Page 59 of Ashvale: The Vampire's Thrall

"If you say so." I held out my hand. “Want to dance?"

"Love to."

He wasn't as good as Hayes at dancing, but it was pleasant enough. We did a couple of turns about the room before I spotted Emerson off to the side looking uncomfortable so we made our way over to her.

"You okay?"

She nodded. "Yeah, I guess just being here really puts it all into perspective. This is my life now. I'm a vampire. And a vampire outcast at that."

"You’re not an outcast," Rowan said sharply and I nodded. "You're just more special than them all and they hate it. Something rare. Vampires turned and not born used to be considered to be on the same level as royalty."

"What changed?" she whispered and I looked to Rowan, curious myself.

He shrugged. "Nothing, they just became more rare. Turned vampires can't procreate, like a living vampire does, and they also can't turn through their bite. Plus, the amount of vampires who can turn by bite is small. All of that just led to fewer turned vampires."

We both stared at him with wide eyes before I turned to Emerson challengingly. "Maybe it's time to remind them where they stand."

Her chin lifted and I felt a smug pride as she walked off with a confidence that made several nearby vampires stop and stare. The crowd parted for her and we watched her go in an admiring silence.

"What are we looking at?"

I jumped and turned around. "There you are! Where did you go?"

"I was hiding from Adrian."

"Not a fan?"

Hayes’ smile was tight. "I would be a fan of holding his still beating heart in the palm of my hand and crushing it between my fingers."

"Descriptive," I remarked and then took his hand in mine. "Come on, dance with me again." I paused and grabbed Rowan. "You too."

We moved closer to the band and I stood between them, dancing to a cover of a pop song I vaguely recognised but couldn't place. The room was warm and with them on either side of me I felt safe, loved, protected.

I raised my hands in the air, swaying to the drums as the lead singer crooned words I couldn't make out. It felt like my blood was humming, my body balanced on the knife's edge of overly sensitised gooseflesh.

I wasn't sure when we'd moved so close together, but Hayes’ chest was against mine, his mouth and cheek brushing my own. Rowan was at my back, one hand wrapped around my waist and his mouth brushing the nape of my neck.

The beat turned heady and I sighed when lips brushed my neck and hands stroked down my arms. My eyes fluttered open and I watched, entranced, as an undead vampire in front of us slid to his knees, lifting his dance partner’s skirt and pulling her underwear to one side, baring her to the room. I couldn’t look away as his fingers parted her pussy lips, slicking through them twice until his mouth followed the path of his fingers.

The scent of blood reached me and I looked to my right just as Novalie plunged her fangs into Emerson's neck. Emerson swayed in her arms, her back arching against Novalie’s front. I blinked and a different set of vampires took their place as I danced slowly between Hayes and Rowan.

Two male vampires had their hands fisted in each other's shirts as they kissed passionately while two others sank to their knees in front of them and unzipped their trousers.

I could only assume this was the part of the night that Lark had tried to warn us about—when bloodlust tipped over from so many undead vampires in one room, the power lowering everyone's inhibitions as the blood flowed freely.

Lips brushed my neck and I sighed with pleasure, pulling my gaze away from the couple fucking against the wall while another vampire watched, his dick in his hand.

Hayes kissed the point where my pulse would have been and when he bit down, a slow sink of his teeth, I shuddered in Rowan’s arms. I could feel him, hard against my arse and Hayes firm at my front. I tilted my head and Rowan hesitated before placing a kiss on the exposed arch of my throat, his tongue flicking across the skin there slowly. Hayes pulled from me and I panted, grinding myself between them until Rowan joined him, his teeth sending double hits of pleasure through me as they drank from me in tandem. Their heads lifted and I watched as they kissed over my shoulder, my blood staining their mouths before Rowan pulled away and bent back to my neck.

I lost myself in the sensation as Hayes stroked my breasts through my dress, my nipples quickly hardening. I opened my eyes, wanting to watch, and instead saw Rowan lift his face, his mouth dripping red and sending a bolt of fear through me as the slice of memory I'd dreamed suddenly roared to the front of my mind.

Hayes' head jerked up and looked at me in concern. The image faded and I breathed easy again but Rowan took a step back, licking his lips clean.

"I think I'm done for the night."

"You don’t have to—"

"Goodnight." He walked away and a brief clarity came back to me as I watched him go, until the fog of lust clouded my brain and Hayes resumed the kisses he was pressing to my neck.

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