Page 5

On the left was the coatroom, the contents stirring, and I stopped short. It was none of my business, but the commotion was distracting enough to grab my attention. Right before I pushed open the restroom door, I glanced over my shoulder one more time. Two figures were wrapped around each other, draped beneath the long coats.

One was Bryan. The other Miriam.

Time sort of stopped while I stared, letting them fondle each other, their heavy breathing periodically muffled by designer fur. I watched not because I was horrified or heartbroken, but because I just couldn’t believe the nerve of the guy. Really? On our date night?

My foot tapped against the floor, and I let out a sigh. Miriam noticed me first. “Oh!” She untangled herself from his limbs and Bryan turned around.

“Cassia? What are you doing?” His eyebrows shot up. “This isn’t what it looks like.”

My tongue slid along my lower lip. “Let me guess—CPR? She was gravely injured and you’re assisting.”

Bryan shoved his hands in his pockets. “I can explain... if you want.”

“No,” I waved a hand at him. “Don’t worry about it. It's self-explanatory. I have to go to the bathroom.”

My heart thudded in my chest, and I shoved the door open while I tried to make sense of it all. I was humiliated, yes, but also relieved. Catching him with someone else meant I didn’t have to have that conversation where he’d just repeatedly tell me nothing was wrong. I wouldn’t have to listen to lame excuses like, “I’m just busy at work.” Or the popular favorite of weak men everywhere, “Things will change; I promise.”

Nope, I got to skip straight over all that since he’d gone straight for the jugular.

When I finished my business, I headed back to the bar. I wasn’t sure why, I just did. It was probably a habit since we’d been together for many years and sort of gravitated towards each other when we went out. We were a couple, a united front. Where Cassia was, Bryan was as well.

That was all changing.

The counter was in front of me to the right, and I took a moment to watch the group. No one would ever have been able to tell what had happened.

Miriam was next to my boyfriend. My ex-boyfriend. And Bryan was laughing with his friends, elbow resting on the countertop, his drink in his fist. He wasn’t acting like his long-term girlfriend had just caught him red-handed.

My hands slowly slid down my face while a wave of exhaustion washed over me. I closed my eyes. There was no reason for me to be here—I could just go home. But then what? My earlier question remained—who was staying in the apartment and who was leaving. Maybe he could move in with Miriam since the two of them were so cozy.

When I lowered my arms and opened my eyes, the view of the bar was gone, and I was faced with a black wall instead. After taking a deep breath, I stepped to the left, but not before a warm hand landed on my shoulder. I glanced up.

“What troubles you?”

The man with the long, platinum hair stood in front of me, his jade green eyes searching my face.

CHAPTER 3

Lukas

One week before the club

The sheer amount of noise took some getting used to. The constant honking of horns coupled with men and women chattering away like farm animals was going to give me a permanent headache.

With the flick of my wrist, I could have made it all disappear. But that wasn’t accepted here, nor did I technically have that authority.

This realm didn’t hold any appeal for me, other than its women. I’d witnessed others taking and keeping human women and it intrigued me. Enough so I decided to pay a visit.

Maybe once I found a suitable companion, I would bring her back with me. So far, no one had managed to hold my interest beyond the blood in her veins or the space between her thighs. It was suggested to me that perhaps New York City wasn’t the ideal locale for finding a wife, but it was well-suited toward other conveniences.

After I was abruptly awakened from a thousand-year sleep, I’d found myself not only intrigued by the many changes in the world, but hungry.

Starving.

Famished for more than just blood.

After I walked into the coffee shop, the noise I was subjected to between the car and the store was closed away. The gentle hum inside was a relief, and I glanced around. Everything was the same as the first time I’d visited several days ago.

Men and women still sat busy with their phones and other devices, quietly sipping their beverages and picking away at pastries. The majority seemed lost, sucked into a digital vortex, but a few stared aimlessly out the windows with their eyes glazed over.