Page 58 of This Blood That Binds Us

“What do you want to drink?”

Chelsea’s voice cut my concentration.

“I don’t know. My stomach kinda hurts, so I’m not sure if I want to drink...”

“Two AMFs please.” Chelsea slapped down her ID. It hadn’t occurred to me that she was older than me.

I hid my face, hoping the bartender wouldn’t see me lurking nearby, not that I had planned on drinking, anyway. Leaning against one of the large wooden pillars, I tried to listen again.

“What are you doing all the way over here...and where’s your accent?” Kimberly asked.

He chuckled. “The sunny views in California were calling my name. There are so many interesting people here. As far as the accent, I lost it long ago.”

“Long ago?” Kimberly said.

A longer-than-usual pause gave way, and I wondered if I had somehow lost their voices in the crowd until William said, “I’d love to tell you all about it. Would you accompany me upstairs, where it’s a little quieter?”

Heat rushed to my face again, and before I could contemplate what I was feeling, Kimberly spoke again. “Uh...sure. I’d like that, but I think I’ll take you up on your offer. Do you think you could get me a pineapple margarita?”

Shit. I spun around and searched for her in the crowd. As the night went on, the music was louder, the lights darker, and more people swarmed the dance floor.

“You don’t drink, sweetheart. Why don’t you tell me why you really invited me here?” William’s voice was sharp.

Ice ran through my veins. He knew. She was right. He was the vampire.

“Here you go. This should help your mood.” Chelsea thrust a tall glass of blue liquid into my hands.

My mind was going a million miles a minute. I needed to ditch Chelsea, and any attempt to get her to go away was bound to lead into an argument I didn’t have time for. Kimberly needed me.

William’s voice was a small whisper in the crowd. “You don’t know what you’ve gotten yourself into.”

Chelsea’s white sparkling dress caught my eye. It was the way the lights from the disco ball danced and shimmered on the sequins. I knew what I needed to do. I brought the drink to my mouth and pretended to chug it. A few streams of the alcohol trickled down my neck and lurched forward, and I pretended to fall into a coughing fit. The liquid sprayed all over her dress. The blue glowed neon against her white dress, and Chelsea cursed under her breath.

“What the hell? Are you okay?” She placed her drink on the bar, grabbing mini towelettes to clean herself.

“I’m so fucking sorry. I’ll get you more paper towels!” I said, knowing full well I would not be doing that.

I found myself in the middle of the dance floor. Kimberly’s voice wasn’t coming up. I couldn’t tell if she wasn’t replying or if I just couldn’t hear her.

I peeked over the wall of bodies, then the bass exploded into a never-ending pulsing that wouldn’t stop rattling my eardrums. The crowd thrashed from side to side, nearly knocking me into the ground. I cupped my hands over my ears, my eyes darting for the faintest sign she was near. With every second, fear crept into my mind, and I tried to search faster. Every corner ended up empty. I couldn’t find my brothers, and I couldn’t find Kimberly. The light show continued, and my heart beat faster in my rib cage. I stumbled into the crowd. The rhythmic thumping boomed harder and harder. Every sense that had once made me feel invincible dragged me down with it. No matter how much I tried to focus on anything else, I couldn’t. I was drowning.

“What’s wrong?” Luke towered over me. He grabbed my forearm and pulled me away from the view of the dance floor. Relief washed over me.

“Please help me! I’ve got to find Kimberly. Something’s wrong.”

I pushed my way through the crowd with a newfound confidence, caring less and less how hard I was pushing. I searched continually for any sign of her red hair.

Luke was hot on my heels. “Tell me what’s going on.”

“I will. I just have to find her first.”

I called out her name, knowing it was futile, the whole dance floor pulsating with movement.

“There she is!” Luke pushed me into her direction before I could even see her. His height gave him an advantage I didn’t have.

When I spotted her, she was moving toward the edge of the dance floor close to the stairs.

“Wait, stay here! I’ll be right back, and I’ll explain everything. Okay?” I said.