Page 64 of B Negative

“You did well.”

I had to agree with him.

After all the donors left for the evening, I jumped in the vacation room—I mean, the shower—and scrubbed every inch of vampire flesh clean. I picked out a simple gray knit dress from the outfits that the tower stylist brought, despite her best efforts to put me in something see-through and sparkly.

B accompanied me on the ride out to the middle of the bridge, chatting about how much better donor blood was than bagged blood.

When I didn’t offer much back in conversation, he asked, “Are you OK?”

I took a deep breath. “I suppose so. I guess it’s just first date jitters.”

“Is this your first date with the king?”

Was it? “Who knows? What actually counts as a date, really?” I just knew a lot was riding on this, and I was gonna try to be the one not to fuck it up.

“I see his Maybach up ahead. Go on, I’ll wait until you’re in his car before telling the driver to turn around.”

I didn’t ask how any of them were able to turn around on the bridge. I didn’t want to know. Instead, I brushed a kiss on B’s cheek.

“Thanks for all your help, B,” I said. “I couldn’t have done this without you.”

He smiled, big and wide. “Go get ‘em, Eden.”

The wind didn’t try to make me airborne once as I walked through the ward and into Laurel Cove territory.

Julian stood beside the car, pulled over, blocking traffic, and getting honked and cursed at from every direction.

I aimed myself right for his arms and didn’t look back.

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