Invincible (A Centennial City Novel) - By Fionn Jameson Page 0,36
one he pulled off amazingly well, despite his bared shoulders in a black shirt with the sleeves artfully torn off. “That you get to take me out.”
I blinked. I didn’t think I heard him correctly. “I’m sorry. That I get to take you out?”
He grinned widely. “Yeah. I need a chance to get out of this place.”
There were so many questions I wanted to ask. Questions in the same line as “Looking like that, you have to resort to blackmailing people for dates?”, but quite frankly, I’d already wasted enough time. For all I knew, Jason could be dead and that knowledge made my breath come short. “If I say yes, will you escort me underground?”
He nodded, like an eager child offered a cookie. “Tomorrow work for you?”
That was soon. Maybe too soon. But there was no time to agree on a given day. “Yes, that’s fine. I don’t care. Now, will you take below?”
“Hell yeah!”
I wished I was half as enthusiastic.
Mm, maybe not.
9
‘Employees Only’ screamed in dark red lettering across the double doors painted in black and Ryder placed a hand on one door, then paused. “Look…Ran?”
It was hard, not to keep jumping from foot to foot. “What?”
If my harsh tone bothered him, it didn’t show on his suddenly worried face. “If anyone asks, you’re my blood for the night, okay?”
I couldn’t stop a shiver from running through my body. Over my dead body. “Yes. Okay. I don’t care. Can we go now?”
He pushed the door open and stood to one side, hand still on the door. “After you, Madam.”
Walk in front of a vampire? No matter if the vampire said he was a friend. “I’m…not entirely comfortable walking in front. I wouldn’t know where to go. Perhaps you should go first.”
He quirked a brow. “So much for chivalry.”
But he took point and I shivered as the doors closed behind us. The doors were heavy and it was cold in the fluorescent lit hallway. Of course, it was below freezing outside, but there was no warmth here. “It’s cold.”
Ryder spared a glance over his shoulder. “Yeah. We’re not really into heating. Hope you don’t mind.”
It was hardly worth complaining about. “Never mind that. Keep walking.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
The hallway was long, with several doors on either sides. All of them were locked.
“Look, do you mind not opening every single door you come across?” he said, starting to sound a little annoyed.
Good. At least, I wasn’t alone in my general frustration. “It’s worth a shot.”
“Just…let me handle everything, okay?”
The hallway forked into two, both of them with a flight of stairs going down and Vincent’s human emissary was climbing the one on the right.
“Ryder!” Her eyes flicked in my direction and then narrowed. “Oh. She needs to leave. Now.”
He put an arm around my shoulder and I struggled not to put up a fight. This close to a vampire, I was almost gasping to get away. On the inside, of course. Outside, I was all smiles and good cheer. Look at me. I promise I’m not a threat. Yeah right.
“She’s my blood for the night,” he said, sounding almost defensive.
She crossed her arms, one foot tapping on the rich crimson carpet. I couldn’t help but think it would mask the color of blood incredibly well. Was that the intention? I believed it. “Really?”
“Yeah, really.”
“You expect me to believe that kind of bullshit?” she asked, derision clear in that low, husky voice. “Are you an idiot? Wait, never mind. I already know the answer to that.”
He lifted his chin, just a little bit. “What’s wrong with my donor? She wants to share some blood. We’ll have some fun. What’s wrong with that? I might have feelings for you, but since you’ve so kindly put me down, I think I’m entitled to a little fun.”
I kept my mouth shut. Seemed like the best course of action.
“A little fun?” She stabbed a finger in my direction. “Does she look like she wants to have a little fun?”
I cleared my throat. “I wouldn’t be entirely adverse to it.”
That was all she needed to know.
“See?” Ryder’s arm tightened almost painfully. “So what’s wrong with that?”
She was quiet for a moment and then shook her head. “Nothing. Never mind.”
“So we can go then?”
“Yeah,” she replied. “Yeah, go ahead.”
We brushed past her and the back of my neck prickled almost uncontrollably. I knew she was still there, standing at the head of the staircase as we took the one opposite the direction she’d come from. “Hey. Ailward.”