Chapter 9 #2
“No problem,” George said, slipping away into the crowd after Ryley.
I drained my drink, biting back the urge to tell Vail about my possible encounter with the drug at the lake.
I wanted to tell her, but opening up meant inviting her concern, and I knew exactly how she got when she worried.
I couldn’t afford for her to get too attached to me again, not when my plan was to leave once all of this was sorted.
I felt someone standing close behind me. Swiftly, I whirled around and caught the person’s wrist just as they were reaching out to touch me, only to find Connor’s face looking back at me.
“You shouldn’t sneak up on people like that,” I told him, feeling his pulse beneath my fingers. A warm current buzzed up my arm from where our skin touched before I reluctantly let go.
“Mind if I join?” he replied with a smile, his dimples appearing.
Before I could answer, he was already sliding into the booth next to me.
“I thought I saw you here when I was playing,” he remarked.
“You’re good,” I complimented him.
“Yeah, Rosie couldn’t keep her eyes off of you,” Vail chimed in, injecting a playful tone.
I turned away, pretending not to hear her comment.
Connor smiled and extended his hand to Vail. “I’m Connor.”
“Vail,” she responded. “How do you two know each other?”
“We met last night. I helped—"
“We met at the fireworks,” I said quickly, cutting him off before he could finish. I forced a smile.
Vail didn’t seem to dwell on it. Instead, I noticed her knee bouncing under the table. Gently, I placed my hand on it. “You feel all right?”
“Yeah, sorry. I want to hear more about this, but I need to find George.”
I nodded, and she slipped out of the booth, leaving Connor and me alone.
The atmosphere around us buzzed with the energy of the bar, and I found myself once again locked onto his gaze. Framed by dark lashes, his eyes looked like sunlit forests in autumn.
“So …” Connor began, his voice casual but with an undercurrent of interest. “Are you okay after last night?”
I glanced down at Connor’s lips and then back to his eyes. “Yes, I’m completely fine. A little shaken up, though. It was kind of you to help me out like that.”
Connor’s smile was warm. “I was just in the right place at the right time. I’m glad I could be there for you.”
I could feel the distance between us shrinking, his words drawing me in. “I don’t want this to sound weird, but do you believe in fate?” he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
“I used to when I was young. But now I’m not so sure.”
Connor’s fingers lay on the table, close to the edge of my hand. “This might sound crazy, but meeting you felt like something clicking into place. There’s something about you that’s … different.”
I caught a fleeting glimpse of vulnerability in his eyes, and it struck a chord within me. “Different how?” I asked.
Connor hesitated for a moment, his gaze never leaving mine. “I’m not sure yet. Maybe it’s just that you seem mysterious.”
I couldn’t help but laugh a little.
“No, I’m serious. There’s something intriguing about you. I couldn’t stop thinking about you last night, and then you showed up here today. It’s a strange coincidence.”
The air between us crackled as I felt an overwhelming urge to bridge the gap between our hands.
“I could say the same about you.” I leaned in slightly. “And as you said, it’s a small town.”
“It’s not that small. Makes me almost think you’re stalking me.”
“You’d like that, wouldn’t you?” I flirted with a playful tone. I enjoyed teasing humans.
“Yeah, I would.” This time, he leaned in, his breath warm on my ear. His lips were so close, one movement and I could catch them with my own.
“Am I interrupting something here?” a voice interjected.
I looked up and saw a man covered up to his neck in tattoos with slicked-back black hair. It looked like he used a full tub of gel to style it. He arched his pierced eyebrows, and a mischievous grin played on his lips. I recognized him from his guitar performance.
Connor pulled back. “Sam, this is Rose. Rose, this is my cousin Sam.” He leaned back in the booth, and I felt the absence of his closeness. I smiled up at Sam, and he joined us in the booth.
“Can I get you another drink?” Sam offered, eyeing my empty glass.
“I’m good, thanks,” I replied, and he looked at me, searching my face. My immediate reaction was a sense of distrust toward him. There was something about his piercing gaze that left me with a lingering sense of caution.
Sam’s eyes narrowed as he noticed the small drug baggie Vail left on the table. With a sudden, deliberate motion, he picked it up, holding it to the light and examining it. My stomach tightened, and a cold wave of alarm washed over me.
“What’s this?” Sam’s voice was low and edged with something I couldn’t quite place. He let the baggie fall back onto the table, his eyes now fixed on me with a penetrating stare. “You shouldn’t mess with this stuff, it’s bad for you.”
I met Sam’s gaze with a steady, defiant look. “It’s not mine,” I said firmly.
