Page 24 of Bite of Sin

“Impulse,” I answered, putting my hand on her lower back and leading her around the corner. She went rigid at my touch, and I half expected her to pull away.

Her eyes cut to me for a brief moment. “What’s that?”

“The best spot in this city,” I told her.

“Doubtful,” she muttered.

“I’m sure it’s more fun than what you’ve been up to since you turned,” Viggo replied, giving her a once-over.

Her glare shot to him as her jaw clenched. She didn’t respond, and I reached past her and opened the door, giving her a little push when she didn’t move. Impulse was busy tonight, and the crowd was thick as I guided her to our usual corner. She jerked when a fight broke out near the pool tables. Her head was on a swivel, and I could tell she was growing more uneasy when stares fell on her.

Pax was sitting in his chair with a drink in his hand and a girl on his lap. He seemed less than impressed with her and whispered something in her ear that had her slipping off his lap with a frown on her face. We got closer, and when Viggo fell into the chair next to his twin, Pax glanced over at me as he took a sip of his drink.

His eyes wandered toward the girl, and suddenly, he was spitting out the whiskey, choking and coughing. Viggo leaned over, slapping him on the back while laughing.

“What’s wrong, little brother?” Viggo asked in amusement. “Got a thing for newbies?”

I snagged a chair, dragging it closer and putting it next to mine. I motioned for her to sit, and she stiffly lowered herself in the chair, her demeanor tense as she looked between Pax and Viggo with questions in her gaze. They were identical in every way, and I was sure her seeing double was throwing her through a loop. Only my dad and I could tell them apart.

“Newbie?” Pax asked hoarsely, wiping the alcohol off his chin. “When did she turn?”

“Two weeks ago.”

My answer had him looking back at the girl, and his intense stare had me bristling. He was never fucking interested in any woman I was with. But something about her was making him sit up straighter and take notice.

“Two weeks?” Pax repeated. “Why is she here?”

“Because I said so,” I snapped. “Is that a fucking problem?”

Both Viggo and Pax looked at me in shock while the girl shifted uncomfortably in the chair. I caught Gia’s eye and nodded my head for her to come over here. She quickly poured my favorite drink behind the bar before sauntering over to us.

“Hey, Zan,” she greeted me cheerfully, handing me the drink.

“Gia, I found you a new helper. This is—” I turned toward the girl. “What’s your name?”

She didn’t answer, glaring daggers at me. With the noise in this place, I couldn’t hear her heart like I could when I first saw her on the street, but I was positive she was still scared. Although, there wasn’t a hint of fear on her face now. After downing my drink, I turned toward her and caught her jaw in my grasp. Her eyes widened, and I tightened my hold when she tried pulling away from me.

“Tell me your name,” I ordered in a threatening voice. “Or I’ll give you one of my own.”

After a few seconds, she finally gritted out, “Kali.”

I leaned back, focusing back on Gia. “This is Kali. She can help you out around here for now. I know you’re always looking for help.”

“Zan,” Pax piped up, sounding worried. “What are you doing? We don’t need someone like her around here. She knows nothing.”

“She’ll learn,” I shot back. “And she won’t leave the city without one of us. I’ll make sure she can’t wander away.”

Viggo groaned, already knowing where I was going with this. He jumped up and headed toward the stairs that led to our living quarters. Pax’s attention was still on the girl, but he looked at me once his brother was out of sight.

“What are you doing?” he murmured. “We can’t trust her.”

His words held truth. New vampires were wild cards. They had no loyalty to anyone except themselves, especially in the first year. Which was why they were trained from the moment they turned. We were sure PARA had theories about how weak new vampires were, but we tried to keep it a secret. Mature vampires knew to turn humans only when they were alone and to bring them to the center. Clearly, whoever had turned Kali failed to follow those orders.

We’d been doing it this way for decades, which was how we’d built up our numbers. We made sure that vampires didn’t just roam around, trying to turn every human they could. For one, that would cut our food source. We needed human blood to survive.

“She can’t work here looking like that,” Gia said, studying Kali. “But once she’s cleaned up, she’ll fit in perfectly.”

“No, I won’t,” Kali snapped. “I don’t have any other clothes.”

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