“Are they heavy?”

“Who?”

“The bodies.”

“No. Why?”

“That guy looks like he’s struggling a bit.”

Eric looked. “Oh, he’s probably not eaten for a few days.”

“Oh. Okay.” I nodded and watched, mildly aware of the lives being taken on the outskirts of this room. No one else noticed, no one screamed—not even the victims, though I hadn’t expected them to anyway.

I could tell from the way the red-head rolled her chin to the heavens that she was moaning, that the lips of the vampire, tracing her collar and breast, brought only pleasure for her. I knew the ecstasy. I’d felt it myself, in David’s arms, and in his brother’s.

The vampire sliced a small cut in her artery, watching intently as the blood seeped out with her pulse, making rivers of red along her china-white flesh. He hesitated, their eyes meeting; hers pleading, his, though I could only see the back of his head, I imagined were comforting—wordlessly reassuring her that she would be okay. But she wouldn’t.

He moved quickly then, dropping to one knee, her spine arched backward over his thigh, his lips on hers, his fingers tangled in her fiery hair. She opened her mouth to swallow his tongue, hungry for his kiss, his lips, her death at his hands.

The velvet drug that had made me giddy slipped backward in my chest, leaving me suddenly more vulnerable to the emotions of my human-self; a wash of repulsion lifted my fingers to my chin as if I could cup away my own disgust.

Is that what David and I looked like when we shared blood? Am I really that—deluded?

“You okay?” Eric asked.

“Just disgusted in myself.”

“Why?” He laughed.

“Because...well, I do that with David. Do I really get that—desperate?”

“It’s more fun in the act,” he said, “Like karaoke.”

“Precisely why I don’t do karaoke.”

The room moved with the beat of a heart as the vampires, tiring of the lust, made final their bite, while the rage continued at the centre of the dance floor for the lucky few who would go home with their lives tonight. But the girls didn’t just drop to the floor, lifeless and limp, which did surprise me.

Eric waved at a few vampires walking past with the stumbling girls on their arms, heading into a room I could only image was the last one they would ever see.

“Why are they going in there?”

“They have to dispose of the bodies somehow.”

His words chilled me. I didn’t want to know how they did that, or even if they waited until the girls actually died first before either burying them or incinerating them.

Back in the killing pit, a few vampires, now going for seconds, remained in the universe of wild and unconcealed ecstasy, except the one with the red-haired girl; he held her in his arms, her curls splaying out like ribbons, her neck bowing back, his head angled down at her limp, oeuvre body.

“Eric?” I leaned closer, unable to take my eyes off him.

“Yes.”

“What’s up with that guy?” I pointed to him. “Is he a newb?”

Eric laughed, looking at the vampire, then grabbed the railing, practically jumping a foot in the air as he leaned over it, his eyes wide. “Ah, shit—Amara, get down.”

“What? Why?” I pushed his hand from my head, looking back through the iron bars as he shoved me to the floor.

The vampire looked up from his kill, our eyes meeting, my mind becoming only vaguely aware of the way he dropped the body to the floor, rising slowly, his face draining of all colour.

“David?”

“Ara?” He appeared before me, hoisting me from the ground by my arm—his eyes black with blood-lust. “What are you doing here?”

Eric stood slightly between us, his shoulder against mine, focusing intently on David. “Amara? He’s dangerous right now. If I say run, you run, got it?

“Why did you bring her here?” David grabbed Eric by the front of the shirt and slammed him against the wall.

“I didn’t know you’d be here, David—are you crazy?” Eric shoved David’s fists off his shirt. “If you’re seen, if anyone knew who you were—”

David stood down, looking away as his fist clenched by his side. “I needed to come. I had to come.”

“Not here. There are a hundred places to go in this town.” Eric pointed elsewhere, scanning the room below with his eyes. “You need to leave before someone recognises you and notifies the Council.”

“Relax, Eric.” David walked toward me then, his eyes returning to that brilliant green I loved—the green they became after he’d had blood—usually my blood.

“Relax? I’ve just subjected an innocent human girl to witness her boyfriend suck the life out someone from her own species.”

“Ara?” David’s long, loving fingers, the very ones that just took life, wrapped my arms and held me still, stopping the shaking through my entire body with just one touch. “I’m sorry, my love. You were never supposed to see that.”

I opened my mouth to speak, but the shock just left an empty hole where my words were lost.

He killed her—he killed her, and worse—he kissed her.

“David.” Eric pushed him aside and grabbed my arm. “Just get back and clean up your kill. I need to get Amara home.”

I was given no choice; we walked away from David, who stood there and watched us leave.

Chapter 14

As the cool night air outside hit my skin and loosened the sweat from my brow, I fell to the floor, barely feeling the gravel break through the skin on my knees. Tears that had been held back around David finally took the command to leave. “How could he?”

“Amara, he’s a vampire.”

“He let us leave—he didn’t try to make it okay. He didn’t even try to explain.”

“What’s to explain?” He squatted beside me, gently touching my back. “Do you want him to apologise for being a vampire? Because, kiddo, you chose to be with him, you chose to love him. How can you ridicule him for that now—that’s not fair?”

“Did you know?” I looked into Eric’s eyes. “Did you know he’d be there?”

“No.” He shook his head. “No, beautiful girl—I didn’t. He’s a fool. If anyone from our Set was there, aside from me, they could’ve reported him.”