Part 2 (2/2)
”You don't know?”
”I don't eat food, but we serve it for humans in the club. Blood is also served to our vampire clientele. We mostly cater to them.”
She gaped at him a little. ”It's a vampire club? Seriously? Isn't that a bit obvious if you're trying to hide your existence?”
”Aye, but we fit better in the setting of a Gothic club. It's too cliche to be believable.”
”You mean you encourage people who dress up like Vampires to come here, along with real ones?”
He nodded. ”Aye. They love to dance, dress up, and we are able to mingle with them without raising suspicion. Most of the actual vampires are the normal-looking people who visit the club.”
”What's it called?”
”Mooning.”
She'd never heard of it before but she hadn't been social since her attack. ”Do you drink from the guests?”
He hesitated. ”Not often. Don't feel fear. No one will touch you.” He smiled. ”What's your name?”
Her cheeks burned. She'd had s.e.x with him, shared a bed afterward even if she hadn't been aware of it, and they hadn't even exchanged names. ”Matty. And yours?”
”Blaron.”
She stared at Kilt. He was so handsome and his loose, long hair against his tan skin drew her attention. The desire to touch him made her hands clutch the sheet tighter. ”I should go home.”
”Why don't you eat first? I'll draw you a bath.”
”You have a bathtub in a bas.e.m.e.nt?”
”It's outfitted down here with a few apartments. This one is mine.”
”But you lived in a house.”
”I got tired of living under the club. It's quiet during the day but at night, that isn't the case. I didn't want to feel as if I were working every night by hearing the thumping music from above. See why I'd choose to live somewhere else in a quiet neighborhood?”
”I guess.” It sounded reasonable to her.
He rolled the other way, leaving the cover of the sheet, and she couldn't help but stare at his perfect, beefy a.s.s. It was paler than the rest of him-he had obvious tan lines-and that confused her as he slid off the bed. He bent, reached for something on the floor, and when he straightened, he pulled up a red kilt. He secured it at his waist and turned to face her.
”I'll retrieve you a robe from the bath.” He walked into the darkness, out of the reach of the nearest dim lamp, until bright light came on across the room from the open bathroom door. She glimpsed a large tub before he returned holding a blood-red robe.
”It's a bit gaudy. I apologize. A nice pale blue would be more fitting for your creamy complexion but beggars can't be choosers. We're at the mercy of my friend's sense of humor for a few days. I moved my things out and he stocked my place for guests.”
”Vampire ones?”
”Of course. Some of them get a bit drunk at the club and he was shoving them down here during the day from time to time.”
”Um...”
He stopped at the edge of the bed just feet from her, dropped the robe, and arched a blond eyebrow. ”Is there something you wish to ask me?”
”You have tan lines.”
”It was from before. You stay the way you were when you were changed. I was a farmer once, and spent a lot of time in the sun.”
”You mean before you became a vampire?” It still felt odd even saying that word aloud.
”I went to war with my friend who now owns this club with me. One night, a saucy wench came to comfort some of the injured lads in camp. She chose me, and I believed I'd gone to heaven when she lured me out into the darkness.” He paused. ”I was flattered she seemed to want me out of all the others she could've picked. I was a lad, she was fetching, and I thought she wanted to share her charms. It turns out she was looking for some st.u.r.dy warriors to travel with and protect her. She turned me and my friend.”
Matty let that information settle. ”Where is she now?”
He hesitated. ”She died a long time ago. She had a preference for feeding from large humans, such as me. One night, she didn't distract one enough before she sank her fangs into him.”
”I'm sorry.” She wasn't sure what else to say. ”Did you love her?”
He shook his head. ”I detested her. It wasn't my choice to be turned. She wasn't likeable, but she taught us how to survive. I was grateful for that, especially after learning my battle mates were all killed weeks after we left them. My friend and I owed her, and we did our best to keep her safe. She never allowed us to go hunting with her though. She chose to feed off a male who fought back. She was skilled with a sword.”
She wasn't sure what to say. They stared at each other. He took a step back.
”Dress in the robe, eat, and take a bath. Don't leave the room. I need to make some arrangements and will return soon.” He stared at her. ”No one will harm you here but I can't promise that if you were to reach the club above us. There are unfamiliar vampires up there who don't know you are with me. It wouldn't be safe.”
”Okay.” She wanted to go home but eating and take a bath first sounded good. He couldn't exactly take her to her house until the sun went down, and she couldn't have slept all day. She wished there was a clock but a quick sweep of the room with her gaze didn't show one. ”You'll be right back?”
”Twenty minutes at most. Just stay inside the room and no one will bother you. I will lock the door, and I'm the only one with a key.”
”Can I ask you something?”
”Anything, Matty.”
He said it in a husky, s.e.xy way with that accent of his that she loved to hear. ”Why do you always come home in a limo right before dawn? What do you do every night after I a.s.sume you work here? Doesn't this club close around two?”
He hesitated.
She had a sinking feeling from the little information she'd learned that she knew what he did at night. ”You hunt for food?”
”I hunt, but not for food. I'm a bagger now. My search for blood from hosts was over as soon as we were able to bribe blood banks into selling to us. Not all vampires share that approach, but we don't like harming humans. My friends and I actually go after vampires who kill humans once the club closes.”
His answer confused her. He seemed to understand.
”Clubs and bars do close around two in the morning. That means victims aplenty for vampires looking for drunk humans who are easy to prey on. They risk exposing us when they murder humans to take their blood. It's too dangerous these days to leave behind bloodless bodies, and it's no longer a necessity to survive. I don't drive, and that's why I have someone chauffeur me around.”
”Will you be working tonight? Can you drop me off at my house?”
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