Yeah, Bennie would be okay.
Even though he did look a bit gruesome. His shirt had a huge hole torn in it, and I could see a faint red line crossing his chest all the way from above his left nipple to below his right pec. If he were human, he’d have been a severe case for the ER.
“The fledgling got you good, huh?” I said, nodding at his chest.
Could I come closer?
Bennie was still in full vampire mode—red eyes, fangs, and pale-as-fuck skin—but he was still Bennie. Right? He wouldn’t just… snack on me without permission, would he?
No, he wouldn’t, I told myself as I stepped up to the couch.
He was Eric’s best friend, his family. If I could trust Eric, I could trust him.
Also, I was pretty sure that Eric would beat his ass if Bennie tried to snack on me. Best friends and family or not.
“Barely a scratch,” Bennie said, waving his hand as if it were no big deal. “He had the element of surprise on his side, but a fledgling is no match for me.”
“Fortunately,” Eric muttered. “What exactly happened?”
“That’s what I’d like to know too,” another voice said, and I jumped.
Holy shit, where did that guy come from?
Because he was standing right next to me. Like, inches away. And I hadn’t heard him coming at all.
Eric growled in a way that I knew by now was his vampire side coming out.
“Ah, ah, ah, youngling. Behave yourself,” the other one said, chastising Eric like he was a naughty child, raised finger and all.
Then he turned to me and smiled.
His teeth looked normal, as did his eyes, but I instantly knew he wasn’t human.
I mean, it might simply be the fact that I knew the owner of this club was a vampire. Eric had literally told me. But I didn’t think that was it.
The guy, he…feltdifferent. His presence was… Ugh. I hated that I couldn’t even really tell what it was that clued me in. It was a gut feeling.
“Hello, hello, hello. Who do we have here?” The guy gave me a dazzling smile, charming but also calculating. I couldn’t help but feel like his whole persona, the way he was carrying himself, was more show than anything. “You brought your mate into my lair, youngling? You’re brave.”
Eric growled again, but I couldn’t help but roll my eyes.
Perfect.
Apparently, everyone loved to antagonize and annoy the fuck out of my boyfriend.
I extended my hand. “Hi. I’m Finn. I don’t know what a mate is, but I am Eric’s boyfriend.”
The guy laughed, his eyes brightening a notch, and his smile turned less showy and more genuine. “It appears I need to correct myself. You are the brave one, aren’t you? I’m Aries. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
We shook hands, and I didn’t even flinch at the coldness of his skin.
“Likewise. Though I wish we were meeting under different circumstances,” I said, trying to get the conversation back on track, because what the fuck?
Why was no one here concerned about the fact that some random fledgling had apparently tried to kill Bennie?
I mean, Eric was the only one who appeared worried. He looked more affected than Bennie—and Bennie was the one who’d gotten hurt.
“As do I, little Finn.” Aries gave me one last, curious smile, then turned his attention to Bennie. “Since we’re all here now, could you please tell us what happened?”
