CHAPTER 1 #3
I feel the heat rising to my cheeks, a response I can’t quite suppress, especially when my boyfriend’s earnest face pops into my mind.
Lawyers aren’t known for their longevity in relationships like ours, and I sometimes wonder if the council has taken bets on how long we will last.
“He is,” I say, unable to keep the flush at bay. “More than decent.”
“You know what they say about mixed relationships.”
“You know that I don’t care.”
Lou raises his hands in surrender, a smirk playing on his lips. “Just looking out for a valued customer.” He eyes my glass. “Another?”
I shake my head. “Water for now.”
He frowns but doesn’t comment, sliding a glass of ice water toward me. The cool liquid does little to wash away the lingering taste of blood whiskey, but it clears my head slightly.
Max won’t appreciate me being buzzed when he arrives, especially if tonight is what I think it is.
The drive from his office to here takes around twenty minutes.
Only five have passed. As impatience creeps up on me, I set out to order Max a drink in advance when I spot Evan weaving through the crowd, his signature red vampire eyes scanning the crowd before settling on me.
His ocean blue hair, now damp with sweat, clings to his forehead as he makes his way over.
“There you are,” he says with a booming voice that slices through the ambient chatter. He slides into the stool beside me, his long, slender fingers tapping an impatient rhythm on the bar top. “Haden’s been asking for you. It’s been a while since you two last spoke.”
“I can’t right now.” I pout my lips. “Tell him we’ll catch up soon.”
As much as I’d like to disappear into the back rooms with my circle, tonight is far too significant to mix with those I know Max disapproves of. I cannot be caught hanging out with the people who my boyfriend considers a bad influence on me. Not tonight.
Evan gives me a knowing look. “Can’t? Or won’t? Come on, Serrie. Haden’s been dying to introduce you to Marcus. Won’t shut up about how you need to vet him.”
“Marcus?” I repeat in mock amusement. “Since when does Haden need my approval for his conquests?”
“Since this one’s lasted longer than a week,” Evan replies, perfectly attuned to the carefree atmosphere around us. “Three weeks, actually.”
I can’t help but laugh.
Haden has an incredibly notorious reputation for fleeting romances, treating relationships the same way humans treat seasonal fashion. Here today, discarded tomorrow.
Lou places a drink in front of Evan without being asked—a dark concoction that smells potently of blood and absinthe. I grimace at the scent of it, as I always do.
Evan takes a long sip, then wipes the remnants on his upper lip away with the back of his hand. “And,” he continues, “Marcus is a human.”
I nearly choke on my water. “Human? Haden’s dating a human?”
“I know, right? We need to conduct a brain check on him.”
My mind reels. Unlike Evan, Haden has never been vocal about his disdain for human partners, considering everyone temporary pleasures, expiration date or not.
But he never disagreed with Evan either.
He’d even laugh at his snide comments, like how I’d be attending Max’s funeral before I even showed a single wrinkle, never missing an opportunity to remind me how humans were fragile, fleeting things.
“How did that happen?” I ask in disbelief.
Evan shrugs, his shoulders rising and falling beneath his taupe button-up.
“Beats me. The two met at the blood bank.” He pauses to drain his glass.
“ Marcus works there, apparently. Processes donations, handles administrations—all that boring stuff. He said Haden tried to stretch his ration card limit, haggling over how often he could swing by. One thing led to another, and suddenly the negotiations weren’t just business anymore.
Now he’s all ‘he understands me’ and ‘he sees me for who I really am’ and won’t shut up about it. ”
“So that’s why he’s been disappearing every other night,” I giggle. “And there I thought he was just avoiding his landlord again. Is this Marcus here with us by any chance?”
“Yeah, that’s why I was looking for you.
Kyla’s run off somewhere. Beth and Ivy have been holed up in the bathroom, probably holding a summit over lipstick.
Could use some female company, if you catch my drift.
” He throws me a wink, his eyes glinting mischievously as he prods me with his charismatic persistence.
Evan’s very charming, which is a quality that I admire about him.
I check the time. “I’m meeting Max anytime now. I’ll see if I can pencil you into my schedule tonight.”
“Tonight is date night?”
“Yes. Now leave.” I shoo him away, but he doesn’t budge.
Instead, he casually pulls out a cigarette and lights it between his lips. “Not until you tell me what’s really going on. There’s no way you dressed like this for a simple date.”
I give in reluctantly. “Let’s just say I’m expecting a ring tonight.”
