Page 28 of Call of the Blood

Like how I have a giant crush on you and can’t keep myself from fantasizing sometimes.

It was at that moment, I realized I left my tools at home. The important ones, for when I got too hot and bothered by the man in the kitchen. The ones I kept in a locked drawer in my bedside table, under a false drawer bottom. Or the others in a different locked drawer in the closet. I forgot all of them.

I tried to banish the thoughts as I drank, and Alexius had nothing else to say, but when I handed the glass over, he made a face.

“There’s one more thing. Maria wants to see you one night. We’ve been invited to the local club to see her. She wants to expose you to more modern, age-appropriate vampire culture. Since Savannah doesn’t have a real scene because there are only two vampires in Savannah… it’s only fair you see it.”

“A blood club, yeah? I’m not really interested…” I started to shake my head, but he lifted a hand.

“You were invited. I was ordered to bring you,” he said simply. “Take that as you will. We will go. You should see it. She’s not wrong about that. The socialization you’ve had with other vampires has been… unorthodox, to say the least, and in those situations, you haven’t had much time to meet vampires your age or close to it. I’m not saying you need a healthy social circle. If you don’t like it, you never have to go to those types of places again. But you need to see it once.”

“What if I didn’t bring clothing for that sort of thing?”

“We’re in Los Angeles,” he replied dryly, as if that was enough for an answer.

And it was. I had no retort.

“When are we going?”

“Two nights from now. The day after tomorrow,” he answered. “Check later tonight if you have anything for it. I believe you’ll be fine even in what you’re wearing right now.” He gestured towards me, and I looked down. Since becoming a vampire, I had fallen into a particular outfit. Black skinny pants, sometimes bootcut, and a long-sleeve black tee or sweater, depending on the temperature. It wasn’t always exactly the same, but I was really losing all the color from my wardrobe.

“Though, if you want to try something else, this would be the time,” he continued.

“I think I have a black dress in my things, just in case my brother wanted to go somewhere nice to have dinner or something. I prepared for that. I’ll check later.”

“There you go.” He finished his glass and looked at me. “Lead the way to your brother.”

“All right…” I was suddenly less sure of the two of them meeting, and the potential of there being werewolves wasn’t exciting, either.

Alexius followed me closely and parked right next to me at my brother’s building. We went inside in step, but Alexius let me ring the doorbell.

Declan wasn’t the one who reached the door. It was Lexi, who didn’t seem happy to see me, but her eyes went wide when she saw Alexius.

“Oh,” she said softly.

“Excuse us,” Alexius said, going in before me, right around the surprised werewolf.

“Oh, indeed,” I said, chuckling as I passed her. She closed the door and followed us into the living area, which seemed smaller with two formidable men in the middle of it.

Alexius was shorter and less broad than the werewolf. That wasn’t to say Alexius was small; he wasn’t by any means.

The werewolf was a giant.

“You must be Alexius,” Lucas said, his deep voice shaking my chest. He held out a hand. “It’s nice to meet you. I came over to do some damage control and answer any questions Declan had.”

“Nice to meet you. So did I,” Alexius explained. “Why don’t we make some space for everyone else?” He gestured to the kitchen, and it was after they moved that I finally saw my brother, looking more than a little annoyed when our eyes met.

“How are things going?” I asked.

“Not bad, but I was hoping to have them out by the time you got here,” he said immediately.

“And…” I glanced toward Lexi, who was staring at the ground, refusing to look up.

“Later,” he answered. “So, that’s the boss?”

“That’s my boss,” I confirmed, nodding as Alexius looked over from the hushed conversation he’d quickly started with Lucas. For a werewolf so big, he could be quiet.

“Damn. You were right about the dark brooding type. Does he ever smile?”