THE VAMPIRE CEO MATE

CHAPTER NINE

The corridor they walked through was dimly lit. Claire, who strolled in front of Ryan became nervous as they walked further into the building. She knew that she would have turned back and gotten the hell out of there but Ryan held her hand tightly and she couldn't think of getting away.

"I can hear your heart racing" Ryan whispered into her ear.

"Relax my love, I told you to trust me it's going to be fine". He said trying to calm Claire down. But they were walking into a dark hallway with no sight at the end.

Had he tricked her again?

Seconds later, Claire could hear some sounds of a faint classical music coming down the hallway. A sigh of relief escaped her. Soon, she could hear voices of a crowd and some unfamiliar noises.

Lastly, the light at the end of the hall could be seen and became brighter which lead into a beautiful ballroom.

"Wow!!" Claire exclaimed out, with her eyes shining with amazement.

"It's literally a real ballroom..". The place reminded her of those historical romance movies she loved to watch.

"I've never seen anything like it!".

Ryan smiled behind her, "I told you so".

He stepped in front of her, took her hand and lead her to a vacant table covered by a white tablecloth with golden trim. Ryan pulled out one of the chairs for Claire to sit down while a young man came by with a tray full of champagne flutes. Ryan turned his gaze to Claire asking with his eyes if she wanted one. She nodded, and the young man placed a glass directly in front of her.

"Please, send some water for the lady as well as your finest champagne". The young man nodded and disappeared into the crowds.

Claire took time to observe her surroundings, looking at the people, their clothes, the decorations of the ballroom... she was fascinated by everything. The place was packed! Men and women danced around to the classical music. The dancers wore clothes that resembled Victorian Era high fashion. Women twirling around in their puffy ball gowns of different colors and styles, and men in traditional looking suits. They danced with so much grace and their motions were effortless.

"Wow....", She said again.

"This place is a refuge...," She heard Ryan say. "Most of the people seen here are supernatural in some form".

He pointed to a man, "That over there is a fellow vampire". He pointed to another man, "That one is a wizard". Then he pointed to a woman, "She is fairy".

Claire eyebrows scrunched in confusion, "They look like regular people though".

"So do I" Ryan said.

Claire nodded, "Point taken". Her eyes scanned the environment. "Are there any humans here?".

"I'm sure there are", His eyes scanned the room. "Somewhere about...", just then the young man along with two others returned. They came along with trays full with fancy finger foods for them to choose from.

"Just leave some of everything, not quite sure what the lady likes". While the servers emptied the trays onto the table. Ryan took out his wallet and gave the young man a generous tip.

"Thank you sir". He muttered with a wide smile on his face.

"Split it three ways, There's more than enough". The young man nodded. And as they finished up they left the couples alone once again.

Meanwhile, Claire staring at the fresh looking finger foods. "See anything you're interested in?".

"Hmmm" She muttered. On the plates were several interesting appetizers to choose from. Her eyes picked out a caviar cracker and she decided to pick that. Since she has never eaten it before she was intrigued of what it might taste like. "Oh", she muttered in surprise when the salty flavor exploded in her mouth.

Ryan chuckled in response, "What?".

"That tasted weird", Claire immediately dropped the cracker down.

"I have no idea what's the big deal about caviar". She immediately picked up her glass of champagne to wash off the horrid taste from her mouth. She then continued to look at the food not wanting to pick something horrible again.

Ryan picked up the bitten cracker and consumed it in one bite. Claire frowned at his actions, immediately reminding her of the horrid taste that she desperately wanted to forget. After swallowing it completely, he straighten up as if remembering what he had almost forgotten.

"Claire" he muttered taking her hand in his, his actions surprised her.

"What's wrong?". She asked.

He sat there for a few seconds, trying to figure out how to explain everything to her.

"Tonight, there is going to be a full moon".

Yeah! she knew and she nodded in confirmation.

"You may or may not see some things that will catch you off guard or even scare you. If that happens, I'm asking you to try not to scream or yell, please".

She blinked at the request. The task seemed easy but she knew that wasn't the case. She asked out of curiosity, "What happens if I do?".

Ryan paused not knowing how to reply her question but he knew that he had to tell her the truth, "These people might try to kill you".

"What!!" She panicked.

"Shh!!" He shifted closer to her and squeezed her hands tightly.

"Like I said earlier, we don't generally mind humans but there has been a history of human hunters attempting to exterminate our kind. it was usually done out of fear....fear of the unknown. Humans tend to destroy the things they don't understand. Therefore, some of our people don't give humans the chance to attack out of fear. It sounds horrible, I know but if you were in their position you would probably react the same way.."

