Page 126 of House of Lilith

Or should I risk not ending up seeing her at all and try catching her at the party tonight? Little miss doesn’t seem to bethathung up on rules, I think with a smile as my mind rushes back to our little rendezvous in the grove last night.

After all, she didn’t even bother calling me out for that bullshit about it not being spontaneous at all.

Though there aresomerules she seems adamant about sticking to.

No kissing on the mouth, for example.

And just as she disappears back into the crowd, I realize I could ask Ricky to educate me a little. He’d know, I’m sure of it.

Still walking along the camp, I turn back to him and I ask, “Coming to the party tonight?”

He shoots me a nasty look. “I can’t even think about eating,ever again,” he bitches, “and you’re asking me about a party?”

I have to stifle a laugh. “What if I help distract you a little?”

He throws me another look, still grumpy but intrigued.

“I’ll take that as a yes,” I say with a little laugh. “So it’s about the party tonight. I’m thinking of meeting up with this girl.”

“Yeah?” he asks, his eyebrows pulling down in confusion.

“Vampire girl,” I say, a little theatrically.

He shrugs. “So?”

“So,” I start, “I’ve never gotten one, but I did hear about a lil’ something called the vampire’s kiss.”

To my surprise, Ricky lets out a laugh.

I frown at him.

“I don’t think you’d want that,” he says, simply. “It’s not the type of thing I’d recommend doing if you’re not into anything serious.”

“Yeah?” I ask, now even more curious than I was a moment ago. “How so?”

He thinks for a second. “It’s, like…” He waves his hands around a little, searching for words. “You get bitten on the lip, you lick each other’s blood, and it makes you feel both your own and your partner’s pleasure. I’ve heard it’s, well,” he says with an awkward little laugh, “a heady thing.”

“Mm.” I don’t stop walking, but I’m practically holding my breath as I keep glancing at him, waiting for him to continue.

“But it creates a stronger emotional connection as well,” he explains. “That’s why vampires won’t do it with justanyone.” He lets out a little laugh. “There are even traditionalists who save it for their wedding night.”

“Interesting,” I say as my mind goes around in circles trying to picture what it would be like.

“Yeah,” I hear Ricky reply just as the crowd starts slowing down, “so maybe don’t do that.”

“Yeah,” I say. It’s just that, now, it’s all I can think about. That, and whether she’s one of the so-called traditionalists.

“But thanks, Dahrian,” my friend snaps me out of it as we come to a stop. He looks a lot less mortified. “This actually helped get me out of my head a little.”

I give him a smile and a clap on the back.

And I turn to look at where they’ve brought us.

What the…

We’re standing in front of the lake, one set of bleachers set up along the shore to our left and one to our right. Willthisbe the arena for today, I think as my eyebrows pull down.

“Will they actually be making us fight underwater?” I hear Ricky ask, concern in his voice. “Lycan have mercy on us.”

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