“Lucien would never let anything happen to one of his concubines.”
“I know,” Edwina said and straightened. “It’s just…” she hesitated, looked between us and finished, proclaiming, “my girls are good girls.”
This made me even more intrigued so I asked, louder this time, “What’s a feast?”
“She may need another martini for this,” Edwina mumbled, dropped the detritus and headed to the martini shaker.
I was no longer intrigued, I was now concerned. So much so I plonked down on the fluffy couch amidst a mountain of tissue paper as the two delivery men added two more towers of boxes to the plethora.
Stephanie plonked down beside me and Edwina fetched us fresh martinis.
Then Stephanie explained. “Vamps can feed from two places, their concubines and any mortal who attends A Feast. That’s it. That’s the law.”
“So why are they dangerous? Do they round up the victims…?” I stopped speaking when Stephanie’s face grew scary hard.
“They aren’t victims, Leah. They choose to be there.” Her voice was as hard as her face.
I ignored her voice mainly because I couldn’t imagine what she said was true.
She studied my expression and her face softened.
“It’s not like it was with you and Lucien,” she said under her breath so Edwina, who was tidying my new, extravagant wardrobe, couldn’t hear. “Most mortals love it. Some even become addicted to it. There are even ex-concubines there.”
I felt my eyes grow round and she nodded and continued, “It’s frowned upon, of course. A concubine will lose her or his reputation by attending Feasts after they’ve been released. Their families are normally shunned. Their line will henceforth go unchosen at Selections. They usually don’t attend once a concubine falls mostly because they aren’t invited.”
“Why?” I asked.
“Feasts are where common mortals go.” She put her hand on mine. “You, honey, are anything but common.”
This sounded sickeningly superior.
She must have read my face because she went on, “They love it, the mortals who attend. They don’t care. They build their whole lives around it, traveling from Feast to Feast. They’re like groupies.”
And this sounded simply sickening.
“I still don’t get why it’s dangerous,” I pressed and Stephanie leaned back.
“Because anything goes,” she replied. “Lots of liquor, loud music, dancing and bodies. Any mortal is fair game. Some have two, three, even more vampires feeding on them at once. There are some Feasts, not the ones Lucien attends, mind, where there are drugs. Sex. Orgies.”
“Wow,” I whispered and she smiled.
“The good ones are fun. You can take your fill of as many mortals as you want. It’s great.”
It didn’t sound great but that was just me.
“Why would you take a concubine there?” I asked.
She shrugged. “To share another part of your life with her. If you’ve got a good one, to show her off to other vampires.”
Something struck me. “If anything goes, and a concubine is mortal, is she fair game?”
Stephanie hesitated a moment before answering, “At the wilder ones, with vamps who don’t take good care of their girls, yes.” I sucked in breath and she hurried on, “But Lucien doesn’t go to those.”
“So, that’s why it’s dangerous,” I whispered and Edwina made another pip noise. Again Stephanie and I looked at her.
“Not entirely,” Stephanie replied, glancing back my way.
“What is it, entirely?” I pushed.