Evan pinches the bridge of his nose, his expression morphing into something between confusion and concern. “You think he’s going to propose to you at some dive bar vampire hangout?”
I roll my eyes. “This isn’t a dive bar. It’s cozy and amiable. Besides, he’s romantic like that.” I lean closer, flicking my wrist just so, a touch of flair in the movement. “Unexpected.”
He pushes my head back with a flat hand. “Max is quite literally the opposite of unexpected. He is totally and incredibly predictable.”
“Do you have a PhD in Maxology?”
His mouth opens, then closes again, lips twitching. I already know he’s counting how many punches he can pack into a single sentence.
“If he was going to propose,” Evan says, hooking his elbows on the counter behind him, “he would’ve made reservations someplace fancy, picked you up from home in his unnecessarily expensive hovercar that costs more than most people’s apartments, and not been late.
That man has a schedule for everything, including when to take a shit. ”
I narrow my eyes at his crude assessment of Max, but can’t entirely dismiss it.
Max does have a very meticulous nature that both frustrates and comforts me at the same time.
“He can be spontaneous,” I argue, though my voice lacks conviction.
“And you’re just jealous you don’t get picked up in hovercars. ”
He lets out a short laugh. “Please. I ride a motorcycle for a reason. Seems to work just fine on the plethora of girls I pick up.”
“I’m sure it has nothing to do with the leather jacket.”
“Touché. I’ll give you that one. It does sell the image.” Evan smirks, taking a long drag from his cigarette, then challenges, “Now, name one spontaneous thing that he’s done in the last year.”
I race through memories, desperately searching for any evidence to prove Evan wrong. “He… he surprised me with breakfast in bed a few months ago.”
“On your birthday?”
“Two days after,” I admit, then quickly add, “but it wasn’t planned and we’d both been busy. You see? Spontaneous.”
Evan laughs, the rich sound attracting glances from people nearby. “Face it, Seraph. You’re with the most predictable human in Penn City. Which is fine if that’s what you want, but don’t pretend he’s something he’s not.”
My eyes spin skyward in exasperation.
“Look, I’m only saying this because I think you deserve better.” He flicks ash into the tray behind him, his eyes softening. “Someone who is actually unexpectedly romantic. Someone who matches your fire.”
I avert my gaze to hide how much his words sting. “Not everyone needs to be constantly chasing the next thrill, you know? Stability has its merits.”
“Stability?” Evan snorts. “Is that what we’re calling boredom these days?” His lips quirk upward at his own jest, but I don’t find it amusing at all.
What Max and I have might be unconventional, but Evan never misses a chance to undermine it. When I don’t reply, he shakes his head and extinguishes his cigarette. “Come, let’s grab a booth. I’ll buy you another drink.”
“No, I’m fine.”
His expression turns surprisingly somber. “I’m sorry, Serrie. I just don’t want you to get your hopes up and your heart broken.”
“Whatever.” I stubbornly wave him off, not wanting to hear any more of his harsh views on my relationship. “Please leave before I gouge out your eyeballs.”
Evan chuckles at my threat, his red eyes glittering with amusement rather than fear.
“Fine, fine. You win.” He smoothly pushes himself off the barstool.
“But when your lawyer boy is a no-show, come find us. Marcus has some fascinating stories about blood bank protocols that’ll put you right to sleep—if he’s still sober by then. ”
He slips away through the crowd, his blue hair disappearing among the sea of bodies. Part of me wants to chase after him, to lose myself in the comfortable familiarity of my vampire friends.
They understand the darkness inside me in ways my boyfriend never can.
But tonight isn’t about that part of me. Tonight is about the part of me that’s human. The part Max held together after my father died.
I glance at my reflection in the mirror behind the bar to make sure nothing has slipped out of place.
My charcoal hair falls in waves past my shoulders, anchored by a single tapered braid swept to the back, still behaving.
The asymmetrical cut of my black satin corset exposes just enough skin to be enticing without crossing into impropriety.
Shoulders back, the silhouette remains streamlined.
With a single tug at the hem of my skirt where it splits at the knees, the fabric settles into its flowing drape, revealing the stilettos that add four dangerous inches to my height and make my legs look endless.
The diamond necklace Max gave me for our third anniversary hangs delicately from a silver chain, nestled in the hollow of my throat. Even my nails are painted in a deep, glossy chrome that matches the color of the jewelry.
Everything looks perfect.
Though the hazel eyes staring back at me hold a glint of uncertainty.