Chapter Seven
Skye’s euphoria only grew once the smell of bacon and eggs wafted into the room. The big guy with the tray set it down on a table and she jumped up from the bed to go over. She breathed in deeply and sighed as she sat down and picked up a fork.
“I think I must have died, because this is heaven.” She proceeded to stuff her face with bacon, mushrooms, scrambled egg and tomatoes.
The glass of red liquid didn’t even register to her until her vampire companion picked it up and sank it in one long swallow. She couldn’t tear her eyes off him as he drank. His muscular body was like something from a movie. She’d never seen a guy this ripped in real life. Putting down her fork, she forgot all about the bacon.
“Did you always look this good?” She realized the guy who’d brought breakfast in had left, and along with him any chance she might have had to escape. The thought seemed strange, alien. She didn’t care about leaving. Why would she? She’d just experienced the greatest high she’d ever felt with a creature she’d only just found out existed and who just happened to be hotter than the fires of hell.
He put the glass down. “Finish your breakfast. It’ll go cold.”
She picked her fork back up. “Have you always been a vampire?”
He shook his head and moved away, lying down on the bed. “I’m going to sleep now. As soon as… you’re feeling yourself, you can leave.”
She raised an eyebrow at him. “Really don’t like talking about yourself, huh?”
He ignored the comment, closing his eyes.
Something was up with him. He wanted her gone. Nothing like those morning after regrets, eh? She rolled her eyes. Most guys gave the cold shoulder after sex. They hadn’t even gotten that far. She supposed drinking blood was probably a similar thing for vamps. He’d gotten what he wanted from her so now she was meant to leave.
“By leave…” She thought about what the girl in the cell next to hers had said. A chill rushed over her. So far this wasn’t going so badly, but she did not want to have to go back to her cell. Nor did she want to end up dead at the hands of a vampire who was more vicious than this one. Her self-preservation instincts kicked back in. “What if I don’t want to?”
“You will,” he muttered, not bothering to open his eyes.
She ate. She was going to need her strength to work out the best way to survive this weird situation. The thrill of letting him bite her had gone to her head, but she wasn’t going to let it ruin her chances of making it out of this damned place alive. She tried to snap out of it, but she was still feeling the warm fuzzy afterglow of the bite after she was done eating. It made her decision to shower and brush her teeth feel less insane. She wanted to feel human and cleaning up would help. The vampire didn’t move from the bed, where he was apparently sleeping, as she announced her plans anyway and left the bathroom door open in case he decided to join her.
Chapter Eight
The sound of water running in the other room was oddly relaxing. Theo lay there, his eyes closed, stretching his enhanced senses out. Orchids and vanilla on the air, a perfume he’d thought the shower would wash away. Worse was the steady beat of her heart he zeroed in on past the cascade of water. His blood lust stirred at the delicate sound, but he was sated enough to ignore the temptation. For now.
He supposed he should call reception again and get Stacy to unlock the door. The girl showering in his bathroom wouldn’t be quite so enamored of him and his desires once the effects of the bite wore off. He reached for the phone and his hand rested on the receiver for a few seconds. He couldn’t quite force himself to do it. His thoughts darkened, twisting him away from doing what was right. Maybe if she stayed until she got back to normal she’d do him the honor of cutting what was left of his heart out and putting that sliver of glass through it.
Had to be better than trying to starve himself to death. Quicker too.
He opened his eyes when the water cut off. Footsteps and the creak of the door opening turned his attention towards her. The girl’s hair was wet but she was wearing her clothes when she came back into the room. Something else was different and it took him a few seconds to work out that her make-up was gone. Thick eyeliner was no longer framing her pretty blue eyes. In fact her eyes seemed sleepier, he guessed because her eyelashes were as light as the golden-blonde hair on her head.
“Does it always feel like this?” Her voice was soft, full of wonder.
His hopes that the effect would have worn off by now were dashed, and his thirst sparked again. He swallowed and told himself he wasn’t hungry, even if his lips tingled at the mere thought of touching her skin again. “Like what?”
“Like the whole world is just amazing, like everything is perfect.” She smiled dreamily and started towel drying her hair as she moved to the side of the bed.
“That’ll pass,” he told her, feeling his lips twitch at the bright smile she gave him. “You should sleep until it does.”
She perched down beside him as he moved to make room for her on that side. She continued to dry her hair as he tried not to let his gaze drift to her legs. Her skirt was too short and sitting down only made it shorter. Stirring things in him that had been denied for too long, she was incredibly alluring and coming very close to triggering his basic impulses. The one thing that held him back was knowing she was still under the influence. If only he could have restrained his hunger in the same way. Biting her had been a mistake, but it wasn’t one he could take back.
He should have seen it coming, but how was he supposed to know he’d survive this long without blood? He hadn’t expected to, and more than that, he hadn’t known Brody would do this to him. And he knew that was why the girl was there, it was why his old friend had made himself scarce. He’d given this woman to Theo like she was some kind of present.
“I’m not tired,” the girl said, dropping the towel and laying down facing him. “So what does that leave?”
