Page 13 of Every Bite You Take
Did I affect her even the slightest percentage of what she did to me? Relieved that she was still talking to me, I tried to carry on the conversation. “Do anything exciting today?”
Her eyes lit up. “Yes, indeed. I booked an excursion out to the glacier. It was incredible to see. So majestic and so still, yet slowly melting. I learned so much. What an experience. I met a few others on the ride out and they invited me to join them for dinner.”
A pang of emotion hit me. That was something I could never do—go with her in the daylight to explore. Or even share a nice sushi meal. Perhaps pursuing her was wrong. I should leave her alone and let her spend time with others.
“I was thinking of going to the comedy show.” She tipped her head. “If you’re not working, join me?”
Her invitation snapped me right out of that dark tunnel heading toward self-despair. “Sounds great. I’m off for the rest of the night.”
She glanced up at me, her eyes searching mine. “Then I get to spend it with you.”
I swallowed. Did she mean for the show or for something—more?
CHAPTER 9
KYLIE
Avampire comedian took the stage and welcomed us. “Don’t worry, I don’t bite.” He paused and added, “Unless you say please.”
I exchanged a glance with Damien at the cheesy joke, but my face still split into a grin. The comedian started off slowly with more goofy observations. As he went on, his jokes improved—or maybe my yummy mudslide made them more tolerable.
The comedian launched into a series of the challenges of dating as a supernatural. “I once tried dating a witch. She had a twin sister. The problem was I couldn’t tell which witch was which!”
That was so awful I tipped my head forward, but Damien belted out a deep laugh beside me. When I turned to glance at him, the genuine joy on his face made me smile.
As the show continued, the bad dad-like jokes with a supernatural slant continued. Damien and the audience roared in appreciation. Perhaps they could relate to the dating woes. Now that was definitely something I’d experienced, although not as a supe. Damien’s laugh was contagious, and I laughed more with him than at the show.
He slid his hand over to my knee, brushing his fingers against mine, and warm tingles danced on my skin. Then he clasped my hand in his. Something about this small gesture seemed to mean more—at least to me. Which was absolutely silly considering I was simply on a short vacation and would be leaving soon. To get caught up in someone would be foolish.
Yet, each time I had that argument with myself, it turned less and less persuasive.
“Ever met a vegan?” the vampire comedian asked. A smattering of yeses rippled through the audience. “You know what’s worse? A vampire vegan.” He shuddered dramatically. “They’ll corner you as you’re about to dig into a delicious volunteer, bragging how they only drink from blood bags. Bags! Like it’s some kind of gourmet delicacy.” He mimed sipping from an imaginary pouch, pinky extended, then gagged. “Tastes like”—he scrunched his face up—“hospital.” Some chuckles followed.
“A friend of mine used to be a badass vampire,” the vampire continued. “Now he has a subscription box for Blood of the Week. Can you imagine? I mean live a little! Oh, wait…” He paused, a mock-serious expression on his face. "We're already dead.” He winked, drawing groans of laughter from the crowd.
“Another vampire I know ordered a coffin with lumbar support. Talk about a mid-immortal life crisis.”
Now I knew he was likely kidding as I’d never met a vampire who slept in an actual coffin.
“And don't get me started on my buddy who tried to sell life insurance—to immortals. Think about the premiums? The paperwork!”
Damien belly laughed, which made me laugh as well. The show wrapped up soon after that. Once we left the club, Damien’s green eyes sparkled bright.
“You seemed to enjoy the show,” I pointed out.
“Oh, yeah, he’s good.”
“You’ve seen him perform before?” I arched my brows. “And you willingly returned?”
Damien looped an arm around me. “The worse his jokes, the funnier they are.”
We walked outside to get some fresh air and strolled beneath the moonlight.
“I did have a great time, though,” I said. “It felt good to laugh.”
He slanted his gaze at me and said, “Sure does. Life’s too short to be serious all the time.”
“Even for the undead?”
