“Let me know if that thing starts heading down here.”
“Thought you weren’t scared.”
“I’m getting ready to face vampires. One creature with fangs at a time, okay?”
He grinned devilishly at me, making him even sexier than normal. “You haven’t seen my set yet.”
“True. And I hope it won’t get to that.”
“We’re talking about vampires. It’ll get to that.”
I’d been doing a pretty decent job of ignoring the fact that I was going to be encountering vampires, and not thinking about how my interactions with them, or the one, had turned out so far. At Shane’s words, however, I felt adrenaline kick in, the sharp pinch of panic blossoming in the pit of my stomach.
“So, do you not want me to tell you there’s one here already?”
I rolled my eyes. “A vampire? Yeah, right.”
“Okay, then, I won’t.” He took another bite, immediately followed by a long draft of the soda through his straw.
His teasing tone aside, I got the sense he was serious.
“Are you kidding?”
He shook his head. “It’s not a big deal. We’re by the Vampire Cathedral. We’re gonna see some vamps.”
“Not a big deal?” I glanced around, attempting to spot someone who might look like a vampire. Trying to be nonchalant, I leaned partway over the railing, as if I was checking out the beach view. I realized I was looking for the redheaded vampire who had found me in Christina and Ricky’s restaurant. That wasn’t going to be helpful, if I was only searching for one particular vampire. One that was back home in San Diego, no less.
“He’s not there right now. He rounded the corner up that way.” Shane gestured with his sandwich toward the road that headed away from the ocean.
I looked back at him. “And you didn’t say anything?”
He shrugged, unconcerned. “We’re gonna see a lot of them. And they’re Royals, so we don’t have to wait until night.”
“Still, maybe we could have followed him.”
“We probably shouldn’t jump all over the first vampire we see. Could hurt more than help. I figure we want to wait a bit, spend a day or two getting the feel of the place, seeing if we can figure out any patterns or how the vampires around here work. Try to pass ourselves off as a couple of tourists. Shouldn’t be too hard.”
I tried not to be annoyed that Shane had come up with a plan and not bothered to consult or even inform me of it. “I guess that makes sense.”
He must have picked up on my feelings. Not that I was very good at hiding them, anyway. “Sorry. I guess I was assuming. If you think differently, we can do it your way. I thought it might be good to take it slow.”
“No. No, I’m sure you’re right.” Me and my moody, quick temper. “Although the thought of hanging around here, watching for vampires, sounds horrible. I’m going to be a nervous wreck if we wait for two days. I’ll be bursting into flames every few minutes.”
“Fire, huh? You’re a fire demon. That makes sense. Matches your personality. That will help if worst comes to worst. Fire and vampires aren’t friends.”
“Yeah, I’ve found that out.” I’d forgotten he didn’t know my power. It seemed like we’d known each other a lot longer than just a day. Almost a day. Turning from him, I craned my head around, trying to get a better view of the perpendicular street.
“Plus, it might be best to wait for a different vampire. That one was already being followed. Not that you can really follow a vampire. Not without them knowing.”
“You can’t?”
“Nah. They can always tell.” He straightened his shoulders. “It’s nearly impossible to track a werewolf too, but not quite at the same level as a vampire. You’d think such nasty vermin wouldn’t have so many defensive skills.” He let out a puff of air from his nose, as if getting rid of an unpleasant smell.
“Then how was this one being followed?”
“I don’t know. But he definitely knew, although I don’t think he noticed a werewolf and a demon nearby. I’m assuming he was probably focused on the two following him and didn’t register our presence.”
I crossed my arms and rested them on the table. “I wonder who else would be following a vampire.”
