Page 4 of Every Bite You Take (Midnight Siren Supernatural Cruises #1)

CHAPTER 4

DAMIEN

A fter Kylie all but sprinted from me, regret burned through my veins. Way to go. The first woman who’d made my heart sing in years and I went and sprayed blood all over her face. Real freakin’ smooth. I pictured her horrified eyes and closed mine with a grimace. Ten years as a vampire and I couldn’t handle a bloody introduction?

More like handled an introduction with blood. I groaned.

Behind where she’d stood, droplets of red spread across the freshly painted white wall like crimson stars in a blinding bright sky. Maintenance staff would love having to clean up my mess. I rushed into the men’s room and grabbed a handful of paper towels, soaking them with soap and water.

Returning to the scene of utmost humiliation, I scrubbed away as much of the stains as possible. That damn life force had a strong signature and clung no matter how hard I wiped. Clear evidence of a vampire lacking self-control. Great. The cruise line should feel confident they’d made a good hire with me.

I should have ordered blood at the crew bar like a normal vampire, the way I did to replenish myself after every show. But the hunger around Kylie had grown so strong and so sudden that I had to do something to curtail it—and fast—before I did something foolish.

Which I’d ended up doing anyway.

I straightened. “Splendid first impression, Rockwell,” I chastised myself as I tossed the stained paper towels into the trash of the men’s room.

When I returned to the hallway, I caught a trace of her scent lingering. I inhaled more deeply, and her fragrance melted away much of my horror. That floral aroma called to me like a siren song, and the urge to follow it rose. I could track her. Find her.

And then what?

She’d think the whacko vampire feeding from a blood bag in the hall was stalking her. Sure to make her rest easily tonight.

Time to get my head back on straight before I did something stupid that could cost me my job. Spraying passengers with blood and then hunting them down wouldn’t exactly win me cruise entertainer of the year points.

At least the ship was large enough that we might be able to avoid running into each other again.

As soon as that idea crossed my mind, I swallowed it back. I had to see her again. Find out more about her. And figure out why one woman ignited such a chaotic reaction in me.

The next night, when we played in the Nocturnal Lounge, I kept my senses attuned for Kylie. She didn’t show. Not that I blamed her. I wouldn’t seek out the vampire who’d acted like a buffoon and squirted blood on my face either.

I battled with myself—one side telling me it was better that I avoided her while the other yearned to seek her out. The call to find her won out. I walked along every deck that had entertainment scheduled that evening and even braved the onslaught on my senses in the loud and flashy casino. Nothing there.

Despite all the scents mixing onboard, I detected hints of hers in the hallway. It grew stronger and more recent on the higher deck. Anticipation rose, turning me into a predator on the hunt.

As I approached the Nocturnal Lounge with windows wrapped around the bow, the sound of “No Woman, No Cry” reached me. It was a Bob Marley and the Wailers cover night. The gig was well attended, and I met a wall of bodies blocking the band. I slid into a spot on the side, standing next to a young shifter bopping along without a care in the world.

And then I saw her.

Her vibrant amethyst hair glinted beneath the lights. Kylie swayed to the song, her expression carefree. Both dread and relief slammed into me at once. Being near her again relieved the tension that had been building inside me, but the way I reacted to her was so strong it could only be dangerous.

I couldn’t take my eyes off her as she moved to the music. Beside her, someone waved, breaking my focus.

I’d been so fixated on Kylie, I didn’t even notice Piper.

Get it together.

I straightened and rolled my shoulders back. Then I nodded at Piper, an attempt at projecting cool-as-a-glacier rather than middle-school mess.

When Piper waved me over, Kylie caught my eye and we both froze. A strange warmth flowed through me, starting in my chest and spreading through my limbs.

I navigated behind the crowd to walk over to them. My feet felt both heavy and light as if I was walking through clouds.

“Hey, Damien,” Piper said, speaking louder so I could hear her over the music—not that it was necessary with my vampire hearing. “Join us,” she invited me, seemingly oblivious to my near panic.

“Ladies.” I greeted them with a nod, trying to present myself as in control, a stark contrast from the confusion brewing within. When Kylie’s scent reached me, I had to stop myself from moaning in appreciation.

“Hi.” Kylie’s cheeks flushed. Or maybe it was the glow of the lights twinkling overhead that made her look otherworldly.

A storm started brewing within me—a wild mix of physical reactions. I rubbed the back of my neck. “We meet again.” I lowered my hand to my side and bent forward with a flourishing gesture. What was I doing? Acting like a vampire from another century?

“So soon,” she replied.

“Can I get you a drink?” My voice came out strained so I cleared my throat.

“No, thanks. Just had one.” Kylie smiled.

“How was your set?” Piper asked. She was eyeing me strangely, as if sensing I was off my game.

“Good, good,” I repeated automatically. “I didn’t see you there.” Grr, could I learn to keep my words in my mouth until I rehearsed them?

Piper pushed her pink hair behind one ear. “I had an art show earlier. Kylie attended and then we met up here.”

Avoiding me?

“Did you know Kylie works at a rock club in Boston?” Piper asked. A small smile crept across her face as her gaze moved between us.

“No, I didn’t.” I turned to Kylie. “Sounds cool.”

“Yeah, I like it,” Kylie said. “It’s just north of the city. Great vibe and music. Mostly 80s and 90s.”

The next song began—”Could You Be Loved?” Piper released a “Whoo, I love this song!” and shot her arms upward. She took our hands and led us in front of the band, where others had started dancing. Then she released them and vanished into the crowd with a pop of pink hair.

Piper. Grr. I shot eye daggers at her. What was she up to with leaving me alone with Kylie like this? Alone amid a crowd of strangers.

I couldn’t just stand there opposite her for another intensely awkward encounter, so I started to move with the beat. Super stiff, as if my spine was as straight as a coffin. One thing that calmed me was music, so I soon shed the awkwardness of a football team owner dancing at a Super Bowl parade and moved more naturally. To my surprise, Kylie danced opposite me. She caught my eye and smiled.

As the song continued, we grew more comfortable with each other. I offered my hand and she took it. As I spun her halfway around and then back to me, Kylie giggled. Hearing that musical sound was blissful, and I wanted to hear it again. I twirled her around completely and then brought her closer, wrapping my hand around her waist. Her hair was right beneath my nose, and her lilac scent filled me, stirring a blissful sensation.

I’d only just met this woman in my arms yesterday, but one thing became vividly clear—I already didn’t want to let her go.