Page 17 of Blood Sport

“Why?” I question. “He’s your best friend. I’m sure he would understand.”

“I just… can’t,” he breathes. “With all the murders happening in the area, it’s best that no one else knows what I am.”

“Murders,” I say slowly, connecting the dots in my head, noting the concern in his voice. “So, the murders are related to vampires? You’re not the one killing these people, are you?”

Jaylen shakes his head. The moonlight shining through the leaves cast a soft glow over his features. He looks ethereal. “I’m not, but there is someone out there killing these people and making it look almost satanic. The victims are drained of their blood with two puncture marks to their throat.”

I mull over what he’s saying for a moment, chewing on my bottom lip. “So, someone out there is staging these murders to look like a vampire did it?”

“Yes and no,” Jaylen answers. “I know it’s a vampire hunter who is killing these vampires, but why they are staging the scene to make it appear like it was done by a satanic cult is what I don’t understand.”

My eyes widen. “Vampires? How do you know the victims are vampires?”

Jaylen’s eyes bore into mine, the baby blue partially obscured by the shadows across his face. “I have my sources, which is why I need to be careful and keep a low profile. If this hunter catches wind of me somehow, I’m toast. I’ll end up just like the others and that’s not what I want. That’s why I came here to thank you, Ev.”

I swallow hard. I had no idea that the murders happening in the area were the work of a vampire hunter. To me, it just seemed like some sicko on the loose that couldn’t be captured or found. The last thing I was expecting the case to be was a hunter tracking down vampires and taking them out.

It didn’t even cross my mind that vampire hunters exist along with vampires. The whole thing is still a new concept to me, so it’s not something that would have crossed my mind. I want to ask him more about the hunter and if he has any suspicions of who it may be, but I keep the thought to myself. If he’s this worried about being found out, it seems likely that he has no clue who this madman is.

There is still so much more I need to learn about Jaylen and the world of vampires, but it’s too much for my brain to comprehend right now.

“That’s okay,” is all I manage to say. “Just… be careful.”

Jaylen takes a step forward, our bodies inches apart. My breath hitches in my throat at the sudden proximity, and I’m reminded of how divine he smells and how his body can make mine submit to him.

“I should probably tell you the same,” he murmurs, his eyes intense as they stare into mine. “The last thing you want is for your brother to know how much you want me. I can smell it all over you.”

My heart just about stops beating in my chest, and I open my mouth to respond, to tell him that he’s fucking dreaming but in the blink of an eye, Jaylen is gone. I whirl around trying to find him, but all I’m met with is darkness, aside from the moonlight shining through the treetop.

I exhale sharply, trying to calm my racing heart as I stand alone in the backyard.

I want to curse Jaylen out for his words, but the thing is… he’s absolutely right. Miles can’t know about the attraction I feel toward Jaylen because if he does, I’ll be the one that’s toast.

7

Evie

I don’t know how I was roped into a girl's day with Jaycee, Candie, and Rylee, yet here I am with my feet plunged into a round tub of warm water while a woman with the quiet nature of a mouse shapes my fingernails. My nails had chipped black nail polish on them that I painted nearly a month ago, with some of it refusing to come off no matter how long I picked at it.

The poor woman has her work cut out for her.

My ears buzz with the sound of the girl’s voice talking beside me, but all I can focus on is the water bubbling around my ankles and the way the nail file brushes against the skin under my nails.

Ever since my conversation with Miles about the Black Rose on Monday, it’s all I’ve been able to think about, the topic consuming my thoughts and leaving me distracted and confused. Why did Miles warn me to be careful about attending the Black Rose? I mean, I know why, but I want to know what he meant by it.

Does he know that the Black Rose is a feeding ground for vampires to indulge and get their fix safely? I mean, it’s the only explanation I can think of because, besides that detail, the bar is just like every other one in Pullman. There is nothing sketchy or wary about it. It’s just a… normal bar, besides the blood-sucking vampires lurking upstairs.

It seems Miles knows more about this than he’s letting on, but I can’t complain because I do, too.

But my question is how? How does he know about the truth behind Black Rose and what is he not telling me?

“Earth to Evie.”

Rylee’s voice breaks me out of my thoughts, forcing me to turn to look at her. She’s sitting in the chair next to me, her eyes locked on mine as she waits for me to say something. Jaycee and Candie are doing the same from their seats.

I clear my throat and smile. “Sorry, I was lost in thought again. What were we talking about?”

“You seem to have been doing that a lot lately,” Jaycee comments, eyeing me. “Is everything all right?”

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