The soft swell of music poured out the front doors of the manor as Drew led me toward them, his hand brushing lightly against the small of my back. He'd left his car with the valet, reminding me of the sheer extravagance we were about to walk into. It was the least of the extravagance though. The mansion sprawled upward and outward before me, with sweeping pillars and heavy wood doors, carved with designs I couldn't identify from this distance.
As we approached, Drew gave his name to a servant at the door before he took a glass of bubbling wine for each of us. He led us through the entry way, heading down a wide hallway that opened into a ballroom at the far end. The place was already packed with people, some milling around the edges of the room while others were already on the dance floor at the center. Servants dressed in black mingled in the crowd, carrying trays of bite sized food that ranged from the familiar to the not so familiar. It was the kind of party I'd only ever seen in the movies, nothing like the typical house party I'd grown accustomed to. There were no writhing bodies grinding against each other, no messy drunks, or plumes of mystery smoke, no cops called, or people having sex in the bathroom. Well, that one was yet to be confirmed. But I doubted it.
We came to a stop at the top of the stairs that led into the ballroom and Drew tilted his head toward me, "Thoughts, darling?" He took a long sip of wine, his elegant fingers twisting around the flute as his mouth curved into a smile, taking in my gaze. I traced the ceiling, eyeing the expansive chandelier hanging from it and the intricate pattern painted around it. The light glittered across the crowd, bright enough to see faces but dim enough that it added an edge of sensuality to the space. Immediately I searched for our host, not exactly sure what he looked like but knew I would know when I saw him. Vampires had something about them that made them stand out from a crowd. Or at least that's what I'd heard about them. I'd never actually met a vampire, but I hoped to change that tonight.
"Lots of people," I said. "Where's our host?"
Drew snorted, "Single minded, I see." I shot him a look.
"What do you mean?"
"You're here to find a vampire to fuck? Best of luck." Drew looked over me, "You aren't exactly a vampire's type." I frowned at that, turning back to the crowd. My fingers tightened around my glass.
"But I'm yours?"
"You're hot but not vampire hot."
"I appreciate that observation, thank you," I said drily. Drew and I had been friends for years and had slept together for the first time a handful of months ago. He was the reason I'd started this bucket list to begin with. The sex had been disappointing enough that I wanted to see how other magical creatures fucked. Vampires were generally agreed to be the best, no matter which vampire you had sex with. Warlocks on the other hand, if I based their sex only off Drew, had to be some of the worst. I hadn't told him that, though I was attempted to now.
We hadn't had sex since, but our friendship remained despite my better judgement. He'd invited me to this party as a favor for helping him get out of a ticket.
"He won't be here," Drew said.
"What?"
Drew bobbed his shoulder, finishing his second drink, "He doesn't come to his parties. Don't know why but I don't question it much. Why would I when questioning it might stop him having them?" Drew waved his hand around us. "This is the most extravagant party of the year. And there's all sorts of supernatural people to fuck. Have your pick. It just won't be a vampire." I resisted the urge to roll my eyes.
"I'm here for a reason, Drew. You have some fun, I'm going to scope out the place," I said. He nodded, turning away to focus on finding a woman to woo.
I went down the stairs into the hall, skirting the edge and watching the crowd. There were more humans here than I'd expected, but really it was a mix of many. No other vampires of course, vampires were few and far in between. They tended to keep their numbers small, each claiming their own expansive territory and not bothering to mix much with each other. One thing most people here had in common though, was their wealth. Gems glinted around their necks and in their ears and the men were all dressed in colorful suits, the women in long, glamorous dresses. I'd worn a fitted lilac dress, the top plunging at the neckline to reveal a healthy dose of cleavage, and the skirt only flaring at the very bottom.
Near the back of the room I paused, watching servants come and go from a door behind a table in the corner. From where I stood, I could just make out a hallway beyond, a handful of guests passing through it. I stopped a server as they passed me, "Is that the way to the restroom?" The girl nodded and I trailed into the hallway, leaving the busy party behind.
