“We grew up together—sorta,” Elex explained.
“Sorta?” I asked. What did that mean?
Anselm moved his hand against my stomach. He dipped his fingers underneath my shirt. I swallowed.
What was he doing? Or maybe he was too drunk to know what he was doing.
“I was a few grades ahead of Elex,” Tate explained, leaning forward to kiss Elex’s jaw.
“Yeah—a few,” Elex teased, leaning back and kissing Tate.
I looked away as Tate curled his fingers around Elex’s throat and held him in place.
Anselm reached up after setting his drink down, kneading my ear between his cool fingers.
I turned to look at him. “How drunk are you?” I teased, shifting in his lap.
Anselm nipped the tip of my ear before whispering, “Drunk enough.”
A shiver of pleasure passed through me. It was madness the way he made me feel.
The hand on my thigh moved higher, and my heart started to pound.
“Nervous, Edmund?” Anselm teased, nipping my ear again.
“No,” I whispered, my voice weak as I shifted my gaze back to Elex and Tate. Elex had turned himself around in Tate’s lap. It was clear they didn’t care about the crowd around us as their mouths moved together. Tate’s hand was even down the back of Elex’s pants.
My face burned, and I looked away again.
“See something you’d like to try?” Anselm asked, and I pressed my face into his neck.
“You’re such a bully,” I muttered, and he grabbed my hips, pushed me off his lap, but pulled me back into it in the next instant. Only now, I was straddling him. My heart slammed against my ribcage. I reached out and pushed my fingers into his hair. My chest heaved. Everything burned again, and I didn’t know if it was because of the drinks or the fact that Anselm’s hand was on my ass right now.
My desire for him rose as he squeezed the soft flesh.
“Anselm,” I whispered as his mouth moved along my jaw.
My face was on fire. I shook my head, but I didn’t want him to stop. I . . . I wanted more. Maybe he would kiss me, like Tate had kissed Elex. There were so many people around, though. Someone would see.
“I thought you said they weren’t dating,” I heard Tate say, and I wanted to die.
Clearly, the other pair had paused their exploration of one another and caught Anselm with his hands on my bottom. My cheeks felt as if they couldn’t get any hotter as I pressed my face into Anselm’s neck. He slid his arm around my back and squeezed me softly.
“It looks like someone lied. I’m offended,” Elex responded, a laugh in his voice that only caused the heat in my cheeks to worsen.
“Tell him to go be offended somewhere else,” Anselm whispered in my ear.
Another shiver passed through my body, but I was way too embarrassed already to say that.
I just needed a minute to calm down—away from Anslem.
“Come on,” I said, getting out of Anselm’s lap and grabbing Elex’s hand. “Let’s dance.” I pulled him away from his boyfriend, moving from our table and back towards the dance floor.
My whole body was on fire even now that Anselm was no longer touching me.
“What was that about?” Elex asked me, and I shook my head.
“Nothing,” I blurted, but clearly it was something. From the look on Elex’s face, I could tell he didn’t believe me. “I don’t know. Maybe the drinks?”
“It sure didn’t look like the drinks. He looked ready to eat you alive,” Elex stated.
“How did you see anything when Tate was down your throat?” I countered.
“I have eyes in the back of my head,” Elex retorted, and I laughed. Looking away from him, I could see Anselm and Tate still at the table we had abandoned. Neither of them was speaking to the other, and they seemed to be going out of their way to look anywhere but at one another. “They look so awkward together.” Elex laughed, and I joined him.
“It reminds me of two children in time out,” I agreed.
“Or forced to play together,” Elex said, and I laughed some more. It was probably mean to leave Anselm with the stranger, but I’d had to run away. The way he made my body feel—
My heart was still pounding. My body still burned in all the places he had touched.
“Was Tate the first person you ever . . . ?” I let the question drop, feeling too embarrassed to even finish my statement. It wasn’t my place to ask.
Elex stared at me, but I wouldn’t make eye contact with him.
“No. I wish, but no,” Elex finally said, answering the question I’d been unable to ask.
