Page 50 of Thicker than Water

I’m getting as far away from them as possible. There’s a sour, twisted feeling in my stomach. But what’s worse is that I’m feeling it at all.

I’m barely a few steps away when I feel a cold hand on my arm.

“Let go of me!” I snap, louder than I mean to.

“Amara,” Celine says.

Her firm tone stops me. I turn around to face her. Her fangs are completely out, sticking well past her lips. There’s red around the corners of her mouth. I try not to look directly at her.

“What?” I ask, pulling my arm away.

She surveys me slowly, like she’s reading a book. “Amara, I have to drink.”

“I get it. You’re a vampire.”

“So why are you upset?”

“I’m not upset.” I toss my braids over my shoulder. “I’m just working. This is where Iwork.”

“Your heart is beating very quickly.”

I glare at her.

She frowns. “Amara, I need to drink blood or I’ll deanimate.”

“I know! So why don’t you get back to your little snack, and I’ll get back to my job.”

I need to get out of this conversation right now. If I keep looking at her stupid purple eyes and her bloody mouth, I’m going to throw up.

I push through the sweaty, gyrating bodies on the dance floor, heading directly to the bar.

Why am I upset? She’s completely right, she’s a vampire, she needs to drink blood. And I’m definitely not offering any. I have absolutely no reason to be jealous.

I open the hinged counter top, fuming.

And with ablond! That girl looked like she was barely in her twenties.

“Are you ok?” Nova asks, as I slam the top of the bar back down. “What happened to your tray?”

“I lost it,” I snap.

Out of the corner of my eye, I spot Celine making her way through the crowd.

“Go away!” I shout.

Instinctively, I cross the fingers of my right hand, a gesture to ward off evil energy. She falters, her shoulder slumping slightly, and goes back to her earlier conquest.

“Vampires,” I sigh.

“Well, I’m out,” says Nova, putting their empty whiskey glass on the counter. “Night, all!”

“Night, Nova!”

I turn to Xia, to see if her glass needs to be refilled.

I stop when I notice her wide eyes. Her gaze is fixed on the crossed fingers of my right hand.

Immediately, I uncross them. Chuckling nervously, I take her mostly-full stein and start pouring more beer into it.