Sebastian cleared his throat. He was frustrated he wasn’t getting any attention.
“And this is Sebastian,” I said. As if on cue, both girls held their hands out to him. He took each one and tenderly kissed them. Each girl giggled.
“I hope that’s just a prelude of what’s to come,” Scarlet said.
The girls broke their gaze with Sebastian and he gave Alexander the thumbs-up sign.
“Would you like something to drink?” I asked.
“Uh. Sure. I guess I’ll have a soda.”
“No, we have the real thing,” Sebastian said, pointing to the bottle on the table.
“Transylvania 1972,” Alexander said as Jameson came outside to assist us.
“I heard that was a good year,” Sebastian said.
“Why don’t you sit here,” I encouraged Sebastian, deliberately placing him between the two girls.
Alexander stuck a corkscrew in the bottle and turned it slowly. He pried the cork and it easily slipped out.
Jameson began filling the goblets.
“It’s rare to find something authentic—outside the Coffin Club,” Scarlet said. “In a bottle, anyway.”
We all laughed.
“Well, you are in rare company,” Sebastian flirted.
As Jameson continued to fill the goblets, Alexander poured me a soda and then himself one.
“You can have some,” I said. “Don’t miss this on account of me.”
But Alexander politely refused.
Sebastian held the goblet to his nose and took a deep breath in.
“Um…perfect,” Sebastian said. “I think it’s a mixture of A positive and AB negative.”
“Wow—you are quite the connoisseur,” Onyx praised. “I can never tell.”
“Here’s to us.” Sebastian raised his glass and we all clinked ours together.
I watched as the three vampires put the blood-filled goblets to their lips and sipped as if they were consuming a rare vintage wine.
“This is delicious,” Scarlet said. “Very smooth.”
“We are just happy you joined us,” Alexander said. “We know you came a long way.”
“It was worth it,” Scarlet said.
“Very smooth,” Onyx added. “Yet sweet. Just like you,” she said, her eyes locking with Sebastian’s.
Surprised by her remark, she began to giggle and spilled a bit of her drink.
I had to remind myself that some Romanian’s hemoglobin, not fermented grapes, had just dripped on my friend.
“She can’t hold her blood,” Scarlet playfully scolded. “I tell her that all the time.”
“I guess I drank it too fast,” Onyx said.
Red liquid dripped down her neck and began leaking toward the lace border of her neckline.
“Here, let me,” Sebastian said, wiping the spillage with his napkin.
There was a moment between Onyx and Sebastian. He was doting on her as he had Becky. Our plan was already working. I gave Alexander a quick wink.
Scarlet sensed competition. And though the two girls were best friends, it was obvious Scarlet didn’t want to be the one without a vampire. She leaned her elbow onto Sebastian’s shoulder, her bracelets dangling next to his goatee.
She tapped her fingers against his brown and blond dreadlocks as if they were batting eyelashes, then brushed her plum-colored fingernails along his neck.
“No recent marks…,” she noted.
“Interesting,” Onyx said, almost scorned.
“And you?” Sebastian asked Scarlet.
“It isn’t polite to ask a girl, is it?” she asked coquettishly.
“Well, I just thought.”
Scarlet displayed her wrist. Two purple marks were embedded on her slight, chalk white arm.
“But it didn’t really mean anything,” she confessed. “He wasn’t nearly as handsome as you.”
“Or as clever,” Onyx added.
The girls were intoxicated by Sebastian’s charm, and he was relishing the attention.
I figured this was mine and Alexander’s cue to leave the three single vampires alone.
“Alexander, I think we left a few snacks in the house,” I said.
“Oh yeah,” my boyfriend agreed, taking my hint. “I’ll help you.”
But before we could rise, Scarlet stopped us. “Where is everyone else?”