I looked back at Anselm and the werewolf seated across from him.
“Sorry for asking something so personal,” I said. It wasn’t my business if Tate was or wasn’t his first. I didn’t even know where I’d been going with the question. Maybe wondering if Anselm and I . . . I shook my head, trying to clear the thought away, but it lingered.
Would Anselm and I ever make it that far? Did Anselm even want to?
His actions said yes, but we were still looking for Cassius. I would be re-cursed when we found the dark witch. ThenI guessed life would go back to normal.
“It’s okay. Most people just make assumptions,” Elex said, drawing me from my thoughts.
He turned to look at the table as well. A small smile pulled up his lips.
“You like him.” I teased him the way he had teased me not long ago.
“I’ve always liked Tate. He’s been good to me, even when he had no reason to be,” Elex explained, the pair of us swaying our hips to the music as we talked over the noise.
“You’re hot. Isn’t that reason enough?” Elex was a very attractive man. If I could tell that, I was sure Tate could as well. “Plus, you’re a good person.” He was the kind of person you wanted to hang around. At least, he was the kind of person I wanted to be around.
Elex laughed softly. “Sometimes, anyway.”
I opened my mouth to reply, but someone touched my elbow, and I turned to look. A stranger had a smile on his lips and a drunk expression on his face. He moved closer, making the scent of booze and body odor waft towards me. I stepped away from him, pulling my elbow out of his grasp.
“Don’t be that way,” the man slurred, reaching for my ears, but he was yanked back before he could touch them.
“I think it’s time you go home,” Anselm hissed, pushing the stranger away as his arm came over my shoulder.
“What’s your deal?!” the drunk yelled. I glanced at Elex, seeing Tate behind him.
Anselm hissed at the man, baring his fangs in a way I’d never seen him do before. The man held up his hand, backing away quickly before he turned and fled into the crowd. Tate inspected Anselm before his gaze moved past the vampire as though he was scanning the crowd.
“You okay?” Anselm asked me.
I nodded. “I’m fine.”
He moved his fingers down my arm until he laced them with mine.
“Let’s ask around, see if anyone knows about Cassius, then get out of here,” Anselm said.
I nodded, looking at Elex, a little disappointed our fun had been ruined. He smiled and waved as Anselm pulled me into the crowd. I followed behind him, and for some reason, I was even more turned on now than before.
Anselm
There wasn’t a single soul in Freaky Friday who could help me locate Cassius Ruda. I knew that much because it felt as if I had asked everyone within the overcrowded nightclub about the elusive dark witch.
Some of them, mostly the humans who were here because they knew someone with the right DNA to get them through the door, hadn’t known the name. Others, those with the right genome, had shied away from answering my questions. The ones who did know him, that could have been of use and didn’t mind spilling their guts for a fat stack of cash, couldn’t tell me anything of importance. I felt as if I was banging my head against a brick wall.
It didn’t help that the world was unsteady.
Everything danced, and it wasn’t just because we were on the dance floor again. The drinks I had consumed were hitting me hard, being pushed through my system and metabolized the same way blood was. It made everything feel fuzzy, like static on the television screen.
“Are you okay?” Edmund questioned. He placed his hands on either side of my cheeks as he pulled me down so we were almost eye to eye. He looked so worried, so concerned.
“You’re so pretty,” I whispered and reached out to curl my fingers around his neck. Pulling him towards me, I slid my mouth over his. He went still, but I pressed forward, my tongue sinking between his lips. He was bitter like the whiskey but oh so sweet. I wanted to take a sip out of him again, just a tiny one, just enough for the blood to mix with the whiskey in me.
Would he let me?
My fangs scraped his bottom lip as I pulled back. He whimpered softly, pressing his body against mine. I could smell iron. Flicking my tongue out, I tasted his wound.
“You taste good,” I whispered.
“Anselm,” he muttered, his bright blue eyes glowing neon as he peered up at me.
“Will you stay with me?” I asked, pushing my fingers into his hair. My thumb brushed against his ear. He turned into my touch, his lips pressing against my palm.
