“Weird, huh?” Ava pursed her lips. “I never got the impression that Max was serious about her. Did you?”
“I’ve never gotten the impression that he’s been serious about anyone. I don’t think he wants to be. He seems out to have fun. That’s why I wouldn’t have made any moves of my own even if he had shown interest in me. I want a partner. I want what you and Salem have,” I added, referring to a member of Max’s squad.
“You’ll find it.”
“Given we live on an island where the ratio of men to women is like 60:1, you’d think it wouldn’t be too hard for me to find a guy. But once they realise I’m not just looking for something sweet and shallow, they get wary.”
“Because you’re not just any woman. You’re part of Sam’s personal female squad. They’re terrified she’ll kick their ass if they hurt you. Also, you’re a total badass yourself. Some guys find that intimidating.” Deadpanned, she added, “Max doesn’t.”
No, he didn’t, but … “Max isn’t an option.”
“Well, is there anyone you have your eye on? Personally, I’d turn my attention to Damien. He’s a total hottie.”
I hummed in agreement. “He also keeps staring at that cute little human waitress. Reuben and Ian seem to be teasing him about it.” While Reuben was a member of Max’s squad, Ian belonged to another. He and Reuben had been dating for a while now. “Ah, your very own hottie is heading this way.”
Salem was big and badass and gruff. But then, most Pagori vampires were moody. They were also the strongest and fastest of the three breeds, but I didn’t envy them. For one thing, as a Keja, I was only slightly weaker in those areas anyway. For another, their bloodlust was more intense, and the poor bastards had a red tint to their irises—a tint that often glowed when they were pissed, horny, or thirsty. Keja irises held an amber tint, which was far less noticeable. Unfortunately, we also had fangs, but they only descended when we willed them to.
Sventés were the weakest breed in terms of strength, they didn’t have the Keja hypnotic beauty, and their gifts tended to be defensive rather than offensive—though, in cases such as Ava, not always. But they had different strengths. For instance, their bloodlust wasn’t overpowering, and they had no tints to their irises. This enabled them to better blend with and live among humans, which was no small thing in my opinion.
Reaching Ava, Salem drew her close and dipped his head to kiss her. “I’ve been looking for you.”
“You say it like I’ve been missing for hours.” She leaned into him. “I’ve only been gone, like, twenty minutes.”
“Twenty minutes too long,” he said. Yeah, he didn’t like being away from her much. It was pretty cute. He’d Bound himself to Ava, which I thought showed good judgement on his part, because she was freaking ace.
I lightly touched her shoulder. “Gotta use the restroom, I’ll be right back.”
I strode through the crowd, exchanging smiles and hellos. Sam and Jared’s adorable assistant, Fletcher, tried dragging me onto the dance floor. Laughing, I pulled free of his grip as I backed away … and crashed right into a wall.
I quickly turned. Not a wall. A person so tall, solid, and tough he hadn’t even flinched. Max. I forced a smile. “Sorry, didn’t see you there.”
“No worries,” he said in that low, deep voice that flustered my hormones. His vampiric scent—something our kind developed on Turning—was just as compelling. The guy smelled like dark chocolate and fresh mint … just like my favourite candy bar. How was that even fair?
His brow knitted. “You haven’t seen David or Denny, have you?”
Unfortunately, no, I’d been deprived of what surely would have been a scorching scene. I shook my head. “Nope. But if I see them, I’ll tell them you’re looking for them.”
“No need. I just wondered if—” He cut off, his hand flying out to grip my arm and steady me. Why? Because Ava accidentally-on-purpose stumbled into me, forcing me to almost fall into him.
Her gaze glinting with mischief, she apologised profusely. I narrowed my eyes at the little minx, who then blew me a kiss and walked away with Salem.
Oh, I’d get her back for that. I stepped away from Max, felt heat boring into me from across the room … and saw that Ursula was glaring at me again. I exhaled heavily. “Your ex really needs to stop snarling at me,” I told him. “I don’t know what her deal is, but this isn’t the time or place for her to act on it.”
He sighed. “She’s a little pissed at me right now.”
“But it’s me she’s snarling at. And while I get that that’s not something that’ll really bother you—”
“Whoa, why wouldn’t it bother me?”