Page 39 of Shut Up and Bite Me

He shrugs and sticks his hand out. “I’m Lachlan Hale. This is my bar. And if our doors are open, you can usually find me right here.”

Shaking his hand, I try to match his strength, but fuck, it’s like he’s trying to break my bones. “I’m Greyson Gilmore. Nice to meet you.”

I’m not too sure why I gave him my last name, but I guess I was trying to mirror my answer to his subconsciously.

“Nice to meet you, man. Have fun tonight. It will definitely be one to remember,” he scoffs with a cocky grin before walking away.

“What does that mea—?Woah.” As if a switch is flicked inside of my head, everything becomes fuzzy—my hearing, sight, touch. Like a thin, tingling cloud surrounds me.

Did he drug my drink? Oh well. Who cares?

All I know is that I feel like I’m floating right now. My head rolls back as my eyes glance up at the ceiling, the stars and moon spinning around for me. Wow, that’s a cool trick.

Sitting up enough to grab my glass, I take a few more drinks, loving the euphoria that’s coursing through me with every sip.

I wish Vivian were here for this, feeling as incredible as I do right now.

Blinking hard a few times, I look back up at the navy blue, starry night painted on the ceiling, watching the stars and moon dance across the sky.

After a few seconds, I glance down at my drink, ready for another gulp. But it’s empty.

Did I finish it? Well, it couldn’t have finished itself.

“How’s it going over here? Enjoying yourself?” Lachlan asks, a shit-eating grin on his face. “Do you want another one? I have to cut you off after this next one though. I only allow first-timers to drink three. When you consume four doses, it becomes dangerous.”

“Three? Four? I barely finished my first one,” I slur, my voice surprising me as I struggle to hold the man’s stare.

It’s blurry, like he’s moving too quickly for my eyes to keep locked onto. Or maybe it’s me that’s rocking side to side.

A bubbling laughter leaves him. “Buddy, you already downed your second one. Maybe two should be your limit for tonight.”

When the hell did that happen?

Some song plays loudly near me, and I can’t figure out what it is until I hear the bartender answer the phone, and I realize it was the ringtone blaring in my ears. “Hale Bar.” He pauses. “Don’t worry. He’s just fine. I was having a little fun.” He pauses again, chuckling. “Yeah, see you in a few.”

He hangs the call up as I reach out and slap my hands on the counter to stop myself from falling backward off the stool.

I want to ask him who was on the phone, but as I part my lips to say the words, I forget what I’m doing.

Maybe I should call Vivian. God, I miss her so much.

A loud bang sounds behind me, and I spin too fast for my eyeballs to keep up as I try to find the source of the sound.

A fuzzy outline that resembles Vivian appears in the entrance of the bar, and a voice that sounds just like hers cuts through all of the noise, growing louder by each second. “Lachlan Hale, you son of a bitch. What did you do?”

I blink and she appears next to me, her delicious scent seeping into every pore of my body as I breathe her in.

Her name is barely a whisper on my lips. “Vivian.”

She rubs her hand up and down on my back. “I leave you alone for five minutes, and you stumble into a werewolf bar. You are drawn toward danger, Greyson, I swear.” She giggles.

She steps closer to the counter, eyeing Lachlan up. “Thank you for keeping an eye on him. But also screw you for giving him that drink, you shithead.”

Lachlan holds his hands up in defeat. “I smelled your scent on him the second he walked in. I couldn’t help myself. Sorry.”

She scoffs, “No you’re not.”

Immediately, he says, “No, I’m not.” And laughs. “Greyson, it was great meeting you.”

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