At that moment, three more people squeezed into the booth, pressing me closer to Connor. In the commotion, I slipped the baggie into my pocket. Our bodies pressed together, and my breath caught as Connor moved his hand and rested it on my thigh.
Connor introduced them: Diana, the girl singing onstage; Donovan, the drummer, a powerhouse of strength; and Ivy, the bassist. Ivy sat on Sam’s lap, her gaze cutting through the dim lighting in the room.
She wore a deep red lipstick, which contrasted with the blue tips of her black hair.
Her expression was all business, no smile, just a cold, unwavering stare.
The heat of too many bodies pressed in around me, the rhythmic pulse of their heartbeats thrumming beneath the music.
I complimented them all on their show, trying to distract myself from their human scents that filled the air, gnawing at the edges of my self-control.
I forced myself to focus, pushing back the hunger clawing its way to the surface.
As we talked, Vail returned to the booth, her sharp gaze scanning the room.
“Have you seen George?” she asked.
“No, I haven’t,” I replied.
“I went looking for him, and I couldn’t find him anywhere.”
“What does he look like?” Connor asked her.
“He’s tall, and he’s wearing a denim coat with pins on it, and he has long brown hair,” she told him.
“I saw him,” Sam interjected. “He left with a skinny dude out the back alley.”
“See? He’s probably getting something to eat. He’ll just meet us at your place later,” I reassured Vail. “Nothing to worry about.”
Vail, however, remained unconvinced.
“George wouldn’t leave without saying goodbye,” she insisted, narrowing her eyes at Sam, who was already engrossed in conversation with Ivy.
“He would if he had a good reason to,” I told her, hoping she’d catch my drift. He probably was following a lead.
“We have to get the gear out,” Diana told Connor. “Wanna bring the van around?”
“Sure thing. Lake after?” he said, and Diana nodded. Connor glanced at Vail and me, asking, “Do you two want to join us at the lake for a mini after-party?”
Vail looked like she was about to decline, and I was about to as well.
“I don’t know,” I said. “We might be—”
“It’ll be fun,” Connor insisted, smiling. “Nothing too crazy, just casual.”
“Okay, maybe we could come for a bit,” I said.
Vail and I each grabbed another drink from the bar while the band loaded their gear into Connor’s van.
As we waited, I took a slow sip of my drink, forcing my focus elsewhere.
The lake would be open and less crowded.
Easier to breathe. Easier to control myself.
But then spending the night surrounded by so many humans, with so much temptation, made my stomach coil.
Vail’s expression tightened as she drank. “I think this is a bad idea.”
I sighed. “It’s a lake party with humans. What could go wrong?”
“It’s open. Exposed.” She levelled me with a look, her tone edged with impatience. “And I have a bad feeling about George.”
I scoffed. “You’re still like this, huh? Still playing it safe, still worrying about every little thing.”
Her jaw tensed, but she didn’t rise to the bait. “I’m being smart.”
I folded my arms. “No, you’re being boring.”
Vail exhaled sharply, rubbing her temples as if I were already exhausting her. Maybe I was.
“I’m not doing this with you,” she muttered, turning away.
But I wasn’t finished. Everything I’d choked down came rushing back, bubbling over. “You know what your problem is? You’re always so afraid to live. We have all this time, and you want to spend it hiding?”
That got to her. Her head snapped back toward me, eyes flashing with something between anger and disbelief. “You really haven’t changed, have you?”
That stung. More than it should have.
But instead of answering, I just smirked and ordered another drink.
Maybe this wasn’t such a great idea after all.
I finished my drink, and I tried not to let Vail’s worries about George get to me. He was a Vampire; he could handle being alone for one night. Just like I had for years.
When it was time to go, we climbed into the back of the van. Vail, Donovan, Diana, and I squeezed in with the instruments, while Sam and Ivy took the front with Connor. It was cozy, to say the least.
As the van rumbled through the night, Connor kept glancing back at us.
“Are you all okay back there?” he asked repeatedly, his voice laced with concern as he steered the van along the winding roads.
Perched on the trunks, I shifted uncomfortably, something jabbing me in the back. Donovan, unfazed, casually sipped a beer from the case beside him.
“Yeah, we’re okay,” I reassured Connor, tightening my grip on the instrument cases. I’m glad I had extra drinks at the bar. I would need a bigger meal soon, though.
“He never asks that when it’s just us,” Diana remarked, smiling mischievously. “You must be special.”
I glanced at Connor. His profile was strikingly beautiful, and I caught him smiling to himself as he navigated the van through the night.