Page 23 of Fangbanger

But with her, I know if I let this go much farther, I might be too far gone to care.

13

LEAH

“Moody fucker, isn’t he?” Karina sets our drinks down at the end of the wooden bar, where we have a view of the room.

“Like you wouldn’t believe. We didn’t even speak on the ride over.” At Karina’s look, I make a face. “I know. If you asked me that four days ago, I would have said of course we didn’t talk. I was too busy staking him in the heart.”

“Are you planning to after all this is over?”

I sip my drink and watch Marcus move through the bar, silent and predatory, while he hunts for his dinner. Several heads track his movement, either because they want to be dinner or because they wonder who the new vampire is in their midst.

We’re in Silver Fall’s busiest bar, Good Intentions, as in the road to hell is paved with them. The magical sign over the door sparkles faintly, reminding us of the bar’s motto. Every so often it sparks and shows either a crude joke about witches or tonight’s drink specials.

Good Intentions is frequented entirely by the supernatural population. The bar itself is in the town, but the tree-lined side street appears to be a dead end if you’re a human. The magical population is letting loose, like we do every Friday. Karina’s cousins are in the corner doing shots of something flaming and shooting sparks from their fingertips every time they make a joke. Dean and his pack members are here, claiming stools like they own them and laughing too loudly.

“No,” I say finally. “He isn’t evil. I don’t go around staking random vampires. Just the homicidal maniacs.”

At her skeptical look, I shrug. “He’s not evil. Just—an asshole sometimes.”

Her smile is sly. “So no biting? You sent the poor guy out for takeout instead of providing him a home-cooked meal.”

I flick her in the arm, and she snort-laughs into her drink before taking a long, appreciative swallow.

“What is it tonight?” The bartender is a sorcerer with a crush on Karina’s aunt, and he always gives her a little something extra.

She takes another sip. “Dancing Queen.”

I sigh. “Good one.” Dancing Queen gives you moves on the dance floor but only when ABBA is on. “I think I got Lucky Number Nine.”

“Buy one of those human lotto tickets on the way home.” She wiggles her fingers. “And maybe you’ll get lucky with someone here.”

I make a face. “I’m not bringing someone home while the vampire is in my bed.”

Her jaw drops. “In your bed?” She kicks me under the bar. “You’ve been holding out.” Another kick.

I swallow a pained grunt, and Marcus’s head whips around. He glares at me and I give him the finger. “Your shoes are pointy. Simmer the fuck down before he comes over and I’m forced to stab him with a cocktail skewer.”

She wriggles happily on the chair. “I’m sensing a vibe between you two.”

Karina doesn’t get out enough. “Yes, the vibe is called mortal enemies with a temporary truce.”

She raises both her brows as she sips the neon pink cocktail. “Truces famously call for you to sleep in the same bed.”

“It’s tactical.”

“Tactically—”

“Don’t.”

She snort-laughs again, shoulders shaking. I swallow more of my green drink and watch Marcus make conversation with a were-panther who looks eager for a good fanging. The vampire isn’t making much of an effort, from what I can see, but maybe he doesn’t need to. He’s large and muscular and so handsome it hurts to look at him. Controlled violence simmers in his gaze, which is enough to get half the supernatural population hard.

Sleeping with him would be—don’t even go there, Leah.

“Don’t look now, but your favorite person just walked in.”

I tilt my head toward the door. “Ugh.”