Headlights cut through the dark at the end of the block. The black coupe glides to the curb. The back door opens before the car fully stops. Dorian leans forward from the interior.
"Get in."
I slide into the leather seat. The door closes behind me with a solid thunk. A man sits in the driver's seat. Older, silver-haired, wearing a dark suit. He doesn't turn around.
"Jett," Dorian says. "The Vesper."
"Yes, sir."
The car pulls away. I press my palms against my thighs to stop the shaking. The city slides past the windows.
"What happened?" Dorian asks.
"I almost broke someone's wrist."
"Did you?"
"No. But June saw. She looked at me like I was dangerous."
"You need to stop seeing her."
"I can't stop seeing her."
"Then you'll need to learn proper control." His hand finds mine.
"Where are we going?"
"Somewhere I need you to see."
The car descends. A ramp leading down, then another. Three levels below street access. The bass line hits before we even see the entrance.
Jett pulls up to an unmarked steel door. A man built like a wall stands beside it. He sees Dorian through the tinted window and steps aside.
"Wait here," Dorian tells Jett.
We get out. The bouncer nods once. Opens the door without a word.
Inside, the air is thick. Sweat and spilled drinks. The crowd is mixed. Humans dancing, grinding, oblivious. And others moving through them like sharks through a school of fish.
I can tell the difference now.
The vampires move with too much grace. Their eyes track pulse points.
Dorian keeps a hand on my lower back as we descend the stairs. "This is neutral ground. Vampires from different territories come here to feed. To socialize."
"And the humans know?"
"Yes. Even if they don't name it out loud."
The air smells like blood and sex and something chemical I can't identify. A vampire I don't recognize nods at Dorian. Another steps out of our path without being asked.
"They know who you are," I say.
"Everyone knows who I am. I created created most of them or their makers… or their makers’ makers."
We find a table in the upper mezzanine. The entire floor spreads below us. Dorian chooses seats where we can see everything. A server appears immediately with two glasses of blood.
Dorian dismisses her with a gesture. "We're not drinking tonight."
Within minutes, other vampires start drifting by. They greet Dorian with varying levels of formality. Look at me like I'm a curiosity. A piece of furniture. Something decorative he brought along.
One man with silver rings on every finger stops at our table. Smiles with too many teeth.
"Dorian. Good to see you." His eyes slide to me. "And who's this? The new pet?"
My jaw locks.
"Does she bite?" he asks. "Or just look pretty?"
Dorian's hand tightens on my thigh under the table.
"Jules," Dorian says quietly. "Keep walking."
Jules laughs but moves on.
I turn to Dorian. "Pet?"
"Ignore him."
"Everyone here thinks I'm your pet."
"Everyone here thinks what I allow them to think."
Before I can respond, the energy in the room shifts. Conversations falter.
Sabine arrives like a stage entrance.
She wears black silk that clings to her like water. Her hair is pulled back to show the elegant line of her throat. She moves through the crowd with two companions flanking her.
Weeks old and already holding court like she owns the place.
She spots Dorian. Her trajectory changes. She heads straight for our table.
"Dorian." She slides into the booth uninvited, ignoring me completely. Her companions remain standing behind her like sentries.
"Sabine."
"I heard you never left the city. I had to come say hello." She leans forward. "Lucien sends his regards."
"Does he?"
"He's moved on, you know. So quickly." The emphasis on quickly is a stake aimed at me. "It seems he has trouble staying focused on one thing."
Heat crawls up my spine. Sabine finally looks at me. Tilts her head like she's examining something mildly interesting in a shop window.
I open my mouth to speak.
"Sabine," Dorian says. "You should leave."
Her smile widens. "But I just got here. Wanted to see your project."
"I'm not a project," I say.
Sabine laughs.
"The kitten has claws." She leans in closer. "How long before he declaws you?"
Dorian stands abruptly. The movement is smooth but the temperature around the table drops ten degrees.
"The conversation is over." He extends a hand to me. "We're leaving."
I take his hand because the alternative is lunging across the table. I'm not sure I'd stop once I started.
Sabine waves us off with mock sadness. "So soon?"
We walk toward the exit. I can feel Sabine's eyes on my back the entire way. The music pounds. Every step feels like swallowing glass.
Outside, I tear my hand from Dorian's grip the second we're alone.
I spin on him. "Why did you let her talk to me like that?"
"Nora—"
"You just sat there. Sabine insulted me and you did nothing."
His control cracks. Heat bleeds into his voice. "I'm an Original, Nora. I'm not getting between two baby vampires to settle an insult on neutral ground."
The word hits like a slap. "Baby?"
"The Vesper holds because I hold it." He steps closer. "If I break the rules, every elder does. And people die."
"So you just let her—"
"If we were anywhere else, I'd end the performance in a heartbeat." His voice drops. "I'd make the insult live in her body. I'd send her back to Lucien limping and unable to shape your name."
Something hot unfurls in my chest.
"If you want respect, then make them respect you. I can't do that for you."
I stare at the steel door. At the world I've entered and can't leave.
"Come on," he says. "Let's go home."
"Your home or mine?"
"Mine. You need to feed properly. And I need to teach you how to fight."
I get in the car. The door closes. The city slides past the windows. My hands are still shaking but not from fear anymore.
From anticipation.