Chapter 4 #2
She moved to the next table, and then the next. Half the men she talked to rivaled the demons downstairs in assholery, but some of them were nice. Her chances of finding a man to light a fire in her core were better up here, but so far, no one had even created a spark.
She went through two more dates before her gaze landed on him.
The man two tables down had light brown hair, sheared short on the sides and the kind of messy on top that could have taken him twenty minutes to mold into place or could have been the result of him running a hand through his damp locks and walking out the door.
It didn’t matter which; the style suited him.
He had kind eyes, dark brown in color, but the most intriguing thing about him was his aura. Magic sparkled around him, though what kind, she couldn’t be sure. He didn’t look like a demon, so he must be a topside being. Not a vampire; she’d recognize one of her own immediately.
She barely paid attention to the man at the table next to him, and when the buzzer sounded, signaling her turn to talk to the most intriguing person in the room, she shot to her feet and sank into the chair in front of him at vampire speed.
Venus cleared her throat from across the room, and Lilith sent an I’m sorry to her mind. She’d already let her guard down, and she hadn’t even spoken to the man yet.
They locked eyes, and an electrical sensation buzzed in her belly before zapping her chest. The man furrowed his brow, giving his head a little shake and straightening his spine. “Hi, I’m Spencer.”
“Lilith.” She offered her hand. “Pleasure to meet you.”
He hesitated, eyeing her fingers like they might electrocute him if he touched her. Thankfully, he didn’t leave her hanging, but when his palm touched hers, another jolt of electricity zapped her chest. He must’ve felt it too, because when he released her, he rubbed his hand on his jeans.
“Why are you up here and not down below?” she asked, lowering her voice so the humans wouldn’t hear. “Most supes do their speed dating downstairs.”
He cut his gaze from side to side. “I’m not here to find a date. I’m supporting my sister.”
“Then why are you participating? The game is short one woman. If you stepped out, things would be even.”
“It’s hard to say no to Venus.”
Lilith suppressed a grin. “Indeed, it is.” Venus had an uncanny ability to predict matches. Whether they were love or sex matches didn’t matter much; she could get her sustenance off either. If she insisted Spencer play the game, she had a reason, and hopefully, that reason was Lilith.
“It won’t hurt to get to know each other in our five minutes, will it?” She lowered her voice again. “What kind of supe are you?”
He leaned toward her. “I’m an owl shifter.”
Her brow shot up, and her heart thumped against her chest. “You’re nocturnal.”
“So are you.” A sexy grin tugged at one corner of his mouth, making her stomach flutter.
“Look at that. We already have something in common.”
He chuckled. “I guess we do.”
“What do you do for a living?”
“I’m a cameraman for an adventure show.”
She sucked in a breath. Now, there was a fascinating career choice. “Which one? Is it Expedition Excitement? I love that show.”
“No.” His eyes darkened briefly, like a storm rolling through that clears just before it can cause a flood. “I’m on The Hunt for Cryptids.”
Lilith laughed. “A shifter hunting for cryptids? You can’t be serious.”
“Who better to put on a show trying to expose us than a group of cryptids ourselves?”
“A group? You mean you’re all…?”
“Every one of us. Have you seen the show?”
“No, I assumed it was a bunch of humans being idiots. Now that I know, I’ll be watching it for sure. Do you ever get any time in front of the camera?”
His cheek twitched as he shook his head. “Occasionally, but I prefer to be behind the lens. The limelight isn’t my thing. What about you? I assume you’re here to spice up your hunting routine. Looking for a meal or a date?”
“Both, actually. My life isn’t nearly as exciting as yours.”
He scoffed. “A virtually indestructible creature of the night with mind control powers? How could your life not be exciting? You can do anything you want.”
“Well, I…” She clamped her mouth shut. How to tell the first man who’d piqued her interest in eons that Lilith, the mother of all vampires, had turned into a boring homebody?
The buzzer sounded, but lucky for her, the seat next to her was empty. She could spend another five minutes with Spencer before she had to move. “Sometimes, when you can do anything you want, nothing sounds appealing. But what you do…tell me more. I’m intrigued.”
As he held her gaze, her stomach flip-flopped and something akin to excitement flowed through her veins. She would have to thank Deirdre for insisting she come here. This was exactly what she needed.
He shifted forward, leaning a forearm on the table. “Alan Peterson, the show host, is a sasquatch.”
She giggled like a schoolgirl. “Really? Do you ever hunt for Bigfoot?”
“All the time. We go all over the world, investigating claims of the supernatural. Of course, we never expose anyone, but the humans don’t care that we never find anything. Or…they used to not care.”
She tilted her head, silently urging him to continue.
“The network is threatening to cancel us if we don’t make the show more exciting. They want us to find more evidence, but how can we? The world isn’t ready to know about us all.” He blinked, his lips puckering like he couldn’t believe he’d told her that.
“What are you going to do?”
“We experienced a cave-in a few days ago in the rainforest. We got it all on film, so hopefully, that will appease the network gods for now. If not, I don’t know.”
He told her more about the program, but the damn buzzer went off again. The woman next to her stood, ready to meet Spencer, but Lilith wasn’t done with him yet. She activated her glamour, encircling Spencer and herself in a bubble of invisibility.
The woman’s expression pinched, but then it smoothed as she walked past them and sat at the next table.
Spencer arched a brow. “What was that?”
