Hexed and Bitten

Chapter 5

Her eyes roamed over him appraisingly, taking in his costume. Dressed in all-black gear, he looked like an assassin or hunter ready to blend into the night to take out his prey. He looked dangerously delicious.

David held his arms out, a playful smirk touching his lips. "What do you think?"

"You look like death come to hunt me down," Arabella bit her bottom lip her eyes watching him as he moved towards her.

Closing the space between them, he dipped his head down towards her ear. "If you mean hunt you down to take you back and ravage you in my bed..." His voice was deep and husky, his warm lips brushing against her sensitive skin.

Slowly, Arabella ran her hands up his chest, feeling the firm muscle beneath his tactical gear. She wasn't just touching him; her fingers were casually evaluating him, subtle and calculating. Reaching up, she gripped the collar of his shirt and yanked him down until her lips brushed his ear.

"Who needs a bed?"

David let out a low groan, leaning further into her space.

"Let's dance."

Not waiting for his response, she gave his chest a light push and spun away, slipping fluidly into the pulsing crowd. She didn't need to look back to know he was following; she could feel the weight of his gaze, hearing the soft, frustrated breath he let out as he parted the wall of bodies, determined to catch her.

The music thrummed around them, vibrating through the hardwood floors. Even over the deafening bass, Arabella’s senses picked up every ambient detail. In a shadowed corner, a couple pressed tightly together pretended they were just dancing, but their shallow moans and the sudden rise of arousal in the air proved otherwise.

It wasn't surprising everyone knew Jerry's parties were notorious. Stepping into his mansion was like stepping into another world where limits ceased to exist. People shed their inhibitions, allowing carnal desire to dictate every move. As the night wore on and the alcohol flowed, even fewer would bother hiding it. Arabella, having lived through decades, had seen it all. A chaotic modern house party was nothing compared to the wild, decadent affairs she had witnessed across the eras. Besides, when humans became this careless, it made hunting effortless for a vampire, not that Arabella indulged like that anymore. She was no longer a fledgling letting bloodlust control her actions.

"Caught you," David growled into her ear, his hands clamping possessively onto her hips from behind.

Smirking, she took a half-step back, pressing her body against him, his hands automatically going to her hips. She swayed her hips to the heavy rhythm, reaching back to hook her arms around his neck. David’s grip tightened, his manhood hardening against her backside as he locked into her movement.

As she ground against him, a deep rumble resonated in his chest. His hands trailed up her waist, one cupping her breast through her outfit, the other sliding up to her neck, fingers gently anchoring her tight against him. She kept dancing, feeling the rapid pulse of his heart and the hard length of him against her. He was losing his composure, giving in to raw need, and the shift brought a dark satisfaction to her lips. She loved when he lost control, when the quiet, composed man gave way to fierce, uninhibited passion. He was wild with her, yet he had never crossed a line.

Without warning, David spun her around, shoving her back into the cool stone wall just off the edge of the floor. He planted a hand on either side of her head, trapping her in his shadow.

Her lashes fluttered as she looked up into his eyes. The dark hunger in his gaze made her lick her lips involuntarily. His lips crashed onto hers, hungry and wild. She moaned, kissing him back, her hands clinging to him as their tongues battled for dominance. Leaning into her one hand still planted firms on the wall just by her head. His other hand moved his fingers gently grazing her chin then down her neck. Cupping her breast through her shirt he squeezed making her moan her back arching pressing into his palm. His other hand moved from the wall cupping the side of her face as he leaned in further his hardness pressing achingly against her core, his other hand gripping her thigh lifting her leg to allow him better access.

Lost in the bliss that was his kiss and his sinful hands, her spine suddenly stiffened. The sudden sensation of being watched snapped her right back to reality and the fact that they were still on the dance floor.

Breaking the kiss, her eyes darted around, searching for the culprit. Everyone around them was lost to the music, grinding and kissing, none of them paying any attention to her or David. But she felt it, someone had been watching her, maybe even still was. That familiar sensation pulled in her belly, the nagging feeling of her intuition warning her something was coming, but what?

A warm hand caressed her cheek, pulling her from her thoughts. Looking up, she was met with David’s ocean blue eyes. He looked down at her, confused and a little worried.

Schooling her features, she gave him a flirtatious smile as her rigid posture relaxed once more. Gently, she pulled on his collar, making him lean forward, and slowly pressed a few feathered kisses on his lips before trailing them to his ear.

"Let's get a drink," she whispered.

Ducking under his arm, she began to move through the crowd. She didn't wait or look back, knowing he was right behind her, and she couldn't help the small smile when his hand grabbed hers, lacing his fingers between hers. She knew she shouldn't get attached to David, they could never work, but in moments like this, she couldn't help but let herself indulge a little and pretend, even for a night, that she was an ordinary girl and that they could be whatever they wanted.

