Page 91 of Twisted
“Stay close,”Xavier tells me, lacing his fingers through mine as we weave our way through the crowd.We just walked into The Velvet Vein and it's everything I thought it would be and then some.It’s campy and over the top, with gothic-style decor and low, red lighting.
Vampires dance in cages and “blood donors” walk around, carrying trays filled with shot glasses of their own blood.Places like this are very controversial.Supposedly, vampire bars have been around for centuries, with some vampires claiming it was just a place for vampires to gather and hang out without having to hide who they really are.But for as long as the vampire myth has been talked about among humans, there has been a lot of curiosity and people willing to push the limit—including being bitten.
Now that vampires are out and capitalism is alive and well, a place like this is crazy profitable.Humans and vampires alike are charged a ton to get in, and with places like this marketed as “safe for exploration”, it opens the door to all kinds of people.
Though I can tell just from the thirty seconds I’ve been in here, there’s nothing safe about it.The energy coming from most of the vampires is muted and chaotic, letting me know a lot of them are young.While younger vampires aren’t as powerful as the ones with a century of afterlife under their belts, they often lack the impulse control a vampire like Xavier has.
“What exactly are we doing here?”I ask Xavier, who has a hold of my hand.
“Business,” he replies shortly and I just roll my eyes.Several vampires turn and inhale, looking at me like I’m a juicy steak and they’re all starving dogs.Right.They can smell the magic and it’s enticing, even if they don’t exactly know why.The music is so loud the bass reverberates off the walls, and I almost bump into Xavier as I walk, distracted by two humans grinding up against a male vampire.He’s making no effort to hide that he’s turned on.Both his fangs and his hard-on are quite visible.
Classy.
We’re almost to the back of the bar when a vampire speeds up to me and grabs me by my arm, pulling me out of Xavier’s hold.
“Hey!”I snap, instinctively summoning a string of magic to throw right in the vampire’s face.But before I can get the chance, Xavier is in front of me and the vampire that grabbed my arm is on the floor.
“She is mine,” Xavier growls and I just shake my head.Vampires are stupid possessive, but they seem to respect an unwritten honor code of keeping their fangs off a claimed human.
“I don’t see any marks on her,” the vampire who grabbed me says, getting to his feet.He has a thick southern accent and is dressed in a black t-shirt and jeans with a dark red flannel shirt overtop.His dark hair is slicked back, and his country-Dracula look is complete with red and black snakeskin cowboy boots.“Unmarked humans are up for grabs.”He tips his head up and inhales.“And I want to know how this witch tastes.”
Despite the loud music, the vampires around us have no problem hearing every word he said.They freeze at the mention of the wordwitchand another vampire, dressed like a long-lost hillbilly Cullen cousin, speeds over.Xavier punches him in the throat, sending him flying back.
Country-Drac lunges, fangs barred, and goes right for my neck.I don’t even have time to react.The magic I was holding sparks, but Xavier is there, in front of me, before I can even raise my arm up enough to defend myself.He pushes Country-Drac back and punches his hand right through his chest.
“She tastes like the sun,” Xavier growls, fingers tightening around his heart.“And I’m not talking about her blood.”
My eyes widen and my mouth falls open in shock as Xavier rips his heart out with his bare hands.Country-Drac’s body shutters and then slumps down, collapsing into a pile of goo that splashes on everyone around him, including us.Holy shit.I had no idea vampires could die this way.I only knew of staking them through the heart.But ripping out their hearts…also super effective it seems.
Xavier drops the heart, letting it thud to the ground.Country-Drac’s friend snarls and tries to make a move, but Theo is there, appearing from nowhere.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” he tells him, pushing the vampire back with one arm.He pins him up against the wall and yanks out one of his fangs.The vampire screams in pain and now almost everyone in the bar is watching.Theo pulls out the other fang and throws them both like darts, sticking them into the wall like tacks.
Holy fucking shit.In just thirty seconds or less, Xavier and Theo killed and disfigured two vampires…in my defense.
The vampire with no fangs drops to the ground, clutching his bleeding mouth.Vampires heal instantaneously, but I have no idea if fangs grow back fast or at all.More people take notice of the dead vampire remains on the ground, and screams echo around us.The music stops and Xavier and Theo stand their ground, looking unfazed and almost bored.I swallow my shock, though there’s no way I can keep a poker face at this moment.
“You kill your own kind?”a big, burly vampire saunters over, fangs drawn.
“I do whatever it takes to protect my family,” Xavier replies, tone level.“And if anyone else lays a finger on my wife, I have the right by Vampire Law, to slaughter you here on the spot.”
I curl my fingers into a fist, to put out the spark of magic I’m holding.I’ve never been around this many vampires before, and I have no idea if using magic makes me even more tempting to them.
Xavier turns and wipes blood from my face.Out of the corner of my eye, I can see Theo looking annoyed.Right.He’s not my biggest fan.Join the club, buddy.Actually, there probably is anI Hate Wrenclub founded by Larissa.
“Are you all right, darling?”Xavier asks me.
“Just another day at the office,” I tell him and pick a chunk of vampire from his suit jacket.I toss it on the ground and let my hand sweep down his chest, remembering his head between my thighs.I shouldn’t be filling this turned on again, not when we’re both splattered with blood and guts and we’re standing in a room full of people both terrified and pissed at us.
“Someone clean this up,” Xavier says and takes my hand again.We step over the pile of goo on the floor and continue into the back.Theo is behind us, wiping the blood from his fingers with a handkerchief.I can’t help the smile that starts to creep over my face.Theo doesn’t even like me and he stood up for me…in a way.I think he will side with Xavier no matter what, and that kind of blind loyalty is rare.
And dangerous.
The music starts back up again and two vampires quickly hurry over to mop up the blood and guts on the ground.It’s so gross that’s what happens when a vampire dies.The magic is gone and their bodies just melt into nothing.
Xavier pushes open double doors, stepping into a hall that leads to several rooms, all with closed doors.
“Stay here,” he tells me and speeds away, going into the farthest room.
