7. Seven
Seven
T he universe has to be conspiring against me. Surely you agree. Not only is my mate a human, but she’s also a human who has no clue that vampires exist, and has a girlfriend. I might as well let madness take me now.
The conversation with Erin ended pretty quickly after she dropped that bombshell. I hope I didn’t appear rude, but my brain kind of shut down. How could Claire not know Erin was seeing someone? Ugh, I can’t put this on Claire. I can’t even blame Erin; she has no responsibilities towards me.
Erin is busy behind the bar and I’m hiding. My grand plan has been cut off at the knees. What am I supposed to tell my family? Speaking of family, the she-bitch, aka Lucille, is here.
“How goes it, sister?” Lucille asks, sitting next to me. I commandeered a VIP booth for the evening.
“Fantastic,” I sigh. My mood is already bad, Lucille’s presence is guaranteed to make it worse .
“You’re such a shitty liar. What happened? Don’t tell me you fucked it up again?”
“Erin has a girlfriend.” I have neither the time nor the patience for this conversation.
“And?”
“Of course you wouldn’t see a problem with that statement.”
“Why would I? Erin is your mate. This other woman is temporary.”
“In normal circumstances, I would agree, but this is far from normal. Erin has a choice in this. She isn’t driven like me to bond with her other half. There is nothing stopping her from choosing to be with another, or if she so wishes, to be single.”
“So that’s it? One minor hiccup and you’re giving up.” Lucille’s gaze is all fire and I know she’s challenging me.
“I can’t force Erin to be mine,” I hiss.
“No, but you can fucking fight! You could do so much more than this,” she waves her spiny hand at me. “Sitting in the dark feeling sorry for yourself when you haven’t even begun. Who is Erin’s girlfriend? How long have they been together? Is Erin looking for casual, or more?”
I grit my teeth because admitting Lucille is right makes my blood boil. “I don’t know,” I state as calmly as possible.
“No, of course you don’t, because the moment you stumbled at the first hurdle you gave up. How very disappointing, Amelia.”
Enough. “Why are you here?” I growl.
“I’m here to check out Erin.”
“Why?”
“Because, despite how much I dislike you ninety percent of the time, you’re still my sister. ”
“Wow, Luce, that was almost nice.”
“Almost,” she grins, and I can’t help but return it. I sigh and tilt my head to the bar.
“That’s Erin,” I whisper. Lucille is as subtle as a turd in a swimming pool when she cranes her absurdly long neck in Erin’s direction.
“Yeah, she’s hot.”
“She’s also human and taken.”
Lucille rolls her eyes dramatically. “Excuse me,” she calls, and I belatedly realize she’s summoning Erin to the booth. Dear God, what fresh hell is going to unfold now?
“Amelia, is everything okay?” Erin asks me, smiling sweetly at Lucille.
“Perfect, this is Lucille, one of my sisters.”
“Sorry to call you away, Erin. Claire and Amelia have had such wonderful things to say about the latest addition to Insomnia that I couldn’t wait to meet you myself.” I’ll give Lucille one thing. She knows how to dole out the bullshit when needed.
“Wow, that’s lovely to hear.”
“We’re having a family barbecue tomorrow night. Of course you will come, and feel free to bring your other half, if you have one.”
Another quality Lucille has is pulling a plan out of her ass last minute. “Yes, you must come along, Erin.” Actually, it’s the last thing I want to happen. My siblings are trying to push too fast in their excitement. The situation with Erin is delicate and needs a soft touch. Seven members of the Loch family hammering her with questions is not ideal. That’s not even including my parents.
“That’s a lovely offer, thank you, but I’m working tomorrow evening. ”
“I’ll sort that out,” I say.
“Well, okay then. I’m looking forward to it.”
“Fabulous. Amelia will give you the address. It’s an entirely casual affair. Oh, Amelia, call Claire too.”
I nod and give Lucille a tight smile.
“I’d best…” Erin comments, pointing back to the bar.
“Of course. It was a pleasure to meet you.”
Lucille and I remain silent for a few moments. I watch Erin’s retreating form and Lucille watches me.
“I take it you have a barbecue to arrange now?” I deadpan.
“Indeed. You’ll thank me when you’re not about to be murdered by one of us in a year’s time.”
Frankly, that outcome is looking more appealing.
As fast as Lucille swept in, she’s flouncing out again. I see Erin track her movements before turning her eyes on me. I give her a small nod and smile, which she returns.
The club is picking up, and the bar is getting busy. I need a distraction, so I decide to help serve customers. It has been a while since I found myself working on this side of a bar, but I love it. My mixing skills are nowhere near Erin’s, but I’m not too rusty. I can still make a mean Mojito.
Erin has glanced at me several times since I started serving customers. I guess she is just surprised to see the owner on the front lines. Before I owned my clubs and bars, I started life as a bartender. Of course, I didn’t need the money, but I was never good at living off my parents’ wealth. In fact, it’s not in the Loch DNA to sit on our asses. That’s why each of the Loch children are successful in their own right .
Quality investments helped me finance Insomnia. After that, I continued to learn and work hard. Now I spend most of my professional time looking at spreadsheets. It feels good to hold a bottle of liquor in my hands again. Especially when I can still put on a show. Flipping and catching the bottle elicits a cheer and makes me smile. I see Erin raise her eyebrow and grin.
