Page 8 of Rescued By the Vexed Vampire

I wasn’t sure why, but something about the way he moved felt...off. The music thumped in the background, but his grip on me tightened as we danced, his movements too insistent, too sharp. Before I knew what was happening, he grabbed my arm and yanked me toward a dark hallway at the edge of the room.

“Hey!” I protested, trying to pull away. My heart raced, and for the first time that night, the playful spookiness of the party felt dangerous. “Let go!”

But he didn’t. He dragged me further into the shadows, his grip like iron. Panic welled up inside me as I realized how far we’d moved from the crowd. The hallway was empty, the walls lined with flickering torches that cast eerie shadows. I was cornered.

“Let me go!” I shouted, struggling harder, but his hold only tightened.

Just as fear threatened to overwhelm me, a shadow emerged from the darkness.

“Is there a problem here?” a deep, smooth voice cut through the tension like a knife.

The man holding me froze, and I turned to see a figure stepping out of the shadows. He was tall, lean, and dressed in a black cape with a high collar, his dark eyes glittering. He looked every bit the part of Count Dracula, and something about his presence sent a shiver down my spine—not of fear, but of something else. Something I couldn’t quite name.

The man holding me let go instantly, backing away without a word, and before I knew it, he had vanished into the shadows. I stood there, my heart still pounding, as the dark-haired stranger in the cape stepped closer, his eyes locking onto mine.

“You alright?” he asked, his voice calm but laced with something dangerous.

I nodded, trying to steady my breathing. “Yeah. Thanks to you.”

He smiled, a slow, almost predatory smile that made my pulse quicken for reasons I couldn’t explain. “He won’t bother you again.”

I swallowed hard, feeling suddenly aware of how close he was standing. “I, uh, didn’t catch your name.”

He tilted his head slightly, his gaze never leaving mine. “Drake.”

“Bethany,” I replied, my voice coming out a little softer than I intended. There was something about him that made me feel...off-balance, like he was both familiar and completely foreign at the same time.

We stood there in silence for a moment, the sound of the party distant behind us, the air between us charged with something electric. I couldn’t tear my eyes away from his. I didn’t know if it was the costume, his penetrating gaze, or the way he had appeared out of nowhere, but there was something about him that drew me in.

“Would you like to dance?” he asked, offering his arm and breaking the silence.

I laughed, the sound a little shaky, but I slipped my arm through his and allowed him to lead me back toward the dance floor. The music seemed to shift around us, slower, more intimate, as we moved together in perfect rhythm. His hand on my waist was steady, guiding me effortlessly, and for a moment, I forgot everything else—the creepy hallway, the man who had grabbed me, the fact that I was at a party full of strangers. AllI could focus on was the way he moved, the way his presence seemed to wrap around me like a shadow.

As we danced, I glanced up at him, trying to figure out what it was about him that made me feel so...alive. “You’re not from around here, are you?”

He smirked, his dark eyes glinting. “Is it that obvious?”

“More than a little,” I said with a grin. “You’ve got that big-city vibe. So, what brings you to Sweetberry Hollow?”

His expression shifted slightly, a flicker of something unreadable crossing his face. “Business.”

“Oh?” I raised an eyebrow. “What kind of business?”

Before he could answer, the music faded, replaced by the sounds of laughter and chatter as the party continued. The air between us felt suddenly too warm, too close, and I found myself pulling away slightly, needing a moment to catch my breath.

“How about some fresh air?” he suggested, his voice low.

I nodded, grateful for the excuse to step outside. The mansion’s grand patio was just as elaborately decorated as the inside, with twinkling lights and fog rolling across the ground. The night air was crisp and cool, a welcome relief from the heat of the party.

We stood in silence for a moment, the tension between us still palpable. I could feel my heart pounding in my chest, though I wasn’t sure if it was from the adrenaline of earlier or something else entirely.

“This might sound weird,” I said, finally breaking the silence, “but I feel like I’ve known you before. Have we met?”

Drake chuckled softly, shaking his head. “No. Trust me, you’d remember.”

There was something in his tone that made me shiver, but not in a bad way. I wasn’t sure if it was the night, the drinks, or the fact that I was standing outside with a mysterious stranger who had just saved me from a very creepy situation, but there was a pull between us that I couldn’t ignore.

I knew, somewhere deep down, that this was probably a bad idea. But I’d never been great at listening to that voice of reason, especially when the night felt this magical.

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