RED THORNE IS A DARK and gloomy place. The sky is constantly grey, and there is a persistent chill in the air that has me reaching to pull my jacket tighter around me as I walk down the street. I’m not sure if I would feel so paranoid or find the place so eerie if I didn’t know all the rumours about it.
Tall, black, brick buildings loom over the sidewalks, casting dark shadows in all directions, making me feel like I need to constantly check over my shoulder in case someone is about to jump on us.
‘This place gives me the heebie-jeebies,’ Alex mutters, casting a frown to his right as a man wearing a long trench coat strides past us, almost knocking us onto the road with his large, hurried steps.
The man lifts his eyes. Alex scowls at him, turning up his nose in a way that is completely snobbish, and mutters something under his breath before hurrying down the street as if someone is chasing him, continuously looking over his shoulder. For a moment, I’m just relieved to see I’m not the only one.
‘It’s certainly creepy,’ I agree, scowling at the man. Every shop in town looks like it is decorated for Halloween – and that they celebrate it all year round.
‘Is that a real spider web?’ Alex asks in a hushed tone, peering up at the building next to the bus shelter.
Squinting, I watch how it moves in the breeze. It’s huge, spreading across the wall of the building, and swaying down low. If we were much taller, we would walk straight through it.
‘I’m pretty sure it’s real.’ Alex shudders, his grip tightening on my arm. I roll my eyes.
‘I don’t think that is the main issue you should be concerned about in this town.’
‘I hate spiders,’ Alex mutters.
Smiling to myself, I follow him. Alex is such dork. He loves to notice the weirdest things – he gets a real kick out of it. We definitely view the world in completely different colours. Where something would set off my anxiety, he sees excitement. When I’m tense, he’s relaxed. When I’m crying or stressed, he’s laughing, not having a care in the world. We continue walking along the narrow pavement. A few people are out and about, strolling between shops, but overall, it’s quiet.
When we get to the end of the street, we walk inside a small, dimly lit café. Our footsteps echo on the dark, hardwood floor as we make our way over to a booth in one of the front windows. It’s busier than I expected, considering how quiet the streets are.
Sliding into the booth, I relax into the worn leather seat. We order coffee – a soy latte for Alex, and a flat white for me – with a carrot cake to share. We settle into a few minutes of people watching through the window, noting that other than the dark feel of the town, it all seems relatively normal. I suppose vampires aren’t going to be roaming the streets, showing people what they are. At least, not during the day.
The drinks arrive with a tiny marshmallow sitting in a pink love heart on the edge of each plate. Alex pops his marshmallow onto his tongue, simultaneously swiping for mine, and tossing it into his mouth to join the other one. He always does this – since the first time we met – stealing my food more often than just eating his own, always claiming that what I order is better than what he did, even though I pick the same things over and over, meanwhile he tries something new at almost every restaurant we visit.
Shaking my head, I lean back into the seat, still bewildered that I’m seriously considering the possibility that vampires exist. It’s totally insane.
Isn’t it?
Even though I have made the trip here, rented a place, and have gone to all of these lengths, a part of me still thinks someone is going to turn around and tell me I’ve been punk’d, or something. If it weren’t for Alex, I seriously would have questioned my sanity by now. I never planned to move here. I wanted to stay at a hotel, but not a single one has a vacancy. Even the leases on apartments were a minimum of three months to a year long, not enabling us the choice of a week-to-week lease, or even monthly. Not here in Red Thorne, or in any of the bordering towns. I’m starting to suspect that they don’t want tourists coming and going. They want people to stay here for the long run. A shiver ripples through me at the thought. It’s why we decided that we would stay for three months, posing as university students. We will also need to find jobs to pay the rent here. Both serve as good opportunities for us to meet new people and ask them questions without raising too much suspicion.
Someone here must know something.
‘Are you excited for classes to start tomorrow?’ Alex asks sarcastically, leaning onto his forearms, and wiggling his eyebrows.
‘Totally,’ I reply, matching his tone.
‘Would you be studying for real, if we weren’t here right now?’