Her tenacity was mildly amusing. “You will sleep.” His gaze on hers, he watched her get comfortable, rubbing her head against his pillow.
“I’m not…” She yawned loudly. “Tired.”
“Say that again, with feeling this time,” he told her, earning himself a loosely thrown slap across the chest. She was fiery, that much was for sure. Had to be, to try to attack him when he first woke up. “What’s your name?” Did he really want to know?
She smiled. “Skye Larson. What’s yours?”
“Theo.” He didn’t bother with the surname. It belonged to his past. She’d closed her eyes already besides.
“Theo,” she murmured. “I like it.”
Another yawn and she was silent. He listened to her breathing, her heart thumping in her chest. He tried not to stare as her breast rose and fell. She’d zipped the vest top back up but the neckline still plunged to her cleavage. The clothes she wore made it obvious where she’d been when Brody picked her up. The blue vest and black mini-skirt were in slinky materials he’d only ever seen women wear in clubs, or on beaches. Skye. The name suited her. She was a breath of fresh air.
He got up and wrapped the covers around her sleeping frame. She looked peaceful now, but he’d likely see the opposite when she awoke from her nap. The bite would be starting to wear off already. If he hadn’t sealed the wound her euphoria might have lasted even longer. Though some part of him was ravenous at the very thought of binding her to him like that, he knew it was too much to handle. She wasn’t his. He couldn’t try to claim her. He moved away, turning his back to the bed and the temptation lurking under his covers. The quicker she came to her senses, the better.
Chapter Nine
Skye’s recollection of the night before was hazy, muddled by the drinking and whatever the arsehole who’d picked her up had done to her. She’d been in the party mood. A shitty week at work was always best erased by a weekend blow-out. Every week at work was the same. It was a grind, something to be suffered through for the paycheck. She supposed she should have thought more about wh
at she was going to end up doing after she finished school, but if she was being honest, she still wasn’t sure what she really wanted to do with her life. Thinking about it was boring. So she just kept going along, getting through the working week and living for the weekends.
Never knowing that one of those weekends would change everything for her, Skye adjusted to this and it just became her life, something she didn’t even think about.
“Oh come on, it’s just a nightclub,” Anna said, pulling on her arm as she started down the alley.
Skye frowned. “It doesn’t look like a nightclub.”
It looked like a good place to be stabbed, mugged or assaulted though. She had a bad feeling even as they got to the back of the building and saw the queue of clubbers waiting to get in.
“What is this place?” Skye asked, folding her arms against the breeze. Summers were unpredictable in White Oaks. It wasn’t enough to make her wear a jacket. Her outfit was perfect as it was. A jacket would only ruin the look.
“A friend told me about it. It’s the place to be. Trust me.”
“Okay then.” She rolled her eyes. Anna had a serious weakness for jumping on the latest trends, regardless of any sense of taste. If it was cool it had to be good. Skye didn’t prescribe to that way of thinking. She didn’t need to see something or go somewhere just because everyone was going nuts raving about how amazing it was. If she liked something, she didn’t care how trendy it was. Her wedges were out of style by at least a year, but they were the comfiest dancing shoes she owned so there was no way she was giving them up.
Anna grabbed her arm as they got closer to the door. “It has to be good. Even the bouncers are hot,” she whispered in Skye’s ear.
Skye looked the guy over. They were too far away to really see his face clearly but he was built, that was for sure. “Maybe,” she conceded. She’d reserve her judgment for when they got inside. The queue seemed to be mostly women, so she wasn’t convinced it was a club they’d be able to meet guys in. Not that pulling was the only reason to go out, but it had been a while and she was in the mood for some fun.
The queue inched forward. Skye watched a couple of girls be turned away at the door. No ID, she supposed, though they didn’t look particularly young. They moved out of the alley, arguing heatedly but in voices too low to hear.
She watched more people go inside, seeing there were stairs inside the building leading up a level. Paranoia set in as the queue got closer and closer to the door. She checked for her ID, making sure she had it, even though every inch they moved forward had her wishing they were just going to their usual club in town, The Basement. Mostly because it had a door that faced out onto a main street and the thought of going inside didn’t make her weirdly nervous. She shivered, staring ahead as they waited for the group of women in front of them to get past the bouncer.
The guy was pretty grim-faced, he didn’t seem like a smiler. He looked the group over and nodded them inside. No ID checks. They were next. Skye was sure her nerves were showing in her expression as the guy turned his serious eyes on them. She glanced at her friend.
Anna smiled at the bouncer, her flirty side-smile and elevator glance combo, and he shook his head slowly.
“Sorry, ladies, the club’s full.”
Skye let out a sigh of relief. She grabbed Anna’s arm. “Okay, come on. The Basement awaits.”
“But… but…” Anna glanced back at the queue behind them.
Skye made a move and a warm hand landed on her shoulder. She turned to find a hands-down gorgeous guy with dark hair close behind her. He smiled at the bouncer.
“They’re with me.” Three magic words, apparently.
The bouncer stepped back. “Good to see you, Brody. Have a nice night.”
Skye raised an eyebrow at him as he ushered them inside. “Um, what was that about?”
