The Sweetest Kill: A Young Adult Paranormal (26 page)

“I adore everything about you.” He tells me, “Even your scars, especially your scars, actually. I can’t hate something that is a part of you, Shoshanna.”

I swallow thickly, overwhelmed by the admission, “You can be very sweet sometimes, you know that?”

He makes a face, “I most certainly am not.”

I roll my eyes and smile, feeling better after our bickering. Nothing’s changed between us, even with the barbarian horde knocking on our door. I bite my lip and do something even bolder than simply leaning back on him. I go up on my tippy toes and lay a soft kiss on his lips. I’m about to pull back, with my cheeks on fire, when he grabs my head and brings my lips against his again.

He slowly walks me backwards until my back is against the wall of the closet. I inhale sharply when my back hits the wall, but Tobias uses it to his advantage and deepens the kiss. I haven’t been very bold about kissing back, but I feel compelled to at least try, so I hesitantly brush my tongue against his. I’m rewarded for my efforts with a low rumbling groan from him.

One of his hands grips my right thigh and keeps it bent at his waist, as his mouth begins its burning trail along my jawline. He presses his hips against me and I moan lowly at the sensation. When his hand slides under the hem of my slip, I start shaking uncontrollably. It’s too much.

He pulls back and catches his breath against my neck. I do the same, but instead I stare at the ceiling. A smile comes to my face though when I think of how far I’ve come. I’m not anywhere close to even thinking about sex, but the touching issue seems more manageable. There’s actually no issues if I’m the one initiating the touch in the first place. I gnaw on my lip as I think about the possibilities present.

“You need to get ready.” He rasps against my neck, “That’ll never happen if you don’t stop thinking so loudly.”

My face heats up, “Um… sorry.”

He leans back and smiles at me salaciously, “I’m not complaining. I’m just trying to help the dressing process, not hinder it. That being said, I’m open to options.”

Rolling my eyes I push him away from me, “Out.”

“You don’t want my gift?”

That piques my interest, “Gift?”

Reaching into his jacket pocket, he pulls out two folded pairs of gloves. I frown at them before he unfurls them and I feel my heart melt at the gesture. They’re black lace opera gloves. They’ll cover the scars on my arms, every one of them. Tears brim my eyes but when I look up, Tobias is already gone.

Beguilement

I am being ripped apart.

Well, in Josette’s eyes, I am. Her predatory violet eyes have been locked on me with fierce hatred ever since I came down on Tobias’s arm. She’s been throwing hateful glances at the prominent bite mark on my neck. The same bite marking me as Tobias’. He, on the other hand, reflects the very image of pride as he escorts me around.

To be honest, I feel kind of… pretty, for the first time in a long time. The dress I have on is black in color with discreet filigree embroidered on both the bodice and along the edges of the hem. It’s tight and shows off my considerable cleavage, something I’ve always been embarrassed about. In my hair is an ornate onyx comb holding up one side of my hair, while the other half hangs over the bruised side of my face. Luckily, due to the dress’ length, I’m also able to get away with wearing ballet flats.

That being said, compared to the ballroom, I look like… well a wallflower. It’s huge, of course, and as dictated by Tobias’s style, ornate. Large windows show the still barren and snowy garden on one side of the ballroom, while the other half shows the vast lands beyond the estate. Above is a domed skylight with renaissance artwork on either side of it.

The floors are hardwood and the walls all have baroque carvings fashioned into the dark wood of the beams and the window frames. I don’t know if I can even describe it well, because it really is just so much to take in. I could comment on it all night and I feel that I wouldn’t even have the chance to begin to give it justice. In fact, it sort of reminds me of a ballroom in one of the many Disney movies I watched while growing up.

The cast of characters filling the room is just as awe inspiring as the surroundings. Most are obviously vampires, their unusual eyes and eye-catching grace, are big hints. I’m surprised to see other humans among them though. Scarred with bite marks and practically hanging on the vampire they came with. Most of the humans look almost drugged up. In fact, they seem completely out of their minds. Why else would they come to a party filled with vampires? Either way, it’s not an attractive sight.

“They’re donors.” Tyler whispers in my ear, coming out of nowhere.

I turn around and frown at him, “Like a blood donor?”

He nods and takes a drink of whatever strong alcohol is in his glass, “The sensation that comes from the biting can become addictive though. Something in the saliva, I guess. I don’t remember but that’s why they look so strung out.”

I look past his shoulder and see a petite woman with short blonde hair and a light pink floral evening gown. She’d look beautiful if it wasn’t for the dampness at the ends of her hair and the sweat coating her skin. She’s with a tall and handsome, blonde man who is completely ignoring her. She sways a little bit on her feet, and catches herself on one of the nearby walls before looking in my direction. Her half lidded blue eyes meet mine and I quickly look away.

