Page 4 of My Road Trip with a Vampire: Season One
But I need to run because this guy looks even more dangerous than the little ghost boy, and he followed me here. Another spike of adrenaline surges through me.
Plus he knows my name, what the hell?
I buck my hips up, trying to make my way off the ground. The dude is solid; he doesn't move an inch. He chuckles but closes his mouth before I can get a good look at those sharp teeth again.
He loosens his grip, his cool fingers grazing the sensitive skin on the undersides of my forearms. I shiver under his touch. It takes me several seconds to gather my thoughts and reach for the pepper spray I always keep on me.
"Get off me. Right now."
I hold the spray an inch in front of his face. He lifts an eyebrow but rolls off of me before extending his hand out to help me up. I don’t take it.
Unbelievable.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to tackle you like that, but I could tell you were slipping away. You let that boy get inside your head.” Hetsks his tongue. "Messing with these two at this time of year, when the veil is so thin? This can't be your best idea."
I sit up on my forearms. My head is still spinning from getting too close to the shadowy veil—or whatever someone might call that murky bit of fabric between the living and the dead. I didn't even know it existed until my heart stopped beating for a bit.
“I wasn’t expecting two of them,” I grumble, moving to my feet. “And excuse me, but who the fuck are you?"
"An admirer. I've been trying to figure out who's been behind all these ghost banishments for some time now. That incident in New York last month—what an immaculate clean-up on such a busy street. I bet you thought no one was watching, but that's when I learned exactly who's been sending these spirits back to their graves with such...pizazz."
My heart lurches against my chest for several reasons: for starters, it's creepy that he's been following me. Then there's the fact that he knows more than he should. But maybe the biggest red flag of all is that he's looking at me like he means what he's saying. His dark eyes glint in the starlight with genuine curiosity.
"What do you want from me?"
I'm armed with pepper spray, but I know how strong he is.
"A partner to help me put ghosts to rest.”
The wordpartnermakes my stomach flutter with nerves and something else.
"I work alone."
"I know you do. I usually do too, but there are some things I can't manage on my own."
I study his jawline and how serious he looks. I have a pretty good bullshit radar after working at the bar for so long, but maybe it's broken because he didn't seem this weird a few hours ago. There's an erratic air around him that I didn't pick up on earlier.
But then again, if he can see ghosts, then maybe his heart has also stopped at some point. Maybe he lives with one foot in the darkness, constantly trying to balance himself so he doesn't tip too close to the dead.
Maybe I can't blame him for being weird, not when I am too. There is no going back to normal.
I wonder if he wants to pin my wrists to the cold ground again. It would be strange to kiss beneath the stars with both of us knowing that the ghosts might be watching.
"Beatrice, are you still with me?" he asks, cupping my chin. "You didn't get too close, did you?'
I lick my lips. I think I've finally found someone like me. Someone who understands how hard it can be to walk this tightrope. I shake my head.
"No, I'm fine. I was just thinking that I've never met anyone else who..."
"I understand."
I can't tell if it's the night shadows or if his jaw is really cut that sharp, but his smile is like a knife. I don't want to get caught on it, even if it is nice to know I'm not alone.
"I could have handled it on my own, you know."
"I know, but it made me look good when I swooped in to help you, right?"
His breath is cool near my ear. I shiver. I want to walk back to my car and get warm, but I have a zillion questions. I'm not ready to leave quite yet.
