Page 61 of Cloak of the Vampire
He seemed to expect clapping, and we gave it to him, though quite reluctantly.
He didn’t seem to mind, however. “Now before we enter, let me officially introduce my two Lieutenants, who shall host you tonight,” Renaldi exclaimed grandiosely. “Stefan Melendez and Armel Rivette!”
There were more claps. I glanced at Stefan, who smiled in an apologetic way as if to sayI know my Lord’s an absolute menace, but please forgive him; he can’t help himself. Then I turned to Armel stoically giving us a nod of acknowledgment.
I looked away and followed everyone as Renaldi let us into the casino. I didn’t care much for the gambling part—I was never interested in such things—so I made a beeline to the bar. If I was to survive this event, I couldn’t be sober.
Thankfully, the bartender was an expert at his job. He took one look at me, poured me a strong Bloody Mary—with actual blood—and said, “Let’s hope you’ll only need one.”
I chugged that Bloody Mary bloody fast.
I’d never been much of a lightweight, but I hadn’t drunk in quite some time, and the Bloody Mary wasn’t just strong, it wasstrong.
For the first time since I came to the Rayne League, I felt light and relaxed. I joined a few of my classmates at one of the poker tables and chatted with them about absolutely nothing.
And it wasamazing.
Then I hogged a slot machine for an hour straight, trying to get a triple seven, and in the process, spent all the tokens Renaldi had given to each of us.
I went back to the bar and demanded another Bloody Mary. The bartender obliged, albeit a tad hesitantly, and handed me the drink. I grabbed it and walked—steadily, I might add—toward an empty space on the floor and started dancing to the techno music playing through the booming speakers.
Closing my eyes and sipping my drink, I moved from side to side, a smile spreading over my face. It was so freeing, being carefree and doing whatever the hell I wanted. At this moment, at the very least, I had control over my lack of control.
Swaying as I did a wannabe pirouette, I would’ve fallen on my ass had someone not caught me in time, arms around my waist. Blinking, I raised my head to see Renaldi leering down at me, eyes glowing. “Careful, beautiful,” he murmured, eyes raking down my body so blatantly, you would think he hadn’t just been blown yesterday while surrounded by dozens of pretty brunettes.
But since I couldn’t give a fuck about anything, really, I gave him a dazzling smile and pushed him off, dancing as I stepped back. “Thanks, Mister Lord,” I said with a grin, “but I can handle myself.”
Renaldi smirked and stepped forward. “I think I can help you handle yourself,” he said, eyes on my boobs.
I couldn’t help it; I laughed. “You’re one hell of a slimeball, aren’t you?”
His eyes widened at the insult, then narrowed as anger sparked in them, making them glow brighter. “Careful, beautiful,” he said again, only this time his tone wasn’t flirtatious but warning. “You can be a sexy little minx all you want, but remember who you’re talking to.”
That made me smirk. “I suggest you go harass another sexy little minx, then.”Logan is right there,I wanted to add but didn’t dare when his eyes flared. Instead, I simply laughed, dancing away from him, downing the rest of my drink on the way.
I returned to the bar, shoved the glass toward the bartender, and gave him a grin. “I need a shot.”
The bartender eyed me in concern. “Drink some blood instead,” he said quietly, handing me a glass of bright-red blood.
I drank it, flipped him off—my middle finger was working overtime these days—and went away, pouting. I was finally feeling good, and the bartender was ruining my vibe!
“Asshole,” I mumbled as I walked toward the washroom. Once there, I headed to the sink, turned the faucet on, and washed my hands. I didn’t even know why I was doing that; it wasn’t like I got them dirty or anything.
On the other hand, Renaldi was his own brand of dirt I needed to wash off.
Once I was done, I was about to leave when I heard a familiar voice from beyond the door saying, “Describe her to me.”
It was Logan.
Delighted, I pushed my ear against the door, curious to hear who he was talking to and what about.
“Brown hair, hazel eyes, quite pretty,” another voice said, and it was also vaguely familiar. I frowned. It was on the edge of my mind, who the other man was ...
“You can’t possibly mean Aileen,” Logan said in a disbelieving, disgusted voice.
“I told you, Renaldi likes his brunettes,” the other voice said, and it took me a moment to recognize it as Stefan’s, Renaldi’s Lieutenant.
I froze, my heart drumming in my chest.
