Charlie tensed, ready to run, ready to?—
Simon pulled out a pocket knife.
"You mind?" He gestured at the energy drink. "These tabs are impossible."
Before Charlie could respond, the hunter popped the tab with the knife's edge. The blade slipped—deliberately, Charlie was sure—and sliced deep across his index finger.
Blood welled immediately. Rich, red, alive.
The scent hit Charlie like a sledgehammer.
Simon watched the vampire's entire body go rigid.
The reaction was immediate, primal. Charlie's pupils dilated until his eyes were almost black. His hands gripped the counter hard enough that Simon heard the laminate crack. Every muscle tensed like a predator about to spring.
There it is.
Simon kept his expression neutral, letting the blood drip onto the counter. Three drops. Four. The metallic scent filled the space between them.
Charlie took a step back. Then another.
Interesting. Most vampires would have lunged by now.
"You're bleeding," Charlie said, voice strangled. His gaze locked onto Simon's finger with the kind of desperate focus that confirmed everything Simon needed to know.
"Am I?" Simon looked down at his hand with fake surprise. "Damn. Deeper than I thought."
He lifted his finger, letting Charlie see the blood run down toward his palm. Testing. Pushing.
Charlie's back hit the cigarette display. Packs cascaded to the floor.
"There's—" Charlie's voice cracked. "First aid kit. In the back."
"I'm fine." Simon stepped around the counter, closing the distance Charlie had tried to create. "It's just a little blood."
A sound escaped Charlie's throat—half whimper, half growl. His lips parted, and Simon saw them. Fangs. Fully extended, pressing against Charlie's lower lip.
Gotcha.
Now Charlie would reveal his dangerous side, but Simon wouldn't let him.
His hand moved instinctively toward the stake in his jacket. One fluid motion and this would be over. The monster was cornered, revealed, nowhere to run?—
Charlie's eyes rolled back.
His knees buckled.
He went down like someone had cut his strings, crashing into the cigarette display on his way to the floor. Packs scattered everywhere. His head made a disturbing thunk against the linoleum.
Simon stood there, blood still dripping from his finger, staring at the unconscious vampire sprawled behind the counter.
This was most definitely not what he had expected.
Chapter
Eight
The door chimed.
