Page 90 of Virgin Sacrifice

Autumn nodded euphorically, already lost in the heady daze of alcohol and music, as I turned to a slim brunette dancing next to us.

“Keep an eye on her for me, please? I’ll be right back.”

She assessed me critically for a moment before offering a friendly but serious nod. “All right, I wasn’t drinking tonight anyways,” she said, her voice subdued but measured, her soft English accent giving her an air of authority.

I let loose a cautious sigh of relief. So far I had only collected one real friend, but I wouldn’t let anyone hurt her, and I was counting on girl code to keep her safe for me tonight.

“Thank you so much. I’m Luz, this is Autumn,” I said, pointing to my languidly gyrating friend.

“Simone,” the woman replied, still assessing me curiously.

I didn’t have any time to waste.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you. I will be right back,” I said before adding, “Try not to let her have anything else to drink, if you can.”

I turned to dive back into the crowd and made my way out of the living room. I was searching for one of several punch bowls I had seen out, full of what looked like either mulled wine or punch. Either would do the trick.

I cut through a large dining room and found myself back in the kitchen, where I had recalled one of the bowls being earlier. Sure enough, there was one parked on the counter behind the island where Melody had been sitting. While there were several groups of people milling around the kitchen, our friend was conspicuously absent and I wondered if she had found Aaron.

Standing at the punch bowl, I got to work. Most of the people hovering around the kitchen were drunk, high, or some combination of both, but no one was too sloppy. Not yet. Although one of the couples making out in the corner was well on their way. Still, no one there was paying any attention to little old me.

I quickly finished up and poured myself a generous cup to use as my token drink for the night. Like Simone, I wasn’t planning on imbibing either.

With a final sigh, I raised my cup in a silent toast to the oblivious partygoers around me.

Merry Christmas to me.

Chapter forty

Luz

Megan Thee Stallion played as Autumn and I danced our hearts out. The heat from all the bodies packed together was undeniable, and I regretted wearing my hair down as it plastered itself to my neck and exposed back.

Quite a few of the male partygoers had taken the sight of my skin as an invitation to touch. While most had taken my more subtle hints to step away, some had required my heel grinding into their foot or other more aggressive maneuvers to get the message.

Eventually, though, we reached that state of celebratory nirvana where all the immediate vultures had been scared off and we had managed to find ourselves in a small group of like-minded revelers, where the dancing was good, the music even better, and everyone was just living for the beat for one beautiful moment.

Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end.

Out of the corner of my eye, I spied Aaron making his way through the living room toward the hall that led back to the kitchen. Even from here, I could tell he looked terrible. His skin had an almost deathlike pallor, and I watched as he was forced to stop and lean against the wall for support as he swayed in place. Still, he caught my eyes and offered me a grin, gesturing for me to cover over.

The poor guy looked as though he was practically on death’s door, and he was still trying so hard to be a nice guy.

I tapped Autumn’s shoulder, giving her the universal girl gesture for I’m going to grab a drink, rather than shout at her over the music.

She nodded and turned back to her dance partner, the increasingly friendly Simone.

With rich, warm skin the color of burnt umber and closely cropped black hair, there was no doubt she was strikingly beautiful. There was something incredibly captivating about how she and Autumn moved together. It wasn’t exactly sensual. Unlike nearly everyone else around us there was no grinding of their bodies, they never touched. But yet, watching them dance together, it felt incredibly intimate . . . connected, as if they anticipated each other’s every move. Honestly, if I didn’t have Aaron to check in on, I could have watched the two of them dance all night.

Happy that Autumn appeared to have forgotten about the drugs and was now chasing another high, I stepped away from them, bobbing and weaving my way through the crowd to follow Aaron out into the hallway.

“Luz!” he cried out, enveloping me in an overly familiar hug. “Where’s our girl? The party is just getting started.”

“Oh, you know Autumn. Miss Congeniality is over there making new friends, but I was looking for you,” I said sweetly.

Aaron’s haggard eyes lit up. “Really? What’s up, baby girl?” He slid an arm around my waist. Sober Aaron was never much one for pet names, but apparently intoxicated Aaron was an entirely different beast.

Leaning close, I whispered in his ear, allowing my breath to tickle his neck and my lips to brush against his skin ever so slightly. “Melody said that you brought some party favors,” I said teasingly before pulling back to give him my best baby-doll eyes while biting my lip.

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