"Good morning, singles."
I drag my gaze from my plate and to the head of the table where Clayton has taken over the role of master of ceremonies. He isn't nearly as animated as Felix was. In fact, the house steward might be the blandest being I've ever met. He isn't prone to smile and steers away from any attire with color; both practices do little to improve his grayish, sagging skin. Not that I'm surprised; ghouls are not known for their shining personalities.
"Today's scheduled activity is designed for those of you who have made a physical connection with a fellow attendee."
Lorelai nudges me with her elbow and wiggles her eyebrows at Cordelia. I can hear her thoughts as if she is speaking them out loud.
This activity is for you, big boy.
It doesn't matter if it isn't. I have to start participating with Cordelia or my best friend will think I'm not taking this seriously.
She would be wrong.
I'm completely invested in this event, but not in the way she thinks. I won't rest until I know who killed Felix and why they have turned their sights on Cordelia.
"You are asked to wear workout attire with shoes that can easily be removed." I snap my attention back to Clayton as he continues, saying, "Couples will meet in the ballroom at eleven for this hands-on tutorial on how to give a sensual massage."
It takes every ounce of my inhuman strength to keep from rubbing my temples. My hands on Cordelia. Her hands on me. There is no way I'm surviving this activity without getting an erection.
I chance a glance at Cordelia and she's already looking at me, her cheeks flushed, and goddamnit I can smell her blood flowing warm through her veins. It was both heaven and hell sleeping next to her last night. Actually, I didn't sleep at all after our shared dream. I just held her, either running my fingers over her delicate collarbone, or staring at the ceiling wondering what the hell I am going to do if all my suspicions are true.
"You okay, Elias?" she asks, leaning over and placing her hand on my leg, sliding it over my inner thigh and squeezing.
I rest my hand on top of hers, stopping her from going any further. If she finds that I'm sporting a semi just thinking about this event, I might walk out into the sun and set myself ablaze.
"I'm great. This event sounds fun." I flash a toothy smile, praying it looks natural. "I'm excited to finally participate in a day event with you."
Lorelai pats me on the back and stands. "This is going to be so much fun. I've been looking forward to witnessing the chemistry between you firsthand. Get those fingers warmed up, Cora. Our boy's got some meaty biceps."
Cordelia intertwines our fingers and thankfully stays away from my zipper before her eyes dart to Lorelai. "Wait, I didn't know you'd made a match. Who are you bringing?"
"The fairy I ditched you for last night, Jolene." She jerks her chin in the direction of the petite winged being who sat next to me the other morning when we discussed Felix's murder. She was horrified by the whole thing. I'm glad Lorelai will be around to protect her if need be; my best friend is definitely a formidable fighter when she has to be. Lorelai wiggles her fingers in her direction and the lavender-haired fairy flashes her a wink across the room.
Cordelia grins. "I'm glad that worked out for you." She leans into me and kisses my neck before saying, "It worked out well for me and Elias too, didn't it, verndari minn?"
I tilt my head to the side, repeating her words in my head. Italian, French, Romanian, Spanish, Hebrew, Russian, Mandarin, and Croatian—I can't find the meaning sorting through the languages I fluently speak. "Swedish?" I ask.
She smiles like she finally has one up on me and shakes her head. "Nope."
"Are you going to tell me?"
"Nope."
"Do you speak it fluently?" I ask.
"I understand it better than I speak it, but I can get by pretty well," she answers before taking a sip of her orange juice.
I hum and file the saying away to decipher at another time. It's nice to know that I'm nowhere near figuring her out. This is a game I could spend a lifetime playing with her.
The second the thought enters my brain, I try to push it away, but it implants itself there. A little seed that I don't think I could dig up, even if I wanted to.
"I'll figure it out one way or another," I say, taking a sip of the blood in my coffee mug. I could act like I'm drinking wine for breakfast, but it just seems uncouth to me, as silly as that sounds.
"With no internet?" she says slyly.
"I have my ways."
"Sure. I know all about your ways," she murmurs, leaning back into me and nipping my earlobe.
Fuck, she's going to be the death of me.
"Cordelia..." I growl in warning.
"What?" she whispers, her voice an innocent rasp in my ear. "I'm just trying to make sure we're coming off believable. Is it working?"
If we're asking my cock, the answer is yes. Fuck yes, it is believable. Then again, it seems to be the only head I'm thinking with lately. Especially after last night.
I shift in my seat and struggle to find my voice, barely getting out the words. "It's working."
Thankfully, I don't have to say much more because Lorelai claps her hands together and stands. "I'm ready to get this rub down fest on."
We stand and follow her upstairs to change. Cordelia's and my hand end up laced together as we walk side by side. We are definitely a convincing couple. Maybe a little too convincing.
"Meet you downstairs," Lorelai calls as she ducks into her room, and as soon as Cordelia and I step into ours, I drop her hand, and I can't bear to look at her. I don't want to see it if I hurt her feelings.
I move to the wardrobe and pull out a pair of joggers and running shoes, keeping the black t-shirt I'm already wearing. I hear Cordelia rummaging in the hallway closet, and when she comes out of the bathroom, I fight to keep my eyes on her face.
She's wearing tight black leggings with triangular cutouts all the way up the outside of her thighs, a bright pink sports bra, and a black cropped hooded jacket. Her silver hair is thrown into a bun. She doesn't even seem to notice the effect she's having on me as she tosses her shoes to the ground and sits on one of the chairs to put them on.
