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Eventually I made my way into the building that housed The Book of Kells and the most magnificent library I had ever seen. After leaving campus, I wandered throughout the streets, visiting St. Patrick’s Cathedral, an old Viking settlement, and Dublin Castle. Exhausted, I sat down to take a break in the castle gardens. I must’ve dozed off because before I knew it, it was dark out. I looked up and saw Takk looming over me.
“Let’s go,” he snapped. “Leo’s waiting for us.”
I stood up and motioned for him to start walking. “Lead the way, O’Grouchy One.”
He glared at me before taking off at a brisk pace. I was practically jogging just to keep up, but I wasn’t about to admit that he was getting the best of me. I had a strange prickling sensation on the back of my neck as we made our way into the Temple Bar district. I looked behind me but saw nothing more than a crowd of tourists and pub-goers.
Takk stopped and jerked his head towards the entrance of a small pub. “In here.”
Right before stepping across the threshold, I caught m
ovement out of the corner of my eye. A woman was rounding the bend, her profile bearing a striking resemblance to Maria. God, I really was letting my imagination get the best of me if I was seeing her halfway across the world. Shaking it off, I went inside and spotted Leo waiting in the back corner booth. I smirked as I thought about how he habitually positioned himself with his back against the wall. Always the paranoid protector.
He stood as I approached the table. “My love, how was your day?”
I slid into the bench seat across from him. “Pretty great. It’s like an entirely different city by day. I saw some really interesting things.”
He motioned the waitress over. “I’m glad you enjoyed yourself. What would you like to drink?”
The waitress arrived and looked at me expectantly. “I’ll have a beer. Anything is fine.”
“Verra good. What will the gentleman be havin’?”
“I’ll have a scotch,” Leo replied. “Whatever premium brand you have.”
I looked behind me and saw Takk sitting at the bar. “Is he going to join us?”
Leo shook his head. “No, he prefers not to mix business with pleasure.”
Our waitress was back placing our drinks on the table. “Here ya go. One pint of Gat and one scotch. I’m Chloe if ya need anything else.”
I got the heebie jeebies again as I sipped my Guinness. I looked around but didn’t see anything out of the ordinary.
Leo noticed my anxiety. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing…I just keep getting this weird feeling that someone is watching me.”
He scanned the bar with laser focus. “I don’t sense any threats.”
I rubbed the back of my neck as I stretched my psychic senses. “Me neither. I think my imagination is going crazy. It’s been an eventful day; I’m probably just tired.”
“Of course.” Leo nodded in agreement, but his body remained tense.
I felt my phone vibrating in my purse, so I pulled it out to see who was calling. Leo saw Vance’s name on the caller ID the same time I did. “I should probably take this.”
I slid the answer button over. “Hello?” I couldn’t hear a thing with the cacophony of voices surrounding us. “Hold on a second, let me step outside so I can hear you.” I got up from the table and walked outside with Takk trailing me from a distance. Just as the noise level was low enough to resume my call, I bumped into someone and dropped my phone. “Shit!”
I bent over to grab it just as a large hand scooped it up for me. “Pardon me, I didn’t see you.”
I followed the voice with my eyes and found the man from the club. He smiled as he recognized me. “Ah, the beautiful American!” Fangs appeared as he unapologetically scanned my body from head to toe. So, he was a vampire. Maybe that explained the strange vibe I got before. I looked over my shoulder and saw Takk standing guard, ready to intervene. I shook my head slightly, telling him to hold off. The last thing I needed was to raise any suspicion.
“Karli?” Vance’s tinny voice called through the speaker, grabbing Connor’s attention.
Connor held out my phone. “Forgive me for being so clumsy. I believe this is yours?”
I grabbed it, briefly inspecting it for damage. Thank God for sturdy cases. “Yeah, it is. Thanks.”
He nodded his head. “My pleasure. Have a good evening.”