‘Yeah, probably. I always wanted to go to an art school. I love to draw, paint, and sketch.’ I shrug, a small smile finding its way onto my face. ‘I haven’t decided what I want to do yet.’
‘I saw some of your sketches. They’re pretty cool.’
‘You did?’ I ask in surprise. ‘When?’
‘You left one of your sketching pads on the kitchen counter. I thought it was one of Cora’s journals.’
‘Oh,’ I say. ‘I don’t usually show them to anyone.’
‘I didn’t mean to pry,’ he quickly says. ‘They were great, by the way.’
‘Thanks,’ I say, feeling a little tense.
My drawings are extremely dark and edgy, and also very personal to me. Alex and I are close now, and have shared a lot with each other, so I don’t really mind that he has seen them, but it still makes me a little uncomfortable. I don’t really know why.
‘If you didn’t join me on this mission, what would you be doing?’ I ask.
Alex sighs, turning the coffee mug in his hands. ‘I don’t know. I guess that’s the main reason why I tagged along. This past year I’ve felt so lost. I don’t enjoy hanging out with my friends, I hated my job, never really spoke to my family . . .’ he trails off with a thoughtful, deep expression on his face. ‘I needed a change.’
‘Fair enough.’
‘The self-defence training we did made me feel like I had a purpose again,’ he continues, colour rising in his cheeks at his confession. ‘Sounds stupid.’
‘No, it doesn’t,’ I say softly. ‘After I lost my family, having this to do gave me a reason to get out of bed in the morning. So I get it.’
A small smile graces his lips and his shoulders relax a little at my admission. It’s always nice hearing that someone else feels the same way you do. Since we met in-person for the first time, we just clicked. No topic is too sensitive or taboo for us. We can have effortless conversations about anything and everything. That’s why I knew this would work out. We are open and honest about everything and promised to make sure we stayed that way throughout this journey. Alex and I did a semester of self-defence training in preparation for this trip. Of course, we will never outsmart or overpower a vampire, but if we at least know basic self-defence we can hopefully get ourselves out of a situation and have the stamina and endurance to run.
‘Have I mentioned this place is seriously creepy,’ Alex mutters as he side-eyes a group of teenagers dressed in all black who walk by the window, openly staring at us. One even stops and presses their face to the glass, which causes me to break into a light sweat of paranoia. ‘If I were to direct a TV show about zombies, I would film it here.’
I let out an unladylike snort of laughter, appreciating the fact that he distracted me from the creepy guy looming over at us, looking like he stepped out of a Halloween poster. The group finally moves on, and I feel the tension seep from my body – just a little.
‘Zombies freak me the hell out,’ I admit. ‘That’s why I don’t want to be buried when I die. I want to be cremated.’
‘Me too,’ Alex says. ‘I would rather my ashes be spread somewhere nice. I want people to visit me somewhere nice like Paradise Bay, not a cemetery. They are creepy as fuck.’
‘Agreed,’ I nod, brushing my hair back from my face. I used to love my curtain bangs, the way they hung around my face, but now they seem to always be in the way. Especially when I was training. I only got them to do something different from Cora, since everyone used to always get us confused. ‘I actually have been to Paradise Bay before. I went camping there with my school. It was really beautiful. I learnt to stand up paddle board there. I got so sunburnt that my lips blistered and I didn’t leave the house for a week.’
Alex laughs. ‘Sunburn is a killer. I used to go camping there, too. When I was a kid. It’s sort of my happy place. A place I got to visit before life got shitty.’ He takes a sip of his drink, finishing it in one long gulp, making me screw up my face. He practically just shot a large coffee. I would be bouncing off the walls if I did that. ‘Although being buried does have its perks. I would love to rise from the dead and terrorise the people that bullied me in high school. I would definitely go after them if I was a zombie.’
Breathing a laugh, I shake my head. ‘Count me in, too.’
We finish our coffee, and cake before continuing our self-directed tour of the town, spending the afternoon wandering in and out of shops, and the museum, before finishing up at the library.
