Better Off Red Read online

  same way? I’ll feel like a total idiot if she shoots me down.”

  “I hate to say it, but you’ll never know until you try.”

  “You’re right.” She took a deep breath then sat up straight.

  “You’re right. I’ll talk to her tonight.”

  “Good.” I turned to the closet and started hanging up my new

  shirts.“So what happened after you watched Danni and me getting it

  on?” Damn it. Changing the subject hadn’t made her forget.

  “We went back to her room and then we fucked like crazy until

  I passed out. Is that what you wanted to hear?”

  “Yes. Thank you.” I turned back to the closet to avoid the smug

  look on Amy’s face.

  ❖

  Power naps were in order before we got in the Saturday night

  line for the shower. Amy listened when I told her it would be dumb

  to assume Camila wanted to spend the night with me again. She

  • 88 •

  Better Off red

  might not even be around for the mixer. We’d had a blast together

  the night before, but it was a one-time thing. I told Amy I’d let some

  other girl in the sorority be Camila’s bed buddy. Amy laughed and I

  cringed a little inside, hoping foolishly that Camila would decide to

  spend the night alone if she couldn’t spend it with me.

  Amy called Danni who told us Anna-Jade, Mel, Laura, and

  Benny were planning on spending the night at the ABO house, sex

  free. Then I texted Cleo and she texted me right back, telling me her

  bed was big enough to sleep her, Benny, and me. A genuine slumber

  party sounded like the perfect thing to keep my mind off Camila.

  Even if she would be sleeping or working a few floors below.

  Our outfits for the party were at the house waiting for us. The

  limo bus was waiting for us downstairs at seven. When we climbed

  on, Kyle, Ruth, and Laura were already joking about what we would

  be forced to wear in front of the brothers of OBA.

  “Ten to one, it’s white,” Kyle said.

  “Twenty to one, Cleo doesn’t let us wear underwear,” Laura

  added.

  Once we were off the bus, we raced up the enormous staircase

  and found our way to our big sisters’ bedrooms. Cleo and Danni

  were waiting for Amy, Benny, and me with our red chiffon dresses.

  The fabric was gorgeous and ran no risk of showing off our nipples

  and newly manicured crotches.

  The dresses were strapless, and mine fell just above my knees.

  I didn’t need a bra thanks to the tight bodice, but Cleo had been nice

  enough to lay out a few options of boy shorts and thongs. I risked

  the thong and was very happy with the way it felt along my bare slit.

  I did my own makeup while the girls descended on Benny.

  After her hair had been tamed, it was easy to see how beautiful

  her face was. She didn’t need much makeup, if any, but she didn’t

  argue when Danni and Amy wanted to put a few curls in her hair.

  She looked fantastic in her dress, and it was even more obvious why

  she’d wanted to handle the acne situation on her back and shoulders.

  Now her creamy pale skin was even and smooth. I was tempted to

  touch her just to see if it was as soft as it looked. I kept my hands to

  myself as I passed by.

  • 89 •

  reBekah WeatherspOOn

  I stood in the bathroom putting the finishing touches on my

  mascara, when Camila appeared in the mirror behind me. She

  looked beautiful. Her strapless chiffon gown was black and went

  all the way to the floor. An elaborate web of diamonds and rubies

  hung around her neck. Her lips were bright red again, and her eyes

  sparkled their heart-stopping shade. I whipped around to face her.

  “What are you doing here?” I asked like a total idiot.

  “Well, technically, this is my house. It’s nice to see you too.”

  Her fangs gleamed in the vanity lights as she smiled at me. I felt my

  face go hot and then blinked a couple times to clear my head of a

  few fantasies that had just popped up.

  “No. Sorry, I just—I wasn’t expecting to see you before the

  party. I didn’t know if you were coming to the party at all.”

  “I am. I brought a little something for my girls.” She held up a

  small black box I hadn’t realized she was holding. She opened the

  lid and showed me a pair of teardrop ruby earrings resting on the

  black velvet.

  “Oh, wow. Those are beautiful. You didn’t have to.”

  “I wanted to.” She glanced at the bottle of mascara dangling

  from my fingers. “I’ll let you finish up.” She put the earrings on the

  counter then paused by the door. Her gaze trailed over my body as

  her fang caught her bottom lip. I’d seen that look in her eye the night

  before. She wanted to bite me. “I’ll see you in a few minutes.”

  “Okay,” I breathed. Camila slipped out of the bathroom. When

  I stopped trembling, I finished putting on my makeup.

  ❖

  In the place of nametags that read “Hi. I’m new,” my fellow

  initiates and I were given white roses to wear in our hair. The seven

  of us who fed Camila were the last to head down the grand staircase.

  Cleo said to me, “Camila will introduce you three around, and

  then you’re free to mingle.” I nodded, trying my best not to trip on

  my stilettos as we followed our queen into the buzzing crowd.

