Page 21 of The Kill

As I expected, the bar is quiet this early in the evening. Typically, this place gets going after midnight. I feel conspicuous in the almost empty room, a few heads lifting to check out the new arrival as I pass by.

“I was wondering where you’d disappeared to.” Anya sashays over, leaving her dark booth in the corner to greet me. The guest she was entertaining glares at me, not happy about the interruption, but clever enough not to voice his displeasure. This is her business after all, and Anya does as she pleases.

“I’ve been busy.” It’s more than possible Anya knows exactly where I’ve been and what I’ve been doing. She’s everyone’s best friend, but best friend to no one. Katya was likely in here feeding her gossip until I tore her head off. Anya probably knows about that, too. At the least, she’ll have noticed the loss of one of her regular customers.

“I can tell.” Anya takes a delicate sniff and wrinkles her nose in distaste. “You reek of desperation and lust. Is your new little pet not letting you feed often enough?” With a creepy tilt

of her head, her smile fades, and her eyes narrow. “Or maybe not at all.”

When I neither confirm nor deny, she links her arm through mine and leads me to the bar. Rows of dark bottles line the mirrored wall behind the counter. A dour looking vampire folds his arms and waits.

“You need a boost. I have a new arrival, full of strength and vitality, something you’re in desperate need of.” Her sales pitch is unnecessary. I’ve been coming to Anya for blood since I learned how to control my urges enough to set foot in town, and I’ve never looked back.

For the most part, vampires seek out others looking to form a feeding relationship that satisfies them both long term. Those outside such arrangements come to places like this to drink and indulge in a controlled, civilised manner. Very few rogue vampires roam the cities attacking and drinking from unsuspecting humans; when they do, they’re normally dealt with quickly by scary-looking men like the one waiting for Anya back at her table.

“I’ve had people asking about you, wondering where you’ve been.”

She says it casually, but she’s warning me. Someone noticed my absence, and it bothered them enough to ask her. I don’t have friends, which means it’s more than likely a bad thing.

When I nod, the barman slides a tall glass of red liquid across the glistening bar, adding the purchase to my tab. Anya waits, smiling encouragingly as I stare at the glass. My stomach is tight, unhappy at the prospect of consuming blood belonging to anyone but my mate. A chill runs down my spine as I feel the weight of eyes on me.

Glancing back at the glass, I frown. It should call to me but there is nothing appealing about the red liquid in front of me.

“If you don’t feed, you’ll get weak, body and mind, Tyson. Or weaker, I really should say, because you look like a strong breeze would blow you over.” She pushes the glass closer to me, her red nails touching the stem of my drink making me irrationally angry. “You’ll get to a point where you’re not acting like yourself, where your hunger is more powerful than your spirit. And you won’t be able to do what you need to do.”

The insinuation that I would revert to my wild, dangerous ways makes me bristle. I can’t argue with her, because I know that she’s speaking the truth. Anya guided me through the initial stages of gaining control of my compulsions, as she has done for countless turned vampires left to their own devices by careless masters. It’s good for business to have captive customers who must come to you if they want to avoid their savage desires, but it’s also to protect fledgling vampires from themselves.

I won’t call her kind-hearted, but she’s not the worst.

“You could feed from me if you want blood directly from the vein. Warm blood may be easier to stomach if it’s been a while since you had some.” Anya’s offer is genuine, excitement dancing in her eyes at the prospect. Feeding is a sensual experience, often leading participants to lose control and give in the carnal urges it brings to the surface. Anya has made no secret of the fact she finds me attractive and thinks we’d have fun together.

I’ve never explained why the sentiment isn’t returned.

Tipping my glass at her in thanks, rather than outright rejecting her offer, I knock back the warm, red liquid in one go. It burns my throat as it goes down and sits like bile in the pit of my stomach. She smiles sadly at me, and runs her fingers down my bicep.

“Maybe next time.”

Nodding, I stand and make my way to the door quickly, keen to escape. Warren says nothing, just opens the door for me as I hurry out of the comforting darkness into the jarring evening sunlight.

I force myself not to look back as I cross the street and disappear into the shadows, clutching my heaving stomach. As soon as I’m out of earshot, I duck behind a dumpster and throw up the vile blood. It splashes onto the tarmac at my feet while I cough and retch until every last drop is out of my body.

It could have been poisoned. It could just be my body rejecting it. But there’s no way after tasting Mandy that I want anyone else’s blood in my body.

“Fuck!” Punching the wall in frustration, I wipe a hand across my mouth, eager to get rid of any traces of the blood that tastes like betrayal. My body won’t accept anything less than Mandy’s delicious life source.

Just one problem: even if my little mate liked letting me have a tiny taste, she doesn’t understand what’s really involved in a feed between mates, and probably has no intention of acting as my own personal walking, talking blood vending machine.

13

MANDY

Lucian gives me a wide berth as he enters the kitchen, purposefully staying on the far side of the island as I raid the well-stocked fridge.

He’s been lurking around, silently drifting from room to room behind me.

It’s hard to know if he’s guarding me or watching me.

I cast surreptitious glances his way when he’s distracted, trying to suss him out. Pale and slim, he’s no more than twenty; he’s slight compared to Noah, who’s a few years his junior. I need to ask Tyson how ageing works for vampires.

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