An Acquired Taste (The Valentine Society)

Chapter Nine

T he frantic pace of the party slows as dawn approaches. Couples and groups drift out the door, some to more exclusive after-parties, like Lady Viktoria de Camelia and her beautiful coterie. I don’t see Sebastian again, so I assume he left after our encounter in the garden.

I’m not sure why I can’t stop thinking about it. Nor why I’m disappointed. He’s the one vampire who tasted my blood and didn’t humiliate me over it, but somehow his cold disinterest was even more of a letdown. Like the one person who could stomach my blood without making a face still wasn’t interested in me. My terrible blood seems to be the only thing that anyone found noteworthy.

The vampire duo I met in the garden certainly aren’t interested in me anymore, now that the opportunity to taste me has passed. I see them a few more times inside—flirting with the human bartender, feeding each other blood-infused pastries—but only Dominic glances at me, once, before frowning and turning his back to me.

The only person continuing to tolerate my presence is Benjamin. He’s hovered over me since the moment we stepped back inside, practically incoherent with concern, especially after I told him what happened with the two Solomon vampires.

As the night winds down and the ballroom empties, I resist the urge to ask if we can leave yet. I am getting paid for this, after all. I drape myself in what I hope is an alluring way across a chaise but only succeed in nodding off multiple times. Then a cold hand squeezes my shoulder, and I jolt awake. I glance up at Benjamin and then follow his gaze to another vampire standing over me. For a moment, the stranger’s pale eyes look familiar, but I brush it off; I must have seen him around the party earlier. It’d be hard to overlook such a beautiful man. There’s something elfin and enchanting about him, with hair so fair it’s nearly white, and a sharp intelligence in his blue gaze.

“She’s done for the night, I’m afraid,” Benjamin says. I’m surprised at the clipped, cold nature of his voice.

“I see.” I realize, with a start, that the stranger is holding my blood card. It must have fallen from my hand while I dozed off. Those pale eyes study my tasting notes and the names written to claim my bloodlettings. “Amelia Burton,” he reads, and his eyes shift to meet mine. I freeze, caught by the piercing quality of his stare. “I’ve heard a lot about you. It’s a shame I didn’t have the chance to get a taste.” His eyes linger on my neck, and then on my lips.

I flush, but the attention is not entirely unpleasant, especially after that encounter with Sebastian left me feeling raw and vulnerable. I smile up at the stranger and then look at Benjamin.

“Would it really be so bad to have one last bloodletting?” I ask.

There’s a hard set to Benjamin’s jaw. “I’m sorry. It’s not possible.”

I open my mouth to protest but cut off as the fair vampire laughs. “Far be it from me to challenge your chaperone,” he says, returning my blood card to my hand. “But perhaps he would allow you one last dance with me?”

“Of course he would,” I say, before Benjamin can get a word out.

After a moment, Benjamin releases my shoulder. “One dance,” he says. “Then we had best be off.”

I hand my blood card to Benjamin and accept the fair vampire’s hand. He lifts me to my feet without an ounce of effort. I giggle with delight as he sweeps me onto the dance floor, all gallantry and grace. He’s like a real-life prince.

“I’m sorry, I forgot to ask your name,” I say as he leads me in a waltz around the nearly empty dance floor.

“I am Lord Alexander de Solomon,” he says.

I miss a step and nearly stomp on his foot, but he lowers me into a dip that renders me dizzy. When he lifts me back up, I study his face. He’s not wearing anything that indicates his court, and I would never have guessed from that charming smile that he belongs to the court of secrets. The same as those two men who frightened me in the garden earlier. Of course I can’t judge him for that when he wasn’t involved, but still…

“I’m guessing your chaperone didn’t have the kindest things to say about my court,” he says. “The days of the war are behind us now, but vampires are slow to forget and slower to forgive.”

I nod. I don’t really understand, but Benjamin did say that the courts had a tangled history, and I’m sure that includes old grudges. Maybe Benjamin doesn’t like Alexander just because he’s from Solomon?

Alexander seems perfectly charming to me. He treats me kindlier than just about any other vampire has tonight. As the song comes to an end, I’m reluctant to step away from him. But instead of releasing my hand, he nods in the direction of the bar, mischief in his eyes.

“Maybe we can steal one drink together before your chaperone catches us?”

I bite my lip. It would be a shame to end the night just as it’s getting good, wouldn’t it? “Just one,” I say, and follow him to the bar. As he gets us drinks, I scan the crowd for Benjamin. He’s caught up in a conversation with a few other vampires but tries to catch my eye across the room. I turn away, pretending I didn’t see him, and accept a glass of champagne from Alexander with a smile.

