Finn moaned quietly, a mumbled mess of words falling out of his mouth, not one of which I could understand.
“We need to get him home,” I said, glaring daggers at Aries.
“Do you have his address?”
“Sure.”
Bennie raised his eyebrows, a bemused glint in his eyes. “Oh, do you now? And here I thought you’d never even talked to the guy.”
I wanted to throttle him, and myself for falling for this cheap trick. But getting Finn out of here was more important.
“What exactly did you give him? What dosage?” I asked, turning back to Aries.
He shrugged. “Little bit of this, little bit of that. The effect usually isn’t that strong because most people don’t finish their glass. I didn’t expect him to down it like that.”
Fuck.
“Thanks for the info. We’ll be on our way. Now.”
Bennie’s words left no room for disobedience, so I carefully helped Finn off his stool, but he couldn’t stand at all, his legs limp like noodles. Grabbing his ass with both my hands, I hoisted him up.
“If you’re good, I’ll let you out through the back,” Aries said, giving me a pointed look. “No funny business.”
He was the one with shady business practices, not me, but I still nodded. Carrying Finn through the crowd while he was basically unconscious was a risk in and of itself. Anyone could think I was the one who had drugged him, and I did not want to have to talk to the police tonight.
“I’ll get my car and meet you out back, okay? And Eric, I trust you to be civil. I get it, your precious… whatever… got in the middle of a misunderstanding, but he is okay. He’s breathing just fine. Nothing a good dose of sleep won’t solve.”
I nodded begrudgingly, hoisting Finn up a little more.
Having his ass in my hands should’ve been a religious experience. My holding him like that should’ve led to him wrapping his legs around my waist and us humping against the nearest wall.
Not like this.
“Come on, youngling.”
I rolled my eyes. That term again. Of course, he was right. By official standards Iwasa youngling, but calling me that feltcondescending. Still, I followed him through the door next to the bar into the back of the club.
Two minutes later, I was sitting in the back of Bennie’s car, cradling Finn’s head in my lap, carefully brushing his light brown hair out of his face. He was breathing deeply and evenly, which pointed to him being asleep rather than unconscious. Not actively overdosing. His pulse was strong too. I didn’t need to actually feel for it; I could hear the blood pumping through his veins.
“Eric…” Bennie began, but I shook my head.
“Not now,” I said, my eyes firmly trained on Finn’s lax face. I couldn’t look away. What if his state worsened? What if more of the drugs hit his system, and he went into overdose after all?
“I really…”
“Not.Now.” I knew my eyes were flashing red, my anger simmering just below the surface. I was angry with Bennie, angry with Aries, angry with Alaric, but most of all, I was angry with myself. Because I hadn’t protected Finn better. Because I had given in and talked to him.
And just like I’d known it would, the minute I’d entered his life, everything went to shit.
Now he was drugged, and on the radar of multiple vampires I probably wouldn’t win against in a direct fight.
I caressed his cheek, studying his face intently, taking in every inch of skin, every single pore. He looked sofragilelike this. Guilt swamped me, making me almost bend over from the intensity.
“Can I talk now? Damn, I never wanted kids, you know? As a human, I watched my older sister with her demon child, always getting interrupted and having to start over a thousand times to get one sentence out. I never imagined siring a vampire would feel the same. I mean, you’re anadult, you know? Yes, you area youngling, but you were considered grown up before I turned you.”
If I’d been in a better mood, I probably would’ve rolled my eyes. But I wasn’t in a good mood. I was angry. Worried. Right now, my control seemed as fragile as the beautiful human lying half on top of me. The one I couldn’t stop touching. The one who—even in this state—looked so enticing. His blood was calling to me, singing a siren song, luring me in.
Just a little bite.
