Arabella's POV
The tension in the ballroom thickened, the whispers spreading like wildfire.
"A human?"
"I smell it... I smell her."
"Why is a human here?"
"She's not just any human. Her scent is—"
"Exquisite."
The hushed murmurs turned into full-fledged debates, some filled with disgust, others with fascination, and the most terrifying ones—hunger.
More vampires started stepping forward, eyes darkening, their control slipping.
I felt it—the way they watched me now.
The air shifted, an unspoken power struggle erupting between them.
They wanted me.
Not me, Arabella.
They wanted my blood.
A shiver ran down my spine as I felt them inch closer.
One vampire, a tall man with slick black hair and a piercing gaze, stepped forward, his expression twisted with curiosity and hunger.
"W
