Page 11 of Little Wing
“Lo?” Reina asked, waving her hand in front of my face. “You okay?”
My gaze quickly returned to the woman standing in front of me. I could always tell her the truth about hiding in plain sight from people, from vampires, who would like nothing more than to ruin me. All I had here were the friendships I treasured, and I couldn’t bear the thought of losing them. So, I did what I could and smiled.
“Sorry, just not used to there being so many people here. Sure, if you think that is the best for the store, then you know I’ll be here to help with any event.”
“And the future bookish hangout, too? You know I don’t want to do it without you.”
I nodded. “Of course.”
Content with my response, Reina’s lips parted as she reached with a free hand to push a strand of her lavender hair behind her ear. Her attention suddenly fixed on something beyond our conversation.
“Oh… my gods.” Her eyes quickly darted from me to what appeared to be over my shoulder. The change in her body language made me wary about looking behind me.
“That is a fucking sexy vampire,” she declared.
I blinked and before I could turn around to see who she was talking about, Reina gripped my wrist and practically squeaked through tight lips. “Girl—he’s staring, like, right at the back of your head.”
As her grip loosened on my wrist, I grabbed the book from her arms and turned toward a shelf I could set it on. The maneuver allowed me the most natural way to steal a glance in the direction Reina was staring. It didn’t take long at all for my eyes to settle on the man who was leaning against the concrete pillar. His skin was a warm tan that would have you think twice about him being a vampire. Any suspicion of mortality dissolved in the instant he flashed his fanged grin that complemented the gleam of his brilliant silver eyes. Not even colored contacts could be that mesmerizing. They were so delicate; so much more beautiful than mine. His dark brown hair was curly and styled to reveal a partial undercut. His facial hair was trimmed to a short stubble that only made his smile more mesmerizing. The plain white T-shirt he wore under a black sport coat had me wondering just how fitted the fabric must have been against his skin. And of course, his jeans hugged him right where they needed to be kept snug. I forced my eyes away from his torso and looked back up at his eyes that were very clearly staring right back at me. Oh wow, okay. Yeah—he was staring right at me.
Like a child caught doing something they shouldn’t, I pivoted away from the bookshelf and gasped quietly. It didn’t matter that I wasn’t facing him anymore. I could scent him. I could feel his eyes traveling up and down my body—burning into my back. In that moment, I recalled his face and the familiar way my body reacted to his gaze. I knew him! Well, not exactly, but I recognized him from The Royal Nomad.
“Cutie, right?” Reina giggled quietly, keeping her hand over her mouth. “You’re looking a little flustered there. Better shape up, because he’s coming right over.”
I didn’t even have a chance to drag her away before she waved excitedly.
“Hello! Are you enjoying the event?” Reina stepped from behind me and offered another polite wave as the man stopped in front of us. His presence carried a weight that couldn’t be ignored.
I didn’t dare look him in the eyes again, yet I could feel his searching for mine.
“I am,” he began, a whisper of an accent on his tongue. “I’ve passed this store many times, yet I don’t recall it ever being so… lively.” His voice was like velvet, rough yet smooth and bold—my gods, just the sound of his voice was doing things to me—things I had no business feeling! The front I fought hard to uphold trembled involuntarily as his eyes continued to travel over my body. Questions lingered in his gaze, yet he verbally entertained another conversation. He played into Reina’s politeness. Two conversations playing out simultaneously. One inquired about our store while the other prodded my mind.
What are you?
He raked his hand through his chocolate curls and settled at the shaved side. “I hope it’s no bother, but my brother asked me to pick up a copy of the new Reverie novel. I know nothing about it, but his wife has been asking about it.” He smirked, giving us both another flash of his fangs—hiding nothing about what he was. “Hoping I didn’t miss an opportunity to pick one up?”
I said nothing.
Reina jumped at the first opportunity to help the man. “You most certainly didn’t! We’ve sold a few, but don’t worry if we don’t have oneup front, Lotus will be more than happy to get one from the back for you.”
His posture tensed up with a sharp exhale at the sound of my name from Reina’s mouth. Before either of us could say anything, Reina was summoned to the counter by Heather for assistance with a transaction. Her squeal of “I’ll be right there” was all we heard before I was left “alone” with the handsome man.
He was a vampire. There was zero doubt about that. His body lacked a human warmth, and he emanated a soft hum that resonated only in vampires. Its sound lulled softly in my ears. While my heart raced as fast as a vampire’s heart could, he continued to observe me not with malice, but mere intrigue.
He rubbed the side of his head again before moving down to his stubbled jaw. I hated that I couldn’t look away. When his hand moved from his face, I watched as he stuck it in his pocket. Even with a store full of chatty people, there was a silence that stretched between us, one that soon began to feel somewhat uncomfortable. I could hardly stand still, but I tried hard to remain calm even as his eyes failed to look away from me.
“Is your friend a fan of Reverie?” I finally asked.
His eyes squinted, as if he was picking my words apart.
“Sir?”
“Are you in cosplay too?” he asked casually, picking up a book off a neighboring display. He flipped through the pages mindlessly before setting it back down to return his full attention to me.
“Cosplay?” I quickly glanced down at my cardigan that hung loosely against my body. “Not quite. I am playing the role of the happy bookstore employee. I can't say I'm that dedicated of a fan of Ms. Reverie," I said, nodding towards the small sea of patrons who were dressed up and socializing.
“Vampire.”
I choked back a laugh. “Excuse me?”