“Sam’s just kind of pissy,” the guy told her. “He doesn’t get out much, which is pretty funny when you think about the job he does.”
Anna giggled, her face flushing when Skye turned her stare on her friend.
“Uh, yeah. Okay. Whatever,” Skye said, wondering who the guy was and what he wanted from them. Most people didn’t just do nice things for nothing. She wasn’t naïve enough to believe he’d gotten them in out of the kindness of his heart.
“Well, I need to get going, but you ladies have fun,” Brody told them, walking away as they got into the main room. Skye watched him go, seeing him head into a staff door by the side of the bar.
“He was sooo…” Anna started, and Skye could tell she was ready to full on gush over the guy.
“Bar tenders are so full of themselves,” Skye cut her friend off. “Come on, I need a drink.”
She headed to the bar. Her glass of wine had worn off on the walk over. She needed more alcohol to get rid of the shitty, monotonous working week she’d had. It had been a little worse than most. Her boss was a total pervert, and he’d implied she might lose her job if she didn’t go to the next weekend conference with him. She’d already heard the horror stories of the last girl who’d blindly agreed to that. Even if she hadn’t, she was too jaded to not be suspicious about why he’d picked a member of his admin team instead of one of his salesmen to attend a conference aimed at building customer client-bases. Not to mention how his stare always made her want to claw her skin off. She shuddered just thinking about it.
The bar tender who approached was female. She realized she had no idea what she wanted when the girl asked her for her order.
“Um… A cocktail. Something with rum in it.” She needed to get drunk, and fast. “Make it two.”
Anna was already dancing a little beside her, enjoying the unfamiliar music. It didn’t seem like chart stuff, more kind of rocky. Skye didn’t care what the music was like, she could, and would, dance to anything once she’d washed the day away with enough alcohol to set the building on fire.
The bar tender didn’t speak as she fixed their drinks. The green and pink end result almost looked too pretty to drink. Anna took a second to admire hers before she took a sip. Skye pulled the straw out, sank it quickly and asked for another as she passed the girl money.
“Someone’s got the thirst,” Anna said, eyebrows rising.
Skye shrugged. “We were standing in that queue forever. I lost my buzz.”
“Where did all the hot guys get to?” Anna’s roving gaze was drifting across the bar to the dance floor.
Skye followed her friend’s gaze once she had another drink in her hand. She paced herself with this one. The drinks weren’t overpriced but they didn’t seem to be super cheap either. Just another reason to miss their usual haunt. Student prices couldn’t be touched in any of the other clubs in town. She seriously needed to keep things cheap, especially since she wasn’t sure how serious her sleazy manager had been about the stability of her job if she wasn’t keen to ‘show her enthusiasm’ and ‘learn a thing or two’ from him. She was about to suggest leaving when she saw the guy who’d gotten them in at the other end of the bar. What was his name again? Brody, she remembered, smiling. His gaze caught hers and she felt her stomach flip. She looked away quickly, telling herself she wasn’t the slightest bit attracted to him. The lie wouldn’t work for much longer, but she had to at least try. A few months without a man in her life was just about enough to make her fall into bed with the next one who gave her the right look.
“There’s a table over there,” Anna said, pulling at her wrist.
She moved with her friend, refusing to look back. She told herself they were out tonight to drink and dance. That was all. A new man didn’t need to be a part of that.
They sat with their strange, sweet drinks and Skye still couldn’t shake the thought that the guy was watching her. She was being stupid. He was exactly the kind of guy who could get any girl he wanted. He wouldn’t waste time on one who wasn’t interested. She just had to make sure she didn’t give him any signals, mixed or otherwise.
“This drink is amaz
ing,” Anna said, her speech already slurring. She was a light weight. Made for a cheap round.
Skye wished she could say the same about herself. Binge drinking was the only way she could get drunk and tonight she seriously needed to get shitfaced. It was going to take at least eight glasses of the sugary-sweet concoction. It wasn’t light on booze, either. The measures were sizable; she’d watched the bartender pour them.
“It’s okay,” Skye said, brushing her hair back from her face. The new style was taking time to get used to. Her hair had been long. Her ex had liked it that way. She’d cut it before she dumped him. He’d been sleeping with one of her so-called friends and she’d found out when she went home sick from work. She’d rushed out right then, before they could notice. The haircut had been done while she was still reeling from what she’d seen and heard, and doped up on antibiotics and painkillers for a throat infection. She hadn’t regretted it, not really, but she wasn’t used to the now shoulder length version of her hair. Kicking her boyfriend out of her flat had been the hard part, and mostly because she could barely speak. Screaming at him to leave didn’t have quite the same effect when her voice was a weak little whisper.
She stirred the drink with her straw. Men were idiots. They always did things they weren’t supposed to and then expected to be forgiven for it. She’d never been the forgiving type. Forgetting and moving on, that was her MO. There was no point getting stuck in the past. A few months were more than enough to make her forget. She gazed across the room and didn’t bother trying to lie to herself this time. Getting tangled up with another idiot soon was probably on the cards, and she wasn’t going to beat herself up about it.
Awaken (Vampire Nights Book 1) Page 3
