Chapter 10
Boaz
“Oh my God, this is painful to watch. Just go over there and apologize,” Hansel grumbled, dropping down onto the bench beside him. He nudged a plate of food in front of Boaz as he sat.
Boaz didn’t respond. His eyes were fixed on Lyla.
She sat a few tables away, quietly picking at her food, her shoulders slightly slumped, her expression distant. Sad.
And he’d done that.
Boaz forced himself to look away, his chest tightening as he turned to Hansel.
“I’m trying to think of what to say,” he said, his voice low. “And I can’t come up with anything.”
“Stop thinking,” Hansel said, already digging into his food like this wasn’t a big deal. “Just say what you feel. It’s not that hard, Boaz.”
Boaz picked up his fork, pushing the food around his plate. His appetite was gone.
“It is hard for me,” he murmured. “I never say the right things.”
“Then go tell her that you fucked up, and you didn’t mean what you said,” Hansel said simply.
“I…its…” Boaz mumbled incoherently, but before he could make any sense, Hansel went digging into his pocket.
“Here,” he said, pulling out a colorful piece of paper and placing it on the table in front of him.
Boaz glanced down at the flyer.
“The fair’s coming into town next week,” Hansel said. “Use that to break the ice. Apologize, then ask her out.” He shrugged. “Worst thing she can say is no. And if she does, at least you’ll know where you stand.”
Boaz stared at the flyer for a moment, his thumb brushing over the edge of it.
“Are you going?” he asked.
Hansel looked at him sideways. “Do you want me to go?”
“Yes,” Boaz said after a second. “I’ll… tell her how I feel then.”
“Alright,” Hansel said, giving him a firm slap on the back. “Now go. Ask her out.”
Boaz let out a slow breath and pushed himself to his feet, his heart already starting to pound again.
He walked toward Lyla’s table, each step feeling heavy than the last.
She looked up as he approached. That same sad look was still there.
Her friends noticed his approach and the way they looked at him made his stomach twist.
Boaz swallowed, his mouth suddenly dry, his tongue feeling too big for his mouth.
“Hey, Lyla,” he said.
“Hey,” Lyla replied quietly, barely meeting his eyes.
“Can we talk outside?” he asked, his heart pounding so hard it felt like it might come out of his chest. He held his breath, silently begging she wouldn’t say they should talk right there in front of everyone.
He needed privacy if he was going to do this.
If he was going to swallow his pride and beg her to forgive him.
“Sure,” Lyla said, pushing her chair back as she got to her feet.
Relief washed over Boaz as he turned and followed her out of the barn, his pulse still racing. He dragged in a deep breath, letting it calm him as his eyes lifted briefly to the stars scattered across the dark sky.
The flyer in his hand suddenly felt heavy, like it weighed a ton.
“I’m sorry about what I said, I….” he begun but stopped when footsteps sounded behind him.
Boaz didn’t need to turn around to know who it was. He knew.
Did he really have to show up now? It was like he could sense it when Boaz was about to make a move.
Boaz turned around, ready to give the bastard a piece of his mind but the words died in his throat.
Alexander stood there, hands tucked into the pockets of cream slacks that hugged his thighs, a loose shirt hanging open at the collar, dipping just enough to reveal the strong line of his collarbones.
His long hair fell freely over his shoulders, the dark strands catching the light as they framed his face.
Fuck.
He had no right to look that good.
“I hope I’m not interrupting anything,” Alexander said smoothly, his eyes flicking between them.
Boaz swallowed hard, his heart pounding heavily against his ribs. He forced his gaze away from the vampire, trying to focus on Lyla. But then Alexander stepped closer, bringing his scent with him.
And it hit Boaz, scrambling his brains, making it hard to think straight.
“Are you ready?” Alexander asked as he reached for Lyla’s hand.
“Yeah,” Lyla said, turning back to Boaz. “What did you want to tell me?”
Boaz’s gaze flicked between them.
He wanted to pull her away. To drag her back, say what he needed to say before it was too late. But he’d already hurt her once. He couldn’t do it again.
“It’s not important,” he said finally, forcing a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. Then he turned and walked back into the barn, the noise inside drowning out the negative thoughts in his mind.
Hansel looked up the moment he got close, one brow lifting as Boaz dropped back into his seat.
“What happened?” Hansel asked.
“Alexander showed up and she left with him. Looks like they had plans,” Boaz said, picking up his fork. Each bite was completely tasteless, but he kept going anyway just to give himself something to do, something to focus on so he wouldn’t get up and go after Lyla… and the vampire.
Hansel stared at him, disbelief flashing across his face as he pushed himself to his feet. “And you just let her leave with him?”
Boaz reached out and grabbed Hansel’s arm, pulling him back down onto the bench. “Don’t,” he said. “If she wants to go with the vampire, she can go.”
“But—”
“No.” Boaz pushed to his feet. “Just… let it go. I’m not going to repeat yesterday’s mistake.”
“You’re leaving?” Hansel asked, watching him.
“Yeah,” Boaz said, running a hand over the back of his neck. “I’m tired.”
