Chapter 10
Piper
Iawoke with a start. Lifting my head up from my pillow, I scanned the room. This wasn't my room. The sheet in my hand covered my naked body and suddenly it all came rushing back to me.
I flushed and rubbed my thighs together in remembrance before turning slowly in bed. I'd expected to see a redheaded vampire next to me, but what I got was an empty bed. My hand touched the wrinkled spot on the sheets, but it was cool.
Oh. Duh. Vampire.
Of course, it was going to be cool. It still didn't answer my question though. Where was Rayne?
Sliding my legs over the side of the bed, I pulled the sheets off and around me like a toga. When my feet touched the cool wooden floors, I shivered.
Clothes. I needed clothes.
I blindly searched for the light on the nightstand and clicked it on. The room, once cast in the dim moonlight, gained an orange glow. Now able to somewhat see, I easily found my dress from dinner. Unfortunately, it was a bit worse for wear. Looked like I wasn’t putting that back on.
My eyes drifted over to Rayne's dresser and my lips ticked up into a smirk. I shouldn't. Still, my feet padded over to the dresser and I pulled open one drawer, and then the another, until I found Rayne's shirts.
Pulling out a t-shirt, I dropped the sheet and dragged the shirt over my head. Since Rayne and I were about the same height, the shirt wasn't long enough to cover my ass. I searched for my underwear, which was thankfully still intact. Putting them on under the shirt, I searched Rayne's other drawers for some sweatpants or something. Finding a pair of drawstring pants, I tugged them over my legs, but had to tie them tight to keep them from falling.
There. Now to find Rayne.
I ducked into his bathroom and frowned when he wasn't there either. I relieved my bladder and washed my hands. Before leaving the bathroom, I glanced toward the bedroom door. Maybe he went to get something to eat? It technically was still his daytime hours, right?
My feet made light sounds as I walked to the door and slowly twisted the doorknob. For a second, I thought it might be locked, but then with a sigh it opened. I shook my head at my silliness and then peeked my head out into the hallway.
The halls of Boris's home were intimidating in the daytime, and at night, they were downright scary. With only a few walls sconces turned on, the hallway was all doom and gloom. Reminiscent of the days the castle was new. Looking both ways, I chewed on my lower lip as I contemplated searching for Rayne. A glance at the bedside clock said it was just after two in the morning. I'd left my phone back in Antoine's room along with the rest of my stuff. If anything, I should go check in. Make sure my mother hadn't blown up my phone after their surprise visit.
That's doubtful after what Antoine did to them.
It was still a bit creepy that Antoine could control human minds so easily. The way he had handled my parents with ease was both impressive and frightening. It made me wonder if he'd ever done it to me. Of course, it wasn't like I would know even if he had. Still, it was something to ask the vampire later.
Scrounging up my courage, I stepped out into the hallway. It took me a second to remember I was in Rayne's room, so my room was in the opposite direction. A girl could get lost in this place with all the rooms and doors looking the same. I was lucky I'd had a guide so far. I didn't dare try and explore on my own. Besides getting lost, there was the fact that I was a human in a vampire's domain. With my luck, I'd walk right into Boris's bedroom. Or worse. Valentine's. A shiver ran down my back at the thought. No thank you.
Walking as quickly as I could down the hallway, I tried my best to keep calm and not jump at every noise. Vampires could smell fear, as well as hear my racing heart. The less appealing I was to them, the less likely they would come after me. Or at least, that was what I hoped.
I reached my room without incident, and I let out a long and heavy sigh before reaching for the doorknob. My hand paused before it reached the handle. There were voices inside. I leaned closer to the wood. That wasn't just Antoine and Darren. The whole group was in there.
Were they having a meeting without me? Annoyance filled my chest. If they were going to make plans behind my back, then they didn't really trust me the way they said. Didn't they say before that since I was the one Valentine and Boris were going gaga over, that I should be in on the plans? So much for that. Apparently, I was good enough to fuck but not to include in important decisions.
I tried to hear what they were saying but the words were garbled. One thing I knew for sure was they were arguing. Something had their panties in a twist. Was it me? Were they fighting over me?
"It's rude to eavesdrop, you know," a smooth, silky voice whispered behind me. I practically jumped a mile high and barely contained the screech that wanted to come out of me. Spinning in place, I came face to face with a smirking Valentine.
Great. Just who I was trying to avoid.
Crossing my arms over my chest—my braless chest for that matter—I scowled at the vampire. "I wasn't eavesdropping. I was waiting for them to finish so I could go in." I tried not to shift in place. I didn't want Valentine to know how much his presence bothered me. If I'd learned anything from Darren and the others, it was that Valentine was a typical bully. If he knew he bothered me, then he would be even more inclined to find reasons to mess with me.
"Then go in," Valentine taunted with a sly grin.
"I will." But then I didn't move. I didn't want to be out in the hallway with Valentine, but I also didn't want to go in there with the guys. If they'd been talking about me, then they'd know for sure I had been listening in. If they hadn't been, then I'd feel like an idiot. Also, they'd smell that Rayne and I had sex, and that's not something I was ready to face yet.
As if reading my mind, Valentine sniffed the air, his nostrils flaring, and a snarl curled his lips to reveal his fangs. "You've let another one defile you, I see. What should I expect from a little human slut like you?" I flinched and backstepped as Valentine moved in closer.
"T-That's none of your business," I snapped, cursing myself for stuttering. "What I do with my masters is between us."
"Ah, but you have it all wrong." Valentine braced his hands on either side of me, leaning in until he was only inches away. It almost seemed like he might kiss me, but then at the last second, he turned his head, brushing his lips down my cheek, his nose sniffing along my neck. He traced the line of the scar on my neck where Antoine had bound me to him, and growled, "I really wish you hadn't done that."