Page 23 of Always Eros

From behind the bully, I grab his fist and squeeze until he yelps. He twists on me, ready for a fight, but when I hiss and bare my fangs, his eyes go wide and he falls to his knees. Raphael is busy scaring the other ones, while the boy who was being attacked crumples to the ground, watching in awe.

“What the fuck?” the one I’m still holding by the fist yells. “Let me go.”

“Maybe.” I kneel down to meet his gaze. “Why don’t you tell me what you were doing to that boy.”

“I don’t gotta tell you shit.”

Squeezing his fist tighter, I smile, knowing my fangs and glowing eyes are on display. “You sure about that, tough guy?”

“Why were they attacking you?” Raph asks the small kid sitting on the ground.

“They wanted my money from my delivery job.”

“Do you owe them money?” I ask.

“No. I don’t know these guys. I was just trying to go home.”

“That’s very unfortunate for you,” I say, glaring at my victim. “I hate bullies.”

“He really does,” Raphael says, helping the other kid to his feet.

I grip the guy in my clutches around the neck. “I could kill you. I could drain every drop of blood from your body in minutes.” He doesn’t speak, his body trembling in my grasp. “How old are you?”

“Nine-nineteen.”

“Just a boy. Tell you what, if you promise not to pick on people who are helpless and who did nothing to you, I will let you live to see another sunrise.”

He nods rapidly, clawing the concrete beneath him.

“What is your name?”

“Max.”

“Okay, Max. Here’s the deal. I frequent this neighborhood, so I will be watching. If you fuck up, you’ll see me again, and you won’t be so lucky next time. Is that clear?”

“Y-yeah.”

“Good.” Focusing on his eyes, I send a wave of compulsion over him so he’ll forget the details of my appearance but not the message. “I’m just a regular man who doesn’t like bullies, got it?”

“Got it,” Max says, his eyes slightly glazed.

“I expect you to keep your friends in check too.”

“Yes,” he agrees, nodding.

“You can go.”

Max scrambles to his feet and takes off, looking back once. Seconds later, Raphael joins me again.

“Made sure the kid got home safely and doubled his income for the night.”

“Nice. I made sure his bully cleans up his act. He’s only nineteen. He can still be saved.”

“I love when we can reach the young ones before they are too lost.”

“Yes. Hopefully bullying is the worst of it.”

Raphael slips his arm around my shoulder. “Want to grab a drink at Lair?”

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