Until the Sun Falls from the Sky (The Three #1)(26)
Author: Kristen Ashley

“What’s a feast?” I asked again but Stephanie was still studying Edwina.

“Lucien would never let anything happen to one of his concubines.”

“I know,” Edwina said and straightened. “It’s just…” she hesitated, looked between us and finished, proclaiming, “my girls are good girls.”

This made me even more intrigued so I asked, louder this time, “What’s a feast?”

“She may need another martini for this,” Edwina mumbled, dropped the detritus and headed to the martini shaker.

I was no longer intrigued, I was now concerned. So much so I plonked down on the fluffy couch amidst a mountain of tissue paper as the two delivery men added two more towers of boxes to the plethora.

Stephanie plonked down beside me and Edwina fetched us fresh martinis.

Then Stephanie explained. “Vamps can feed from two places, their concubines and any mortal who attends A Feast. That’s it. That’s the law.”

“So why are they dangerous? Do they round up the victims…?” I stopped speaking when Stephanie’s face grew scary hard.

“They aren’t victims, Leah. They choose to be there.” Her voice was as hard as her face.

I ignored her voice mainly because I couldn’t imagine what she said was true.

She studied my expression and her face softened.

“It’s not like it was with you and Lucien,” she said under her breath so Edwina, who was tidying my new, extravagant wardrobe, couldn’t hear. “Most mortals love it. Some even become addicted to it. There are even ex-concubines there.”

I felt my eyes grow round and she nodded and continued, “It’s frowned upon, of course. A concubine will lose her or his reputation by attending Feasts after they’ve been released. Their families are normally shunned. Their line will henceforth go unchosen at Selections. They usually don’t attend once a concubine falls mostly because they aren’t invited.”

“Why?” I asked.

“Feasts are where common mortals go.” She put her hand on mine. “You, honey, are anything but common.”

This sounded sickeningly superior.

She must have read my face because she went on, “They love it, the mortals who attend. They don’t care. They build their whole lives around it, traveling from Feast to Feast. They’re like groupies.”

And this sounded simply sickening.

“I still don’t get why it’s dangerous,” I pressed and Stephanie leaned back.

“Because anything goes,” she replied. “Lots of liquor, loud music, dancing and bodies. Any mortal is fair game. Some have two, three, even more vampires feeding on them at once. There are some Feasts, not the ones Lucien attends, mind, where there are drugs. Sex. Orgies.”

“Wow,” I whispered and she smiled.

“The good ones are fun. You can take your fill of as many mortals as you want. It’s great.”

It didn’t sound great but that was just me.

“Why would you take a concubine there?” I asked.

She shrugged. “To share another part of your life with her. If you’ve got a good one, to show her off to other vampires.”

Something struck me. “If anything goes, and a concubine is mortal, is she fair game?”

Stephanie hesitated a moment before answering, “At the wilder ones, with vamps who don’t take good care of their girls, yes.” I sucked in breath and she hurried on, “But Lucien doesn’t go to those.”

“So, that’s why it’s dangerous,” I whispered and Edwina made another pip noise. Again Stephanie and I looked at her.

“Not entirely,” Stephanie replied, glancing back my way.

“What is it, entirely?” I pushed.

Stephanie sighed before saying, “Even at the good ones, things can get out of hand. Vampires are what we are. It isn’t unheard of for there to be bloodlust. In the throes of bloodlust a vampire will go for anything mortal. It’s not unusual for concubines to be used by other vamps, even offered by their own vampire to his friends.”

“Oh my God,” I breathed.

“Lucien wouldn’t do that,” she rushed to assure me.

“Oh my God,” I breathed again.

She leaned toward me. “Leah, seriously, Lucien would never share. Ever. You have to believe me. I’m being very serious.”

I just stared at her.

She kept talking. “He’d sense if things were deteriorating and he’d get you out of there. It wouldn’t matter. No vampire is stupid enough to touch what’s Lucien’s. He’d burn. Lucien would make sure of it. He’d do it himself. He’s even done it before.”

“Done what before?”

“Burned another vampire. If memory serves, he’s done it twice. Once was after something happened at A Feast. The other vamp didn’t even feed from his concubine, he just touched her. Lucien went mad, hunted him down, made him burn. The second was –”

She didn’t finish, I interrupted her by whispering, “Made him burn?”

Stephanie nodded. “Lucien killed him without a thought and he’d been within his rights. You don’t touch another vamp’s concubine. Most vampires cover it up, make a monetary agreement. They don’t take it that far. Any money that exchanges hands they give to their concubine to buy her silence. But Lucien would take it that far, no doubt about it. If it happens, it reflects on her vampire. He’ll seek vengeance and it’ll be granted. And she can demand immediate release and that too will be granted.”

“You can demand release?” I was too drunk to mask the hope in my voice.

“Yes,” Stephanie answered. “It’s tantamount to neglect which is grounds for unconditional release.”

My inebriated mind recalled reading that in my contract.

Why hadn’t I thought of that before?

There were grounds for unconditional release. Neglect, which Lucien had definitely not done, and extreme cruelty, which he could have done.

My brain was drunkenly churning so I didn’t catch Stephanie getting close.

“That doesn’t count,” she said softly, reading my drunken thoughts. “It happens to us all, not often but it does. I’m surprised it happened to Lucien but not surprised at the same time, considering it’s you. We lose focus or control. We’re vampires, you’re concubines. It’s the nature of the relationship.”

There it was. My hopes were dashed.