“You barely ate,” Hansel said. “You worked all day. You have to be starving.”
“I’m not,” Boaz replied already heading for the door. “Goodnight, Hansel.”
He stepped out of the barn, leaving the laughter and warmth behind him, and made his way toward his favorite place in the world. The meadow. Out there, away from everyone and everything, it was the only place where things felt… right.
Boaz let out a slow breath and dropped onto the grass, stretching out as he stared up at the sky. The moon was brighter than usual, its light spilling over the meadow and bathing everything in a soft glow.
Boaz could feel it on his skin. His wolf stirred, responding to it.
He closed his eyes for a moment, letting the tension ease out of his body as he lay there, soaking in the light.
Then a shadow passed over him. His eyes snapped open.
Alexander stood above him.
The vampire was looking down at him, his blue eyes glowing faintly in the dark.
At least they weren’t red, Boaz thought.
Those red eyes did something to him. They reminded him too much of his dreams and the first time he bit him.
“What are you doing here?” Boaz asked, clearing his throat. He looked away, breaking the stare before it pulled him in. “I thought you and Lyla had plans.”
“She looked tired.” Alexander shrugged. “I walked her home so she could rest.”
Boaz frowned. “I’ll ask again. What are you doing here?”
“I came to see the meadow,” Alexander said simply.
Boaz pushed himself up into a sitting position. “Out of all the places in the meadow… you came here?”
“It’s the best spot,” Alexander replied, like it was obvious. He lowered himself to the ground beside Boaz, close enough that their shoulders brushed.
Boaz froze as Alexander’s scent filled his lungs. His thoughts scattered, the words he’d been about to say dying in his throat.
Alexander shifted slightly, getting comfortable, his shoulder brushing against Boaz again.
What the hell was he doing?
Boaz bit back a moan and quickly scooted away, putting space between them. His heart was already thundering in his chest. It was happening again.
And the worst part?
The vampire didn’t even seem to notice. Alexander lay back, staring up at the sky like Boaz wasn’t even there.
“Is it always like this every night?” he asked.
“Most nights,” Boaz said, glad to have something to focus on other than the lingering tingling crawling along his skin.
“The summers are long here. It gets hot during the day, but at night it cools down. The lake brings in this mist…” He exhaled softly, glancing up at the sky, goosebumps rising along his arms as the moonlight settled over him.
“And when the moon is full like tonight… it just feels different. Almost… magical.”
As if he was dreaming, he felt fingers brush against his arm.
Boaz sucked in a sharp breath.
The sensation shot through him, racing down his spine and making his whole body jolt.
“What are you doing?” he gasped.
“You were feeling the moon just now, weren’t you?” Alexander said calmly, like this was nothing, like he wasn’t still tracing his fingers slowly along Boaz’s arm.
Boaz yanked his arm away as if he’d been burned.
“Are you crazy?” he snapped furious. “Do you just do whatever you want? You don’t care how people feel? What your actions do to them?”
Alexander looked at him calmly. He said nothing. He simply dropped his hand and leaned back, like the whole thing hadn’t meant anything.
That only made it worse.
“You should fucking leave,” Boaz said, pushing himself to his feet, his chest rising and falling a little too fast.
“You’ve said that before,” Alexander replied lazily. “You’re starting to sound like a broken record.”
“That’s because you don’t listen!” Boaz shot back. “How many times do I have to tell you?”
“You can say it as many times as you want,” Alexander said with a sigh as he stretched out on the grass, folding his arms behind his head. “It won’t change anything. I’m not leaving until I get what I want.”
Boaz’s jaw clenched. “Lyla?”
Alexander turned his head, his gaze locking onto him. Boaz couldn’t move. Couldn’t look away. Goosebumps prickled along his skin.
He opened his mouth, then closed it again when nothing came out.
Frustrated, he growled under his breath and turned away, storming off toward his cabin.
He wasn’t the type to back down from a fight. He faced things head-on. Always had.
But with Alexander… he folded every time.
Since he showed up, Boaz hadn’t known a moment of peace. He scrubbed a hand over his face, trying to calm himself as he reached the cabin.
Inside, he moved through the motions of getting ready for bed, trying his best not to think about Alexander. When he was done, he lay down, but sleep didn’t come.
He tossed and turned, the sheets twisting around him as his mind refused to settle. He kept thinking about the feel of Alexander’s fingers against his skin.
Why had it felt like that?
Boaz lifted his arm, staring at it in the dim light. His muscles flexed as the phantom sensation still lingered beneath his skin.
He dropped his arm with a frustrated exhale, rolling onto his side.
It didn’t make any sense. None of it did. Boaz stared into space trying to figure it out.
Eventually, exhaustion dragged him under.
And like the nights before, the dream came immediately.
Fangs. Red eyes. And pleasure deeper than anything he’d ever felt.
Boaz woke up to his hand choking his cock as cum spurt out to hit his chest.
“Oh fuck…oh fuck,” he moaned fucking into his hand, Alexander’s scent everywhere around him.