Page 30 of Feral

“Oh yes.”

When he opens the door and steps inside, I follow him, but then I stop in my tracks. The room is dimly lit and covered in deep red velvet, but that’s not the startling part. It’s filled with coffins of all shapes and sizes.

“The Coffin Room,” Hale announces, as if I couldn’t put that together. “Only for vampires, obviously, wishing to experience the old ways.”

“Old ways?”

“What do you know about vampire lore?”

“I’ve watched Interview with the Vampire about fifty times.”

Hale chuckles. “Then you’re familiar with the idea of sleeping in coffins. Modern vampires don’t really do this. It isn’t necessary, but it’s fun and cheeky for mortals. Be warned, you’ll never know what to expect in this room. Usually there will be vampires feeding.”

“Feeding. Drinking blood?”

“Exactly. Oh, speaking of. I should show you the donor area. We’ve only just finished it.”

We leave the coffin room and return to the main club. Near the back, on the far side away from the bar, Hale pulls back another curtain. It’s a small space with a few chairs and loveseats. On one wall is a table stocked with cookies, fruit, and crackers next to a fridge.

“We’re still working it out, but we have a tentative plan. Mortals can either donate independently, which means a club representative will prick them and draw their blood into a container. That is used for a variety of things, from lacing drinks to helping undernourished vampires. It happens with the newly turned sometimes.”

I nod as if that explanation makes any kind of sense to me.

“And of course, we have assisted donors who will be accompanied by vampires who will feed directly.”

Now that I do understand. “But the person isn’t killed or harmed like in the movies?”

“No. It’s a myth that vampires need to kill in order to eat. The newly turned sometimes go too far, but that’s just about learning their limits and controlling impulses.”

“That’s good. I mean that people aren’t hurt.”

Hale smiles. “You’ll work the main club for now. It’s the best way to get used to this environment. If you’re ready, we can start learning the system. Unless you have questions about what you’ve seen so far.”

Do I have questions? Fuck yeah. Too many to even make sense of. “Maybe later.”

“Are you afraid?”

I shake my head. “No. It’s new, obviously, but I’m more curious than anything.”

“Good.” Hale closes the space between us. His breath fans across my face and I react by shivering. “You’re safe, Yannis. I’ll always be near you. All you have to do is say my name and I’ll come.”

I gaze into his hypnotic eyes, and my mind races. I want to touch him somewhere, anywhere, maybe even kiss him. After my shower session and my reaction to him in person, there’s no way I can deny that I’m attracted to him. What do I do about that?

Should I tell him? Kiss him? How does a guy let another guy know he’s down for… something?

“I sense you have something on your mind,” Hale says. “You can ask me anything.”

I open my mouth, but no words come. After a second, I exhale slowly. “I think I’m just processing stuff. I’m good.”

“If that changes, you’ll let me know?”

“I will.”

“Promise me.”

“I promise.”

“Good.” He smiles. “Okay. Time for the boring stuff.”

---