Ryan could see the fear in Claire's eyes, "What if I scream Ryan?, why did you bring me here?". She whispered.

"I brought you here because I trust you. I will protect you with every fibre of my being, I swear to you, Trust me".

It seemed to Claire that "Trust me" was the word for tonight and she didn't understand if she could actually really trust me especially with her life on the line. She sent a silent prayer to God, praying that she would return home safely tonight.

"So I will be killed because of my fear?" Ryan nodded. At that moment a question crossed her mind. "Have you ever killed anyone before?".

Ryan immediately got tensed by her sudden question and he paused for a long time, "Yes, I have".

"Was it out of fear?" she asked.

"Sometimes", he muttered, his eyes now looking away from her. Ryan was ashamed of his past but he had to be completely honest with Claire. "Other times it was out of ignorance, out of spite, because it was fun... I was a man who loved feeling powerful. I thrived on the fear of others". At that moment his mind flashed back to the horrid faces of the men, women and children he had killed. Their screams echoed in his ear, he cringed at the bad memories.

"I can assure you, I've changed since then" he muttered to say.

Had he really changed? What if he snaps again?

Claire said nothing more but nodded.

When he finished speaking, "Do you want to dance?".

Thank God. She was changing the subject....

"Yes, I would like that very much", They both stood up and made their way to the dance floor where a lot of people were still dancing. Ryan then waved his hand and changed their outfits to resemble everyone else's. He wore a black and white Victorian suit and Claire wore a white dress. Proud of his work, he took her into his embrace and smiled down at her taking in all her beauty.

Claire stared back, noting the flash of admiration in his eyes. She couldn't help but offer a small smile in return. Then she remembered, "I don't know how to dance the waltz".

"Not a problem, my love. I will teach you".

He leaned in closely and spoke softly into her ears, "Just relax and follow my lead". They stood in the starting position before Ryan began to spin them around.

"Count the steps in your head. One, two three.. One, two three..."

"One, two three..." she started counting and she fell easily into the dance. And soon they were twirling just like everyone else on the floor. Though they danced so beautifully, Claire still had the thought of messing up the dance by stepping on Ryan's foot. Everyone would laugh at them and Ryan would be too embarrassed to continue the date.

Ryan's chuckle interrupted her thoughts, bringing her back to the present. Not long after the song ended and so did their dance. And a sigh of relief and happiness escaped Claire for not making a mistake and embarrassing herself.

"That was wonderful, Claire".

She nodded in agreement, "It was but I can't help but think that you were controlling me. Were you?".

Ryan paused in thought and immediately regretting his actions. "Yes" he replied. He knew he crossed the line doing that without her knowledge.

"I deeply apologize, my love. I won't do it again". He glanced over at the musicians area and saw a full band coming on the stage. "Although, it may come in handy for the following dance". He nodded to their direction and Claire turned to look at what he meant.

She noticed the instruments the band were setting up and with that a sudden anxiety just came over her.

"Oh no.... Don't tell me".

It was a tango!!!. Probably one of the most sexiest classical dance ever!.

There was no way she could dance a tango for the first time in public.

"Can't we just sit this one out?" she begged Ryan.

But she could see the mischief in his eyes and she knew he was up to no good. "We could... or.... " effectively pulling her back into his embrace. "... you could let me take control one last time". By now the front of her body was pressed completely into his body.

Claire found herself frozen, staring up at Ryan's eyes. Claire was so absorbed into his eyes that she didn't hear him when he said, "I guarantee that you would enjoy this dance". Before she knew it, she was nodding in agreement to his request.

"Wonderful, time to change then".

She blinked at that, "Change?, what do you mean?".

Ryan nodded, "Different dance, different outfit". He gave a wave of his hand and his suit changed into a modernly styled black suit and a red tie and Claire wore a red tango dress. Her heels were also red.

Ryan looked at her and smiled, "Good, just perfect".

"So, what do I have to do now?".

"You don't have to do anything except to relax and be beautiful, love. I will be doing all the work". He placed his hands on her waist and pressed a gentle kiss on her cheek. "Oh and this dance is a little close, so don't think I'm trying to do anything funny".

The dance floor was empty as Ryan and Claire moved to the center. It seemed like no one wanted to dance to the dreaded tango. Once they were in position, Ryan spun Claire around. As he took control of her body, he placed her into the starting position with her hands in the air.

