Page 12 of Little Wing (Shades of Fairhaven #1)

“ H ere.”

“What is this?” I looked down at the ground where my brother had tossed a beaded pouch, similar to the ones Mama had for special occasions. I reached in and pulled out a powder and a tinted stick, none of which I would have ever selected on my own. “Makeup?” I asked, looking up at him.

“You are going to wear it.”

“But Luca,” I started, examining the colors even closer. These were not even remotely fair enough to blend into my skin that mirrored porcelain after the change. “These colors are not correct; I will not look like myself.”

“That is the idea.”

His eyes were dark; what light he had was extinguished when I awoke from my first slumber.

Since then, he was the only one allowed to leave the barn where he kept me hidden.

He’d bring back animals or flasks, or bowls of warm blood that I once gagged at the sight of.

Now all I wanted was to bathe in it and let it cover every part of me, as if it would ease the ache for the life I had lost. But the makeup? Why?

“If you are going to go out, which I know you do,” he quickly said, shooting me a scathing look, “you cannot and will not go out looking like this. You would not last a day before they drag you by the hair and throw you onto a pyre.”

The image of our bodies burning was the threat he spoke of repeatedly. And yes, I did go out, but it was to enjoy the sunset and to watch the stars light up the sky, because now daylight was to live in our memories. But I never came across another person. I was always safe.

“Wear it or I will make sure you do not leave here without me,” he hissed.

The venom in his words demanded I nod my head and do as I was told. Though we were once born minutes apart, I felt the change distort our once sacred connection. It seemed this new life took much more from us than it gave.

I blotted a small sponge from my compact case along my cheek, examining the wear from my shift at the store.

Ever since the midnight release a few weeks ago, the number of regular patrons gradually increased.

Reina loved seeing new people come in and appreciate all the other books we had in stock, not just the popular romantic fantasies.

The extra traffic was worth it to see my best friend smile.

Once I finished adjusting my makeup in the bathroom, I gathered my things and walked back out where Reina was already setting out new bookmarks on the display beside the checkout counter.

Since she was going to be closing the store with Heather, I figured that I’d make the most of a free evening and go see Kait for a drink or two.

Before I could be free, Reina looked up from the display and curled her finger towards me—a summoning .

“Anything else I can help with before I go?” I asked, clutching my bag close against my chest.

“I forgot to ask you today,” Reina began, smiling sweetly. “Did you finally put that poor hunky vampire out of his misery and rock his world?”

I was happy that I wasn’t drinking anything in that moment, because there was no doubt that I would have spat all over her. Talk about a bloody scene.

But of course, how could I forget? The hunky vampire, Silas, who showed up at the bookstore day after day, and then did the same at the bar. He wasn’t disrupting us, but I couldn’t shake the way I felt when I could feel his eyes on me.

“What are you talking about?” I replied, not wanting to bring more attention to how uneasy he made me feel.

It wasn’t fear that kept me on my toes, but the thrill that came with anticipating the next time I’d see him out of the corner of my eye.

I had no reason to feel this way and I hoped that Reina couldn’t see through me.

“You know, the guy with the curly hair and the come-hither eyes. Silas?”

“Oh! Him.” I shrugged. “I thought that he maybe got your number or found you on one of those apps.”

Reina pressed her fingers to the bridge of her nose as she reached to drag me back to the concrete pillar.

It was an intentional move, bringing us back to where we first saw Silas that night.

She made a motion to the pillar then glared at me.

“You sweet, but silly woman, did you not notice how he was practically undressing you with his eyes?”

What I could see was the way he was trying to invade my mind, but that certainly wasn’t what Reina meant.

I never denied him being handsome. Frankly, I did toss a few images of him into my mental eye candy bank, but…

no. What Reina was talking about was out of the question.

Silas was a vampire, and I made the decision to distance myself from others like me.

All it would take was one quick scent and he would find a trail back to Luca, and that was a mess I didn’t want in Fairhaven.

“Listen, Reina—”

“Lo, I like vamps. I think their dick game is hella strong, but I know when someone isn’t looking to snack on my cookie, okay? That delicious man was all about you. Maybe it was that sexy librarian look you always seem to have going on. Kinda matches that sexy professor vibe he has.”

“You mean my work clothes? That I wear slight variations of?” I scoffed. “Come on, Reina.”

She could have gone on about how many orgasms she'd had with vampires versus humans, but before things could get even more “not safe for work”, I gave her a quick wave and walked out of the store, promising to text her later that night.

If anyone was going to be satisfied at the hands of a vampire, it would sooner be her than me. I might have been like Silas in nature, but that effortlessness that he carried in his presence; I didn’t even have a fraction of it.

By the time I got to The Royal Nomad, the place was more packed than usual. The crowd was mainly human, which made my throat itch at the intense fragrance of human blood. The music playing helped keep my senses distracted long enough to make it to the bar where Kait’s warm smile greeted me.

“Hey, you—long day?” she asked, setting out a napkin in front of me before she placed a glass full of the crimson liquid. Apparently, I didn’t even need to say a word for her to see how badly I needed a drink. I quickly slipped her my credit card and wrapped a hand around the chilled glass.

“Reina was just saying some ridiculous things involving vampires and orgasms, so I needed to change the scene for a bit.”

