the police and stalked over, rolling her eyes. " Estupido." Then she sighed and looked me over. "Are you okay, Nina?"
I nodded. An EMT pushed his way through the crowd of cops, zeroing in on me. I slid off the bar stool and used my short stature to my advantage. I didn't need an EMT probing me right then.
"This was not random," I whispered into Babe's ear as I skulked behind her. I kept my voice low. "He knows what I am."
Babe turned to face me with a look of fear that betrayed her calmness. "Does he know WHO you are?" Handing me a clean bar rag, Babe tried to shelter me from the incoming paramedic.
I nodded and peeked past Babe's head to see Max at the other end of the room, giving his statement to the cops. I would totally take another gash on the neck to hear what he was saying. How obvious was it that whatever happened in here wasn't exactly normal?
"I'll call Lochlan," Babe said as she moved toward the phone.
I grabbed her arm to keep her in place, but it was too late. The paramedic was right beside her.
"I need to take a look at your wound, ma'am," he said politely.
"This little scratch?" I held my breath as I pulled the rag off. I didn't dare exhale until I saw that the gash had healed enough to indeed qualify as just a little more than a scratch.
The poor EMT stared at the blood-soaked rag on the bar and then his eyes moved back to my neck, then back to the rag. His mouth gaped open in shock.
"I'm a bleeder." I shrugged, doing my best to look embarrassed.
"You need to go to the ER, get a tetanus shot and get checked for a concussion," he said, not sounding completely convinced of his own words.
"Oh, I am perfectly fine, thank you," I said. The pent-up adrenaline was making me punchy. My fangs still hadn’t retracted all the way. I really didn’t want a close examination.
"Ma'am, please." This paramedic was relentless.
I turned my back on him and pretended to watch the television that was still humming above the bar. I took steady deep breaths, trying to calm my nerves.
My dad was a vampire. He was a very old and powerful vampire. Rumor was, he was one of the first in the line of vampires. My mom was human. And while I am very much alive, I have vampire traits -- traits that can be quite useful. I heal quickly, I’m crazy strong, really fast, and, my personal favorite, I look younger than my age. So even though I am in my early 30s, I still get carded at bars.
But there are drawbacks, too. I am sensitive to sunlight. I have a temper and fangs that require a lot of restraint to keep in my gums. And I know it's gross, but sometimes I crave human blood. If I drink it, though, Lochlan O'Malley and the members of my team will stake me.
Someone lightly touched my back. I whipped around, with one finger pointing outward, ready to tell Mr. EMT to piss off. But it was Max. He definitely saved my ass. Marcello was ready to pull me out of the bar to who knows where. I really needed to calm down.
Max looked curiously at the dramatically healed knife wound on my neck, dipping his head close to my face. "So I guess that looked worse than it was."
I inhaled. He even smelled like the ocean. Slightly salty. Definitely sexy. This was absolutely helping my disposition.
"Yeah." I smiled. "I'm okay, thanks."
"I can see that," Max drawled. "But how about you listen to the paramedic and go to the ER?"
"Thank you, Agent Deveroux!" the EMT called out over my head.
"No, thanks," I said, digging in my heels and gripping the bar. Now I felt bamboozled.
"Should I make this an order?" Max sounded firm.
Alfonso whooped, "Oh no he didn't!" and pushed Mr. EMT out of his line of site so that he could better see what would happen next. Babe, who was pouring Alfonso a shot of tequila, looked at Max with a mix of shock and curiosity.
My blood boiled and I could feel my teeth shifting again. I took a breath to calm down. A roomful of cops and first responders wasn't the place to vamp out.
"How about this? I'll take you myself."
I nodded. An EMT pushed his way through the crowd of cops, zeroing in on me. I slid off the bar stool and used my short stature to my advantage. I didn't need an EMT probing me right then.
"This was not random," I whispered into Babe's ear as I skulked behind her. I kept my voice low. "He knows what I am."
Babe turned to face me with a look of fear that betrayed her calmness. "Does he know WHO you are?" Handing me a clean bar rag, Babe tried to shelter me from the incoming paramedic.
I nodded and peeked past Babe's head to see Max at the other end of the room, giving his statement to the cops. I would totally take another gash on the neck to hear what he was saying. How obvious was it that whatever happened in here wasn't exactly normal?
"I'll call Lochlan," Babe said as she moved toward the phone.
I grabbed her arm to keep her in place, but it was too late. The paramedic was right beside her.
"I need to take a look at your wound, ma'am," he said politely.
"This little scratch?" I held my breath as I pulled the rag off. I didn't dare exhale until I saw that the gash had healed enough to indeed qualify as just a little more than a scratch.
The poor EMT stared at the blood-soaked rag on the bar and then his eyes moved back to my neck, then back to the rag. His mouth gaped open in shock.
"I'm a bleeder." I shrugged, doing my best to look embarrassed.
"You need to go to the ER, get a tetanus shot and get checked for a concussion," he said, not sounding completely convinced of his own words.
"Oh, I am perfectly fine, thank you," I said. The pent-up adrenaline was making me punchy. My fangs still hadn’t retracted all the way. I really didn’t want a close examination.
"Ma'am, please." This paramedic was relentless.
I turned my back on him and pretended to watch the television that was still humming above the bar. I took steady deep breaths, trying to calm my nerves.
My dad was a vampire. He was a very old and powerful vampire. Rumor was, he was one of the first in the line of vampires. My mom was human. And while I am very much alive, I have vampire traits -- traits that can be quite useful. I heal quickly, I’m crazy strong, really fast, and, my personal favorite, I look younger than my age. So even though I am in my early 30s, I still get carded at bars.
But there are drawbacks, too. I am sensitive to sunlight. I have a temper and fangs that require a lot of restraint to keep in my gums. And I know it's gross, but sometimes I crave human blood. If I drink it, though, Lochlan O'Malley and the members of my team will stake me.
Someone lightly touched my back. I whipped around, with one finger pointing outward, ready to tell Mr. EMT to piss off. But it was Max. He definitely saved my ass. Marcello was ready to pull me out of the bar to who knows where. I really needed to calm down.
Max looked curiously at the dramatically healed knife wound on my neck, dipping his head close to my face. "So I guess that looked worse than it was."
I inhaled. He even smelled like the ocean. Slightly salty. Definitely sexy. This was absolutely helping my disposition.
"Yeah." I smiled. "I'm okay, thanks."
"I can see that," Max drawled. "But how about you listen to the paramedic and go to the ER?"
"Thank you, Agent Deveroux!" the EMT called out over my head.
"No, thanks," I said, digging in my heels and gripping the bar. Now I felt bamboozled.
"Should I make this an order?" Max sounded firm.
Alfonso whooped, "Oh no he didn't!" and pushed Mr. EMT out of his line of site so that he could better see what would happen next. Babe, who was pouring Alfonso a shot of tequila, looked at Max with a mix of shock and curiosity.
My blood boiled and I could feel my teeth shifting again. I took a breath to calm down. A roomful of cops and first responders wasn't the place to vamp out.
"How about this? I'll take you myself."
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