After five seconds,it was as if something snapped free in her head, and she began leading the line with vigor.
I jumped out of the way and took a spot to her side. “You’re doing it.”
“Masie? What’s happening?” she asked.
Well, let’s see.“What do you think about vampires?”
“They scare me,” she called out over the music, continuing the dance.
“How about Stark?” I asked, following along.
“He’s hot but creepy as hell.”
Well, dip me in ranch and call me a salad. It’s working!Otherwise, she’d be telling me how great it was that vampires wanted to be called “repurposed people.”
“Then you keep dancing,” I said. “And promise you won’t drink any more moonshine. Okay?”
She nodded and kept on moving. “I like skinny margos anyway.”
According to Charlie, her moment of clarity would only last as long as the music, but I hoped a part of her would resist drinking more. Unfortunately, I had bigger problems than babysitting Maybell. Like saving the world.
I jostled to a spot next to Charlie, who was trying to keep up with the line, but still having a good time, judging by the smile on his face.
“Hey, so, just to make sure, have you taken any moonshine?” I asked.
“Never,” he replied just as the song ended.
“So,” he said, “now you believe me?”
He’d proven he wasn’t under the influence of moonshine, but now I had another unexpected issue to deal with. And it was a big one.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
“Well?” Charlie pushed, wondering if I was going to help him or not.
We went back to our table and sat. I had to give his question serious thought, because while he’d proven he wasn’t on moonshine, the dancing trick also meant that some of my feelings back on the island hadn’t been drug induced.
That mystical, intense connection I’d felt while Stark and I danced had reached deep inside my bones, practically bringing tears to my heart. Not out of sadness or fear so much, but because being with him in that moment had felt like warmth on a frigid night, a fresh breeze on a hot, sticky summer day, or a spicy queso taco-lupa on an empty stomach after a long night shift. Or maybe it had been more like a life raft floating in an ocean of the unknown, because no matter where I was, or how bad things got, I knew he would always be there.
Point was, the feelings I’d experienced had been real, and it terrified me. Deeply.
I love a monster…
Worst of all, his actions had proven he didn’t feel any of those things I’d just mentioned. At least, not for me. And there was nothing more horrifying than having my heart irreversibly attached to someone who would use, manipulate, and harm me.
So what should I do? I couldn’t fix him or change myself to accept such a damaged man.
I can’t tell anyone. Not ever.This secret had to be taken to my grave. I mean, how could I convince anyone that vampires were evil if they knew I was genuinely in love with one?
“So?” Charlie pushed again.
“It’s incredible. The music and dancing really worked on my sister. How’d you figure that out?”
“I told you, not all vampires are bad. And luckily for us, we have a fairly ancient one on our side.” He leaned back in his chair triumphantly.
Well, it sure as hell wasn’t Stark helping out. He was all about saving himself.
“You ready?” Charlie produced a vial of golden liquid, the same color as our prize-winning whiskey. It had to be his tester batch of moonshine.
