“Want a beer?” he asks, placing his left elbow on top of the scuffed wooden bar, leaning on it slightly. “I know I want one.”
“Yeah, sure.”
The bartender is already getting us beers, and Damien hasn’t even ordered them. That’s the kind of effect he has on people. The guy has been pretending to wipe away the old marks on the discolored wood, staring at him since we stepped into the bar, and paying close attention to his every move. Kinda desperate, if you ask me. At least other people around us have resumed their conversations, and not as many eyes linger on us.
Damien rolls his left lip ring with his tongue, a kind of tick he’s acquired since getting those done. Sometimes I miss his innocent face without all the hardware. Not that I have anything against piercings, but they make him look kind of . . . wild. Which is exactly what he’s going for. It’s part of the intimidating image he projects to the world.
“You’re choosing tonight,” he says, wiggling his eyebrows at me. “I’m kinda bored of doing all the work, you know?”
I huff out a short laugh. “Fine, leave it to me.”
Sure, he’s been doing all the hunting because he barely needs to put in any effort. I was pretty certain he also enjoyed it a lot. I can do it too, of course. Maybe just as flawlessly as he can.
Not that I’m looking to impress him. I’m definitely not.
We chill for a little while, chatting about whatever nonsense he comes up with. I like letting him carry the conversation, honestly. I’m not that much of a talker, and he’s the kind of guy who won’t shut up. We complement each other like that.
At least we’ve finally blended into the crowd of the small, dingy bar, dimly lit with warm bulbs and colorful neon signs hanging on the dark walls. Still, anyone who walks by takes a peek at Damien, and he poses like a model for them. Back almost arched, legs spread wide, taking space and attracting attention to his slender but toned thighs.
Why am I looking at his thighs?!
I force my eyes back to his face, biting the inside of my cheek as anxiety creeps in. Damien was staring right at me, but quickly glances elsewhere. The left corner of his lips curls up just a little bit.
Fuck, he noticed.
That can’t be good. I don’t want him to think I’m a pervert or something.
“Gonna pick someone, Killi?” He takes a sip of his half-empty beer, the clinking of glasses and hum of voices seeming louder than usual as I stare at him.
I nod, forcing my eyes back to the bottle I’ve barely touched. Alcohol has repulsed me since we were turned; it just sits in my stomach making me feel sick until I throw it all up. Not that I was much of a drinker before, anyway. Damien seems to process things a bit better. He can hold it a lot longer.
Maybe being a vampire suits him better than it does me . . .
But I have to stop thinking about him all the time. I must.
This is going off the rails.
My attention turns to the crowd around us. There are a bunch of attractive people to choose from. Not that appearance matters, since we’re just going to feed. Although, I could use an attractive girl to keep my mind off Damien.
In a corner of the bar, a blonde girl leans against the wall, almost glowing under the red light of the neon sign beside her. She looks bored as fuck, staring at her phone with a cigarette in her right hand. The people around her are either ignoring her, orsimply don’t know her. She’s pretty, yes. About Damien’s height, curvy, with generous boobs showing off from the deep cleavage of her black top. The denim skirt she’s wearing seems a bit too short, exposing her thick thighs covered in fishnet stockings.
She’s definitely my type.
I can feel Damien’s eyes on me, and I know the devilish grin that sits on his face without even looking. He’s reading my level of attraction to the girl, I suppose. He does that a lot. Only God knows why.
“Wait here.” I slide off the stool, making it creak under my weight, and slowly walk towards her.
As I get closer, her thoughts open up to me like a soft murmur. I stand close by, staring at my own phone while I dig through her mind.
“Fuck, I lost the target,”she thinks to herself.“Ron is not gonna like this . . . I better tell him to start looking for someone in another bar or he’s gonna have my head.”
She types on her phone while smoking, visibly nervous. What kind of target was she talking about? Humans are so deceiving. She looks all cute and innocent, but I can sense something dark in her. After a few seconds of texting, she sighs heavily and scans the crowd.
“How the hell did I get so distracted?”Her fingers twitch as she shakes her head, disappointed in herself.“I’m lucky Pat caught someone a few blocks away and Ron’s busy now. But, once again, I’m not getting paid. And nobody’s gonna pick me up. Fuck my life.”
Great. She’s alone. I’m a bit proud of myself for picking a perfect prey right away. I slide my phone into my pocket and take out a cigarette instead. A habit that comes in handy, because it’s the easiest way to start a conversation. At least it can’t kill me now.
I push myself off the wall and walk right towards her. She’s prettier up close. Like,reallypretty. Her eyes are bright green, and her skin looks naturally bronzed. I almost don’t want her to die. But it can’t be helped; the hunt is on.
