Page 60 of When Bones Whisper
He winked. “How are you feeling?”
“I am nervous,” she admitted as he walked her down the remaining steps and into the heart of the ballroom. She spotted Katherine at the edge, deep in conversation with two women, her emerald dress in contrast with her tightly woven, blonde updo. Despite her painted, silver mask, there was no mistaking those golden ringlets or brown eyes.
She caught Charlotte’s eyes, her pink lips tipping into a wicked smile.
“You are to stay with me for now,” Alexander said, walking them through masked figures twirling around them, each couplea world unto themselves, “until Nathaniel identifies the Avery family. Then you will be on his arm while I join Katherine.”
She nodded, looking around as they entered the throng. It was not only she who caught the attention of the nobles in attendance. Alexander moved with the grace of a swan, his golden hair loose around his shoulders, a silver mask over his face revealing those striking, green eyes.
Groups of people stood at the sides of the room, tipping back glasses of wine infused with vampire blood, some men dancing with other men, women kissing each other passionately, not caring who was watching. Others remained in alcoves obscured by sheer drapes, staring at dancers on raised platforms like glittering ornaments hired for the pleasure of those watching.
The vampire blood infused into the drinks had lowered all the guests’ inhibitions. Even those she recognized in society who were normally straight-laced were libertine, their desires on show for all to see.
Turning away, she asked Alexander, “Why did you need to give everyone here your blood?”
“We need to be able to control them if anything happens, which is easier when they’re already out of sorts. Don’t feel bad. They’re enjoying themselves, are they not?”
They certainly were. A stab of envy shot through her. She missed the way the blood made her feel.
A waiter, with a black mask approached them. He offered a platter of tall glasses filled with bubbling, light-colored liquid.Charlotte grabbed one, thanked the server who walked away, and brought it to her lips.
Alexander shot her a look before she could take a sip. “Careful.”
“I need something to calm my nerves.”
“Undoubtedly, but we need you focused.”
“Please. As if I will be of much help with...” She lowered her voice to a whisper. “Magic. Besides, it helps with my pain.”
After a brief pause, he let out a relenting sigh. “Who am I to say no? Not too much, though.”
She drank, smiling when the bubbles hit the back of her throat. It wasn’t just the high that captivated her, but the way it numbed the pain threading in her calves and back. The throbbing bite on her hip also dissolved when their blood reached her veins.
If she was going to get through the night, she couldn’t be collapsing in agony. She promised herself that after tonight, she wouldn’t touch it again. The last drops of champagne were sweet on her tongue, spreading warmth through her body, the tingling pooling in the apex of her groin.
She noticed him finishing a glass too and asked, “The blood does not affect you?” She clicked her tongue, feeling stupid once she heard the question aloud. “Of course it doesn’t.”
He laughed and took another large gulp. “As I’m filled with the stuff, Miss Lovett, no it does not.”
Sweat beaded on her forehead as Charlotte awkwardly maneuvered around the dancers when Alexander broke contact for a long minute. She found his arm again and took it.
The music was loud, the air thick with the scent of cloying perfume and sweat. She searched for a familiar face behind the elaborate masks but couldn’t see anyone she remotely recognized from society.Yet.
She moved deeper into the sea of people, the warmth of their bodies and swaths of fabric brushing against her. Heat rose in her cheeks as a couple whirled past, the man’s fingers raising his partner's skirt to her thigh.
“I’ve never been to a ball like this. It is so scandalous.”
Alexander laughed, the sound tinkling like the rising music. “Every good party should be.”
She shuffled from one foot to the other, picking at the lace on her gloves. “Is the Avery family here yet?”
His forest-green gaze scanned the room. “I don’t see them, but they very well could be. Do not worry,” he said with a comforting glance. “We won’t let them hurt you. Besides, they cannot practice thanks to your and Katherine’s efforts.”
Her stomach knotted. Alexander would not be so confident if he knew she had siphoned the magic from the sigil on the door, nullifying its usefulness.
Guilt shredded her insides, but she reminded herself that she had done it out of survival. If they destroyed their enemies tonight, then she would be forced to perform the ritual and she had no intention of dying for them.
She grabbed another glass, this time filled with wine and took a sip. The alcohol burned the back of her throat, but it did its only job—erasing the fevered anxiety spiking in her veins.