Vivianne sat on the edge of the bar, her legs spread and Jerry in between them. Her head tilted back, she giggled as he kissed her neck, her arms wrapped around his shoulders, letting him ravage her neck like a starving man without a care in the world who saw it or that she was getting in the way of the bartender as he moved around.

David's smile faded into a sharp scowl as his eyes locked onto Vivianne and Jerry, his hand slightly tightening around Arabella's.

"Get a room," David snapped, his voice tight with irritation as he glared at them.

Vivianne pulled back slightly, a wicked grin spreading across her face as she looked at David. "If you don't like the view, brother, feel free to look away," she retorted, her tone dripping with snark. David snapped his mouth shut, muscles feathered across his jaw as he clenched his teeth.

Arabella knew Vivianne was his younger sister, but he couldn't have been that surprised to see her like this. She openly talked about her dalliances in front of David, but maybe hearing about it was easier than actually seeing it.

Approaching the bar, she flagged the bartender down. Something about Vivianne's tone and the odd look that flitted across David's face gave Arabella pause as she watched their exchange through the mirror that sat behind the bar. If she hadn't known better, she would have thought he looked jealous, but that was crazy. She was his sister.

Shaking that odd thought away, she ordered shots. She needed something stronger to take the edge off her frazzled nerves. Being a vampire, it took a lot more than the average human to get her drunk. A shot wouldn't get her buzzed, but it would take the edge off.

Vivianne turned to Arabella a smile on her face. "So, how are you liking the party so far?" She grinned at Arabella, eager to hear what she thought.

"It's... okay." Arabella didn't want to be rude. This was Jerry's party after all, and he was Vivianne's current flavor of the month. But his supposed party was more like the beginnings of an orgy and less like a Halloween party. Sure, his mansion was massive, there was plenty of good food, and the open bar was stocked with high-end alcohol. The dance floor was huge, and the DJ was killing it, but it still wasn't her cup of tea.

"Just okay?" Jerry scoffed, his fragile ego clearly wounded by her answer. He squared his shoulders, looking down his nose at her with a condescending chuckle. "Please. My family's catering budget tonight costs more than your entire wardrobe. You wouldn't know a legendary party if it bit you on the ass."

"Hey," David stepped forward, gently pushing Arabella back as if to protect her from what she wasn't too sure of. Jerry had a big mouth, but he was a coward, he would never actually try anything physical.

"What? I'm just stating facts," Jerry shrugged, smirking as he casually adjusted his designer cuff, completely oblivious to David's rising irritation. "She’s clearly never seen real money. It’s fine, some people just lack the sophistication to appreciate the finer things in life. I practically brought Ibiza to this zip code, and she gives me 'okay'?"

"Muzzle your boy, Viv?" David hissed at Vivianne, who until this point had been grinning, sitting on the bar completely unbothered by the scene unfolding.

Rolling her eyes, she ran her hands up Jerry's bulging biceps and up to his face. "Come on, Jer, ease up. She didn't say the party was bad," she purred softly, turning his face toward hers to kiss him.

Groaning, Jerry kissed her back instantly. Grabbing her, he pulled her tight, their kiss turning from tender to wild in seconds.

Arabella couldn't hide her disdain watching them. He was practically eating her face. Looking away, she glanced up to find David watching them with that look again, like he wanted to rip Jerry's head off. The weird thing was, for the briefest of moments, it looked like he was jealous again. Like he wanted to be the one kissing Vivianne, but that was crazy, she's his sister.

"David?"

He blinked, looking down at Arabella as the intense look flitted away, replaced by a warm smile.

Shaking that odd, nagging feeling, she turned toward the shots on the bar.

"Slide one down, Ari!" Vivianne, no longer sucking face with the big i***t, reached out with a bright grin.

Smiling, Arabella slid a shot glass down the polished bar to her.

She caught it seamlessly, lifting it high. "Cheers to having an amazing night!"

Laughing, Arabella lifted her glass. "Cheers."

She downed her shot, the familiar burn welcoming.

"Another!" Vivianne slammed her glass down on the wood.

Chuckling, Arabella looked up, about to apologize to the bartender, who up until this point had been whispering curses about Vivianne under his breath, but as her eyes lifted, something caught her attention in the reflection of the mirror sitting behind the bartender.

A pair of deep brown eyes. Eyes she hadn't seen in over fifty years.

Gasping, she spun around instantly, her heart hammering against her ribs. But when she searched the crowd, there was only a group of scantily clad women laughing and drinking.

What the hell was going on? First the feeling of being watched, then the odd looks between David and Vivianne, and now this?

She had looked straight into those eyes, his eyes. There was only one man she knew with eyes that color. So dark they looked black in dim lighting, but when the light hit them just right, it was like looking into a galaxy of different shades of brown and flecks of green. She had loved looking into those eyes. She had loved him.

She needed another drink. No, she needed many more.