Nightwolf

“Amethyst DeMille, I presume,” Dracula says to me. “I’ve heard so much about you.”

“And you must be Dracula,” I tell him. “I’ve heard so much about you.”

And by that, I mean I know what Lenore told me, how her first impression of Dracula was walking in on him in a crazy sex dungeon in Helsinki while he was getting a blow job from a human slave. Apparently, the guy is insatiable when it comes to sex, though he did end up helping Solon and Lenore in the end. I also heard that, like the fictional Dracula, he also lost his love, only for her to be reincarnated later, only to lose her again, so he’s definitely got the tragic backstory thing going for him, too.

“I bet you have,” Dracula says. “I’ve also heard you’re fresh on the market.”

I stare at him. “You what?”

He takes a step closer to me, giving me a wicked smile, leaning in like he’s about to tell me a secret. “That must hurt, to turn yourself into a vampire for Wolf, and yet you’re not even together anymore.” He leans in even closer, his face inches from mine, and his gaze drops to my lips. “Seems like such a shame, doesn’t it?”

I don’t know what the hell Dracula is doing but when his eyes meet mine, I see the knowing sparkle in them.

What a shit-disturber.

“Get the fuck away from her!” Wolf snarls from behind me and suddenly his presence is all I feel, as well as the volatile anger and possession that’s rolling off him in waves.

Dracula winks at me and then pulls back to look at Wolf over my shoulder, his face exaggerated in innocence. “Christ on a bike! Sorry, old friend, didn’t see you there.”

As I said, fucking shit-disturber.

I look over at Solon who has his arms crossed, watching the scene with a bemused look on his face. He knows what’s going to happen and he’s not doing anything to stop it. Then again, all the vampires are crowded around us now like kids during a fight on the playground.

“I’m not your fucking friend,” Wolf snaps, and the band suddenly stops playing, the room going silent.

I turn around to look up at him. My god he’s so fucking gorgeous when he’s angry like this. His jaw gets all tight, there’s this vein in his forehead, his eyes are all cold and flinty. I don’t think I could love him more. Some women may run from possessive guys, but I run to them, especially when it’s Wolf.

“And she’s not on the market,” Wolf adds with a curl of his upper lip. “She belongs to me.”

I’m trying not to swoon here.

Dracula slides his hands into his pant pockets and rocks back on his heels. “Oh. Okay. It’s just I remember the last time you said someone belonged to you, I ended up with her in the end.” He gives me another wink, thrusting his hips out just enough to make me look at his crotch. “Just stating the inevitable, darling.”

I don’t see it coming.

Wolf suddenly lunges forward like a feral beast and he’s tackling Dracula to the floor. I scream and get out of the way, while Wolf starts punching Dracula right in the face.

“Wolf!” I yelp, hating the violence, though everyone else is cheering like crazy, like they’re watching two famous MMA fighters finally having their match.

And Dracula doesn’t take the hits lying down either, even though he clearly asked for them. He gives just as good as he gets back to Wolf and the two of them are rolling on the floor, punching, biting, body slamming, blood flying.

Finally, Solon steps in to break them up, using all his strength to pull them apart.

Both Dracula and Wolf look like hell. Noses broken, teeth missing, cuts and bite marks everywhere, blood covering their bodies and faces.

And everyone cheers, raising their drinks, even though there was no clear winner (though Dracula does look a bit more beat-up than Wolf, and I’m beaming with pride at that).

Wolf looks at me through swollen, bleeding eyes and then turns away, walking toward the doors to the house.

I look back at Dracula who is holding his chin. “What?” he says, spitting out a tooth that bounces on the floor. “It’s been a long time coming. Now he can move on. With you, of course.”

I glance up at Solon and he just nods.

Now’s the time.

I turn and hurry through the crowd after Wolf, bursting through the swinging doors to the hallway.

“Wolf!” I cry out and he pauses at the top of the stairs. I quickly run up until I’m right beside him.

He stares down at me and already I can see his face healing a little. That’s why vampires love fights so much, the damage is never permanent.

Still, I reach down and grab his hand, his knuckles still split open, and I raise them to my mouth, gently kissing the blood off them while staring into his eyes. My inner nurse is dying to come out and take care of him.