Page 35 of Nosfer-Meet You

“You do not believe me.” It’s a statement, not a question.

“It’s not that I don’t believe you,” I say. “I just have a bad feeling about all of this.”

“Let us go to this club together, then. We will only stay for as long as it takes for your mind to be at ease.”

He gestures for me to follow him, and I do. Eli has always been like a father to me. A real one. Not like the kind I had as a human, who eventually abandoned me. I trust him with my life, and if after we check out the club he tells me everything is fine and there’s nothing to worry about, then that’ll be that. I’ll go home and forget about it. Watch the ball drop by myself. Try to be at peace with Harriett’s decision. Pretend I’m not lonely as fuck.

When we reach the club, which is just an enormous brick building with no windows, I’m not so sure about anything anymore. The queue to get in wraps around the building twice, and the music pumping out of the front door seems to be some chaotic remix of “Livin’ La Vida Loca.” What a terrible day to have working ears.

Eli and I walk up to the front of the line, and when the bouncer, an enormous brick house of a guy sees us, he nods. Eli and I look at one another, a question passing between us wordlessly. Were they expecting us? I figured Elias would glamour the guy, but we didn’t need to.

We head straight inside, and the music blasts me in the face the moment I step over the threshold. It’s dark in here, but thankfully, vampires have heightened senses, so seeing isn’t a problem for us.

There are cages hanging from the ceiling with human women gyrating inside of them. Throngs of drunks and other intoxicated humans dance with their arms in the air. This is intolerable. I mean, I love a good mosh pit, but this isn’t my scene at all.

Eli grabs me by the arm and leans in to speak in my ear. “I’m going to look for Marcus and Ava. Keep your eyes open for anything suspicious, Scott.”

I nod at him, and he disappears into the crowd. A lump forms in my throat as I look from left to right, trying to make sense of it all. And then I spot her in the corner, in a booth, tucked between two guys in polo shirts. Harriett’s all dolled up in heavy makeup with glittery butterfly clips in her hair. The two men she’s cozying up to look like they’re in university, and I loose a deep growl as I stalk over to the booth.

The frat boys immediately sense the threat and glare at me. Harriett winces as I loom over the table.

“Scotty. Hey.” She fidgets with one of the dangly bracelets on her wrists. “I didn’t think … I didn’t think you’d be out.”

“Who’s this?” Preppy Asshole #1 says. His blond hair has so much hair gel holding it in place, I bet he’d go up in flames if I took a lighter to it. Tempting. He puts an arm around Harriett’s shoulder possessively. Not protectively. Huge difference. “Is this guy bothering you?” he says, his bright blue eyes never leaving mine.

I work my jaw. “No, but I’m about to bother you if you don’t stop touching her.”

Preppy #2 sneers. “Fuck off, man. We’re trying to relax. Go find your own girl.”

Something inside of me clicks, and I bare my fangs at the three of them. The frat boys actually have enough sense to flinch. Good. At least they have some sort of self-preservation. “Harriett. Come to me. Now,” I growl.

Harriett doesn’t move, and her expression darkens. “No. Scotty, I’m having fun. I want to be here.” Her tone takes on a steely edge. “I’ve chosen to be here. This is Billy and Justin, and⁠—”

“I don’t care what their names are,” I say. “I care that you’re safe and with me on one of the most dangerous nights of the year.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Preppy #1 says, and holds out his palms in what he probably thinks is a placating gesture, but all I want to do is rip his hands from his wrists and shove them down his throat. I know what men like him are like. I don’t need to be a mind reader to know what’s going through his head right now, either. He’s going to try to hurt her. Take advantage of her. And there’s no way I’m going to let either of them do that.

“We’re just trying to have a nice, relaxing New Year’s Eve, man. You should do the same. We don’t want any trouble,” Preppy #2 says.

Harriett lets out a nervous laugh as she touches #2’s wrist and strokes it. I’ve never seen her act this way, and it … it really fucking bothers me. Because, the thing is, she’s not really the one in danger. They are.

But I’ve never seen Harriett like this. Like a predator. She doesn’t feed on humans. At least, she never used to. Her eyes flicker from their usual blue to a soft amber, and then I see it. That twinkle. The one that vampires get when they’re full of lust … and hunger. The hunter has come out of Harriett at last, and she’s no longer the little girl I recognize.

My throat tightens, and I take a step back from the table.

“Cool, be cool, man,” Preppy #2 says. “Yeah, walk away.”

I want to rip their throats out. But Harriett licks her lips and turns to whisper something in the human’s ear, and suddenly, the throbbing of the music swallows me whole. No. No, this isn’t happening. I can’t … I can’t lose her. I can’t lose her like I lost Ava and Marcus, if I ever had them at all.

“Scott. Scott, can you hear me?” Elias’s voice brings me back to my senses, and I jerk my head to find him standing right beside me. A couple of twenty-something women knock into us, and their beers spill onto Eli’s suit. He doesn’t even react, stoic as ever. The girls yell out a slurred apology and move on as quickly as they came.

Unconsciously, I wipe the beer stain on Eli’s jacket and frown. “I hear you,” I say.

“Did you find Harriett?” he asks.

I nod and look in her direction. She laughs along to something one of the preppy assholes says.

Elias’s jaw sets. “I see. She’s hunting,” he says. “They would not be my choice of sustenance, but they will be easy prey for her. Don’t worry. Soon, none of our kind will have to stoop to hunting ever again.”