“Right. I’m still not gonna believe it‘til I see it.”
“Do you wanna see it?”
“Why not,” I said. Ari would kill me for doing this, but I was growing more and more curious to see if he was a legitimate vampire or legitimately insane. As long as he didn’t kill anyone while we were out, I couldn’t care less.
“Let’s go, then.” He slipped the lighter in a pocket and stood.
I pulled on my favorite leather jacket and stepped back into my boots, lacing and zipping them before straightening up. I grabbed my butcher knife, then tilted my head at Dennis’ bewildered look. “What?”
“You really think that knife’s gonna protect you from me?”
“Yeah. I think I can stab you in time.” I yelped, suddenly sprawled on my back with Dennis comfortably on top. The knife was still in my hand, but both hands were pinned above my head. My heart was racing—I couldn’t move, no matter how hard I tried.
“You know I can get it if I want.” He looked at the knife I was trying desperately to keep away from him. Our eyes met and he smiled.
“Get off.”
“Why? You’re not comfy?”
“Fuckingmove!”
“Fine.” He let up. I shoved him the rest of the way off before sitting up.
“I get it. The knife’s a stupid idea.” I set it aside before standing. “You don’t have to be such a dick about it. Actually,” I changed my mind and put it back in my pocket, “I’m bringing it just in case you leave me somewhere. I can’t stab you, but I can stab other people.” He eyed the knife but didn’t comment before leaving the room.“Where are we going?” I hurried to catch up.
“To find you proof, remember?” He glanced over a shoulder as we headed downstairs.
“I know that, weirdo. I meant where do you find people to drink?”
“People to drink? That’s a new one. Usually people say feed. At least in movies.”
“And your favorite romance books?” I laughed as he grunted.“I don’t like feed. It’s too dramatic.” I led him outside, then shut and locked the door before we set off down the street. I double checked that my knife and phone were still in their respective pockets, hoping that arming myself would make up for the carelessness of going along with this plan.
“It’s extremely careless,” Dennis agreed.
“Stop doing that.”
“Then stop thinking about me.”
“I could if you ever went away,” I said,glaringat his infuriating smile. Hopefully when he proved he either was or wasn’t a vampire—I didn’t care which one—he would finally leave me alone. I kicked a pebble to distract from the tense silence. It continued for several blocks before I got tired of listening to footsteps.“You know,” I kicked another pebble as we crossed an empty street,“now would be the perfect time to kill me. If you’re gonna.”
“Are you always this idiotic?” Dennis asked.
“I’m just saying.” I shrugged. It was an observation, not asuggestion.“When is something exciting gonna happen? And where are we going?”
“Be patient. You’re like a kid. But to answer your question, we’re going back to the bar.”
“That far?”
“It’s only a couple more blocks.” He chuckled as I groaned. He was right, but I was being lazy at the moment. “This is where I go to drink if I’m getting a late-night snack. It’s easy prey, especially if it’s near closing time when drunks are stumbling around or waiting for rides.”
“I guess that makes sense.” I’d been prepared to judge his reasoning for choosing such a crowded place, but it was actually smart. I pulled myjackettighter as a cool breeze caressed my skin. He sure looked pretty comfy while I was here freezing my ass off.
“You could’ve changed to something warmer,” he said, eyeing my outfit.
“I swear, if you don’t get out of my mind—”
“Then you’ll what?”
