They Rise at Dusk (Book #1) ✔️

Chapter 38: Epiphany

The onset took me by surprise. One second, I was eyeing the velvet-covered door, and the other, I was chugging down a whole glass of water, edges of my vision beginning to blur and a giddy, warm feeling ticked instead of my heartbeat.

The club around me turned soft and liquid. Music glided across my skin, poignant and warm, like syrup, or caramel, or water sliding over a submerged rock. Cherry's blonde hair waved around her and the sweat on her skin shimmered under the reflector lights. Everything about her flowed; hair, dress, skin. She turned into a wave, her movements predictable, clear, and strong. I moved with her, wanting to mimic her dance. I found falling into her rhythm comforting and comfortable. Something about it caressed my brain.

When her hand slid into mine and she took me back to the red lounges, I wanted her to be my best friend. I missed a best friend. Elena used to be that to me, but Elena was gone, and there was no one else. Lucia couldn't be my best friend, because I needed to take care of her.

When two very handsome vampires wanted to join us in our booth, we laughed like we had an inside joke. Both were pale and dark, but their smiles were gentle and friendly. The taller, leaner one wanted to bite Cherry, but she shook her head and planted a full kiss on his lips instead.

It felt hard being her best friend as I watched someone who wasn't Dorian stick his tongue down her throat.

When he pulled down the thin red strap of her dress and exposed her soft milky boob, I forgot about her boyfriend. The vampire took her nipple into his mouth and bit lightly. Waves of pleasure rippled through my body like I was the one being kissed. I suddenly understood why the music in Dorian's clubs always pumped a seductive, sensual tune. It hit the right spot with each beat, almost like the music itself wanted to make me come.

The other guy, the shorter, but bulkier and still taller than me, was behind me, trying to move in the same rhythm. Cherry's wide eyes met mine, and there was such clarity and understanding in those murky depths that I stepped away from the vampire behind me. She did the same – no explanations or excuses, and pulled the strap back up.

"Don't worry." She crashed into me, her body gluing to mine. "Dorian doesn't mind."

I believed her. Honesty circled her entire frame like a lit halo.

"Why?" I asked, my fingers intertwining with hers, like the touch might give me more insight into her mind.

"He doesn't believe in monogamy." She leaned forward, exposing her neck to me.

More. My body whispered. More of her blood, more of the drug, more of her touch. Completely forgetting about the two vampires around us, I planted my lips against her neck and licked her skin.

She tasted like cherries and smelled like them too. Her hair was silky smooth and her skin milky. Her fingers felt warm intertwined with mine. My fangs slid into her skin, and the first contact with her blood made me dizzy. I only took a sip, some clarity returning to my head.

Her smile made me want to lean back into the feelings, but I kept my head above water and glanced around, realising we were surrounded by people in the booth. Men stared at us, sharing a whisper here and there, and the women averted their gazes, their curled lips snide.

"How are you okay with it?" I asked, even though the moment I looked back at her, she was pulling me into the high.

Like a wave, hitting the shore and dragging the pieces of sand with it to the depths.

"With what?" Cherry murmured, her tiny hands grabbing both my forearms and dragging me closer to her.

Desire burst through me. Hers or mine, I didn't know. But the moment she leaned against my body, I was a goner.