Page 46 of Vampire Visions

“You look lovely,” Vaughn told me as he moved my hair behind my shoulder. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you earlier.”

“You look pretty dashing yourself, Fae.” He grinned as he shut my door. Once he was in the back seat, his door closed and his seatbelt on, we were off.

A nervous excitement built up in my chest as Novak pulled the car out of the driveway and onto the main road. This was the calm before the storm began. It was the long moment before I walked in and shit hit the fan. Someone had to come in and raise hell. For once, I was thankful that that someone was me.

19

Sloane

Saturday night

The anxiety built up over the ten-ish minutes that it took to drive from my family’s home to the House of Vampyre. My body was a bundle of nerves, senses heightened, and my head began to throb with the constant roller coaster I was on. Novak reached over, grabbing my hand and squeezing as he drove the car slowly through the middle of town.

We were so close, but it felt like we were in quicksand. We’d hit every traffic light in between point A and point B, and I watched as the clock rolled over at a snail's pace. The distance gave me too much time to think about what I needed to say, what would happen, and what could happen.

By the time we pulled up, I was jittery and fighting to shut my emotions down. I couldn’t afford to act irrationally tonight. Everything needed to go according to one of the plans we’d thought out. This party was going to have more heads, or elders, in attendance than I was comfortable dealing with, but I’d make it work. I didn’t have a choice. It had to go right.

We pulled up to the door, waiting for the event’s valet to come around. Vaughn stepped out, opening my door to help me situate my gown before he offered his arm to escort me away from the car. I took a deep breath and faced the guys with me. “Remember the plan,” I started.

“We know the plan, Trouble. Settle down.” Novak snatched me to his chest, running his hand down my bare back. “We’ve got this,” he assured me with a chaste kiss to my lips.

“We do,” Vaughn agreed with a nod of his head. “You’re front left. Novak is front right. York will be behind you, and I’ll be behind Novak with Stone in the center.”

“You’re right,” I conceded with a huff. “I just don’t like-”

“The unknown,” Stone finished for me. “We understand, Kitten. We’re going to be fine. You just need to focus on you, okay?”

Right. Focus on me.

One more deep breath.

Roll my shoulders back.

Lift my chin.

One foot in front of the other.

Confident. Calm. Collected.

“Work, bitch.” Jack chimed in my mental pep talk, making me grin.

Hooking my hand around Novak’s elbow, I led us toward the door. This was it. The make it or break it moment. I wasn’t as worried about Kadence as I was the rest of the attendees. How would they take the news of Kadence’s betrayal? Could I even call it that? I was. What else was there to call it!?

She’d been pushing that fucking drug on the vampires, and I wasn’t going to stand for it. Her bullshit was over. She could stop on her own, or I’d make her. She could back down, or she could catch the tip end of my horns. I was done playing games. With her and with anyone else who came along.

The security at the door nodded their heads at Novak and me, recognizing us immediately. York, Stone, and Vaughn slipped through behind us without an issue. Then we were off... through the foyer, down the long hall on the left, and finally reaching the ballroom.

Novak and I smiled, shook hands, and greeted elders on our mission to find Kadence. Little did these idiots know, the hostess was a conniving bitch. This whole elaborate party was a sham to cover up her plans to take over my father’s position. The more followers she had, the easier it would be for her to find “investors” to back her up when it came to outing the vampires to the human public. Yet another thing that I wouldn’t let happen.

This bitch had lost her psychotic mind if she thought I’d just roll over and play dead. If she was in her right mind, then she would have known that those bullets that she gave Taylor wouldn’t kill me. All the accidents and attempts on my life, and she still hadn’t learned? Well, tonight would be a shock for her.

Striding into the fray of important figure heads like we owned the place, Novak and I gathered all the attention we needed to kick our plan off the right way. Put your best foot forward, they say. I liked to put my most lethal foot forward. I was as ready as I’d ever be, and I knew I’d said that earlier, but it was true. There were no more preparations that we could undertake. No more plans to concoct. No more waiting. The bitch was going down. Tonight.

The guys fanned out behind us. York stopped a server, snagging us all a glass of champagne, and we silently toasted. The bubbles and bite did little to calm my nerves, but I repeated my mantra in my head as we walked further into the grand room.

Confident. Calm. Collected.

Kadence had really gone all out. More than likely, she’d used the business account to fund the lavish decorations that were seen around the room. The females wore extravagant gowns and the males all had varying colors of tuxedos on. None looked as stunning as the group with me, though.