Total pages in book: 133
Estimated words: 122946 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 615(@200wpm)___ 492(@250wpm)___ 410(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 122946 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 615(@200wpm)___ 492(@250wpm)___ 410(@300wpm)
“That is what it sounded like, isn’t it?” Lucy’s head twisted to the side, watching him. Nervous laughter escaped him as he looked at Theseus, who, wisely kept his face forward as if no one else were beside him.
Taelon just smiled at her. “Love.”
“Hmmh,” she grumbled.
I turned around, quickly pressing my lips closed and trying not to laugh. Theseus’s grey eyes shifted toward me suspiciously. But this time, I wisely kept facing forward, waiting as we reached the level that said B. But it wasn’t the basement; we were going up not down. When the doors opened, it was extravagant and luxurious. The ballroom looked like it had been stolen, plucked from a palace in Europe. It had wood flooring, and the walls were painted with imagines of all sorts of people, no—vampires, dressed in traditional, flowing robes. I saw the work perfectly under the cascading light of the crystal chandeliers above them. But it was the ceiling, the glass that all the stars reflect in it, twinkling. They shot through the sky, telling everyone that saw it, that it was not just by coincidence but by design. I could stare at the décor for hours; however, the moment Theseus took my arm, leading me forward, I realized the walls and the mirrors of stars were not the most interesting thing inside the room.
I felt their stares.
Over a hundred vampires all watched as we stepped from the elevators to the grand staircase. We were on the upper level, allowing us to notice everything before them. And though I knew I wasn’t going to trip, I held Theseus’s arms tighter. The voices surrounded me, and they didn’t care that I could hear them.
“So, that is the Princes of Night’s mate?”
“Who is she? Do we know her family?”
“I heard she was only reborn a year ago.’
“So young.”
“So beautiful.”
“We’re all beautiful.”
“Not all of us.” That comment got a few snickers to the right of me, but I didn’t look because Theseus led me toward one corner of the room. A servant dressed in red came forward with glasses of wine instead of blood.
“Thank you,” I said to him when Theseus took the glass.
But the man did not speak or nod; he just moved to the next guest.
“The president is not here yet,” Theseus said, focusing on the cup in my hands. “Have you ever had blood wine before?”
“Blood wine?” I sniffed the wine, but I couldn’t smell anything but the vineyard, the sweetness of the grapes.
“It is exactly as it sounds. By putting in a drop of fresh human blood, only a drop changes the components of the wine, making it drinkable to us, but also different types of blood give wines different flavors.”
Flavors? I lifted the glass again to look before taking a sip. “It tastes just like red wine, sweet and a little savory. But it tastes like it did when I was mortal.”
He nodded. “It is an old trick to help vampires cope between feedings. Now people experiment to recreate human flavors.”
“I find this insulting!” A square-jawed, bushy-eyebrowed man with a buzz cut, dressed in elaborate clergymen’s attire, barked out in a heavy Russian accent as he came forward. “As the Prince of Night, where are your manors? Did you not see me? You just take your mate and sneak into the corner.”
Theseus turned to the man speaking, and I had feeling he was trying his best to figure out who the hell was talking to him. I had forgotten he didn’t remember these vampires. That was why he had led us away, so as not to expose himself.
Quickly I turned to the annoyed man. “It is because I am a bit shy…Mr.…”
“Mikhail Swan, fourth son of the president, the one this party is for.” He snapped his green eyes to me. “Shy or not, one would think the Prince of Night purposefully wanted to insult me.”
“Oh relax, just because it is your birthday does not mean you are king.” Daiyu rolled her eyes, walking over in an emerald green, Tudor-style corset dress. The B necklace hung around her neck with pearls clearly stated she was Anne Boleyn tonight. She looked at Theseus and bowed her head. “Though it does sting that you have not introduced her, Lord Thorbørn.”
“Forgive me, Mikhail, Daiyu.” He nodded to them both. “I was simply waiting for your father. It seemed wrong to introduce her to anyone but him first.”
“There can be an exception.” Daiyu flashed her sharp smile. “Mikhail might be the celebrant, but she is the guest of honor. We are all honored that you chose this as the first celebration to show her to the whole world.”
“Very well.” Theseus’s voice was the only one heard as everyone quickly hushed. He lifted his hand for me to take, and I did. “My fellow immortals, this is Druella Zirie Monroe, my intended.”