Page 56 of This Blood That Binds Us
“You don’t have to get all defensive. If one of us was going to fall in love with a human, it was definitely going to be you. Zach and I already placed a bet on it. A thousand dollars says you admit it by the end of the month. Zach thinks you’ll cave earlier than that.”
“Where’d you get a thousand dollars?”
There were so many things wrong with his statement, so I honed in on the less offensive one.
“Betting, duh.” He took another sip of his drink.
“You’re one to talk,” I snipped. “You also invited someone who happens to be human.”
Presley’s date for the night was Ellis Finch, but he hadn’t arrived yet. A guy from Presley’s Art History class who was at least six foot two with warm brown skin and a thick mustache. He was a mellow dude who seemed way too smart to be into my brother.
“Oh, that’s different. You’ve been giving her ‘I love you’ eyes since I first saw you guys together. Me and Ellis are completely casual. You look like you might propose any minute.”
“All right. I’m done talking about this.”
Presley snickered with his lips pressed to his glass. “Truth hurts sometimes, I know.”
The announcement commenced, and we listened to the speaker, who was the president of another frat. He was tall and lanky and cussed like a sailor, which Presley found hilarious. I periodically diverted my attention back to Kimberlyand William, who were also at a standstill, watching. Kimberly looked to be perfectly fine. Every so often, I’d tried to find the rhythm or her heartbeat or tune into their conversation, which was mostly small talk. Mentions of the weather. Nothing important.
Kimberly fluffed her hair, and her eyes searched for me. I reached up, acting like I was yawning, and caught her gaze.
My mind started to wander. What if William wasn’t the vampire but just a charming guy who was into Kimberly? What if she ended up liking him, too? The rage bubbled in my chest. I tried to stifle it, but the thought of them together kept bringing it to the surface. I didn’t like William. Vampire or not. He wasn’t good enough for her. I wasn’t, either.
She’s ours.
The voice was a mere echo as the music picked up. The announcements faded, and the floor broke out into dance, while the lighting dimmed. Warm twinkle lights turned cool, and pools of blue and green hues flooded the dancefloor. A light fog poured from the stage, covering our feet.
I sighed. That was going to make my spy adventure much easier.
Presley had emptied his drink and chewed the ice. “I don’t get the big deal, anyway. If she was your girlfriend, couldn’t you just tell her you were a vamp and then maybe she could donate her blood to you? That would solve a lot of problems.”
“What!? No, no I wouldn’t tell her,” I said quickly.
“But you’d drink her blood?”
Presley was clearly buzzing, and he loved to stir the pot. He was the cause of almost all of our fights at home when drinking was involved.
“NO! Can you go away so I can enjoy my night, please?” I moved into the crowd, keeping my peripheral on Kimberly.
“Fine. Ellis is almost here anyway. I gotta go get another drink...I think I see Chelsea over there. I’ll be sure to tell her you’re going stag.” He patted me on the shoulder, and before I could turn around to protest, he was gone. I rolled my eyes. Little brothers.
I caught sight of my mark in the fog. William had his arm locked in with Kimberly’s, and he led her into the crowd. Still looking nervous, she played it off well and let him coax her into dancing with him. William looked up, catching me watching them. The smile returned to his face, and he kept dancing.
I shook my head. I had to regain my focus. Keep William in a safe proximity to the rest of my brothers and wait to see if he made any kind of move. We outnumbered him, three to one. No way was he going to leave with Kimberly.
A hand grazed my shoulder, and I knew who it was by the smell of her sickly sweet perfume. Chelsea was a beautiful blonde, from Sigma Sigma Ki, but she wasn’t my type. For one, she couldn’t take a hint.
“Aaron, oh my god. You clean up well,” she said, looking me up and down. Her dress reminded me of a disco ball, adding to the sensory overload.
“Chelsea, this isn’t a good time.” I patted her on the shoulder. “Cool dress, though.”
I didn’t actually like her dress but thought it might make her happy enough to leave.
She followed my line of sight. “You look lonely...and a little sad. Dance with me.”
Chelsea grabbed my hands and pulled me closer toward William and Kimberly. She walked us into their direct line of sight. I exchanged looks with both of them while Chelsea pulled me closer. She put her hands to my chest before sliding them down my body.
I stopped her. “What are you doing?”
