Chapter 8: Chapter 7

“Your boyfriend thinks I’m the bad guy,” Roane spoke up when we parked outside of the Shoilster.

I didn’t even spare him a glance. It wasn’t worth it. “You are. You’re a vampire. You’re evil.”

“He’s clueless and he’s in danger.” Roane turned to look at me and this time I met his gaze, but my eyes quickly filtered over his shoulder to where Shelly and Adam waited beside the front entrance—talk about an imposter nightclub. It was one of those clubs that had the nicest décor, but the food wasn’t cooked properly, never tasted good, and hardly ever filled a person. Yet, they arranged it nicely, complete with a garnish on the very tip of the plate so it seemed like it was worth the lavish price. It was Shelly’s wet dream. It had all the trimmings, but none of the quality.

“Watch it. You’re broadcasting again,” Roane warned with a hint of amusement.

“Shut up!” I lashed out, harshly. “You’re evil and get out of my head.” I reached for the door handle, but Roane slapped a hand over mine.

I froze. I didn’t dare move because his hand had a cemented hold over mine. His body brushed against mine and if he’d been human, I would’ve felt his breathing against my cheek. I kept my eyes down, anywhere but his. Then he remarked, “I’m not in your head and that goes both ways, Empath. You stay out of mine and I’ll return the favor.”

“If you call me that again, I will…” I threatened, but I caught my words.

~‘Don’t let them know you. Don’t explain anything to them!~’ That had been Kates’ first lesson to me when I confessed I was worried a vampire was stalking me. The other lessons… I hadn’t been the one to think of setting Craig on fire, but I’d been the one to throw the match. And this one—this vampire…

“Vampire,” I snarled in return and turned to let him meet my stormy eyes. “I didn’t want to call you, but your name popped up in my magic eight ball. There’s a reason, and I’m thinking you know what it is, so let’s figure out a few ground rules.”

He let go of my hand and a rush of blood swept through it. I could’ve sobbed from the release of pressure, but my eyes hardened. “I will not ‘feel’ you. You will not listen to my thoughts and after we’ve ditched Adam and Shelly you will help me with Kates. After that, you and I go our very separate ways.”

“Gladly.” It was the second time he used that word with me and the same acid dripped from his tone.

“Fine.”

“Fine.” Then he reached for his door and was outside before I could blink.

I took a deep breath and muttered to myself, “Okay. Calm down. Be cheerful. And just fake your way till the end.” That’d been another lesson from Kates, but it hadn’t pertained to vampires. I liked to be adaptable and as I strode out into the cold air, I found I could breathe a little easier. Adam gave me a tentative smile. He moved away from Shelly and stepped close. “Are you okay? You don’t look like you’re up for this tonight. We could always…”

“Double date some other night?”

“It’s not a date or a double date, not for me anyway.” Adam frowned and stepped even closer. The air was cold enough to block his body heat, but I shivered as I imagined myself pressing against him. I felt a flush in my cheeks and ducked my head. I didn’t want him to see how red I was, but I caught a movement from the corner of my eye. Roane shook his head with a flash of scoffing amusement. He made a point of turning his back to me.

My cheeks were aflame now, but not from eager anticipation. I could just… I held my breath and focused hard. I wanted to piss him off, I wanted to… I only knew one way to do it, but I’d just made a promise. I couldn’t sneak my way inside again or I’d have to suffer the consequences.

“Davina?” Adam distracted me when he reached out to touch my arm.

I jumped from the cool touch, but exclaimed immediately, “Oh, I’m so sorry, Adam. I wasn’t… I’m sorry.”

“Hey,” he started to say, reassuringly, but he looked furtively at Shelly and Roane. He stopped as his eyes caught and held with Roane’s.

Oh god. Roane was doing the same thing with Adam that he’d done with Shelly. He had the eye radar thing going and I could feel Adam’s body freeze, immobile, as the vampire took his leisure time searching through Adam’s thoughts.

I only had a few options, but I reacted without thinking. I covered the space between myself and Roane before my brain had time to scream ‘Be rational!’ As if I had no control over my actions, I watched my own hands grasp the front of his shirt roughly. Roane didn’t have time to react before I pushed against him and slammed my lips over his. After that I felt like something unlocked inside of me. Adam was released from Roane’s distraction. My eyes snapped shut and I pressed harder against Roane. As kisses went, it was forced and impersonal.

