Page 38 of The Vampire's Mate

“Wanted some time alone, and I need to get out of my head. So please, put me to work.”

We weren’t exactly quiet, so I wasn’t surprised when Shi spoke up. “I could use a break,” they said, looking to James. “I’m starving.”

Whether they were lying, I couldn’t tell. Regardless, James wasn’t one to let his employees go hungry. He nodded his approval, and Shi let me under the partition as they headed to the kitchen.

“Is everything okay?” James asked quietly. “I mean, as okay as it can be?”

I shrugged. “It could have gone worse. I expected him to lash out. He wasn’t angry like I expected him to be—likeIwould have been.”

“No?”

“No, he was just… sad. It killed me to watch.”

A man stumbled up to the bar, barely supporting himself with a hand on the counter. He was clearly drunk, and James confirmed my suspicion. “I’m not serving you anymore. I told you thatthreedrinks ago. You’re done.”

Bleary, drunken eyes turned to me. “You haven’t served me yet.”

“That doesn’t mean I’m going to,” I said, inclining my head toward James. “If he says you’re cut off, you’re cut off. Can I call you a cab home?”

The guy waved his hand dismissively. “I can manage myself.”

James and I shared a worried look as the guy turned away. When I looked back—yep, he was fishing his keys out of his pocket, stumbling toward the front door.

“I didn’t realize he drove,” James said, taking a step toward the partition.

“I got it,” I said. I managed to get to the door first, stopping the guy in his tracks. “You arenotdriving.”

“Says who?”

“Says me,” I asserted, holding my hand out. “Can I have your keys?”

“I’m not handing my keys to you!”

Okay, I see how this is going to go. I wasn’t muscular by any means, but this guy was heavily intoxicated. He could barely stand up straight. I should have offered to call the paramedics instead of a taxi. He was built, but given his state, I could likely take him.

“Then I guess we’ll have to call the police.” I gestured to where a small crowd was gathering behind us. “These lovely people would like to get on with their evening, so either please leave in a taxi or have a seat until someone can come get you.”

“Like hell. Move.”

I knew the guy’s next move before he made it. He fumbled for my shirt, managing a weak grip before I knocked his hand out of the way, spinning him around and slamming him into the wall.

“I tried to do this the easy way,” I said, straining through gritted teeth. He struggled, but in his inebriated state, he couldn’t muster the leverage he needed to overpower me. A moment later, I pinned him in place.

“Bastard!” he growled, jerking his head back.

I twisted, but I wasn’t fast enough. His skull connected with my lip. I flinched, my tongue darted out, and I tasted metallic blood. “Oh, I’ll show you a bastard.”

I hauled him away from the wall and wrestled him toward the door, shoving him away from me the second we cleared its threshold. “Get out of here,” I snarled. “If you come back, Iwillcall the police and you can sober up in a cell.”

I spun and went back inside. He shouted after me, but I wasn’t falling for his games. Vegas Ryder might have, but I liked to think I’d grown since then. Besides, it wouldn’t do any good for me to take my frustrations out on that asshole—even if he did deserve it. I quickly cleaned myself up with a napkin, running my tongue along the inside of my mouth to assess the damage. I winced at the sting when I found the cut.

“Let me see,” James said.

“I’m fine.”

“I wasn’t asking.”

I batted his hand away when he reached for my chin. “Well I’m telling you: leave it. It’s just a busted lip.” Relaxing a little, I added, “I’ll be okay. It’ll heal in a few days and it’ll be nothing more than another story about me throwing some drunk asshole out of a bar.”

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