Bad Blood #4
The bartender made our drinks and set two on either side of me. “Here you are. And one for the lady.” He gave me the third and I thanked him. “You’re a new vamp, right?”
“How’d you know?” I asked.
“I’ve seen you in here before. I can tell.”
“He changed me.” I nudged Dennis somewhat affectionately.
“That was fast.” The not-Sean looked at Dennis curiously, earning himself a ‘keep going and I’ll kill you’ expression in return. “Interesting.” He chuckled and walked away.
I spent a second trying to figure out what it meant before deciding I didn’t care. I turned to Mateo instead. “Thanks again. I’ll get the next round.”
“Yeah, sure.” His attention was already elsewhere, on some cute girl he was making eyes with across the room. “I’ll be back.” He grabbed the boilermaker and headed toward the woman.
“That was fast.” I took a sip of my lovely drink, watching him weave through people.
“He does that. Typical ladies’ man.” Dennis sipped his own while I took everything in.
The bar was so much more detailed than before.
I could hear so many conversations at once, so many distinct voices coming from all areas of the room.
Every tone. Every laugh. Every shuffle of a foot, each strike of a pool ball, every commercial playing on the quiet televisions that I’d never heard beneath the music. It was overwhelming.
“You better not touch my drink again.” My eyes narrowed when a familiar face took Mateo’s abandoned stool.
“Why would I do that? You’re one of us now.” Melissa propped an elbow on the bar.
“How does everyone know? Is it that obvious?”
“The slower heartbeat helps. We can hear these things, remember?” She laughed as I let out an ‘oh’ of realization.
“Anyway, you’re radiating now. Your eyes are different, you have fangs, you’re moving more gracefully and it’s not too hard to tell you can see things clearer.
It doesn’t take much to notice.” I hadn’t expected such a detailed answer.
I took another sip of my drink. “I wanna get to know you. Tell me about yourself.”
“No, thanks. I’m good.”
She shrugged and looked to Dennis instead. “What made you change her so soon?”
“None of your business,” he said. I smiled and kept drinking. His meanness was making me happy. I love when people I like dislike the same people as me. Wow, that is a confusing sentence. “Are you okay?” he asked me.
“I’m fine. Why?” I watched him over the rim as I finished my drink.
“Your thought process is all over the place. It’s worse than usual.”
I stared at him but didn’t know what to say.
Instead of responding I set the empty glass down and looked around.
I needed to seduce someone, and fast. It was drink time.
Or third drink time. Second fancy drink time, because whiskey out of a flask doesn’t really count as a drink.
Like a movie! They always have fancy colorful drinks in movies.
But at the same time they always end up sober and I don’t have the time or patience for that because—
“I’ll get you another one,” Dennis said. “As long as you stop saying dumb shit in my head.” He waved the bartender over.
“I wasn’t even thinking about you. How do you always do that?”
He shrugged a shoulder. “You think about me too much?”
I stared at him suspiciously. I’m pretty sure I wasn’t thinking about him, but then again my head is foggy and I can’t really tell. So I’ll go with it for now.
“What else can I get you?” The bartender’s eyes drifted to me as he leaned on the bar.
“Whatever she wants,” Dennis said.
“Mmm, so many choices.” I tapped my cheek. “I want the same thing as him,” I decided. “Old fashioned.”
“You want anything else, D?” He turned to Dennis, who shook his head.
“Aw, and you’re getting her drinks. You’re so cute,” Melissa cooed, clasping her hands as she looked between us.
“So I’ve been thinking, you should ditch your crazy boyfriend and hang out with us instead.
What,” she cocked an eyebrow at Dennis’ impassive stare, “you don’t wanna share?
Or do you actually think you’re not crazy?
” He sipped his drink, expression still unreadable.
“Anyway, I like you. You should come with us sometime.”
“For what?” I droned.
“To get to know each other,” she said cheerily. “Girl talk. Killing humans. Whatever you want. At least think about it?”
I considered for a second, eyeing her flawless outfit and confident smile.
