"Oh god," he mutters, his eyes falling closed.
I take a moment to admire his face. Like all vampire's, it's flawless. No scars, no blemishes, no lines. Just smooth skin perfectly showcasing the strong bone structure.
He's so damn beautiful, I can hardly breathe.
"I can feel you watching me again," he says quietly.
I gulp, then straighten up. "I have to study your face, don't I?"
The corner of his lips quirk though his eyes stay closed. Thank god, I don't think I'd be able to deal with looking into his eyes right now.
"I don't know," he says. "I don't know what you're doing to me."
"Turning you into a vampire people would recognize," I tell him, dabbing the glitter on his cheekbone.
He groans. "I don't need to be recognized. Everyone at the party is already a vampire."
"Except for me, and a handful of humans," I tell him. I'm in charge of the guest list, so I invited eight humans over for the event, knowing that even though it's a Halloween party, there are going to be some vamps who will want to feed. The humans know this, of course; that's why they come. They say having a vampire suck your blood is an orgasmic experience. I wouldn't know, of course. I can't remember the last time I had an orgasm without the help of my vibrators, and I've never let a vampire bite me.
Of course, as I'm applying sparkly makeup to Luke's flawless face, I probably shouldn't be thinking about vampires biting me, nor my lack of a sex life. Heaven knows he could take care of both of those things very easily.
Easy now, I tell myself. Luke may not be able to hear my thoughts but obviously he picks up on everything else.
And at that thought, his eyes open and meet mine in an intense gaze.
His pupils go red.
It means he's thinking about blood.
About my blood.
I pause, my breath stopping in my chest, the hair standing at the back of my neck. I rarely see this bloodlust in him.
"Something wrong?" I manage to say, but the words are just a whisper and my voice shakes with fear.
He swallows thickly, jaw clenched tight and though he still holds my gaze, his brow softens and the red fades to black.
"Sorry," he says after a moment.
I lower the sponge to hide my shaking hand and give him a quick smile. "Sorry about what?"
He clears his throat, his focus now on my lips. "You must have seen…"
"Your pupils go red with bloodlust? Yeah. I saw that." I pause uneasily. "Did I do something wrong?"
His face softens even further in apology. "No. Not at all. You just…I…your smell is rather strong tonight."
My brows go up. That's a new one. I resist the urge to give my armpits a sniff. "Well, I did try some new natural deodorant…"
"No, it's becoming a smell…"
"The kind that makes you hungry?"
His nostrils flare for a moment, mouth tightening.
"Hey," I tell him, trying to ease the awkward moment. "You're a vampire. This is what you do. I can't imagine what it must be like having to be around a human all day long for years and not get a chance to bite them."
"It's not about…" he begins in a low voice, then he closes his eyes and lets out a long exhale. "Don't worry about me. Everything is under control. Go back to turning me into Edward. That is what you're doing, isn't it?"
"What gave it away? The sparkles?"
His mouth twists into a smirk. "You seem like the type to have had Twilight posters in their room as a teenager."
He's got me there. "So? At least it got me reading."
"Look, I'm not judging."
"You are totally judging."
He grins now, beautiful white teeth and dimples. "Okay, so I am."
I laugh, grateful to move past that weird and slightly dangerous moment, and then finish up his face. When I'm done, with a touch of black eyeliner for added sexiness, he looks like a glittering version of himself.
"And how do I look?" he asks.
"Good enough," I say, straightening up. "A much more handsome version of Edward."
"Wow, that's high praise coming from you," he says, getting to his feet and towering over me. "More handsome than Robert Pattison?"
"Don't make me repeat myself, I wouldn't want you to get an ego."
"Oh, it's too late for that. After all, I know what you're thinking when you're staring at me. Gives me all the ego I need."
I gulp, my face flushing with embarrassment.
Then he suddenly laughs, noting my expression. "I'm just kidding. Worth it to see your face, though. Come on, Eric will have our heads if we don't show soon." He starts toward the door and beckons for me to follow with a jerk of his head. "After you."
I quickly exit his room and go down the stairs. From the lustful way he was looking at me earlier, to his pupils going red, to him commenting on the way I smell…I don't know, but something is up tonight. Perhaps it's his dick, thanks to my Elvira costume.
Or maybe that's wishful thinking.
We get to the main floor and I poke my head into the kitchen, looking for my mom but she's not there. Usually she'd have appetizers ready that I can just grab and put out in the club, but I don't see any. Vampires may not love sitting down for heavy meals, but they are quite the grazers, especially when drinking alcohol.
Then we go down another level to the nightclub, pushing open the swinging wooden doors with the death's head moth engraved on them, and stepping inside.
"There you are," Ezra grumbles, popping up from behind the bar. Then he frowns. "Luke, are my eyes deceiving me or are you glittering this evening?"
Luke shrugs and runs his hand over his jaw in a casual manner, even though he's getting silver sparkle makeup all over his hand. "Just your ordinary run of the mill vampire," he comments. "And what are you supposed to be, a fuckhead?"
Ezra looks down at his clothes, dressed as usual in dark colors. "Not in my costume yet, asshole."
"You're actually dressing up?" I ask Ezra as he comes out from around the bar and gives me the once over. "I'm impressed. Thought Tina and I would be the only ones."
Ezra's upper lip curls into a snarl. He's quite the snarly guy, a personality quirk that suits him. His background, from many centuries ago, is Italian, so he's got the olive skin, dark curly hair, and brooding eyes and leans hard into the whole smoldering thing. I can see why my friend Shannon was so taken with him back in the day, but once she discovered he was a bit of a jerk, the crush wore off.
"And who are you supposed to be?" he asks, glancing at my cleavage. "Yourself?"
I burst out laughing. That was actually a good one, though I swear Luke bristles beside me, as if he took that joke more personally than I did.
"Hey," Ezra says to him. "I need some help with the keg in the back."
They walk off down the length of the club to the storage room and I take in the sight of Dark Eyes in the Halloween spirit, thanks to the decorating job that Luke and I did earlier.
That's when I feel a cold energy suddenly beside me, signaling the boss's arrival.
/Amanda/
"Well done," Eric comments to me in that smooth voice of his.
I turn my head to look at the vampire who is now standing in Dark Eyes beside me. Always feels like he appears from out of nowhere. "You really think so?"
Getting a compliment from Eric is like pulling teeth, so I'm taking what I can. Plus, there's the fact that I'm forever in his debt and revere him completely.
He tilts his head slightly to study my decorations strewn across the club, a mannerism that reminds me of a bird of prey. "Of course," he says, dark brow arched. "I suppose it's a little on the gaudy side, but that's to be expected when you're dealing with human design."
I give him a wry look. "You know, had Tina actually helped with the decorating, maybe you would have more of a vampire touch."
He bites back a rare laugh, his blue eyes twinkling. "Oh please. Tina has only been a vampire for six months. She's very much a twenty-one-year-old girl from the Bay Area. Plus, you know, her parents being witches and all, I don't quite care for that whole…" he waves his fingers around, "aesthetic. Little too earthy for me."