Devour (7 page)

Maybe it could be Cody.
He has so much to offer and any girl would be lucky to have him. He’s already a royal, so I wouldn’t have to worry about his intentions. Maybe. We’ll see what happens, but it’s good to know a girl has options.

Still anxious, I catch
Mom’s attention. “Do I look alright? How is my makeup? How does my hair look? Is this dress sexy enough to catch attention?”

Suddenly things that didn’t matter before bec
ome imperative.

“Oh
, sweetie, you look gorgeous. Purple looks so good on you and brings out the color of your violet eyes. The dress is a little too sexy, if you ask me,” she replies with a wink and a grin.

I fe
el more at ease now. Maybe I’ll draw some male attention. No doubt Jane will be anxiously waiting for me when we get to the ball. I love her and I’ll need her strength to get through this. I’m not shy around guys. Hell, we hunt them every week. This is different though. These are vampire guys. We mate for life and our courtships are very serious.

I’
m saved from my thoughts as we pull up to Havershams, the Gregorias’ upscale bar on the east side of town. We’re meeting them and the Lucia’s here. A tickle of excitement bubbles through me at the prospect of seeing Cody. The opposite thought crosses my mind at the mere idea of seeing Thayer. Ugh.

We step out of the limo and I straighten my dress.
I take a deep breath and lock up the last of my fleeting thoughts of Chase. I will not let him taint what is supposed to be one of the best nights of my life.

My heels click on the cobblestone in front of the bar as we make our way inside.
Dad holds the door open for Mom and me. As soon as we step in, I see they’re all already waiting for us. Suddenly, I’m feeling very vulnerable in this dress.

It’
s clear that my dress is the right choice though. The minute Cody and Thayer turn towards me, the conversation ceases and their mouths drop open. I can feel them soaking up every detail of my dress. They can see the way the silk settles on my curves and how it caresses my ample cleavage. The silk clings to me in a way that leaves little to the imagination.

My cheeks grow pink under the scrutiny and I force a smile.
The spell is finally broken. Cody comes up to me first.

“God Callie, you look gorgeous tonight.
That dress is… well there aren’t words for how that dress looks on you.” He lifts my hand and places a gentle kiss on it. I feel like a princess.

Then Thayer steps up.
Instead of a polite hello, he pulls me into a warm hug. Okay, this is beyond strange for him. When he finally breaks away, he holds my arms and his green eyes search my violet ones.

I’m not sure what he’s searching for, but it makes me a
little uneasy. I know that I’ll be looked at like a specimen tonight so I brush off his obvious staring. This is Thayer. He’s obnoxious, not warm and caring. He’s definitely throwing me off.

Thayer finally steps back and I greet the rest of their families.
Thayer’s parents look pleased at the interaction between us and are grinning ear to ear. It feels like I’ve entered The Twilight Zone.

Cody’s sister is noticeably absent, but she still has a year before h
er coming out. Next year she’ll be here in my shoes. I like Lana; she’s always been such a sweetheart. Cody’s parents wave and grin much in the way the Lucias did.

We all have a seat at a table set just for the lot of us.
Dad signals the waiter and orders for us. We all have to drink regular human blood tonight. We can’t risk the secret cocktail recipe getting out. I’m not all that particular except human blood from a donor and stored isn’t nearly as good as blood from the tap.

“So
, Callie, I hear that you plan to go to U of V. Cody here is going to be a sophomore in the fall. We’re very proud of him. He’s excelling in vampire politics and will follow in his father’s footsteps,” Mrs. Gregoria says, trying to break the ice.

I’
m about to speak up when Mom interjects. “Our Callie is going to be studying art as a major and vampire politics as a minor. We are requiring the minor due to her standing in the community, but her art is absolutely amazing.”

Cody looks up and smiles.
“I would love to see some of your work sometime.”

“Sure,” I reply lamely.

“Thayer will be going in as a freshman, too. He’s going to major in economics and vampire politics as well. It sounds like you kids will have some classes together,” Mr. Lucia says.

I look up at Thayer and see some unreadable expression on his face.
He looks like he wants to devour me and it sends chills through me. I’m not used to being looked at this way.

The waiter brings us a carafe of blood and Mr.
Gregoria proceeds to pour us all a wine glass full. I thank him and take a sip of the thick, red substance. It has been warmed up to body temperature in an attempt to mimic the real thing.

I swallow the smooth but slightly bitter metallic blood and sigh in satisfaction.
The blood high won’t be nearly as strong when I get it straight from a human, but it will be enough to take the edge off. That’s exactly what I need to get through tonight.

I find that I’
m actually enjoying the male attention. I feel sexy and desired. It’s heady and empowering. I study Cody and know he would be a good mate. I would have to spend more time with him to find out if we have any chemistry. Maybe later at the dance we will have a few minutes together.

Cody is easy on the eyes too.
His ear length, blonde hair and hazel eyes make him stunning. He is muscular and lithe. He has a grace about him that makes him nothing short of amazing.

Thayer
, on the other hand, is not an option. Although he is being the perfect gentleman tonight, I know the real Thayer and I’m not too fond of him. Grown up or not, I will never be interested.

