chapter 13
My mouth was watering, triggering sensations that sent electricity through every nerve in my body. Sliding my tongue across my fangs, I tried to focus on the warmth of Arrick’s fingertips across my back as he guided me toward the lively party before us. Delectable smells filled the air, sparking a powerful hunger inside me. I’d eaten earlier, but I was suddenly starving.
As we drew closer, I recognized the courtyard from our entry into the citadel. We were under the hanging gardens. The glowing, white flowers clung to the terrace above us, illuminating the area with a soft radiance. During a brief lull of the boisterous laughter and music of the party, a deafening roar shook me violently out of my trance. My body jumped backward into Arrick’s chest as the roaring sound boomed again, breaking through the now excited cheers of the crowd.
“What the hell was that?” I asked, fear prickling my skin.
“That would be a tiger,” Arrick answered, pointing in front of us through a break in the throng of bodies. And there it was, a tiger lounging freely beside a table overloaded with colorful food. The tiger was snacking on a massive hunk of meat at its feet, licking his ivory fangs after every bite.
“He’s got a friggin’ tiger!” Disbelief flooded me. I had never seen a real tiger before, only pictures. According to my teacher in school, they were extinct.
I let Arrick take the lead, hiding under his arm as we made our way closer. I loved cats, and remembered how badly I used to wish tigers weren’t extinct. I wanted to reach out and pet it, scratch its head and touch its ears, but the way it stared me down told me I probably shouldn’t interrupt its meal.
Surprisingly, a tiger wasn’t the only exotic animal Titan had. My father wasn’t kidding when he said Titan had a flare for the dramatic. There were multi-colored birds perched on jeweled posts watching the crowd through beady eyes.
Rare animals weren’t the only things that stunned me as we entered the party. I didn’t think I’d ever seen so much skin in my entire life. Most of the women were wearing nothing more than skimpy bikinis covered in gemstones, and draped with beaded sashes. Their skin was covered in a gold paint, and their hair hung elegantly down their backs, filled with ribboned braids and beads.
The guys, on the other hand, really got me blushing. Even though my heart was solely Arrick’s, I couldn’t help but gape at the muscled Adonis’s that strode around with nothing more than pants, or wrapped loin cloths that left little to the imagination. But, it was the sculpted males that walked around with swords on their hips and intricate tattoos across their bodies that really got me. There was just something about a vampire warrior that set my blood on fire, and I couldn’t help but imagine Arrick with his shirt off and a tribal tattoo etched across his pecs.
He gave me seductive wink, like he knew exactly what I was thinking as he guided me to a pillowed seat beside my father. I settled in, kissing my father’s cheek as he welcomed me. He felt considerably more relaxed than when he exploded on me after meeting with Titan, and I was so relieved. Seeing him stressed made it that much harder to stay relaxed myself. We sat, watching dancers, and enjoyed the music as the festivities proceeded. An elaborately decorated chair at the far end of the party was obviously meant for Titan, and it remained empty until he stumbled in with a woman on each arm. Wanting to stay on my best behavior, I turned my attention to Arrick as he walked back to our table with a plate full of food and two glasses clasped awkwardly in one hand. I stood up to take the drinks from him as he balanced his food and sat beside me.
My nose picked out the unmistakable scent of blood mingling with wine from one of the glasses, and I brought it to my lips without a second thought. The warm mixture tantalized my taste buds with a bitter tang. It was shock at first, the bizarre taste of blood mixed with the spicy, bitterness of the wine, but I licked my lips and drank some more. As my hunger abated I grew more comfortable and allowed myself to release the anxious feelings that had been pent up inside me. My father conversed with a couple who was sitting beside him, while Arrick and I chatted and laughed at the dancers. It became quickly apparent that nearly all the people present were human. For a region that was supposed to be all about building a secret army, I expected everyone to be a vampire or at least a hybrid.
“Where are all the vampires?” I whispered to my father.
“I believe Titan is the only full vampire in the entire region, with the exception of his soldiers who are all hybrids.”
“What’s a hybrid?”
“Just another word for Blood Mate of Blood Guard,” my father answered my question. “They are all technically the same; each region just has a different name for them.”
“Myself and my son,” Titan interjected, suddenly standing in front of my father and me.
“Your son?” my father asked; genuine surprise in his voice. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know you had a son.”
“He should be arriving any moment now.” Titan seemed almost dismissive of my father’s apology. “Ahh! Speak of the devil!” He thrust his fist into the air as the mass of dancing bodies made way for his son. Titan’s son had the same dark, caramel skin of his father, and was covered in numerous tattoos. Tribal patterns wrapped around each of his forearms, traveling up to his shoulders and connecting at his collarbone at a sharp point like an arrowhead. He was nearly as tall as Titan, with shaggy brown hair and the dark shadow of a beard blanketing his jaw line.
