“I think he went that way,” a female replied.
Sebastian cursed. His wings vanished in a puff of shadows, and he turned. His wide eyes were filled with warning and a flicker of fear as they met mine.
“Luna,” he said in a rush. “Listen carefully. I will deal with Triboulet, but it would be… better if he didn’t see you. He has a taste for… never mind.” Sebastian pulled me out of the alcove, shoving me towards the table of refreshments. “Grab something to eat and I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
“Back?” I asked, but Sebastian was already moving away.
“Ah, there you are, Prince!” a deep voice bellowed.
“Good evening, General,” Sebastian replied. “Mother said you wanted…”
His voice dropped, the hum of conversation and music stealing his words.
Sighing, I turned around and stared at the table behind me. There was a plethora of food, ranging from tartlets filled with every kind of fruit imaginable to cookies and cakes, along with platters of amazingly spiced roasted meats and vegetables.
For people who didn’t eat, the queen’s cooks certainly knew how to put on a lavish feast for their non-vampire guests.
Picking a tartlet with a thick yellow custard and a luscious red strawberry on top, I held it in one hand as I reached for a goblet of sparkling pink wine. My fingers touched the glass just as a voice came from behind me.
“I wouldn’t drink that if I were you.”
My eyes widened, and I looked over my shoulder. A stunning female with long, curly black hair and a face-full of makeup stood far too close to me.
“Why not?” I furrowed my brows.
She smiled, showing me her fangs. “That wine is… special.” The vampire leaned in close, and she spoke slowly, as though she were picking each of her words with care. Something about her made the hairs on the back of my neck rise. “It’s Faerie wine, imported from across the Indigo Ocean. It would… not be a good idea for you to indulge in that. I don’t think the prince would appreciate it.”
“I see,” I lied.
The female smiled. “You don’t have to trust me, you know.” She lifted a shoulder. “It’s your choice. But I’m just trying to look out for you.”
Placing my tartlet on the table behind me, I raised a brow and crossed my arms. “Why would you do that?”
A twinkle entered the vampire’s black eyes. “Let’s just say I have a vested interest in seeing that you survive this ball. After all, you might be more… useful in one piece.”
My spine crawled, and I shivered. These cryptic words did not inspire confidence, and something within me warned me that this female was dangerous. That wasn’t a surprise.
All vampires were dangerous.
“Excuse me?” I asked. “What do you mean, ‘in one piece’? Whoareyou?”
“Darcy!” a female voice called out, and I bristled.
The black-haired vampire and I both turned, just in time to see Estrella weaving through the crowd, coming towards us. “What are you doing talking toher?”
The vampire—Darcy, presumably—reached around me and grabbed the goblet of wine she had just warned me away from drinking. A ring on the third finger of her right hand caught my eye—a white jewelled rose surrounded by black gems.
“Don’t be such a bore, Estrella,” Darcy said, her tight black dress swooshing around her as she strode towards the other vampire. “I wasn’t talking to the human. I was just grabbing a drink.”
“Good, because you know that she’s Bastian’s, and besides…”
The orchestra grew louder, drowning out the sound of Estrella’s horrible voice. I stared at them, trying to decide if I should go find out what Darcy meant about being more useful if I was in one piece when a familiar face caught my eye on the dance floor.
My eyes widened. What was Syndra doing here? One of the witches who worked with Marius, she was supposed to be in Ipotha. At that moment, nothing else mattered. The ball, Estrella, even Darcy’s strange warning about getting out of here in one piece.
The witch knew my brother.
I had to talk to her.