  The guys from Omega Beta Alpha wore black suits with black

  shirts and ties. The newcomers were set apart by their red ties and

  • 90 •

  Better Off red

  the same anxious look we new girls couldn’t seem to shake. Gelled

  spikes were in perfect place. Trimmed heads had sharply traced

  edges. Every bit of facial hair, where there was some, was perfectly

  manicured. We’d spent the morning at the spa. The boys had all been

  to see a very professional barber. Apparently, onyx-plated dog tags

  hung below their shirts, markers of exactly whom they belonged to.

  Benny’s claim that we’d been chosen for our diversity was

  reflected in the brothers of OBA. I didn’t bother to remember all

  their names on the first go-round, but almost every ethnicity was

  represented. Where the sister-queens seemed to embrace a wider

  range of body types, the boys were all tall and in excellent shape.

  The six brother-kings were easy to spot. They carried them-

  selves in the same smooth, graceful manner that was anything but

  natural to a human. Camila led us toward a man who was nearly

  seven feet tall. His eyes were eerily blue, and his spiked hair was

  a bottomless shade of black. He introduced himself as Rodrick, a

  thick Russian accent coating his words. He didn’t bother explaining

  his significance, but I’d remembered what Benny had said about

  him at breakfast. This was the king of Omega Beta Alpha. And

  Natasha’s husband.

  Camila introduced Benny, Amy, and me. I didn’t look away

  from his intense blue eyes until he began introducing the two

  boys by his side. A baby-faced blond with soft brown eyes stood

  to Rodrick’s right. His name was Micah. If Amy hadn’t been so

  wrapped up in Danni, I’d have thought Micah would
be right up her

  alley. To Rodrick’s left was my lab partner, Greg. He cleaned up well.

  I’d never noticed that his eyes were almost as green as mine. I had

  never noticed him period. He was smart and hardworking, and we

  both wanted to get an A in our lab. I knew better what the back of

  his hand looked like holding a pen than what shade of pink his lips

  were. He usually wore a ratty Cubs hat over his chin length curly

  brown hair. He hadn’t cut the curls, but they’d been brushed behind

  his ears. Greg was pretty hot. That wasn’t the reason I was staring at

  him. He looked like he was about to throw up or cry.

  • 91 •

  reBekah WeatherspOOn

  “Ginger?” I glanced at Camila.

  “Oh, sorry. I…ah…”

  “I believe these two already know each other.” Rodrick smiled,

  flashing an enormous set of fangs.

  “Um, sorry. Yeah, Greg’s my chem lab partner,” I finally spit

  out. “That’s wonderful,” Rodrick said. “Gregory’s very focused on

  his studies. Maybe Ginger can convince him to get a little socializing

  in.” “Good luck with that,” Amy muttered.

  “Ginger takes her schoolwork seriously as well. Perhaps their

  new brothers and sisters will be able to coax them both out,” Camila

  said, slowly drawing her finger down my back. I held back a shiver

  of pleasure and fought the urge to step closer to her.

  We chatted with Rodrick and Micah for a few more minutes.

  Greg stood by, only answering when asked a direct question. He was

  always polite when he responded, but the whole time his body was

  tense and he never smiled.

  After an appropriate amount of small talk, Rodrick excused

  himself to go find Natasha, and after a gracious “It was lovely to

  meet you” to Micah and Greg, Camila let us off our leash. Benny

  took off to find Cleo. Amy was eating her dust on a mission to find

  Danni. I made a move to follow Greg to the bar, but Camila’s warm

  fingers on my arm stopped me. I almost asked her what she needed,

  what quick bit of advice she had for me before I ventured into the

  crowd. Instead, I froze the moment I was locked in her trance.

  Camila took a smooth step toward me, then she kissed me softly

  on the lips. I knew instantly that she was labeling me as her property

  in the midst of the crowded room. I should have stopped her from

  marking me with her perfectly juicy lips. I should have been pissed.

  I was already bound to her and the sisterhood. She had no right to

  make a show of me being her pet. But the second I was surrounded

  by her warm scent, I couldn’t find the will to fight her. My body

  caught fire, starting at my mouth as she gently teased me with the tip

  of her tongue. And then further down, my pussy throbbed, soaking

  the thin strip of fabric between my legs.

  • 92 •

  Better Off red

  When she pulled away, my eyes blinked open just in time to see

  her nostrils flare as she raked the tips of her fangs and her tongue

  across her bottom lip. Again, her lipstick didn’t smudge.

  “Play nice with the other kids,” she said quietly. She looked

  me over one more time before blending seamlessly into the crowd.

  When I came back to myself, I’d lost track of Greg. I made my

  way over to Anna-Jade who was standing by herself in the corner.

  She’d set herself up in the perfect nook to people watch and gave me

  a small wave as I walked over.

  “You having a good time?” I asked.

  “Yeah, it’s just a lot of people to meet in two days.”

  “Yeah, no shit.” I was surprised when Anna-Jade actually

  laughed.

  Just then Greg and Micah strode over to us.

  “Hey, I was wondering where you went,” I told Greg. Micah

  answered for him.

  “We were scoping out the kitchen. Yours is nicer than the one

  at the OBA house. I’m Micah, by the way.” He held out his had to

  Anna-Jade.

