Page 49 of Blood Sport

Miles ignores Ethan’s comment and looks between us. “What did you two get up to tonight?”

“Not much,” I answer. “We stayed in.”

He raises a brow at me. “Didn’t stop by Black Rose again? You two seem to enjoy going there quite often.”

I frown. “What are you getting at?”

He shakes his head. “Nothing, just an observation.”

I can tell he wants to say more, his features and sharp eyes make that clear, but he doesn’t. Miles stretches his arms above his head and leans further into the couch. “After going there the other night, I was reminded why I’m not a fan of the place.”

I had forgotten that I ran into him the night I chased after Evie when she left me naked, hard, and frustrated upstairs. Before I could leave, I found Miles with Ethan and Preston at a table near where Evie’s friends were sitting. When they spotted me, they asked if I had seen Evie, and I had to lie and say no because Miles was sitting close by watching me. It was a fucking nightmare to leave without getting sucked into a conversation with the guys, but I managed to slip away and beat Evie to the house.

“Oh yeah?” I question. “Why?”

“It just gives me a weird vibe,” is all he says. His eyes land on me, hard and intense. “I thought I saw my sister there. Did you happen to see her before I arrived?”

My body stiffens but I show no other reaction. Did he see Evie before she ran out of the club? Is that why he’s been acting a little strange since that night? No more than usual, but he just seems a little… off. I can’t explain it. It feels like he’s keeping something from me.

“No. I must’ve missed her.”

“Hm,” he hums. “I could’ve sworn I saw her, but maybe it was my imagination. She knows how I feel about the place, so I hope she listened to my warnings.”

I want to ask what his warnings were, but I don’t. If he knows what the Black Rose really is, that could be bad, because, in turn, he would know what we are, and that’s the last thing I want. If my best friend found out I’m a vampire, I would be fucked. Ever since he was a kid, Miles has always been on the right side of the law, especially when it came to wanting to get justice for what happened to his parents. If he found out I drink human blood to survive, I don’t even want to know what he would think or do.

My friendship with Ethan is easy because we know about each other—we figured it out as soon as we first met. Other vampires can sniff out other vampires. But my friendship with Miles is a lot more complicated than that. If he finds out about me… it’ll ruin everything.

I’ll make damn sure he never finds out.

“She’s a smart girl,” I say after a moment.

Miles nods. “She is. Which is why she needs to be careful. I can’t protect her all the time.”

But I can, I want to say, but keep the words lodged in my throat. I can protect her, even if he doesn’t know that.

***

Her scent fills my nostrils within seconds of me climbing the tree outside of her bedroom window. So fucking sweet that it feels like I’m a kid again running high with a sugar rush. As I perch on the branch that has become like a second home to me the past few weeks, it creaks under my weight but holds steady as I inhale deeply, wanting to fill as much of her scent into my lungs as possible.

The room is dark aside from the moonlight shining in through the open window. I would like to think Evie keeps her curtains open for me when I visit but I know that’s wishful thinking.

Since the night she learned my secret at Black Rose, I have been keeping watch of her from my spot in the tree whenever I get the chance. I tell myself it’s to keep her safe because she’s special, but I don’t know from what danger I’m keeping her safe from. Or maybe it’s my sick way of always wanting to be close, her presence calming the storm raging inside of me.

Whatever the reason, sitting here, watching her sleep peacefully through the window, has become the best part of my day. I would rather sit here all through the night, making sure she’s safe, than get sleep of my own. Not that I need much.

There is this nagging feeling deep within me that tells me that although everything is calm now, a storm will be rolling in to wreak havoc soon. I need to keep her sheltered and safe from any dangers lurking in the dark.

She is special, a voice within reminds me. Protect her.

18

Evie

“When will you be home?” Rylee asks on the other end of the line. “Some of the girls want to have a movie night and make popcorn that sounds like it could potentially give us diabetes with the amount of candy they want to add to it.”

“Woah, you’re really selling me on the popcorn.” I laugh and shake my head. “And I should be home soon. I’m sitting outside my brother's apartment to see if he still has the book I left here a few months ago. I never got around to finishing it, so I thought I would drop by on my way home from class.”

Rylee snorts. “That sounds really convenient, Ev. Are you sure you’re not stopping by to see Jaylen?”

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