Witches' Masquerade: A Vampire Witch Paranormal Romance and Women's Fiction (The Vampires of Emberbury Book 3) by Eva Alton

Author:Eva Alton [Alton, Eva]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Eva Alton
Published: 2021-06-14T16:00:00+00:00

AN ARMY OF FLORISTS must have been at work since dawn, spreading fresh ivy leaves and white rose petals all over the cobblestone path which led to the abbey. A pageboy took our tickets and reminded us this was a masquerade party and masks were compulsory until midnight. Carlo protested; but the pageboy would not yield, and he had to oblige and put on his butterfly-bird mask. It covered his nose and forehead, and it was actually quite flattering, at least in my opinion. Once we were properly attired, the pageboy bowed and allowed us to cross the red rope barrier in front of the ancient building.

A path of candles and evergreen pine branches led us to the old monastery cloister, where we were greeted by an ample square outdoor space surrounded by arcades. Long, lavish tables awaited us under the arcades, all dressed in white bows and roses and covered in platters with tiny pieces of bread and delicious-looking toppings. At the furthest end of the courtyard, an orchestra played a lively version of Liszt’s Hungarian Rhapsody as guests sauntered in and talked casually to each other, all dressed in costumes which looked definitely better than ours. Despite the strategically spread outdoor patio heaters, I wasn’t thrilled to give my coat away to the cloakroom attendant, but I did it anyway to look less out of place among the rest of the bare-shouldered guests. The amount of skin on display despite the frosty night made me wonder whether the whole event was just an excuse for a covert vampire dance.

Carlo made a ladylike curtsy and took my hand. “Dance with me?” he asked, wiggling an eyebrow. “Before we get down to business?”

I hesitated. The setting was lovely and the music enthralling. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves, and it would have been so easy to let go, have a drink or two and forget about everything that needed to be done.

“We will raise fewer suspicions if we behave like we came here to have fun, just like everyone else,” Carlo encouraged me.

“Okay,” I conceded, taking his hand with two fingers. “But just one dance. We have lots of things to do.”

Carlo’s expert hands made my long skirt spin among the ancient arcades, and one dance led to the next, and the next. Even though I didn’t want to admit it, I was enjoying myself, so I purposely forgot about my one-dance-only request.

Lost in the music, at first I didn’t notice Carlo was getting bolder with each subsequent piece the orchestra played. But as his hands started to move down my back and his confidence built up, I decided it was time to get to work before I had to slap him. As soon as the waltz ended, I detached from him and headed for the tables under the gallery, which were covered in trays and champagne glasses.

“Thirsty,” I said, waving at him without looking back. “And busy. I’m going to find the library. I’ll text you when I’m done.”

When

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