Davy Harwood by Tijan
Bennett lied, “We have a class together.”
“We do?”
“Yeah. Social work.”
“Oh, yeah. The class with Moser?” Adam played into Bennett’s hand.
“That’s great!” This new Emily was easily satisfied.
I wasn’t, but I quieted when Adam pulled into the parking lot. As we got out of the car, I found myself alone with Bennett. Somehow, in the blink of an eye, Emily and Adam had approached the restaurant without us.
“Wha…?” I managed out before Bennett stepped right in front of me.
“You know who I am.” He tried to pierce me with his blue eyes. They reminded me of Kates, how fierce and crystal blue they could be at times….
I recovered quickly and snapped out, “I know what you are.”
“If you’re smart, you’ll keep that to yourself,” he threatened.
“I’m not smart. A lot of people think I’m dumb, really dumb, bimbo dumb.” I backed down quickly when I remembered Roane’s warning. Loathing vampires drew attention and it certainly wasn’t normal. They were used to being feared.
He ran an aggravated hand through his greasy hair. “What do you want?”
“Stop taking lovebites out of my roommate.” How many times does a person get to say that?
“Fine. You won’t say anything to her? She doesn’t know what I am. I’d like to keep it that way.”
“You had to have realized that I’d know what you are. Kates was at the bar that night.” I knew every vampire knew who and what Kates was.
“What?”
“Kates. She’s one of my best friends. She’s a slayer, remember?”
“Oh yeah… I never thought… Kates is one of us. She’s loyal to Lu—there’s a lot of humans that know our secrets and a lot that don’t. I’d like Emily to be one that doesn’t know.”
Whatever he’d been about to say, I wasn’t sure I wanted to hear it. By the look of his sudden nervousness and quick catch, I knew Bennett wished that he hadn’t slipped what he had.
I stepped closer. “She’s loyal to who?”
“Lucas Roane. The Hunter. She’s loyal to him like everyone else.”
I knew that was a load of crap. He hadn’t been about to say Lucas. “She’s loyal to him, huh?” I told myself to let it go. My insides screamed that this vampire was bad news, but I was a human that night. Roane made me promise. I couldn’t do anything, absolutely anything, to give any suspicion. So that meant I needed to accept that Bennett had lied through his fangs to me.
“She is and so am I. There’s no problem, right? I won’t hurt your roommate. If I do, I’d have to be killed, remember?”
Right. The whole decree thing… and yet, as he turned and left me behind my gut didn’t agree with him.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
“I wasn’t sure where you went.” Adam pulled my chair out for me.
“Uh… yeah…” I didn’t think I could tell him a vampire had threatened me.
Adam frowned, but sat beside me as Bennett arrived behind me. There we were. Two couples based on lies and supernatural coincidences. As I looked around, I realized that we were at the best table. The restaurant was nice and by nice—I meant expensive. A fountain was in the middle of the restaurant and each table had a crystal goblet with three small goldfish swimming inside. Our glasses were diamond encrusted.
“Did you request this table?” I asked Adam.
“What?”
“This is the best table in the restaurant. Did you ask for this?”
Bennett lifted his whispering head. Emily fanned herself.
“No. I mean, I called and asked for the availability tonight. They weren’t doing reservations. We just got here. I couldn’t have… what was the question?”
“Nothing.” I shook my head with an easy smile. It didn’t matter, but I wondered if Roane had anything to do with the table. I hoped not. It didn’t help my confused emotions.
“Shall we order?” Bennett suggested.
I fixed him with a glare. “Right. You’re a big fan of… what? Salad?”
“Davy.” Both Emily and Adam reprimanded me.
I was nonplussed. “Maybe you can order the meat rare. You can tell them not to cook it, just slap it on a plate for you.”
“Davina.” Emily had remembered her prim and proper standards. She looked nauseous.
I arched an eyebrow, ready for whatever Bennett threw back, but Adam caught my hand and dragged me from the table.
