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AT AGLIO

RUSSEL

“You look like death,” Levi said, flashing his teeth in an exaggerated, creepy smile.

I scoffed at the old joke.

He turned his wineglass, making the ruby liquid swirl. He pretended not to look at me too closely, even though he had surely analyzed every micro-expression the second I stepped into his hotel.

The excellent wine—Levi only had the best—should have improved my mood. It soothed my throat and tricked my empty stomach. But this odd apathy persisted. I was so used to the feeling that I rarely noticed it anymore. Maybe it was just who I was—a sad, lonesome creature of darkness, who apparently enjoyed feeling sorry for himself.

“What’s up with you?” Levi asked.

“Nothing’s up with me. Nothing’s the matter, nothing matters, nothing’s happening.”

My friend nodded solemnly. “Ah. The April blues. The prolonged daylight always gives me an existential crisis. The experts recommend feeding more often in smaller doses to combat seasonal depression.”

“I’m not depressed. The sun doesn’t affect me.”

Levi lifted his sculpted eyebrows. “I assure you that it does.”

“I don’t have seasonal depression, Levi.”

“Are you becoming a grump with old age?”

I gave him my most annoyed look, but he just laughed.

“Russel, my friend, you need to feed more often. You deny your body the most basic of needs and then complain about the consequences.”

Levi’s solution for everything was more blood and more sex. It worked for him. “I’m fine.”

“Come to the club.”

“Thanks, I’m good.” All that hassle. Flirt, seduce, negotiate. It used to be exciting a decade ago, but the more I knew about human nature, the less I enjoyed conversing with my food. I was good for a few more days.

Levi finished his wine and set the glass down. “You’re about to start at Fowles he wanted the rush of a vampire bite and nothing more. Was it hypocritical to berate him for it? I could just take him to the room Levi had booked me and get it over with. In less than half an hour, I could have my dick in this man’s ass to the hilt and my stomach full of his blood. I’d be fine for another two weeks.

He stepped closer, pushing his knee between my legs until our thighs rubbed together.

“I’ve seen you here before.”

“Possibly. I don’t remember you.”

A flash of irritation passed over his face but disappeared quickly. “So, you in or what?” Faking innocence, he tilted his head to the side, exposing his throat. His pulse fluttered under his fragile skin, his warm human scent like blasts of hot air over my face. But the chemicals he’d doused himself with ruined it.

No, I wasn’t hungry enough for this. I shouldn’t have let Levi drag me up here.

“Thanks for the offer, but I’m good.”

“Go fuck yourself,” the man mumbled and pushed off the bar counter.

I turned my back to the room and finished the wine. After tipping the bartender, I stalked out of there, careful not to make eye contact with anyone.

It would have been a smooth exit had I not bumped into Levi by the elevators.

“You’re done already? Don’t tell me you fed in the toilet stall.”

“I did not.” I pulled the key card out of my pocket. “Thank you. I really appreciate your help, but I won’t be having dinner tonight.”

Levi scrunched his eyebrows together. “What the fuck, Russel? You’re basically gaunt, your irises are paler than my ass, there’s a pot full of young blood right under your nose, and you’re leaving ?”

It occurred to me I could say something about him serving junk food at his clubs, but I stopped myself at the last second. It would have been a vile comment in more ways than one. Instead, I wordlessly shoved the key card into his jacket pocket, much like he’d done to me.

He lifted his arms and shook his head. “I don’t understand you, man.”

One elevator opened, and I sidestepped Levi to get inside.

I waved as the door began sliding shut. “The wine was great!”

It took a while to get downstairs, with the elevator stopping on several floors of the high-rise hotel, letting people in and out. When I finally got out on the ground floor, my nose was full of aggressive scents. Outside, I looked up at the sky and took a deep breath. Levi’s hotel stood in a prime location at the edge of the park, and the stench of the city was weaker here, diluted by the smell of trees and freshly mowed grass.

I walked home, soaking up the relaxing effect of the night. In a few days, I’d be working a day job again, drowning in traffic and sun-induced headaches. To face it, I would have to feed soon, I knew. But I wasn’t desperate just yet.