“I’m enjoying myself, so I used a little magic to hide us.”
“Isn’t that cheating?” He scooted his chair forward, tucking himself into their date.
She leaned an elbow on the table and rested her chin on her fist. “You’re only here to support your sister. It’s better not to get anyone’s hopes up, don’t you think?”
His gaze never strayed from her eyes. “I suppose.”
“Why didn’t your sister bring someone who wanted to participate?”
“She was supposed to come with a friend, but she canceled. Mandy didn’t want to come alone, so here I am.”
“That’s very sweet of you.” Cinnamony sweet.
“What can I say? I’m a nice guy.” He cleared his throat. “You haven’t told me much about you.”
Eve’s words echoed in her head: Tone down your Lilithness; you can be intimidating.
Apparently, a woman not putting up with a man’s shit made her threatening, and her reputation of zero bullshit tolerance preceded her.
Spencer either hadn’t made the connection that she was the Lilith, or he was giving her a chance to prove herself.
She hoped it was the latter. It would be nice if someone would get to know her before judging her for getting kicked out of Eden.
She was enjoying his company too much to risk it being the former.
The less of her “Lilithness” he learned about now, the better.
She turned to gaze over her shoulder. “Which one is your sister?”
He nodded toward a woman a few tables away. “The blonde in the white shirt.”
“She’s pretty.” Lilith blinked, unable to detect a hint of magic in her aura. “Is she human?”
“Yeah. Her dad’s human; mine’s the shifter.”
“Fascinating.” She turned toward him. “Does she know about our kind?”
He nodded slowly. “Kinda hard not to when your brother turns into an owl for the first time at the dinner table, wings flapping in the mashed potatoes because he’s not sure how to use them yet.”
She laughed. “Oh, I bet that was a hoot.”
He chuckled. “Yeah. A real hoot, for sure.”
“Oh.” Lilith pressed her fingertips to her lips. “I wasn’t trying to poke fun.”
“It’s all right.” Heat sparked in his eyes, and for the first time since she sat down, his gaze wandered down her form. When he reached her eyes again, her chest burned in a most pleasant way. “What about you? How’d you become a vampire?”
A buzzer sounded before she could answer, signaling the end of speed dating. The people around them began to stand, searching out the ones they’d felt a connection with, but Lilith and Spencer remained in their seats.
With his palm flat on the table, he tapped his index finger on the cloth. “Are you free tomorrow?”
She was hoping for some action tonight, but Spencer seemed like a man worth waiting for. “I am.”
He cast his gaze over her shoulder. “Can you unglamour us? My sister is looking for me.”
“Of course.” Lilith reined in her magic, and Mandy approached, confusion drawing her brows together.
“Where have you been, Spence? I thought you decided to speed date, but I never sat with you.”
Spencer winked at Lilith before rising to his feet. “A vampire held me hostage. Mandy, this is Lilith.”
Lilith stood and shook Mandy’s hand. “Thank you for dragging him out tonight. I’ve had a wonderful time getting to know him.”
Mandy cut her gaze between them before grinning. “I’m glad someone made a match. I didn’t click with anyone.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” Venus said as she approached. “I do hope you’ll try again next week. I’ll do my best to find someone for you.”
Mandy shrugged. “Thanks. I might.”
“And you.” Venus wrapped an arm around Lilith’s shoulders. “You found the only other magical being in the room. I knew there was a reason he had to participate.”
An adorable blush rose on Spencer’s cheeks, and Lilith’s pulse quickened again.
“Don’t let the rumors fool you.” Venus took Spencer’s hand, holding it between both of hers. “Lilith isn’t the demon people make her out to be. She was kicked out of Eden for wanting equality. Nothing more. Remember that.”
Spencer’s face fell, and he slipped from Venus’s grasp. “I didn’t realize you were… You’re Lilith.”
Her heart sank into her stomach. She had her answer. He was only friendly with her because he didn’t know. Cue the testosterone overload. If her previous experience with men—and she’d had millennia of it—was any indication, his sweet demeanor was about to shift to asshole mode. “Yes, I’m Lilith.”
“We should go, Mandy.” Spencer jerked his head toward the exit.
“Umm…” Mandy looked from him to Lilith. “Okay?”
Lilith crossed her arms. “What about tomorrow? Weren’t we making plans?”
Spencer’s jaw tightened. “I’m leaving for Costa Rica the next day, and I need to pack. It was nice to meet you.” He nodded once, turned on his heel, and strode out the door.
Venus’s jaw dropped. “What in Lucifer’s name just happened?”
“He’s a typical man.” Lilith inclined her chin, hoping it would ease the sting of rejection. It didn’t. “Once they find out who I am, they either want to conquer me or want nothing to do with me.”
“Pfft.” Venus waved a hand dismissively. “Have you ever met a man you couldn’t seduce?”
“Of course not.” But she wasn’t trying to seduce Spencer. She’d let her guard down and had actually started to like him. What was wrong with her?
“Something is off about this. I’m never wrong when I make a match.”
“It’s fine. I should’ve stuck with the downstairs guys. At least they’re not afraid of me.” She turned to the bar to retrieve Percival and go home to lick her wounds. She’d have to find another way to save her snake.
“No, Lilith.” Venus clutched her arm. “You don’t understand. Spencer is your soulmate.”
She laughed dryly. “There is no such thing.”