Page 24 of Only Fangs

“He’s hot,” Ivan shoots back.

“He’s human.” I blurt the words out without preamble. I’ve had too much alcohol for subtlety.

“I know,” Ivan says.

“You do?” I lean back in my seat and stare at him.

“So do I,” Clara says.

“But you didn’t say anything.”

Ivan simply shrugs. “We don’t care if he’s human. We’re not the ones who want to sink their teeth into his pretty human neck and sip that sweet sweet human blood.”

“I don’t want to do that.”

Ivan stares at me for a moment and then laughs, this loud almost bark of a laugh. “If you could see your face right now, you’d know how much you’re lying to yourself.” He states it as fact, his words not unkind.

“I don’t,” I reiterate.

“We’re not saying you have to date him,” Clara says, putting her hand gently on my arm. “We know you don’t want a relationship or anything. But you can still fuck the living daylights out of him. Loosen up. Live a little.”

For a second I allow myself to think of him. His blue eyes and the curve of his nose. The chiselled cheekbones and the smattering of stubble. I feel the pull of him. I imagine running my tongue across his skin. Surely a little taste wouldn’t hurt?

Chapter 14

Brody

We make it to my parents’ place three minutes before Nan is due to arrive.

“You’re late,” my eldest sister, Candice, hisses at me as she drags us both into the living room.

“Sorry, I had to⁠—”

“There’s no time for your bullshit excuses,” she replies. “This is your spot,” she points to a very small area behind the sofa.

“For both of us?” I’m not sure even one of us will fit.

“Just make it work. She’ll be here any second.”

Matt and I curl ourselves up as small as possible, but I’m fairly sure our hair will be visible. I’m still not convinced this is a good idea though, so maybe giving Nan a few hints of what’s about to happen won’t be a bad thing.

The seconds tick by with excruciating slowness and I can feel my knees beginning to cramp. I might only be twenty-nine, but kneeling like this is making me feel as if I’m pushing sixty.

“Stop fidgeting over there,” Candice shouts from her own hiding place. It’s easy for her to say, given she’s standing behind the curtain and so doesn’t even have to attempt any form of contortion.

A few minutes pass like aeons but eventually Matt grabs my leg and squeezes. He’s obviously heard something. His vampire hearing isn’t fully developed yet, but he is still much better than I am. I turn to look at him and he gives me a nod. Nan is definitely here. Thank god.

“Surprise!” my entire family scream and erupt from their hiding places. I’m a few beats behind them, struggling to get my legs to do what my brain is telling them.

Nan looks entirely non-plussed about the whole thing. “Thank you everyone.” Then she turns to look at me, standing behind the sofa, stamping my left foot as I try to get the blood back moving. “Whatever are you doing behind the sofa, Brody?”

I’m not actually sure she even realised we did the whole surprise thing.

Mum – being Mum – has made an entire spread of food, enough to feed at least twice as many mouths as are here. She’s done her signature lasagna, a thick layer of cheese bubbled to a crust around the edges, with thin slices of garlic bread to use as scoops for the meaty filling. Then there’s a chicken and bacon pie with a pot of extra gravy on the side. A vat of chilli with either rice or tortilla chips and a whole platter of toppings. There’s also salmon quiche which I will say no more about as the only person who ever eats it is Nan and I think only to be polite.

“This looks amazing, Mum,” I tell her as I head to the fridge in search of another beer.

“Thanks, love,” she replies as she wipes her hands on a tea towel. “I think I over catered a bit though.” She looks at the piles of food all around her. It’s the understatement of the century but I don’t tell her that.