  “Oh, my bad.” I didn’t know when I’d forgotten my manners.

  “Micah, Greg, this is Anna—”

  “A.J. My friends call me A.J.,” she said.

  “It’s nice to meet you, A.J.,” Micah replied. Micah seemed like

  an outgoing kind of guy. I wasn’t shocked by his end of their back-

  and-forth. My jaw was on the floor because I was almost positive

  our sheepish little A.J. was flirting.

  “A.J., I think my friend here was hoping to have a word with

  your friend. Would you like to join me on my quest for chips and

  dip?” Micah asked. Anna-Jade blushed then nodded and tucked her

  hand into Micah’s elbow. I chuckled to myself as they walked off,

  but my mood dropped the moment I turned back to Greg.

  “Can we go outside for a minute?” he asked. If he was trying to

  keep something from Rodrick, I had a feeling we’d have to go to the

  next county to keep from being overheard. Still, I led him toward the

  front door. It was the illusion of privacy he wanted.

  • 93 •

  reBekah WeatherspOOn

  Surrounded by the warm night air, I leaned against the porch

  railing. Greg tilted his head back against the ornate brick and let out

  a huge sigh.

  “Are you okay?” I asked.

  “No. I’m not.” He took another deep breath and looked at me.

  “How’d you get wrapped up in this shit? I didn’t peg you for the

  sorority type.”

  “My roommate tricked me. You could have said no, Greg.

  What’s going on?” I refused to believe the guys of OBA hadn’t been

  given the same chances to back out. The mood in the house was

  pleasant all around, if not sexually charged. None of the new guys

  seemed upset about how their initiation had turned out. They all

  seemed downright happy. All of them but Greg. And then it clicked.

  “They fed from you guys last night, didn’t they?”

  Greg looked at his shiny new shoes, shifting uncomfortably.

  I’d had my own issues with how instantly sexual our relationship

  with the sister-queens had become. I could only imagine how a guy

  like Greg, who was very straight, had felt when he thought back to

  the previous night. He must have freaked out when he realized he’d

  let a male vampire sink his fangs into his neck. He must have been

  disgusted when he thought about how hard the feeding had made

  him come. And that’s assuming Greg didn’t participate in the orgy

  that had probably gone down.

  Ignoring the other complications of our nonexistent relationship,

  I loved the feeling of Camila’s hands on my body. I craved the grip

  of her fangs on my throat. That was only after a few hours with her.

  I was pretty sure I was gay. Greg was not.

  “Greg, just tell Rodrick you want out. Or…” I thought for a

  moment. “I know. Ask him if you can switch with one of us. A few

  of the girls don’t care who they feed. I’m sure one of them would

  love to feed Rodrick. Then when we graduate you can serve a female

  vampire.” At least I thought he could.

  “It’s not that simple, Ginger. I’m legacy. My dad was in the

  Beta chapter at Carolina.” He gritted his teeth b
efore looking back

  up. He refused to make eye contact with me though. He looked over

  my shoulder at the OBA house across the street.

  • 94 •

  Better Off red

  “He just—he could have fucking told me. I mean, I get it. This

  shit’s important. I’d rather help Rodrick out than have him offing

  little kids every time he’s hungry. He’s a good dude. I just—”

  “Wouldn’t have gone through with it if you knew?” His silence

  gave me his answer. “I wouldn’t have either. Trust me.”

  “So what the fuck do I do now? I mean Micah wasn’t into it.

  Some of the guys were into it, but he didn’t fight it either. Fuck. I

  don’t know if I can do this for four years.”

  “Do you want me to talk to Camila? Maybe she can work

  something out with Rodrick?”

  “No. Ha!” Greg’s reaction was grim and a little crazed. “I don’t

  want to be the one pussy who can’t hang.”

  “Well, one of our girls refuses to participate in the sex part. I

  know some things are unavoidable, but the sex isn’t a must.”

  “Shit. I don’t know. I’ll think of something. Don’t say anything.

  Rodrick’s probably using his X-ray vision to watch us through the

  wall, but don’t go telling your friends or whatever.”

  “I won’t. I promise.” I had my own secrets now, secrets my birth

  mother could have shared with me before she died. I understood

  why Greg was upset. “Listen, Cleo said we can still date and stuff.

  Let’s go inside and find you a nice girl.”

  “Yeah. Sounds great,” he muttered.

  ❖

  For the most part, no one seemed to notice as we slipped back

  into the house. Of course Camila locked eyes with me the moment

  I closed the door. When she seemed satisfied I was where she could

  see me, she focused back on her conversation with one of the other

  brother-kings. He was tall, with a slighter build than Rodrick, with

  long, light brown hair pulled back in a low ponytail. I think his name

  was Pax.

  Greg and I found Micah and Anna-Jade hanging out by the bar.

  It was only serving soda, juice, and water. Samantha and Kyle had

  their high beams focused on Greg. There was nothing I could do for

  • 95 •

  reBekah WeatherspOOn

  him right then and there, so when he was distracted enough with

  their attention, I took off to find Amy.

  As the party went on, I periodically scanned the room for Greg.