Chapter One
Dozens of women milled about the large, opulent room. The floor was polished marble, and a single, giant chandelier hung from the ceiling. It reminded Audrey of the chandelier from the productions of The Phantom of the Opera she had reviewed for her high school newspaper. That one had fallen directly on her head, which was probably why she was careful to avoid standing beneath this one. She had a feeling actual gold and crystal would hurt a lot more than painted cardboard.
Audrey leaned against the wall, ignoring a buffet table full of delicate-looking dishes, among which ranged lobster and crab. All around her, humans, vampires and shifters from various packs were flirting with one another–and in some cases, doing a little more than flirting. She tried to soak in every detail.
It wasn't often that the halls of the vampire palace were open to humans. This was a special occasion, though. It was the festival of the Harvest Moon, when the vampire king, Dimitri, invited selected human women to his halls to meet various vampires looking to find themselves a mate. The festival would actually take up the full month, until the next full moon. Today was only the meet and greet.
The festival happened every year, but what made this one different was the fact that Dimitri had also invited shifters to his halls. The poor relations between them and vampires made this an unprecedented move on Dimitri's part.
And I've been chosen to cover it from the inside.
Audrey fought to keep the smirk off her face as she remembered when her boss assigned her the story. The young reporter was determined to prove herself worthy of the task and was taking careful mental notes of what she observed. Details about what actually happened during the festival were scarce out in the human world.
So far there hadn't been anything really worth reporting on. It was like any fancy party. Or, given the amount of couples sneaking off to private rooms, like any prom. The most exciting part was the hostility apparent between the shifters and vampires. Just a couple minutes ago, a tussle between a Wolf and a vampire over the same woman had ended with them both being ejected from the hall just moments ago.
Audrey scanned the room again. It didn't escape her notice that the women in the hall were all gorgeous. Audrey herself had always been seen as 'exotic', with her hair a peculiar shade that was usually black, but with a tinge of red in the right light, her golden-brown skin and eyes so blue that people assumed she wore contacts.
So vampires like unusual combinations on their women, Audrey mused, catching sight of a woman with one green and one brown eye being chatted up by no less than three men.
She grimaced as a man sidled up to her. He wore a suit like the vampires, but there were a few giveaways telling her he was a shifter. The first was the sheer size he had over his blood-drinking paranormal counterparts. While vampires did stand taller than the average human, they were tall in a supermodel or basketball player way. Shifters, even the ones that could turn into smaller animals like foxes, were sheer bulk. They towered over everybody else, huge and intimidating.
Audrey drank some punch and ignored the shifter. Right now she wanted to take in the rituals going on around her.
He leaned against the wall and peered down at her. It didn't escape her notice that was easily the biggest man in the room. He had dark eyes, dark hair, and dark skin that was smooth and unblemished. He was also insanely handsome, with a strong jaw and symmetrical features. If she had been here to find a mate, rather than get the inside scoop, she would have been all over him. Which was one of the reasons she was so determined to ignore him.
"Hello," he said, his voice deep like the ocean and by far the sexiest thing she had ever heard. "My name is Sanjay."
Would it hurt to let herself dabble in the festivities with this huge shifter? She had signed up for the whole selection process. It was the only way she could get access to the festival… No. She had to stay on track. No dabbling.
But that didn't mean she couldn't ask a few questions.
"Audrey," she said with a smile. "My name is Audrey. So you're a shifter, right?"
Sanjay nodded.
"What do you turn into?"
"A Liger."
Audrey stared dubiously at him. "A Liger? As in…?"
"Half tiger, half lion. Sanjay grinned at her. "Just like in non-shifter species, if a tigress mates with a male lion, the offspring is a liger. Want to go to a room and find out more?"
Well, he was right to the point. Audrey's pulse quickened. Her body screamed at her to say yes, but she shook her head. Maybe she had signed up for it, but she wasn't here for a mate. It was just a cover. She wasn't going to lead Sanjay on, despite how hot he was and how much she'd like to learn more about him.
"No. I'm here for the vampire king, nobody else."
What the... What had possessed her to say that? Audrey tried to smile. There was a non-disclosure agreement with signing up for the festival, and if she revealed her true purpose she'd be ejected. But she could have found a different excuse to refuse the handsome shifter.
Sanjay's eyes darkened, but before he could say anything else, a vampire turned towards them. He actually stepped between the Liger and the human, flashing her an easy grin. His fangs were the longest she had seen yet. It must have been all the pheromones floating around from other women looking to mate, but Audrey suddenly had the urge to ask if the length of fangs corresponded with the size of… other parts of the body.
