Bite of Cinder

Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Cynthia“I bet they have orgies at their parties, and that’s why they make everyone sign a nondisclosure agreement,” Liatris said as she shoved my makeup bag at me. “Your eyeshadows smudged.”

“Thanks.” I checked myself in the mirror and fixed the offending eyeshadow while Liatris drove us to the gorgeous mansion almost an hour's drive from the city.

“I don’t know about an orgy. As far away from civilization as the party usually is, it’s a little creepy. Maybe they just pick one fan to publicly disembowel and what not,” I answered because, yeah, that was another theory circulating. Everyone stayed quiet about the parties because they didn’t want to be the next victim.

Liatris rolled her eyes. “I guess we’ll find out soon enough, but my bet is on the orgy.”

The gorgeous red brick building came into view, and Liatris parked her car under a tree on the left. As it was after dark, I didn’t see the need to park in the shade, but if she wanted bird poop on her car, I wouldn’t stand in the way of her dreams. Besides, it would make the car easier to find when it was time to go home.

Somehow, despite us coming here straight from the concert, the party was already in full swing. A few of the girls must’ve bought out a shipment of perfume and used all of it in one shot just so they could impress everyone at the party. I wasn’t impressed.

The smell, the loud music, and the flailing bodies made me want to run out screaming. I was definitely not staying for the orgy.

My feet agreed. As cute as the crystal shoes were, they were also the least comfortable footwear I had ever worn, and I couldn’t wait to take them off.

Liatris grabbed my arm and dragged me into the middle of the stinky, flailing crowd. Nothing could stand between her and a good time.

I followed on wobbly, probably bleeding feet and tried to dance, but my eyes were scanning the balconies above where the VIP section was on full display.

Roan stood between two girls. They had their hands all over him. And not just hands. One of them was running her tongue over his chest while the other was rubbing the bulge in his pants.

A little further to the right, I spotted Hart with his red mohawk. Some girl tried to touch him, but he grabbed her wrist and pushed it away. Nothing new there. Hart had the reputation of a cold, heartless drummer who sneered at all his fans.

It added to the appeal. Every other fangirl had her eyes on him, dreaming of melting his heart and making him hers. Good thing I wasn’t delusional enough to think I could do it.

The other two band members weren’t in the VIP area. I craned my neck to search for them, then turned to Liatris to ask if she saw them at the party, but Liatris was gone.

I checked my phone to see if she’d texted me where she’d be, and holy cow, it was already eleven. How was it already eleven?

And Liatris didn’t text me. I dialed her number and got nothing. She wasn’t answering her calls.

I started making my way to the door. Some asshole bumped into me, almost making me fall. The shoes really weren’t helping.

Frustrated with the ridiculous death contraptions that passed for footwear, I took them off and carried them in my hand as I searched for the nearest bathroom. Liatris must’ve gone there. She wouldn’t leave me here.

“Hello, Princess.” The sinfully deep voice and a sparkly hand pulled me into an alcove.

Holy s**t. Golden. He was so sparkly. And hot. And he was pulling me to his chest. And he called me a princess. Holy s**t.

“Were you looking for me?” he asked with a smirk.

“Umm...sure.” Who the hell said that? Me. My cool as a cucumber reply to a shiny rock god was Umm...sure.

Golden must’ve been used to evaporating every girl’s brain cells because my answer didn’t make him run away in disgust.

Speaking of disgusting, I was definitely never showering again. Golden was touching me.

“Why don’t we go somewhere quieter?” he asked and, not waiting for an answer, started pulling me toward the balcony door behind him.

Quieter was a great idea. As much as I loved Timeless Chains’ music, I liked it better when it wasn’t trying to rip my eardrums to shreds.

As the balcony door closed behind us, the music faded to a manageable level. And I was alone with freaking Golden. Holy s**t.

He slid his hand to my waist and looked down at me like he was ready to devour me. “What’s your name, Princess?”

“Cynthia,” I answered and almost added, “and you?” but stopped myself in time.

“Cynthia,” he echoed in his deep voice that made my knees weak.

And then he leaned closer until his lips were only an inch from my neck. The scent of conifer surrounded me like a loving embrace, and his hot breath caressed my cheek.

If this was what happened at these parties after midnight, then I should definitely stay. No, wait. If I stayed, then I’d forget about everything, and I definitely didn’t want to forget this.

Golden pressed flush against me until I could feel every ridge of his body, and good god, did he have a massive ridge down there. This was definitely not something I had known about him. Every tabloid talked about his pretty face, not about the tree trunk for a c**k.

His right hand grabbed my hair and pulled my head back, then he lowered his lips to mine. His tongue swept my mouth, demanding entrance.

His left arm wrapped around my back, crushing me against him. I itched to run up my fingers down the scalding hot muscles of his back.

Oh, sweet Mary, mother of God, he felt so good as he plundered my mouth.

Forgetting myself in the sensation, I fumbled with his shirt, desperate to feel his skin, to run my hands over his chiseled abs. I breathed in his scent and memorized every ridge of his body. Every fiber of my being wanted to keep kissing him for the rest of my life and die of happiness.

His teeth pulled on my lip as a low, satisfied rumble shook his chest. A slight pinch and the coppery taste of blood invaded my senses just as the balcony door slammed open.

Roan walked in, his head c****d to the side as he looked me up and down like he wanted to eat me up. Maybe literally because he had those wicked long fangs sticking out.

"Starting the fun without me?" he asked, and his fangs lengthened.

"I...umm." Like a classy, modern lady who wasn't ashamed of her sexuality, I pushed Golden away and ran out the door.

It wasn't my fault. Something in Roan's eyes unnerved me like this whole thing might actually turn into an orgy but then would end in a human sacrifice, and I would be the unlucky victim.

And he had fangs.

As I made it out of the mansion, I realized two things. First, I must've dropped my shoes while I was making out with Golden. Second, Liatris' car was gone.

Glancing at my phone, I also realized that the make-out session lasted a lot longer than I had thought. It was getting dangerously close to midnight.

So, I had two choices. I could stay here and get sacrificed to some freaky s*x god, or I could get a cab.

But only after I got off the property, so they wouldn't catch up to me and sacrifice me, anyway.

I sprinted down the driveway. The security guard gave me a strange look, but I didn't care. All I wanted was to get as far away from that mansion as possible.

Finally, I made it to the street and called a cab. The stupid app on my phone said it would get here in fifteen minutes, which would be way past midnight, and it gave plenty of time for someone to find me. Not that they needed to. There were plenty of hotter girls at the party that they could bang and sacrifice.

I hid in the forest on the side of the road, cursing both the dress and the glitter that Golden got all over me.

As I strained to hear any sign of pursuit, though, all I could identify were insects.

God, those fangs would haunt me in my nightmares. They were not cute. Not cute at all.

Finally, the cab showed up. I hopped inside and watched the mansion disappear behind me.

Phew. That was close. Way too close.

And oh, hey, I would get to remember making out with Golden. As freaky as Roan's fangs were, Golden still kissed like the s*x god that he was.