Page 38 of Vampire Lee

“Problem?”

“No, he only wanted me to know he’d be back.”

Devin grinned. “Right.”

“He’s fucking Rei.”

“Not anymore.” Devin chuckled. “I figured we could have a row of carrots along the sides. If we run out of seeds, then maybe we can continue with radishes or lettuce.”

“I have lettuce in cups.” He motioned toward the patio.

“Awesome.”

* * * *

Lee was slamming things behind the bar when Faelan parked himself on one of the bar stools. He placed his phone in front of him, and Lee took a deep breath. He had a job to do.

“What’ll it be?”

“A Coke. I think I’ll hold off on the alcohol for a few more hours.”

Lee grinned and looked around. There was no one close enough to hear them unless they strained to do so. “Still recovering from last night?”

Faelan grunted, which was his more normal level of communication. When Faelan was chatty, he was playing a role.

Lee poured a Coke and placed the glass in front of Faelan, swiping the phone as he did. He put it in his pocket and replaced it with the one Murrie had given him.

Faelan gave a slight nod. “So why are you banging things?”

“I’m not.”

Faelan didn’t speak, he simply looked at Lee.

“I heard Devin and Dillon talking about…the time when they were—” He cut himself off with a hiss, and Faelan grinned. A sharp grin that had all the alarm bells go off in his mind. Fuck. He did not want to end up on Faelan’s bad side.

“Everyone is dead.”

“Doesn’t mean they’re not alive in their minds.”

Faelan nodded. “They’re tough.”

“Devin said Dillon had endured a thousand days of torture.” Nausea rose at the back of Lee’s throat.

“A thousand days more than Devin is more like it. Devin was with them for a year, a little more. Dillon was there for most of that time too, then three more years.”

Lee shook his head. “Why would anyone want a blood slave?”

Faelan frowned at him. “You can answer that question far better than I can. Blood and sex are a heady combination, and there is probably the thrill of doing something illegal too. I don’t know why vampires go crazy over their blood. To me, blood is blood.”

“I’ve only had human blood once. A friend of mine had scored a bag, and we shared it. It was different, but not as mind-blowing as they make it sound. I can’t say I liked it much.”

“And you’re sure it was human blood?”

“I think so. He said it was.” What if it hadn’t been?

Faelan shrugged. “All I know is Devin has special blood that apparently makes all vamps go crazy, and Dillon is human enough for those who were born after the treaty took place to not notice a difference. Mars says he would have been able to tell if he had bitten Dillon when he went undercover, but he’s older than the treaty.”

Faelan sipped his drink, and Lee wiped the bar. “I called him weak.”

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