Page 59 of Death Deals

My eyes widened. “Oh?”

He reached up and plucked at the knots binding my wrists. When they fell away, my arms dropped, feeling heavy as blood rushed back to them. Then, he seized me by the thighs and lifted my feet off the ground. Realizing where he was going with this, I wrapped my legs around him and eased myself onto his hardness. Again, he moaned, and the sound alone restarted my pulse. In two steps, he had me pinned against the wall.

Vampire strength sure came in handy with a position like this. He held me firmly, using the wall as a backstop to thrust into me. Every single one hit my inner wall, making pain spike temporarily before transforming to pleasure, then again and again with every pump of his hips.

With my arms wrapped around him, he pressed more kisses against the line of my collarbone. Another orgasm was rushing toward the surface, and I quickly whispered by his ear, “Do it,” while craning my neck to emphasize what I meant.

He hesitated at first, but then the sharp sting of his fangs piercing my flesh hit, making me suck in a breath. Immediately, my orgasm peaked, and I was shuddering against him as I lost all control. Completely and utterly undone.

He came, too, the pull of bloodlust too great for him. Unlike when the Omari vamps fed from me in Fairport, the pain with his bite was short-lived, and as he continued to drink from me, I tingled all over.

My head began to feel fuzzy, my limbs light. If it wasn’t for the wall at my back and Andre’s fierce grip on me, I probably would have fallen right over. But soon, even those things were becoming lost to me, too. Numb.

Suddenly, Andre ripped himself away from my neck, snarling like a wild animal. He let go of me, and I collapsed, my legs unable to hold me up. When I met his gaze, his eyes had changed to black, and his lips and teeth were stained red with my blood.

Still, in what felt like a drug-induced daze, I sat there on the floor, unable to move. Through blurry vision, I saw Andre step toward me but then stop abruptly. He shook his head, as if fighting his own thoughts, and turned away from me.

After a few moments like that—I’m not sure just how many—he finally came over and knelt in front of me, his eyes back to normal and his fangs back in place. His hand cupped the side of my face, and I leaned into him.

“I’m so sorry, Jade,” he said with a frown.

“Don’t be. I asked you to do it,” I whispered, my voice barely loud enough for my own ears to register.

“You trusted me, and I took too much.” Regret weighed heavily in his expression. “You’re just so…intoxicatingin every way. Your blood is no exception.”

I’d take that as a compliment.

“I probably just need some water and something to eat,” I assured him. I tried to push myself onto my feet, but my body still didn’t want to cooperate. Andre’s strong hands helped me stand. It only increased the look of dismay on his face. “Really, I’m fine.”

“Let me help you get dressed.” And he did, grabbing my dress off the floor and sliding it back on me. My panties were done for, so it looked like I would be spending the rest of the evening commando.

After making quick work of his own pants and shirt, he walked up behind me and began retying my straps at the shoulders.

“Léon,” he said as he worked.

Confused, I thought I may have misheard him. “What did you say?”

“Léon,” he repeated. “It was the family name I was born with. Before I was a DeMonte.”

As his words sank in, I realized what he was confessing to me was more than just a name. It was a part of his life before becoming a vampire, a part he’d sworn never to remember again.

But why was he now revealing it to me?

“Léon, huh?” I said, playing around with the name on my tongue. “I like it.”

“Me too.” He smiled, picked up his jacket, and wrapped his arm around my waist. “Let’s get back to the party and see if we can manage another dance.”

The party was in full swing when we returned. Bodies bumped into each other on the overcrowded dancefloor, the music so loud it rattled the heart in my chest. Andre and I had found a small table off to the side, and after several glasses of water and mini quiches, I was feeling better. More like I’d drunk too much champagne instead of blood loss. A bit clumsy but relaxed. Giddy even.

Andre and I had gotten in another dance, this one more fast-paced than the last. He’d swung me around like a pro, dipping me and all, and I couldn’t remember the last time I’d had fun like this. It was liberating.

With only thirty minutes left before midnight, Monnie’s deal loomed in the back of my mind, but for the first time, I wasn’t worried about losing. I trusted Andre and the vampires would help me kill him and break the deal. As for what came next? I really didn’t want to think about it. I was enjoying every minute leading up to the new year. I wasn’t sure I wanted it to end.

As Andre was pulled aside by Hector, who was whispering praises to him about pulling off their mission, I strolled toward a table with a large peacock ice sculpture and assorted cheese and fruit display. Staring up at the massive bird, its tail feathers spread and its head lifted high, I wondered if I’d ever feel that comfortable in my own skin. Proud of myself, the accomplishments I’d made, and the mistakes. After this week, with Andre, Ricky, and the Omaris, I felt closer to my true self, but with so many things still hanging in the balance, I wasn’t fully there yet. But I wasn’t going to give up. Like Ricky had said, I needed to think about myself. I wasn’t disposable.

A light tap on my shoulder made me turn. Expecting Andre, I was surprised when another man stood there wearing a polished black suit and matching masquerade mask over half his face.

“Enjoying yourself?” he asked, his gaze skimming over my hair and dress.

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