Chapter 5 Battling Bloodsuckers #2
Bane leans in with his shoulder, ready to shove me out of the way, so I take a deep breath and place my hand right in the center of his chest.
It gets his attention.
Blackwood recoils as if I’ve tased him. I follow, keeping my hand in place. He still has his full attention on the vampire taunting him from behind me, but he doesn’t surge forward or knock my hand away.
I feel his heartbeat thrumming against my palm. Clearly furious, yet his heart isn’t racing nearly as much as mine is while touching his solid chest. His shirt is softer than I expect, and I can feel the warmth radiating from his body...
No, there’s no time for... whatever it is I’m doing. It’s time to focus.
Bane refuses to meet my gaze. I tilt my head back and stare up at him, digging my fingers into the fabric of his shirt. His gaze finally shifts down to meet mine, eyes locking onto me.
For a moment, I almost think his heart skips a beat in sync with mine.
The position is just so intimate, and looking into those deeply golden eyes gives me a jolt like I’m the one being tased.
All alphas have gold eyes, but the hue varies.
His are so vivid, so easy to get lost in… No, can’t get distracted.
Carefully, I flash my eyes at him, just a bit.
That breaks the weird tension. His eyes narrow and he presses into my hand, squaring his shoulders and raising to his full height like he thinks I’m trying to challenge him. I roll my eyes because now is hardly the time for me to start posturing; these two fools have that taken care of.
I flash my eyes again, flickering them on and off and raising my eyebrows this time, trying to deliver the message once more.
Bane grits his teeth, still tense, and it seems like his head inclines just a fraction. Is he nodding? Does he understand? He better.
My face must be flushed as I try to pretend the last few moments never happened and turn my head toward the vampire with what I hope is a charming smile. Passably charming. More charming than demented is all I’m aiming for.
It might not work.
“This isn’t fun anymore. Get out,” Dante demands. “Now.”
“Sorry for the trouble,” I say. “We will leave, I promise. Just one more question, please?”
“The Q&A portion is over.”
“It will just take a second.”
The vampire sighs and waves a hand for me to continue. “Just ask. No promises on whether I’ll answer.”
Here goes nothing. I really hope he got the message. I tap my fingers against Bane’s chest and turn around quickly.
“Now!”
Together, we both let our eyes shift and turn on at full blast, flashing our eyes at Dante. I even add the glare from the flashlight on my phone.
Since he hovered just behind me to taunt Bane, the vampire is hit with the full force of the bright lights.
“Ah!” Dante flinches and stumbles backwards, covering his eyes and trying to get away from the light.
Bane surges forward, using the distraction to finally catch his prey. He grabs Dante and slams him against the nearest wall, trapping the vampire.
“Do you feel like talking now?”
“Oh, there’s plenty of words I could say to you, pup—”
The taunt isn’t even fully out before Bane gives him a firm shake.
“Tell us the truth,” I interject. “Are you trying to take advantage of Wynn?”
“No,” the vampire forces out the small word like giving a straight answer pains him.
“Really?” Bane remarks. “I thought you said it wasn’t true love.”
“Right, I was just having some fun. How can I take advantage of someone I’m never going to see again? Concordia isn’t the place for me after all,” he declares as if he’s reached this conclusion independently and Bane isn’t still shoving him into the wall. “Time to see what else is out there.”
“Were you trying to take advantage of Wynn?” I wonder.
“You make it sound so sinister. Naive rich people happen to be my type. But it doesn’t matter anymore. It’s over.” He shrugs, and Bane lets go of him, still watching suspiciously. “Too much trouble for not enough reward. If I were trying anything, I’m not anymore.”
Huh. He seems serious about cutting his losses and getting out of town. Even if he changes his mind, it’s clear he has no feelings for Bane’s cousin. That’s the information we need, the answer Elias was expecting… and one that will likely be disappointing for Wynn.
Dante slinks away first. Bane and I aren’t too far behind, exiting the bar now that we got what we came for. No sign of the vampire out on the street. We linger outside, unsure what to do next.
“How did you know what to do?” Bane asks.
“I remembered something I read about vampires once. Changing into a bat has some perks like flying and fast travel, but vampires with a bat form give up some of their keen vision and the eyes become more sensitive to light and sudden light changes.”
“Huh,” Bane says, his expression unreadable.
“That’s all? Huh?”
“Yep.”
Okay then.
All in all, we accomplished a lot. Granted, it was sheer luck we figured anything out considering Bane and I were working against each other more than with each other. Still, we made up for breaking the potion and learned what Elias needed to know.
And I can rest easy knowing there’s no chance Bane is my soulmate.
Every moment in the bar was a constant struggle. We would never be able to spend a lifetime together. We wouldn’t even last a week.
Since some gratitude is too much to ask, I know how he can repay me. “You’re giving me a ride home.”
“There’s one more stop we need to make first,” he informs me. “We need to break the news to Wynn.”