore nothing more than chiffon slips that floated dreamily over their nude forms. My core clenched, winding tighter with each sensual glimpse I caught. Julian had worked me up in the limousine and then dropped me into a roomful of sexy people. I was going to have a word with him later about managing expectations.
“Yes and no,” Quinn said quickly. “It is an orgy, but you’re taken. I mean, Julian brought you, so he’ll come to find you right away.”
I nodded, swallowing hard as a woman passed her sequined robe to an attendant, leaving her clad in a fringe skirt with nothing under it. Several ropes of pearls were draped artfully over her pert breasts. She was breathtaking. I couldn’t tear my eyes away from her. I wished I could be like that: fearless in the face of all these strangers.
I glanced up at Quinn. “Should I…get naked?”
Julian really should have mentioned this bit.
“No! I mean, unless you want to. We’re not all parading around like meat,” she murmured, sounding a bit peeved at the whole ordeal. “I mean, orgy or not, I’m going to need some foreplay first. Or, at least, some venom.”
“Venom?” I whispered absently.
“He hasn’t fed you his venom yet?” she asked curiously. “He must be a gentleman, but, word to the wise, don’t let him hold out on you. You’ll have the best sex of your life.”
If only that were true. Standing here, watching as familiars readied themselves to seek pleasure with the waiting vampires, I wished I’d never told Julian I was a virgin. If I hadn’t, I wouldn’t be one now. How was I supposed to cope with the war drum beating down there all night?
“You asked why I was laughing before,” I said. “I was imagining everyone in here running out to find a vampire, like it was a bad game show or something.”
“You’re not far off,” she giggled. “Just hang back when they sound the gong, so you don’t get trampled. Let the eager ones go first.”
“Thanks.” I took a deep breath, grateful she was here to guide me through this. “You don’t have to hang back on my account, though.”
“Believe me, I’m not interested in running out there and jumping on the first vampire dick I see,” she said in a flat tone that left no room for misunderstanding.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to–”
“Don’t worry about it. All that studying and preparing, and I’m my family’s worst nightmare come true.” She leaned closer and whispered, “I want to fall in love. I know I’m not supposed to care about that. A good match is a good match, but…”
“What’s good about a match without love?” I said softly.
