Page 95 of The Vampire's Thirst
Jace shook her head, caught up in an argument with Ram. “That’s not the way to eat a slice, satyr. Use the fold hold.” She flipped one section over the other lengthwise.
“What makes you such an expert?” asked Ram, looking to Denim for support.
His mate arched her brows. “Don’t look at me. I don’t eat the stuff. Requires extra gym time to burn off the calories.”
Jace offered her deets. “Anyone from New York knows how to eat pizza. The rest of the world is screwed up.”
Giving in, Ram folded his pizza as directed. “Where’s your warlock tonight, Jace?”
When a loud cheer erupted from the TV area, Tyr sent an over-the-head wave toward Jace. She grinned. “That would be him with Chay, playing Red Dead. Their fav game.”
“You’re up, gorgeous,” Sig said, interrupting Chiara’s fascination with her newly acquired family.
A shout came from the corner. “Yes.” Fin fisted the air, her dart centered in the bullseye. “Waiting tables in a bar for so many years paid off in victory.” Thorn brushed the tight curls from her forehead where he planted a kiss.
When Chiara lifted the pool cue and aimed at a striped ball, Sig stepped behind her. “Here. You’re holding the stick wrong.” He leaned his body over her, guiding her hand, demonstrating correct form.
His groin pressed to her ass. She pushed him away. “I get the idea. Thanks.”
A dartboard-defeated Thorn passed by the pool table. “Hey, recruit. You keep up that action, Dax will separate your head from your nuts.”
“Mind your own biz, shifter.” Sig’s fingertips sizzled. Like Kole, he was an animus demon.
Chiara missed the pocket. “Dax has no control over me or who I talk to.”
“Sure,” said the shifter as he headed for the bar.
“Get me a beer, please.” Fin leaned against the wall next to Chiara. “Why so sad?”
“I miss my dogs. My neighbor will take good care of them. But he’s not me. Besides, they’re all I’ve got.”
Sig rested the handle of his pool cue on the floor. “Hey. You’ve got us.”
Chiara smiled. Then a spark of heat shot up her spine, her legs weakening. When she turned, Dax shouldered the doorway, muscled arms crossed, a scowl on his lips shadowed by a hint of mustache and a goatee, his black hair falling like silk around his face.
How long has he been there?
His deadly gaze was locked on Sig.
Despite wanting to ignore the fanghead vampire, Chiara’s heart thumped against her chest so hard she pounded a fist to her sternum.
Ignore him. Ignore him.He’s irresistible with tons of sex appeal wafting out his pores, but you don’t see him.
She leaned the pool cue against the wall while Sig pocketed two balls in a row. Chiara brushed away wisps of hair which had escaped her single, thick braid.
La, la, la. Oh, fuck it. The man is impossible to ignore.
She did what any star-struck idiot would. She stalked over to him, toe-to-toe. “Did you hear why my mom was so intense about my bug-out monkey?”
“No.” His dark eyes continued to drill into Sig despite a relaxed pose.
“Braelyn told me my mother was a tracker forCustodes Templii. She found this out from Miller Nash, the guy who runs the group. So Mom knew we were descendants of the Blood Coven witch Eydris. Her job was to monitor the offspring in our line. Anyway, Nash’s group kept track of me for years under my real last name Bianchi. They lost me when I ran from the foster home and changed my surname to Flores, one of the IDs in my bag.”
“Didn’t know.” He continued to pin the demon at the pool table.
By this time, Sig had picked up on Dax’s glare. He was uncomfortable. Sweat beads dotted the poor guy’s forehead.
“Stop it.” She stroked the vampire’s forearm.