Claire became nervous as the music began slowly. For the next five minutes, her body was not her own. She began to walk slowly towards Ryan as he stood there waiting. After a few seconds, he started walking towards her. She ruffled her dress and kicked her legs out as she approached him. He quickened his pace and put one arm around her waist and his other hand on her cheek. They moved simultaneously to the left. He spun her around. Their entire bodies now enclosed as one.

Ryan's hand slowly slide down her arms before he lowered his head to her neck. His mouth opened as if to bite her but she spun around at the last minute. Claire began to walk backwards in a sexy way and Ryan pursued her. He grabbed her hand and walked them in a circle. He tend pulled her close and walked them in another circle. All this while, their bodies tangled in a passionate manner.

Ryan spun Claire three times and pulled her close again. Once she was back in his embrace. He dipped her down and pulled her up, her legs wrapped around his thigh and her arm around his neck. They stared deeply into each other's eyes, both mouths slightly open. Ryan slowly caressed her neck before lowering his head again. Claire backed away and he held out his hand. She took it and fell into his arms. They stepped to the left and gaze at each other once more. Claire tilted her head back and Ryan buried his head into her neck. The song ended.

Applause erupted from the ballroom as Ryan released Claire from his control.

Claire panted with a smile on her face, "Did I just do all that?".

"That you did, love". He took her hand and lead her off the dance and towards their table. Once there, a server placed glasses of water and more champagne on the table for them. Ryan nodded a thank you while Claire quenched her thirst. Immediately, they were joined by another man. He was shorter than Ryan but had brown curly hair and green eyes.

"Ryan" he greeted. Ryan stood up to take his hand.

"How have you been doing?". Ryan said practically shouting.

"When did you get back? And you didn't tell me?".

"I only came over a few days ago for a business trip".

The other man's eyes shifted to Claire and he offered her a smile.

"Oh, you have company. Who is the lovely lady?".

Claire spoke up then, "Claire Willow". Offering her hand for a shake. "It's very nice to meet you, Mr....".

"Edward Smith", he returned Claire's handshake. "I'm a friend of Ryan, we go way back".

Ryan nodded in agreement. "Edward was one of the first people I met when I moved to London. He also helped Tyler and me with the beginning stages of establishing the company. Then he abandoned me to become a celebrity chef and opened a chain of restaurants all across Europe. Have you heard of The Kings?".

Her eyes lit up in amazement and disbelief. "No frickin way!! You're the owner of The Kings? Eating at one of your restaurants has always been one of my dreams". Her excitement made Edward smile with pride.

Ryan laughed, "I do believe you are stealing my date's attention tonight, Edward". The two men laughed.

"You don't have to be scared too much, I'm actually on my way out". He stepped in closer to hug Ryan and politely took Claire's hand and kissed the back of it.

"Let's meet up the next time you come back to London". Edward said to Ryan and he nodded in agreement. Then he faced Claire, "Miss Willow is no nice to meet you. I do hope we see again".

"Likewise".

With that, the man was gone. Claire smiled at Ryan, "I can't believe I just met the owner of The Kings, just mind blowing".

Ryan answered, "Edward is a good guy. he deserves all the success he has today".

"Is he a supernatural as well?".

He nodded, "Indeed, Edward is a werewolf. His father was a mighty warrior and he refused to follow his father's path. Edward and his family don't see eye to eye because of it".

Then a question suddenly popped out of the blue in Claire's head, "Wait, if he is a werewolf, why hasn't he transformed? It's a full moon tonight".

Ryan started to laugh so hard, she didn't know if she had said something silly.

"The whole werewolf transforming at full moon thing is nothing but gibberish, Edward can transform at any time if he so desired".

She was still confused, "Elaborate?".

She was amazed by how she had read so much wrong information about the supernatural and now she was ready to be adequately informed.

"The full moon just helps to bring the supernatural powers to the peak. it's like a super wave or super tide. Plus you are more likely to see things you won't probably ever see during a full moon like this". Ryan then waved his hands to the crowd of people in the ballroom.

Claire turned just in time to see people who looked like the average human beings stretching and transforming into their true nature. Their gentle and happy faces changed into something fearsome and dangerous. Roars and howls filled the hall. As vampires became large bats, werewolves were turning into wolfs, witches, wizards, warlock and fairies all yelled as their full power became accessible to them. Overwhelming shock and fear formed in Claire's chest and belly and before she knew it. Her fear overshadowed every other emotion with in her and escaped through her mouth as a scream.

Everything and everyone froze.

"For f**k's sake" was the last thing she heard Ryan mutter.