enough to really hide anything beyond the padlocked box I had stashed the knowledge about my father in. He shrugged and stopped trying, taking a long swig of vodka until the bottle was empty. Without saying anything, he left, dumping the bottle and returning with a new one. I eyed it, amazed at how much he could drink and not even seem tipsy. He caught me watching and stepped around the shattered glass on the floor.
‘Dare you,’ he said, holding the bottle out to me. I stared at it, hesitant. My rational self said no. It was neat vodka. The other part of me said beat Kaspar.
‘Whatever,’ I replied, sounding more confident than I really was. Snatching the bottle from his hands, I tipped it up and gulped several mouthfuls down. It burned my throat and I shuddered, feeling it strip away all the moisture in my mouth. I took another mouthful and another, trying to quench my growing thirst, but it didn’t work and as stars appeared in front of my eyes, I thrust it back into his chest, feeling the room spin. The music faded away, the voices becoming louder, confusing, overwhelming and I grabbed onto something solid in front of me, steadying myself. After a minute, the dizziness passed and I stood up straight.
‘See?’ I smirked at Kaspar, who I realized I was gripping the shoulders of. I let go, but then decided it was a bad idea as my legs threatened to give way. I wrapped my arms around his neck, trying to steady myself, not even thinking about what I was doing. I felt breath on my hair and a voice whispered something in my ear that sounded like, ‘Want to dance?’
I nodded eagerly and felt a hand take mine, leading me towards the far end of the room. Something pulled me around and in a blur I was pressed up against someone, hips swaying to the beat, hands on a hard chest. I forced my eyes to re-focus and recognized that the hard chest belonged to Kaspar. I frowned and froze, a little rational thought breaking through the haze. What am I doing?
‘Relax, Girly,’ a voice purred in my ear.
Before I knew it, I had spun around, my back to his chest. A pulsating beat filled the room, pounding against my ribs and sending my heart into my mouth. It was slow; too slow almost. Hands rested themselves on my waist, following my movement as my body instinctively followed the beat. My head rested in the curve of his neck and I could smell the same musky, expensive cologne that his room and half the corridor always smelled of. He was wearing too much; it tickled my dry throat, yet it was alluring. Maybe that was the drink. Yes, it’s the drink. I could feel how warm my skin was compared to his and louder than the music, louder than the voices, louder than anything was the sound of his breath in my ear, like a rush of wind amongst the trees.
He wrapped an arm around my stomach, pulling me closer. His other hand reached down and hooked itself under my arm, sweeping it up until it circled his neck. The other followed as his arms trailed after mine, starting at my neck, sending shivers down my spine. They ran over my shoulders, lingering around my breasts – were people watching? – over my hips, stopping at my thighs. I barely noticed as they slowly worked around to my inner thigh; I hardly cared. My breath came out in short rasps and I could have sworn his breath wasn’t as icy as usual.
‘What do you say we–’
His low voice was interrupted, his hands abruptly leaving my legs. They settled themselves around my waist, spinning me around with him. I giggled and squinted, recognizing Fabian in front of us. He looks angry, I registered. Even in the gloom and through my alcohol-tinted gaze I could see his eyes were black followed by a vivid green.
‘I think you have had your fun, Kaspar,’ he growled. Kaspar stood perfectly still, eyes cold. He didn’t loosen his grip on me. Fabian narrowed his eyes and they paused at black. ‘A word if you will,’ he continued, addressing Kaspar. He grabbed my hand and I toppled into his arms as he pulled me back towards the sofas and away from the music just as the song changed.
‘I love this song,’ I moaned, tugging on Fabian’s hand. He ignored me, as did Kaspar, who walked silently behind us. We stopped and spotting a sofa, I slumped down against the back; any clear thoughts that remained were fast leaving now and I just wanted to close my eyes, which I did, just listening instead.
‘What the hell were you thinking?’ Fabian spat, his voice venomous. ‘What would have happened if you had lost it? If the King knew, he would kill you.’
‘But he doesn’t know,’ Kaspar replied. His voice seemed distant. ‘Christ, I was just having a bit of fun. It’s not as though she minded.’
‘Of course she didn’t mind. She’s drunk! And it was you who got her that drunk. I saw you. When will you get that you can’t treat every girl you come across like this? Especially her,’ Fabian bellowed. ‘Alcohol can kill humans, you know that right?’ His words echoed around my mind, but I didn’t really hear them. My head felt like lead and I slumped even further, only just managing to stay upright.
‘I can treat girls anyway I like, I’m the Prince. And yes, I did get her drunk. So what? It’s not as though she’s dead, is it?’ I cracked open an eye at that and saw him gesturing towards me without really checking to see whether I was all right, which I wasn’t: the room was spinning and I felt sick.
‘Guys, I don’t feel so good,’ I groaned, as my vision funnelled. Before I knew it, I was tumbling over the back of the chair, landing with a thump on the soft cushions. Two faces loomed above me, one concerned, the other amused.
‘Kaspar, how much did she drink?!’ I heard Fabian roar before I passed out.
NINETEEN
Violet
Birds chirped outside and I could feel the warm sun filtering through the huge windows. It was peaceful and the perfect remedy to my pounding head. Why did I drink so much? More pressing than my headache though was the thought of what I had done with Kaspar the night before. I cringed, regretting every moment of it.
I opened my eyes. The sight that greeted me was not a pretty one. Littered about were empty bottles, shards of glass coating the once sparkling floor. Most of the uninvited ‘guests’ had left, or at least were not in the room, but a girl and a boy lay in the chairs opposite, draped across Felix. They weren’t asleep, but unnervingly still. Cain and Charlie were nowhere to be seen and I didn’t want to know what they had been up to.
Lyla was lying on the same L-shaped sofa as I was, her head resting on Fabian’s leg, as he sat slumped against the arm of the chair. Shocked, I realized my head also lay in Fabian’s lap.
But what really unnerved me was the fact one person was unaccounted for. I raised my head and looked towards my feet. Something cold was pressing into my bare leg and I was pretty sure I knew what it was. Lying beside my hips, legs draped over mine, was Kaspar. He blocked my escape off the sofa and I shifted a little, hoping he would move. But he didn’t budge, so I kicked him hard in the stomach.
‘What the hell was that for?’ Kaspar groaned from beside my legs, eyes opening, revealing their emerald, not quite as glassy as usual. ‘I do have a fucking headache you know.’
‘Just get off me, okay?’
‘I’m good here,’ he shrugged, not moving. He was saved from another kick when Cain entered, making a beeline for us.
‘Man, you guys reek of alcohol.’
‘So do you,’ Kaspar snapped, standing up this time and adjusting his shirt. ‘What about father?’
‘Out hunting.’
‘Well that’s something,’ he sighed and I only just moved my legs in time as he flopped back down on the sofa. I swivelled around, sitting up and dropped my head against the plush white velvet, wishing the continuous pounding in my head would go away.
‘So what do vampires do to get rid of hangovers?’ I asked, massaging my temples, the bright sunlight hurting my sensitive eyes. ‘Because I have one.’
‘We drink coffee. Does anyone want one?’ a stern voice asked.
‘I’d