He found me.
“Scout?” Hawk called for me, but I was too lost in thought. How? Ginata promised me safety. Hawk waved his giant hand in front of my face, but I didn’t respond.
“Darren, some assistance over here.” Hawk’s voice seemed far away, and I suddenly felt lightheaded. Suddenly, hard, cold hands were holding me up from my armpits, and I slumped into their grasp.
“I just need to sit down,” I said, trying to process everything.
“Let’s get her inside.” I heard Hawk again, and the arms under my arms were carrying me in one quick motion. I looked up to see Darren, Hawk’s blonde counterpart. His face was serious as he carried me to an empty booth.
“Get her some blood!” he barked, and a moment later, a glass was brought to my lips. I didn’t want to drink, but he pressed the glass against my mouth, urging me to. Finally, I obliged. I did feel better.
“Is this vampire an issue? We can put him on our blacklist,” Darren offered.
Here’s my chance. Say yes. Tell them to never let him in here. That he’s dangerous.
I shook my head. “No, I don’t— this has nothing to do with that. I’ve just been on my feet a lot. I forgot to drink. I’ll get some more blood in me, and I’ll be fine,” I lied.
“Are you sure?” He was skeptical, but I nodded.
“Yeah, you know how it goes. You get so into work you forget about small stuff like that. I’ll be fine. Thanks for saving me.” I patted him on the shoulder playfully. He didn’t seem to believe me but sighed and stood to go.
“Why don’t you get yourself some red pills? You’ve been looking a little off these days.” His tone was kind, and I knew he meant well. I forced a smile.
“Yeah, I’ll grab some from Landon. Thanks, Darren.”
He left me then, and I slumped down in the booth.
Desi found me.
Suddenly, my flight response kicked in. I needed to get out of here before he stormed through those doors. Before, everyone knew exactly what he had done. I leaped up and let out a scream when hands clamped down on my shoulders.
“Hey! Calm down, it’s me,” Landon laughed and spun me around. I relaxed, closing my eyes. I forced myself to steady my breathing. “You want to go home?”
“What time is it?” I asked, looking around. It was then that I realized that all the patrons were gone. Waitresses were cleaning up, and the music had been turned off. “Oh. Yeah, I guess.”
“Do I get to go home with you?” he asked. I looked up into his eyes. They were so kind, so soft, so…notDesi’s.
I pressed my lips together. I needed Landon. I needed to do this to keep thoughts of Desi away. He didn’t own me. I owned me.
“And what about Paulo? Is he coming too?”
I blinked, and Landon nodded to someone behind me. I turned and saw the very handsome Paulo waving and grinning at me. My core tightened.
Could I really sleep with two men at the same time? It was one thing to be making out with someone that wasn’t Desi. It hurt every single time. My heart shattered each time Landon touched me. It was why I had only fantasized about sex and nothing more. I couldn’t, but maybe this was what needed to be done. Did I push it even further, taking not only him but Paulo too into my bed? Would having these men to focus on keeping me from thinkingabout the vampire who hurt me? My soulmate?
No.
“Yes,” I replied.
24
I wonder what he’s doing right now. Where could he have gone?
“Do you want a pill? It’ll relax you,” Paulo asked me, causing me to blink and force my mind to return to his upscale apartment.
“No, I’m good. I don’t really like those.” I glanced at the bowl of red pills on his coffee table. They were literally handed out like candy everywhere. He frowned but took two for himself and popped them into his mouth.
“Ginata says they’ve got dried blood in them along with all the other stuff to make everything feel good. That’s why it does what it does to us.” Landon smiled, grabbing some too.
