Penny's Choice (Book 1 of Penny's Choice Series)

Chapter 5 (The Party)

Penny wandered around aimlessly for a few minutes and found herself in a very long dark hall, far off from the ballroom. She spotted a door labelled "Private." She blinked. Was this a vampire room? Maybe she could find some information on that vampire. Her mind was still not working fully right. She turned the doorknob and twisted it hard, but it didn't move. Sighing, she blinked again. She smashed the door with great energy, and it opened with a loud crack. She smiled. At least smashing things made her feel a little better. She looked around the area; there was a light in a corner, but the room was still mostly dark. She moved quickly to a filing cabinet filled with what would hopefully be vampire files.

Her hands searched desperately for anything with her name on it or maybe that Priscilla vampire or even something on Thomas. She grabbed a file and was about to open it when suddenly two hands wrapped through her arms from the back, keeping her from moving. She felt hot breath on her back.

"Girls like you shouldn't be alone in a place like this." The voice was happy and playful.

She breathed sharply. Thomas! His touch made her more goose pimply than Charles's ever had. She tried to banish the thought from her head, but she was just so glad that he was here, and Thomas' skin was just so smooth. Maybe he could help her with her problem, especially since Charles wasn't there to get in the way.

"Thomas," she said, then turned a little bit and caught sight, not of Thomas, but of the vampire from the ballroom. She found herself staring into breathtaking blue eyes. She struggled to get free, but it only made him tighten his hands on her arms. She thought about screaming, but she was afraid it would bring more vampires instead of help.

"Is this your office?" she said, trying to get her arms out of his clutches.

The vampire gave her a sly grin when she turned her head around.

"No," he replied; his voice sent chills down her. She wanted to grab her daggers and pierce him straight through the heart. She waited for him to sink his teeth into her neck and finish what he had started months ago.

Her mouth was dry, and her eyes widened. She couldn't let him bite her; she had to fight for her family. She had to escape. She stomped on his instep as hard as she could, making him groan. She took that as a chance and slipped away from his grasp. She sprinted for the door, but he blocked it. He was much faster than she. She ran over to the other end of the room. So much for escaping.

"You... stay away from me, or just get it over with!" she said, almost in tears. She didn't know what was wrong with her. She should have immediately lunged at the vampire.

The stranger replied with another grin. "Penny, come on, you really shouldn't be in here," he said. "Don't make me fight you."

What, he knew her name? He must have been listening in that night.

She reached into the back of her dress to pull out the small wooden daggers that she kept hidden there. She should have brought her wooden stake, but she hadn't thought it necessary before.

"Look, you," she said, "We either do this the easy way, or the hard way."

He laughed gently; the sound made her heart flutter. What was wrong with her? Now she was getting all woozy over this killer?

"What if I pick..." the vampire said and carefully walked towards her, "the hard way?"

She could hear the playfulness in his voice. He wasn't scared. Didn't he know that she was in the Brotherhood? That he shouldn't mess with her? He was being far too playful to be a normal vampire.

"You asked for it," she said, raising her daggers over her head.

The vampire simply moved closer to her. "Bring it on, then," he said with a childlike smile on his lips.