Page 89 of Cloak of the Vampire
Because you don’t want to betiedto one Lord for the rest of eternity,the voice of reason said, returning with a vengeance.Because you don’t want to be stuck in a position of utter helplessness. You promised yourself to never go back to that, Aileen. You promised yourself that you’d never again be a spectator but take charge of your life.
Was that taking charge, however? Being Imprinted and now put up for Auction? How the hell was that considered taking charge?
I put the canvas away and buried my head in my hands. I took a shuddered breath, swallowed my tears, and forced myself to get ahold of my emotions. I had run out of time for tears, regrets, and resentment. All I could do now was grab another canvas and get to work once more.
Yet as I tried to rally myself into actions rather than words, my despair refused to leave and weighed so heavily on my body that I kept sitting on the workshop floor, surrounded by painted canvases and a fallen easel, unable to find the way out from the pit of hopelessness that burrowed deep into my core.
It took me fifteen minutes of searching my packed suitcase to find my one and only dress: a gray, sleeveless summer dress that reached my knees. I hadn’t worn it since I was maybe sixteen, but when I put it on, it seemed to fit, albeit a tad tighter around the chest than before.
I paired it with black synthetic-leather boots since they were the least worn out of my shoes, and I pulled my hair into a wavy ponytail that flowed down to the middle of my back. As for makeup, I applied simple black eyeliner and light red lipstick.
With my emotions utterly drained, I found that I didn’t care much that my attire was too casual for the event or that my chest, which hadgrown since the last time I wore the dress, was far too prominent in the tight cloth than I would’ve originally liked.
Stepping out of my bedroom into the suite’s living room, I saw Zoey and Tansy waiting near the door. Much like me, Tansy wore a casual, flowery dress with simple sandals, and she’d let her strawberry blonde hair down, which meant it reached the backs of her knees. Her face was makeup-free.
Zoey, however, seemed ready for a gala event. She wore an off-white wide-leg jumpsuit with only one strap. Silver sparkles decorated the cloth, making her olive skin pop. She wore heavy makeup and even contact lenses that turned her brown eyes a fake gray, and her hair was pinned in a complicated braided bun that gave her a somewhat regal look.
When they saw me, Zoey was the first to speak. “You’re packed?”
I nodded jerkily. “Yeah. Did you wait for me?”
Before Zoey could speak, Tansy took a step forward. “It was my idea that we would all leave together,” she said, giving me a surprisingly lucid gaze. “It’s the last time we’ll be suitemates.”
She was right; tonight, we would either leave to a new League, never to be back again, or we would stay. Either way, our time as suitemates, short and distant as it had been, was coming to an end.
Zoey let out a heavy sigh. “I can’t believe it’s been three months already,” she said and turned to me with a sad smile. “I’m sorry for everything, Aileen.”
Through the cold numbness, I felt surprised by the sudden apology. “For what?” I asked, baffled.
“For treating you like an outcast,” she clarified, shaking her head in what seemed like self-reprimand. “Especially when you were thrust into this whole thing unprepared.”
A pang of annoyance made me clench my hands. I didn’t want her pity. “That’s fine,” I said flatly. “I understand, you know.”
“But that’s not who I am,” Zoey said, leaning against the wall. “In any case, I hope today will go well for you.”
She seemed to be sincere, and that made my annoyance leave, followed by the returning numbness. “Thanks. You too.”
“I also would like to say something,” Tansy suddenly spoke, more serious than I’d ever heard her, and turned to face me. “Meeting you has been enlightening, Aileen,” she said, and I felt yet another wave of surprise splitting the dullness. “I never expected to meet you here of all places.”
My surprise turned into full-on alarm. “What do you mean?” I asked, taking a step toward her as I felt my insides twisting up.
She shook her head and turned to the door. “Nothing,” she said airily, sounding more like the Tansy I knew. “We need to go.”
Before I could ask her about it, she threw the door open and left. Zoey glanced at me, seemingly just as confused, before following her out.
I knew that lingering on what Tansy said wouldn’t do me any good, not now when the Auction was merely minutes away, so I sucked in a deep breath, forced my thoughts away, and exited the suite, closing that part of my new existence as a vampire behind me.
CHAPTER 34
The first stage of the Auction, the Exhibition, took place in the ballroom near the auditorium where the second and third stages would be held—the Blessing and the Auction itself.
The ballroom seemed to be taken straight out of some Dracula movie. Unlike the rest of the Rayne League underground compound, which seemed to be relatively modern in terms of architecture and design, the ballroom looked like it was built in the Gothic era. Large windows stretched from the ribbed vaults down to the dark marble floor. Lit from behind, their blue and purple stained glass created a flower pattern that was extremely pretty. It also added to the vampiric look, with all those present being actual honest-to-God vampires. At one end of the room, there was a bar that served blood and other drinks, and there was also a buffet with all types of nibbles on offer, from antipasti to nutty, chocolate ones.
Guests roamed the room, chattering, drinking, and nibbling. I had no sense for fashion, but even I could tell that the dresses and elaborate jumpsuits were designer brands and the three-piece suits were personally tailored. We newcomers—not just from the Rayne League but the others as well—stuck out like sore thumbs in this crowd; none of us wore clothes remotely close to that level. Not even Zoey in her sparkly jumpsuit.
Which was why it was easy for the Lords and their Lieutenants to spot the newcomers for some casual meetups.
The moment Zoey, Tansy, and I entered the already packed ballroom, Stefan, Lord Renaldi’s Lieutenant from Vegas, approached us and looked at Zoey. “Please come with me, Miss Rittman.”
