Page 63 of Heartbeat Girl

“When you realize what an epic failure this is, you can join me for a proper meal,” he said as he pushed Denise’s hair off her neck.

With a sigh, I lengthened my fangs and pricked the bag. The cold, bland liquid locked my jaws. Closing my eyes, I squeezed the bag and drank more.Holy fuck!Why did warm and cold make such a drastic difference with blood?

I paused as the beats grew more insistent. Back and forth, I heard flimsy flaps of flip-flops rushing down the hall and the frantic jumps of Heartbeat Girl’s heart.

“Jayne!” My eyes shot open at the angry tone of the man. Heartbeat Girl and that asshole again?

I looked at the door. The clumsy sound of her breathing, the flips-flops—Heartbeat Girl was running throughthishallway and getting closer. I gripped the bag tighter. My feet instinctively moved closer to the exit. It wasn’t my business, but her nervous sounds made me want to snatch her to safety.

Before I could intervene, her footfalls stopped. Heartbeat girl swung open the door, rushed in, and slammed it shut. She closed her palm around the knob and exhaled as a man called out, “Jayne!”

So Jayne was her name?

“Is everything okay, Doctor Smith?” another woman, further down the hall, asked.

“Yes.”

The dude that had Jayne terrified was a doctor? I was livid.

“Just trying to find my girlfriend. She hurt herself pretty badly last night on the stairs leading up to our apartment.”

“Right… Well, want me to help you search for her?” the woman asked.

“No, no.”

Jayne froze when Denise moaned behind her. The lights were off. We had no need for it. But if she bothered to look behind her, she would discover us, too. Steve had Denise against his chest as he fed from her neck. Pete held her wrist and drank, and I still had my fangs stuck in the blood bag. All eyes were on Jayne except Denise, who writhed in pleasure from the bite. Jayne flicked on the switch and slowly turned.

Steve wiped his mouth. “Well, this isn’t what it looks like.”

Pete coughed slightly. “Oh, dear.”

Jayne’s fear hit instantly. One blackened eye didn’t open, but the other widened on us. Tossing the blood bag aside, I saw Jayne’s mouth open. I rushed forward. Her hot breath melted against my palm as I slapped it against her lips and smashed her into the door.

“Shh, shh, shh,” I tried to calm her. I didn’t want to compel her. Not yet. For some reason, I wanted to relax her without it. Her onyx-colored eyes stared into mine. “Don’t freak out.”

Jayne thrashed and kicked at me, wincing as tears slid down her cheek. Leaning back slightly, I noticed the arm she held limply at her side before I pressed tight against her again. I guessed it must have hurt her, especially with how hard she resisted me.

“Let… me… go,” she murmured between my fingers.

“You’re hiding from someone, right?” I asked. “I can help you.”

She stopped fighting me. I took that moment to study her bruised right eye, which was swollen shut.Stairs, my ass.Her abusive partner’s fist was responsible. That was why he didn’t want her at the hospital. Her battered body was all the proof needed to ruin his career.

“Don’t…hurt…me.” She whimpered and more tears spilled down her cheeks.

Something in me cracked. I couldn’t swallow as I gazed at her brokenness. Heartbeat Girl was already terrified before she stepped through this door and saw us snacking. Now petrified and shocked, there was nothing I could do but use my power on her. There was no calming the mind when her body and soul hurt, too.

“Your name is Jayne?” I asked and removed my hand. My voice did its magic instantly. Her eyes appeared dazed as she sighed.

“Yes,” she said.

I rubbed her arm reassuringly, even though my ability had already worked on her. “You’re safe now. I’d never hurt you.”

“Yeah, we’re good guys.” Steve rested his hand on my shoulder and looked at her. Running a finger over her blackened eye, he asked, “So, how about you tell us who did this to you?”

“He’s in the hallway calling for her,” I said.

“Yeah, I figured that was the fucker,” Steve said.

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