Was he suggesting what it sounded like he was suggesting? I stared for a moment, trying to think of a polite way to say no. But my brain wouldn’t cooperate. It wanted me to stay and accept his invitation.
“I think she wants to join us,” the woman said with a breathy giggle. She beckoned me with a finger.
I tried to shake my head, but once again my body refused to comply.
“Come here,” the vampire demanded. His words hit me like a magnet, pulling me toward him. I was powerless to resist and somewhere in my hormone-soaked brain I wasn’t certain I wanted to resist at all. But a few steps from them, he held up a hand. “Wait. It seems you’re spoken for.” He inhaled deeply, his chest expanding, and I realized he was smelling me. “Rousseaux should know better than to leave his belongings lying about, especially when he’s been feeding them.”
Feeding me? What did that mean? My brain was too fuzzy to make sense of any of it. But the pull toward him that I’d felt moments ago evaporated. The lust lingered, however.
“Rousseaux?” the woman repeated. “Surely, he wouldn’t mind if…”
The vampire chuckled darkly. “She’s drenched in his scent, sweetheart. He’s made it clear to stay away.”
“But like you said, he left,” she argued.
“And you need to do your homework,” he told her, dropping her onto her feet. He smoothly fastened his trousers and began to buckle his belt. “I thought they prepared familiars better these days.”
“I’ve been preparing since I was seven, you condescending switch,” she hissed.
For a moment, his shoulders went rigid before they relaxed again. “Find another vampire to get you off. It’s not worth my life to piss off Julian Rousseaux.”
“If I’d known you were–” she began.
“Careful what you say next,” he cut her off. “You insulted me once and I took it like a gentleman. Call it a courtesy since I just fucked you six ways to Sunday. But my patience is wearing thin.”
She looked as though she was about to say something else. Instead, she released a frustrated shriek and began adjusting her clothing. She threw one furious glance over her shoulder before she wrenched open the door and started back to the party.
The fight had been enough to distract me for a few minutes, but now the overwhelming sensations crowded inside me again. I took a step forward, swayed unsteadily, and started to topple. Strong arms caught me before I hit the ground and an instant later, I was resting comfortably on the chaise lounge by the fire. My vampire savior watched me from the other side of the outdoor hearth.
“When Julian smells me on you, would you mind telling him I was being chivalrous?”
“What?” I asked. None of this made any sense and now my head was swimming. I tried to push up and get to my feet. “I should go find him.”
“If I let you leave like this, he will definitely kill me.” There was a blur and suddenly he was standing at the end of the lounger. I startled and fell back into the seat.
“He wouldn’t.” But wouldn’t he? I’d seen him kill another vampire already. What would he do if he found me out here with one now?
“You’re not in the best place to think rationally, so I’ll let that go.” He remained nearby, guarding me with watchful eyes. “Where did he go anyway?”
“He was summoned to a family meeting.” I pressed an index finger to my temple. My head had started to pound and despite the coolness of the night, I was so overheated that I wanted to rip my clothes off. I wrapped my arms around myself, hoping I could cling to control until Julian returned.
“And he just left you up here?” He shook his head with disapproval. “He should have known better than to bring a human here tonight. I imagine he’s being reminded of that as we speak.”
I couldn’t take it any longer. I bolted onto my feet, but my new vampire friend blocked me.
“Just wait here for him.” His eyes, which had returned to normal, contracted as he spoke.
The compulsion to find Julian dissipated. Now I was just left with a piercing headache and the same gnawing hunger I’d felt since he’d left me here. I needed something to occupy me until he returned. “Who are you anyway?”
“Bellamy. Pleased to meet you…?”
“Thea,” I said softly. “Are you a Rousseaux?”
“No.” He laughed as if the idea was preposterous. “I’m unaffiliated. Just a poor wayward switch.”
“Switch? That’s what she called you,” I said, remembering the way her lips had curled disdainfully around the word as it left her mouth. “What does it mean?”
“Just that I’m a poor vampire bastard. I have no idea who turned me. It’s just a nasty way of pointing out that I was made by someone who didn’t want me.”
“Oh. I’m sorry. It’s none of my business.” I felt bad for prying, but Bellamy shrugged.
“Don’t be. That’s the lottery of life. I could have just as easily been born to the Rousseaux family and been treated like a prince.”
“A prince?”
“You haven’t noticed?” Bellamy grinned at me. “Julian is pretty much vampire royalty.”
“What does that even mean?”
“You know how kings and queens have all sorts of money and land and crowns and shit?” he asked, and I nodded. “They’re not half as wealthy as the Rousseaux family and not nearly as powerful.”
I stared at him, wondering if he was pranking me. “You aren’t serious.”
“As a stake through the heart,” he said, drawing an X over his chest for good measure. “I’m surprised you didn’t know.”
“What does that mean?” I narrowed my eyes.
“Things must be serious between you two,” he said, bypassing my question and circling around to answer it in a roundabout way. “I can’t imagine he would ask you to brave meeting Sabine otherwise.”