‘Check this out,’ Alex says, jerking his head toward the section of books he is standing in front of. The library is way bigger than I expected. Massive floor-to-ceiling bookshelves with long, sliding ladders that take up most of the walls. I always wanted a bookshelf like that growing up, but since our apartment was the size of a shoebox, I wasn’t able to collect many books, only enough to fill the small bookshelves I crammed into my room.
Alex hands me the book that’s caught his interest. It’s heavier than I expected and I almost drop it. Thick pieces of dust fall to the floor.
‘Wow,’ I murmur, trailing my fingers over the spine. ‘This must be ancient.’ The book cracks a little when I open it, and I wince at the sound. The yellowed pages are stiff as I gently flick through them. ‘Look at the pages.’ The book contains pages of extremely detailed illustrations, and a shiver rolls down my spine when I see soulless black eyes and fangs staring up at me. Alex nods, already having seen it. My eyes travel to the chapter title.
The Monsters of Red Thorne
The chapter doesn’t provide much information. It speaks about disappearances, unsolved cases, mysterious deaths, about the people of the town thinking they were safe during the day, when in fact, that was just a myth.
‘Huh,’ I say, tracing my finger over the sentence. ‘Vampires don’t just come out at night.’
‘What?’ Alex asks, leaning so close, I can smell his aftershave.
‘See this,’ I say, shifting the book so that the dim light shines over the section of the page I am reading. ‘It says that’s how no one in this town knew about vampires for so long, because they were out both during the day and night. Everyone assumed they were safe.’
‘Damn,’ he mutters, glancing over his shoulder at the sound of someone walking across the end of the aisle. The girl glances our way and both Alex and I instinctively take a step closer to each other. Frowning, she gives us a weird look before moving on. We probably look like the suspicious ones, not the other way around.
We get so caught up in our reading that we quickly lose track of time, and as I look up, I notice the sky darkening outside. I nudge Alex with my elbow, pointing my chin toward the street beyond the window.
‘We need to go,’ I say in a hushed tone, drawing my jacket tighter around me.
Snapping the book shut, he returns it to its slot on the shelf, and we weave our way back towards the front entrance and out onto the pavement just as thunder rumbles across the sky. Rain dances around us as we hurry down the street. After reading that article, my paranoia intensifies, even though I honestly don’t know what I believe – if any of it. Either way, I don’t want to be out on the streets at night. I continuously scan our surroundings, making sure no one is following us, trying to ignore the pestering question at the back of my mind: Would we really know if someone was, if they didn’t want to be seen?
When we get inside, we lock the door, lacing the handles and doorway with silver.
‘Do you feel as ridiculous as I do?’ Alex laughs as he strings up a silver chain above my head. To anyone else, it would look like we have a very bizarre way of decorating the apartment. Since silver only wounds and weakens vampires, I imagine it won’t stop one entering, but at least it might buy us some time. We must have looked crazy when we bought all this silver. I’m glad we weren’t bag-checked on the train – it would have looked like we had robbed a jewellery store.
‘One hundred and ten percent.’
‘Are we really brave for coming here or really stupid?’ Alex raises an eyebrow.
‘I’d like to say brave, but let’s be real. It’s probably stupid.’
Alex grins, a small dimple appearing in his left cheek. I stare at it for a moment. My sister was always a sucker for dimples. Now when I see one, it reminds me of her gushing about the guy she crushed on for years during school.
After dinner, we head off into our rooms. I lock my door, my window, and then cover my neck and wrists with silver as I climb into bed.
Laying back on the mattress, I stare up at the ceiling, twisting the ring on my finger around slowly. Bringing it to my lips, I softly kiss it.
‘I’m here,’ I whisper. ‘I’ll find you.’
‘This campus is ginormous.’
I murmur in agreement as I look around the huge courtyard filled with people clustered in groups. Most are situated at tables, a laptop in front of them, a coffee in their hand, earphones jammed into their ears. Overall, it looks like any other university that I’ve visited.
