Page 16 of An Acquired Taste

At least I’ll get a laugh out of watching his surprise at the taste of me. He didn’t even read my notes.

Sebastian drops his eyes from mine as he sets the needle to my skin. His other hand holds me steady, and goose bumps ripple under his cold touch. He works with surprising care and gentleness. I barely feel the needle enter my skin, and watch as he fills the syringe with my blood. It doesn’t feel anywhere near as intimate as when the vampires drank from me directly, and nowhere near as pleasant, either, but it’s oddly fascinating to watch my blood fill the small tube.

Once the syringe is full, he makes eye contact with me again as he raises it to his mouth. He tilts his head back, full lips parting, and empties the syringe into his mouth in one long push. Only when he has a full mouthful does he swallow, hard and fast like he’s forcing down a pill.

Surprise flickers across his face, so fast, I wouldn’t have caught it if I weren’t studying him. He’s close enough for me to see the way his eyes dilate, pupils growing so large, his eyes look black once more. His tongue glides over the sharp tips of his fangs before he closes his mouth. But a moment later, his expression smooths over into cold disinterest.

“There,” he says. “Are you satisfied?”

I blink at him. Blink again, waiting for a shudder of disgust or loud exclamation of shock. “That’s it?”

His brow creases. “What did you expect?”

“I…” I bite my tongue. Of course, he’s just being a gentleman. Probably trying his hardest to maintain a poker face. I clear my throat, stand, and offer him an exaggerated curtsy. “It’s been a pleasure, Lord Sebastian.” I rejoin Benjamin where he standswaiting, hoping Sebastian didn’t notice the heat crawling up my neck.

Before I can make my hasty escape, he calls out once more.

“And your name?”

I stop, glance back over my shoulder. “What?”

“You didn’t tell me your name,” he says, his gaze steady as he looks at me.

I resist the urge to roll my eyes. It was right on my blood card, but of course, he barely glanced at the thing before scrawling his name there. And I’m not sure why he cares, given that this is the last time we have to experience one another’s company. “Amelia,” I tell him, anyway. “Amelia Burton.”

As I walk inside on Benjamin’s arm, I feel Sebastian’s eyes following me.

Chapter Nine

The frantic pace of the party slows as dawn approaches. Couples and groups drift out the door, some to more exclusive after-parties, like Lady Viktoria de Camelia and her beautiful coterie. I don’t see Sebastian again, so I assume he left after our encounter in the garden.

I’m not sure why I can’t stop thinking about it. Nor why I’m disappointed. He’s the one vampire who tasted my blood and didn’t humiliate me over it, but somehow his cold disinterest was even more of a letdown. Like the one person who could stomach my blood without making a face still wasn’t interested in me. My terrible blood seems to be the only thing that anyone found noteworthy.

The vampire duo I met in the garden certainly aren’t interested in me anymore, now that the opportunity to taste me has passed. I see them a few more times inside—flirting with the human bartender, feeding each other blood-infused pastries—but only Dominic glances at me, once, before frowning and turning his back to me.

The only person continuing to tolerate my presence is Benjamin. He’s hovered over me since the moment we stepped back inside, practically incoherent with concern, especially after I told him what happened with the two Solomon vampires.

As the night winds down and the ballroom empties, I resist the urge to ask if we can leave yet. Iamgetting paid for this, after all. I drape myself in what I hope is an alluring way across a chaise but only succeed in nodding off multiple times. Then a cold hand squeezes my shoulder, and I jolt awake. I glance up at Benjamin and then follow his gaze to another vampire standing over me. For a moment, the stranger’s pale eyes look familiar, but I brush it off; I must have seen him around the party earlier. It’d be hard to overlook such a beautiful man. There’s something elfin and enchanting about him, with hair so fair it’s nearly white, and a sharp intelligence in his blue gaze.

“She’s done for the night, I’m afraid,” Benjamin says. I’m surprised at the clipped, cold nature of his voice.

“I see.” I realize, with a start, that the stranger is holding my blood card. It must have fallen from my hand while I dozed off. Those pale eyes study my tasting notes and the names written to claim my bloodlettings. “Amelia Burton,” he reads, and his eyes shift to meet mine. I freeze, caught by the piercing quality of his stare. “I’ve heard a lot about you. It’s a shame I didn’t have the chance to get a taste.” His eyes linger on my neck, and then on my lips.

I flush, but the attention is not entirely unpleasant, especially after that encounter with Sebastian left me feeling raw and vulnerable. I smile up at the stranger and then look at Benjamin.

“Would it really be so bad to have one last bloodletting?” I ask.

There’s a hard set to Benjamin’s jaw. “I’m sorry. It’s not possible.”

I open my mouth to protest but cut off as the fair vampire laughs. “Far be it from me to challenge your chaperone,” he says, returning my blood card to my hand. “But perhaps he would allow you one last dance with me?”

“Of course he would,” I say, before Benjamin can get a word out.

After a moment, Benjamin releases my shoulder. “One dance,” he says. “Then we had best be off.”

I hand my blood card to Benjamin and accept the fair vampire’s hand. He lifts me to my feet without an ounce of effort. I giggle with delight as he sweeps me onto the dance floor, all gallantry and grace. He’s like a real-life prince.

“I’m sorry, I forgot to ask your name,” I say as he leads me in a waltz around the nearly empty dance floor.

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