“That’s enough.”Dennis pulled me away before I could finish.
The man I’d been going off on was speechless, but his friend was laughing at him. I smiled at that one as I was dragged past.
“Why’d you interrupt? I was having fun.”
“And it was fun to watch, but you should probably go back to anger management.”
“I don’t need that in my life. It was an appropriate reaction. So many men in this town are trash. The ratio usually isn’tthatoff between assholes and normal men. Am I attracting all the shitheads? Is it me?” I was only half joking, but I stopped when I spotted Charles slipping out the back door with a cigarette in his uninjured hand. “I’ll be back. I found my meal.” I patted Dennis’ chest before slinking off to follow the trash man outside.
The back door creaked and fell shut behind me, causing Charles to glance up from his smoke.
“Came to apologize?”
I laughed. “Quite the opposite.” I closed the space between us, my mind racing to remember the guidelines so this would go smoothly: don’t drink from the neck, don’t let them go pale, if they’re cold or pulse slows they might be dying, and no anemic people.
I snatched a wrist and bit into it, not bothering to be gentle. The familiar cyclecame—seemingly unquenchable thirst, followed by the exhilaration of satisfying it with the sweetest taste.
His body swayed and I caught his weight, not to keep him from getting hurt but only to keep a convenient angle on my meal. I eased up on the drinking once he began to go cold, then dropped his arm and did a brief inspection. I was half paranoid I’d killed him without noticing, but his heartbeat and breathing were both steady.
I propped him against the wall in a sitting position, then stepped over his unconscious body and strode back inside. The thud of the door blended with every other noise in the bar. No one even glanced my way. I spotted Dennis behind the bar talking to Nate and practically skipped over, eager to bask in my glory.I bounced to a stop in front of them.
“I did it!”I beamed,hopping in place.“I did it all by myself and I didn’t kill him! I didn’t even almost kill this one.”
“Shh, not so loud.”Dennis laughed as I glanced at Nate, who seemed overwhelmed by my energy. I slowed the bouncing and kept my feet still, trying to calm down.“It’s okay. You can keep going. Just don’t forget about the humans.”
I smiled and sat, then spun on the stool with my legs kickedup.“Ow.”I grimaced when I kicked one and knocked it over. I hopped up to catch it and switched to that seat instead, grinning as I propped my elbows on the bar.
“I’m guessing you drank on your own for the first time?”Nate asked, making the biggest and most obvious effort to look at my face and not my cleavage. I appreciate that. He’s not a trash person at all.
“Yeah.Kinda. Except—”
“Not really,”Dennissaid.“I was close enough to stop her if anything happened.”
“There is that. But he wasn’t physically with me. So I kinda sorta did!”
“We can go now.” Dennis touched the counter and hoppedover it, landingdirectly besideme. I squeakedand almost fell off the stool but he didn’t seem to notice or care. “Bye, Nate.”
I said my goodbye too before following Dennis to the parking lot. I skipped in circles around him, keeping a wide berth so he could keep walking.
“I can’t believe I drank on my own.” I giggled giddily. “I must be ready to go out alone now, right?”
“You’re still not. Why are you skipping in a circle like my aura?”
“Because it’s fun so why not.” I kept giggling and circling until we reached the car. I dove in and bounced in my seat. He glanced at me so I stopped bouncing but wiggled my feet instead, bouncing only from the knees down.
“Are you okay?” He asked as we exited the lot.
“Yeah. Why?”
“You’re a giant ball of energy.”
“My uncle comes back tomorrow! I guess we’re going home tomorrow, huh? I hope I’m ready to be alone with them. Do you think I am? Okay to be alone with them? Ari and my uncle?”
“I think you’ll be fine,” he said. “Your self-control is good. It’s only while you drink I’d be worried you’ll lose control.”
The car ride home was an excited blur. My thoughts were racing, drifting from subject to subject before anything could settle in. I dove out and bounded upstairs the moment we parked. I burst through the front door to see everyone home.
“Whoa.” Mateo looked up in surprise.