“Cheers to your first ball,” he says, and clinks his glass against mine. To my surprise, he throws his drink back quickly, so I laugh and do the same. When I lower the empty glass, Alexander is staring at me. I flush; it’s a heady feeling, to be so blatantly wanted. He leans close, one hand grazing my hip. For one mad moment I think his mouth is moving toward my neck, but instead he whispers into my ear.

“It is a shame I didn’t get a taste of you,” he says, his voice sending a delicious shiver down my spine. “But we could—”

“Pardon,” a voice interrupts. “I believe your one dance is up.”

Alexander and I both turn to see a very annoyed Benjamin standing beside us. I’m torn between mortification at being caught in an intimate moment, irritation at being interrupted, and relief that he probably stopped me from doing something rash, because Alexander’s seduction is definitely working.

I step away from our embrace. Alexander grabs my hand and presses a quick kiss to my knuckles before releasing me.

“It seems you had best go before you turn into a pumpkin, or whatever it is your chaperone fears,” he says with a wicked smile that makes me blush all over again. “I hope to see you again, Amelia Burton.”

Tension hisses between Benjamin and I as he leads me toward the door. I fully intend to give him a piece of my mind, and I suspect he means to do the same. But when I stumble over the step and nearly fall, he grabs me around the waist to hold me up, and his stern expression softens.

“You must be exhausted,” he says. “It’s almost dawn. Come, you can spend one more night at my house.”

I want to insist I can find my own bed for the night, if only for politeness’s sake, but my attempt is stifled by a yawn. My head is suddenly spinning; my exhaustion must finally be catching up with me. When Benjamin gives me an encouraging smile, I rub my eyes and nod.

“One more night,” I agree.

* * *

I don’t remember much of the ride home. Then comes a vague memory of strong, cold arms holding me, and Lissa grumbling about missed sleep as she helps me out of my dress and into an oversized sleep shirt.

When I wake again, I’m tucked into the guest room at Benjamin’s house. I’m lost as to what time it is, and a glance at the window doesn’t help, because it’s covered by blackout curtains. I groan, fumble along the nightstand until I find my phone, glance at the time, and then do a double take. It’s six p.m. Jesus Christ. I can’t believe Benjamin didn’t come kick me out of his house already.

The sweet, sweet smell of coffee draws me down to the parlor where we had our whirlwind of lessons over the last week.

Benjamin and Lissa are sitting at the table with the coffeepot, along with small containers of cream and sugar. Lissa is in a pink nightgown, and Benjamin in flannel, which I would probably make several jokes about if I wasn’t dead tired.

“Please tell me there’s coffee without blood in it,” I burst out in lieu of a greeting.

“There is,” Benjamin says, inclining his head toward the pot. “But I have to warn you that I made it today, so it may not be up to your usual standard.” He glances over at Lissa and gives one of those soft smiles that has resulted in me shipping the two of them together ever since I arrived. “It’s her day off.”

“That’s right,” Lissa says. “Everyone can make their own damn coffee today.”

I grin and serve myself, add some cream, a sugar cube, and then another sugar cube because I deserve it. I take a big sip, sigh, and then rest my face on the edge of the table.

“God,” I groan. “I feel like I got hit by a truck.”

“It was quite the party, no?” Benjamin asks, sipping his coffee.

I grumble incoherently, still face down.

“You’ll need your recovery vitamins as well,” he says. “They’ll help more than the caffeine, I promise.”

I lift my head to eye the container of colorful pills he’s pushing over.

“And plenty of water,” he says, nudging a glass toward me.

I stick my tongue out at him but do as he says, swallowing the pills one after another. Once I start drinking water, I can’t stop until the glass is empty, and only then do I return to my caffeine.

A couple of minutes pass in the quiet as we sip our coffee and wake up. Then Benjamin clears his throat and sets down his mug. “I suppose I should pass along the good news.”

“If ‘good news’ means ‘the five thousand dollars I owe you,’ I’d be delighted to receive it.” And now that this is over, I can start apartment shopping and figuring out how to admit my lies to my sister. Time to go back to my sad but safe reality.

Benjamin cracks a smile. “Your payment has already been deposited in your account. But there’s more.”

I finish off my coffee and eye him, unsure what to expect. He reaches into his pocket, pulls out an envelope, and slides it across the table to me.

