Page 45 of Little Wing
I pondered the question and how I would answer before pushing off from the wall.
“Well, there was certainly violence involved in many cases, unfortunately. Even back then, all we wanted was peace. In my case, if people were turning their heads, then we—” I caught myself and cleared my throat. “Um, I would end up moving somewhere else. Small towns were difficult for that reason, so I preferred living in a city back then. Less people paid attention to me that way.”
Satisfied with my answers, I returned to our main discussion. The session continued flowing smoothly and as more questions were asked, our discussion branched off into much deeper topics. Like how did vampires without a community survive so long? How did we not lose ourselves in isolation? Moments like that made me wonder what my life could have been like if Luca and I had more support and direction. If we had a nest, like the one Mateo and Silas had, would it have made a difference in how Luca and I ended up?
Or were we always destined to live with one foot out the door, always ready to run at a moment’s notice when someone would finally catch on to who we were.
As I spoke, I allowed my eyes to venture around the room. Because we were in the open, I watched as new guests came in or when they stopped by the cluster of chairs to listen in on the discussion. But as I talked, I couldn’t ignore the feeling that someone was watching me intently. I shifted my weight from one foot to the other, doing my best to remain focused on the next question that was asked.
But I couldn’t ignore the chills that ran down my spine.
Something isn’t right…
When the feeling did not go away, I braved a quick glance out of the corner of my eye where I saw a large shadow come into my peripheral vision. The air suddenly felt heavier. It felt… wrong. The comfort that I often felt at Little Wing was shrouded in something that made it hard to breathe. In seconds, the shadow moved closer, pushing bodies out of chairs with such force that some people fell to the ground.
“Hey—watch it!” the pink haired woman exclaimed.
The shadow I saw just seconds ago was no longer a phantom lingering just out of my line of sight. It was a man who stood tall with rage in his blue eyes. He was dressed in a plaid jacket and blue jeans. He didn’t look any different from the other vampires at Little Wing, but it was in the way his eyes refused to leave mine that unsettled me.
“May I help—” I started to ask before his finger wagged harshly in front of my face.
“You!” he hissed, his spit spraying onto my cheek. He rubbed his full dark beard that didn’t match the short blond hair on top of his head.
I quickly moved into de-escalation mode, trying to move the young vampires away from the enraged man. Not breaking eye contact with him, I tried to keep my voice steady.
“Sir, please lower your voice.” My words were soft yet stern. My eyes studied him closely.
Not human. Vampire?
He flashed his fangs in anger.
Yup. Vampire. Who was he?
“Who the FUCK let this murderous bitch in here?” he seethed, spitting again. This time instead of wagging his finger like a weapon, he closed the distance between us and backed me up against the wall.
Oh gods… No.
I spotted Quinn already rushing from behind the front desk and down the hallway to the back office where I knew she would try to get Silas’s attention. No, he was going to be busy. I could handle this. I could keep them safe. That’s why I volunteered. I came here to help not to cause a scene.
My breathing quickened as I tried to remain calm, but the brute’s breath smelled like crimson, and he was much bigger than me. I had to defuse the situation before he made more of a commotion.
“S-sir, there is no reason to yell,” I said, trying to negotiate my way from the dead end of the wall behind me. “I’m not sure what you’re talking about, but I assure you that these are good people you are scaring. Why don’t we settle down and we can talk peacefully.”
He scoffed and refused to look away. Fire continued to burn in his eyes. Fire that was directed at me.
“Thought you’d leave and we’d never find you again, whore?” He shoved me harder against the wall and gripped my bicep roughly.
“Ow!” I yelped as he yanked me forward enough to wrap his hand around my throat. “Y-you’re hurting me!” As he squeezed harder, I tried to push him away. “I’m not who you t-think I a—”
“I can fucking SMELL him on you, stupid bitch! I can smell that traitorous bastard. Where is he?” the man howled. “Where is your coward of a brother? I’ll bathe in his blood once I’m done with you!”
My eyes widened. Oh, my gods. He knew me.
He recognized me.
My mind immediately rushed with guilt for having stopped wearing my makeup that Luca instructed me to wear. But even with it, this was bound to happen, right? I just never expected that it would be at Little Wing, somewhere vampires of all circumstances could feel safe.
The man squeezed harder around my windpipe. I had no doubt I’d be left with dark bruises there as well as my arm. I suppose it wouldn’t matter if he was close to crushing me anyway.
