“Ananya.” Ian kissed both her cheeks and then her lips when she pressed them against his as he was about to pull away.

I ground my teeth. This woman was lucky I was only pretending to be with Ian tonight. If I hadn’t been pretending, I would have bloodied her mouth for plastering it against his. And he’d be walking with a permanent limp for returning her kiss.

Looked like I was capable of extreme vampire possessiveness after all. And they said you couldn’t teach an old dog new tricks . . .

“Ananya, you’re as lovely as ever,” Ian told her when he finally pulled his mouth away from hers.

Dark, doelike eyes glanced my way before Ananya returned her attention to Ian. “As are you, darling, and I see your taste is still faultless. Your latest acquisition is simply stunning.”

Acquisition? I crossed my arms behind my back so it wouldn’t be obvious that I’d just clenched my fists. Worse, Ian chuckled in a knowing way. “I collect only the best. And you? Who are these fine new lads you have in tow?”

She flicked her fingers and they came forward. “Meet Hans, Steven, and Amir. Boys, meet Ian. And your pet’s name is . . . ?”

That was it. I walked away without a backward glance. Let Ian continue to cozy up to his former lover without me. I’d busy myself with exploring the rest of the room.

Unlike the other rooms in the castle, these walls were dark, as were the floors and ceiling. Rich, luxuriant drapes hung over alcoves where muffled moans indicated that transactions of a more personal nature were taking place. The air was heavy with the scent of cigar smoke, different perfumes, greed, despair, exultation, and sex. Not a combination I wanted to savor, so after one exploratory breath, I stopped trying to see if I recognized scents from people I used to know when I was a regular visitor to places like this.

My wandering took me to the farthest corner of the room. A velvet curtain blocked what looked to be another room beyond it. Murmured voices indicated that this room was occupied, too. I was about to peek inside when a pale hand landed on my arm.

“That game’s not for you, sweeting.”

Ian’s latest nickname made me bristle more than his attempt to tell me what to do. “Why not?” I asked with all the annoyance I felt. Fighting couple, present and accounted for.

“Because I didn’t take you for someone who liked to chase the dragon,” he drawled. “Was I mistaken?”

I recognized the slang referring to drug use, but there were no heartbeats in the room beyond. Ian could only mean one thing. “Vampires are drinking drugged blood in there?”

Ian’s hand tightened as many heads turned. Guess my abhorrence to Red Dragon, which was what the drugged blood was commonly referred to, had caused my voice to carry.

“Remember my first command,” Ian said low. “You’re not here as anything except a partygoer.”

My anger grew. This time, it wasn’t caused by his highhandedness. Unlike humans, vampires couldn’t become inebriated by the right mix of synthetics, plants, or chemicals. There was only one substance strong enough to intoxicate us, and while most vampires had no idea what it was, I did. Ian was right—I couldn’t let my role as Law Guardian affect my response, and that had nothing to do with Ian’s magical command.

“On the contrary,” I said in a voice so loud, it carried to everyone in this room and the curtained-off one beyond. “Not only do I love Red Dragon, I can drink every vampire here under the table, and I bet every voucher you have to prove it.”

Ian wanted a scene that was bound to get back to Dagon? I was about to give him one.

Ian’s eyes glittered with angry sparks. “Assumes all my money is hers to spend,” he called out in a falsely jovial tone. “Spoken like every woman and man I’ve ever dated.”

Laughter and grunts of commiseration met his response, which covered his far lower hiss of “Are you mad?” at me.

“I know what I’m doing,” I snapped in an equally low tone. “For once in your life, trust someone other than yourself. Please,” I added, using that word for the first time with him.

The hardness in his gaze didn’t vanish when the attendant returned with a large tray full of different-colored vouchers. Then, with a harsh twist of his lips, Ian took the tray the attendant handed him and held it over his head.

“All right, mates, everything on this tray says the lovely lady can make good on her boast.”

Several vampires immediately cashed out of their current games. Soon, Ian was surrounded with people taking him up on his extravagant bet. It came as no surprise that almost all of those bets were against me. All I did was smile.

Let the games begin.

Chapter 17

When I started drinking, twenty-eight competitors sat at the table with me. An hour later, there were thirteen. An hour after that, there were six. Now there were only two, and one of those listed so heavily in his chair, his friends stood on either side of him to make sure he stayed upright.

I was leaning on my arms because I’d decided that sitting up straight was overrated after my last shot. Dozens and dozens of crystal glasses were stacked to form a mini castle in front of me. The attendants had been creative with how they’d arranged the empty glasses after I’d finished each shot.

“S’posta be on ur ass b’now,” Andrew, the heavily listing vampire, slurred. Then he wagged a finger at me. “’Ow oldru?”

I was fluent in drunk talk so I knew what he was asking. “Rude to ask a lady her age,” I said, making sure to slur my words enough to avoid suspicion. “’N’ quit stalling. Your turn.”

Andrew gave the full shot glass in front of him a baleful look. “’Ate you,” he told it, then brought it up. He missed his mouth and the tainted blood sloshed onto his cheek. He frowned as it spilled onto his formerly immaculate tuxedo, then accepted the new glass that an attendant quickly poured for him.

I watched with pity but no real concern. Vampires were incapable of drinking themselves to death. Granted, Andrew would have a terrible hangover tomorrow, but I hoped that would cause him to think twice about drinking Red Dragon again.

Ian wasn’t watching Andrew or my other remaining competitor. He was watching me, as he had been this entire time. Worse, I didn’t think his attention had to do with concern over losing the lavish bet he’d placed on me. I met his gaze before quickly glancing away. His stare was too knowing, as if he were somehow compiling my secrets one by one.

I didn’t see Ian leave his position on the other side of the table. I felt him as he came nearer. His aura cascaded over me, distinctive even in this crowd and growing stronger as he approached. He stopped when he was behind my chair. Then I felt the glide of his hands across my shoulders.

His power made my skin vibrate with pleasurable tingles. I fought a moan as I leaned back, unable to keep myself from moving closer. Wasn’t my fault, I decided. It was all the Red Dragon I’d consumed. That’s why it felt as if every stroke of his hands was a spell I was falling deeper into.

His fingers slipped beneath the thin straps of my ice-blue dress as he kneaded my shoulders until the tension melted out of them. Then he stroked the back of my neck until it was all I could do to stop myself from rubbing against him like a cat. This might have looked like a simple back rub, but it felt far more intimate. In a different, more private setting, it could even be considered foreplay.