Another Tequila Sunrise immediately landed in front of me.
I glanced up at the bartender. “You must be psychic.”
He shook his head. “This is compliments of the gentleman in the corner.”
I swiveled around on the stool to look where he indicated. Other than two slutty-looking vamps shaking their groove thing on the dance floor, nobody was there.
“Who did you say sent this?” I asked the bartender.
“He must have left. Tall guy. Good-looking in a dark and miserable sort of way.”
“Sounds exactly like Sarah’s type,” George observed, then poked me in the shoulder. “I need to dance. Let’s go dance. I love this song.”
“Not in the mood.”
“I’ll go.” Amy slipped off the stool and teetered precariously on her four-inch platform heels. She gave me a pointed look. “After all, somebody should have some fun tonight.”
Well, that was a bit rude. Accurate, but rude.
I watched the two of them depart to shimmy to Madonna and Justin singing about saving the world in four minutes. I absently twisted the gold chain I wore until it began to cut off the circulation to my index finger.
The chain was ugly. It looked cheap and heavy and didn’t go with any of my wardrobe.
I’d never wear it if I had any say in the matter.
I didn’t have any say.
Thanks to my nightwalker curse, the chain was the only thing keeping me from biting necks and killing people for kicks. Nightwalkers had existed a few hundred years ago, their vicious nature caused by a rare strain of the virus that turned humans into vamps.
They were the reason for all the untrue myths about vampires being totally evil. They were the reason that hunters exist in the first place.
Nightwalkers were wiped off the face of the planet by those hunters to protect unassuming humans—and other vampires.
Which meant that, currently, I was the only vamp in the world with nightwalker tendencies—an uncontrollable dark thirst that spread over me, a need to feed on humans or other vamps as if they were an all-Sarah-can-eat buffet. I also couldn’t go out during the day or the sunlight would fry me. There was no sunscreen on earth that could keep me from turning into a crispy critter if I wasn’t wearing the chain.
The witch who’d cursed me was dead now. No chance to get her to reverse the curse.
Which meant I had to find the answer on my own. If I ever lost my chain—the only thing keeping me from truly becoming a creature of darkness—then I was seriously screwed.
And so was anyone who crossed my path and looked remotely appetizing.
I shuddered at the thought and willed myself to concentrate on something, anything, else.
I stirred the cocktail in front of me with a swizzle stick and stared down into its orangey depths. I pushed the cherry down, holding it under the surface as if trying to drown it.
After a moment, I let it bob back up to the surface.
Dark and miserable.
Just my type.
I pushed the drink away. With my luck, Mr. Dark-and-Miserable had poisoned it.
“Hey, can I get a shot of B-Positive?” I asked the bartender.
A couple of seconds later he slid a shot glass filled with familiar red liquid in front of me.
Don’t get grossed out. It’s really not that bad.
Blood is sent to places like Darkside by professional blood delivery services. They get their blood from willing donors who are paid well for their contributions. It was all very civilized. The rarer the blood type, the more expensive the shot.
I stuck with B-Positive. It was my fave. Because of the name, I could fool myself into believing it would cheer me up.
I tossed the shot back and waited for the euphoria to hit me.
A couple of minutes later I was still waiting.
The complimentary drink rested on a Darkside coaster. Other than the logo for the club, I noticed something else on the thick, round piece of cardboard. Handwriting. In blue ink.
Sarah—
I took in a shaky breath and glanced around the club again, paying particular attention to the corner the man who sent me the drink had allegedly been in. Still empty.
My palm was sweating as I picked up the coaster and turned it over to see there was more writing on the other side.
Meet me out back. I must see you.
I casually slipped the coaster into my handbag. Without saying anything to Amy and
George, still dancing their little hearts out, I slid into the shadows of the club on the other side of the dance floor, moved past the bouncer at the door, and emerged into the cold night air outside. With a quick check over my shoulder to make sure no one was following me, I swiftly walked around the building to the back where it was dark and silent. The nearly full moon cast a pale glow on the deserted alley.
“Hello?” I whispered, barely loud enough for even myself to hear. “Where are you?”
Other than the expected Dumpsters and snowdrifts, there seemed to be no one there. With my sensitive vampire ears, I could hear the bass thump of the dance music from inside very weakly. I hugged my arms tightly around myself. The temperature didn’t bother me much anymore, but it did seem particularly cold that night.
I took a few more steps into the darkness. “Don’t worry, we’re alone.”
I was answered only by more silence so I moved over to the other side of the building and peered around the corner. I didn’t have very long before my friends wondered where I’d gone. Although, considering how many drinks I’d downed, they’d probably assume I was in the washroom.
I froze when I heard footsteps behind me. The very next moment, strong arms came around me and my back was pressed up against the cold brick wall. A hand came over my mouth, since my first instinct was to scream my lungs out.
Luckily, it was the person I’d been expecting.
Thierry removed his hand, leaned over, and crushed his mouth against mine in a kiss that took my breath away. I gasped against his lips, but then kissed him back deeply, wrapping my arms around his neck before sliding my hands up into his dark hair. His body warmed me in the cold night.
It wasn’t the first time we’d secretly met after everyone thought we’d broken up, but I hadn’t expected it tonight. Everyone else thought he’d only just returned from a trip to