Page 37 of Vampire Savage

Unlike my father, who needed everything brand new and the more expensive the better.

A loud slurp breaks me out of the introspection and I startle when my eyes land on the customer who’s now facing me. She’s got shoulder-length black hair tucked behind her ears, both of which have multiple earrings along the shell. She’s wearing all black, and while she isn’t as tall as me, her clothes hug her well enough it’s obvious she’s the strong type of slender. Her extremely long nails are sharp stilettos and painted a more vibrant hue of her drink.

She slurps her drink again, her unsettling eyes never leaving me as the pale orange frozen drink disappears.

I clear my throat and tighten the grip I have on my purse strap over my shoulder.

“Can I help you?” I keep my voice steady and dart a look over at the barista. The woman in front of me is the same one who'd been ordering when I approached. The barista, who I can’t quite tell the gender of between their long blown out hair, heavy makeup, harsh jawline, and who is at least Landon’s height, watches us with amusement. I get the sense that they’re used to the customer in front of me.

At least she should be relatively harmless then.

She takes another drink of her frappe and smacks her lips before grinning. If her stare is unsettling, her smile is petrifying. Maybe she’s not so harmless after all. This is the Barrows, after all, and Landon did order me not to leave the coffee shop.

“You can tell me why you’ve got Lan’s scent all over your fragile neck,” she says, her tone suggesting a love of gossip. When his name slips from her painted blood-red lips, my stomach curdles as I take another look at her.

She’s all strong lines and ferocity, with black leather pants painting her legs and wicked-looking high heel booties. She’s got modest curves, enough to know she would rock a runway in lingerie. If she can smell Landon on me from days ago, it also means she isn’t human.

Is she one of Landon’s former lovers? Oh, god, what if she’s still his lover? I had just assumed that I was the vampire’s only lover. Doubt sinks like a stone inside me. I’m such an idiot. Landon basically instructed me to show up at Lush, a place I know is a sex club. He’s gorgeous enough he can crook a finger and women will crawl on their hands and knees to him.

Taking a half step back, any control I have over my voice is gone. “Are you—” I clear my throat again. “I apologize. I didn’t know he had any other partners.”

The woman snorts, and unfortunately for her, she’d been taking another drink. This results in her starting to cough, slapping her chest as the pale orange drink dribbles off her chin and down the straw.

The barista chuckles, shaking their head as they hold out a bar rag for me. I take it, and when I start to say thanks, they interrupt me.

“Your drink is on the house,” they tell me, their heavily made-up eyes sparkling. “I’ve never seen someone take a demon by surprise so easily. I’m Darcelle, by the way.”

I’m not sure what surprises me most, honestly. The deep, masculine voice of Darcelle, or the fact that he—she?—called the woman a demon. I get the sense that it’s not because the sharp nailed woman has an attitude.

“Uh, thanks,” I respond, at a loss. I order the first thing I see. It’s a chai-spiced apple cider called Mabon’s Delight. Darcelle nods and turns to make it as the towel is snatched from my loose grip. I turn to follow it and watch as the woman—demon? demoness? wipes at her black shirt with a grumble.

“Normally, I’d take a finger or two for this, but if you’re the one that’s got Lanny boy all out of sorts, I guess that’s recompense enough. Name’s Eris, by the way. And Landon and I are more likely to kill each other than fuck.”

“Not to mention, Eris here has the void where her heart should be set on a certain vampire,” Darcelle says as they hand me my drink. Eris growls, the sound signaling my lizard-brain to run from the danger. Darcelle just laughs and waves Eris away.

“Don’t growl at me. You know I’m the only one who can make your drinks right. I still don’t see why you and Ashe haven’t figured things out yet.”

Eris rolls her eyes and turns her attention back to me. She blinks just as I take a sip, making me sputter when her eyes close from the sides rather than vertically. From the satisfied smirk as the cider soaks into my shirt, and the sudden disappearance of the rag, I gather it was intentional.

“Don’t listen to him,” Eris says before tossing her now-empty drink through the air and landing it perfectly in the trash. “I may be a chaos demon, but growing affectionate for my vessel’s mate is over the top even for me.”

Blinking, I’m still trying to process her words when she grabs my arm, her nails sharp enough to prick but not break the skin, and hauls me over to an overstuffed yellow, paisley-printed couch. She sits me down in the middle and lowers herself beside me, still looking at me with her nerve-razing gaze. I’ve never met a demon before and I’m not really sure what I’m supposed to do.

“So.” She cocks her head at me and I hide behind taking a sip. “You’re prettier than in the pictures on his computer.”

This time I managed to swallow my drink before gasping out, “Excuse me?”

She grins, another sharp, dangerous expression that can never be mistaken for comforting. “Oh, yes. Did he not tell you? Lan has been interested in you for some time now. Something to do with your father.”

I stiffen at her words. Of course, Landon is interested in me because of my father. I almost want to laugh. I’m such a damn fool. How many times have I been through this before with a man who has gotten me into his bed? I must not hide my reaction, because one of her elegant brows lifts into a perfect arch.

“Did you not know?” She seems genuinely curious.

“I should have,” I say, voice oozing self-deprecation. I take a long drink of the chai-spiced apple cider, irritation replacing the blood in my veins. “Every time I let a man get close, it’s always got to do with my damn father,” I bite out, my voice loud enough to draw a few looks from other patrons but Eris doesn’t seem to mind. She nods encouragingly. Gripping the hot cup, I glare at the polished, yet well-worn wooden floors of the coffee shop.

“Why is it that someone can’t be interested in just me? I’m a damn catch, you know?” I look to the demon, who I don’t even understand why I’m suddenly venting years of frustrations to. “I play multiple instruments, I graduated high school years early; I have multiple degrees and a PhD! I still perform concerts, plan and attend charity events, and sure, I don’t go out and party every chance I get but it’s not like I’m some prude! I might not have huge boobs or a big ass, and my fingers are callused but I can still be sexy!”

The front door opens and my glare shoots to the tall, imposing vampire filling the entry, his blond hair perfectly styled. He’s dressed impeccably in a charcoal gray suit and crisp white shirt, and his golden eyes lock onto me. Then they flick to Eris beside me, a frown marring Landon’s too beautiful, too hard face. My stomach clenches and arousal swoops through me, and it makes me that much more irritated.

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