“Yes. See you this evening at the choosing ceremony, then.”
Her eyes went wide with alarm. She pulled her hand away and took a step back. “T-Tonight? The ceremony is tonight?” How did she not realize that? Of course, it was tonight. It was on the papers she had, tucked behind the letter of termination.
“Yes,” he answered in a slow tone. “Were you not aware?”
“Oh no, I was well aware, but it seems to have slipped my mind. I mean, with everything else going on, it just—”
“You don’t need to explain. If you want to sit this one out and attend the next one in a few months, we can arrange for that and allow you to be a donor in the meantime.”
Panic set in and she realized she didn’t want that option, either. She didn’t want to be a donor now that she knew she could be chosen, and have her own option to select, as well, given to her tonight. “N-No. Tonight’s good. I just need,” she looked down at herself. “I need to get changed.”
He took a step forward and touched the underside of her chin. Lifting her head up to meet her gaze, he whispered. “You look radiant already.”
The breath caught in her throat as she took in his shark’s smile laced upon his lips. His kissable, decadent lips.
Pierre stood a good head taller than her, almost towering over her body. She felt safe in his presence, but also frightened like a lamb finding its way into the lion’s den.
She found her gaze locked on his lips and in a quickness, his tongue darted out across his bottom lip, then disappeared.
He took a step back and Alexia took in a breath, realizing she’d not breathed the entire time in his close proximity. He opened the door to his office and cleared his throat. “I’ll see you this evening, then.”
“Do the coven leaders always attend the ceremonies?”
He gave her a slight shrug. “Depends. Tonight, is an exception.”
She bit down on her bottom lip and started toward the door. Excitement rushed through her as she passed by him. Before she could stop to run back and leap into the man’s arms, she forced herself to keep her sights set on the path in front of her. She stared straight ahead, not chancing a detour because she was curious.
She heard a faint chuckle behind her and a soft whisper of a smile crossed her features.
A few hours later, she met with the dressers of The Covenant, and was put into a heavenly shade of orange. When the designer first said orange, she’d cringed, until she saw the dress. It was the color of the sky as the sun was setting, almost a pink hue, but not quite. In the right light, a soft tone of lilac could be picked up in the fabric.
The dress hung off the shoulders and was heart shaped across her breasts, mermaid style. Fitted with a pair of gold studded shoes, her heels struck the tile as she made her way toward the grand ballroom.
Voices in the distance grew more distinct and her heart fluttered in her chest.
What if Pierre and the vampires he had in his family were part of the ceremony tonight?
What if Pierre picked someone else?
Would it hurt her feelings?
Probably.
Aubin would not be in attendance tonight. She could breathe easier with that knowledge.
As she approached the ballroom, the outer tapestries were a dark shade of red with golden accents. The walls were also a shade of crimson. It was striking and set the atmosphere for seduction.
Two men dressed in tuxedos greeted her and opened the door to the ballroom for her. She thanked them, smiled, and sashayed through the entryway.
The room came to life as she stepped inside. The space was encased in gold across the archways and ceiling. In the middle, hung a golden chandelier laced with lights in the shape of irises. The chairs were covered in a red fabric that worked with the scarlet accents around the room.
“I heard that Henry the VII adopted the iris as the flower of Paris during the twelfth century.”
Alexia turned to a woman next to her who spoke. “Is that so?”
The woman was shorter in stature and voluptuous in the best of ways. She was curvy and Alexia grew almost jealous. She was thin where this woman was a knockout.
“That’s what I read,” she answered. “So, you’re not from Paris, either?”
Shaking her head, “I’m originally from the United States. You?”
“South Africa.”
Her brows rose. “Wow, you’re a long way from home. How did you find your way here to Paris?”
“Choosing ceremony. You?”
Alexia shrugged. “I always wanted to live in Paris and with The Covenant here, it just made sense.”
“Jane,” the woman said and held out her hand.
She took it. “Alexia. Nice to meet you.”
The music in the room went quiet and a hush rushed over the room.
“Oh,” Jane whispered. “They’re starting. Come on, let’s go get in the lineup.”
The two women made their way to the open dance floor of the ballroom, where they were directed to stand in a large circle.
“The vampires will be escorted into the room. They will meet with each of you. If a pairing is made, it is your choice if you wish to accept. It is not mandatory. However, if a pairing is not made, you’ll be expected to become a donor until the next ceremony.”
“No donor has made it out of there into a concubine role,” Jane whispered to her. “It’s like concubine suicide to do so.”
Alexia sent a prayer up she did not opt to become a patron to The Covenant. “Good luck,” she told Jane. Jane nodded to her and the women took their places in the circle of blood demons.
“As you’re aware, the source of blood demons has become scarce. The serum has been provided to our covenant from New Orleans and synthetic demons are now joining us. If you’re not able to tell one from the other, then the job is done.”
Alexia glanced over to Jane and wondered if she was a true blood demon or if she was given the injection. Not that it mattered, really. It was more out of curiosity.
As the room remained in silence, the man speaking nodded his head once. “Right, if there’s no questions, we’ll get started.”
Alexia’s heart skipped a beat and she wondered, again, if she was making the right decision jumping back into this feet first. Just because she had been treated like shit didn’t mean another vampire would do the same.
At least, that’s what she prayed.
The doors at the back of the ballroom then opened to expose darkness into another room. Footsteps could be heard and, two by two, men entered the room in designer suits, ranging in color from gray to black, and one was bold enough to wear canary yellow. She grinned when she saw his suit and wondered if his personality matched the humor of the suit.
As the men made their way into the center of the ballroom, Alexia’s breath caught as she saw Pierre at the back of the line, walking in with three other men by his sides. The quartet stood side by side, their hands in their pockets, and each man was every bit as seductive and breathtaking as Pierre.
Maybe more so than what she recalled of their pictures.
She quickly looked at the ground in the hope of not drawing attention. The last thing she wanted was to attract the attention of anyone else she didn’t care to meet if Pierre and his brothers-in-arms were here for a concubine.