Bloodspell (The Cruentus Curse, #1)(68)

"I am sure you enjoyed our ... meeting far more than I did. I can assure you I found it indelibly distasteful." Lucian's eyes hardened.

"Shall I remind you how distasteful you find me?" Victoria blanched at the sheer menace in his tone but before she could even move to step away, Lucian grasped her arm. She winced in pain. He leaned in, his eyes glacial. "Don't even think about it, your neck would be in my hands before you took another step."

"And you would be dead before you could flex your fingers," she said with scathing contempt.

Lucian stared at her in reluctant admiration, her eyes flashing and defiant. He was impressed, but that didn't mean that she didn't need to know her place. He squeezed his fingers around her arm and watched her eyes dilate. He squeezed harder.

Victoria felt like she was going to faint from the agony. As Lucian's face swam out of focus, she tried to pull herself together to step outside of the pain. She could only think of one thing.

Christian.

I'm here.

Relief flooded her body like a wave as her eyes swept the room and fell on the tall figure near the entrance. His face was a mask of freezing rage, and Victoria could see that even beneath the edge of the demi-mask, his lips were clenched so tightly that they were a white, fierce line. He was at her side in a flash, removing Lucian's fingers like they were twigs. Victoria could have sworn she had heard a crack but Lucian's expression didn't change.

"You touch her again, and you will spend a decade growing a new hand. That I promise you."

"Relax, brother," Lucian said. "No harm done, just introducing myself to your new ... friend."

"No harm done?" Christian said, holding out Victoria's arm bearing red welts from his fingers.

Lucian didn't answer but grinned cruelly. Victoria saw Christian's hands clench uncontrollably at his side, and she knew that Lucian was just trying to push Christian's buttons. It was working.

She pulled her hand out of his and as she did so, she saw Lucian's gaze settle on her fingers. His look was one of bitter disgust as he noticed the ring.

"I see you have now completely dishonored the Devereux legacy, Christian. Our mother's ring? To a filthy witch?" The derision in his voice was unmistakable.

Christian's muscles tensed reflexively and Victoria grasped his hand.

Christian, please. She squeezed urgently. Please.

Hearing the desperation in her thought, he forced himself to calm down. He had never felt such terrifying, furious rage—he wanted to rip his own brother apart, let him heal, and do it all over again! Make him bleed in an endless cycle of unforgiving pain! People were starting to make a wide berth around them as if they could feel his wrath. He leaned in.

"You come near her again Lucian, and I swear I will kill you," he said in a silky, ominous voice. "I will do nothing to stop the Council. I will no longer protect you. Go ahead on your absurd search for Le Sang Noir and when you find it, may it bring you peace or death, or both." He paused and kissed Lucian on both cheeks. "But I am done, brother."

Lucian's expression was inscrutable as he watched them walk away. He turned as a waitress walked past him.

"Drink, sir?" she asked with a coquettish smile. Lucian smiled back, her eyes glazing over in complete submission.

"Yes, thank you. That would be just perfect," he said, his terrible teeth lengthening as he escorted her to a side door.

ON THE FAR side of the room Victoria leaned against Christian. He felt so warm and strong; all she wanted to do was to melt into the safety of his embrace.

"You look beautiful, just like I knew you would," he said.

"Thank you," she said, flushing. Christian leaned toward her and held her face between his palms. Victoria stared at him, she could hardly believe that she hadn't seen the differences between him and Lucian—they were like night and day. It was as if a part of her subconscious had wanted to see Christian so badly that she'd been blind to what was now so glaringly obvious. As identical twins, Lucian's beauty was also ethereal, but his beauty had a dark edge to it. He was colder and harder, more vampire than man, whereas Christian was the reverse.

Christian looked at her intently, brushing his thumbs against her soft cheeks beneath the edges of the mask.

"I should have come with you. I'm sorry," he said.

"No, it's my fault, Christian."

All of a sudden the noise in the room started to escalate, and they realized that it was five minutes to midnight. The countdown in Times Square had already started.

"Say goodbye to your friends and meet me downstairs in a half an hour. It's almost midnight, and they are looking for you. It's a black limousine parked across the street on the corner, right in front. Don't worry about Lucian. He won't hurt you." Christian kissed her fingertips and melted into the crowd. Victoria wanted to run after him but forced herself walk toward Gabriel and the rest of her friends.

"TORI!" Charla screamed at the top of her lungs. "Where've you been?" She hugged Victoria and then started hugging random people walking by. Victoria raised her glass in anticipation as they started the countdown.

"Ten ... nine ... eight ... seven ... six ... five ... four ... three ... two ... one! HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!"

It was a magnificent firestorm of blinding color as fireworks exploded in the sky all around them, and confetti littered the ballroom. Everyone was kissing everyone else. Gabriel kissed her quickly on the mouth, the intense expression in his open eyes conveying far more than the chaste kiss, but the contact was so brief that she didn't have time to dwell on it. Wyatt also kissed her, which was disgusting. She needed a napkin after he was through. Angie and Taylor were locked at the lips, only interested in kissing each other.