“What is going on with you?” Adam tried to be nice, but he still sounded aggravated. It was somewhat endearing. He was like a gentleman that needed to ask something ungentlemanly, but couldn’t figure out the words.
“I don’t like him.”
Adam sighed and scratched the back of his head. A surge of warmth speared through me. He really was unlike everything else in my life. Stable. Honest.
“Hey.” I caught his hand and pulled it between us. “I like you.”
He was startled, but delight spread over his features. “Really?”
I squeezed his hand and moved closer. “I know that it’s sudden and fast and this is our first date, but… I just wanted to tell you that. I like you.”
“I like you too.” An anchor seemed to have lifted off him. “Wow. That feels good to have that off my chest.”
This is what I wanted, right? I wasn’t sure, but I held tight to his hand anyway. Adam glanced from my eyes to my lips and back again. I held my breath. I knew what he was going to do—he waited for a signal, any signal. If I moved just an inch he would’ve been a happy boy. I was stricken. Adam was what I wanted. I’d taken one look at him at the hotline and knew he would be mine. I enjoyed the chase and now the chase was done. Adam was mine. So why wasn’t I happy? Giddy? I was just…nothing.
Then I glanced over Adam’s shoulder and knew it would have to wait. Kates was at our table.
“What the—?” I straightened away from Adam and stepped around.
“What?” He looked too and froze in place.
I wasn’t sure why he seemed paralyzed, but I know that the sight of Kates whispering into Bennett’s ear wasn’t going to make my life any easier. What in the hell was she doing here? I didn’t wait to ponder and marched across the room. “What are you doing here? And with him?”
Kates gasped, “What are you doing here?”
“I’m on a date.” I jerked my thumb over my shoulder. Adam looked like he was caught in a pair of headlights.
“With him?”
Why was this so surprising?
“Yes. That’s Adam. I told you he was mine.” My chest puffed up a little bit.
“That’s Adam?” Why was Kates so incredulous?
“We do?”
“Yeah. Social work.”
“Oh, yeah. The class with Moser?” Adam played into Bennett’s hand.
“That’s great!” This new Emily was easily satisfied.
I wasn’t, but I quieted when Adam pulled into the parking lot. As we got out of the car, I found myself alone with Bennett. Somehow, in the blink of an eye, Emily and Adam had approached the restaurant without us.
“Wha…?” I managed out before Bennett stepped right in front of me.
“You know who I am.” He tried to pierce me with his blue eyes. They reminded me of Kates, how fierce and crystal blue they could be at times….
I recovered quickly and snapped out, “I know what you are.”
“If you’re smart, you’ll keep that to yourself,” he threatened.
“I’m not smart. A lot of people think I’m dumb, really dumb, bimbo dumb.” I backed down quickly when I remembered Roane’s warning. Loathing vampires drew attention and it certainly wasn’t normal. They were used to being feared.
He ran an aggravated hand through his greasy hair. “What do you want?”
“Stop taking lovebites out of my roommate.” How many times does a person get to say that?
“Fine. You won’t say anything to her? She doesn’t know what I am. I’d like to keep it that way.”
“You had to have realized that I’d know what you are. Kates was at the bar that night.” I knew every vampire knew who and what Kates was.
“What?”
“Kates. She’s one of my best friends. She’s a slayer, remember?”
“Oh yeah… I never thought… Kates is one of us. She’s loyal to Lu—there’s a lot of humans that know our secrets and a lot that don’t. I’d like Emily to be one that doesn’t know.”
Whatever he’d been about to say, I wasn’t sure I wanted to hear it. By the look of his sudden nervousness and quick catch, I knew Bennett wished that he hadn’t slipped what he had.
I stepped closer. “She’s loyal to who?”
“Lucas Roane. The Hunter. She’s loyal to him like everyone else.”
