Chapter Twenty-One

Christian had a huge place right on the water and mostly absent parents, who traveled a lot for their jobs, if the number of parties he threw was any indication.

“I thought you said this was going to be low-key for a change.” I glared at Skyler. “Just a few people.” Christian had been acting out of character lately, so it hadn’t been completely unbelievable that he’d become less social during his transformation to misogynistic jerk.

She shrugged. “Oops.”

Connor chuckled.

“Christian’s parties are always loud, drunken debaucheries,” I said. “And the last time I went to a party, I ended up getting bitten by a vampire.”

“Tansy,” Skyler pouted. “I promise you that won’t happen again.”

I didn’t point out that I was already part vamp, so it couldn’t happen again.

“Okay, but we stick together,” I said. “No matter what.”

“I promise,” she said.

“Tansy, I’m glad you made it,” Christian greeted me and ignored Vaughn. He moved into my personal space, and I took a step back. Vaughn put his hand to my waist and drew me close to his side.

Christian was oblivious, but then Vaughn kissed my neck, which got through Christian’s dense fog of one too many shots.

“Wait. You two are together?”

I didn’t say anything because I thought it was obvious, but Vaughn said, “Yes, we are very much together.”

“That’s why you turned me down,” Christian continued, but it wasn’t a question. “Knew there had to be a reason she’d pass on all this.” He waved his hand up and down his body.

He’d asked me out right before Vaughn and I had decided we weren’t just friends. I opened my mouth but figured I wouldn’t wound his ego by telling him I wouldn’t have gone out with him either way. He was good-looking with brown eyes that always sparkled with mischief and thick dark hair, but he didn’t usually stick with one girl, not even for a night. Besides, I’d been too busy pining over Vaughn.

The rest of the pack were already here, and I noticed that Lucas kept a protective arm around Rose. She looked a little shellshocked at the number of people crammed into the house. Big as the place was, it was still overflowing with bodies.

Xavier and Thorn were talking quietly in a corner, and Beckett’s usual sunny smile was missing as he glowered at them from where he sat in the opposite end of the living room, surrounded by girls.

We made our way into the kitchen where the keg was, along with about a hundred of Christian’s friends. Okay, maybe not a hundred, but his kitchen was huge, bright, and filled with loud voices. Kelli Martelli sat on a barstool, kissing Samantha Devon, her ex, and a guy who graduated last year, Hunter Somebody, was throwing up in a trash can.

Through the enormous sliding glass door, I could see there were a bunch of people in the pool, but I’d learned not to look too closely, because I was pretty sure I’d see parts of my classmates that I never wanted to see.

I’d changed out my heels for Converse, and my feet were thanking me.

I hadn’t spent very much time alone with Vaughn lately, and he looked good. He’d removed his jacket and tie and rolled up the sleeves of his gray button-down shirt. I was too distracted (ogling my boyfriend’s forearms) to notice that Skyler had found a bottle of something that looked red and lethal.

“Here’s to good times and bad decisions,” Sky said. She poured out a shot and then drained it in one gulp and lined up another.

Vaughn scowled at her. “Skyler, maybe you should slow down.”

“You’re not my dad,” Skyler said. “Don’t try to boss me around.” Obviously, things weren’t any better on the dad front. The staying power of each new stepmom was getting shorter and shorter, and Skyler liked Gertie, the current step. Though, if Gertie was pregnant, that might change her dad’s M.O.

“I’m not trying to boss you around,” he said. “I’m worried about you. Don’t forget about spring break junior year.”

Sky’s face went from pissed to embarrassed to amused. “Yeah, I forgot about that.”

“You puked so much I thought your insides were coming up,” Connor said.

“You did, too,” she told him. “And both of you did.” She pointed first to Vaughn and then to me.

I nodded. “Which is why we think it’s a good idea to slow down. No need for vomit comets tonight.” I was sticking to water because I had no idea what a drunk vampire queen would do, and I didn’t want to find out.

“Let’s find the rest of the pack,” Vaughn suggested.

Skyler’s face lit up with a smile when Connor asked her to dance. We watched them for a moment. Sky was wearing the first real smile I’d seen from her in months.

“I’m glad we came,” I admitted. It was worth it to see Skyler smile. I was still not the biggest fan of parties.

“Me, too,” Vaughn said. “Especially if you dance with me.” He held out a hand. “Please?”

It was a slow song. I almost knocked over a glass in my eagerness to have his arms around me. I took his hand, and we joined the crowd. We swayed in silence for a minute, his hands on my hips, mine locked around his neck.

“I forgot what a good dancer you are,” Vaughn murmured in my ear.

He pulled me closer, and I snuggled in. “Nice moves yourself,” I murmured back.