Father and son embraced in a bear-like hug before turning to face us. “My son, Ronon! This is Cathair, king of the Zakarian region and his daughter, Claire.” My eyebrows rose at the mention of my name, up until that point Titan hadn’t even acknowledged me. My father fisted his hand in greeting; placing it upon his chest, but Ronon overlooked him almost immediately. His aggressive eyes landed on me as his lips pulled up into a victorious grin that only got wider when Arrick wrapped his arm possessively around me.
As curious as I was about Titan’s son, I didn’t like the way he was dissecting me with his eyes. Yet, I couldn’t deny one thing; the two looked so much alike that it could only mean that Ronon was his real son, and not an adopted child like most vampire parents had. But, if that were true then that meant his wife had survived being poisoned, right? So, where was she?
“Now the entertainment can begin!” Titan shouted enthusiastically, as he pulled his son under his meaty arms, directing him toward the head of the party. Neither of them gave us a second glance as they walked away. Something was seriously askew here. My father came counting on Titan’s need for revenge, but I was starting to think that Titan had buried that need; buried it under women, booze, and blood. The question was; what would it take to bring him back to reality?
Before I could start questioning my father, who looked as confused as I felt, the music picked up speed and the dancing couples broke away as they made way for belly dancers. The women gyrated to the music, bouncing their hips from side to side, pulsating their bodies to the beat of the drums. They moved with impeccable timing, each movement matching each other’s in one cohesive dance.
I was still distracted by the bombshell Titan had just dropped on us as I watched the women’s bodies spin in perfect circles, twirling and dipping as they swayed with the beat. As enthralling as they were, I couldn’t help but let my eyes wander over to Ronon. My curiosity kept overpowering me. If he was truly Titan’s son, then that meant he was like me. A pure born vampire. Knowing I was different from everyone else, in a way, made me feel special; but it was also a little lonely. Could Ronon really be like me? And if he was, could he do everything I could do? My hand rose to the stone that was tucked in the crease of my dress, and I watched as Ronon’s eyes found my mine and then traveled to my fingers.
His eyes narrowed for a moment, and I felt the unmistakable sensation of someone trying to read me. It was the tiniest nudge at the edge of my consciousness. I immediately concealed what I was feeling, pushing away at his intrusion. Without the slightest reaction, he lazily dragged his eyes toward the dancers like he’d never even noticed I was there. Arrick squeezed my hand, completely oblivious as to what had just happened, singing along with the exotic dancers. I wondered if Ronon knew about me, that I was vampire born like him, or did he just think I was another pretty face in the crowd?
Deciding it didn’t matter what Ronon was, or what he thought about me, I joined in with Arrick’s singing as we watched the entertainment continue. Centered among the dancing women was a young girl with a massive snake resting atop her shoulders. The snake’s body wrapped possessively around one arm, while in the other she clutched its head. The snake’s tongue flicked out at her as she caressed it with her cheek like it was a cuddly kitten. I took in a gasp of breath, surprised by the complete absence of fear in her eyes. At any moment that reptile could coil around her neck and choke her to death, or even worse, spring on her with fangs more deadly than any vampire. As if she heard my intake of breath, the girl’s ice blue eyes locked onto me with precision. She beckoned me to her as her hips danced from side to side, the snake’s head curling into her hair. I looked behind me, certain she couldn’t possibly be looking at me. Everyone cheered as she pointed, and I shook my head at her. Sure, I loved dancing but I wasn’t about to make myself the center of attention. There was a big difference between dancing at a party and dancing at the center of a crowd of onlookers.
The tinkling jingle of beaded dancers grew closer as two girls approached me. They offered their hands, begging me to join them on the dance floor. I shook my head again, and looked to Arrick like he could do something to stop them but he was clapping, nodding for me to join them. Had he lost his mind? All eyes were on me, and I knew my only options were to run; or get up, dance and get it over with.
Taking a deep breath, I rose to my feet at the roar of the crowd. My ears picked up the sound of Arrick’s voice cheering me on, and even my father shouting, ‘That’s my daughter!’ Everyone was acting way too happy. Maybe Titan’s servants put something in the wine? I felt like myself, but then again, I was being towed by a nearly naked dancer toward a girl with a gigantic snake on her shoulders.