‘We are going to need a map,’ Alex says with a huff, staring around. ‘I have no idea where our intro class building is.’
‘They sent us a map in our welcome email.’
He faces me. ‘Bold of you to assume I check my emails.’
I roll my eyes, shoving my hands deep into my pockets. ‘I thought you said you were actually going to try to take this seriously.’
‘Who told you that?’
‘You did.’
‘Ah, well, that’s not a reliable source,’ he shrugs, pushing the sleeves of his shirt up to his elbows. The slight breeze ruffles his hair, causing him to run a hand through it.
Shivering a little, I reach for my phone to pull up my email. I manage to find the map and bring it up on the screen.
Neither of us had the intention of studying. It’s a cover and a good opportunity to meet and spy on people. Our plan is to blend in and start networking.
Our goal: be invited everywhere.
‘Okay, we need to go that way,’ I point north-west. At least, I think it’s north-west.
‘Aye, aye captain,’ Alex replies, always willing to follow me basically anywhere, even though I generally don’t have a clue what I’m doing.
It’s another dreary, dark day, and despite the multiple layers I’m wearing, I still feel cold. There’s almost an unnatural chill in the air, making my paranoia ramp up even more.
Will I ever not feel like this here?
‘I need food,’ Alex announces, patting his stomach. ‘Do we have time?’
I glance down at my watch. ‘Yeah, okay. I’ll grab coffee while you order.’
We part ways and I line up at the coffee cart. Just as a tall guy steps in front of me, reaching the end of the line a few seconds before me, the ring I’m wearing sends an electric pulse that makes me yelp in surprise.
The guy is dressed in dark chinos and a leather jacket. He glances back at me curiously. Jesus, he is attractive. The kind of attractiveness that makes me feel taken aback, like I’ve accidentally just bumped into a runway model, or some big celebrity. Someone different than just a regular person such as myself.
‘Slingshot myself,’ I say, pointing to my hair band that is snagged around my wrist. I grimace when I see a bundle of dark hair stuck to it. Great. That’s a good look. ‘Sorry.’
Dark shades cover his eyes, but I feel them burning right through me. Nodding once, he turns to face the front once more.
Swallowing, I look down at my ring, inspecting it. What the hell just happened? It felt like I had just stuck my finger into a power socket. Bringing it up so close to my face that I hit the end of my nose, I squint at it, inspecting it for some sign that I didn’t imagine it.
Cora . . . my mind whispers. Did she do something to this ring? Is this linked to her? She is the one who gave it to me, after all.
‘Hey!’ A chirpy voice startles me. I look up, but the girl isn’t talking to me. ‘I saw you last night, right?’
‘Yeah,’ the guy replies in a cool, deep voice. Goosebumps scatter across my skin at the sound of it.
‘I was so surprised you came!’ she continues, a radiant smile on her face. Suddenly, she looks a little awkward. ‘Did we . . . make out? I feel like I remember going somewhere with you, but it’s super hazy.’
‘No,’ he replies in a blunt, clipped tone that makes me wince from second hand embarrassment on her behalf.
She blinks, looking a little surprised. Or confused. Perhaps both. ‘Oh. Um. Are you sure?’
‘I think I’d remember that,’ he states, and I wince at his harsh tone again.
She lets out an awkward laugh, ducking her chin, her hair cascading across her face like a dark shadow. ‘Right. Yes. Of course. Me too.’
Swallowing, she turns to face the front again. I narrow my eyes and watch her hand move to her neck for a moment before she suddenly turns and leaves the line. I watch her retreat with growing interest. When I glance back, the guy is watching her too, a stoic expression on his face. He collects his order, something in a tall black tumbler, and then walks to the bin, tipping out its contents. I stare in bewilderment as he empties it before tucking it under his arm. When the guy starts to turn and I fear he will notice me gawking at him, I face the front again.
I make a mental note of what that girl was wearing, hoping to track her down later. I quickly think of an excuse to talk to the guy after I’ve ordered, but when I turn, he’s no longer there. Scanning the courtyard, I try to locate him, but it’s as though he vanished into thin air. An unsettling feeling sinks in my stomach, and I feel a little breathless at the thought of possibly being so close to a vampire.
