Yes, the demon whispered, as if afraid of spooking him more in this moment of self-realization.

Had his demon always known as much?

I suspected as much, it confessed.

“And you are only telling me this now, why?” he demanded.

Ponytail Girl lifted a brow. “I’m only telling you what now?”

“Not you,” he said, looking off to the side while he focused on the demon inside of him. “This information would have been helpful to have earlier.”

To what end?it questioned with a huff.We could not locate her. Telling you what I suspected would have done nothing but cause you additional grief. We have found her. Focus on her. Not me.

Ponytail Girl glanced around in a dramatic fashion. “Uh, listen, you’re hot, like really friggin’ hot but you and I are the only two people here in this cemetery unless you’re counting the ones who are buried. Oh God, are you counting them?”

“No,” he said, his lips twitching, the urge to smile great.

Her eyes widened. “Crap. You’re not only hot, you’re bat crap crazy. Great. Sure. Hot. Undead. And nuts. I sure know how to pick them. But, damn, your abs look yummy enough to run my tongue over.”

“Yes. That please,” said Vlad and the demon at the same time.

“Are you crazy?” she asked.

He shrugged. “I am often called a mad men hellbent on destruction who impales his enemies.”

“Got a name, or should I just call you Hot Crazy Undead Guy?” she asked with a sexy smirk, her tiny fangs still showing.

“I am Dracula,” he said evenly, waiting for her to remember him and their time together in Romania.

Ponytail Girl’s lips trembled before she outright laughed—from the gut. “Okay, sure you are, and I’m the Tooth Fairy.”

Chapter Seventeen

Mina

Dracula?

He honestly wanted me to call him Dracula? Either the guy was going to the costume party Astria mentioned was happening tonight or he was a total mental case. Either way, he was damn fine to look at. A strong, stubble-covered jawline, full lips, broad shoulders, abs chiseled to perfection, piercing green eyes, and an accent that was to die for. Not to mention, he was tall. At least six and a half feet.

That was a super plus in my book. I hated being taller than men I was into and made a rule never to hook up with anyone shorter than me. That was part of what had drawn me to Henry. He towered over me too.

I had a slight moment of guilt thinking about Henry at a time like this. We weren’t an official couple or anything and we weren’t monogamous. He’d mentioned the idea of it in passing a few times but the conversation never went anywhere.

I had nothing to feel guilty about—right?

The Dracula wannabe standing before me made it hard to feel bad for wanting to do him. He was that perfect and tempting. His dark hair touched his shoulders, and I found myself wondering what it would be like to run my fingers through it. That thought spiraled right into licking his abs and then following his happy trail down to what I already knew was a sizable lower extremity. It had been pressed against me when I was straddling him.

I bit at my lower lip, unable to tear my gaze from him. I should ram my dagger through his heart and be done with him. Instead, I was standing here considering putting his hard on to good use. My other half—the part I’d been cursed with in Romania wanted to know every inch of him. It wanted me to bite into his neck and drink his blood. I was practically salivating at the thought of doing it.

My attention caught on the network of scars crossing his chest. Battle scars that spoke of a violent past. Had someone tried to claw his heart out?

Irrational anger blossomed in me, leaving me wanting to hunt and kill whoever had dared to cause him harm. It didn’t matter that moments ago, I’d been the one holding a dagger to his chest. I eased forward slightly, unsure of what I thought I was doing. Whatever it was, I had a feeling I was in over my head.

That didn’t stop me.

Everything in me screamed to trust him. To get closer. To touch him.

I inched toward him, little by little.