I wandered past a gathering of people waiting for the restroom, and then beyond, where staff were coming and going from the kitchen. The heavy aroma of cooking meat and fresh bread wafted over me, and I resisted the urge to forget the vampire and stuff my face with whatever food they offered here.
Instead, I slid through a closed door opposite the kitchen, finding myself in a large dining room. I paused inside, resting my back against the door as I got my bearings.
It was ridiculous, this quest of mine, to sleep with every supernatural creature I could, and yet it'd become my favorite hobby. The flirting, the dressing up and going out, chatting with new people, all of it sent a thrill down my spine. While the rest of my life was spent in the library, quiet and calm, this part of my life had me exploring a side of myself I hadn't explored much before.
And so, I found myself lurching off the wall and heading deeper into the house, on the hunt for a vampire.
*
I wandered along the hallways, drawing further and further from the party until only the distant sound of muffled music and the tap of my heeled feet accompanied me. Ornate pieces of art lined the walls, landscapes from all over the world and portraits of people I did not recognize, all displayed in perfectly even intervals. At the far end of the hallway an arched window looked over what appeared to be the back gardens and to the left, a double set of doors stood open. Something tugged in my gut, and I drew closer, slowing my pace until I stopped a foot away from the room's entrance.
Peering around the corner, I gazed into a large room filled with books. Toward the back, a set of plump chairs sat between a fireplace and the window with a man sitting in one, reading a book.
No, not just any man, a vampire. My heart stuttered in my chest, and I sucked in a quiet breath.
"Can I help you?" his voice fluttered across the space, making me jump.
"Uhh," I said, all thoughts emptying out of my head. "I was looking for the ladies room." The words came out more pinched than I'd hoped.
"You couldn't find the bathroom? Why do I doubt that?" the vampire said. He hadn't looked up from his book. If I didn't know any better, I would have thought it wasn't him talking. I let out a brush of a laugh, "Okay, fine, you caught me." I remained in the doorway, staring at the back of his head, dark hair neatly cut.
"So why did you actually come lurking through my house?" He turned with that, his face appearing from around the chair. His skin was tanned, the fire flickering across his high cheekbones. He was stunning indeed. I felt a flush of heat wash over me, nerves spiking in my chest.
I took a single step into the library, allowing myself to pull my gaze away from his to look around the space. The books rose in shelves to the ceiling, thousands upon thousands of them. A good portion probably older than my great, great, and so forth grandmother.
I looked back at him, "I wanted to meet a vampire," I said, the words smooth, far more relaxed than they'd been a moment ago. It wasn't entirely a lie, though it wasn't entirely the truth either. A single eyebrow shot up on his forehead.
"Then come," he said, motioning to the chair across from him. I wandered over, the floorboards creaking beneath me as I settled myself in the chair. We sat close now, near enough I could reach out and touch him. His book rested on his lap and a tea set sat on the small table between the chairs.
This close, I could truly see the details of his face. Freckles dotted his nose and cheeks, and he had large, doe-like eyes, a dark shade of brown, with long lashes that curled as though he'd used an eyelash curler on them. I squeezed my hands together in my lap as he inspected me in turn.
"You're not being entirely truthful," he said, placing a bookmark between his pages. "I can sense that. So why are you here?" He paused for a moment, setting the book onto the table. "Have you come to steal something? If so, this is a poor attempt at it."
"Not to steal something," I said, voice catching in my throat. The reason I was here seemed all too embarrassing now to utter aloud. This was a vampire, a real, flesh and blood vampire and if I was being honest with myself, I was indeed, intimidated.
"Then?" he asked.
"You see," I paused and sat up straight, holding his eyes unflinchingly. "I was going to attempt to hit on you."
He let out a bark of laughter, "And then what?"
"Uh, seduce you," I said though I forced myself not to sound sheepish. "That was my reason for lurking, as you said." He laughed harder, a bright, vibrant noise at odds with what I knew of vampires. I sat there, watching him chuckle, his whole body shaking, until the laughter slowly died.
