“I didn’t mean it like . . .” I implore to them all, my voice drowned out by the start of the next song.
They give me a quick look up and down then turn back to the stage. Roxy pushes through the dance floor and joins us.
“Oh my god, did you just—” I blurt.
“Hear you shoutI love Cox?” she cuts in, handing me a beer. “Yes, babe.”
Fake McKinley hasn’t deserted us, so he hasn’t taken my declaration the wrong way. Roxy hands him a bottle of water.
“Thank you,” he says, looking at it in his paw. He tries the lid, but between the gloves and his obscured vision he can’t manage it. “Sorry, can you hold it for me a minute.”
“Sure,” says Roxy, taking the water back as he reaches up and starts pulling his mask off.
All the shouting has made my throat dry, so I push the lime into the top of the bottle ready for a cool swig, as I watch Fake McKinley pull his head off. I mean, not hisactualhead, because his head is . . . wow.
He’s like something off a dating show for the top tier of beautiful types.
As I gape at him (correction: Roxy and Ibothgape at him) my beer erupts over my hand so I do the only thing a sane person would do and shove the bottle neck into my mouth. Foam rises up my nostrils and I start coughing, the sour taste flooding my throat.
Roxy claps me on my back, my eyes bulging out of the sockets.
“Are you OK?” asks Fake McKinley, looking down at me with deep, dark brown eyes. Umber, I’d say in fact. Possibly evenburntumber. “Can I get you something?”
“Love Island. . .” I splutter.
He straightens up and scratches his beard. His thick hair glistens with sweat and there are tiny, sweaty curls against his neck and forehead, like one of those cherub paintings you see – but those cherubs are always blond, and his hair is jet black. He’s handsome.Incrediblyhandsome. He’s like a tall, handsome, slightly sweaty, cherub-man.
“What did she say?” he asks, peering at Roxy.
“Nothing,” she says, rubbing my back. “We’ll be back in aminute.”
She steers me towards the toilets, leaving him looking very puzzled.
“I wasnotexpecting that,” I wheeze.
“Neither was I, babe,” she says. “Good call taking pity on the insanely handsome dude.”
“Yeah, go me,” I croak, clearing my throat. I look up at her. “Did I sayLove Island?”
“It was more of agurgle. But I think he was probably distracted by the beer dribbling out of your nose.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
VIGGO RASSMUSSEN
Stop, Juliana! You’re bleeding!
JULIANA THE DEMON HUNTRESS
Not enough.
Vampire Falls. Season six, episode nine – “All Together Now”
“Why are you glowering at me?” asks Roxy, chomping ona sausage.
She doesn’t look up from her obscenely large breakfast. Two whole plates; one full English, one continental.
“I’m notglowering.”
