Page 17 of The Vampire Court
“Are you ready?” the same woman from before asks.
“Yes.”
She jerks her head. “Then follow me, and keep up.”
She doesn’t wait to see if I follow or not before walking away. I hurry after her, closing the door behind me. I have to run to keep up, which is no easy task in this heavy, demon-cursed dress. Gasping, I struggle to catch my breath.
After following her down several flights of stairs and hallways, I lag behind. This dress was not made for running.
Finally, we come to a stop before halfway down the hall. Music drifts out of the room’s two open doors, along with many voices.
“Enter through those doors,” she says, leaving me alone in the hall.
Eyeing the open doors, I swallow my nerves. Throngs of people crowd the outer edge of the room. Those dancing take up the center, and on the far side sits the queen with Alaric standing close at her side, his body angled toward her.
My throat feels tight.
The two of them talk. She laughs at something he says and leans into him, holding tight to his arm, and he smiles down at her.
I turn away and find a spot near the wall to stand until… I’m not sure what will happen. If Alaric is with the queen and doesn’t even know I’m here, then how am I to play the part of a fully marked human? What is the point of my presence?
I press tighter against the wall, wanting to disappear. Every human in the room is with the vampire who claimed them… except for me. By being alone, I stand out, drawing the eye of anyone who passes.
I lower my chin, doing my best to appear submissive as I watch Alaric across the room through my lashes. He turns, surveying the room, pausing when he faces my direction. I hold my breath, waiting for a sign that he sees me.
But there’s nothing as he returns his full attention back to the queen again. Not a raised brow or a dip of his head.
I slump my shoulders as much as I can in this too-tight dress and rub my temples.
“Hello again, Clara.”
I jump at the voice, spinning to find Oliver grinning down over my shoulder.
“Would you care to dance?” he asks.
“No,” I say, angling my body away.
“Why not? This is a ball after all. It’s what people do.”
I narrow my eyes. “Because I’m not in the mood for any more of your stunts.”
Oliver pouts, though his eyes glitter with amusement. “Come now. I didn’t mean any harm.” He brings his face closer to mine and inhales. “It worked, didn’t it?”
My face warms. “What worked?”
“Getting him to want to mark you again.”
My hands twitch, ready to push him away… But is that something a marked human would do? I’m not sure, so I keep my arms pinned to my sides.
“I asked for the second mark,” I murmur after a group of vampires passes out of earshot.
Oliver hums. “Thatisunexpected.”
“Can we please drop this?” I plead quietly. The last thing I want right now is to talk about why I wanted Alaric’s mark.
“Only if you dance with me.”
“Fine, but onlyonedance,” I agree, instantly regretting it the second he takes my hand and drags me out onto the dance floor.
