Total pages in book: 65
Estimated words: 61523 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 308(@200wpm)___ 246(@250wpm)___ 205(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 61523 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 308(@200wpm)___ 246(@250wpm)___ 205(@300wpm)
Continuing the conversation is the natural next step, but when Romy’s shaking voice cuts in to my consciousness, I can’t hear anything but her. I’ve done my best to handle three conversations at once up until now, but at the fear in her voice, hers takes absolute precedence.
“What, exactly, is so appealing about buying a woman rather than wooing one yourself? Is it an ineptitude issue? A tiny dick thing? Or are you really just that self-important?”
Jesus, Romy. As soon as the words leave her mouth, I drop the conversation with Hillary and David and the others like a hot stone, dismissing myself as politely as possible.
“Excuse me for a second, Hillary…Whitney.” I don’t bother with the men’s names. “I’m afraid I need to step away for a minute.”
Hillary nods, though her smile falls a little, but I don’t have time to linger on it as I move.
Between one moment and the next, I find myself across the party to the group of three—Lucian, Nathanial, and Romy—and turning it into four. Lucian’s smirk tells me he’s not entirely surprised by my arrival, which puts me on edge from the start.
“Well, hello, Calloway,” he says, a peculiar smile curling his lip just enough to be noticeable. “What can I do for you?”
“I’m just mingling my way through the room, and this conversation looked like it’d be interesting to be a part of.”
“Oh, it is,” he agrees. “It is.”
“Romy Spencer, meet my nephew. Calloway Slater.”
“Nice to meet you,” I say innocently, begging my body not to betray me. This isn’t the time to imagine my lips on hers or the feel of her hair sliding through my fingers. This isn’t the time to picture her gasp as I touched my tongue to hers or the way her toes curled onto the wood floor as I climbed into the window toward her.
This interaction isn’t the time for any of that—not even close.
“Nice to meet you too,” she says back, following my lead dutifully.
Fuck. I’m beyond proud of her.
It’s nearly impossible to imagine how hard it must be for her to keep her composure, keep my secret, and work through the fear of trusting me all at the same time. This is an overwhelming experience for me—and I’m faster and stronger than she is by a thousand.
“Romy here was just challenging us to explain what makes the selection process superior to a traditional courting,” my uncle says, undoubtedly trying to stir the pot and angering Nathanial all over again.
“We don’t have to answer to you,” Rook’s deadbeat dad spits predictably, swinging his drink around with a meaty hand and calling more attention to the four of us than is necessary.
I call on Kane through Rook, scanning the room to give him some direction. Read some intention of the crowd around me, if you would. Things are feeling more tense than usual, and I need to keep my listening to the current conversation.
“Ah, yes. But wouldn’t it be better if we did?” Lucian challenges with a contrarian smile. “After all, I did challenge her to ask anything she wanted, and that’s what she’s done.” He pauses and looks at me. “Cal.” The nickname feels foreign from him, so much so that it brings my brows together. “Why don’t you take the honor?” he says then, catching me off guard and bringing the ball of power back into his court from this morning.
He’s forcing me to be something I’m not. Forcing me to play devil’s advocate by explaining this auction like it’s a good thing and doing it knowing I’ll put myself and Romy at risk if I don’t.
I can only hope she’ll see through the act enough not to lose trust in me and start believing I’m the monster I’ve promised I’m not behind closed doors.
“Of course.” My jaw grinds as I work to find the technical explanation with no rosy embellishments. I find myself falling back on the textbook definition. “Selection is…a long-standing tradition with roots in mutual respect and benefit. Some of the women back then—though of noble blood—lived a life of struggle and servitude. Vampires, likewise, found themselves powerless to control their lives or to better their families’ lives, and completely depleted of the most useful gifts and abilities. A treaty was born. Vampires would be given access to the best blood, and in exchange, these noble humans would be given the means for a better life.”
“Very good, Calloway,” Lucian praises, making the hair on the back of my neck stand on end. My instincts are spot-on, of course, and he pushes harder, forcing me to go further. “And in this modern setting? Have we seen a benefit?”
“In some ways,” I force myself to agree. “The human families who once struggled are wealthy. The vampires who’ve partaken, the strongest.”
“Mmhmm,” he hums.
I work my jaw, willing my racing thoughts to calm. Romy’s eyes are wide and scared, and the sight of it makes me feel like I’m burning alive.