Relentless (Vampire Awakenings #11) - Brenda K. Davies Page 0,14

center of the stage. The buzz of the crowd died down, and she couldn’t stop herself from smiling as she gazed at the sea of faces. Excitement thrummed through her veins; this was where she belonged.

Something more than lust tugged at Dante as Cassidy’s face lit with joy and her eyes met his. A carefreeness came over him that he hadn’t experienced in years. It was as if the joy on her face lifted the massive weight he’d carried on his shoulders since Maya disappeared. Her happiness was his, and he grinned stupidly back at her.

Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes to calm herself as the opening notes of “Piano Man” filled the air. When she opened her eyes, the crowd faded away as she started singing.

Dante sipped his drink while he listened to the song and considered her final words to him. He knew which coffee place she was talking about; it was where he met Missy earlier. He would meet Cassidy there tomorrow, but she couldn’t go with him. He wouldn’t put her in jeopardy to find Julie.

Cassidy was starting another song when the door opened and the vampire couple Dante saw here a couple of weeks ago entered. The man’s eyes latched onto him almost immediately, and he drew the woman closer against his side.

The woman frowned at him before looking toward the bar, spotting Dante, and rolling her eyes. Dante couldn’t hear what she said, but the vamp didn’t relax as he glanced toward Cassidy and then Kyle.

When Dante finished his drink, he pushed the glass and some money toward the edge of the bar. He walked away from the bar and wound through the tables toward the front entrance. As he approached, the vampire remained by the door with his arm locked around the woman.

Dante was almost to the vamp when the man nudged the woman aside and stepped out of his way. The vamp’s eyes narrowed on him, and Dante held his gaze until he walked past them. At the door, he glanced back to find Cassidy anxiously watching him.

She gave him a small smile before focusing on the crowd again. Dante pushed out the door and stepped into the fresh spring air. The chatter of people strolling the sidewalks and the noise of the establishments lining the street were usually calming to him. He grew up in this city, it was a part of him, and he thrived on the noise and chaos that sometimes provided a distraction from his troubles.

Tonight, he found no respite from them as he walked toward his apartment. He’d just left her, and he didn’t want her going to any of the vamp clubs with him, but he couldn’t wait to see her again.

Chapter Eight

Cassidy felt like a nervous kid on their first day of school as she maneuvered through the crowded Boston streets. The coffee shop wasn’t far away, and every step filled her with dread and excitement.

What if he isn’t there? What if he is?

The questions played on an endless loop in her head as the coffee shop came into view. She’d been to it a couple of times with Aida before her friend became Julian’s mate. Although, Aida sometimes occasionally still bought herself a cup.

What if he was there and left already?

This was another possibility as it had taken her more time than she anticipated to get out of her apartment. Kyle and Julian had parked themselves on the couch to play video games. Except, instead of ignoring her like they usually did, they paused the game to interrogate her. Most of the time, she loved her overbearing brothers; tonight, she’d contemplated choking them.

It hadn’t helped that it took her two hours to figure out what to wear. When she wasn’t working, her wardrobe usually consisted of jeans and whatever band T-shirt or sweater she happened to toss on, but suddenly casual wasn’t right, and she wanted to be a little sexier—something she had never wanted to be before.

She had nicer button-up shirts and black pants for work, but her work clothes weren’t sexy, and she’d prefer not to wear them outside of work. She didn’t feel like wearing her faded, old T-shirts either.

This level of uncertainty wasn’t something she was used to, and she hated it. However, she couldn’t stop herself from pawing through her drawers over and over again, even as they repeatedly yielded the same results. In the end, she settled on a formfitting, black, long-sleeved shirt and her favorite