I only blink my gaze away when Hawk nudges me forward.
"Go inside before things get worse." He has his gun out. "You should be safe in there."
Nodding, I hurry for the doors as a blood-curdling scream shatters the air.
I start to look over my shoulder to see if the emperor is still there, even though I know I probably shouldn't, but right then, the blood boost kicks in.
6
Turns out Effie and Anders blood boost kicked in, too, and by the time I find them in the club, we're all too far gone to have a normal conversation. Instead of talking, we dance. We dance until our feet hurt. Until we can't think. Until we've forgotten.
Hours later, I'm standing at the bar, my skin is damp with sweat, and my veins are silent of any buzzing. Anders is next to me, flirting with a curvy redhead and Effie is shamelessly flashing her cleavage as she attempts to convince the bartender to give her free drinks. So far, Austin has been a no-show, but the night is still young with the undead, a motto I'm trying to live by tonight.
I'm having fun. So much fun I can barely think about anything as I stare at the dance floor where magical stars float around in circles, casting a faint silvery glow across the couples and groups of vampires grinding against each other. A sultry song booms from the speakers and the stars seem to dance with the rhythm, twisting and turning and spinning like little dancing pixies.
So pretty.
Everything's been so pretty tonight.
And fun.
At least on the inside of the club.
Outside, only madness exists. And strangers with red, hungry eyes. Sexy next-door neighbors who have greedy, grabby hands …
No, I'm not going to think about that yet. I want to keep having fun.
I can't remember the last time I've had this much fun.
Maybe never.
I sigh contently as I recline against the tinted glass countertop behind me, thoughts of red eyes and arm grabs fading away into the back coffin of my mind.
"You know who she is, right?" Effie asks the bartender while giving my shoulder a pat. I'd be startled, but my body feels too numb. Contently numb. "She's your boss's daughter, which means we get free drinks."
I peer over my shoulder at the bartender. "It's true, you know."
He eyes me over with doubt. "How do I know that for sure? You could be lying."
I shrug. "I'm not, though."
The bartender shakes his head, muttering something about dumb teenagers, then walks away to serve another customer.
Effie sighs, turning around and leaning against the counter beside me. She takes one look at me and giggles. "You're so out of it right now."
I bob my head. "I feel like I really am."
"Which is weird." Her brows furrow. "You should feel jacked up. I know I do. But you look … well, dopey."
Anders joins the conversation, bouncing on his toes, fangs out, eyes glazed over with the blood high. "I feel like I need to run across a forest right now just to burn off all this extra energy."
"Me, too," Effie agrees, restlessly thrumming her fingers against the sides of her legs.
"I feel like I want to go to sleep." I let out a slow yawn.
Effie gapes at me. "You want to sleep right now? Seriously?"
I give a lazy shrug. "Kind of."
She frowns, squinting at my eyes. "Did you feel anything at all tonight? Maybe you got a dud."
"No, I definitely feel something," I tell her. "But mine is more of a content high, like my body feels right for the first time, and my brain's so … happy."
"I hope … " She chews on her thumbnail. "I hope it wasn't, like, laced with something."
"Like what?" It seems like I should be worried, too, but I'm not.
"Like magic or a curse or something." She keeps gnawing her fingernail.
I shrug. "Maybe my body just reacts differently to emperors' blood."
"Maybe." She studies me until she grows too wiggly. Then her eyes wander to the dance floor. "I feel like I need to dance."
"Me, too," Anders agrees, raking his fingers through his short, blond hair "I have too much energy."
"Then go dance." I shoo them toward the dance floor. "Have fun. Be merry."
"Are you sure?" she asks. "I don't know if I should leave you alone when you look so out of it."
"I'm fine," I promise her then take a seat on the barstool behind me, as if that somehow proves a point. "Go have some forgetful fun. I'll be right here, forgetting in this chair."