"Hey, I'm sorry if I came on too strong down there," she says after she gets the second one laced, standing up to meet me by the door. "I just want to make sure Lorelai is convinced."
"Don't apologize." Please don't. It's not your fault that my body has reverted back to my teenage years. "I appreciate your efforts. It really does save me from the headache of worrying if Lorelai is more caught up on my experience than her own. I can tell that she is buying it."
"Okay," she says, a dubious tone still in her voice. She looks up at me and pushes a stubborn piece of hair from my forehead. "I know we blurred lines last night in the name of curiosity, but...if you ever want me to back off, just say so."
"We did, but I can't say I didn't enjoy it. And I don't want you to back off." The last sentence is out of my mouth before I can think better of it. I don't dwell on the blunder, instead I take her hand and lead her out of the room.
Couples are already congregating in the ballroom. The dozen massage tables are out of place with the hand-painted ceilings and gilded trimming. It's impossible to ignore how every pair is engaging in some form of touch already. If the lust I feel toward Cordelia was containable, it isn't anymore with the amount of pheromones in this room.
"You want to give or receive first?" she asks, jumping up on an empty table.
I raise a brow and put an arm on either side of her thighs, caging her in, leaning in close. "Cordelia, I swear to all things good and pure in this world, you do this shit on purpose."
She draws her plump bottom lip between her teeth, and god, I want to bite it, draw blood, really taste her.
"I didn't mean it like that, I swear," she says, but the smirk on her face tells me she's enjoying this. "But for the record, I really like to give."
"Fuck," I hiss, running a hand down my face. "If you make me lose it in front of all of these people, I will return the favor. And I promise you, you will have an audience that is very aware of what is happening. Do you understand?"
I realize my mistake immediately when her lips turn up into a sneaky grin, her grey eyes practically sparkling. "Yes sir. I understand completely."
"Behave, dolce tentazione," I whisper as the instructor and his assistant take their place at the front of the room.
Both men are well-built and wearing shorts that should be classified as underwear. They give a quick set of rules about listening to our partner's body with our hands and playing with different pressures to discover what they like. The shorter of the men climbs onto the table as the instructor says, "Feel free to take off as much or little as you feel comfortable with and climb onto the table with your front down."
I groan as I pull my shirt over my head. When the fabric falls away, I find Cordelia staring at me like she has been presented with a gourmet meal. She bites her bottom lip as she takes me in from head to toe. I try to play it off as I kick my shoes under the table, but I can't shake the feeling. The somersaults my stomach is performing are on an Olympic level.
I lay down and look back at her, giving a final warning. "Behave yourself."
"But that's no fun," she says, running a pointed fingernail down my spine. I can't fight off the full body shiver that rolls through me, and Cordelia just giggles. "Okay, okay, I'll stop." And once her hands leave my skin, I miss her touch immediately.
But not for long because Lars, the man who is giving the massage, begins to give instructions. "Next to your table, you'll see a bottle of massage oil. Jasmine scented—jasmine is one of the most sensual smells, used often in aromatherapy. This will enhance any already forming physical connections between you and your partner."
Great. Just what we need.
I hear the oil between Cordelia's hands as she slathers it on her palms, and all I can think of is the way it would sound if she had my cock in her hands, jerking—god, Elias. Stop.
"Now, place your hands on your partner's back, and we are going to start simple, just some broad strokes with your palms..."
I completely tune him out and lose myself in Cordelia's gentle but firm touch. She doesn't need to test the waters to find out what I like. Hard, soft, kneading, or rubbing, I just want her hands on me.
The massage carries on, and I manage to keep myself together. That is until her hands move to the back of my legs. My joggers were supposed to be an added layer of protection, but as her fingers move along my thighs, I quickly realize I might as well be naked. Her thumbs sweep along the inside, pressing firm circles into my abductor muscles. A moan slips from my throat as she moves up, and when she skims just under my ass cheek, my pelvis grinds into the table.
Her breath catches, no doubt noticing my reaction, and I clench the edge of the table so hard I'm certain my knuckles have turned white.
Leaning down toward my ear, her full breasts rest against my naked back, her hard nipples pressed into my skin. "I'm sorry, Elias. Did I get too close?"
"Just remember who will be on this table next. I can be cruel too, Cordelia. There is an art to keeping one right on the edge, and I've perfected it."
The little vixen just runs her tongue down the column of my neck and slips her hand back down to my inner thigh, continuing her massage, but this time, gets so, so close to my cock that I have to fully adjust the way I'm laying in order to avoid some serious pain.
"Do your worst, Elias. I'm ready for you."
I'm convinced she is the evilest being in this house. Damn the demons and even the murderer. She puts them all to shame with her teasing. If I were a man who enjoyed an audience of strangers, I'd flip to my front and let her have her way with me. And when she was done, I'd redden her ass for disobeying me. Fuck, how I want my handprint on her skin.
But I just take a deep breath and hiss, "Just wait. You'll be sorry you teased me, tentatrice."
"Nah, seeing you squirm is completely worth any edging you give me. Which, lucky for me, I happen to like edging. So your punishment may end up just being more fun than anything else, herra."
I growl in frustration and grip the table harder.
This woman constantly tests my resolve. I've never felt so weak in my entire existence. Even when I was a human, before I craved blood, I didn't give in to vices. She will pay for what she has done to me. And I won't be so kind to her body when she is at my mercy on the table.