Do I look like that?

A hand on my waist distracts me and I look up to see Tobias coming to stand beside Viktor, as he comes around to stand in front of me. Viktor is dressed in another perfectly tailored, three-piece gray suit, bringing out his mercury eyes perfectly. He’s wearing a matching silver tie and a dark blue dress shirt underneath. His eyes hold mirth as he gives me an assessing look before smiling at me.

“Shoshanna, we meet again.”

I offer him my hand, “Mr. Naidoo.”

Viktor takes my hand and kisses the back, “Charming as always. I must say I find it encouraging being able to see Van Garrett’s mark on your neck. Not succumbing to the master plan are you?”

I want to laugh, but instead, I just compress my lips in a smile, “If I have, I haven’t been made aware.”

Viktor eyes me slowly and smiles seductively as he does so, “Very charming indeed.”

I feel Tobias’s grip on my waist tighten and I refrain from rolling my eyes. With a brief nod and a silent communication between Tobias and Viktor, Viktor leaves and I let out a breath of relief. It’s short-lived because my attention is drawn to a red manicured hand on Tobias’s shoulder. I grimace because I can only guess who would be bold enough to drape herself on him like that.

“Care to dance?”

I lift a brow before turning to Tobias. To be honest, I couldn’t care less if he dances with a goat at this point, I’m just curious about his response. He surprises me though by grabbing her hand like it’s dirty and throwing it off his shoulder. Her face pinches with rage and she glares at me with renewed rancor. I keep my face impassive. I could not give any less of a shit.

Still, she doesn’t leave. He ignores her but she’s glaring at him. I start to shift foot to foot and fidget. Can this get anymore awkward? Turns out it can, because next thing I know, Josette begins going off in a burst of words that I think are French and presumably not very nice. Her tone and the pissed off look on her face is a clear indicator of that.

Now, my French is horrid. I only took it for a semester back in high school but a few words I understand. The word ‘pathétique’ is one used a lot. From the pointed look in my direction every time she says it, I assume she’s talking about me. Josette’s voice rises and soon she’s shouting at him but Tobias simply looks annoyed.

Tobias bites back in some equally stinging French, but I can’t make it out. Josette’s response is immediate and she’s nearly shrieking at this point. I feel like I’m trapped in a lover’s quarrel at this point and it makes me more uncomfortable than it probably should. I spot Tyler approaching out of the corner of my eyes and give him a 'what the hell' look. He rolls his eyes and offers me his hand. I take it hesitantly and he starts leading me away from the pair.

“What’s happening?” I whisper at him.

He shrugs carelessly, “She’s throwing a very public tantrum in the wrong place. Master Renshu won’t be pleased.”

“That will be the least of her worries at the moment. Henry isn’t pleased with her actively chasing another.”

I turn around to see Viktor lurking behind me. Glaring at him I ask, “Is that what you do? Just lurk about, ready to offer your two cents when needed?”

He gives a pleased smile, “Van Garrett has been good for you.”

“Do you know what they’re talking about?” I ask lowly, trying to get the subject off of me.

Viktor who looks pleased as punch to have my attention. “Would you like to know?”

“Yes, please.” I sigh.

“She’s upset he marked you and he is threatening to rip her tongue out.” He says simply, like I just asked him what the weather would be like next Friday. “It’s quite a situation you’ve created, Madam, I must say, I would never have thought you to be such trouble when I first met you.”

“Yeah,” I mutter, “Neither did I.”

Viktor winks at me, “Of that, my dear, I have no doubt.”

“She has no right to be among us!” Josette screams in English, no matter how accented it is. “She has no right to be by your side!”

“And you think you do?” Tobias scoffs.

“I have more right then that disfigured gutter creature!”

I feel like I’ve been physically slapped. I can feel many eyes on me but I don’t look up. Instead I cross my arms over my chest, feeling exposed and very out of place. A dark place in the back of my head tells me she’s right. She does have more right to be here than me, while the rest of my head is screaming at her to go rot and die somewhere. My hands start to shake and I tighten them around me.

“Enough.” A man’s says in a low deadly voice but it seems crystal clear in the silence of the ballroom at this moment.

I look up at the sound of the commanding voice and spot a man coming through the crowd. He’s very eye catching. He’s in a suit as well, but it’s not as put together as the other men in the room. It’s a three-piece suit, charcoal gray, and tailored perfectly to his wiry body type. His dark black hair is long, nearly reaching the middle of his back and loose. His hooded almond shaped eyes are black in color and his skin, though pale shows a hint of gold in the pallor.