She really was charming in a borderline hostile way.
If she’d started off nicer, we probably would’ve gotten along; I could always get over a petty fight.
But the fact she’d been so rude to Ari was enough to hold a grudge until I died.
“Nope.” I turned away just as the bartender presented my new drink. I happy danced and thanked him and Dennis.
“You owe me.” Dennis pulled cash out and set it on the bar.
“How much?”
“Nah, you don’t. I just like messing with you.”
“You can’t like messing with her that much if you already turned her,” Melissa muttered. “Hey, Nate,” she called the bartender back, “what do you think of his bind? She’s already a vamp and they’ve only been bound for what, like a week and a half or something?”
“How’d you know that?” I asked.
“Word gets around. Have you guys officially met yet?”
“No. I’m Nate.” He extended a hand.
“Mina.” I shook his hand.
“Interesting.” Melissa tilted her head. “I heard your name is Emery.”
“And I’m not talking to you, so how about you mind your own business?” I matched her condescending tone before turning back to Nate. “It’s Mina.”
“We’ll be friends eventually,” she said. It was weird. She wasn’t even being sarcastic. “As I was saying, he changed her fast as hell. There must be something special going on, don’t you think?”
“It’s not really my place to say.” Nate glanced between us all as I took a swig of my drink.
“He’s right. It’s not,” Dennis said.
“Uh, it kinda is with how obvious you make it. We all know binds are just for fun or a backup, but you seem pretty attached. You must really care.” Melissa gave a patronizing smile. “It’s almost sweet.”
“Wait, so people usually don’t turn their binds?” I asked.
“Ha! No. Most vamps aren’t even nice to them.
” She laughed and glanced at Dennis, whose stare wasn’t blank anymore.
Her laughter faltered and died. “I mean, not usually. Or not right away. It’s rare but it happens.
” Her eyes lingered on him for several seconds before she slid from the stool and walked away.
“You really don’t like her, huh?” I sipped my drink as Nate left to help someone else.
“Can’t stand her,” Dennis said. I laughed and almost responded but froze when I spotted another familiar face approaching. “What’s wrong?” His voice changed from indifferent to concerned.
I didn’t bother to answer since the menace was fast approaching.
“Hey, D.” Kiro grinned as he came to a stop. “No hard feelings, right?”
“Are you shitting me?” I cut in before Dennis could answer. “You broke my ankle for no goddamn reason! First of all, yes, there are fucking hard feelings, and second, why are you apologizing to him and not to me? I’m the one you attacked!”
“I mean…” Kiro gestured toward my outfit, as if that were some type of answer.
“Excuse me?” I stood but Dennis was already between us.
“Touch her again, and I swear to every god there is, I’ll skin you alive. You know I’ve done it before. I have no problem doing it again.”
“I know you’ve killed for her before. You killed Stephen because of her and that other girl.
Airy, is it?” Kiro laughed at my minuscule reaction.
“But I doubt you cared about that one.” He took in the way Dennis was standing in front of me.
“You’re a bit overprotective, aren’t you?
I probably would be, too. I’d love to have your bind. ”
I grabbed Dennis’ arm as he stepped forward. Our eyes caught for a second and I quickly let go. Maybe this wasn’t something to get between.
“Lighten up, D. No harm done, right?” Kiro winked at me, then backed away when Dennis moved. “I was kidding—” He stumbled over a stool in his haste to put space between them. “Unless, of course, I’m not.” He laughed. The shit-eating grin was back.
“Let’s go.” Dennis reached back for my hand.
“Why’re you leaving so soon? I just got here.” Kiro smiled as I shot him a glare. “Seriously, relax. I’m not gonna kill her, if that’s what you’re thinking.”
Dennis practically yanked me away—I was barely able to chug my drink in time with how fast he was moving.
I could tell by the feelings rushing through me—his feelings, somehow—that he was using every ounce of self-control to suppress the urge to kill.
It wasn’t until we were out the door and far from Kiro’s sight that he let go of my hand.