Page 12 of Until the Heart Stops
His eyes slipped down my throat, lingering at the ruby, but unlike Callum his gaze was much more alive—hungrier than the vampire’s had been. But the dance ended quickly and I could not say I mourned our time together when another Vyenur stepped in with a bow.
On and on it went, mindless conversations with unfulfilling endings only for another to take their place. By the fourth partner my feet ached and I eyed the exit through the gardens.
“Are you acquainted with Lord Auguste, Mademoiselle?” my current partner inquired.
He was tall as many vampire males were, and the only one of them to ask for a dance, as the rest of my partners had been Vyenurs or humans. A surprising number of freckles splattered his cheeks—as they aged, any blemish intheir skin tended to smooth. I rarely encountered vampires with freckles or scars unless they were quite young, as this male must have been.
“Only just,” I replied as he guided us toward the outskirts of the dancers.
The hand on my back flexed, dragging me just a little closer. “He is not courting you?”
“Courting me?” I laughed. I had a feeling Henry would flirt with anything that breathed. “Such a thing is against the rules of the Covenant, you know this.”
Vampires were made deliberately and usually by the Covenant leaders themselves or those within their employ. Centuries ago, courting had been a way of life between vampires and humans, but not any longer.
“It is only…” He cleared his throat. “If I had such a beauty in my arms, I would not let her go.”
I froze for an instant before I forced myself to follow as he guided me in a twirl, pulling me much closer into his embrace than even before. His nostrils flared. This male, I realized, was much too young to his new life. Young ones were usually not allowed at mixed gatherings without the watchful eye of their maker for this exact reason. The hand around my own tightened, his chest pressing against mine.
“Sir, you forget yourself,” I breathed. “The Covenant?—”
“Appears to turn a blind eye to such things. I know what you do, Mademoiselle Searah. Who you are. A madam of a blood den who peddles such delights for a fee.” His next inhale was ragged, crystalline nails digging into the fabric of my gown. “I am willing to pay for a moment, for merely a taste.”
I bit the inside of my cheek. “My lord, you are hurting me.”
And he would kill me if he gotjust a taste.
As if it would make any difference, I attempted to quell the thrumming of my heart in my chest that was a beacon to his thirst. But his grip on me only tightened and, as we turned, the exit I’d been longing for only minutes prior whirled into view. I dug my heels into the ground, twisting my wrist in his grasp even as my skin protested. Pain skittered down my arms and a gasp slipped through my teeth.
He might have been young, but he was stronger than I was, even with my magic slipping through my veins. I sent shocks across my skin—depleting my small bit of magic instantly—but they made no difference to a creature like him, even if they would have felled a human of similar size. Frantically I looked around to see if anyone noticed, but all were engrossed in their own partners or companions. Adrienne and Eamon were nowhere to be found.
A pale hand shot out, long fingertips wrapping around the young vampire’s throat, a silver ring glinting on the index finger.
Callum appeared as if from smoke, squeezing tight enough the young male’s eyes widened in fear, the bloodlust leaching from his face. He stepped closer, towering over us both, fangs sharp and glittering as his lip curled into a snarl.
And I could only stare in a mixture of horror and wonder as his voice rumbled low.
“Let her go.”
Chapter 5
The young vampire’s hands flew off me in an instant.
I stumbled backward, gaze affixed to Callum’s murderous face. His growl was so low I barely heard it beneath the music, but from the way the fledgling shrank back, he did.
“Do you think that will save you, boy?” Callum rasped, fingers flexing around his throat.
“I-I did not real-realize sh—” the boy spluttered, but his air was cut off with the next squeeze of Callum’s hand as his frightened eyes flicked to me and away again.
The blond vampire appeared to grow larger as he towered over the fledgling. “You touched what is not yours.”
He was merely a fledgling with an irresponsible maker. The terror was plain in the boy’s face and my heart squeezed even through the panic skittering up my spine. Did he deserve to die for the indiscretion of his sire? There was a reason young ones were not allowed to wanderwithout supervision. It was in their nature to hunt. I could not begrudge this fledgling that, even if I would have been the one to pay for it.
“My lord…” I started, but my voice was too shaky. Callum either did not hear or chose not to.
Against every survival instinct, I took a step closer. “He’s just a boy.”
But he ignored me, squeezing tighter, and though I knew vampires did not need to breathe, the face of the young vampire turned a shade of purple which spoke volumes of Callum’s grip. He was much too young to be here if his body reacted in such a mortal way.