"You're interested in the king?" the vampire said.
Audrey nodded, although she couldn't help but wince at the look on Sanjay's face. Frustrated, annoyed, and maybe even a little hurt. I don't owe him anything.
"Yeah. I want to meet him. I've never seen any pictures or anything."
"The king likes his privacy." The vampire clamped an arm around her waist. "I'll take you to see him."
Sanjay gripped the vampire's shoulder and yanked him away from her. "She was talking to me."
"And it looked to me like she was done."
Audrey looked between the two men, eyes widening. They weren't going to start fighting, were they? She certainly didn't want that! And as much as she would like to stay and talk with Sanjay about why he was here and what life as a shifter was like, being able to speak with the king himself was a huge break for her. There were no photos of him, let alone a real, honest-to-goodness interview.
If she was able to get an exclusive on him, her career would skyrocket. She might even get the Pulitzer for it. It was a chance she couldn’t turn down, so she stepped between the two men.
"I really do want to meet the king," she told Sanjay. "But you and I could talk again. Just talk, though. Like I said, I'm not looking for a shifter mate."
Sanjay's lips pursed but he nodded stiffly and stepped back. The vampire once again put an arm around her waist and led her away from the party.
Now that she wasn't comparing him to Sanjay, Audrey could see that the vampire was quite attractive as well. Paler than she normally went for, but it suited him well with his brown hair and hazel eyes. And while not as muscular as the shifter, he was no string bean. It was no wonder so many women flocked to the palace every year for the chance of becoming a vampire's mate.
The vampire led her up a set of polished oak stairs and into a room at the end of the hallway. A fire flickered in a hearth across the room, and two full walls were covered in books. A desk sat in the corner next to the fire, and in the center of the room was a white couch.
"So is this the king's library or something?" Audrey asked.
"Yes." The vampire closed the door behind him. "And now that we're alone…"
He was on her in a second. His hot, hungry mouth captured hers, his arms wrapping around her waist. He pulled her tight around her, the wool pencil skirt she had elected to wear already riding up on her thighs. Heat flooded through her as he expertly kissed her. Sparks exploded in her brain and for a moment all she wanted was for him to lay her down on the floor and take her where they stood.
The sound of her own moan caught her off guard and she pulled back, pressing her hands to the vampire's chest, gasping for breath.
"What are you doing?"
"I should think that it's fairly obvious," the vampire replied with a roguish grin. "And don't tell me you didn't like it. You don't make sounds like that when you're not enjoying yourself."
Heat rose on Audrey's face. She shoved at the vampire, but he was too strong and didn't release her. Her eyes narrowed. "Let go of me this instant!"
"I can make you enjoy yourself a lot more than that," the vampire said, his voice husky. "Have you ever been drank from? Trust me when I tell you that you've never felt anything like it. It's an instant orgasm with just my lips on your neck."
Audrey was speechless for a moment. Not only because she was shocked by what he was saying, but also because how much her body responded. Everything in her screamed for him to clamp down on her neck, piercing her skin with his fangs. She bit her tongue hard, bringing her back to reality, and shook her head.
"No. You're not going anywhere near my neck. Now let me go!"
The vampire's brow rose, but he let her go and stepped back. "Better?"
"Much. Can you even introduce me to the king?"
"Yes."
"Good. Go get him." The vampire didn't move. Audrey narrowed her eyes and put her hands on her hips. "I said go get him."
The vampire chuckled. "You didn't even ask my name."
"I don't care what your name is, I only want—"
"It's Dimitri."
Audrey's eyes widened. Her stomach flip-flopped. He was the king. The king had kissed her. And she had ordered him around. There goes my exclusive interview.
"Changed your mind about my mouth on your neck?" the king asked, his gaze dropping to her throat.
"Er… no." Her voice came out a squeak. She had told Sanjay she was holding out for the king, so what excuse would she give now?
Dimitri stepped closer. "You will. I want you, Audrey. And I always get what I want."
As she stared into his eyes, Audrey believed him. Her heart lurched with a desire to just give in, but the more stubborn part told her not to. She was on the job. She wasn't going to start sleeping around just because everybody here was so good-looking.
Afraid that she would give herself away if she opened her mouth, Audrey walked past the king, leaving him behind in the room. I'm in trouble. Big, big trouble.