When he kissed me, he tasted like the cinnamon candies Granny Mariotti kept in a jar in our kitchen, hot and sweet, but it was probably the shot of cinnamon vodka he’d downed.

Vaughn rarely drank and had limited himself to one shot tonight. The room was packed with people and overripe with the heat of too many bodies in a small place.

“Let’s take a break,” I shouted over the music. Vaughn nodded.

“It stinks of suckers in here,” Lucas said loudly.

That was one thing vampires and werewolves seemed to have in common, an overdeveloped sense of smell.

“What do suckers smell like?” I asked brightly.

He met my eyes. “Like death.”

It was true. Vampires smelled of graveyards and decomposing flesh.

“Do I smell like death?” I blurted out.

“What? No,” Vaughn said. “You smell like Tansy.” He grinned down at me, his dimples flashing. “Like strawberries and vanilla.”

“You’re not funny,” I said. Travis and the rest of the band couldn’t shut up about how I smelled like a strawberry milkshake. I was relieved, though.

“I’m going to hit the restroom,” he said. “Be right back.”

I studied the crowd while I waited. Until I recognized a certain dyed black head bobbing to the music. Travis was here, cuddled up to Christian. I stomped over to them.

“Excuse me for a moment, Christian,” I said. “I need to talk to Travis.”

He huffed out an okay, and then I said to Travis, “Follow me. That’s an order.”

Christian gave him a weird look when Travis said, “Yes, your highness.” But then Christian must have assumed Travis was being snarky. If he only knew.

I found a spot where we could hear each other, but I could still watch Skyler. One of the things Granny’s tonic suppressed was my heightened vampire hearing, so I had to lean in a bit.

“Tansy, I’ve been wanting to talk to you, too,” Travis said.

“So talk.”

“I wanted to apologize,” he said. I gaped at him. Was this a trick? It was hard to believe that Travis had changed.

“You should apologize to Skyler, not me.”

He looked blank, and I put my hands behind my back so I wouldn’t smack him.

“Skyler Avrett, my best friend? The girl who you compelled into leaving her family and friends this summer to go on tour with you?”

His face still showed no sign of recognition, so I pointed to Skyler, who was dancing with Connor. Her face was alight as she and Connor competed to see who could do the silliest old-school moves.

“Schuler,” he said. “She’s hot.”

“Skyler,” I said through gritted teeth. “And she’s off-limits to you and the band.”

“I’ve changed,” he said. “I haven’t bitten anyone unwilling.”

I rolled my eyes at him.

“I haven’t bitten anyone unwilling lately,” he clarified. “And under vampire law, you can’t kill me unless I do something you’ve forbidden.”

“Have you?” I asked.

“You don’t have to sound so hopeful. Christian’s willing,” Travis said. “We’re not breaking any laws.”

He had a point. I didn’t necessarily believe he’d changed, but I didn’t have the right to interfere if both parties were willing participants. And it explained Travis’s fancy vocabulary. Christian was not only a talented artist, he was smart, too. Was Travis using big words to try to impress him?

“What do you know about the werewolf deaths?” I asked. I’d compelled him to tell me whether he’d killed the werewolf, but I hadn’t asked if he knew who did. I didn’t like to use my power of compulsion. It would be easy to abuse.

“Why are you asking me?” he replied. “Shouldn’t you be asking your boyfriend?”

Travis must be trying to distract me, get me off his scent, so to speak. He chuckled. “You don’t know, do you?”

He wanted me to ask. I didn’t want to give him the satisfaction, but I couldn’t help myself. “Know what?”

His teeth flashed, sharp and deadly. “Do you know how traitors are punished in a shifter pack?”

“Just spit it out, Travis,” I said.

“When a pack member is considered a traitor, the pack leader tears out the offending member’s heart.”

“You’re lying.” I clenched my teeth with the effort it took to keep my voice even, but my mind was racing. If he was telling me the truth, then why hadn’t any of the werewolves mentioned it?

“Am I?” he said. “Ask your boo.”

When the song ended, Christian came over to Travis and me. “Are you hungry?” He was obviously talking to Travis, not me.

“Willing donor,” he said. “No compulsion. Not against the rules.”

“There’s nothing you can do about it,” Christian said.

I could kill him. The thought must have shown in my eyes because Travis said quickly, “Thank you. For not killing me, I mean.”

“The night’s not over,” I replied. “Christian, are you sure—”

“Stay out of my business, Tansy.” He took off, and Travis trailed after him. I’d never seen the expression on his face. Did he like Christian? As more than a food source?

Vaughn keeping secrets. Christian a willing food source for Travis. The werewolf deaths. It was all too much.

It was official. I hated parties.