searched.
But I didn’t want to appear to be searching. Alfred stood near the dais, his attention seemingly focused on the bevy of retainers and courtiers all queuing up for his attention.
And offerings.
Gag.
Maddox put a hand to my back and nodded toward it, but I stared at him and then shook my head. I was not going up there to be on display or watch Alfred throw his weight around. He wanted the attention. Let him have it. Servants streamed through the throng. There were so many bodies crushing into this space, it made the cavernous hall seem tiny.
I couldn’t imagine Rogue enjoyed this at all. I caught a glimpse of him keeping watch from just beyond Alfred. For a split second, our gazes clashed. His expression never shifted, but I swore he gave me the barest shake of his head.
Whatever. I didn’t want to be up there anyway.
When one of the servants passed close enough to me that I could snag one of the flutes from it, I tested the alcohol with a sniff.
Champagne.
Oh, we were definitely celebrating. I put a hand on the servant to keep him still as I drained the first glass, then I returned the empty and lifted a second. “Thank you,” I murmured. The man’s pupils dilated to the point of swallowing all the color from his eyes, and I raised my brows. The lust rolling off him slapped me like an icy breeze.
He tilted his head back and presented me with his neck.
Fuck.
No.
Maddox let out a little growl as I released the man and moved away, only to face three more males, all of whom bowed their heads first, then tilted their faces away, giving me their necks.
Were they for real right now?
“Go,” Maddox ordered in a rumble that scattered the throng closest to us and pushed them away. I sucked in a deep breath, but the scents of so many bodies combined with all the lust in the air made it cloying and sticky. The champagne wasn’t near strong enough for this. Did they have an open bar at this thing?
Cupping his hand under my arm, Maddox drew me back to him. “We should move up to the—”
“No,” I told him flatly, and avoided meeting his gaze. I didn’t want to see hurt or recrimination or—worst of all—sympathy. “I may have to be here for this, but I’m not standing up there on display.”
Not when I had other things to hunt in this crowd. Maddox didn’t argue with me. Whether he didn’t want to risk a fight in front of so many or he didn’t disagree with me, I had no idea. As it was, I took another mouthful of champagne and swished the chilly, bubbling liquid around my tongue. Anything to get rid of the flavor in the air.
Why the fuck did they all stink so much? Fruitier scents, too sweet and sickening, wrapped around some, while others were musky, earthier, and irritated my nose. The worst smelled like a damned distillery.
Lips against my ear, Maddox murmured, “Breathe only through your mouth. It’s your senses. They are heightened, and you need to acclimate.”
Thrilling. One more pin to stick into the ‘I didn’t want to be a damn vampire’ poster I should have hung in my room.
Not that I’d be staying in that room much longer. I needed to shake Maddox’s hovering. As it was, I let him move with me as I searched faces. Breathing through my mouth did help.
More surprising than an entire gallery hall filled with vampires was how many of them sported colorful clothing and hair. There were more dressed in jeans, like Maddox, than in tuxedos, like the grim count eyeing my progress. He was definitely a count, or at least some kind of aristocrat. He had that look about him.
When he stepped into my path, I barely spared him a glance.
Then he took my hand, and Maddox had him up by his throat.
Well, my dragon was definitely useful for dealing with irritations.
“You do not touch what you have not been given permission to touch,” Maddox informed him in a voice so cold and deadly, it actually gave me chills. The vampires around us scattered again.
Then the count scowled and struck, raking his hands down Maddox’s face. The metallic scent of copper twined with the spark of fire as he broke skin. Rage perfumed the air, and I glared a beat at the count. The distraction was exactly what I needed, but the fact that he’d harmed Maddox