Page 31 of Twice Bitten

“Good.” Addy nodded.

I could get through the last two hours of my shift without eating anyone.

Right?

Twenty minutes before my shift ended, I was barely holding it together when theIdentifycharm shrieked in alarm and flared crimson red.

I’d never seen the thing react quite like that. My fingers tightened on the edges of the register as I waited for the door to swing open. Magic rolled over the shop, sending the hair on the back of my neck straight up. A man stepped into Three Little Beans.

No. Not a man.

The Vampire Prime.

My heart stopped beating for a long moment. I’d seen the Prime once in person, but it had been dark and I’d been in toomuch pain to get a good look at his face. The research I’d done afterward had told me everything I needed to know.

Alric Methinas was handsome. Rich. Powerful. All the things that made the girls swoon. On my screen, he appeared aloof and unattainable, someone you only saw at a distance. But he was here, a few feet away, and I was frozen in place, struck dumb by the sight of him.

Alric wasn’t handsome. He was beautiful in a way only poets could describe. The ones who threw out careless phrases likecarved in marbleorcheekbones sharp as glass. The Prime looked like he’d stepped from the pages of a gothic novel, straight from the hallways of a castle high among the moors where virgins sat on the edge of their tower windows and despaired about their love lives.

Only a man like Alric could rescue them from their unfulfilled existence.

His hair was spun gold, swept carelessly back from his pale, unlined forehead. His nose was straight yet strong, and his cheekbones really did look like they could cut glass. Full, unsmiling lips tightened as sharp green eyes swept the shop, landing on me, where they lingered.

From the back, someone sucked in a sharp breath.

Silence rang inside the store. More than one customer discreetly raised their cell phones and snapped off a picture. No one could record inside, thanks to some clever magic of Addy’s.

Three Little Beans had been operational for years now, standing as a safe place for supernaturals and humans to grab a drink and socialize in peace. Never once had the Prime wandered in. He had people grab coffee and pastries for him.

Alric was here for a reason.

“Hello,” I said, surprised my voice didn’t squeak with fear. “Welcome to Three Little Beans. How may I serve you today?”

Amusement made his eyes less frigid. The door clicked shut behind him, trapping us together in a building that felt like itwas growing smaller by the minute. A cold sweat broke over my body, and I pressed my hands together underneath the counter so the Prime wouldn’t see them tremble.

He already knew I was terrified. Even young vamps could pick up on heightened senses. The Prime would be able to tell how many beats per minute my heart pumped, maybe even my blood type from this far away.

Even so, he didn’t need to see my hands shake with fear.

“I’m not much of a latte drinker,” he said as he came toward the register. His walk was slow and graceful, each step outlining his powerful, lean body. The Prime was dressed down today, or at least down for him based on all the pictures I’d idly clicked through a few days ago.

He wore a pair of black, well-tailored slacks, and a charcoal pullover sweater. Wool or cashmere if I had to guess, based on the fine cut. A leather belt with a gold buckle broke up the line of his clothing, and shiny, wing-tipped shoes completed his look. The only jewelry he wore was a thin, age-worn golden ring on his left index finger.

“We have tea, if you like,” I said and followed by rattling off all fourteen we offered.

The Prime blinked, his expression nonplussed. “I must confess, I’m not here for a drink.”

Oh shit. “A pastry, then?”

A smile threatened his handsome face. I hadn’t caught a single picture of him smiling online. Apparently, bumbling idiots amused him.

A few feminine gasps at the sight almost made me laugh out loud. More cell phones went up for pictures.

“I’m looking for someone. Female. Dark curly hair. I’m afraid I can’t tell you much else.” His gaze lingered on my own curly hair a beat too long.

I am not the droid you’re looking for, I chanted in my head.

I stared at him for a long moment. “I’m sorry, sir. You’re describing quite a bit of the population.”