I don’t need to be told to know this is the infamous Master Renshu.

Josette goes even paler at the sight of him and steps back from him, in what I assume to be fear. She’s dressed in a red floor length gown that has cut outs at her shoulders and drapes perfectly on every curve. Her long chocolate colored hair is in a low chignon and rubies dangle from her ears in sparkling drops of crimson. She’s admittedly stunning, but in this moment she looks ready to shit herself.

“Do you need to be excused?” Renshu asks her pointedly.

She shakes her head and for once, I see this woman cower. It’s unsettling. She usually looks so composed but this is humiliating to watch. I have to look away but chilling fingers catch my chin quickly and force me to look up. I’m not surprised to see Renshu standing before me and I clench my hands as tightly as I can at my sides. I need to stop myself from reacting to his unfamiliar touch, even if it kills me.

“Would you like her to leave?” He asks me directly.

I glance at the still fearful Josette and shake my head, “N-No, sir.”

“Well, I would.” He says quietly before turning to look at her, “Leave my sight until further notice. I’ll deal with you later.”

Josette straightens her back but I can see her hands fisted at her sides, shaking with the effort to keep her trap shut. She walks out of the room in a red blur of movement, as the ballroom continues to stew in its tense silence. Renshu releases my chin and gives me a smile I can only describe as wistful, which is confusing.

“Do you care to dance?” He asks curiously, and tilts his head a little.

“I… uh…”

The master’s eyes move towards Tobias and I see challenge clearly written in his gaze, “You don’t mind do you? As long as I keep my hands to myself?”

Tobias’s jaw is clenched tightly, but he gives a stiff incline of his head, “Of course not, but it is she who you’ll have to ask. She’s not much for dancing.”

“Are you not?”

My mouth is parched but I croak out, “N-No.”

“Well perhaps you can make an exception for me, hmm? Come.” He orders and offers me his hand. When I hesitate he gives me a small, and what I’m assuming what’s meant to be reassuring, smile, “I’ll be a perfect gentleman.”

Swallowing thickly, I manage the briefest of nods and slip my gloved hand into his. He wraps his larger and much more elegant, hand around mine. Gently he starts to guide me away from Tyler and Viktor. I can feel my panic rise, as I’m pulled farther away from my comfort zone. Momentarily, I’m distracted by the fact that my comfort zone comprises of two amorous vampires and a never-aging werewolf.

“May I be so bold as to tell you how enchanting you look in that gown this evening?” Renshu asks as he gives my body one very unsubtle look once over.

“W-Well,” I begin before clearing my throat, “You kind of already said it, so… yes?”

He laughs and I jump a little at the sheer volume of it. The sound echoes around the expansive room and since it’s completely silent, that makes it even more unsettling. Renshu pulls me to a stop in the middle of the room and places one hand on my waist, while the other more comfortably clutches my already captured hand.

“How delightful you are. I can see why Master Van Garrett keeps you around.”

I don’t know how to respond to that one, so I just keep my trap shut. It seems to be the safest option.

Before I know it, music starts to play. Frowning, I look around and try to find the source. I didn’t see a DJ anywhere before. Finally my eyes land on a full quartet sitting about nine feet away from us, against a wall. All are dressed in tuxes and gowns while seemingly in their later years of life.

All four appear to be human from what I can pick out, which is even more confusing. Why would anyone willingly come to a vampire party knowing it was full of people who want to eat you? Of course, as Renshu’s hand tightens around mine again, I realize the irony of my own thoughts.

Renshu guides me towards the left and I stumble a bit in surprise. I really don’t dance but it appears I’m going to have to learn if I’m going to survive the night. When I stumble again, I expect a snicker or two but I don’t hear anything. Instead all I hear is the beautiful sound of the stringed instruments carrying on with their flawless performance. Perhaps I should be taking a page from their book, because right now, I think I’m failing to make much an impression.

“See?” Renshu says lowly, getting my attention, “It’s all in the leading.”

“I’m sorry. I’m not much of a dancer.” I admit, feeling my cheeks heat.

“No need for apologies, Miss Belle. I rather find your inexperience charming.”

I’m so stunned that he knows my name that it takes me a minute to process his words. When I do, my cheeks get even warmer. I can also feel my hands starting to sweat and shake a little as he starts to turn us. Lifting my eyes, I spot Tobias over Renshu’s shoulder, watching us like a hawk. His scathing look throws me off and I quickly look away from him. 

Clearing my throat, I try to keep my voice even as I speak, “Well that’s… good, I think.”

“Most find it unbeneficial to find me bored with them.” He tells me breezily before levelling me with an intense stare, “So, yes, it’s a good thing.”