Page 27 of Because the Night

He shuffles closer and leans in, and I catch the scent of his blood. Just that easy. The sound of it pumping through his heart. The sight of it so close to the surface beneath his warm skin. Guess the loud music and mess of scents in the place kept the need under control until now. But no longer.

“I, um…” I move farther away along the low lounge.

He frowns and makes to follow. “Are you okay?”

“Get any closer and she’ll rip your throat out,” says a low, dangerous voice. “Or if she doesn’t, I will.”

I reach for his hand, panicking ever so slightly. “Lucas.”

Lucas pulls me to my feet and wraps his arms around me, crushing my breasts against his chest. “I told you, you need to stay ahead of it.”

Aiden is already walking away. He’s probably summoning security. What a mess.

“What’s wrong?” asks Henry.

“She got hungry,” says Lucas. “You were supposed to watch her.”

“I was only gone for a moment.”

“Can you walk out of here?” Lucas asks me.

“Yes.”

To be so strong and so weak at the same time is infuriating and frightening. Now that I’ve tuned in to the blood, I don’t know how to block it out. My hands are shaking, and my mouth is watering, and oh shit. I should never have asked Henry to takeme out. What a stupid idea. If I kill someone, it will absolutely be my own damn fault.

Halfway down the stairs, Lucas stops and swings me up into his arms. Carrying me with an arm around my back and the other beneath my knees. “Put your arms around my neck, Skye.”

I do as told, holding on tight. “Don’t let me hurt anyone.”

He jerks his chin in response.

The crowd surges around us as we skirt the edge of the dance floor. His hands dig into me, anchoring me against him. Henry gets in front of us and clears a path to the door. There is definite flashing of fang. Some of the startled expressions on the patrons’ faces would be hilarious under any other situation.

The scents of smoke and sweat and alcohol fade as we reach the sidewalk outside. We wait for the new car to be bought around.

“I say we go home and start catching Father up on history and advancements in technology over the past almost a century. Start him off with some basic programming languages, and then round it all out with superhero movies. What do you think?” Henry gives me a gentle smile. But the word that appears inside my head isdisappointed.

“I’m sorry I ruined your night out,” I say.

“It’s fine.” He frowns. “You didn’t.”

“Put me down, please. I think I’m okay now.” A part of me feels safe in Lucas’s arms. And that part of me needs to learn better. As he said, he doesn’t need any clingy newborns cramping his style.

Lucas looks me over before doing as asked. Guess I don’t seem quite so on the edge of attacking anyone. I stand there with my arms wrapped tight around myself, thinking calm thoughts.

The traffic has thinned out at this time of night. There’s still a line of people waiting to get into the club. A silver Escaladecruises toward us, a back window lowering to let in the night air. The person behind the wheel is wearing sunglasses and a sneer.

And the word that fills my head like a shout isgun.

“Get down!” I scream, and throw myself at the two males. It’s a bad attempt at a tackle. They’re both more than strong enough to stay standing. But working at superspeed, Lucas looks around and sees the vehicle.

Understanding fills his face, and he moves to cover Henry and me. We’re on the ground before the first bullet flies. The report of the weapon is ear-shatteringly loud. So, too, are the screams of the humans around us.

“Wooden bullets.” Lucas examines the ammunition in his hand. “Amazing.”

“Welcome to the twenty-first century, Father,” says Henry. “Two attempts on your life in one night. That’s when you know you’ve really made it. We’ll have Dracula knocking on the door challenging you to a dance-off next.”

We’re back at the house in the basement living room. Dawn is still several hours away, but going underground seemed safest. The runes won’t stop a sniper from shooting us through one of the upstairs windows. Henry said that was unlikely, however, because wooden bullets aren’t as heavy or strong as metal ones. I still wonder if bulletproof glass for the house will be next on the shopping list. The only good news tonight is that no one else was hurt outside the nightclub.

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