“Always,” he whispered, his fingers curling around my wrist as he stepped closer.
“Even if I can’t fix you?” I asked, my heart squeezing. I wanted him to be with me always but if he wasn’t a cat, would that be possible? Would I lose him to death?
“Do . . . do I need to be fixed?” he questioned, his grasp tightening.
My brows pulled down. His question was important. I could tell by the way he peered up at me, holding his breath as if waiting for something. I slowly shook my head. Did I think he needed to be fixed? “No. I don’t think so.” He was perfect just the way he was. I wouldn’t have him any other way if it was possible, but I also wanted him in my life in whatever form he took. I couldn’t lose him.
“I want to be with you,” he said, pressing his face into my chest.
I wrapped my arm around his body and pulled him against my chest. “Forever,” I muttered, my lips near his ear as I squeezed him. I wanted forever with him. “Promise?”
“I promise. I swear it,” he said, wrapping his arms around my body. I buried my face in his hair and inhaled, holding him close as I enjoyed the heat of his being.
“Edmund,” I muttered, pushing him back. My stomach churned. I could feel it—my punishment for being stupid, for forgetting for even a moment that I wasn’t human anymore. My body wasn’t built for anything but blood now. “I’m going to be sick,” I warned him before I heaved. My stomach twisted as my body rebelled against what I had decided to consume.
I gagged, feeling the sourness of sickness as it rose in my throat. My stomach tightened. Stepping back, I turned away as I doubled over. Blood spilled from between my lips, splashing to the floor. The music was too loud, the crowd far too busy pressing up against one another to notice as I staggered forward, more crimson liquid spewing from my mouth.
My body ached, and I sagged forward, holding my stomach as everything burned.
“Oh God,” Edmund said, his hand on my back. “Are you okay?”
My body shook. My chest was on fire. Blood spilled from my lips again. My knees buckled, and I careened forward, catching myself before I landed in the pool of blood coming from my own body.
“Anselm!”
My mind cleared. The world stopped rocking as the static left, but my body was ablaze.
“I’ll get help,” Edmund said. He turned and shoved against the people that pushed back against him before he disappeared between the bodies, slipping further away.
I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply. I was trying to steady myself, but I knew what was in store. And for the first time in a long time, regret swam through me.
Fingers pressed against my back. “I got Elex,” Edmund told me.
What was the human going to do for me? Be dinner? I couldn’t eat him even if I wanted to.
“Jesus,” Elex said. No doubt he noticed the blood people danced through in the flash of overhead neon lights. “He needs a hospital.”
“Home,” I hissed. A hospital could do nothing for me. Not even a Med-Witch could fix this.
“Please,” Edmund whined, tightening his fingers in the back of my shirt.
He was scared. I could hear it in his voice. He was scared, and he was worried, and I felt guilty for being so stupid as to indulge. I knew better. At least, I’d thought I did. Apparently, even as old as I was, I could still be a dumbass.
“Just help me get him home,” he continued to beg.
“Tate,” Elex said softly. There was a soft sigh before a beefy arm wrapped around my shoulders. I was yanked upright by the giant man Elex was with. He supported most of my weight, dragging me towards the door. Edmund and Elex trailed after, pushing through the crowd in a bid to keep up.
We exited onto the sidewalk. The ever-present smell of mutt wrapped around me.
I shoved away from the mongrel and crashed to my knees. My stomach heaved again. I painted the sidewalk, turning it a bright ruby. Every muscle in my body clenched, tightened as if held by a vice as I gagged.
“Should we call EMS?” Elex asked, his own concern obvious.
Emergency Medical Services wasn’t going to do anything for me.
“No,” Edmund replied with a soft shake of his head as he kneeled beside me. His hand pressed against my back, and I closed my eyes, breathing deeply. The fresh air didn’t help to settle my stomach. It wasn’t that fresh either with Tate standing only a few feet away, stinking like a dog pen.
