Page 20 of Bitten By the Basilisk

Brett hobbled toward them, out of the street, one hand pressed against his side. “Fuck, I think one of my ribs is broken.”

“Have you been going after locals you can hypnotize?” Silas accused.

“No, of course not,” Brett insisted, his eyes red from the irritant. “I mean, not all the time. I swear I thought she was a normie. I’ve never seen her before.”

Silas sighed. “How are you still so reckless at your age?”

“I’m only seventy!”

“You know I’ll have to report this to the council. You can’t bite just anyone.”

“Come on, Silas,” Brett cajoled. “She was the first person I’d seen all night not in a group. It’s not easy peeling one of these humans away from their mates.”

“Try harder,” he said through his teeth.

“Wait,” Alice interjected, pulling on the arm of his jacket. “Does that mean killing them?”

“Nah, love,” Brett answered, still wincing. “I just send ’em back a little hypovolemic. I mean, I could drain someone, but how would you feel after downing eight or more pints? I might not be alive, but my nerves still work.”

“And with Kennie in the cove, the town can cover up only so many deaths,” Silas added. “Apologize to her,” he said to the vampire.

“Of course, yeah. I’m sorry, uh…”

“Alice,” she supplied. “My mom, Grace, runs the spa.”

“Ah, fuck.” Brett sighed at the ground. “Yeah, I’ve met Grace. I’m so sorry, Alice. I’ll spread the word, all right? Won’t happen again.”

“I appreciate that,” she murmured.

“Right. Think I’ll head out, then. Ow.” Brett turned, still holding his side, then vanished in a cloud of dark vapor that quickly dissipated.

Silas turned to Alice, regret churning in his gut. “Wish I’d gotten here earlier.”

She shook her head. “You couldn’t have known.” Her lips curled into a small smile. “And how else would I have seen how far you can throw someone?”

He chuckled, both relieved and impressed by her resilience. Now that the emergency was over, he took in her appearance, from her hair to her makeup to her sensible outfit for a motorcycle ride. And she wore her red scarf, the ends tucked securely into the front of her jacket.

“Would it be crass to say you look good enough to eat?”

A laugh burst out of her, the sound making him feel lighter. “No, I guess not.” She feigned a shudder. “As long as there’s no biting involved.”

His smile faded as his stomach clenched. Granted, that aspect of serpent-folk mating was not generally known. She might come around to it. Or she might not. In either case, he was getting ahead of himself.

“I understand if you’re no longer up for coming out with me,” he said, tucking his hands into his jacket pockets.

She twisted her lips as she considered. “Thank you, but I could use a fun ride. It’ll help me decompress.”

“I would love nothing more than to give you a fun ride,” he teased, delighting in the way she smiled through a shocked puff of laughter.

After he retrieved his helmet and checked it over—all good—he pulled it on, keeping the visor up, then unstrapped the spare helmet he kept atop the passenger seat of his bike. Unexpected joy filled his chest as he helped her put it on, making sure the chin strap fit correctly and securing the excess length to a snap closure on the other side.

“You’re actually the first person to wear this,” he told her, gently tugging on her helmet to test its fit. Of the few relationships he’d ever had—mostly with other supernaturals, none of them lasting more than a couple of months—none had ever taken him up on a motorcycle ride, preferring his Bentley instead.

“I’m honored,” she said, her eyes smiling at him through the open visor.

Though she seemed to be exaggerating, albeit good-naturedly, he responded with full sincerity, taking her gloved hand and placing it against his chest. “The honor is mine, Alice.”

The amusement in her eyes shifted, becoming softer and shier as she blinked and lowered her gaze. Stars above, she was adorable.