Wicked Soul (Ancient Blood #1)(55)

Purring like a cat in heat, I opened my mouth to nibble at the place where his neck met his shoulder, but he caught my neck before I could, pulling me back. "Stop that. Right now."

I pulled my head away, feeling entirely too pleased with the roughness in the vampire’s voice—until my eyes met his. They were pitch-black.

Oh. Maybe I’d gone a step too far? A small part of my intoxicated brain felt a flutter of fear just as he grabbed my arm and dragged me through the crowd, up to the bar.

“Settle my bill,” he snarled at the barman.

The man jumped a little, probably also freaked out by the predatory sound, and disappeared to fetch Warin’s card with swifter-than-average speed.

“Liv, are you all right?” A warm hand landed on my shoulder, and I turned toward its owner with a start. Dennis, my boss from Dark Dreams.

“Dennis!” I broke out in a grin at his unexpected appearance. “I had no idea you went to fancy nightclubs!”

Dennis didn’t return my smile, his face tight as he glared over my shoulder. At Warin, I realized. The absurdity of my very human boss glaring down a nightwalker finally made his question click. He thought I was in trouble.

“Yeah, yes, I’m fine. Good, really.” I beamed even brighter at him to ensure he knew I was being honest. And I was. The fact that Warin had remembered something so earthly as paying for my multitude of drinks meant he was in full control, despite his growling response to my teasing.

I gave his hand a small squeeze. “You remember Dennis, right Warin?”

Warin just stared him down, not bothering to respond. Dennis lifted his chin ever so slightly, a silent challenge.

Men.

I could have kissed the bartender when he pushed Warin’s card at him, interrupting the staring contest.

“Come.” Warin’s voice was still rough as he tugged on my hand, turning his back on Dennis without another look. “We need to get you home.”

I stumbled after him as he maneuvered us through the crowd faster than my drunk legs could manage with any form of grace. Only when we were out in the cold and so far down the street the music from Isla could no long be heard in the night did he slow down and release his grip on me.

“Jeez, that was so rude,” I scolded, even if I couldn’t hold back a giggle at the grouchy look on Warin’s face. It looked downright adorable, and I leaned in to pinch his cheek. I managed to trip over my own feet and halfway fall against him in the process. “You’re really cute when you’re sulking, Mr. Vampire, but you should be nicer to my friends. Dennis hasn’t done anything to you.”

Warin lifted me back onto my feet, keeping a grip on my elbow to help me stay balanced. “He wants to fuck you. The night I met you at the bar, he was planning to take advantage of you.”

I snorted at that absolutely ridiculous statement. “Dennis? Don’t be ridiculous! He’s completely harmless and so nice. It’s not everyone would hire a stray alley cat like me, and he did, no questions asked.”

Warin only breathed in deeply and began to walk toward where he’d parked his car without responding.

"So… we're done dancing, then?" I sighed as I stumbled along beside him, thankful for the support of his grip.

It wasn't meant to be a taunt, but it nevertheless earned me a dark glare. “Yes.”

"Bore," I said, blowing a raspberry in his general direction. “I love dancing. Oooh, I know what we should do! You should fly me up to the highest skyscraper in Chicago and dance with me! It’ll be like we are dancing among the stars!”

Cool fingers ghosted against my cheek in a light caress. “If there is anyone I could dance among the stars with, Liv, it’d be you.”

“Is that a yes?” My own voice came out as a hoarse whisper as a familiar, electric heat radiated through me from his cool touch.

But when I turned my head to look at him, there was only regret in his eyes, and not an ounce of the dark heat from before.

“No, little one. There’ll be no more dancing for you and me. Not tonight, nor any of the nights to come.” He gently touched his thumb to my lower lip before he removed his fingers from my face, leaving me feeling hollow. “Come. You need to sleep, and I need to speak with my brother.”





17





When I woke up the next afternoon, it was to the sensation of something having crawled down my throat to die, and a hangover that made me wish for death.

Groaning, I rolled over onto my side and grasped for the glass of water on my nightstand.

Warin had put it there after he halfway carried me in the door, I vaguely recalled, while I’d been fighting to get out of my dress and into my PJs in the bathroom, singing one of the songs from the club at the top of my lungs.

And that’s when the rest of the night came back to me, in way too crystal clear high-definition.

I choked on the water as an involuntary whimper made it past my lips at the recollection of rubbing myself all over Warin. When the memory of biting his shoulder caught up with me, I crawled back underneath the duvet, wishing a black hole would open up underneath me.

Why? Why, did I do that?

The answer was glaringly obvious, and did nothing to ease my flaming humiliation.

I wanted Warin. And not as a friend.

He was a vampire, and it wasn’t possible—and even if it were, just the thought of opening myself up to him like that… of being vulnerable with the one person I trusted so completely… it made my skin crawl with fear. I recalled the moment in his arms the night before, when I’d realized how right it felt, how I was supposed to be in his embrace, safe from all the horrors of the world… And the thought of losing that because I couldn’t keep my pants on filled me with more dread than I knew how to deal with.