Page 8 of Feral

I chuckle. “That obvious, huh?”

“A bit, yeah. He came and got a cocktail. Good energy. Definitely something intriguing in him.”

“What do you mean?”

“On the surface I feel his desire for excitement, but underneath that, driving him, is something deeper. Maybe he’s been repressed or held back somehow. Jade found a good one. He’s ready for this.”

My chest flutters at Tiago’s words. “He smells like paradise.”

Tiago chuckles. “Not to me. He just smells mortal.”

“Hmm.” I watch Yannis bounce to the music on the edge of the dance floor before two women surround him and he joins them. A strange tug in my chest causes me to clear my throat. “He told me he’s straight, so I must have come across pretty interested.”

Tiago nods, glancing down the bar to check for customers real quick before returning his gaze to the dance floor. “Not surprising, seeing as you never talk to or approach clientele unless you have to. Are you going to pursue him?”

Am I? Could I choose not to? Right now, that answer feels like a no. It’s not just that he’s attractive and smells good, but like Tiago said, there’s something about his energy that drew me from the back of the club to right in front of him, as if he had me on a chain.

“He’s not my usual type.”

“You have a type?” Tiago asks, nudging my arm with a chuckle. “I’ve never even seen you look twice at someone.”

“It’s been a while, but…” I drag my hand through my hair as past lovers flit through my mind. “I tend to be drawn to petite, soft men, but Yannis is…”

“Not petite or soft. He looks like he’s carved from marble.”

My gums throb in response to the accurate description. “I guess there’s a first time for everything, even in the long life of a vampire.”

Tiago squeezes both my shoulders from behind. “I think you should go for it. You’ve been living like a damn saint for years now. It’s okay to want something for yourself.”

As Tiago’s words float around me, I continue watching Yannis. He steps off the dance floor and glances around for a moment before he’s stopped by Rhett and Willow. Rhett typically works the door, and Willow, well I guess he’s our resident incubus. He’s also a notorious seducer, which makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up when he touches Yannis’s arm.

Yannis looks slightly uncomfortable, but when he looks up and meets my gaze, I can feel his relief even from across the room. He’s speaking and gesturing in my direction, so I focus, blowing out an unneeded breath to tune out my surroundings.

“…his name is Hale.”

Rhett and Willow turn in my direction and Rhett nods in acknowledgment.

“Okay, cool, man,” Rhett says. “Hale can tell you all about the inner workings of Lair if you’re interested in returning. We’re always looking for new blood.”

Willow snorts.

I’m moving in that direction before I’ve consciously decided to. Rhett and Willow fade away into the crowd, leaving me alone with Yannis. I had planned to give him space but with my name on his pretty lips, I couldn’t resist another interaction.

“Are you having a good time?”

Yannis nods, glancing at his empty glass. “It’s unique.”

“What were those men asking you?”

“If I lived in New Onyx and if I was looking for work.”

Ah. They were recruiting him. “And?”

“I do, and I don’t have a job yet, but I’m not sure what I want to do for work.”

“What did they say to that?”

“The taller one told me he could tell me about stuff here and then I mentioned I had met you.”

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