Page 15 of An Acquired Taste

“He should be back any minute,” I say.

He taps a finger against the paper. “Benjamin Acharya.”

I fold my arms across my chest. I’m not thrilled by Benjamin myself after how tonight has gone, but I still don’t like this vampire’s judgmental tone. “Let me guess, you disapprove because he’s courtless?”

Sebastian glances up at me. “I disapprove because he’s not here.”

“There was a situation. It’s not his fault.”

“You could’ve been hurt.”

“But I wasn’t.”

His jaw clenches. “That’s not the—”

“Amelia!”

We both turn at the sound of Benjamin’s voice. My chaperone rushes into the hedge maze and looks me frantically up and down before he seems to note the other vampire’s presence. Then his eyes widen and he hastily drops into a bow. “Lord Sebastian,” he says. A sideways glance encourages me to show similar respect—but I’m too annoyed with both of them.

“Took you long enough,” I say to Benjamin. And then, to Sebastian, “Are you going to sign my blood card or not?”

“Amelia,” Benjamin chastises under his breath.

Sebastian gives me a long look, my blood card still in his hand. Then he flips the fan open, grabs the pen, and writes his name in the final spot. I hold out my hand, and he walks over and surrenders the blood card to me. Our eyes meet one last time—his gaze dark and intense—before he turns to Benjamin.

“You ought to keep a closer eye on her,” he says.

Benjamin bows his head, not even making eye contact. He looks small beside Sebastian. “I will. My apologies.”

Sebastian nods, and just like that, turns to leave.

What the hell?

Blood boiling, I ignore Benjamin’s warning look and call out before I can think better of it. “You’re not even going to try my blood?”

Sebastian pauses but doesn’t turn back. “Consider it a reprieve. An easy night.”

Righteous indignation flares in my chest. “I’m not looking for an easy night,” I say, tapping my blood card against my arm. “I’m looking for a patron. And I get that you swooped in here thinking you were saving me, but in actuality, you might have ruined one of my last chances to find one.”

He pauses, posture stiffening, and slowly turns to face me again.

“Please excuse—” Benjamin starts, but he goes silent as Sebastian raises a hand.

“No,” Sebastian says. “She’s correct. I signed her card. It’s only right for me to drink from her.”

He gestures to a nearby, wrought-iron bench. Chin held high, I lift my skirts and walk over to settle myself on it, trying to pretend my heart isn’t pounding at the realization of what I’ve gotten myself into. Benjamin stands back as Sebastian comes to join me.

All of the boldness goes out of me once he’s near. I remember that I’m challenging a vampire who just scared off two of his kind with barely a few words.

This close, I can see that Sebastian’s eyes aren’t truly black, but a very deep brown. Closer scrutiny reveals that he is not quite as perfect as he seemed from afar. He has a distinctive, aquiline nose. Shadows under his eyes and a perpetual furrow to his brow make him look older than most vampires. And, goddamn it, somehow it only makes me more attracted to him.

I tear my gaze away to glance down at my blood card again and process the name he wrote:Lord Sebastian de Celeste.I try to rack my memory for which court that is, but I’m too distracted by his nearness, the sensation of his eyes on me. My eyes flick to his all-black outfit, and I find a hint in the shape of a small metallic moon pinned to the pocket of his suit.Moon and quill. “They who remember.”That’s right—Celeste is the court I deemed “old and boring” in Benjamin’s lesson.

Sebastian does not give the impression of being either. I flush at the thought, swallow hard, and hold out my wrist to him.

But instead of taking it, he reaches into his pocket and pulls out a syringe. “I’ll be using this.”

I don’t know much about vampire culture, but this definitely feels like an insult. Maybe he’s so repulsed by me that he can’t stand the thought of putting his lips against my bare skin. Partof me wants to turn him away for the snub, but judging from his cold expression, that’s exactly what he wants. So I stubbornly set my jaw, keep my wrist extended, and nod, my gaze holding his.

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