Page 22 of A Whisper in the Dark
We’re both smiling like maniacs. To avoid Nina noticing this, I watch the dancing for a while. I get lost in the movement as I sip on the cocktail Drew ordered for me. My brows tug closer when a section of the crowd parts and a familiar figure walks in. She walks with such confidence that people literally move out of her way.
Sylvia, Drew had called her. The bounty hunter.
And this time, Sylvia isn’t alone—another vampire follows her toward the bar. His hair is dark as onyx and brushes the back of his neck in soft-looking curls, complimenting olive-toned skin. He scans the crowd with green eyes so penetrating they shake me to my core. For once, I’m glad to have the eyesight I do, as there’s no way a human would be able to see him so clearly in this room… but he’s all I see right now.
“You’re staring,” Drew teases, his mouth close to my ear.
I jump, then turn to him with a scowl. “I’m not staring.”
“That’s Noah,” Drew informs me, ignoring this. “He’s another hunter. Bounty hunter, not vampire. In case you were worried he’s going to break into the boardinghouse with an axe.”
His eyes are on the vampire, too, so I turn back around. Two human women walk up and start talking. From the shy, appreciative expressions on their faces, I can guess what their motives are for approaching him—some humans actually prefer sex with vampires over their own kind. I can hardly blame them, since the bite makes everything more pleasurable. But Noah humors the humans only for a few seconds before turning on the stool, effectively putting his back to them. He says something into Sylvia’s ear, and she tips her head back, laughing.
“Are they… together?” I ask, noticing for the first time that a blood bottle glints at the hollow of Sylvia’s throat.
Drew tosses a peanut into his mouth. “Not sure. They mostly keep to themselves.”
Nina chooses that moment to take interest. “They aren’t together. Word on the street is, they’ve known each other forever, but they’ve never been romantically involved.”
“Iknewyou readV Weekly. You said that magazine was Clarissa’s!” Drew reaches over and ruffles Nina’s hair, earning a frosty glare as she bats his hand away.
The exchange causes a pit to form in my stomach. I haven’t had much time to miss my siblings or cousins, but when I see these two together, it reminds me what I was forced to leave behind.
“You good?” Drew asks.
“Yes.” I throw back the last of my drink.Too much teeth, I think when I see a faerie draw back at the sight of my fangs. “I just need to use the restroom.”
“It’s over there,” Nina says, pointing across the space.
“Thanks.” Sliding off my chair, I walk around the edge of the room the best I can to avoid the mass of bodies grinding against each other.
After walking down a long, dark hallway and standing in line for fifteen minutes, I finally reach the restroom. It’s not the cleanest place. Frankly, in comparison to the lavatories at the mansion, it’s horrifying.
I catch sight of those hateful, vivid lavender eyes in the dirty mirror as I’m washing my hands. I’m about to drop my gaze when I notice the tattoo on the side of my neck. Despite the many hours that have passed since meeting Hideshi and his delightful tattoo gun, I haven’t yet seen what my new mark looks like. I run my fingers gently over the small, black numbers.No. 2300761.To New Ve, that is now my legal name.
“Awesome,” I murmur to my tired-looking reflection. “Nice to meet you, No. 2300761.”
The Lavender slave staring back says nothing.
When I shift my attention away from the tattoo, scanning the rest of my face, a sigh slips out of me. I run my fingers through my hair and loosen the waves a bit, then swipe under my eyes to clean up any residue mascara.God, I need to shower.
Sighing again, I leave the restroom and squeeze through the growing line of women waiting to get in. In the midst of the crowd, I get turned around and end up at the opposite end of the hall, where the music from the bar is muted. There’s a doorway with a dark purple curtain pulled back against the frame. Curiosity gets the best of me, and I poke my head inside, needing a few more minutes before I return to the atmosphere of the bar.
In here, different music plays from the speakers overhead, softer than the painful bass in the other room. My eyes immediately go to the black leather couch in the middle of the dimly-lit space, to the human laying on it with her arm draped over the side, and a dark-haired male vampire on top of her, drinking from her groin. She moans deeply, as if he’s fucking her instead of feeding on her, and it sends my pulse racing, flooding my cheeks with heat.
I suck in a breath, my gums throbbing as the sweet scent of her blood reaches me. My feet are moving toward them before I realize what’s happening.
A second later, the vampire pulls back, his arm flexing on the back of the couch as he gets off the now-unconscious woman and turns to look at me, knocking the breath right of my lungs.
Holy shit. It’s him—the vampire that came with Sylvia. What did Drew say his name was?
Noah.
He focuses on me, and it seems impossible my body still feels so hot when the ice in his glare is so frigid. Blood drips from his mouth, his fangs still protruding from his lips, which curl into a slow smirk.
I start to back away, alarm bells clanging in my head toleave. Everything about this vampire reeks of danger and destruction. I whirl on my heels and start for the doorway, but before I get close, Noah is there, blocking my exit.
As I gasp, he tilts his head, those piercing green eyes roaming over me from head to toe. Slowly, he licks the blood from his lips. I hold my breath, heart pounding against my chest so hard I can feel it in my throat.