“He’s a vampire, sweetheart,” Tate explained to Elex. Of course he knew what I was. He could smell me even better than I could smell him. “It’s normal for his kind. He’s just drunk.”
“Sober now,” I countered. The drunk was gone. The sick had arrived.
“We better get him off the streets,” Tate said. It wasn’t safe for me to be so weak out in the open. I had meant to head home, to be locked in my house—preferably in the bathroom—before this point, but time had slipped away as Edmund and I had enjoyed ourselves.
“Sunrise,” I warned. It was coming. Could I get home before then?
“We have to hurry,” Edmund said, his gaze meeting mine.
I was sorry I’d put him through this. Later, I would apologize. I would make this up to him.
“All right.” Tate sighed. He slid his arm across my back and yanked me to my feet. The sudden motion made the blood in my body churn. I burped. Blood bubbled in my throat, and I swallowed, refusing to give up to the sickness now that I was on my feet once more.
“Wait,” I told the werewolf when the vomit rose in my throat like a tidal wave. He paused, and I inhaled sharply, smelling nothing but him. It wasn’t a pleasant smell, but unlike the first breath of him, it didn’t make me vomit. “Okay.”
He walked forward, half carrying me. Elex rushed ahead, stopping at a car.
He yanked open the back passenger door and held it as Tate dropped me. I heaved, turning out the door. Tate stepped back, clear of the blood as it splashed onto the asphalt.
“This is going to be fun,” Tate said, shoving me back into the car before jerking the belt around my chest.
“Let’s just do each other a solid and pretend this never happened,” I replied.
“I can do that,” he agreed before shutting the door.
The three of them got into the car. Tate rolled down my window, and I laid my head on the side of the door, closed my eyes, and focused on breathing.
“Sorry,” I told Edmund as he laced his fingers with mine. I hadn’t wanted our night to go this way. I had intended to focus on finding Cassius, but it had been Edmund’s first time at a nightclub. I’d just wanted to spend time with him in the relaxed setting, unworried about what the future might hold for just a minute. If I hadn’t drunk, I wouldn’t be si
ck. We could still be dancing.
Guilt curled in my stomach alongside the whiskey and blood I was sure to spew soon.
“Don’t be,” Edmund said, resting his head on my shoulder. “I had fun.” I smiled softly because I’d had fun too, up until I was vomiting on the dance floor. “And I’ll poke fun at you when you’re feeling better.” He squeezed my hand.
Tate hit a pothole, and I groaned softly. “It might be a while.”
Edmund
For five whole nights after we visited the club, Anselm was sick. I hadn’t thought it was possible for anyone or anything to vomit as much as he had, but somehow, buckets of blood continued to come out of him. Now he looked paler than normal and in desperate need of a meal.
I wasn’t human as I moved to sit between his legs. Had I been, I would have offered him my own blood, but sadly, when I shifted wasn’t up to me.
“You need to feed,” I told Anselm.
He bent down, picking me up again. “Later,” Anselm replied, placing me in his lap as he stroked my fur.
I shook my head. “I’ll stay home, but you need to go and feed.”
This was the worst I had ever seen him. I didn’t like the way his eyes were sunken in and how he was colder than normal. He was clearly drained, and he needed to eat in order to regain his strength.
“All right,” Anselm agreed, and I was shocked that I didn’t have to nag him more.
He must have been worse than I thought if he was agreeing so quickly.
Anselm placed me down on the sofa and stood up. Instantly, he shifted and collapsed with a soft groan. He had lost too much blood over the last five days. Now, he was weak and starving.
“You know, come to think of it, I’m not really hungry right now,” Anselm said.
I scoffed. “Call Grey,” I ordered. Grey would bring Anselm blood bags. No, actually, Grey wasn’t the kind of vampire to take his meal out of a bag. He would just bring some person for Anslem to feed off of.
“Ew. I’d rather starve,” Anselm said, and I pressed my paws against his chest.
“You’re lucky I don’t have thumbs right now,” I said. I would take his phone and do it myself if I had thumbs.
Eight Lives (Match Made In Hell Book 1) Page 8