“Go ahead.I’ll stay close.”
I nodded and started walking. I would bump into the guy—maybe literally since I was so off balance today—and make an excuse to walk with him, then drink his blood before we got back to the lake.Denniswas already gone. Probably in the shadows nearby. For once, the thought was comforting.
I stumbled along, not bothering to stay quiet since I wasn’t planning to sneak up on the man.“I vant to suck your blood!”I hissed, mimicking monster claws.
“Hi.”
I glanced up at the new male voice. My brain hadn’t even registered he was already nearby. “Hi,” I said, smiling. What do you know, the guy found me first. No need to make excuses after all.
He removed an earphone to say something but before he could start small talk, I swept in and took his wrist. My fangs sank in as gently as possible. His eyes widened for the slightest moment before they began to close. I caught his weight and continued to drink.
“Nice.”Dennisappeared in front of us. He watched as I lowered the man to the ground, then took a seat beside him and continued to drink. “Don’t forget to stop if his heartbeat or temperature change.”
It was a needed reminder—the man’s blood was pumping in time with mine, which meant it was too slow. My snack was done. I withdrew my fangs and licked the excess blood from my lips.
“I didn’t notice his heart slowing down. I forgot to pay attention. Do you think he’s okay?”
“He’ll be fine.” Dennis’ tone was dismissive. “Are you done?”
“I’m done.Why? Are you gonna drink from him, too?”I nodded toward the unconscious guy propped against my side.
“Depends. Do you want another story on the news?”
“No.”
“Then no.”
I frowned at his short response. Once again, I hadn’t thought it through. I’d already drank more than intended. Any more blood loss and he would probably die.
I looked around, wondering what to do with the guy until he woke up. There was a bench nearby. Maybe I could put him there to look like a nap and his memory would be fuzzy enough to think he’d just fallen asleep. I decided to go with it and moved him to the bench, careful to make the position natural, before turning to Dennis.
“All done.” I presented my masterpiece, but he was busy texting.
“We have to go.” He finished and slipped the phone in his pocket. “Sean said your shift is starting.” He set off and I kept pace, trying not to be nervous.
“Don’t you need to drink?”
“I can wait. I wanna watch your first day.”
“Hopefully it goes okay. My head’s all fucked up from the new dosage. This might be a disaster.” I frowned. This was the worst timing ever.
“You’ll be fine. And if not, I’ll be right there to laugh at you.”
“Meanie.” I tried to smack Dennis’ arm, but he was already gone. I growled before running after him.
First Day Jitters
It took us both a minute to get there but of course, Dennis reached the bar before I did.
“Ladies first.” He smiled mischievously, stepping aside as security held the door for us.
I was ready to say a smartass comment, but shyness took over instead. He nearly bumped into my back—I’d stopped dead in the doorway.
“Emy!” Ari was perched on a stool, waving us over. “I came to cheer you on.” She beamed. I didn’t respond.
“What’s wrong with you?”Dennisbrushed past me.
“Nothing.” I followed him even though my body was screaming to run away. This didn’t sound fun anymore. It sounded awful and terrifying.
