In the Dark by Melody Taylor Read Free Book Online Page A

We
weren’t dressed for the Half-Moon. I focused on my boots, too
tired to even feel embarrassed. We made the door without getting
openly harassed, but once we got there the bouncer crossed his arms
like he thought we were joking.
    I bit my lip,
trying to make up reasons the guy should let us in. Telling him
there’d been a murder wasn’t one of them. But before I
could start stammering bull, Sebastian stepped in front of me and
gave the guy one hard, flat look. The bouncer’s face suddenly
went slack, like his brain had lost contact with it.
    “Step
aside,” Sebastian said quietly, but very firmly. I almost
obeyed.
    The bouncer took
one wooden step out of the way. As if this happened all the time,
Sebastian walked past him and went in. I couldn’t make myself
follow. I stared at the bouncer while my stomach wrung itself up in a
knot. He didn’t stare back. It seemed like he stayed that way
for a long time, but before I could even swallow uneasily, his face
came back to life again and his eyes started to focus on me. That
almost creeped me out more. I ran in behind Sebastian.
    The club was
still dark inside and still packed. Saturday. The noise, the smell,
the crowd all suffocated me. I thought about walking right back out.
I settled for hunching my shoulders and stayed close to Sebastian.
    We found an
out-of-the-way booth against one wall. Sebastian slid in on one side,
I took the other. My stomach grumbled loud at the thick smell of
sweat and blood warming the air. I’d eaten only a day or two
ago; I shouldn’t have been this hungry so soon.
    Of course. All
the blood I cried had to come from somewhere. I needed more.
    That realization
was a little disturbing.
    Sebastian
watched the dance floor. I shifted in my seat, getting more and more
hungry and wondering how to excuse myself politely. With Kent, just
slipping off told him enough. Finding a way to tell a near-stranger
that I needed to go drink someone’s blood didn’t come so
easy. Was there some sort of vampire etiquette?
    I squirmed. The
music didn’t seem so loud suddenly. In fact, I started feeling
better. My hunger was distracting me, giving me something simpler to
worry about. And if I thought about that too hard, I might start
hating myself.
    “I’m
gonna go dance,” I said, looking away from Sebastian. It was
the best “excuse me, I gotta go drink some blood” I could
come up with.
    A slender man
walked by the booth, done in tight black so thin I could see the
rings in his nipples. I ran my tongue over my fangs. They weren’t
long at all, but razor sharp.
    Sebastian
nodded. I slid out of my seat before he could change his mind.
Without another look around, I followed the man in black.
    His skin had the
color of coffee-with-cream, striking with the black and silver. I
could smell him from ten feet away: clean, salty, a hint of musky
cologne. He walked up to the bar and I slid up beside him, as close
as I could without being utterly rude. He glanced over as my arm
brushed his – so warm. I smiled, narrowing my eyes. Felt my
pupils dilate as less light fell on them, watched his widen in
response. I had that effect on people. Whether I had dressed for the
Half-Moon or not, he was interested.
    Not half as
interested as me.
    “Hi.”
I said it low and looked away, letting my eyes linger almost
indecently before I did. I pretended to watch the door, then turned
back to him. Caught him looking at me. I met his eyes with another
smile.
    “Hi.”
His voice flowed over me like melted chocolate, thick and dark.
    A delightful
shiver trailed its finger up my spine. I met his eyes and leaned
toward him less than an inch. His body would notice. “Come here
much?” I asked. He stood a little taller – letting me get
a better look.
    “My
favorite club,” he said. He ordered a glass of white wine, then
raised an eyebrow at me.
    “The
same,” I told the bartender. I couldn’t drink it anyway,
why get something I wanted?
    “On me,”
the coffee-and-cream