Page 90 of Blood Sport

He simply shrugs and leans forward until his head is in line with the window sill. “Well, too late. Your five minutes are up.”

In the blink of an eye, Jaylen wraps his arms around my waist and pulls me through the open space, careful not to hit my head on the way out. I hold back a surprised squeal as we fly through the air before landing on the ground. I grunt on impact and turn to stare up at Jaylen who is wearing a shit-eating grin.

He releases his hold on me but keeps one arm wrapped around me as we walk to the front of the house. “That was one of the many tricks up my sleeves.”

“What? You flying through the air like a fucking bird.” I had forgotten he could do that. While it’s terrifying in the moment, flying through the air, it fills me with a surge of adrenaline that makes my head spin.

Jaylen shrugs and stops at his motorcycle parked on the curb. “I wouldn’t call it flying so much as freefalling and landing on the ground without a scratch.”

I shake my head and turn to the death trap, staring it down nervously. The last time I was on this thing, I went skidding across wet asphalt and passed out. It’s the reason I’m on unofficial house arrest and haven’t seen Jaylen for two weeks.

Now, we have a love-hate relationship, because while I despise it for the accident that occurred, I love how my body feels when I ride it, my mind so relaxed and carefree. It’s something I’ve been craving, but also nervous about since I woke up in the hospital.

“Are you okay?” Jaylen turns to face me, his sandalwood scent wafting over me. God, I’ve missed that smell.

I inhale slowly and nod, needing to take a couple of deep breaths to control my racing art. “I’ll be okay.”

He sighs and tugs his lip ring between his teeth. “I’m sorry… for what happened. It was all my fault. I should have protected you and I fucking failed.”

I shake my head. “It wasn’t your fault. It was that asshole who ran the stop sign. If it wasn’t for your sharp senses, we would’ve been roadkill.”

His baby blues hold mine as we look at each other, neither of us moving. I can see the pain and worry behind them. He still feels guilty about what happened, but I don’t want him to be anymore because what happened is in the past, and everything is fine now. I’m fine.

“If something bad had happened to you… I don’t think I would’ve been able to live with myself. I would have gone fucking mental. I wanted to message you earlier, but I just—”

I lift my hand to rest on his chest, his cool skin noticeable through the thickness of the sweatshirt. With his muscles tense and his eyes hard, he watches me, anticipating my next words.

“Forgive yourself for what happened, please. I don’t blame you for the accident, so stop blaming yourself, okay? I don’t want to dwell on it any longer.”

Jaylen nods and inhales a deep breath before he rests his hand under my chin, forcing me to stare into his ocean eyes. I’m immediately captivated by them. “Do you trust me, little angel?”

Without thinking, I nod, because I do trust him, even when I probably shouldn’t.

“I do.”

He smiles and leans forward to press his mouth against mine in such a delicate kiss that I’m surprised he was capable of such tenderness. “Okay, let’s go.”

“Where are we going?” I ask as he slips the helmet over my head and fastens it under my chin.

Jaylen takes his lip ring between his bottom teeth, tugging on it for a moment before releasing it. God, I love when he does that.

“The Black Rose. I haven’t seen my girl in two weeks, so I’m dying to get a fucking taste of you.”

***

Black Rose is vibrating with music when we walk through the door. I have become all too familiar with this bar in the past few weeks that I recognize the same DJ on the decks in the back of the room and the same sleazy bartender working at the bar. I never pictured myself becoming a regular at a bar, let alone one that doubles as a feeding ground for vampires, but I enjoy coming here. The vibe of the dark lighting and furniture mixed with the atmosphere of laughter is enjoyable.

“Let’s go,” Jaylen says as he tugs on my hand, guiding me toward the staircase.

“Woah, someone is eager,” I tease as I follow, taking the wooden steps quicker than usual because of his fast pace. “Slow down, tiger.”

“We don’t have time for that,” he comments when we reach the top.

I blush as we walk down the hallway, stopping at the last door on the right. The room is dark when we enter, but Jaylen switches on the lamp beside the bed covered in a black sheets and comforter. The walls and carpet are plain and dark in shade. It doesn’t do a great job of hiding the blood stains littered throughout the room, reminding me of just how many vampires and humans have come through this room.

God, I would hate to be the person who has to clean in here after a feeding session.

“Bed. Now,” Jaylen commands, and wastes no time pulling his sweatshirt over his head, leaving him shirtless as he drops the material at his feet.

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