Breathe Under Water - Shadows of the Night 1

Chapter 17

Hi!

Chapter 17, edited and reviewed. I wont shower you with long introductions this time. Read, comment, vote! Let me know what you think about this one!

Lara

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Chapter 17

I hit the bathroom with a flushed face and slightly breathless. I went inside, rushing past other female servants checking their reflections for possible flaws, powdering their noses and reapplying lipstick. Incessant talk and light gossip flew over their lips like a secret chant.

I wanted to trade places with one of them, get rid of the weight on my shoulders just like that. The last thing I cared about was my reflection at this point in time. I took the first stall, closed the door, and leaned my head against it. The world was spinning.

Breathe. Just breathe.

What was happening to me? This was too much.

I had heard of their powers, of the pull. Vampires were adept in the art of persuasion, especially when it came to the paths of desire and attraction. That was nothing new. That I was stupid enough to – if not fall for it – be susceptible to it, however, was.

With one touch Alexander made his intentions clear. As clear as the words he threw at me when he revealed what he kept female human servants for: Blood. Although I believed that Alexander was simply messing with my head, I wasn't stupid enough to believe that the master vampire would hesitate to do 'it', if the chance presented itself.

What if I got lost in one of his mind games? What if I started to believe in, see things that were not real? The hair on the back of my neck lifted and I tasted bile on my tongue.

This was exactly what I'd tried to tell Brown, what I'd been telling anyone who wanted to start a discussion about the undead. This was why I didn't trust vampires, why I never got close to them. They couldn't be trusted. I, more than anyone else, knew that. So how could I have reacted like this at the mere touch of skin on skin?

A vampire's touch awakened a tiny spark of something inside of me. Something I hadn't felt for a long time. And it was more than I could take.

It wasn't you, Anna. Besides, that vampire is powerful enough to mind-fuck a whole convent of nuns into group sex.

I pushed myself away from the door. Yeah, that's it.

After all that I had been through, I had learned to fear the vampires because of what they were, what they were capable of doing. But I was here for a purpose. I'd be damned if I stopped because I let myself be intimidated. First priority: the Cellinis. Then I would deal with whatever came next.

Scraps of sound penetrated, movement and giggling somewhere out in the restroom. Reluctantly, I opened my closet door. Among the bunch of nose-powdering females I found Corine rearranging her hair in front of the mirror.

"Hi Corine."

Her face lit up. "Anna, this is like one of the best parties I've ever been to! Heron really knows how to have a blast. Have you seen the decoration? There's going to be a dance performance later on, you know." She stopped and looked at me through the mirror, frowning. "What's wrong? You don't look so well. You alright?"

I shrugged. "I guess I'm just nervous."

"Right, it's your first vampire banquet. I forgot. Don't worry. You'll get used to it."