Marked: A Vampire Blood Courtesans Romance (4 page)

“Keep your filthy hands
off
her.”

Chapter 4

My savior came in the guise of one cold-hearted bastard. Arctic blue eyes appraised me before he turned and shoved Luke back three steps. Vampire strength at its best. The jackass hadn’t so much as swayed when I’d pushed him.

“Whoa, Rune,” Luke held up his hands and gave a light chuckle. “Calm down, man.”

“Leave,” my hero growled in a dark timbre that sent a shiver down my spine, “before Silva catches you abusing one of her girls.”

“Abusing?” Luke snorted with laughter. “I was just having some fun. You know, testing the wares. Making sure I get my money’s worth. Winter wasn’t complaining.”

“Pretty sure that’s a lie.” I pressed a hand to my neck, relief fluttering through the pit of my stomach when I found it in one piece.

Rune crooked his head and shot me a dark glance. Guess talking wasn’t appreciated. “Leave, now.”

“Sure thing, hoss,” I murmured.

“Not
you
,” Rune snapped. He turned and jabbed a finger toward my newest arch nemesis. How quickly that list was growing as the days passed. “Him.”

Well, how was I supposed to know? He’d been looking right at me. Sighing, I leaned against the nearest wall and crossed my arms over my breasts.

One guileless shrug and a complimentary smirk later, Luke strode back toward the party, his swagger no less jaunty. Alone, Rune stepped toward me, and I had to force myself still, regardless of how badly I wanted to run. He loomed over me, that icy gaze of his chilling me to the bone. He offered no comforting smile or expression of any kind other than grim expectation.

“If he bothers you again, let me know.”

Forcing myself to swallow, I blinked, my pulse thundering in my ears. His offer stunned me into silence. So far, my experiences with vampires hadn’t been stellar. Of the two I’d met, neither had made a great first impression—not that I expected one. They
were
vampires, after all.

Blood and sex. Sex and blood. That was all they knew. So why was he helping me?

Rune dipped his head, then turned to leave. Without thought, I reached out and curled my fingers around his thick forearm. He paused and watched me as I studied his roughhewn profile. There was nothing soft about him. Fierce? Yes. Powerful? Absolutely. But attractive? No. In fact, he barely qualified as handsome. His face was too blunt and his nose too broad. His eyes, however, held me captive. A sea of sorrows and gloom within the frozen depths.

Swallowing past the lump in my throat, I released his arm and stepped back. “Uh…thank you, I think.”

A jet black eyebrow winged up. “You only think?”

“No, I meant thank you. I’m a little out of my element here, and—”

“Clearly.”

I arched my own brow. “What exactly is that supposed to mean?”

“It isn’t difficult to separate the novices from the professionals, Ms. Winter.”

“Just Winter,” I instinctively responded, relieved when he showed no recognition. Maybe my luck was about to turn, and I’d met a vampire who didn’t know Tessa or my family. An upscale vamp, perhaps. One who wouldn’t have slayers on his tail. “And so what if I’m a novice?”

He circled around me until he faced the rest of the room, his unyielding grip latching onto my arm and guiding me toward the stage. “Try not to wander too far away from the festivities. There is safety to be found in numbers.”

“But I thought—”

“What? That we were nothing more than little docile puppies who craved your attention? Madam da Silva does her best to ensure the rules are obeyed, but as always, there are those who push the limits. Allowing an unknown vampire to draw you away from the party was foolish.”

So I’d recently learned. Heat simmered through my cheeks. “Listen, buddy. I can only go with what I know. And I only know what I am told.”

“And what were you told, exactly?”

“That I would be safe here.”

A look of astonishment crossed his face. “Vampires are no different than humans. We are driven by urges and desires much like you are. And one of our baser desires is to…”

“Feed,” I finished for him.

He nodded. “That, and more. For your sake, and the sake of the rest of the patrons, please do not follow any more vampires into dark corners.”

“I didn’t follow him,” I hissed. “He thought he knew me, and pulled me away.”

That damned brow again. “And are the two of you acquainted?”

Pretentious dick
. “No! I’d never met him before tonight.”

“Then why would he think he knows you?”

I almost growled—a reaction that left me stunned. I’d never been one to anger easily, but there was something about his patronizing tone that ruffled my feathers. As though I were to blame for that jackass’s behavior. “How would I know? He grabbed my hand and dragged me off to the side.”

“Then I suppose we should return you to the party so you might find a companion for the night.”

I rolled my eyes. The last thing I wanted to do was flirt my way into some vampire’s still-beating heart…assuming their hearts did, in fact, beat? A question I’d never thought to ask.

Instead, I glanced up at Rune with an impetuous expression. Even in my heels, he had three inches on me. He watched me with a similar countenance, as though silently daring me to challenge him. Part of me wanted to if only to prove I could.

There was something in his manner…a confidence many men lacked these days, and a strength that left few questioning who, or what, he was. Even as he watched me, the rim of his hardened gaze screamed predator, and my instincts urged me to run far, far away.

“Everything all right over here?”

I turned to find Ashley hovering nearby, worry etched into her face. Just like that, all the sound came rushing back: the clinking glasses, the muted laughter, the swish of the courtesans’ dresses, and Madam da Silva chattering away to any who would listen. Somehow Rune had distracted me from it all.

“Everything is fine,” I assured her. “Rune, here, was introducing me to the wonderful world of vampires.”

There went that perfectly sculpted brow again. “Indeed.”

Without another word, he turned and strode back to the party. He wore his tuxedo well, though, that was for sure. Of course, I’d always been a sucker for a man in a penguin suit.

“Well, that’s one vampire who won’t be bidding on me,” I commented with an abashed grin. I only hoped Luke didn’t, either. And if he did, I hoped I had the ability to reject the offer.

