“Yay!” I clap my hands together, ignoring Parker’s secret smirk at Bubbly Nora. “Oh, Nicky,” I whine, “I’m so happy for you! I knew you could get in!”
Nick grins. “Thanks, baby. It’s all thanks to you, of course.”
Elijah clears his throat to gain my attention. “As we’ve explained to Nick, to become a member, every man must have an underworlder officially sponsor him.”
I almost snort. Sponsor him. Sure. You mean forfeit our life force. Still, I nod like a crazy bobble head. “Oh, sure! Of course I’ll sponsor him!” I turn my pouty smile on Nick. “Whatever you need from me, baby. You know that.”
Nick looks at me, face solemn. “Actually, there is one thing I need from you right now.” He grabs my hand as if he’s about to ask me a big favor and sends me a thought. He wants some of your blood. You don’t have to do this.
Nick looks to Elijah to let him explain. Elijah gives me a very smarmy smile. “Our brotherhood is about trust, loyalty, and becoming one to reach a higher existence. That means we share things. We pool our talents and resources.”
“This includes our underworld sponsors,” Hooptie Guy adds.
Elijah nods. “In order to prove his loyalty and earn the final spot in our house, Nick must allow you to share some of your blood with us, and you must agree to it as well.”
I know Nick told me they wanted some blood, but I can’t help feeling surprised. They’re not vampires. What do they all want with my blood? Nick reads the question in my eyes. Even the smallest swallow of underworlder blood gives a human temporary powers. It will also prove to them that you are, in fact, an underworlder. He sees my sudden panic, and he adds, Don’t worry. I’m fairly certain that you have underworlder blood in you. It should work. And if it doesn’t, tell them you’ve been cursed by your people and had your power repressed. Tell them you’re cast out of faerie and that’s the real reason you hang out with humans. If they don’t accept us, I think Parker will stand in for you. But you don’t have to do this. You can tell them the lie now and say it won’t work. I’ll pretend not to know and ask Parker to be my sponsor instead.
“Seriously?” I say, because it’s been too long since Elijah spoke and I’m beginning to look suspicious. “You are aware that sharing blood is considered one of the most sacred, intimate acts in the underworld, right?”
Nick and Parker both shoot me secret smiles, proud of my quick lie. They underestimate me. Thinking on my feet is a skill I had to develop years ago to keep myself safe. I’m kind of a pro at it now.
Elijah takes my hand and speaks in a low, soft voice. “I know, Nora, and I am sorry to be so bold as to ask it, but don’t you see? To earn our trust, there must be a sacrifice made.” Yeah, a sacrifice that includes my life… “You do want Nick to become one of us, don’t you?”
If I act too eager, they’ll be suspicious. Elijah is still holding my hand, and so I know that he needs this. He needs to taste my blood to know that I am who I say I am and that he can trust Nick. He likes Nick, but he’s still not quite certain he can trust us. I can see that having Parker give his blood won’t work. Elijah is already being drawn to me. My blood is the only thing that will convince him to let Nick in.
“All right,” I say. “I’ll give you blood. But just you for now.” I glance at his brothers. There is no way I’m letting all of them drink from me. When Elijah frowns and shakes his head, I shake mine as well. “I’m sorry, but trust has to be earned both ways. I’ve spent time with you tonight. I’m comfortable with you only. I’ll give you my blood, and if that’s enough to get Nicky in, then I’ll be willing to share myself fully as Nicky’s sponsor.”
Just as I’d hoped, my singling Elijah out plucks at his pride and puffs up his ego. He’s flattered and excited that he’ll have something that none of his brothers have. For all his talk about sharing everything and becoming one, he relishes being their leader. “Okay,” he agrees. “That’s fair enough. Just me tonight. You can share with the others after Nick is officially initiated.”
“Okay,” I say. “I can agree to that. Thank you for taking my feelings into consideration.”
“Of course. You are Nick’s girlfriend, after all, not just his sponsor. We wouldn’t want to make either of you uncomfortable,” he purrs. “Shall we go someplace a little more private?”
“There’s no one out front anymore,” Nick says, looking out the curtain. “It’s chilly, so everyone has come inside. We’ll have privacy out there.”
And we can make a swift getaway, if we need to. Smart thinking, Nick.
Elijah gestures with a hand for me to lead the way. Nick slips his arm back around my waist and escorts me outside. I love how he always makes sure not to touch my skin unless he wants me to hear him. Mind reading wouldn’t be so bad if everyone were as conscious of my ability as he is.
Unfortunately, not everyone pays as much attention as Nick. As we head down the front steps and to the corner of the yard near a large tree, where we’ll have cover from the house and the street, Parker grabs my hand. I’m flooded with his angry, afraid, and jealous thoughts as he says, “Nora, you don’t have to do this. Those jerks shouldn’t be asking you for this.”
It’s hard to feel his concern for me when his thoughts of thirst, lust, and his desire to share blood with me, to form a bond, are shouting at me. I rip my hand out of his and wince when he jerks back, offended. “Sorry. I can hear your thoughts when you touch me like that.”
Parker grimaces. He knows exactly what I think is unpleasant at the moment. “I’m sorry. They’re just thoughts. I would never act on them.”
“I know, but I don’t need to hear them.”
“Sorry. But still. You shouldn’t do this. If they just need underworlder blood, I’ll give them mine. I’ll be Gorgeous’s sponsor.”
I’m not surprised by the offer, but I do know it won’t work. Having heard Elijah’s thoughts inside, I know he’s already starting to fixate on me. Drinking my blood is only going to make his obsession worse, but it’s the only way to get us to the sanctuary and the missing underworlders.
All of Elijah’s brothers have followed us outside, and all of them hear Parker’s angry comment. Eleven angry faces stare at me, waiting to hear my answer. I give Parker a reassuring smile. “It’s fine, Parker. It’s only Elijah right now, and if these men are really going to be his brothers, then I don’t mind. Are you going to be okay once I bleed?”
Parker sucks in a sharp breath through his nose and his eyes flash with desire, but he nods. He glances around and then lowers his voice. “I’m a very old vampire, Nora; my control is impeccable. Still, because it’s you, I fed before coming here tonight just to be safe. I will be fine.”
Parker glances at the group of humans staring at us. I can tell he hates that we’ve just confirmed their suspicions about his underworlder status. I feel a little bad about that, but I also needed the answer to his question. I don’t think I’d have been able to cut myself in his presence if I thought he was going to vamp out on me.
“Is her blood really that much more enticing to you?” Elijah asks.
The glare he gets from Parker is 100 percent vampire. His eyes turn red, and his fangs descend. It makes Elijah and his friends all back up.
“You will keep his secret,” I say calmly to the group of curious onlookers, “or we will kill you. All of you.”
Whoa. I don’t know where that threat came from, but I kind of mean it. Not that I’m a murderer, but I suddenly feel this desperate need to protect Parker. I guess that makes him one of my friends now, too, because I would only ever be that loyal and protective of someone I care about.
Elijah must believe I’m serious, too, because he steps over to me with a hand up in surrender and speaks to me like he’s trying to calm a raging child. “It’s all right, Nora. We would never do something to harm your friend. We do not do things to hurt our brothers or their sponsors.” His smile turns rueful. “Besides, we know better than to cross a vampire.” He nods when Parker growls softly once more. “Your identity is safe with us. You have my word.”