Page 182 of Halfblood Deceived

Mac shared an amused look with Aella and then headed to a booth full of women celebrating a birthday.

Aella shook her head, carrying a tray full of empty beer mugs back toward the bar. She almost ran into a tall male.

Vampire, her senses warned.

“Sorry,” Aella said, trying to dodge him, but he moved, standing in her way. Aella frowned. “Excuse me.”

“You are not excused, gargoyle,” he slurred, his breath heavy with rum.

Aella felt a coil of dread in her stomach.

Many others called her ‘gargoyle’, just like they called Mac ‘fey’ or Tim ‘vamp’—lightly and without malice.

This drunk vampire with brown hair sticking to his sickly pale forehead didn’t say it lightly.

“Your kind are monsters,” he slurred, eyes blazing with rage. “I don’t trust you. You filthy beast.”

Aella’s stomach twisted sharply, but she resisted the impulse to curl into herself. “Color me surprised. Now move.”

The vampire flashed her long fangs, his pupils contracting. “Gargoyles killed my family.”

A sickly, shameful sensation gripped Aella’s chest. She swallowed hard. “I’m sorry.”

“That’s not good enough,” he growled.

Aella tried to dodge him again, and this time she succeeded, but he grabbed her arm viper-fast and hard enough to bruise. He yanked her back so forcefully that she lost her balance and dropped the steins to the floor. The glass shattered and spilled across the polished concrete, making several people yelp and draw back before staring.

Wonderful, Aella thought.

“Don’t ignore me, bitch,” the vampire said.

Aella hated that word. “Let. Me. Go.”

The male tightened his grip. “I’m not done talking to you—”

A large, tattooed hand wrapped around the vampire’s wrist. “Yes, you fucking well are.”

Reese.

They forced the vampire to release Aella and held the drunk male with both arms behind his back. He tried to squirm free, but Reese’s grip was iron-strong.

Aella let out a relieved breath. “Thank you.”

Reese smiled at Aella despite having a writhing, cursing vampire in their clutch. “You’re welcome, honey. Take your break soon, okay?”

Aella nodded. “Okay.”

Vaz popped up next to Reese in that sudden way of his. “Give this idiot to me. You both need to take a break.”

Reese gladly handed the idiot to Vaz. “Thanks, bud.”

Vaz smiled, his piercings glinting under the flashing lights. “My pleasure.”

Aella exchanged a smile with Reese and headed to the kitchen area to leave the tray and grab something to clean the mess of glass and spilled beer.

* * *

The truth is, Aella would have preferred to keep working non-stop.

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