Page 58 of Blood Sport

Jaylen looks down at me, his eyes filled with an emotion I can’t quite read. “How could I possibly forget that, little angel? I used to love spending time with you and getting to see more of your dorky side. But it seems you haven’t changed a bit.”

I playfully roll my eyes and lean my cheek against his arm. “Okay, no need to come at me like that.”

The chuckle that rumbles in his chest makes me smile. “All right. What’s new with me? Well, nothing, really.”

“Nothing?” I ask, turning to look at him. “You’re a goddamn vampire, surely there has to be something.”

He shakes his head. “Nope. Nothing.”

“Woah, I didn’t realize you were so boring,” I tease, unable to hold back the smile tugging at the corner of my lips.

He bites his lip ring and squeezes my hip playfully, eliciting a sharp squeal of surprise from my lips. “Watch what you say, little angel. I wouldn’t want to have to shove something in there to keep you quiet.”

My cheeks flame at his words. He means his cock. Oh, my fucking God.

As much as I would love for that to happen, I’m enjoying this moment between us. I haven’t laughed like this with him in a long time, and I don’t want it to end because of my big mouth. Instead, I change the course of the conversation to something that has been on my mind.

“So, what are you planning to do after you graduate this year?”

Jaylen stays silent for a moment, so I trace my finger over the black and white rose inked on the top of his hand. The lines are so delicate for such a rugged man.

“I don’t know,” he answers quietly. “I have the rest of eternity to figure it out, don’t I.”

“I mean, you’re right, but you don’t plan to do anything else? Like travel or get an engineering job?”

He shrugs. “Like I said, I have the rest of eternity to do all that. At some point, life is going to feel meaningless, you know? Doing the same old mundane things day in and day out. I’ll eventually see the entire world, so there will be nothing new for me to explore. I could get every single degree possible because all I have is time to study and learn new things. But at what point will my life ever have meaning to it?”

His words settle heavily on my shoulders. I have never thought about it like that before. Being a vampire means you will likely live to see Earth crumble from global warming over the next however many hundreds or thousands of years or whatever else may come after it. All you have is time to do the things you want before it no longer becomes interesting or exciting. You’re just… existing.

Knowing that is what Jaylen’s future looks like saddens me more than I thought it would.

I slip my fingers through his, wanting to bring him some sort of comfort. “Let’s not think about the future, okay? All that matters is the present.”

Jaylen’s unblinking eyes are focused on our intertwined hands resting on my thigh. I want to know what he’s thinking about, but I don’t get the chance to ask before he speaks.

“You’re all I need in life, little angel. Nothing else matters.”

I chew on my bottom lip as guilt gnaws at my stomach. As much as I enjoy being like this with Jaylen—carefree and relaxed—I know this is as far as it can go. How can we possibly be together when he has time on his side and I don’t?

Even though this feels right, I know it’s wrong. In what world can a vampire and a human be together? It just can’t happen, and I know that. But Jaylen doesn’t, and that’s the problem.

20

Evie

“You what!”

I cringe at the pitch of Candie’s voice, her eyes wide as she stares at me from across the kitchen island. When the girls asked to have a girl’s night in and make homemade pizzas, I should’ve known I would get this reaction when telling them about Kale. I was contemplating keeping the details to myself, but since we’re meant to go out for drinks after the game tomorrow night, I figured I would have to spill the beans eventually since I would have to leave them.

It’s better to get it out into the open now instead of telling them at the game. This way, they can get all their questions out in one go.

“Yeah,” I say, spreading barbeque sauce across the base of my pizza. I made the dough into a heart shape.

“Okay, so let me get this straight,” Jaycee says, holding up her hand. “You’re going on a date with a player from the opposite team?”

“It’s not a date,” I clarify. “But… yeah.”

“When did this happen?” Rylee asks from beside me. She is sprinkling cheese over her square-shaped base.

---