I feel totally ridiculous even thinking that.
My number is called, and I grab the two coffees. I meet Alex back where we were previously. Collapsing onto the seat, I place the drink tray down. Alex, who is on top of the table, swings his legs around, bumping his knee into my shoulder.
‘Something weird just happened,’ I say, moving my eyes around the courtyard one more time to confirm the guy really has disappeared. I fill him in on the brief encounter I just witnessed, leaving out my ring, not totally sure that I even felt anything.
‘Cool,’ Alex says, not seeming as intrigued as I thought he might have been. ‘We have a lead, then.’
‘Yeah,’ I agree.
‘This is so good,’ he moans, taking another ginormous bite of his burger. ‘Want some?’
‘Sure.’ He tilts it toward me and I push up off the seat, taking a bite.
‘Fuck, leave me some,’ he grumbles, sending me a sour expression.
Smiling, my mouth full, I ignore his complaint. ‘Are you free one night this week?’
‘Why?’ He raises an eyebrow. ‘Taking me on a hot date?’
Brushing off the comment, I don’t react to it. I have noticed that Alex’s eyes linger on me for a heartbeat longer than necessary at times, and sometimes his comments border on the line of flirting. We were both open about not looking for anything of the sort when we first met. He stressed to me that he can come across as flirting when he isn’t, so I ignore the little moments here and there, assuming he doesn’t even realise he’s doing it.
‘No,’ I turn, finding the girl sitting down behind a laptop. ‘You’re taking her out.’
‘I am?’ He gives me a baffled look.
I nod. ‘Yeah. She’s the one that was talking to the guy.’
‘Okay, sure.’
After I finish eating, Alex and I part ways. We thought we had planned it well enough to have most of our lectures and tutorials together, but the timetable had different ideas.
I’m surprised to find that most students are already seated when I walk inside the lecture hall. The place is huge, and there are way more students than I expected for some reason.
Glancing down at the time again, wondering if I’m somehow late, even though I’m here a few minutes early. Most of the seats are filled and I scan the room, trying to locate a seat that will allow me not to have a neighbour.
My gaze pauses on a familiar looking guy. The one who was in front of me in line. His jacket is slung on the back of his seat, and I stumble over my own feet when I take in the sight of him. He has dark tattoos covering one side of his body. They begin on his bicep on the left side, disappearing underneath his shirt, and spreading like spilled ink down his arm. It’s such a stark contrast having so many detailed tattoos on one side and nothing on the other.
Noticing that the seat beside him is vacant, I casually make my way up to the back of the room. I drop into the seat beside him. He briefly glances at me. Offering a tight-lipped smile, I look forward and slouch in my seat, trying not to look as nervous as I feel.
The lecturer strides up to the front, dressed impeccably in a dark designer suit. He swings his briefcase onto the table with a thud and flashes a smile up to us.
‘Hello, everyone.’ His voice is deep, resonating around the room as if he is wearing a microphone. After a brief introduction, he instructs us to begin taking notes.
Everybody pulls out a laptop and I curse under my breath, feeling like the odd one out. Quietly, I withdraw my notebook, placing it onto the desk. Much to my relief, the guy beside me does the same. At least I’m not the only one.
I rummage through my bag, pretending I can’t find my pen, and I’m hoping to use that as an excuse to strike up a conversation with the attractive and mysterious person who may or may not be a vampire. Grumbling, I search furiously for it, already having missed the first few notes I was meant to have written down, realising I actually have forgotten to pack a pen.
A throat clears. Looking up, I see an extended arm and a black pen between his thumb and pointer finger. He has black leather bracelets on his wrist, as black as his hair and the tattoos on his arms. I’m growing more interested in him by the second. A thrill rushes through me from how easily my plan worked. The noise I was making probably annoyed him.
‘Thank you,’ I murmur quietly, taking it from him.
