Total pages in book: 63
Estimated words: 59151 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 296(@200wpm)___ 237(@250wpm)___ 197(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 59151 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 296(@200wpm)___ 237(@250wpm)___ 197(@300wpm)
“Okay.”
It’s like I imagine a link between us. My thoughts in her mind. My will taking over her. Which is a beyond gross idea if you think about it. But here we are. I push and focus, and it’s as if the world quiets around us. Something that might be down to my concentrating so hard. However, the temporary stillness feels a little like when I hear a word. I choose to take it as a positive sign. “Go have a good night, Monica.”
“You want me to go?” she asks uncertainly.
“Do what you like. Have fun. Take care of yourself, okay?”
A hesitant smile fills her face, then she jumps up and heads back to the bar. This time stopping next to a curvaceous Black woman with piercings and a shaved head. Hand in hand, they soon leave together.
Henry rolls his eyes. “All of the things we can do. The complete control we can wield over their tiny, dull little lives. And you tell her to go be merry and stay hydrated.”
“Do no harm, dude.”
“Sister. Oh my God. We’re apex predators. I am not sure if you actually had her, or she just liked the idea of taking the rest of the night off. Probably the latter.”
“We can’t tell if it’s happening?”
“No. It’s a subtle skill. You get to recognize the feel of doing it yourself when the connection is made. But apart from the blank stare on their faces, there’s no way of telling if a human is being compelled by another,” he explains. “Which is a definite downside to that little trick. Never mind. As Father has a habit of saying, practice makes perfect.”
“Right.”
He rises to his feet. “Back in a moment.”
As soon as Henry is gone, an athletic-looking man in jeans and a fitted button-down shirt sidles on over. He’s handsome, with tanned skin and a wide, white smile. In his mid-thirties at a guess.
“I don’t have any good come-on lines,” he says. “But can I join you anyway?”
I laugh. “Sure. Why not?”
“Come here often?” he asks with a comedic wince.
“Ooh. Now that’s a classic. And the answer is no. This is my first time.”
“I’m Aiden.”
“Skye.”
“Skye,” he repeats with a flirty smile. “Good to meet you. How do you like the place?”
“It’s great.”
And this is all so bizarre, a man like this one making eyes at me. Having the vampire benefits feels like cheating. Though, it’s not like I asked for them. Henry may have had a point. I need to loosen up and learn to have a little fun. It’s either that, or stay home and read books for eternity. Which actually doesn’t sound that bad, now that I come to think of it. But back to the here and now. I like having a pretty man smile at me.
“I own it.” He nods to the nightclub at large. “We just opened a few months back.”
“Really?”
He shuffles closer and leans in, and I catch the scent of his blood. Just that easy. The sound of it pumping through his heart. The sight of it so close to the surface beneath his warm skin. Guess the loud music and mess of scents in the place kept the need under control until now. But no longer.
“I, um…” I move farther away along the low lounge.
He frowns and makes to follow. “Are you okay?”
“Get any closer and she’ll rip your throat out,” says a low, dangerous voice. “Or if she doesn’t, I will.”
I reach for his hand, panicking ever so slightly. “Lucas.”
Lucas pulls me to my feet and wraps his arms around me, crushing my breasts against his chest. “I told you, you need to stay ahead of it.”
Aiden is already walking away. He’s probably summoning security. What a mess.
“What’s wrong?” asks Henry.
“She got hungry,” says Lucas. “You were supposed to watch her.”
“I was only gone for a moment.”
“Can you walk out of here?” Lucas asks me.
“Yes.”
To be so strong and so weak at the same time is infuriating and frightening. Now that I’ve tuned in to the blood, I don’t know how to block it out. My hands are shaking, and my mouth is watering, and oh shit. I should never have asked Henry to take me out. What a stupid idea. If I kill someone, it will absolutely be my own damn fault.
Halfway down the stairs, Lucas stops and swings me up into his arms. Carrying me with an arm around my back and the other beneath my knees. “Put your arms around my neck, Skye.”
I do as told, holding on tight. “Don’t let me hurt anyone.”
He jerks his chin in response.
The crowd surges around us as we skirt the edge of the dance floor. His hands dig into me, anchoring me against him. Henry gets in front of us and clears a path to the door. There is definite flashing of fang. Some of the startled expressions on the patrons’ faces would be hilarious under any other situation.