I knew that was a load of crap. He hadn’t been about to say Lucas. “She’s loyal to him, huh?” I told myself to let it go. My insides screamed that this vampire was bad news, but I was a human that night. Roane made me promise. I couldn’t do anything, absolutely anything, to give any suspicion. So that meant I needed to accept that Bennett had lied through his fangs to me.
“She is and so am I. There’s no problem, right? I won’t hurt your roommate. If I do, I’d have to be killed, remember?”
Right. The whole decree thing… and yet, as he turned and left me behind my gut didn’t agree with him.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
“I wasn’t sure where you went.” Adam pulled my chair out for me.
“Uh… yeah…” I didn’t think I could tell him a vampire had threatened me.
Adam frowned, but sat beside me as Bennett arrived behind me. There we were. Two couples based on lies and supernatural coincidences. As I looked around, I realized that we were at the best table. The restaurant was nice and by nice—I meant expensive. A fountain was in the middle of the restaurant and each table had a crystal goblet with three small goldfish swimming inside. Our glasses were diamond encrusted.
“Did you request this table?” I asked Adam.
“What?”
“This is the best table in the restaurant. Did you ask for this?”
Bennett lifted his whispering head. Emily fanned herself.
“No. I mean, I called and asked for the availability tonight. They weren’t doing reservations. We just got here. I couldn’t have… what was the question?”
“Nothing.” I shook my head with an easy smile. It didn’t matter, but I wondered if Roane had anything to do with the table. I hoped not. It didn’t help my confused emotions.
“Shall we order?” Bennett suggested.
I fixed him with a glare. “Right. You’re a big fan of… what? Salad?”
“Davy.” Both Emily and Adam reprimanded me.
I was nonplussed. “Maybe you can order the meat rare. You can tell them not to cook it, just slap it on a plate for you.”
“Davina.” Emily had remembered her prim and proper standards. She looked nauseous.
I arched an eyebrow, ready for whatever Bennett threw back, but Adam caught my hand and dragged me from the table.
“What is going on with you?” Adam tried to be nice, but he still sounded aggravated. It was somewhat endearing. He was like a gentleman that needed to ask something ungentlemanly, but couldn’t figure out the words.
“I don’t like him.”
Adam sighed and scratched the back of his head. A surge of warmth speared through me. He really was unlike everything else in my life. Stable. Honest.
“Hey.” I caught his hand and pulled it between us. “I like you.”
He was startled, but delight spread over his features. “Really?”
I squeezed his hand and moved closer. “I know that it’s sudden and fast and this is our first date, but… I just wanted to tell you that. I like you.”
“I like you too.” An anchor seemed to have lifted off him. “Wow. That feels good to have that off my chest.”
This is what I wanted, right? I wasn’t sure, but I held tight to his hand anyway. Adam glanced from my eyes to my lips and back again. I held my breath. I knew what he was going to do—he waited for a signal, any signal. If I moved just an inch he would’ve been a happy boy. I was stricken. Adam was what I wanted. I’d taken one look at him at the hotline and knew he would be mine. I enjoyed the chase and now the chase was done. Adam was mine. So why wasn’t I happy? Giddy? I was just…nothing.
Then I glanced over Adam’s shoulder and knew it would have to wait. Kates was at our table.
“What the—?” I straightened away from Adam and stepped around.
“What?” He looked too and froze in place.
I wasn’t sure why he seemed paralyzed, but I know that the sight of Kates whispering into Bennett’s ear wasn’t going to make my life any easier. What in the hell was she doing here? I didn’t wait to ponder and marched across the room. “What are you doing here? And with him?”
Kates gasped, “What are you doing here?”
“I’m on a date.” I jerked my thumb over my shoulder. Adam looked like he was caught in a pair of headlights.
“With him?”
Why was this so surprising?
“Yes. That’s Adam. I told you he was mine.” My chest puffed up a little bit.
“That’s Adam?” Why was Kates so incredulous?