Chapter 7: Who Knows What Might Happen?

-Ronan-

It's been one hour into this hellish evening, and I've managed to dodge most of the people who come up to talk to me so far.

But I can't ignore Stella Van Arder, who's spotted me hiding on the balcony and is on her way over here.

She saunters toward us with a glass of champagne in her hand. I can't help but notice the way her red dress hugs the curves on her thin body, and it's easy to guess why so many heads turn to watch her.

The last thing I want is to draw more attention to us after Ara accidentally kicked another vampire's attendant and almost started a fight. Thankfully, the attendant's owner wasn't close by, and I quickly persuaded the poor woman to run off to her master.

Since then, Ara's stayed mostly still, clinging to my arm whenever we move. It's unusual to have your attendant with you at all times during an event like this, but I'd rather keep her close than have her cause more problems.

Stella pauses a few feet away and eyes Ara up and down before approaching us.

"Ronan, darling. It's been a while." She kisses my cheek and places a hand in mine, expecting me to kiss it. Always so dramatic.

I oblige and bring her hand up to my lips, promptly letting go. "Stella. It's like you haven't aged a day."

A scowl forms on her face, acknowledging the joke in my compliment.

Vampires don't physically age past early adulthood. Then it takes a few hundred years for frown lines or gray hairs to start appearing.

"What a surprise to see you here. Is this your new attendant?"

A huge, fake smile appears on Ara's face. She's trying so hard to appear glamored, yet all she's accomplishing is to look drunk or mildly insane.

"No, I just found her outside and thought she could use a drink," I say, handing Ara my glass.

Stella rolls her eyes at me. "Your sense of humor could wake the dead. And it's about time you got one for yourself. I was beginning to think you had something against the idea of having an attendant."

I shake my head. "How could I be against it? When we're helping so many poor humans with their debts."

I hear the faintest scoff from Ara, and I realize it's time to remove her from Stella's presence, before she becomes the conversation's focus.

"She's pretty, for a human." Stella grabs a handful of Ara's hair. "I thought you favored blondes."

"An attendant's hair color is irrelevant as long as she serves other purposes," I say.

"Oh. Has she proven… satisfactory so far?"

"Quite palatable. Delicious, in fact." I smile at Stella, but her eyes are glued on Ara.

I'm aware that Stella wants to know if I've fucked Ara already, but I won't give in to her curiosity.

"Yes, I've always found the females to taste better. Humans, at least," Stella says. "But vampires are another story."

"I wouldn't know. I've never tasted another vampire." I shrug, taking back my drink from Arabella's hand. Her fingers remain frozen in place, in the shape of the glass she'd been holding, as if she's been petrified.

"Maybe you should…be around other vampires a little more. We can just as… delectable."

Stella's sultry tone isn't lost on me.

"Maybe I might," I taunt her, downing the gin in one go.

"Sir, may I go to the bathroom?" Ara says all of a sudden, finally lowering her hand. She still has that weird, dreamy look on her face.

"Don't be impertinent. Your master hasn't spoken to you," Stella snaps, nudging Ara on the shoulder.

Thankfully, Ara only smiles at her. But I've spent a good part of this day looking at her eyes despite my best efforts to ignore her, and I can tell she's on the verge of tears.

"It's all right. It's only been a few hours since I got her," I intercede. "Go find the bathroom and wait outside. Don't talk to anyone."

"Let her join the others. They're putting on a good show." Stella steps aside, giving me a clear view of the performance being carried out by attendants inside the room. They're dancing to a synth-wave beat, their bodies interlaced with each other. Some are openly fucking or touching each other intimately.

"Go sit by the pool," I say with a firm tone, hoping Ara listens.

She nods and heads inside, when she's suddenly stopped by Martin Van Arder, Stella's youngest brother.

"Whose are YOU?" he says, grabbing her chin. "I haven't seen you around before."

Ara merely stares at him and wobbles in her shoes.

"Let go of her," I say, a little too loud. Some heads turn in my direction.

"Ronan! I apologize. I was just looking." Martin lets go of her and moves on.

Ara briefly exchanges a look with me and then disappears from my view. I pray that she doesn't encounter more grabby vampires on her way to the bathroom.

I've forgotten Stella is still standing here, watching me.

"You're so protective," she says teasingly. "One might think you're smitten by her."

I let out a hollow laugh. "Don't bring that up. It was a long time ago."

It's been, what, seventy years? And she still remembers the time I fell for a human.

I was young and stupid, and that's never happening again.

"It's Desmond who loves his attendants so much that he accidentally sets them free," I say, trying to divert the conversation away from me.

Stella laughs, gently patting my arm.

"Your brother has the emotional depth of a cucumber. He cares about his attendants as much as he cares whether his wife lives or not. How long has it been since he's seen her, by the way?"

"I wouldn't know. A few years." Desmond's estranged wife is a touchy subject around my family. It wasn't a happy match, to say the least. "Why? Are you still pining for him?"

