Page 6 of Bite of Midnight
The moment she touches me, everything else fades.
The chatter. The laughter. Even the music blurs to nothing. It’s just her hand, warm and delicate against my sleeve, and that pulse, steady, golden, alive.
I guide her through the crowd. They part without realizing why. Something in their instincts tells them not to step too close.
We reach a quiet corner, velvet seating, candles flickering low, a wall of ivy behind us. The air smells like wine and faint smoke. She releases my arm reluctantly and sits, crossing her legs, the shimmer of her wings catching the candlelight.
I take the seat beside her, close enough to breathe her in.
“So,” she says, smiling into her drink, “Damien, the mysterious Halloween host who ‘knows the owner intimately.’”
I huff a soft laugh. “Guilty.”
“Should I be worried?”
“Yes.” The word leaves me before I can stop it. Her eyes widen, so I add quickly, “Only because you’re far too trusting.”
She tilts her head, still smiling, still fearless. “And you’re not?”
“Not in a very long time.”
Something flickers in her gaze, empathy, interest, maybe both. She swirls the straw in her drink, the ice clinking softly. “Then tonight’s a first for both of us.”
“How so?”
“I never do this,” she admits. “Parties. Random guys. Sitting in dark corners with strangers who look like they belong in a history book.”
“Do I?” I ask, amused.
She laughs quietly. “You have that whole timeless thing going on. I’m guessing you don’t hearnovery often.”
“I’ve heard it enough to appreciate when someone says yes.”
Her smile fades a little at that, her eyes catching mine. The tension that blooms between us is heavy and alive, humming just beneath the surface.
For a moment, neither of us speaks. She looks down at her glass, then back up at me. “You’re… different.”
“You have no idea,” I say softly.
She leans in a little, curiosity shining in her eyes. “Tell me something about you then, Damien-who-might-be-from-another-century.”
I could tell her everything, that I’m not breathing, that my heart hasn’t beat in a thousand years, that I’ve built entire empires while waiting for her to exist. But instead, I give her the truth she can handle.
“I’ve been searching for something for a very long time,” I say. “And I think I just found it.”
Her pulse jumps. I can feel it. Hear it.Tasteit.
She swallows hard, smiling despite herself. “Smooth.”
I smile back, letting her think it’s charm and not prophecy. If only she knew how literal it is.
She takes another sip and sets her glass down, condensation sliding over her fingers. “So… what do you do, Damien?”
I smile faintly. “This and that.”
She grins. “That’s not an answer.”
“I’ve been around a long time. I’ve done a little of everything.”
