Survivor - By Kaye Draper Page 0,65

voice. “So good to see you again, you ruthless son of a bitch.”

His hands came up to grasp my hips familiarly. I shifted my foot, crushing his junk, and he dropped his hands immediately. I exerted just a bit more pressure to make my point, then stepped back, crossing my arms over my chest and glaring.

He only laughed, a rich guffaw. “Holy shit!” he rasped out, as if I’d actually damaged his throat. “I told you you’d thank me.”

Peter had come to watch, sinking gracefully onto a nearby loveseat. “Fuck you, Viktor,” I said without heat. “You’re a cold, heartless bastard.”

Vampires don’t get a buzz off alcohol the way humans do, but it has some effect if you drink enough. Sometimes it just tasted good- like a memory. I picked up his beer and drained it. “Thanks.”

Peter smiled in amusement. “I don’t appreciate your methods,” he said levelly. “However, I can’t fault the end result. Just don’t blame me if she holds a grudge.”

I stretched, feeling lean and powerful. The men’s eyes caressed my midriff as my silk camisole slid up, parting ways with my hip hugging jeans. It should bother me, but it didn’t. I was feeling glorious. Let them stare. I met Peter’s silver eyes and felt my own aura respond. I couldn’t control the teeth this time.

Viktor chuckled. “It’s okay girlie,” he said, gesturing to the bar tender for another beer. “You’ll get used to it. And in the mean time, you don’t have to try so hard. We can be ourselves here.”

I dropped onto the loveseat beside Peter, scooting sideways so my legs were draped across his lap. Dropping my head back over the arm of the couch, I closed my eyes and soaked in the soothing presence of my new family. Their auras touched mine lightly, and a relaxed feeling settled over me. Now I knew what Peter meant about the coven being a family. It was more comfortable with them around me.

Peter’s hand stroked the inside of my knee and I laughed, feeling beyond powerful. I levered myself over the arm of the chair, rolling like a gymnast, and landed on the other side. Making my way to the dance floor, I lost myself in the oddly upbeat music pulsing around me. I would never tire of being able to move this way, of being free and strong.

The bar had filled up, and I was high with the joy of my coming out. It took me a while to realize that the atmosphere was off. Even though the people scattered about the place looked relaxed, there was an undercurrent of tension that was unsettling. Peter and Leah were chatting at the bar, and I went to join them. There had been more fighting among the lesser covens lately, and several lower ranking vampires had made the move to takeover neighboring covens. Leah was trying to decide if this was just standard territorial squabbling, or if it was something her moderately sized coven needed to take notice of.

“Something about the whole situation makes me uneasy,” Peter admitted, toying with his glass of dark red wine. “There is always unrest, but it seems that it has increased lately. There has to be something more to it.”

Leah nodded, considering his words while she toyed with a little bowl of peanuts. I didn’t know why they even had them here. None of the vampires were going to eat them- the salt was terrible. I caught sight of one of the few humans, edging up to the other end of the bar. Maybe the guests needed some protein to balance out their revelries. The man’s brown eyes met mine, showing interest, then darted away as he carefully focused on his drink. My jaw ached, and I licked my lips. Not thirsty. I told myself firmly. You are not thirsty, you just fed.

I pulled my attention back to Peter and Leah’s conversation. They were pretty much completely ignoring me at this point. I felt like the only little kid at a table of grown-ups. “Maybe something is causing the vampires to be more aggressive than usual,” I suggested. “You know, full moon, or sorcerer or something like that…” I wasn’t sure what would make vampires edgy, but it was still a valid idea, I told myself defensively.

“Hmm…” Peter made a considering sound, but then continued with a completely un-related comment to Leah about politics. I leaned forward and thumped my head on the table dramatically. Neither one of them noticed.