“Ah, yes,” Kait chuckled, wiping down the bar top with a rag. “Our dear friend whose love life could be either a teenager’s wet dream or a cautionary tale.”

I tipped the glass into my mouth and sighed happily at the taste of synthetic blood on my tongue. “She is a wild one, but she’s stuck with us. At least she’s someone you can count on for wishing you many good orgasms. I dare say that’s an admirable quality in a person, wouldn’t you agree?”

“Now if only her words promised said orgasms, then I’d think she was a witch.”

“Are witches real?” I asked, leaning forward.

“Honey, vampires are real, aren’t they?” she winked.

“True.” I lifted my glass in cheers before spinning around in my seat to get a better look at the stage.

I completely forgot—it was open-mic night.

Now I was certain I would be in for a treat, listening to performers of all levels of talent.

Before I could bring my focus completely to the musician plucking his guitar strings, I allowed my gaze to wander.

As if bewitched, my gaze settled on a pair of eyes staring directly at me.

Holy fuck—there’s no way! He's still doing this?!

“Kait!” I hissed and quickly spun around, tapping the counter to get her attention. “That man—do you recognize him? He’s been showing up at the bookstore and here and I swear, I think he’s legitimately following me. At what point is this labeled as stalking?”

The smile that spread across her face was wild. It was all teeth and dimples that led me to believe I was asking a question that she was waiting to hear leave my lips. You’ve got to be kidding me. This couldn’t be real.

“He’s also been buying you drinks for the last two weeks.”

I rolled my eyes. “Please don’t remind me.”

“You know ever since that night you basically ran out of here, he’s been showing up almost every day. All this talk of witches—did you put a spell on him or something?”

“I did no such thing!” I yelped. I clutched my glass tighter and let myself steal one more look at him only to find that he was leaning back in my usual booth with just enough space for another person. He held up his drink and smiled a smile so sly and cunning and… disgustingly handsome.

Kait leaned forward and topped off my drink before shrugging. “I’ve got your back, Lo. If he tries something funny, you know I have no problem bringing out my bat. Betsy could use some fresh air.” She nodded, looking over her shoulder to the bat she kept behind her bar.

“Um… thanks.” I could have left and gone back home, sure, but this was my favorite place to be, and I wasn’t about to let some man—some vampire—push me out.

No way. I grabbed my drink and my bag and shimmied through the crowd listening to the man with scruffy hair singing sad songs about his ex-girlfriend. At least that’s what it usually was.

I paused at my usual table where Silas was seated. I lifted my drink and one eyebrow, flashing a glare of annoyance. “Cheers.”

“Cheers, Lotus. What a coincidence that we meet again. Here,” he patted the seat beside him. “Want to join me? I think this guy is about to start crying.”

I looked at the empty seat beside him for a second longer. Sitting down wouldn’t hurt. Talking wouldn’t hurt. This was completely harmless. And if it wasn’t, then Kait would come marching with “ Betsy.” I would just use this as an opportunity to find out why he’s been showing up wherever I was.

I sat beside him and kept my attention on the small stage just a few tables in front of us. I could feel his full attention on me. The change in energy was truly palpable.

“What’s your drink of choice?” he asked, glancing at my hand that I kept wrapped around my glass. “I’ve been sending some of my favorites your way these past few weeks and you’ve sent them all back.”

“Red,” I responded quickly.

“Blood?”

My lips pressed tightly just as I squeezed the base of my glass with two fingers, using them to drag it closer to me.

“Hmm,” Silas chuckled softly, the sound finally urging my eyes to meet his.

Gods, those eyes. When we were turned, our human eye color was stripped and replaced with something truly inhuman.

It was one of the first ways that people could identify a vampire and even get a hint of how they were turned.

But his eyes were mesmerizing. It took me a long time to realize not all of us would awaken with eyes that were ruby like mine and Luca’s.

“And yours?” I finally uttered, forcing my eyes out of his gaze.

“AB negative. Has a nice aftertaste, if I do say so myself.”

I brought my glass back to my lips and sipped slowly, glancing at him for a brief moment to find him staring again.

“I can feel that, you know?”

Without addressing my observation, he shifted in his seat and rested his arm on the cushion of the booth. I watched the way his body flexed—his clothes weren’t keeping anything a secret. “When’s your birthday?”

“Huh? ”

“Your birthday, Lotus. Just want to make sure I’m not missing an opportunity to order you a treat, so Kait can serenade you.”

“September,” I responded quickly.

“Year?”

“I thought vampires were supposed to have manners. No one taught you not to ask a lady’s age?”

“We’re still doing that?” He outwardly laughed and palmed a hand through his brown hair. “You’re good, you know that?”

“At calling you out on your bullshit?” I smirked. This back and forth; I didn’t want to admit it, but I liked it. I liked the way he challenged me. Okay, maybe he wasn’t after my head, but it didn’t mean Reina was right. I wasn’t about to jump into someone’s lap just because they matched my wit.

Silas paused for a moment and took a final swig of his drink before nodding toward the door to the back patio. It was fenced in to separate the bar from the rest of the businesses in the area. “I’m going to get some air. Want to join me?”

He was harmless, I thought to myself. If he was going to stick a stake through my heart, Kait would see it all on her cameras. I was fine. This was fine.

“Sure.”