“Is it a bonus for being so overwhelmingly charming?” I ask as I pick it up. The envelope is thick and expensive-looking. My full name is written in beautiful red calligraphy on the front, and there’s an actual wax seal on it. I feel bad ripping it open, but I do it anyway, and pull out the luxurious, cream-colored stationery from within. I squint, struggling to read the old-fashioned cursive. Then my eyes widen. “Wait… is this…” I glance up, my gaze darting between Benjamin and Lissa, who are both beaming.

“Yes,” Benjamin says. “I’m delighted to report that you’ve received an offer of patronage.”

Mouth hanging open, I give up on translating the cursive and skip to the bottom of the letter to find a name. I fully expect to see Alexander de Solomon , the name that’s been lingering in my mind since we danced. I’m pretty sure I had naughty dreams about those last words he whispered to me.

But that’s not what the signature says.

“Lord Sebastian de Celeste,” I breathe, stiffening. I remember the darkly gorgeous man from the garden, his bland reaction to my blood. “But… he… He didn’t even like me.”

“It appears he very much did.”

I squint down at the letter. “Or he’s trying to lure me to his mansion so he can murder me.”

“This is not like a party, where there is the threat of something happening to an unclaimed valentine. With a contract signed, you will be legally protected by the Celeste Court.” Benjamin smiles. “And also, I assure you that I would never try to arrange you with a patron whom I did not trust.”

I can’t stop running my fingers over the silky paper, as if reassuring myself that it’s real. Still, my expression feels stuck somewhere halfway between a smile and a grimace. My mind keeps flashing back to Alexander’s smooth smile, comparing it with Sebastian’s dour scowl. “I don’t suppose I got any other offers?”

Benjamin frowns. “Lord Sebastian is a highly respected vampire of the Celeste Court,” he says. “He may not live the sort of decadent social life you were expecting, but he is an honorable man. I trust that he will treat you well.”

“No, sorry, you’re right. I just…” I set the letter on the table and tap my fingers on the wood beside it. “I’m surprised, I guess. I got the impression he couldn’t stand me. You saw it. He didn’t even want to bite me.”

Benjamin’s brow furrows. “Drinking from you with a syringe was a quirk, I’ll admit. The contract is for six months rather than a full year, which is… also rather less common. Plus there’s a clause for you to sign indicating that you have no desire to be turned into a vampire. That’s a legally tricky, physically dangerous process as it is, so I would suggest agreeing.”

“That’s not a problem,” I say, shuddering at the thought. As much as I’m enamored with vampires, I’ve always pictured myself as the bitten rather than the one who bites. A lifetime without the sun? Without being able to eat chocolate unless it has blood in it? No thanks. “But the rest is weird, right? I don’t understand why he’d choose me.”

Benjamin shrugs. “I’m sure you can ask him his reasoning yourself if you accept his offer.”

What choice do I have? I want to ask. But I hold back because I know that’s not true. I do have choices. I could run back to my parents’ house, or use the five thousand dollars I made last night to start a new life with my sister here. But even though I have my reservations, I can’t deny that this choice is the one that holds the most appeal for me. I came here wanting to be a valentine, and after getting a taste of it last night, I’m only more intrigued.

I’m intrigued by Sebastian de Celeste, too, as loath as I am to admit it. If it were a choice, I probably would’ve gone for Alexander, but still… I can’t get the image of those almost-black eyes out of my head. I want to know more about what lurks in those dark depths. I want to know why he chose to make this offer after our less-than-stellar first meeting. I want to know if he isn’t as disgusted by my blood as everyone else, or if he’s just better at hiding it.

Worrying my lower lip, I look at Benjamin. “What do you know about him?”

“He’s said to be reclusive,” he says. “He lives in a mountain estate that has been in his family since before he was turned, which was over two hundred years ago.”

“ I’ve heard he’s very handsome,” Lissa chimes in with a wink. I grin at her, nodding.

“He also played a significant role in the last court war as a young vampire,” Benjamin continues, choosing to ignore that commentary. “Solomon attempted to absorb the Celeste Court, and likely would have succeeded if not for some prominent members such as Sebastian who fought fiercely to retain their independence. But he was also, as I recall, one of the first to call for an end to the war. Since then, he’s retreated from the public eye.”

Trying to wrap my head around that makes me dizzy. Over two hundred years of history, and such a significant history as all that… What could someone like him see in someone like me?

I can’t possibly imagine. But I would like to find out. I run my finger over his signature on the offer letter and then glance between Benjamin and Lissa. “Will you go over the contract with me?”