“So
, Callie, are you looking forward to the ball tonight? You look absolutely divine this evening, my dear,” Mrs. Lucia says.

I smile politely and nod.
“I’m looking forward to the ball. Coming out is a big deal and I can’t wait to make my family proud by choosing a worthy mate.”

I tried to make the answer sound as
political as possible, like my parents taught me to do in mixed company. I can see her eyes light up with hope, and I hate that I’m going to be the one to squash it. I won’t pick Thayer, but maybe he’ll get lucky with one of the other girls.

“A mate for someone in your position in the community would be highly so
ught after. I’m sure you’ll have your pick of all the males there,” Mrs. Gregoria explains.

That makes me brighten a bit
. All the males? A girl should be so lucky. I have to remember that Jane has first dibs though. She would kill me if I backed out of our deal. I would never do that to her.

“Make sure you save enough time to dance with me, Callie.
I would love the chance to talk further with you,” Cody tells me in no uncertain terms that he is interested in me.

“Of course, I would be honored.”

As if not to be outdone, Thayer speaks up. “Please save a dance for me as well. I would love to spend a little more time in the presence of such beauty.”

Ugh, gag me with a steak knife.
There’s no desire to get anywhere near Thayer. I can only hope he forgets or that by slipping through the shadows, he can be avoided. Cody, on the other hand, intrigues me. I never thought of him as mate material because I was never looking for a mate. Now, imagine the possibilities.

I nod and take another sip of my blood.

“
Callie, how does it feel to know you will be competing with five other girls for all this male attention? There are a lot of you coming out this year. Normally it is considered a crowd with four girls,” Mrs. Gregoria asks.

I take a
Moment to formulate my response. “If the guy is right for me, there’ll be no competition. I’m not worried about that. Yes, there are a lot of us this year, but there’s a great selection of guys to complement each and every one of us.”

She look
s pleased by my answer and turns her attention to my parents. “How does it feel to be possibly losing your little girl to her future mate? You must be a little saddened by the prospect.”

“We will miss Callie very much
when she finds her mate. She deserves to be happy, though, and we will be happy for her.”

“I couldn’t agree more about Thayer.
We love him dearly, but would be thrilled if he was able to find his mate tonight. I would love a daughter in law,” Mrs. Lucia says.

There’s no way to ignore the way she’
s looking at me and it makes me want to shrink under her scrutiny. I have no intention of telling her it won’t be me unless Thayer is my last chance. Okay, so maybe not even then.

Ou
r conversations wrap up and it’s clearly time for the ball. Being the polite daughter, I speak up.

“It was wonderful to talk with you all over drinks.
I look forward to seeing all of you at the ball.”

Then I turn my gaze on Cody and Thayer and spit out the wo
rds before anyone realizes it’s only a half truth. “I’ll be looking forward to dancing with you both.”

My eyes lock with Cody’s and I know he is genuinely looking forward to our time together.
It isn’t a shock when he takes a Moment to appreciate me in my dress one more time. I feel his eyes move over me as if he is undressing me with them. I’m not sure why, but I don’t mind so much.

My
Dad takes my hand and leads me out of the bar and into the night. The car is waiting for us and the driver is holding the door open. I try to be as graceful as possible when getting in the car. I don’t let out my breath until I’m safely in the car and we are pulling away.

“Well, that was fun.
What do you think Callie? I couldn’t help but notice you and Cody sneaking looks at each other,” Mom says, grinning.

“It was nice.
Cody is a great guy. I look forward to spending more time with him tonight.”

I said what she wants to hear and she lights up.
I get the feeling that she’s rooting for Cody. He’s already a royal so that lets me know he isn’t interested in me for just my position in the court. That’s a good feeling. He’s looking better and better by the minute.

My
Dad grows serious before addressing me. “We’ll figure out this situation with Chase, Callie. Just do your part tonight and we’ll try to make this all go away. You have to trust that we only want the best for you.”

“I know
Dad, and thank you. I won’t let you and Mom down.”

I push aside unwanted thoughts of Chase and return my focus to the upcoming events.
My blood high is setting in and my tension begins to slip away. We pull up to The Majestic and I’m really glad for the blood high. Otherwise, I’m not sure I could function under this much pressure.

I step out of the car and take in the sight before me.
We are at The Majestic. This is the most beautiful place in all of our land. The structure is large and imposing. It reminds me of a large castle. I know that it’s close to it.

Mom
helps me towards the entrance. The minute we enter the foyer, I’m saying goodbye to Mom and Dad. I’m swept up in a fuss and find myself following maids up the stairs and to the west wing.

We walk down the hall, someone’s
arm tugging me forward. Now, I’m growing nervous. The reality is setting in. This night could mark the rest of my life. The enormity of this blood ball is weighing me down like an anchor.

Finally, we reach the end of the hall and the door open
s. A flurry of activity is revealed behind it. My eyes sweep the room until they settle on a familiar figure. Jane. Thank the gods; I have to tell her about Cody and Thayer. I hope there’s time for us to catch up.

I don’t get more than a wave
and a smile from Jane before I’m being hurried to a vanity. Women flutter around me, fixing my hair until every strand is perfect and in place. They touch up my makeup and reapply lipstick. I stand and take one last look in the mirror.