“You ladies are from Parliament House, yes? Friends of Mike’s?”

He had a very slight accent, lilting and pleasant. He really was very handsome, Brigid thought. If he were tan instead of pale, he would have looked like a surfer or a lifeguard. He had been sired young, only a bit older than they were, and his face was boyishly handsome. His eyes were a vivid blue-green that Brigid found herself staring into. She shook her head as Axel held out a hand and motioned them into the booth.

“What do you want to drink? I will get it for you. Anything for girls from Parliament House.”

Emily giggled and slid closer to him. “Um… a Cosmopolitan for me?”

Axel grinned at Emily, then turned his eyes to Brigid. “And for you?”

“Nothing for me, thanks. Maybe just a bottle of water.”

He shrugged in a careless way. “I told you, whatever you want. Valon?” The security guy turned to Axel and they exchanged quick words in some unknown language. Emily and Axel began flirting. Emily was telling the vampire about a holiday she had taken to Sweden a few summers before, and Axel was laughing along as if she was the most fascinating girl he’d ever met.

Brigid had to hand it to him; the blond immortal certainly wasn’t lacking in charm. She nodded in thanks when the burly security guard returned with her bottle of water and another fruity cocktail for Emily. Axel, she noticed, was drinking nothing. But he was definitely staring at Emily’s neck.

She tried not to be judgmental. It wasn’t as if Deirdre and Ioan had warned her off vampires, but she knew her Aunt Sinead wanted her to meet a nice, human boy her own age. Brigid thought anyone besides Cormac Riley would be an improvement. He was the only boy who had ever attempted kissing her, and according to Ioan, his arm had suffered permanent nerve damage as a result.

She took a deep breath and realized that the nausea still hadn’t passed. She tugged on Emily’s arm, not wanting to brave the crowd without her friend. Emily looked away from Axel.

“You okay?”

“I don’t feel very well. I think that drink was too sweet. Where’s the loo in this place?” She smiled an apologetic smile in Axel’s direction, trying to be polite. To his credit, the vampire did seem perfectly friendly.

Emily’s eyebrows immediately creased in concern, so she stood and guided Brigid through the crowd with one hand on her back. In the back of her mind, Brigid realized that something felt off. Wrong. Then she realized she wasn’t flinching.

Emily had a hand on the small of her back, leading her through a crowded dance club, and people were brushing past and bumping into her.

But Brigid wasn’t flinching.

In fact, the more they wove through the crowd, the more Brigid realized that the music sounded good. Great even. She blinked and looked around, then turned to Emily.

“Em.”

Her friend was looking at her with a guilty expression. “What?”

“What the feck was in that drink?”

The color drained from Emily’s face. “You know… just vodka. Some cranberry and lime juice… and some…” Her low mumble was lost in the crowd, but Brigid caught the movement of her lips when her friend admitted the truth.

Ecstasy.

Brigid’s jaw dropped. She dragged Emily down the hall, past the bathrooms, realizing that she no longer felt the least bit sick to her stomach. In fact, she felt incredible. She pushed past a group of college boys hanging by the door to the alley and shoved Emily up against the back wall.

“What the feck, Emily?”

“Don’t overreact. It’s just a little—”

“What in God’s name would make you do that?”

Emily stomped her foot. “Oh, shut up! Do you realize you just walked through that whole group of boys without cringing? And, for your information, I had Mike put half a pill in. That’s it, Brig. Don’t be so high and mighty! What makes this any different than having a few too many drinks? You do that all the time to loosen up. Do you even feel sick anymore?”

She was livid. “No, but Emily—”

“No different. None! You have a few pints; you take the stick out of your arse. You have half—half—a pill, and maybe you do the same. It’s not dangerous, you know. You’re not going to get addicted or any shite like that. Half this fecking club is taking it right now. It’s practically on the menu at the bar.”

Her heart was racing. She felt warm, but she couldn’t seem to care. “Half the club? Are you?”

“Yes.”

That brought Brigid up short. “But…”

“I don’t seem any different?”

She blinked and her eyes seemed to clear. “Um… not really, no.”

Emily rolled her eyes and grabbed Brigid’s arm, linking it with hers while she pulled them back toward the main room where the music pounded. “That’s because I take it all the time. Well, not all the time, but when I’m going out? Sure! It’s really not a big deal, Brig. It’s no different from having a few drinks to relax. Now, how do you feel?”

How did she feel? Brigid felt… amazing. A boy passed by and did a quick scan. He caught her eye and smiled, but she didn’t feel panicky. In fact, she smiled back.

“I feel… I’m okay, I guess.”

A sly smile took over Emily’s mouth. “Just okay?”

“I feel…” Brigid took a deep breath and closed her eyes as they approached the dance floor. She felt the music as if it was a physical sensation. The bass stroked along her skin. She opened her eyes and the colored lights that lit the pulsating bodies mesmerized her. Her heart felt as if it beat in time to the music. The dance floor moved in one inviting motion. She let out a slow breath.