“Maybe not for you, but there are a couple of vamps on the prowl, so you might want to stake your claim nonetheless.”
I sighed, my eyes tracing every single one of his movements, down to the rise and fall of his chest. His breaths came out a little quick for my liking, but that could very well be due to the alcoholhe was consuming. I’d need to get closer to check for other signs of an infection.
I shouldn’t even consider getting closer to him or talking to him, let alone staking a claim for the night. I might’ve wanted him as a human, might’ve been about to finally make a move right before I was turned, but the possibility of us ever becoming a thing died with me in that dirty alley three years ago.
That didn’t mean my affection for him had died. Quite the contrary. Whenever I lightened my hold on my control, I found myself watching him. Watchingoverhim. I didn’t understand why, but I needed to make sure he was safe. For some reason, his safety was more important than anything else, more important than my life… err, existence.
“Why the hesitance? You’re usually more direct than this.”
Yeah, because I normally just wanted to feed and be done.
But not with him.
I shrugged, going for nonchalance, even though Bennie would be able to see right through me. Nothing really got by him, especially since he was the one who’d turned me and thus shared a bond with me. Still, I couldn’t let anyone know how much this random human meant to me. Not even Bennie. It just wasn’tsafe.
“He’s someone I knew before…”
Before my life ended and my existence began.
“Ahh.” Bennie nodded. “A former boyfriend?”
I shook my head no. “I don’t think we ever really talked.”
But I’d wanted to. I’d been this close to making a move on him.
“Nostalgia?” Bennie asked.
“Maybe.” It felt like more than that, but even if I wanted to explain myself—which I didn’t—I couldn’t. Because there was a vampire heading straight for him, and that just wouldn’t do.
“Ohh… trouble in paradise,” Bennie singsonged and patted my shoulder, as if telling me to keep it civil.
My eyes zeroed in on the vampire approaching him, my senses reaching out. He was older than me, in both human appearance and vampire years. I could sense his power, could see it in the way he moved through the crowd as if they didn’t even register to him. He had one thing in mind: finding someone to feed from. And he’d chosen the wrong guy.
I didn’t know when I’d started moving. By the time I noticed I’d left my safe space in one of the corner nooks, I was already halfway through the club, white-hot rage pumping through my veins. No one was allowed to touch him. To taint him. Not even me. But especially no other supernatural being.
I heard Bennie frantically whispering something, but the words didn’t register. My mind was focused on one thing—keepinghimsafe at all costs.
Safe from the pale, blond-haired guy with way too much gel in his hair. Safe from his pearly white teeth, from that smarmy, disgusting, too-warm fake smile he was giving him to mask his true intentions.
“Hi, I’m Alaric,” I heard the vampire shout at him, extending his hand. Long, pale fingers reached forhiswarm, rosy hand.
“Hey, Alaric. I’m Finn.” Finn took his hand, and my world narrowed, vision tinting red as I focused on Alaric touching what was mine.
The club flew past me, my speed far exceeding what a regular human was capable of, but no one noticed. One second, I was throwing daggers at Alaric, and the next, I nudged him out of the way, put my arm around Finn’s shoulder, and gave him my widest, happiest smile.
“Hi, sweetie. I’m sorry it took me so long. I’m afraid some drunk guy ran into me, and I spilled our drinks. Maybe we should try finding seats at the bar?” I was talking out of my ass, but the other vampire didn’t know that.
I turned to the vampire in a calm, deliberate manner, giving him a thorough once-over. “Who’s your new friend?”
Please—I sent out an internal plea—go along with my story. I’ll explain later.
Of course, my explanation would have to be a lie. I couldn’t very well tell him I was trying to save him from being used as a human blood bank.
Finn, who had tensed when I’d first put my arm around him, appeared to have gotten the message. He relaxed against my side, his warmth seeping into me, the tantalizing scent of the blood pumping through his veins surrounding me like an invisible cloud.
“Hi,” he said, turning his easygoing, megawatt smile my way, illuminating me. I should have basked in his light, but my focus was solely on his eyes. The way his bags were so dark, he looked incredibly pale. The way his smile said he was happy, but his eyes told a different story. Exhaustion. He looked so damn tired.
Was he not taking care of himself?