Then I felt Roane’s hand slide around to the back of my neck and he took a breath before he took over the kiss. After that, all force and impersonal formality was gone within an instant. Roane’s lips opened over mine and he parted mine expertly. I felt his tongue sweep inside and I gasped from the molten intrusion. He switched our places. I was lifted up and pushed against the wall as his head tilted us so our backs were partially hidden. His hand cupped the side of my face and his thumb ran over my lips as he pulled away to nip at them gently. My eyes were still closed, but I couldn’t control my body. Every time he leaned close to nip at my lips, I arched into his touch, begging for more. When I heard a soft chuckle resound from him, I opened my eyes bleakly and saw a smug vampire staring at me.

All the heat, the passion that I didn’t want to admit to myself, was instantly replaced with coldness. I snapped and shoved him back.

Roane went, but he went slower than I’d wanted.

I swung horrified eyes to Adam, but I saw that he was gone. Shelly must’ve gone with him. “They’re gone.”

“After that display, I doubt your boyfriend is going to show his face again.”

“He’s not my boyfriend.” I had really wanted him to be though.

Roane said smugly, “You kissed me in front of him. You can’t explain that away, Empath.”

Empath! I swung my fists at him. My hand was two centimeters away from slapping his face when it was caught and held in his powerful grip. The smug smirk was replaced by cold anger. “Don’t do that again.”

I felt a slow shiver from his words, but I was beyond caring. “Don’t ever call me that again!” I waited in thick silence before he released my hand. It dropped with a thud to my side, but I still fought from swinging my other hand.

“Fine, then you can stop calling me Vampire. My name is Luke, not Roane.”

I shrugged and sniffed, “Whatever.”

“Why did you kiss me?”

“Because… we made a deal. It was the only thing I could do to stop you from doing that thing again.”

“That thing?” Roane—Luke—echoed with a twinge of laughter in his voice. “What do you mean by ‘that thing’?”

I knew this test. It was more about me than him. He just wanted to know what I knew. “It’s what you, vampires, do when you want to search inside someone’s head. It’s worse than what I can do. You put your eye radar on that person and they can’t move so you can take your time looking through their brain index. I hate it and I really hate that Adam doesn’t even know what you did. He just thinks…”

I felt like I could vomit.

“He saw you kiss me,” Luke finished for me.

“Now he’ll think…” I didn’t know what exactly he’d think, but with a sinking heart, I knew there was nothing I could do now.

“Want to know what he thinks? I can tell you.”

It must’ve been my imagination because I detected a small bit of sympathy in his tone. Vampires weren’t sympathetic. I’d gone crazy. I lied, “No.”

“He likes you. He thinks I’m a bastard, but he’s worried about your welfare. He won’t be deterred from the kiss. Trust me.”

“Really?” The vampire was a complete contrast of emotions. I hated him, I needed him, and now—I was grateful to him.

He sighed and then swung towards the door. “Let’s go.”

“This place?” I still disliked this place. “We don’t have to go here now. They’re gone. We can go and find Kates now.”

“This is where Kates is.” Roane moved towards the door and a bouncer swept it open. Roane passed through like he owned the place. I was forced to reluctantly follow and when he turned down into a back hallway I knew this night had gone from bad to worse.

“Let’s go!” he commanded down the hallway and then I saw him open a door.

I sighed and quickened my pace even though this went against how I usually operated. I liked to slowly wade in and get my surroundings before I made rash decisions. It hadn’t been a rash decision to light Craig on fire. I’d thought and planned for weeks in advance and then the night came along. This was different. I’d been to the Shoilster, but I’d never been down a back hallway and certainly not a basement. The door was left open, but Luke was already downstairs and out of my eyesight.

“Get down here, now!”

My foot reacted first and I fumbled my way down the stairs. What I saw when I got to the end brought my jaw to the ground, almost literally.

The main floor of the Shoilster was used for dining and dancing. Not the basement. The basement looked like another secret gathering of vampires. They were everywhere. Some sat on plush red couches that lined the walls. Some stood in the middle, between two ponds that shown a sparkling reflection on the ceiling. I wondered if there were crystals or diamonds in the ponds, but then I forgot my question as my gaze caught and held on a girl in a back corner.

Kates.

