Bite Me Not (Vampires of New Hardenberg #1)

Chapter 1

Eric

What was he doing here?

I double-checked to make sure my eyes weren’t playing tricks on me, but even in the dim light of the club, it was obviously him.

I’d recognize his slightly crooked nose anywhere.

His cheekbones sharp enough to slice through glass.

The tilted smile that made him appear as if he was always smirking rather than full-on smiling.

Hell, I could even make out the small scar that split his left eyebrow.

The only thing I couldn’t make out was his scent—there were just too many different smells stacked on top of each other.

Sweat, beer, perfume, deodorant, hints of vomit and urine, and above it all, the rich, metallic scent of blood.

It filled the air, pulsing just like it pulsed through the veins of the humans writhing on the dance floor. Enticing me, drawing me in.

My gums ached as need pooled low in my gut.

Not arousal, but hunger.

Hunger for the humans.

Hunger for the blood that could be mine within less than the blink of an eye.

But I didn’t want just anyone’s blood. I didn’t want to taste just anyone.

I wanted him.

Have wanted him for the past four years, ever since I first got a glimpse of him at freshman orientation.

“You okay?” Bennie asked, a feral grin on his face. The blue lighting of the club illuminated parts of his face while casting deep shadows over other parts. His eyes gleamed, as did his teeth. He looked like a predator on the hunt.

And he was.

Just like me.

“Yeah.”

Taking my eyes off him was hard. Everything inside me rebelled against it. There was so much that could happen if I didn’t watch him. This was not a safe environment for him. He didn’t know what he was in for.

Drunk humans were the least of his problems. Oh no, there were things far worse lying in wait, biding their time until the perfect moment presented itself…

“Found a snack for the night already?” Bennie asked, following my gaze. His eyes zeroed in on him, a hungry want flickering over his face.

I snarled, my hands balling into fists.

“He’s not a snack. Do not touch him.”

The “or we’ll have a problem” part went unspoken. The mere thought of Bennie touching him made me see red. Literally. The anger crept in, a vicious feeling pumping through my veins, overriding every reason.

“Okay, okay.” Bennie raised his hands in a placating manner, sensing the turmoil within me. “Chillax, dude. There are hundreds of snacks freely available, and I have zero desire to behave like a jealous toddler and try to steal what’s yours.”

His words calmed me down a little, but they didn’t help with the worry and anger simmering below the surface.

What was he doing here? He lived on the other side of town, far away from this dirty, grungy place.

He had no business being here, though Bennie was the least of my worries. He was a friend, a brother.

Oh, I’d hated him at first, had blamed him for what had happened. But after months of him dealing with my anger, I reluctantly had to admit that it had been nothing more than an accident. A sucky situation, and a guy trying to right what went wrong.

But there were others. Other vampires, ones who wouldn’t skip having a bite of him just because I said not to.

“You want to dance with him? Have a little fun in the bathroom before you take him out back?” Bennie asked, waggling his eyebrows at me.

“He is not a snack,” I repeated. I had no intention of touching him. He didn’t belong in this world. He belonged firmly in the human world. He had no business seeing the ugliness that lay beneath, like the vampires and the werewolf packs fighting each other over the ever-decreasing land available.

His only concern should be which of his middle schoolers was spreading mean rumors about whom.

Bennie shrugged, his eyes flickering rapidly. He was older than I was, and way faster at clocking other vampires.

“Maybe not for you, but there are a couple of vamps on the prowl, so you might want to stake your claim nonetheless.”

I sighed, my eyes tracing every single one of his movements, down to the rise and fall of his chest. His breaths came out a little quick for my liking, but that could very well be due to the alcohol he was consuming. I’d need to get closer to check for other signs of an infection.

I shouldn’t even consider getting closer to him or talking to him, let alone staking a claim for the night.

I might’ve wanted him as a human, might’ve been about to finally make a move right before I was turned, but the possibility of us ever becoming a thing died with me in that dirty alley three years ago.

That didn’t mean my affection for him had died.

Quite the contrary. Whenever I lightened my hold on my control, I found myself watching him.

Watching over him. I didn’t understand why, but I needed to make sure he was safe.

For some reason, his safety was more important than anything else, more important than my life… err, existence.