The buzz of the crowd and the music help stave off my personal issues for a little while. I truly can’t remember the last time I had this much fun. Erin and I work seamlessly alongside each other. Kit joins us a few hours later. The bar is at full capacity.
By the time I take a break, I’m sweaty and satisfied. Not in the usual way, but I’ll take what I can get. Calling Dana is out of the question now. If I had any doubt about Erin being my soulmate, I can put that to rest, because just the thought of touching anyone but her makes my insides coil hideously.
Throughout the evening, I tapped into that feeling I had when we first met. It took me seconds to feel Erin’s presence. At one point, I even tested it by sending Erin out into the club to tend to the VIPs. Even with hundreds of bodies occupying the space, I could pick out Erin’s movements with pinpoint precision.
Spending time with her in proximity has allowed me to study her better. Although she is small, she is strong. Her biceps and thighs flex when she serves or crouches. Her hair has an array of different shades of blonde in it and her eyes change color with her moods. Erin is fascinating, and my body hums when she is near. It’s almost like an electrical current.
My feet ache and all I want to do is slink off to my secret staircase so I can go to bed in the penthouse. But I won’t. For once, I’m going to take Lucille’s advice. There is still a lot to learn about Erin, and I would harm myself and my family if I simply threw in the towel.
Erin’s shift ends, and she heads to the back room. I’m already there with a travel mug of red. I’m parched from all the running around we have done. “Hey, you didn’t tell me you were an expert bartender,” Erin smiles as she throws on her jacket.
“Not an expert, but I love it.”
“I could tell. You looked… at home.”
“I started out pulling pints.”
“And now you own multiple clubs and bars. Impressive.”
“Thank you.”
I sip my red and watch her gather her belongings. I wonder where she lives. I could look up her address on her employee record, but that feels like cheating. I also wonder if her girlfriend is waiting for her to return. “Oh, I forgot,” I say, grabbing a piece of paper from the table. “Here is my parents’ address. Turn up any time around…” Shit, I have no idea when this barbecue is supposed to start. “Actually, I’ll have Claire message you with the details. Lucille is likely to change things last minute.”
“No problem. Are you sure you want me there?”
“Of course. It’s a great way for us to get to know each other.”
Those sapphire blues tell me she’s feeling curious, and dare I say it, a little attracted to me. I’ve always been good at reading emotions, especially humans. With Erin, it’s curious. I can’t tell if the feelings I see in her eyes are hers, or my projection of how I’m feeling. Weird shit happens when vampires mate. Their souls literally blend. I can feel my body and my soul yearning to capture Erin’s and intertwine the two together, but there is a blockage. A resistance that seems impenetrable. Is it because Erin simply doesn’t see me that way or because I have an issue with her species?
“I look forward to getting to know you better too, Amelia. See you tomorrow.”
Everything feels out of focus when Erin is around me now. The world fades and I want to gag at how utterly cliché that sounds. Why didn’t my family tell me what finding your mate really feels like? It’s confusing, but invigorating. As if my life has taken on a whole new purpose. Shit, what happens to all these feelings if Erin rejects our bond? Will I have to suffer like this until the end?
I shake my head, desperate to rid myself of such melancholic ruminations. It’s going to take some time unpacking the thought pattern I have so obviously adopted. The negative reasoning of a vampire who has given up. Now I have felt the presence of my other half, I have to do better. I have a chance.
The penthouse is softly lit. A hot bath soothes my aching form. The echo of my phone irritatingly pulls me from the blissful nothingness I escaped to.
“Yes,” I answer, unaware of who is calling.
“Nice way to answer, boss,” Claire laughs.
“Sorry, I’m relaxing in a well-earned bath.”
“Then I won’t take up too much of your time. Lucille called.”
“Of course she did.”
“Apparently there’s a little snafu in your plan to woo Erin.”
“She has a girlfriend. Did you know?”
“No, I thought she was single. It must be a relatively new relationship. I wouldn’t worry.”
“I don’t like this,” I sigh. “I feel as if I’m manipulating her.”
“In what way? ”
The thing I love about Claire is her unwavering support and lack of judgment. “I have this information about us. It’s life-altering. I’m actively trying to seduce her because my species deems it necessary. But Claire, Erin isn’t of our species. It feels wrong, and yet my body is changing. I can feel it already. It’s like I’ve been… activated or something,” I chuckle. It’s impossible to put what I’m going through in words sufficient to describe it accurately.
“I wish I could give you the answers, Amelia. I think everyone who loves you feels the same. You’re in uncharted waters.”
“So, what do I do?”
“Forget everyone and everything else. Listen to your body, to your heart. Get to know her, with no expectations or pressure. I think that’s the only way you will feel your connection is real.”
“Can you tell my family that?” I laugh.
“I can and I will. They’re just so excited that you bonded with someone. But, Amelia, if you need them to back off, say it. This is your life. Take control.”
“Thank you, Claire, really. I needed to hear that.”
“You’re welcome. Now, indulge in your bath for a little longer and then get planning. You have a woman to win.”