passed for night. We stopped in front of a stand on the sidewalk selling ice cream and he ordered us each a cone, handing me mine with a wink.
“You?” he asked back. I sighed when I realized I hadn’t completely ruined the moment.
“They’re around. I don’t see much of my mother, but my father comes by every now and again to check up on me,” I replied with a nod.
“How come?”
Now it was my turn to feel uncomfortable. I pushed out a massive breath and decided to tell him about Marcus.
“My brother, Marcus, was killed a little while back. Murdered.”
His face turned to stone and neither of us spoke for a moment.
“I just don’t like to see the disappointment in their eyes when I walk through the door and he doesn’t,” I admitted feeling sorry for myself. I absent-mindedly licked my ice cream waiting for him to respond.
“That explains a lot,” he finally said. I wasn’t sure what he meant. He took my hand again and we began to walk. Drunks spilled from the bar in front of us, crashing into pedestrians that lingered on the sidewalk. Elijah instinctively pulled me behind him, placing himself between the rowdy crowd and me. The inebriated partiers staggered and shoved anyone around them.
“Hey,” Elijah yelled in a dark, frightening tone and the crowd froze in place. The drunks staggered and laughed making their way toward us.
“Got a problem, Friend?” A man called as he stepped out from the middle of the action. My body immediately tensed as I recognized the voice. A chill shot up my spine.
“That’s one of the vampires from the pool hall,” I whispered behind Elijah.
“You guys need to take your party elsewhere. You’re scaring people.”
“Is that right?” The designated drunk leader asked with a smirk. He inched closer to Elijah with his mouth gaping open, exposing his fangs. “Who’s your girl?” He asked, shooting me a smile. “Oh, I remember you. From the pool hall, right?” Elijah stepped to the right, blocking him from my view. “Real shame about your friends. You can never be too careful these days.”
“You son of a bitch,” I yelled as Elijah held me back.
“You need to leave now,” Elijah growled. The man laughed and turned around to his merry band of misfits.
“I guess it’s time to go,” he said in a mocking tone. He turned back around to get the final word. “We’ll be seeing you, Elijah.” And with one last sinister chuckle they headed across the street to their car and hopped in. They howled and hollered all the way down the road until they were out of sight. I breathed a sigh of relief as they disappeared under the railroad bridge into the hollow. Elijah spun around and gripped both of my arms just below the shoulders.
“Are you alright?”
“I'm okay,” I reassured him and wrapped my arms around his waist. He squeezed me tightly as I struggled not to break down right there in the steady drizzle of the rain.
“Elijah? How did they know your name?” I asked replaying what the vampire had said in my head now that my fear had subsided.
“They come into my cousin’s club from time to time and try to cause trouble.”
“Aren’t you worried?” I asked, pulling back from him and looking him in the eye. He tugged me back against him, squeezing me tighter than before.
“Not for me,” He answered quietly. “Come on.” Shooting me a grin he pulled me by the hand into the bar as I tossed my half-eaten cone into the trash.
“I’m not really in the mood for fun now.”
“Then you need a beer more than ever.”
The song When the Sun Goes Down blared from the jukebox in the corner. We weaved our way through the crowd of people on the dance floor and sat on two stools at the end of the bar. The bartender made her way down to us and flashed Elijah a big smile. She had blonde hair that seemed to radiate its own light and all eyes were on her.
“What are ya’ havin’?” she asked, not acknowledging my existence. I sighed deliberately and rolled my eyes.
“We would like two beers,” he replied as he winked at me.
“She looks a little young,” she quipped.
“I use a lot of moisturizers,” I deadpanned.
The barmaid glanced in my direction before walking down the bar to get our drinks. I let out an awkward laugh as he tucked a strand of my long, brown hair behind my ear causing my skin to