I turned my head and looked out at the world through the slats of the gate the woman had closed. The second my feet touched down, I knew where we were. There was no mistaking it.
The sounds, the scents, and the sun all hit me at once.
Then, when we stepped into the shop, I was overcome with the need to sink my fangs into the woman’s throat. I had never once felt so much power over a helpless being.
On Earth, I felt stronger. Invincible even. Except for the sun.
So, was I worried? Absolutely. It was in every vampire’s DNA to seek power. I understood why vampires had long sought ways to get to Earth.
I licked my lips, thinking about how the human woman would have tasted on my tongue. She would have let me take willingly, too. The bloodlust clawed at me with unprecedented strength. The woman’s pulse had called to me like a siren’s song.
“Why are you growling?” Amari chuckled. “I guess it really was as good as it sounded.”
I didn’t respond and instead focused on the passing cars on the street. They were even more amazing than I’d heard and read about.
“We could stay here,” Amari whispered, and at first, I thought I had heard him wrong. “Leave all the cutthroat, power-seeking behind.”
I sighed and patted his arm. “This isn’t our home, and you’d be miserable if you had to be stone more often.”
And I’d probably fall right into bloodlust.
Samara walked out, pulling my attention from potential disaster to her in only her pants and bra. I couldn’t keep my eyes off her, and neither could Amari, who shuffled his feet to see her.
The way Samara moved with cautious wonder in this strange place fascinated me. Despite her bra and pants combination being far from the most provocative outfit I’d seen her in, something about her half-dressed state made my fangs throb with renewed hunger.
She held up a white shirt to her chest. “Is this too bright?”
I joined her quest for a new shirt, grateful for the distraction. “I think it’s perfect, but it has no sleeves.” My fingers brushed against the thin fabric, feeling the strange texture. It was softer than I expected.
She pulled the shirt over her head, the material stretching across her curves as if it had been made specifically for her body. My mouth went dry as she adjusted it, completely unaware of how captivating she looked.
Amari let out an appreciative grunt from his position by the window.
“Like what you see, panther?” Samara twirled once, a hint of her old playfulness breaking through the tension.
“Always.” Amari’s voice rumbled with obvious desire.
I circled her, inspecting the outfit with exaggerated scrutiny. “The white makes your skin glow, but you’ll freeze your ass off here. Inferna’s constant heat has made you soft.”
“My ass is many things, but soft isn’t one of them.” She raised an eyebrow, challenging me. “And we don’t know how long we’ll be stuck here. Might as well blend in.”
“We’re not staying long enough to need to blend in.” I couldn’t keep the edge out of my voice. The pull of Earth was already dangerous with the bloodlust, the power surge, the possibilities. If we lingered...
“I’ll wear another shirt over it.” She turned back to the clothing racks, fingers trailing over unfamiliar fabrics until she held up a flimsy thing covered in sequins that caught the light. “How about this?”
I snorted. “Do you want to look like a chandelier?”
Her laughter filled the space between us, easing some of my tension. “I’ll save it for my triumphant return to the council. They’d love it.”
We searched through more racks, and I enjoyed the mundane activity more than I should. It felt almost normal, as if we weren’t fugitives from another world. As if there wasn’t a gnawing ache in my gums.
“What about this?” Samara pulled out a black jacket with a zipper running down the front.
“Practical.” I nodded approvingly. “And it matches your general doom-and-gloom aesthetic.”
“Says the vampire who mostly wears black.” She rolled her eyes, shrugging into the jacket.
It hugged her frame perfectly, the cut accentuating her curves. I whistled. “You wear Earth clothes well.”
