Then, it clicks.
It’s all an illusion.
Blondie is worried that my fear will break it for the others. There must be a thousand people in this tent. All of them, zombified and oblivious to the creatures in here.
But we do outnumber them—if there aren’t more monsters hiding in the shadows, that is…
I sink down slowly again, crouching behind the legs within the crowd.
If my fear is the key to waking people up, I need to wait this out to save everyone. I will pretend, if I have to.
The prickling starts up again on my sweat-drenched neck.
“Clowns not your thing?”
A hand grips my shoulder and I scream, practically giving away my hiding spot. I whirl around and come face to face with the hot vampire again.
“If you look harder, you’ll see the barrier.” His dark hair is perfect, as if the sand dunes and motorcycle ride had never happened. His face hovers inches from mine. It takes every fiber of my being not to lean in and kiss him.
“What the fuck is going on?” My words come out as a plea. I watch intently as an indescribable emotion dances within his red eyes.
“You didn’t listen to the music box, did you?”
So, the music box is the key?
I observe him even more as his eyes dart around the crowd.
Is he searching for other vampires? Is he ready to give up my hiding spot?
“No. I got caught up with Pinocchio.”
He laughs, and I scowl, sick of his arrogance.
“So, what’s the deal, here? Are you going to drink my blood or not? Because you keep popping up when I’m trying to escape, being all vague and handsome—No, wait, not handsome, forget I said that. What I meant to say is, what the fuck is going on, and are you here to help me or kill me? If it’s the latter, I’ve got a stake in my hand with your name on it.”
Why won’t the words stop pouring out of my mouth?
His eyes dash to my hand. I watch his throat bob.
Good. This fucker should be afraid.
“I’ll explain everything, but right now you need to do exactly as I tell you. I need you to trust me.”
Now it’s my turn to laugh.
“Trust you? We just met and you’re a fucking monster!” Albeit a monster who just so happens to be my type.
His eyes seem to darken to a deep and dangerous shade of red.
“Fine. Long story short, you’re my mate. When you walked in, I smelled your blood and felt the bond snap into place. It’s now my life’s purpose to protect you, because if I don’t, I’ll suffer nothing but pain and torment for the rest of my life. Now, listen to me because I don’t have much time.”
I blink several times. “Mate, as in a British friend?”
He rolls his eyes, voice growling with irritation. “I don’t have time to explain the semantics of magical beings and soul ties, nor for a big romantic gesture to prove it—not that I’d want to anyway. This is purely an inconvenience for me. The magic won’t work on you because you can see through the illusion. I don’tknow why, so don’t ask. But you have to go through the training in order to get to safety. I will help you as much as I can, but I’m kind of a big deal around here and I have more important things to do than save your human ass.”
Training? For what?
“Oh, and by the way, I’m not exactly thrilled for my soul to be tied toyoueither.”