I begin scribbling down the notes, finding it hard to concentrate when there is possibly a gorgeous but deadly vampire seated right beside me. Swallowing, I push all those thoughts to the back of my mind and pretend I’m focused and paying attention. Last thing I need is for him to get suspicious.
My hand cramps, and when I glance down, I realise I have written almost ten pages of notes by the time the lecture wraps up. I stretch and flex it as I skim over my notes. I found myself growing more interested as the lesson went on, as if I was a normal student here actually trying to learn. I mentally shake myself.
Don’t get side-tracked.
‘I hope you found today enlightening. We will be covering a lot of information very quickly. If you’re unwell, away, or unable to attend for any reason, it is up to you to catch up. Find a study buddy. Pick someone near you, pick a friend, I don’t care. But that person will be in charge of sharing class notes with you. If you do not have one by next week, I will assign you one.’ He switches off the screen behind him. ‘Have a fantastic day. You’re dismissed.’
Gathering my things, I push them into my bag and stand.
‘So,’ I say, wrapping my fingers around the strap of my bag, feeling nervous. This is my chance to get my plan rolling. To get closer to him, and hopefully find out some answers. ‘Wanna be my buddy?’
Turning, he raises an eyebrow. Under the golden lights, his eyes are a soft, silver colour. They’re beautiful. I attempt to force my gaze from them, wanting to seem totally unaffected by his appearance, but I . . . can’t.
‘What?’ His voice is deep, rich, and warm, making me shift the weight from one foot to the other as I try desperately to look away from him, but find my eyes are scanning every inch of his handsome face.
His voice. There is something so alluring about it. Like I could lay down in bed and listen to him talk all day.
‘You know,’ I say, throwing my hand toward the lecturer who is striding from the room, looking at his watch, managing to blink myself back to reality. ‘The thing he suggested.’
‘Oh,’ the guy says, his voice soft and rough, caressing my skin, making me feel a little . . . hot and bothered. Meanwhile, he looks totally unphased. In hindsight, this is a very normal conversation, I don’t know why it is making me feel so antsy. ‘Sure, I guess.’
‘Great!’ I exclaim, and release a breath of relief, my shoulders slumping slightly. I didn’t realise how tense I had been for a moment there.
‘Hunter,’ he says when I keep staring, his expression completely unreadable. I’ve always been told everyone can know exactly how I’m feeling at all times, due to my expressions. I wish I could be as cool and collected as this dude. His face is so sculpted and chiselled, like it was carved from God himself. Or the Devil, rather, since vampires are ruthless creatures who enjoy torturing others. Or so the articles say.
Hunter. How fitting. A vampire, who hunts humans. Named Hunter. I wonder if he did that on purpose. Is it a game he plays with us naive, oblivious humans? Panicking, I fear my thoughts are exposed on my face, and I quickly shift into a neutral expression, hoping that I’m not appearing as weird as I think I am.
‘Hunter, with the pretty eyes and the cool tattoos.’
I freeze, blood rushing to my cheeks, my heart tripping over its regular rhythm in my chest.
Fuck my life, did I really just say that?
Lips quirking, his eyes roam over me, making my insides tighten.
Inhale, exhale. Yep, you’re doing great.
‘And your name?’ he asks, the weight of his gaze making my mind blank, as I focus on those silver-grey eyes.
My own narrow and I take a step closer, convinced I can see the colours shifting and swirling. He clears his throat and heat jumps from my neck to my cheeks when I realise I’m studying him like he is an ancient, rare artefact.
‘Um,’ I mutter, as if I have suddenly forgotten my own stupid name. ‘Raya.’
‘Raya, with the heart-shaped face and purple streak in her hair.’
I make a soft humming sound, not quite a laugh as I feel the heat rush up my neck and into my cheeks. Folding a loose wisp of hair back behind my ear, I nod, feeling uncharacteristically breathless for no valid reason.
Gah. Get me out of here and away from this guy.
‘We should trade numbers.’ I suggest. When he arches a brow, the corner of his mouth twitching, I blush a little. ‘You know, just in case we want to send notes that way.’