"I've moved on a long time ago," Stella quickly says. "I have my eyes set on another one."

A flirty smile forms on her lips, and I regret asking.

My mind wanders back to Arabella, who should have left the bathroom by now.

"Walk with me," I say to Stella, extending my arm to her. "Show me around. I haven't been here in a while."

She seems delighted by the idea and wraps her arm around mine, pulling me inside and leading me to the main room filled with guests. Most of them are lesser vampires who don't belong to the seven noble families. There aren't many of us, and several of them live scattered around Europe.

A lot of Stella's guests have attendants, but a vast majority of lesser vampires can't afford one.

Stella gloats under her guests' scrutiny, probably enjoying the fact that she's seen walking with me. Our bloodlines are the oldest of the noble families, and it's been known for ages that we'd join forces some day.

Desmond should have married her, if it hadn't been for his unfortunate match.

I subtly lead Stella to another balcony where I might get a view of the pool, hoping to catch a glimpse of Arabella. So far, there are no signs of a fight breaking out or random screams. That's probably a good sign.

"Have you heard? My father plans to go on his long sleep at the end of the year," Stella says once we make it outside. "He's been planning it for years, but he's finally decided this will be his last."

So Conrad Van Arder is retiring for good. It makes sense. He must be around four hundred years old. He's had three wives, the first being Stella's mother.

And after a few centuries, I suppose an eternal and irreversible sleep might sound enticing.

There's a lot she isn't saying, though.

This means Stella will inherit all his titles and lead her family's companies. She'll need to get married, and she'll also need heirs.

"He's set on seeing me married before he takes the plunge, though," she continues, turning to face me. "So that must happen sooner rather than later."

Everything makes sense now.

My parents moving back to Savannah. Their insistence that I get an attendant and come to this party. Fattening the pig for slaughter, or so they say.

I'll have to have a long conversation with my father soon enough. My own business plans might interfere with his, and I'm not giving them up for a marriage of convenience.

"Don't make me say it, Ronan." Stella tugs at my jacket. "You were never my second option, you know? Desmond was just the candidate that made more sense, since he's the oldest. But I've always thought you were the better looking of the two."

She presses a finger down on my nose and gives me a sweet, innocent smile.

I'm glad she thinks my hesitance to marry her stems from the fact that she was first promised to my brother.

It's not that I don't see the advantages of marrying her. We've spent countless summers together, and we're around the same age. She's good-looking and smart, and joining our bloodlines and wealth will create the biggest vampire empire in the world.

But her views on life aren't the same as mine. I simply don't care about humans. They're a food source, and nothing more, despite what I say about them might suggest.

She, however, actively detests them while pretending she wants to help them. Her entire self is constructed on her noble status, while I… I just want to live my life. I've found that time goes by easily by finding new hobbies every decade or so. Reading, learning.

There's still so much I don't know about the world.

And the idea of marrying her feels like I'd be going on a long sleep too.

We could always be like Desmond and his wife and live separate lives, but knowing how miserable it makes him, I think I'll pass on that option.

"Isn't that your attendant?" Stella says, interrupting my thoughts. I panic for a second, imagining the trouble she might be in. "It seems like she made a friend. Are you sure you glamored her properly?"

Ara is sitting by the pool, like I instructed her to do. But there's another attendant next to her, and they seem to be having an interesting conversation. He doesn't appear to be glamored either, but it's not unheard of for glamored humans to still crave some sort of human connection.

They aren't entirely mindless, either.

"She's just settling into it," I say quickly. "But I'll make sure it's working properly later tonight."

"Hmm. The most recent report I got from the agency says 99% of them accept to be glamored. The numbers are also doing great. We've helped three thousand humans around the world. And the statistics on how many lives we've saved…"

Stella goes on and on about the marvels of the attendant agency, but I can't concentrate on her words. My eyes keep wandering toward Arabella, who's now laughing at something that man has said.

Anger boils up inside me. She's going to have to learn to behave in public.

And who the fuck is that man?

Stella grabs my arm, once again demanding my attention.

"I'm going to greet my other guests because I have to feed soon," she says. "If you're bored, you know where my room is. I don't mind sharing." She gives me a kiss on the cheek, then brings her mouth up to my ear and whispers, "I can't wait forever, Ronan. It's up to you."

Maybe she won't have to wait forever. There are a lot of things she doesn't know, and one of them might change her mind about me.

But that's not what I'm worried about now.

I have to get to Arabella.

I rush down the stairs and my path is blocked by none other than Desmond.

"Your pet seems to be having fun." He's slurring his words, which means he's had a fuck ton to drink. "Careful. If you haven't explicitly barred her from fucking another human… Who knows what might happen?" Leaning closer to me, he whispers, "since she's not glamored, and all."

I push him aside and head outside, rage simmering inside of me.

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