I was struck with the thought of how easily any one of them could attack me, and my heart skipped a beat. Panic gripped me. I really needed to find Ethan.
The place was so crowded that it took what felt like forever to get back to the VIP section. I couldn’t see Ethan anywhere, and my breathing quickened. Then someone gripped my arm, and I turned to find Lucas standing over me, his expression surprisingly etched with concern.
“Tegan, are you okay?”
I swallowed hard. “Um, yes. I mean, no. Yes. Uh, I think I might be having a panic attack.” I put my hand to my chest and rubbed, trying to calm myself down. “The crowd is freaking me out,” I said, and Lucas nodded.
“Come on, I’ll take you to Ethan’s office. You can have a moment to relax in there.”
He led me back to the office and opened the door to the empty room. I stepped inside and instantly felt much better. Lucas stepped in after me, but he left the door open a little, and I was grateful for that.
“Thanks,” I said to him. “There were these two women in the bathroom who wouldn’t leave me alone, and I just panicked.”
“They wouldn’t leave you alone?” he questioned.
“Well, not in a bad way. Not really. They were just being nice, too nice. And then they started getting all fangy and saying how good I smelled, and I had to get away.”
Lucas chuckled. “Fangy? Really?”
I waved him off. “You know what I mean.”
Lucas walked into the adjoining bathroom and returned with a glass of water, handing it to me. “Drink this. It might sober you up a little.”
“I’m not drunk.”
The only response I got was a cynically raised eyebrow.
“I’m serious. This is what I call tipsy. Drunk is a whole other ball game.”
His eyes trailed to the ceiling, and he seemed bored now. I sipped on the water and studied him.
“So, what was that all about with Amanda earlier? Ethan said you’d agreed to steer clear of her, and yet, there you were, getting in her space.”
“I wasn’t getting in her space. I was merely being polite. She needs to know I’m no danger to her.”
“It’s not that you’d be a danger to her. It’s more like she’s a danger to herself when she’s around you. She might feel the urge to offer you her blood.”
“Even if she did, I’d never take her up on that offer. I told you before, I care about her wellbeing.”
I eyed him now, curious. “Do you care about her romantically?”
His shoulders stiffened. “That’s none of your concern.”
“Oh, my God, you have real feelings for her, don’t you? You loooove her,” I sing-songed, something I’d never do if I wasn’t tipsy from champagne.
“Alright, you’re obviously feeling much better now. Come on, we should get back out there.”
Lucas guided me from the office, and we walked down the corridor that led back out to the main area of the club. Something felt off though, and when we emerged, I noticed that the previously crowded dance floor was deserted. Vampires huddled around the outskirts of the club, an air of fear permeating them. When I moved to get a closer look at what was happening, my heart literally stopped beating for a second.
In the centre of the dance floor stood Theodore and Rita, and in front of them were ten people, each wearing a black bag over their heads and matching black jumpsuits showing numbers from one to ten. Several witches and warlocks stood by the exits, blocking anyone from leaving the club.
Ethan emerged from behind the crowds of huddled vamps, his eyes glittering with silver and gold, his fangs gloriously extended.
“What do you think you’re doing here, Sorcerer?” he demanded in a calm voice laced with undertones of simmering rage.
Theodore giggled in that high-pitched way of his before answering, “I thought I’d pay a visit so that we could play a little party game.”
“Go. Now,” Ethan commanded, but Theodore shook his head slowly and waggled something in his hand. It looked like a tiny black remote control.
“Ever heard of a nail bomb?” Theodore asked, and Ethan stilled.
“What have you done?” he seethed.
“No?” Theodore chirped, ignoring Ethan’s question. “Well, I’ll tell you. A nail bomb is just like a regular bomb, except it’s packed with nails in order to maximise the damage caused. I’ve always found it a fascinating idea and decided I’d come up with my own version: a stake bomb.” There was a collective intake of breath. “Much larger in size and slightly more cumbersome, a stake bomb is a wonderful device when taking down vampires.”
Theodore spoke as though he was a presenter on the Shopping Channel describing the latest design in electric toothbrushes. A heavy sweat broke out on my skin as I started to hyperventilate.