Page 78 of Inked & Bloodbound
Can you hear her? The bartender? Is she suspicious?I ask.
She shoots back quickly.Why? Can’t you hear her? Isn’t that why you wanted to feed from me? Or were you lying so you could get a little midnight snack before your big rescue mission?
Ouch. I deserve that. She’s right to be pissed off. I’ve yet to hear anything at all, and I get a sinking feeling when I realize it’s because I didn’t drink enough. I took from her again, I rejected her again, and it was all for nothing. Her voice drifts back into my head, sounding less pissed off and more deflated.
It’s too loud in here. There are so many voices, but no, she doesn’t suspect anything. She’s pissed off at her boss for making her work tonight, and she thinks I smell good enough to eat, but that’s about it.
Good. Just focus and let me know if you hear anything.
We take the beer and settle into a booth out of view of the main drag. Lily tucks a lock of her golden hair behind her ear and takes a tiny sip from the bottle. Her eyes dart around, like she’s trying to take it all in.
They’re all vile. It’s all lust and greed. All they want is to feed and fuck, and I can’t tell them apart.
Try for me, please, amore. Anything will help us. I just need to know if she’s here tonight. They’re calling her Lexi now.
Lily closes her eyes briefly. Her face tightens with concentration as she filters through the mental noise.
“There’s a guy by the cages,” she whispers. “One of them is thinking about a new member of the clan. They call him the Italian? Are they talking about you?”
I heard it too. It was quiet like a whisper, but I definitely heard it.They were talking about me and taking the Sangretà, but I didn’t say anything. “No. I’m sure it’s someone else. You’re doing well. Keep listening.”
What the hell is the Sangretà?She thinks.
It doesn’t matter. Concentrate please, my love.
As she settles back into the booth, I notice movement in my peripheral vision. A figure crawling across the floor on hands and knees, a thick leather collar around her neck attached to a gold chain. She’s young, maybe early twenties, with sweat-soaked blonde hair that hangs in limp strands around her face.
She’s been watching our table for the past few minutes, her head tilted like she’s trying to solve a puzzle. Now she’s making her way over, the chain clinking softly against the floor.
“Cass,” Lily breathes, noticing the approaching figure. “What the fuck is that?”
“Just stay calm,” I murmur. “She’s probably just curious about new faces.”
The girl reaches our table and sits back on her heels, studying Lily with glassy, drug-dilated eyes. Her arms are covered in bite marks, some fresh, others scarred over. She’s wearing nothing but a ballet-pink slip that barely covers her dappled thighs.
“Hey. I know you,” she says suddenly, her voice slurred but insistent. Her bloodshot eyes lock on Lily. “I know you from somewhere.”
Lily goes rigid beside me. “No,” she says quickly. “I’m sure you don’t know me.”
But the blonde leans closer, squinting through the haze of whatever they’ve given her. Her purple-ringed eyes are curious and assessing. “Wait…wait, I do. You’re…you’re…”
“You’re mistaken,” Lily says firmly, but I can hear the panic creeping into her voice.
The girl’s eyes suddenly clear, as if recognition has burned through the heavy fog in her mind. Her hand flies to her mouth in shock.
“Oh my god,” she whispers. “You’re Nurse Lily. From Austin General. You…you helped me when I OD’d.”
Lily looks like she’s seen a ghost. Her face is ashen, and her mouth gapes open in horror. The stranger giggles and leans in closer, but Lily recoils and pins her back against the velvet bench.
“I… Yes…I am…and you’re…”
“Oh, Lily, darling. I’m so glad you’re finally here,” she breathes. “It’s like I told you back at the hospital… They’re going to love you. You’re their favorite kind.”
26
LILY
“Anna?” I whisper.