Page 108 of Stalk the Dark
Up until now, I’d steered clear of the north wing—his domain—and he hadn’t sought me out since our little session on my bed two nights ago.
But it was my job to manage him, especially when around humans, and tonight there would be hundreds of warm veins to entice him, but honestly, I was more worried about how the other vampires would behave.
If the fledglings who’d attacked me were anything to go by, then we might have a problem tonight.
Ordell stepped out of his room as I passed. “Orina, where are you going?”
He’d barely spoken two words to me the last couple of days, and now I got a whole sentence. It pissed me off how much that hurt, and it pissed me off even more that I couldn’t help but appreciate how fucking good he looked in his black tee and jeans, weapons holster at his hip, silvery blond hair tied back. He looked dangerous and enticing, and I wanted him but couldn’t have him, so when I spoke, my tone was a little curt. “To find Ezekiel.”
“You’re not going alone.”
“Aren’t I? Seems like I’ve been doing pretty much everything else alone the past few days.”
He pressed his lips together and exhaled through his nose. “You know you can come to us for anything work related and?—”
“I know. So are you coming?” I didn’t want to get into a whole conversation about feelings right now. Tonight was work, and I needed a clear head for that.
He looked like he wanted to say something else, but in the end, he simply stepped across the hallway and rapped on Hemlock’s door.
Hemlock emerged, kitted out in all black like his brother. His dark hair was slicked back tonight, and his arctic gaze was sharp as it bounced between me and Ordell. “We good?”
“Great.” I flashed him a smile. “Let’s go find the vampire king.”
I clipped off down the corridor, hoping that they got a good look at my ass. I had a nice ass, and neither of them would ever get to kiss it.
The north wingwas blocked off by an ornate door with candelabras built into the wall on either side of it. A heavy wooden knocker in the shape of a lion’s head with a ring in its mouth sat in the center of the door.
The lion’s eyes were closed, but when my fingers touched the ring, they snapped open.
I pulled my hand back. “What the hell?”
“It’s all right,” Ordell said. “I’ve seen this kind of thing before. Let Ezekiel know we’re here to escort him to the ball.”
The lion shifted its gaze from me to Ordell then back again before its eyes drifted closed once more.
“What is that thing?”
“A summons. They come in many forms,” Ordell said. “Magical guardians and messengers.”
“Is it…alive?”
“Not really, but it’s been given a basic sentience and a role.”
The door swung open a moment later, and Ezekiel stepped out looking as regal and put together as always, but when his golden gaze fell on me, I was backin my room, pressed to the mattress with his fingers sliding against my most intimate place.
I dropped my gaze, needing a moment to compose myself, and when I met his eyes once more, a small smug smile played on his lips.
“I’m disappointed, Miss Lighthart. I would have thought you’d have relished the opportunity to wear a pretty dress.”
He knew exactly how I felt about dresses. “Ha, ha. I’m attending in an official capacity tonight, that’s all.”
“A shame. I would have placed my name on your dance card.”
“Idon’tdance.” I fell into step beside him, the hunters behind us as we made our way down the corridor. “What’s the point of this ball, really?”
“I already told you. It’s an opportunity for humans to pay homage to their liege. A chance for vampires and humans to mingle in a sophisticated setting.”
“Is that all?”
