What was he doing in there?
I had to wait until one of the movies got out, and an usher came back from cleaning up popcorn and soda from the theater before I could gocasuallyinvestigate.
“You got this, Dylan?” I asked as I began inching toward the office door.
“Yeah. Adam’s starting a movie now, and then he’ll be back up.”
I wanted to make a snarky comment about him needing his buddy at his side all the time, but surprisingly, I decided to just let them have their time. If it kept them busy and out of my business, who gave a fuck?
I slipped inside and went to my office first. I noticed Desi’s door was shut, and only a little light was coming from the crack under the door. I sat at my desk and leaned back in my chair, putting my boots up on my desk, debating whether to go be nosy or not.
He hadn’t seemed horrible. He even kind of smiled last night. If you could call that a smile. It looked more like an alien who had only heard of smiles trying to figure it out. Maybe he just needed us to be friendly first. With that justification in mind, I dumped my boots back on the carpet and bounced out of my office down to his at the end of the hallway.
Knocking, I put on my best smile. It waned when I didn’t get an answer. I knew he was in there. Where else could he be? I knocked again, and my smile soon turned into something similar to what he had been giving me last night.
Frustrated, I turned back and started stalking back to my office as the men’s bathroom door opened, and he came out, drying his hands with a paper towel. He looked up at me with wide eyes. I stopped short, and heat rose in my cheeks.
Now that I thought about it, I had heard the bathroom door open right before I had gotten up from my desk.
“Is everything okay?” He stopped a few feet in front of me. The hallway wasn’t that large.
“Yeah. I uh—” I stumbled, trying to come up with an excuse. “I was just coming to see how you were adjusting to your new office.” I cringed. It sounded so fake. He chuckled and glanced down. My heart thumped a little louder in my ears. His laugh was refreshing. It was…real.
“I’m adjusting fine. Thanks.”
He started forward and brushed past me. I turned and followed him into his office. He tried to close it in my face but sighed and relented when he saw me holding the door. He flicked the light on, making me blink as my eyes adjusted so I could look around.
As it was still his first day, there wasn’t much as far as decoration. He had his laptop set up on his desk, and I could smell something strong. I sniffed hard as he went behind his desk and plopped down.
“It smells like cinnamon in here,” I commented.
He flashed me his fangs and in between his teeth was a bright red ball. It quickly disappeared back into his mouth as he folded his hands in his lap and leaned back in his chair. “Did you need something?” he asked rather harshly.
I raised my eyebrows, slightly surprised. It was then that I really took him in. Desi was so different from the men Arsenio usually hung out with. Most of those vamps were built like him, tall, muscular, and exuding this threatening aura.Always. I couldn’t stand most of his friends, actually.
This guy, though, was—odd. Tall, muscular, yes, but his frame was slimmer. Most of Arsenio’s friends wore expensive suits. Desi was dressed in tight black jeans and a black baseball uniform shirt untucked. He also had tattoos. It was almost as if Arsenio was the big brother, and Desi was the baby of the family. He didn’t need to dress to impress. Obviously.
I looked directly at his face when he cleared his throat. He was rather good-looking, which wasn’t surprising. All vampires, Bloodshed or Bloodborn, were attractive. It’s what made us so dangerous. But he was more than that. He was— cute.
His jet-black hair was short on the sides, longer on top, and was freshly cut. He had a silver dagger earring dangling from his right ear, but it was his eyes that made me stop short. I realized then that he wasn’t wearing his sunglasses.
One blue, one green.
“Why are your eyes like that?” I demanded.
He rolled them toward the ceiling. “Is that what you came in here for? To size me up and then rudely ask me why my face is the way it is?” He shot back.
“Well, no. It’s just—” I frowned. “I’ve never seen that before,” I finished, honestly.
Bloodsheds all had icy blue eyes. Bloodborns had eyes the color of fresh blood.
Never green. Never two colors.
“I made a deal with a demon, and this was his little mark.” He put his fingers up in air quotes. “I’m cursed. Happy?”
“Cursed? Forever?”
He gritted his teeth. “I’m not discussing details. Do you need anything else?”
