"Ain't that the truth," Drake scoffed.
I was happy to have the twins so close. While all six of the guys were vampires, only Marcus, Drake, and Allister really had that ‘I will protect you from the world itself’ kind of build to them. Large and muscled in all the right places, they could give those men on the front of romance novels a run for their money. I'd be happy to let them rip my bodice any time.
Rayne snorted.
My eyes shot to him where his nose crinkled up and a small smile tugged at his lips. His red hair was pulled back with a clip, so his face was easily seen. His amber eyes twinkled with amusement and the freckles along the bridge of his nose stood out sharply against his pale skin. It made his face look older, more mature, like he might actually be several decades old and not barely younger than me. In vampire years, Rayne was still a baby, but it was me who was the baby of the bunch. I was pushing thirty and surrounded by younger faces and older souls. How did this happen to me?
My thoughts of my own existence were pushed to the side as the men around me stiffened. Even Darren, who was usually so unaffected by things, had a caution to him. As if we were gazelle who had heard a stick break, we froze, except that stick was the soft, almost nonexistent footsteps of a man. Not a man. A vampire.
The six vampires I lived with were the Hollywood version of vampires—the dark lovers of their species—gorgeous and more interested in what was between my legs than in my veins. But the man—if you could call him that—who walked toward us, with the stunning Theresa just behind him, was something out of the horror films.
About my height at five-foot-five, and with a balding head and large ears, his face was pinched, and his lips were contorted in an almost permanent snarl. His fangs weren't the only sharp things in his mouth. Every single tooth was pointed and when he grinned, it was like staring into the face of a shark. Shudder inducing for sure.
The rest of him was just as unappealing in nature. He wore an old double-breasted suit with a fluffy undershirt, and sleeves that peeked out of the cuffs. He was mismatched in his ancient style standing next to Theresa's modern chic. Her long, dark hair was pulled up off her neck and into a twisted updo. The skintight dress I'd seen her in last had been replaced with a red formfitting sheathe that reached to just above her knee and plunged in the front, stopping just before her naval. I envied her style, but not her residence. I didn't know how she could stand being near him, let alone live in the same house as him.
Her master's hand moved out from behind her waist and I applauded her for not sighing in relief. Those hands were thin and sharp, with a long nail on the end of each finger. He waved one of those hands in our direction, and for a moment I was confused.
A hand pulled me down to my knees. Wincing at the sudden impact to my joints, my eyes jerked to Allister who had dropped me, and then I noticed all the others had genuflected as well. Even Marcus—someone I couldn't imagine bowing to anyone—sat on the ground before this monstrous man.
"Master," Antoine greeted, propped up on one knee before the man. "Thank you for having us in your home."
The master vampire barked a laugh and waved a hand at us. "Yes, yes. Of course. Get up already, Antoine. Humble does not suit you. Nor do I believe it for one second."
Antoine didn't show any reaction, except for the slight stiffening in his shoulders as he stood. The rest of us apparently had leave to stand as well, because the others moved from their feet and Allister helped me on to mine. I kept hold of his hand, squeezing it tightly with my small fingers. Allister's blue green eyes darted down to me for a moment, but he didn't release my hand.
The master moved around our group, taking in each of us before muttering something or another for that person to hear, making their shoulders bunch and tension rise. For once, I was happy I didn't have vampire hearing.
"Darren, my boy." The master clapped Darren on the shoulder like he was a much beloved grandson that he never got to see. "I see you are still as ripe and succulent as the day you joined my Antoine's service. Glad to see the life hasn't been completely drained from you...yet."
Yikes. Make that a creepy ass uncle.
Darren took it all in stride of course, nodding his head slightly, leaving his dark eyes locked on the ground. Even though we weren't at home, he still wore a suit and tie, as well as his white gloves. His black hair was slicked back from his handsome face, but it was all a mask. I'd figured that out now. He hid behind his perfection like an armor against the two worlds he was straddling. I guess I was straddling them now as well. With one leg in the human world and one in the vampire world, neither one of us would ever be able to fully belong to either one.
For a second, my heart raced as I realized that my existence had been changed forever. Just like Darren, I wouldn't age. I would stay exactly as I was forever and ever. No wrinkles. No grey hairs. I'd never become an old woman sitting on her porch surrounded by my grandbabies. Well, I guess I could still have grandbabies and kids, as far as anyone has told me my own body hadn't changed that much.
"And who is this lovely morsel?" The raspy voice stopped before me and I realized it was me that was the lovely morsel. Like I was some piece of candy and not a human being.
I glanced to Antoine for some kind of guidance, but he didn't even turn his eyes my way. Bastard. Flipping my attention back to the vampire before me, I watched as he lifted my hands in his worn and wrinkled ones. He brought them up to his face, and for a moment I thought he might kiss them, but then he...sniffed me. A long inhale that shivered through him and made me want to gag.
"Ah, yes. I can see why Valentine is so taken with her. She is a rare beauty." The master lifted his gaze to mine. I gasped, making him smile. His eyes. They were red. Not a brown like I’d thought before, but actually red, like dry blood on the floor. It made him even more frightening than before.
I swallowed hard and tried to still my racing heart.
"Do not fear me, child. All react to me this way the first time." He reached a hand up and cupped the side of my face, his long nails so close to my eye that I had to force myself not to flinch. "And what is your name, precious?"
I was pretty sure he knew my name. I didn't know what game he was playing, but two could play that game. Licking my dry lips, I said the first thing that came to my mind. "Yours first."
The men around me stiffened, and even Theresa frowned at my words, but the ancient vampire simply threw his head back and laughed. "Yes, yes. That fire. That energy. I bet she tastes divine. Doesn't she, Antoine?"
Antoine froze but then answered, "I do not know what you mean, master."
The vampire clucked his tongue but turned his eyes back to me. "You should know by now not to lie to me, lad. I see as well as smell your mark on her. You've made her yours as well? Now, aren't we a greedy boy. No wonder you turned down Valentine's offer to buy her." The way he chastised Antoine made my stomach roll and I wanted nothing more than to be back home. I knew the likelihood of that happening was about as likely as Darren letting anyone muss his perfect hair.
Those blood-red eyes focused on me as the master scanned over my form. "Yes, I can quite see how you would have all of my boys in such a tizzy."
"I don't," Theresa scoffed. Her arms crossed over her chest, making her dress shift enough to show more of her breasts. "She is positively...common."
Before I even realized he had moved, Theresa's head snapped to the side and blood trickled from the edge of her lips. "When I want your opinion, Theresa, I will ask for it."