Slowly, I turned to face the stunning woman, even for a vampire, before me. However, before I could speak, Rhea’s harsh voice felt as if it had jumped over me to attack her.
“I do not believe you were invited here.”
“Is not my invitation automatic, as I am a vampire of Ankeiros?” she asked in return as she looked me over. “Hello, sweet young one. I am Orspina Sapfo Pellevé, daughter of Vlasis and the wife of Theseus of Thessaloniki. Forgive me for arriving so late.”
I vaguely remembered watching a Grey’s Anatomy scene similar to this with my jaw dropped open at the audacity and the horror.
“You most definitely came late to make that entrance,” said Ulrik.
Orspina ignored him, still looking at me with that angelic smile. “And here I thought Rhea was hiding the identity of his mate all this time in an effort to keep the two of us apart.”
Theseus made a move to speak. However, before he could, I grabbed the collar of his black shirt and yanked him toward me so hard it ripped, which was perfect. It made it very easy for me to sink my teeth into his neck, the blood rushing into my mouth, and I drank only a little before stepping back. I licked the blood from my lip and looked at her with a smile of my own.
“Welcome. I’m glad you could make it, though I would advise you to find a new way to introduce yourself. If you are not careful, you may say the wrong thing and never be able to speak again.”
She giggled. “No need to be so—”
However, the amusement quickly faded as she reached up to her throat, the words no longer coming out as she stared.
“See?” I replied, stepping forward. “And that would be just horrible. All these vampires would gossip and laugh at us, all over such pettiness. I don’t want to be laughed at, especially over a guy. Do you? It’s so tacky and cliché.”
Her eyes narrowed at me coldly like she wished to slice my face with them.
Burn, I thought, and I felt my power flow through me as she reached up to her neck but quickly let go as her fingers burned at the touch. Unable to speak, she finally shook her head.
“I’m so glad….” I paused, trying to think. “Forgive me. You are who, again?”
“I am Orspina Sapfo Pellevé, daughter of Vlasis,” she repeated.
“Daughter of Vlasis. I’ll remember that. I hope you enjoy your evening,” I said, and when I turned away from her, I noticed my fingers sparking tiny fires. Glancing up, it once again felt like déjà vu. They looked at me the same way they had in Montréal, with a mixture of intrigue and fear. Quickly, I balled my hand into a fist to make the sparks stop, but I could still feel the heat of them. And there was no Lucy for me to hold and hide my face as we escaped.
I didn’t want to hold Theseus right now.
I looked away from their faces to the rest of the Thorbørns, and all of them still looked at me with pride. Arsiein watched me curiously, the corner of his lip turned up. Atarah, who grinned like a child, clapped her hands in excitement, and Melora and Ulrik gave a thumbs-up. Hinrik and Matias raised their glasses to me. Rhea lifted her head smugly, and even though Sigbjørn didn’t smile or laugh, he nodded his head his once.
So I walked with my head high straight to them as if nothing at all had happened.
“You women are the most terrifying of creatures,” Hinrik stated once I reached them.
“We know,” Melora said, linking one arm with me while Atarah linked the other.
I grinned and allowed them to take me away from everyone here.
“Druella,” Theseus called me, but I ignored him.
“Get a clue, brother. She’s mad at you.” Ulrik voiced behind me as we walked away. “At least you have me—hey, don’t hit me! I’m not the one who has crazy-women problems. What is it that you do to them that makes them never want to give up on you, anyway?”
“It seems like my mate also needs a clue.” Melora sighed.
“At least he’s not as stiff as mine,” Atarah replied.
I heard a chorus of ?
?What?” behind me, and it made us all laugh.
“And this is exactly why I prefer men,” Hinrik muttered.
It seemed it didn’t matter if they were a vampire or mortal men, they were all a bit clueless when it came to women.