Page 32 of Ouch! My Vampire Doms Don't Sparkle
I force a laugh, mimicking his.Pretend it’s all good fun.That Xander wasn’t forced to drink deeply from Autumn in order to recover.
“So you will be here tomorrow?”he says.
“Of course.”
Because the alternative is violence.I don’t have a choice.We don’t have a choice.
“Also, we would very much like to meet your new ‘plaything.’Please be sure to bring her along.”
“Of course.”I barely hear the words as I speak them.My heart rate has kicked up.
Gaius takes everything pure, everything good in this world, and he ruins it.
Autumn is in danger.
Not just from my bloodlust.
Not just from her stepfather.
But also from the vampire who sired me.
Autumn
I finish my shower, disappointed that Will never joined me.I love slipping and sliding against his naked body.His phone call probably distracted him, though.
I listen for his voice, but instead of talking, I hear pots and pans clanging in the kitchen.
The phone call must have been bad.I wonder if it was Xander.I wish things weren’t so hard between them.I wish I didn’t feel as if it was all my fault.
Quickly, I wrap a towel around me and move down the hall toward the kitchen.Will has his back to me and he’s moving almost too quickly for me to track, his shoulders bunched up as he whisks something in a small pot over the sink.I’m about to step into his line of vision when his phone rings.He swears under his breath and drops the pot.It clatters into the sink with a bang.
I take several steps back into the hallway.Better to let him get the phone call, and whatever feelings he’s having, out of the way.I remember some of Dale’s absolute rages when he got news he didn’t like.It was always best to be scarce.He never laid a hand on me until that night I left, but when I was an insecure teenager, his words could cut deep.
I’m making my way back to Will’s study when Will says, “Yeah.Hang on, I’m cooking.I’ll put you on speaker.”A second later, he says, “Done.”
“So, I got your text,” Xander says, his voice coming through the phone speaker.
I stop in my tracks, curious about why Will texted Xander.Maybe he needs support, or maybe they’re still arguing.
Xander continues, “Another blood banquet.”
“Yeah,” Will says.“Fuck.”
“It’s fine.We show up, mingle for an hour or two, let Gaius think we care about his show of wealth and power.And then we leave.”
“There’s one other thing,” Will says.
“What?”
“He wants us to bring Autumn as our date.”
Will sounds unhappy about this.I step back into the hallway.Does he not want to show me off?If it’s a vampire banquet, there shouldn’t be too much danger with me being spotted by Dale.In fact, I wouldn’t mind getting out for a little bit.I love being trapped in a library with a sexy vampire, but it’s been days now, and even in the best of circumstances, I’m feeling a little stir-crazy.
“We could bring someone else,” Will says.
I pause, my fingers on the edge of my bath towel, holding it in place.Bring someone else?What the fuck?I couldn’t have heard him right.
“Someone else?”Xander repeats.“As in, another date to the blood banquet?”