“Why the hesitance? You’re usually more direct than this.”

Yeah, because I normally just wanted to feed and be done.

But not with him.

I shrugged, going for nonchalance, even though Bennie would be able to see right through me.

Nothing really got by him, especially since he was the one who’d turned me and thus shared a bond with me.

Still, I couldn’t let anyone know how much this random human meant to me. Not even Bennie. It just wasn’t safe.

“He’s someone I knew before…”

Before my life ended and my existence began.

“Ahh.” Bennie nodded. “A former boyfriend?”

I shook my head no. “I don’t think we ever really talked.”

But I’d wanted to. I’d been this close to making a move on him.

“Nostalgia?” Bennie asked.

“Maybe.” It felt like more than that, but even if I wanted to explain myself—which I didn’t—I couldn’t. Because there was a vampire heading straight for him, and that just wouldn’t do.

“Ohh… trouble in paradise,” Bennie singsonged and patted my shoulder, as if telling me to keep it civil.

My eyes zeroed in on the vampire approaching him, my senses reaching out.

He was older than me, in both human appearance and vampire years.

I could sense his power, could see it in the way he moved through the crowd as if they didn’t even register to him.

He had one thing in mind: finding someone to feed from. And he’d chosen the wrong guy.

I didn’t know when I’d started moving. By the time I noticed I’d left my safe space in one of the corner nooks, I was already halfway through the club, white-hot rage pumping through my veins. No one was allowed to touch him. To taint him. Not even me. But especially no other supernatural being.

I heard Bennie frantically whispering something, but the words didn’t register. My mind was focused on one thing—keeping him safe at all costs.

Safe from the pale, blond-haired guy with way too much gel in his hair. Safe from his pearly white teeth, from that smarmy, disgusting, too-warm fake smile he was giving him to mask his true intentions.

“Hi, I’m Alaric,” I heard the vampire shout at him, extending his hand. Long, pale fingers reached for his warm, rosy hand.

“Hey, Alaric. I’m Finn.” Finn took his hand, and my world narrowed, vision tinting red as I focused on Alaric touching what was mine.

The club flew past me, my speed far exceeding what a regular human was capable of, but no one noticed. One second, I was throwing daggers at Alaric, and the next, I nudged him out of the way, put my arm around Finn’s shoulder, and gave him my widest, happiest smile.

“Hi, sweetie. I’m sorry it took me so long. I’m afraid some drunk guy ran into me, and I spilled our drinks. Maybe we should try finding seats at the bar?” I was talking out of my ass, but the other vampire didn’t know that.

I turned to the vampire in a calm, deliberate manner, giving him a thorough once-over. “Who’s your new friend?”

Please—I sent out an internal plea—go along with my story. I’ll explain later.

Of course, my explanation would have to be a lie. I couldn’t very well tell him I was trying to save him from being used as a human blood bank.

Finn, who had tensed when I’d first put my arm around him, appeared to have gotten the message. He relaxed against my side, his warmth seeping into me, the tantalizing scent of the blood pumping through his veins surrounding me like an invisible cloud.

“Hi,” he said, turning his easygoing, megawatt smile my way, illuminating me.

I should have basked in his light, but my focus was solely on his eyes.

The way his bags were so dark, he looked incredibly pale.

The way his smile said he was happy, but his eyes told a different story. Exhaustion. He looked so damn tired.

Was he not taking care of himself?

“That’s Alaric. He just introduced himself a minute ago.”

Squeezing him a little tighter to show him he was doing well, I grinned at Alaric.

Fortunately, he seemed to get the message.

“Sorry,” he said, giving me an easy grin.

“I didn’t know this one was taken.” He raised his perfectly plucked eyebrows at me challengingly.

Then to Finn, he said, “If you get tired of this one, let me know. I’m a lot more…

mature than him.” He winked before dramatically turning on the spot and marching off.

I watched him disappear into the crowd, just to make sure he actually went away.

“That was… super weird, you know?” Finn said, carefully moving out of my grip. “Who are you? And why did you feel the need to intervene with that sleazeball?”

My baser instinct howled at the loss of contact, demanding he return to my arms as it was the safest place for him to be in this godforsaken shithole.