The woman in red, who must be Agnes, moved to the side of the stairs. Familiars formed neat lines, each eager to offer their drop of blood and get away from this horror show.
I, on the other hand, was surrounded by magical snakes and one angry vampire mother. Sabine grabbed my wrist, flinching slightly when her bare skin met mine. But she didn’t drop her hold. She yanked me toward the stairs and away from the rest of the guests.
Quinn shot me a worried look as I passed her, and I did my best to force a smile. I doubted she bought it.
Sabine’s nails pierced my skin, and I yelped. But when I tried to pull away, they dug in deeper. “Stop fighting me,” she murmured. “Or you might not make it out of here alive.”
She dragged me upstairs to the now empty corridor and finally released me. Blood welled from the puncture marks she’d put into my wrist. Sabine’s nostrils flared, and her eyes darkened. I wrapped my hand around the wounds quickly.
She laughed, tossing her head to the side. “I am not my son. Your blood does not tempt me.”
“Could have fooled me,” I shot back.
She rounded on me, backing me toward a small corner off the foyer. “Is this your plan?” she demanded. “Is that what has my son so ensnared? Has he been feeding off you?”
“W-w-what?” I sputtered. “No!”
“I knew I smelled something in your blood,” she continued without acknowledging my response. “A virgin! What the hell is Julian thinking, or is this some petty revenge against his family?”
“This might shock you,” a calm voice interjected, “but this has nothing to do with you, Sabine.”
She spun around, stepping out of the way so that I could see my savior.
Jacqueline.
My shoulders sagged in relief to find Julian’s best friend standing there. She was dressed in neither the vampires’ chosen white, nor the red of the familiars. Instead, she wore a black leather dress that hugged her willowy body and stopped a few inches above her knees. Her blonde hair was gathered in a loose braid that hung over her shoulder. But it was the unimpressed look on her face that stood out the most.
“Jacqueline,” Sabine said, her voice dripping poison, “you’ve deigned to join us. Although, I see you still don’t respect our traditions.”
“Really?” she said to Sabine. “I thought you would have learned your lesson when Cam–”
“Do not say that name to me,” Sabine cut her off. “And this is different. Julian is the heir to the Rousseaux bloodline. I will not have him tethered to some mortal.”
“That is not for you to decide,” Jacqueline said firmly. She pushed past Sabine and took a place at my side.
“Vestals are not admitted to the first Rite. The last time a virgin breached the Salon du Rouge, she was sacrificed to Damia to show our penitence.” Sabine glared at me. “I saved your life, girl. You owe me.”
My mouth fell open. She could not mean any of that.
“Well, thank God that it’s not the eighteenth century,” Jacqueline said in a dry tone. “No one is going to sacrifice a virgin in the twenty-first century.”
“I wouldn’t expect you to understand.” Sabine sniffed with obvious disdain, redirecting her disgust at my friend. “You never have. If you had agreed to the arranged marriage, this wouldn’t be happening at all.”
“Not this again.” Jacqueline exhaled heavily. “Julian didn’t want to marry me any more than I wanted to marry him.”
I turned surprised eyes on her, but she shook her head. Now wasn’t the time or place for her to tell that story.
“Sometimes marriage is about duty,” Sabine continued.
“Maybe it shouldn’t be,” Jacqueline said. “And it’s not up to you whom Julian picks. If he chooses Thea–”
“He will not choose her!” Sabine shrieked. “He will not fall victim to some gold-digging virgin.”
Her words cleared the final shock clouding my brain, and I realized I wasn’t going to let anyone–even Julian’s mother–speak about me like that. “Why would I want to sleep with him?”
“Of course you would,” Sabine said dismissively.
“I’m not about to be your son’s slave–and it doesn’t matter because what we do and don’t do is none of your business!” I stomped my foot, forgetting I was wearing dangerously tall heels, and nearly broke my ankle.
“No woman would pass up the chance to permanently bind a vampire to her.”
“But I’d be the one getting bound, so I guess it’s up to me.” At that moment, I didn’t care what I said before. No, I wouldn’t allow myself to be tethered. But that was my decision, and there was no way I would allow Sabine to have any input in it.
Sabine’s eyes narrowed as a wicked smile curved across her face. “I see my son was smart enough to keep that from you. I’m surprised Jacqueline didn’t spill that little fact.”
“Sabine, enough,” Jacqueline said in a low voice.
But I turned a sharp look on her. “What are you talking about? I know what tethering is.”
“No, it appears you do not,” Sabine said in a haughty tone. “Because if you did, you would know that it binds both parties. The female is subject to the male’s orders and whims, but in return, she receives lifelong protection from him. He must guard and care for her. The tether can’t be broken.”
Something in my chest split into two. Now I understood why Julian had kept this from me. He meant it when he said he would never lose control. But only because he knew what would happen to him if he did.
He would be forced to keep me.
My stomach lurched, and I nearly vomited. Managing to keep control, I grabbed my skirt and started toward the door.
“Thea, wait!” Jacqueline called after me.
