Page 65 of Blood Claims
After this, the banter continued, despite me not getting an embarrassing story out of either of them. And as the evening went on, it was as if we were inside our own bubble. Even if the conversation of others around the table tried to penetrate it, they didn’t achieve it for long. Nothing past pleasantries. Anytime my attention was elsewhere, the brothers would find some way to bring it back to them both. Something that gave me even more cause to grin to myself.
But then after so much champagne, it was time to find the ladies room. However, the second I made a move to stand, I quickly found two hands gripping the tops of my thighs.
“Chill, I just need to use the restroom,” I told them, making their hands relax, but before I could walk away, my hand was grabbed as Victor pulled me back.
“Don’t be long, or we may come to find you.” Then he winked at me, making my heart flutter in my chest like some damn teenager getting attention from a boy she liked. Which meant that I wasn’t watching where I was going, or should I say, a certain bitchy woman wasn’t.
“Oh, how clumsy of you,” Carmilla said, making me roll my eyes. Because it made me question whether or not she had been waiting for me to leave the table. A chance at revenge, perhaps. A way to knock me down or tell me something about her sleeping with both of them and I was sloppy seconds. I was literally waiting for it all.
However, I would soon learn it was far worse.
“Milly, wasn’t it?” I said, making her sneer down at me because she was close to being six feet tall in those heels.
“Carmilla,” she corrected in a curt tone before adding, “I’m afraid I didn’t get your name.”
“That’s because it wasn’t given,” I pointed out, folding my arms, my stance clearly unfriendly. But then she smirked, and it instantly put me on edge because her next words became a weapon against me.
“It wouldn’t be Stacey, would it…? Oh wait, no, that’s the name of the human that was recently saved from being kidnapped… but of course, you would know all about it. Especially seeing as it was your Fated mates that sent in their second to swoop in to save the day.”
She knew she had won because my mouth dropped as shock tore through me.
Because how the fuck would she know my friend’s name if it hadn’t happened?! My mind whirled to the point where I felt sick. Of course, I had no clue if she was lying or not, but either way, I needed to know.
My eyes snapping to the two men at the table who held the answers. The question now was…
Wouldthey lie to me this time?
24
A THOUSAND WORDS BROKEN
Icouldn’t believe it… could I?
“Oh dear, did I reveal too much? Looks like the Erebus brothers have some explaining to do,” she said with a chuckle, making my whole body tense as my shoulders lifted. But then I turned ready to give her a piece of my mind, only to find her walking away laughing, tossing a hand over her shoulder as she said, “See you soon…or maybe I won’t.”Her sinister grin matched her deadly gaze as her eyes flashed silver for a split second. As for me, I had been too busy watching her leave to notice that Victor and Tal had made their way over to me.
I felt nauseous.
Surely, they wouldn’t have kept something like this from me. They couldn’t have. It would be too cruel.But they are cruel,my mind tried to tell me.They are Vampires born from a cruel, dark worldmy inner self whispered to me. My doubt hit me hard as every bad thing I had ever seen them do played out in a frightening montage. The beating Tal had given the man that first night, before biting into him. The kidnappings, the threats, the way they had nearly beaten my ex to death.
“Nessa?” Victor was the first to say my name, whereas Tal was scowling in the direction the bitch had walked in.
“Is it true?” I snapped, making him flinch slightly.
“Is what true?”
“Don’t pretend with me. Stacey. Is it true what she said about Stacey?!” I shouted, making him grit his teeth, shooting a look to his brother. And that was when I knew…
When I knew the horrible truth.
It had happened.
“Oh god it is, isn’t it!?” I cried, making Victor take me by the arm and lead me out of the ballroom, which I let him amid my breakdown. We made it all the way to the hallway next to the ballroom, where I had been headed anyway because the restrooms were at the end and up a few steps. A place that, for the moment, was at least private enough to have this difficult conversation.
“First, you have to know, she is safe,” he told me, making me rip my arm from his hold, an action that made him grit his teeth.
“You knew… you both knew and you… you didn’t tell me!” I accused, my eyes filling with tears.
“We didn’t want you to worry,” Tal tried, making me whip my head to him, and snap,