“Be grateful,” Ashley whispered as she took my hand into her own. “Ethen doesn’t often attend these parties, but I’ve heard whispers of him.”

“Ethen?” I shook my head. “His name is Rune.”

“Ethen Rune.” Her gaze darted across the ballroom as though she was afraid to speak his name aloud. “He’s been around the block a few hundred years, at least. Some of the girls warned me about him when I started. Why was he talking to you?”

I grimaced,
so
not willing to tell her about Luke. It only raised questions, ones I wasn’t ready to answer. “He felt it necessary to point out that I was a novice and needed to learn a thing or two.”

Ashley groaned and rolled her eyes. “Sounds about right.”

Curiosity rampant, I slid him another side glance, watching as another vampire attempted to claim his attention. “So, you’ve never met him before? Never spoken with him?”

“Other than tonight? No. As I said, he doesn’t usually come to these events.”

“Why not?”

She lifted a bare shoulder. “Never thought to ask. I was just grateful not to have to worry about him bidding. I mean, the man’s ugly, don’t you think?”

I bit my tongue, unsure of how to respond to that. Maybe physically, he had a harsher appearance than the others, but that hardly made him ugly. If anything, the fact that he’d stepped in and helped me with Luke endeared him to me. Looks weren’t everything. Especially when the attractive ones were just as likely to chomp down on your throat.

“I’ve heard he never bids on the courtesans.”

My brows lowered. “Then why attend the event?”

“Charity?” she said with a shrug. “Some use it as a write-off for their businesses. They say he owns some multi-billion dollar company.”

“What else?” I prodded.

“Not much. No one knows much about him.”

“If he isn’t popular, why would Madam da Silva invite him?”

Ashley’s smile was knowing. “He’s rich, and this is a charity event. When you’re looking for money, you choose the ones with the largest net worth.”

“Sure, but not if he isn’t going to bid.” A catch twenty-two if I’d ever heard one.

“Who knows? Don’t waste your time on him. Go flirt with some of the others.” She turned and pointed me in a different direction altogether. “See the one in the corner with the thin lapels and the violet boutonniere? That’s Adam Birling. I was chatting with him and his partners a few moments ago, and he expressed an interest in you.”

Well, didn’t this feel dirty?

“Go talk to him a little. Do the rounds. Shake hands, smile, kiss babies, that sort of thing…”

“There aren’t any babies here,” I pointed out.

“Doesn’t change my point. Go schmooze the clients if you don’t want to be left out of the bidding.”

I nodded. I didn’t have much time left. Last I’d heard, the bids closed after a couple of hours, and Luke had taken up enough of my time already.

Speaking of Luke…I did a small pirouette and searched the room for his rotten face. Seemed he’d taken to wooing another courtesan, and properly this time. With him sufficiently distracted, I headed toward Adam, my forced smile in place.

The things we did for love.

***

“You appear to be adjusting well.” Rune’s deep voice cut through the background noise.

I startled, the drink in my hand nearly sloshing over the rim of the cup when I turned.

“At least…I’d assumed you were,” he stated in a wry voice, his gaze falling to my glass.

“And I was doing so well too,” I sighed. Thankfully, I hadn’t spilled a drop. How horrifying that would have been.

A rough chuckle slipped out from between his lips, as though he wasn’t accustomed to making such a sound. “Don’t worry,” he assured me. “No one saw your little slip-up. I may even pretend I didn’t.”

“How magnanimous of you.”

He cleared his throat, then turned and perused the ballroom. “Have you had the opportunity to meet all the attendees?”

I nodded, my gaze following his around the room. So many, in fact, I barely remembered their names. Madam da Silva hadn’t been wrong—it seemed I was the favorite little entrée tonight. The
new girl
had apparently aroused the intrigue of many, and the high-slitted dress they’d wrapped me in certainly helped matters. Their gazes tended to stray between my thighs and my throat, two body parts I certainly wasn’t used to attracting the male eye. Of course, I wasn’t the only one flashing a little leg. It seemed a staple of the courtesan life. Low-cut dresses, high-cut slits, and tight bodices…anything to boast a bit of flesh.

“Excellent. It would appear you’re a success. Seems most of the men can’t keep their eyes off of you.”

I almost snorted. Call me a modern woman, but men eyeing me meant little. Not to mention, it was the purpose of our outfits to draw their attention.

“That doesn’t appeal to you?” Rune asked, his head tilted toward me.

“Would it appeal to you?” I countered. “If every last female in this room was eye-humping you, wouldn’t you eventually find it tiresome?”

His dark brows drew together. “I would. But I would also imagine that as a courtesan, you would revel in the attention of men. After all, that is how you come by your salary.”

My eyes fluttered shut. One of these days, my mouth was going to get me in trouble. I had a part to play here tonight—the doting courtesan whose only ambition was to seal the deal with a vampire. “I meant…” Yup, I had nothing. No way to backtrack. So, instead, I opted for a touch of honesty. “Few of us are here because we
enjoy
the attention of men, vampire or otherwise. We’re here because of what this position can give us.”

His cold eyes widened, as though he hadn’t expected me to speak the truth. “And you, Ms… Winter?”

I smirked at his slip up. “Like many of the ladies here, I’m in a bit of a pickle, and this contract should remedy that.”

“I see.” He finished the rest of his glass, then placed it down on the table.

“And you, Mr. Rune? Dare I ask why you’re here?”

Humor pulled at the corner of his mouth. When he smiled, his entire face changed into something devastatingly handsome. I found myself blinking in amazement as I stared up at him. Ashley would have died had she seen it. As it was, I had no intentions of sharing that little secret with her.

“Call me Ethen,” he offered. “Rune is how I am addressed by my business associates.”

“And that, we are not,” I teased. “So what brought you here tonight?”