“Is this where you were before the Savagesjumped you?”
“Yes.”
She heard a hint of something she couldn’tquite place in his voice; was it reluctance? Annoyance? “You saidyou didn’t have a girlfriend.”
“I don’t.”
The crisp way he said it made her hacklesrise. She should be the irritable one. She was the one who’d beenbitten bytwovampires tonight, consumed vampire blood,attacked, and who was now walking into a vampire club with one ofher biters. He may say he’d keep these vamps from touching her, butwhat if he couldn’t? She’d seen how brutal he could be, but howmany vampires were inside here? And what if he changed his mind andshe became the vampire equivalent of movie theatre popcorn in thisplace?
All she knew about vampires was what she’dseen in movies or read in books; so, he was either a completelymisunderstood, brooding guy looking for love, or he was biding histime before turning her into a bloodless husk. Either way, shedidn’t know vampire culture, and she didn’t like uncertainty in herlife. She’d had far too much insecurity as a child and teen; shedidn’t tolerate it as an adult.
“So is Carha an ex-girlfriend who will behappy to see you again so soon?” Maggie retorted and hated thejealousy she couldn’t keep from her tone.
“She’s not an ex.”
Maggie opened her mouth to speak beforeclosing it. She didn’t care who Carha was to him. As soon as he gota phone, she could go home.
At the end of the hall, Aiden pulled openanother door, and the most cliché, slow, emo music she’d ever hearddrifted to her. She rolled her eyes and looked to Aiden. “Reallyhyping up that whole misunderstood creature of the night vibe inhere, aren’t they, Nosferatu?”
Aiden’s mouth quirked in a smile. “It’s notmy place.”
“Nope, you just support it.”
Something flashed through his eyes, but shecouldn’t make out what it was before he glanced away from her andled her forward. Maggie kept her face impassive as they passedshadowed booths with couples sitting in them. Many of the coupleswere sipping glasses full of red liquid, but judging by the scentand the viscosity, they weren’t drinking blood.
The place was huge and could easily hold atleast three hundred people, but there were only fifty or sooccupants. Maggie’s eyebrows shot up when she spotted the coffinsin the corners of the room. When she realized the music came fromthose coffins, she had another eye-rolling moment. She almostgagged at the coffin-shaped bathroom doors.
“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” she muttered. “I feellike I stepped into a bad, B horror movie without the campy humor.I don’t know who in here is human and who isn’t, but they’re alleating this up.”
“For some, this is a way of life.”
“For some, or for you?”
“Not for me.”
“Could have fooled me. That guy at the doorknows you, and so do they,” she said as two men waved to Aiden andhe returned the wave with a nod.
His eyes flashed to her. “There’s much youdon’t know about me, Magdalene.”
“And I never will.”
The tug of sadness accompanying her wordsstartled her. She wanted free of Aiden, and she’d prefer not tolearn anything more about him. So then why was she trying to figureout what he’d been doing in this place earlier? She may not knowhim well, but she didn’t think he’d have to come to a place likethis for sex and blood.
Aiden’s teeth grated together. He’d finallymet his mate, and everything that could have gone wrong with theirmeeting had. He didn’t expect it to get any better while theyremained in here, but he couldn’t do anything about that.
CHAPTER 16
Aiden steered her toward the bar and anempty seat at the end of it. “They’re not all real blood,” heassured her when he saw her gazing at the red jugs.
“I know,” she replied.
“I guess you would know, with your job andall.”
She shrugged. “I can also smell thedifference.”
He opened his mouth to question her further,but the bartender arrived before he could. “Aiden,” Zeke greetedand was unable to keep the surprise off his face when he sawAiden’s hand on Maggie’s back. Unlike many of the other vamps whofrequented Carha’s, Aiden had never brought someone with him. “I’mZeke.”
Maggie took the hand Zeke extended towardher. “Maggie.”
