Hellfire | Hayley Marshall

Chapter 43

Eisa was honestly terrified.

She had done her makeup as she usually did for such a magnificent event. Fake eyelashes, sharp-winged eyeliner, perfectly plucked brows and plump lips. Hair curled, nails done, gold jewelry on her fingers, neck, and ankles, feet resting on some of the most expensive heels she owned. She'd decided to wear something red, which made her think of blood (A/N: Reference Marchesa bordeaux red velvet gown with corset bodice). It was comfortable enough to fight in, if need be.

She, Elijah, and Hayley walked in, finding the party already in full swing. All The Strix vampires were dressed in their most formal attire, wearing masquerade masks (which Elijah and Eisa had neglected to wear) and watching the burlesque dancers dressed in revealing flapper outfits as they danced. Some humans were scattered about, being fed on.

As soon as they walked in, nearly every single guest turned to them. Elijah stopped Hayley from walking in further until he'd taken the time to look at every face nearest them. Eisa had continued to stroll forward, swaying her hips and attracting even more attention.

If Hayley wasn't jealous before, she definitely was now.

The vampires looked at Eisa as if she was their sustenance. There was hunger in their eyes, as if they wanted to feed on her and be fed on by her. There was lust in the way they reached their hands out tentatively, wishing to touch her— needing to touch her. Several of the vampires had gotten to their knees, and Eisa had acknowledged each of them before they got back to their feet.

"Oh my god," whispered Hayley to Elijah as the vampires crowded around Eisa as if she were a celebrity. "Those are all her sirelings?"

"A fraction of them," mentioned Elijah. "Some of them are my sirelings. But given what happened the last time we all saw each other, they prefer her."

"Yeah, they really do," said Hayley, seeing several of the vampires were kissing her feet. "I don't know why I didn't fully grasp the concept of her being the 'queen' until now."

"Eisa is a goddess, to many of them," said Elijah, pointing to a few vampires who were struggling to get to the front of the crowd, asking Eisa if she wanted to dance with them. "She is their Aphrodite, their Athena, their Ares, all in one. She represents the best of them. She is the reason behind their success. They owe her everything."

Hayley heard Eisa laughing, and saw that she was hugging several of the vampires. "Who are they?" she asked, feeling another spike of jealousy as the recipients of each hug gripped Eisa in the most inappropriate places.

"Her lieutenants," said Elijah. "The ones that keep her in the loop about Strix matters and the ones who let her know who misbehaves. They are her most trusted associates, and so, she rewards them with physical contact."

"Yeah, she sure does," muttered Hayley, seeing one man had kissed Eisa full on the lips, and the Original hadn't pulled away. "Are they always this touchy with her?"

Elijah sighed. "Yes, they are always this touchy. My sister is one of the most desirable vampires in the world, for many reasons. Many crave to hold her affections, to be the one in her bed at the end of every day. Most never get the chance to do more than shake her hand. Some here are meeting her for the first time. A few have been lucky enough to be a fling. But the only vampire to ever be introduced to The Strix as Eisa's partner was Aya. You would not believe how many times Eisa had to keep Aya from being murdered, in the early days. The Strix are a legion of ego-maniacal sociopaths, and they take what they want."

Hayley gulped. "I'm kinda starting to realize why she didn't want me to come."

"Only just?" said Elijah a bit teasingly. "Do not leave our side, and all will be well. I..." he trailed off, and suddenly yanked Hayley behind him. The hybrid peeked out, and saw a tall man making his way toward Eisa, shoving other vampires away to end up right in front of her.