She stood with a sultry smile on her face and her body was leaning suggestively towards a guy who looked like he’d love to ravish her that night. They both held crystal goblets with red liquid and I had a fleeting thought that his might hold blood, but Kates’ would’ve had merlot. For all her dressings, she was a wine girl through and through.

I didn’t know how long I stood there, but when a few vampires started to send glances my way, I decided it was time to mingle—or… just move. I moved. Like any other bar patron, I found myself at the crowded counter with no chance of heralding a bartender. It was packed. I was surprised that I’d even noticed Kates in the first place.

“Are you alone?” The question came out smoothly, too smoothly, and the blonde vampire stood tall. He was over six feet with a square jaw and sparkling blue eyes.

I smiled for different reasons. Roane had disappeared so I was alone. Then I smiled because this vampire thought I was a lost, misdirected little human who had no idea he thirsted for my blood. I felt a wave of confidence sweep through and I relaxed for the first time in awhile. Leaning back against the counter I slipped into Silvia’s persona. I held a hand out. “What’s your name? You look like… a Ben? No. Maybe a… Royce. Are you a Royce? Are you the sixteenth heir in a line of royal blue bloods? You dress the part. Is that custom fitted?”

I gave the vampire credit. He was startled, but he rolled easily on his heels and he returned with charm,

“It is actually. I can order something for you, if you’d like.”

“But, wait—you’d have to get my measurements first, right?” My smile dazzled. “I know this gig, forwards and backwards. You’re not getting my blood.”

That got his attention. If he’d had breath, I would’ve given myself a pat on the back for stealing it away. He didn’t so I didn’t pat myself on the back, but it didn’t matter. I saw his nostrils flare and my heart sunk. I’d just become the next big challenge for this vampire and I knew how that road traveled.

“Don’t,” I said sharply as I held a hand up. “I lit the last vampire on fire who thought I was a challenge for him to bleed. I’ll do it again and it won’t take nearly as long this time. That’s my warning to you.”

“Kade,” Roane decided to join the conversation from… I glanced around. I had absolutely no idea where he materialized from, but his presence snapped Kade into order.

“Lucas,” Kade returned as he waited for his leader to speak. The blonde Casanova instantly stood straighter and waited for his command.

“Leave.” That was all Roane said and Kade turned to leave, but he stopped mid-turn and raked his eyes over me. “I like you.” He pounded Roane on the chest before he finally turned to leave.

Roane studied me intently. “Do I dare ask what that was about?”

“No.”

“Okay.” Roane was easy.

“I saw Kates.”

Roane narrowed his eyes, but he didn’t say anything. Instead, he signaled for a drink and just like that—he got one. I glowered. “Could get me one, but no…”

He lifted a second finger and I felt better when a beer was pushed into my hand. I didn’t bother to say thanks. “What’s the plan?”

“You wanted help. I brought you to your friend. I thought you were worried about her.”

I flushed and raised my beer to him. “You know that’s not all there is to the story. I thought she was in trouble. My…,” I hesitated. “My source said to contact you so I did.”

“Your magic eight ball. Tell me, how’d your magic eight ball mention me? Was it by name?”

“You’re making fun of me.”

“No,” he rejected quickly. “Unlike you, I know why you contacted me, but I’m just wondering how much you actually know.”

“I know.” I didn’t, but I wasn’t about to let him know that. “I know plenty.”

Roane chuckled. “You know nothing.”

“Oh, really?” I turned to face him squarely. I even put my beer on the counter to let him know that I meant business. “You think I know nothing? Well… I know enough, Vampire.”

I said the word and I said it hotly. I dared him to call me on it. Oh yes, I’d call him Vampire if I wanted.

Roane smiled coolly and returned, “What do you know, Empath?”

I felt hot, angry, but I’d started us down this road. I’d see it through. “I know something big is going down. There’s a whole crap load of vampires here and I don’t think that’s normal for Benshire. I know that there was a girl who killed herself the other night and a whole host of too many vampires were in attendance. There were two on the roof with her and six on the ground. I think whatever’s going on has something to do with why Kates is here because I’m not stupid enough to think she’s actually here for me.”

There. I was out of breath. I’d said it all. I felt my skin starting to crawl before Roane replied cautiously, “You’re smart for an empath., but maybe too smart? Maybe you know too much for your own good?”

My eyes bulged and my throat went dry, but what did I do? I took a drink of my beer when I heard the very words that I’d feared coming from a vampire. Those words were never followed by anything good.