Lucia wasn't sure exactly when the party went from pretty classical music and couples swirling around the dance floor to a no-holds-barred fight that apparently had several teams - though she couldn't make the distinction between who was team fangs, who was team blood, and who was team bats. She shuffled toward a wall as quickly as possible, her heavy, ballroom skirts rippling around her legs and making it a bit difficult to move efficiently. As she gripped her camera close to her stomach, trying to protect it from the same fate as her last, she couldn't help but wonder why she let Arianne bring her to a ball full of vampyres.
The pay was good, but she wasn't sure if it could cover medical expenses if she got pulled into the brawl. Her head was starting to ache and somehow the lights, though still on and at full brightness, didn't seem to be able to penetrate shadows that were leaking into the grand hall from all angles.
An icey hand snatched her forearm.
"Where do you think you're going, lovely," growled a low, female voice. "Come join the fun." With that, he twisted his hand and pulled with what seemed like no effort on her part.
SNAP. Lucia's eyes widened frantically as searing pain shot through her arm, into her shoulder, and tickled her instant response. She screamed, high and shrill, and continued to scream even as the vampyre who snapped her forearm in two let go and drew back as if she had been burned. Tears flooded her eyes as the pain became so acute that she couldn't even feel it anymore. She sank into her skirts, gripping her arm at the elbow and trying to protect the horrible damaged bone against her stomach.
"She's human!" she heard the vampyre gasp, and barely noticed that the entire ballroom had gone silent and still. Not a single vampyre was fighting anymore.
"You insufferable tart!" Arianne snapped, her sharp voice sounding like a roar. She dart out from the crowd, shadows surrounding her entire arm into a massive, razor-edged gauntlet as she went for the other vampyre's throat.
Lucia felt herself swaying back and forth, woozy and delirious from pain. It started to leak away and all she felt was a chill in her arm, and then she realized someone was supporting her in a sitting position. She looked once she had the ability to control her motor functions.
"Hektor?"
He smiled faintly, holding gingerly onto her tender wrist. One of his fangs slipped over his lip.
"Who knew such a soft speaker could siren screech?" he asked, bemused as he focused on whatever he was doing to ease the pain in her arm.
"Arianne, cease!" commanded a deep voice that rattled the floor under Lucia's ass. She shivered and felt her muscles, except for those in her left arm, lock up. She was paralyzed.
A vampyre, taller than Arianne by at least a foot, or so it seemed, had caught her by her gauntlet and was holding her arm up in the air to keep her halted. Even Lucia could feel the pressure of that vampyre's aura. His features were angular, cut sharp, though his eyes seemed to belie the sharpness in their look.
"You are the one who brought the human to this ball," he said, pushing Arianne back. "You are the one who put that make-up on her that masks her scent and heartbeat from us. You are as much to blame as Yvonne for not feeling the pulse in her arm the instant contact was made, or ignoring it."
Arianne scrunched up her nose, but turned her head away and huffed. Lucia could tell she wanted to argue, but was too smart to do such a thing against this vampyre.
"I will find," the male vampyre continued, "and I will punish the one who started this little ballroom blitz."
Lucia couldn't stifle her giggle. The pain was gone, or Hektor had done something else, and the very scene of that scary, very powerful vampyre singing "Ballroom Blitz" had forcefully invaded her mind. In the next moment, Hektor gave her a confused look before he let out a laughing snort, and after that the laughing had permeated through most of the great hall. The male vampyre just smiled calmly, folding his arms over his chest as he stepped over to investigate the little human girl.
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