Page 21 of The Second Sight
I didn’t believe him. They didn’t look alike. But I was going to play along and try to gather more information. “How long have you lived in Chicago?” I asked, genuinely curious despite my fear.
“A while,” Seven answered with a cryptic smile. “We move around quite a bit. We never stay in one place too long.”
“Because of the family business?” Brooklyn asked, clearly trying to get a clearer picture of our mysterious host.
Seven nodded, then smoothly changed the subject. “Tell me more about your studies. Do you live on campus?”
I felt a subtle shift in the conversation, noticing how Seven deflected personal questions while extracting information from us. He asked about our locations, our schedules, our families, all while offering nothing substantial about himself in return. It was like a chess match where I could see the moves but was powerless to counter them.
As we talked, Seven shifted to the couch where Brooklyn and I sat. He positioned himself beside me with a casualness that feltlike he knew me before tonight. Lily watched this rearrangement with her mouth in a thin line of disapproval.
Now sitting next to me, Seven’s knee occasionally brushed against mine, each contact sending an unwelcome jolt through my body. I couldn’t tell if the touches were accidental or deliberate, but they kept me constantly aware of his presence. What disturbed me most was my body’s confused response. My fear commingled with an attraction I couldn’t control and didn’t understand.
“I need to use the bathroom,” Brooklyn announced after we’d been talking for about twenty minutes. She stood, smoothing her dress. “Where is it located in this section?”
“Through there, to the left,” Lily directed, gesturing toward a discreet hallway. “The private facilities are much nicer than the main ones.”
As soon as Brooklyn was out of earshot, Seven turned to me, all pretense of casual interest gone. “Give me your phone,” he demanded, his voice low but authoritative.
“What? Why?” I clutched my purse tighter, wishing I had gone to the bathroom with Brooklyn.
“Because I said so,” he replied simply. “And because it’s better than me showing up at your father’s house to get your number.”
The implied threat was clear. Brooklyn’s big ole mouth told Seven I lived in an apartment attached to my father’s house. I pulled my phone from my purse and unlocked it before passing it to him. His fingers brushed mine deliberately, the contact sending another chill through me.
Seven quickly navigated to my contacts, adding himself. Then he opened my messaging app and sent a text to an unknown number. “There,” he said, handing the phone back. “Now I have your number, and you have mine. For our next meeting.”
“I already said I’d be there tomorrow,” I whispered, fear making my voice tremble.
“Yes, but this ensures you won’t forget.” His smile didn’t reach his eyes. His glare was too intense, too sexual. I felt naked and exposed when he gave me that piercing gaze.
Lily watched our exchange with undisguised interest. “You’ve certainly taken a special interest in this one, brother,” she observed, her voice cool. “Unusual.”
Seven ignored her comment. “Brooklyn’s on her way back,” he murmured.
I nodded, slipping my phone back into my purse just as Brooklyn reappeared, looking refreshed. She settled back onto the couch, launching into praise about the fancy bathroom.
As she chatted animatedly, Seven’s knee pressed against mine again, longer this time, and more deliberate. His hand casually draped over the back of the couch behind me, not touching but close enough that I could feel him.
Time stretched in the VIP section, minutes dragging into hours as I sat rigidly beside Seven with Brooklyn on my other side. Brooklyn laughed at Seven’s well-timed jokes and peppered Lily with questions about her jewelry. She was having the time of her life, while I fought to keep my expression neutral. My untouched bottle of water sat on the table staring back at me.
The server had brought another round of something without being asked. Lily nursed what looked like red wine but what I now suspected might be something else entirely. Seven hadn’t touched his drink either. I wondered if vampires could even consume normal beverages, or if they only pretended to for appearance’s sake.
“So, Lily,” Brooklyn said, her words slightly slurred from the cocktails she’d been happily accepting, “that necklace is gorgeous. Is it an antique?”
Lily’s hand drifted to the silver pendant resting against her collarbone. “Yes,” she replied. Her voice was clipped yet musical. “A family heirloom.”
“It looks really old,” Brooklyn pressed, leaning forward to get a better look.
“It is,” Seven interjected smoothly. “From my grandmother. Passed down through generations.”
His knee pressed against mine again, the sixth or seventh time in the last hour. Each contact lasted a few seconds longer than could be considered accidental. I’d stopped trying to shift away. It only seemed to amuse him.
I caught myself wondering how many “grandmothers” Seven had outlived over his centuries of existence. How many families had he watched grow old and die while he remained unchanged? The thought sent a chill through me that had nothing to do with his supernatural coldness.
“You’re very quiet, Kasi,” Seven observed, turning those pale eyes on me.
“Just tired,” I lied, forcing a smile. “It’s been a long day.”
