Page 99 of Obsessed in Blood
“What’s wrong?” Devon asked.
“I never saw the dock before. Not this close. I woke up in the manor and left in a garbage container. It’s just bad memories.”
He squeezed her hand. “There will be better ones after tonight.” He wasn’t sure she believed him, but she squeezed back, her grip tightening, and that was enough.
When they reached the manor, they paused, as did several other couples. The sight was breathtaking, and he had to give Lorenzo credit for his ability to grandstand. Spotlights shone from the ground and the roof, providing an amazing, and somewhat otherworldly, view of the landscape and intricate architecture of the manor.
“I never saw it from this view, not at night. And I’m sure I would have seen the bright lights from my windows. This must be just for the event.”
“Not surprising. Come, we have time for one slow circle through the crowd to find the other teams. Then we need to get in place.”
He breathed a little easier once he handed over his invitation and they moved past security, who appeared to be looking for weapons rather than faces, but there were one or two who searched the crowd, seeming to look beyond the masks. But more guests wore masks than not, which worked to their advantage.
Devon led Cressa through the throng of people who had arrived on two previous ferries. The ballroom was enormous, so it could fit more, but several groups of guests had clustered, making it difficult to get around them. Sergi and Bella were with that group, appearing engaged but not speaking. They both gave slight nods of recognition.
For her height, Simone was surprisingly difficult to find. She had selected flat-heeled shoes, so the women in tall heels were her same height. This was the idea since her height in heels would be a red flag for Lorenzo. Elijah had his arm around her waist and was speaking with another couple, who seemed to hang on his every word. She didn’t seem in distress and gave him a gentle nod, so Devon continued on.
He didn’t see Lorenzo and knew Cressa would be scanning the crowd for any sign of him. By the time they’d circled back to the entrance, there had been no sign of either Lorenzo or Lucas. They made a left down the hall where other guests were coming and going and wandered through the smaller rooms, spending a great deal of time stopping to kiss. It was their best opportunity to perform quick scans of the room as well as keep their faces hidden as often as possible.
“Thank god,” Cressa said when they reached the solarium. “I don’t think I could take the stress of another room. At least this one will give us more privacy.”
“Except for the voyeurs,” he teased.
“I’m going to assume Lorenzo is too busy playing host to join in.”
Devon chuckled. “You can never tell who might be in this room of pleasure. Lorenzo allows pretty much everything.”
She giggled and tapped her champagne glass against his. “We just need to find the perfect spot in the garden.”
Her voice had risen, which gave him the signal that someone was coming. At the same moment, he spotted Lucas across the room. Raquel was glued to his side, his arm was around her waist. She grasped the back of his neck, bringing him down for a long, slow kiss. It was fortunate Ginger wasn’t there, and he wondered if Cressa spotted them.
Devon felt a tap on his shoulder and turned to find an ethereal young vampire dressed as a fairy, complete with pointy ears and wings. He thought the pointy ears were supposed to signify elves, but he wasn’t up to speed on fantasy, though he’d heard rumors of fairies for centuries but had never seen one. He supposed the same could be said of dreamwalkers, and yet he was standing next to one.
“Is there anything I can do to make your evening magical? Perhaps something in Lorenzo’s gardens?” Her provocative smile suggested she’d heard Cressa’s comment, which played into their plans.
“It’s such a beautiful night, what better place for pleasure than under the stars?” Cressa’s tone took on a dreamy quality. “But there are four of us.” She covered her mouth and glanced around, lowering her voice. “We like our privacy. We’d prefer no one else joining in.”
The fairy vampire nodded in understanding, a twinkle in her gaze. “I have the perfect spot.” Then she looked around. “You said there were four of you?”
Cressa glanced around then up at Devon.
He kissed the top of her head. “They’re at the door, waiting for us.” He nodded to where Lucas and Raquel chatted with the occasional tongue-swallowing kiss. Cressa frowned before quickly replacing it with a smile.
She leaned toward the vampire. “They’re not very patient.”
The fairy vampire grinned. “On a night like tonight, who can blame them? You’ll need to try the punch. It will stimulate all the right places.”
“I think we’re stimulated enough,” Devon added dryly. He kept his tone light, but showed an eagerness to move along, which the hostess quickly picked up on.
“Please, follow me. We’ll grab your friends on the way.”
Lucas and Raquel came up for air as they approached, and they smiled, their hands continuing to roam each other. If Ginger caught wind of this, Devon wasn’t sure who would pay the consequences. Quite likely all of them.
Devon showed Cressa increasing affection that made her giggle all the way to the secluded spot the vampire had led them.
“You’ll want to come back to the manor in an hour or so. Lorenzo has a special erotic treat for the crowd.” She gave them a wicked wink, gave the males a long perusal, then left.
They held their roles until Devon was able to confirm the vampire was gone.
