Page 99 of Vampire so Virtuous

“Leave early?”

“Exactly.”

Eve waggled her eyebrows. “Go home and have more casual sex?”

Cally sighed. “The next love spell we do is yours, okay?”

*

Cally had dressed in a sleek, sparkly crop top paired with form-fitting jeans, but she hadn’t been clubbing since her MIT days, and felt self-conscious as she took the T’s Green Line into Arlington.

It was raining when she emerged, but in Boston, no one went anywhere without checking the weather first. She flicked up her umbrella and pulled her cropped leather jacket snugly around her. The club Priya had shared was only a short walk away, and the rain beat a staccato rhythm on her umbrella.

They’d agreed on a time to meet, but Cally was early, her intuition urging her to arrive before Priya had a chance to enter. Something felt off, though she couldn’t put her finger on what. She’d been looking over her shoulder more often lately—but it didn’t take much imagination to know why. She resented Antoine for that.

Another thing to add to the list.

It was a Thursday, but if Cally thought that meant a quieter clubbingnight, she was mistaken. The line outside was already long, snaking toward a couple of large bouncers and a red rope beneath an awning that did little to shield anyone from the rain. No cover for those waiting, but plenty of umbrellas. Cally joined the queue. At least she could save a spot for the others.

Eve arrived a few minutes later, wearing a corset-style top beneath a black denim jacket and figure-hugging black jeans. Her umbrella was look-at-me hot pink, a bold departure from her usual black wardrobe. It clashed spectacularly with her auburn hair.

She came right over, ignoring the protests of those who had joined the queue after Cally.

“Well, this is nice, isn’t it?” she said, and Cally wasn’t sure if she meant the weather, the club, or a general sardonic outlook on their evening’s plans. She leaned in close. “Have you recognized it yet?”

“No, I only saw the inside in my…previous visit.”

“Oh, right.” Eve folded her umbrella, slipped her arm around Cally’s waist, and huddled beneath hers. Her body was warm, a pleasant contrast to the chill of the night, but Cally tensed. A hug in Eve’s apartment was one thing. Clinging to each other in public was another.

“Relax, babe,” Eve said. “Priya’s about to walk up with her beau, and we’re a couple.” She went up on tiptoes to murmur in Cally’s ear, “Having casual sex, remember?”

“That was just—” Cally began, but broke off with a gasp as the wet tip of Eve’s tongue flicked over her lobe. “Eww!”

Eve lowered with a playful grin, but then her smile faltered. “‘Eww’ because ears, or ‘eww’ because my tongue?”

“Ears,” Cally replied quickly, offering a mock shudder. It was the safest answer.

“Good,” Eve said. “I’d be devastated if my tongue made you cringe.” Her hand was warm against the bare skin between Cally’s crop top and her jeans, fingers trailing gentle circles.

She’d always been handsy. Always flirtatious. Phrases here and there, some subtle, some not so much. It was her way.

But as Eve huddled against her, ostensibly to stay out of the rain, her touch a light caress, it dawned on her what it really was. Cally tensed again, but for an entirely different reason.

Eve noticed immediately. “You okay?”

“Fine.”

Eve had suggested the double date. She’d been the one to tell Priya theywere sleeping together. Was it Eve being playful, just for their ‘cover’? Cally wasn’t so sure anymore.

She watched her scan the crowd for signs of Priya with an intelligent, alert expression. Her fingers hadn’t stopped stroking Cally’s skin, like she was unaware she was doing it.

“You know I love you like a sister, right?” The words slipped out before Cally could stop them.

Eve looked up at her in surprise, then saw Cally’s expression. Her eyes widened, then narrowed, and she glanced away. So much unsaid in that look. After a beat, she met Cally’s gaze again, a soft smile teasing her lips, something bittersweet lingering there. “I know, sweetheart,” she said quietly, her fingers stilling in their idle caress. “Don’t worry, I’m not going to jeopardize our friendship. Believe it or not, that matters more to me than getting into your pants.” She rose up on tiptoe again, bringing her mouth close to Cally’s ear, “I’d rather have some of you than none of you.”

The conversation had turned heavy fast, and, like discussing magic and witches in a coffee shop, they were now talking about Eve’s unrequited love in a nightclub queue, with a dozen strangers in earshot.

“I’m… I’m sorry.” It sounded so inadequate, knowing she was at risk of hurting one of the people she cared for the most. Hell, was she being selfish? Didn’t Eve mean more to her than this? Maybe she could at least…try?