Page 16 of Only Fangs

No way he could dothat.

And besides,mostparanormal creatures didn’t drink blood. He could still be a shifter or a fae or a mage or even a siren. “A soda,” Collin finally answered, keeping his voice low.

“One soda for the reaper coming right up.” Mikael smiled and ordered Collin’s drink while ordering nothing for himself.

“You don’t want anything?” Collin asked.

“No, I prefer to drink my blood straight from the source.” Mikael’s brown eyes flashed crimson for a brief second, and arush of heat traveled through Collin’s body, settling low in his belly and in his groin, making his cock stir with interest. Fuck. He shouldn’t react to this. He should be scared. Or at least worried about giving his disguise away.

Instead, he was thinking about his last chat with Mikael, and all the things the vampire had told him he wanted to do to Collin. He swallowed thickly, and Mikael’s gaze flickered to Collin’s throat, following the movement of his Adam’s apple.

Collin felt like the prey in an elaborate trap that was about to snap shut on him and swallow him whole.

His dick was so hard, he was sure that if Mikael looked down, even his costume wouldn’t hide his erection.

Thankfully, Mikael didn’t look down. He kept his gaze on Collin’s face, or what little could be seen of it. “I’m Mikael, by the way,” he said, offering a hand. Collin accepted it, shaking the vampire’s hand. It was a strangely formal introduction, but the touch still made Collin’s stomach do somersaults inside his abdomen, and his pulse skyrocket.

God, he was so fucked.

If he didn’t leave soon, Mikael would figure out who he was for sure.

“Care to tell me your name?” Mikael asked as the bartender placed Collin’s soda between them.

“Uh…” Collin reached to grab his drink, fingers curling around the glass. He was going to have to drink it somehow without taking off his mask… which was impossible.

“Cael,” he said to buy time. That was the name that he had given Zelos earlier, wasn’t it? “My name is Cael.”

“That’s an interesting name. A fae name, isn’t it?”

“Yes,” Collin lied because he had no idea.

“If you’re fae, though, why did you dress up as a reaper?” Mikael’s gaze roamed his body, studying his costume. “You don’t seem like the type who enjoys causing trouble.”

Fuck. He’d walked right into that trap, hadn’t he? Obviously, Mikael knew that he was full of bullshit. But what should he say now?

“I’m not very religious,” he said lamely. “I never meant to–”

Mikael cut him off, raising one hand. “I know. You didn’t intend to upset anyone. And you already apologized.” Mikael smiled, showing his teeth. “Are you going to drink your soda?” He nodded toward Collin’s glass.

Collin couldnotdrink, of course.

Not without revealing who he was, which meant that he really needed to get out of here.

He pushed his stool back, but when he tried to stand, his legs felt weak. “I need to go. Sorry, I…” He swallowed, feeling like he was drowning in the sticky air of the club, like he couldn’t breathe.

Mikael stood as well, putting one strong hand on Collin’s shoulder, steadying him. “Are you okay?”

“Yes.” Collin tried to pull away and found himself unable to move.

Mikael’s fingers dug into his shoulder. “Maybe we should step outside for a bit, get some fresh air.”

Collin blinked. “Outside?”

It would be easier for him to escape outside, wouldn’t it?

He nodded. “Okay.”

Mikael’s hand moved to the small of his back and guided him toward the exit of the nightclub. They stepped into the dark of the street together, the music fading as the door swung shut behind them. Collin breathed in a lungful of cool night air, feeling a little better now that they’d left the stifling atmosphere inside.

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