Page 17 of A Taste of Bliss

Gavin and his cronies look at Benny, their gazes narrowing. “What did you say?”

Benny shrugs, not repeating himself.

Gavin’s blonde friend takes in a deep whiff through his nose and looks to Shaun. “Your vamp friend isn’t Born, is he?” It’s a guess. Scent wise there’s no difference between turned vampiresand Born vampires. Some fae can just tell, like Maude. Probably a combination of years of experience and a sixth sense. But this guy isn’t one of them. The fae takes a threatening step closer to Benny.

I put myself in between them. “No, he’s not.”

“And what the hell are you?” He sniffs the air in front of me. As expected, a younger Born fae doesn’t have enough experience or intuition to identify my species.

“Trust me,” I say, my voice only deepening with hatred and violence. “You don’t want to find out.”

The group of male fae look between Evan and Shaun. “I’d heard rumors you’d really fallen down the social ladder. Didn’t believe it till now,” Gavin says. He closes a hand around his friend’s arm, bringing him back into their group and closing their ranks. But not before throwing a vitriolic look my way.

Before I can do anything stupid, like rip into the guy here and now, Benny leads me down a vacated hallway, Evan and Shaun at our heels.

We stop near a credenza boasting a few expensive looking vases. I rein in the urge to smash them. Benny rubs a hand up my arm and back down, trying to soothe me. My eyes flash angrily between Shaun and Evan. “I can’t believe you know those arseholes.”

Shaun’s lips press together. “Sorry about that. I just wanted to confirm some things I’ve been hearing.”

“And did you?” Benny asks. If he’s upset or confused as to why Shaun and Evan would stop to talk to that group, he doesn’t show it or voice it.

Shaun nods, exchanging a look with Evan. “They’re more bold about their views than they used to be,” Evan says. “That’s not a good sign.”

I raise an eyebrow at them both. “We’ll explain more,” Shaun says, “once we get home. But I just wanted to check to see how radicalized Gavin and his friends had become.”

“Why?” Benny asks.

“We need to keep an eye on them is all,” Shaun responds.

“And if they become a problem?” I ask.

Evan laughs and claps me on the back. “Then you can eat them.”

Tension eases out of me and I realize I’ve had my shoulders tensed up around my ears. They relax and I let out a soft laugh.

I’m about to make a joke that I could take care of that right now when my chest constricts painfully. Suddenly I can’t breathe.

My mind flashes back to that night so many years ago.

Claws digging into my chest.

I fall to the ground, clutching at that spot, and my friends all crowd around me trying to figure out what’s wrong.

CHAPTER SEVEN

BLISS

FOUR YEARS AGO

Amelia arches an eyebrowat me as I stifle a yawn. “How are you tired? Didn’t you justeat?”

“Hell yeah, she did.” Jordan smirks and runs his hand up my thigh. I squirm away from him in the booth with a little squeal, laughing as he grabs me, pulling me back towards him and nipping at my neck. “I’m gonna go grab a drink babe, be back.”

Amelia watches him go, eyes rolling. She narrows them on me. “You can’t keep faking orgasms with him.”

“I don’t,” I mutter, watching as Jordan’s head of dark hair disappears behind a group seated at the bar.

“Then why does he think he’s some sort of sex god?”