I probably should have been terrified, but there was something about the feel of the snake’s scales on my bare skin that was incredibly erotic. Or, maybe it was the wine infused blood that was talking. The snake coiled around my left arm and wrapped itself once around my neck like a scarf. Its head curled through my hair as my hips began to sway. I focused my eyes on the only person I wanted to dance for, Arrick. Without blinking, I swung my body in beat with the music as the other girls danced around me. Arrick’s eyes widened at my movements, making my lips pull up to reveal my fangs in all their glory. I let the world around me disappear; pretending all that existed was just the two of us. But, there was a fracture in that bubble as fine as the tiniest hair. Another small nudge at my senses was enough to disrupt my focus. I blinked, bringing my eyes toward Ronon, not liking at all what I found. Before, he seemed utterly bored watching the dancers, but now he was leaning forward in his seat, his eyes devouring my every movement. I couldn’t stop the growl that rumbled in my chest. I had been dancing for Arrick, but the way he was watching made me feel like he thought I was dancing for him.
The snake hissed angrily as I quickly unraveled him, and handed him off to the nearest dancer. The crowd clapped stupidly; completely oblivious as to why I stopped. I offered a fake smile, marching back to my seat and despite myself; I risked a glance toward Ronon. I planned to sneer at him, but the smile affixed to his face only irritated me further. What was he getting at? He had to have known that I wasn’t interested, that I was only dancing for Arrick. I didn’t want to leave any room for confusion, so the second I took my seat I locked lips with Arrick, not even caring my father was sitting beside me. I’d be embarrassed about my father watching me suck face later. Right now I needed to be sure Titan’s son wasn’t getting the wrong idea.
Arrick and I both caught our breaths when I finally released him. “I didn’t know you could dance like that.” His words slurred as he spoke. A server passed by offering to refill his cup, but I covered it and shook my head violently at her. I’d never seen him act so carefree before, and I didn’t like it. We’d done enough to amuse Titan. He needed to give us an answer.
As the snake dancer left the party began to calm back down. The music lulled to a steadier beat, and even the conversations dwindled to a mild hum. For the first time since the party started I felt like I could think. I poured Arrick a glass of water, knowing he would probably feel like crap the next evening. Perhaps the regional wine here was stronger than anything we had back home.
As the liveliness of the night calmed, my father took that as his cue to get up and approach Titan. I followed his every step with my eyes, careful to keep my vision averted from Ronon. I had enough guy drama in my life already, I didn’t need any more. My father cleared his throat trying to get Titan’s attention. At first I had thought he was kissing one of the ladies sitting on the arm of his chair, but when he pulled away I saw that I couldn’t have been more wrong. His lips were covered in crimson before he licked them clean. I’d only ever seen a vampire drink from someone once before, and that memory had haunted my dreams ever since. The sight of Ana’s face flashed through my thoughts, and I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to erase it. This region was like another world; vampires drinking from humans, limited modern technologies, living in the desert. It was blowing my mind.
When I opened my eyes again, Titan had dismissed the women around him and he and my father were talking privately. I was desperate to hear what they were saying; praying that Titan wasn’t playing any more tricks and my father was finally able to get through to him on the seriousness of our situation. I looked around making sure no one was paying attention to me. Arrick was leaning back in his seat, rubbing his temples and Ronon was being distracted by two ladies who were begging him to join them on the dance floor. Certain that no one would notice, I pushed out my senses and tried to focus on my father and Titan. I just wanted to hear what they were saying.
“Spying is very dangerous, ya know.” Arrick whispered from behind me, sounding more like himself.
“I’m not spying. I was just trying to listen,” I admitted, trying to convince both him and me that it was totally different.
“Trust your father. He knows what he’s doing.”
“I know he does. I just… I just can’t help feeling like something isn’t right. Like there is something they aren’t telling us.”
“Yeah, like there’s something in this wine!” he said, pushing one of the glasses away from him.
“Obviously.” I rolled my eyes as I slumped back into my seat beside him. “Do you think I’m being paranoid?”
“No. I think you’re probably right, but I also think that your father knows Titan is hiding something too. But you’ve got to look at the bigger picture.”
“What picture is that?”
“That we should trust your father’s judgment.”
“You’re right,” I sighed in agreement.
I could feel that the night was drawing to a close. The sky would be lightening soon, and my eyelids were getting heavy. It had been a long journey here, and an even longer night. I was ready to get some sleep, and hopefully leave the next night. With any luck my father was knocking some sense into Titan, and he and his army would be joining us.
I was just about ready to call it a night, when I saw Ronon join in on their conversation. Several times during their exchange he looked up at me, but I didn’t look away. I met his eyes with clear annoyance, even though I knew I was truly only annoyed with his father. I’d never even heard Ronon speak, but I prayed to Nyx that he had enough sense to trust my father’s word. The world was on the brink of war, and they needed to decide if they were going to join the fight.