Page 34 of Twice Bitten (Love, Lust & Magic #1)

“Just outside of this room, there’s a stairwell that leads to the second-story deck,” Julian calmly explained to as they passed the stage control board.

“Wait, that’s the side exit? Isn’t the first rule of staying alive in a horror movie situation to not go upstairs?” asked a frenzied . And where’s Pruitt? Uriah?

“I think it’s actually to not be a virgin,” Kale replied without missing a beat. “Dumb as he may be sometimes, Julian’s got the right idea. Before I turned twenty-one, all I did was climb the fire escape to get in here. Once you’re up there, you can’t miss it.”

“Oh,” said a surprised . “What about Pruitt and Uriah?”

Julian and Kale gave each other a smug, knowing smile.

“They’ll be just fine .” Julian pushed the door open. “Hurry up then, skin and bones.”

“Uh, thanks!” exclaimed. They didn’t need to tell him twice. Out the door and into a small, dark hallway, followed the glow of an exit sign with an arrow just ahead of him.

Not long after that, his hands found the railing, and he guided himself up a winding staircase. “ Okay, okay, okay, patio fire escape,” he whispered in an attempt to keep himself focused.

Another exit sign illuminated his path to freedom. Pushing through the doors to the patio, was pleased to feel the cool night air on his skin.

Making his way through a maze of tables and abandoned drinks, reached the railing and peered over it. To his surprise, he saw a mixture of people fleeing the bar and at least three dozen others partying on another bar’s balcony some ten feet below and a building over. “Somebody call 9-1-1!” he shouted.

Hanging over the railing of their deck, the bachelorette party who had swooned over a shirtless Darcy earlier that night raised their drinks in response to ’s call for help. The drunk women jumped up and down in excitement before the bride-to-be herself lifted up her shirt and flashed him.

Oh, for fuck’s sake , thought to himself as he looked around. “Ah ha!” he said aloud as the fire escape caught his eye.

“Not so fast,” came a voice from behind him. was surprised to see Kale—and even more surprised as Kale forcefully grabbed him by the wrist.

“Hey, I was just about to go down the fire escape and?—”

“There’s been a change of plans, bud.” turned to see Julian—eyes flashing—now standing between him and his only exit.

“Is n-now a bad time to say I loved the performance?” asked as the two men revealed their fangs.