When the silence stretches between us, I regret asking, realising I’ve pushed my luck, but much to my surprise, he nods. Pulling out his phone, he looks at me expectantly. I quickly prattle off my number.
‘Text me, so I have yours?’ I ask, trying not to look as eager as I feel.
‘Sure.’
My phone buzzes, and when I glance down, a smile emoji is looking back at me. I quickly save his number into my contact list.
‘Well, it was nice to meet you, Hunter. See you around,’ I say politely, ignoring the fact that I sound like I’ve just run a marathon.
‘Yeah,’ he says, sliding his bag over his shoulder, not casting his eyes in my direction again. Bullets of sweat slide down my spine. My mouth is paper dry, I anxiously lick my lips to moisten them.
As he descends the stairs, I notice how muscled his back is under his tight black T-shirt. Damn. He is sexy. Why do bad boys always have to be sexy? I hope he isn’t a blood-thirsty vampire. He’s too pretty and seems normal . . . kind of.
They blend in though, right?
I have to remember that everything about these creatures is meant to invite us in. Trust them, make us weak, so they can move in for the kill.
A clicking sound echoes around the now empty room. I glance down, seeing my thumb pressing down onto the pen I borrowed. It is a sleek black pen, and is heavy to hold, with the letter ‘H’ engraved. I’m surprised he was willing to give me something that feels like it would be valuable. Hurrying down the steps, I make my way out into the busy hall, to try and catch Hunter.
With his tall, broad-shouldered frame and striking tattoos, he isn’t hard to find. His back goes rigid as another guy approaches him. The guy has a dark smirk twisted on his lips as he walks toward him.
Slowly, I make my way to where they are in the courtyard, noticing that Hunter is scowling. It looks like they are in a heated discussion from how tense Hunter stands and the way his brows are pinched together. A rational, sane person would walk away.
My ring zaps me, and my hand jerks in response. I don’t allow myself time to think about it since I’m now right where the guys are standing.
‘Hi,’ I say.
They turn at the same time and blink at me. It’s intimidating having the weight of both their piercing stares directly on me. The guy next to him has a similar eye colour. Under the light of the gloomy sky, they’re a pretty silver-grey, deep and round, with darkness bleeding into them.
‘You have something on your face,’ I say, my mouth seeming to have a complete mind of its own.
The guy drags his thumb across the corner of his mouth, sucking on it before grinning. His eyes bounce toward Hunter.
‘Must have been my breakfast,’ the guy says, and I grit my teeth at the sound of it. ‘It was delicious.’
My heart splatters painfully into my stomach. The red smudge on his lips wasn’t sauce as I had initially thought. For a moment, I forgot where I am and what kind of people I am dealing with.
With my heartbeat roaring in my ears, I realise I have two vampires standing right before me. They have to be. No one I have ever met has eyes like that. Their skin is flawless, an unnatural smoothness to it, and they both have an air about them that is just something else. It’s hard to decipher what exactly.
They can hear my heart. Shit.
‘Um,’ I say, just to say something. ‘Thanks. For the pen.’ I thrust out my hand. Hunter eyes it for a moment. He looks at the man next to him before reaching out and taking it. His fingers brush mine and the coolness of his skin makes me jerk my hand back.
‘Sure,’ Hunter says, eyes briefly connecting with mine, before he glances down, pocketing the pen. There is an undeniable tension in the air, just as there was back in the auditorium. Something isn’t right. ‘No problem.’
‘See you later,’ I say lightly, forcing a smile onto my face.
‘Bye bye,’ the other guy says, waving at me. His tone makes my skin crawl. Shuddering, I rush toward the largest group of people I can see, and reach for my phone, dialling Alex’s number.
The line connects. I sigh with relief as I look back to where the guys were standing. My breath hitches when there is now no one there. I whip my head around. There is no way they could have left that quickly.
With my heart thumping and my knees knocking together, I lean against the table next to me.
What the hell have I gotten myself into?