“We don’t need pickled blood,” the vampire next to William hisses at him.
“Then don’t feed on me,” William says right back, and I instinctively suck in my breath, because talking back to a vampire is a dangerous game.
The vampire’s nostril’s flare. He’s dressed in a fuzzy pink bunny suit, so it’s an odd sight. He glances at me. “You better watch him,” the vampire says, before finishing the rest of his martini and walking off.
William stealthily takes his seat.
“Bold move,” I say quietly to him, sliding a coaster his way.
“Maybe I’m not interested in the vampires tonight,” he says to me with a cheeky grin. “Maybe I’m more interested in the bartender.”
“Well, whatever you’re interested in, I have no problems with cutting you off if you get out of hand,” I warn him. “I don’t need your head being torn off because you were drunk.”
William doesn’t look the slightest bit scared. He should be.
“That’s sweet that you’d prevent me from getting murdered.”
“Making you a scotch and soda,” I tell him, grabbing the bottle and free-pouring it into a rocks glass. “And it’s not on the house.”
William makes a pouting face but eagerly takes the drink when it’s ready. Meanwhile my mom appears at the door with more appetizers, looking bewildered at the crowd. I immediately look for Ezra and wave at him to take over the bar before I head over to my mom.
“Why didn’t you text me? I would have come up and got these,” I tell her, taking the trays while trying to nudge her to the door with my shoulder. “You shouldn’t be here.”
“I can’t enjoy the party?” my mom asks softly, her eyes big as she looks around, soaking it all in. And just as I thought, a lot of the vampires are looking right at us, right at her. They’re used to the smell of my blood, but they aren’t used to the smell of hers.
“Mom, please,” I tell her, trying to open the door with my foot. “I know you want to stay, but it’s dangerous down here. And honestly, vampires are incredibly boring.”
Okay, so that last part was a lie.
She nods, pressing her lips together and looking so forlorn that it breaks my heart. She rarely gets to see any of the parties in full swing.
I sigh. “Alright, I’ll tell you what. Since you’re all dressed up and looking so pretty, I’ll get Wolf to escort you around. No one will dare try anything when he’s there. I’d get Solon but…” I look around in time to see him grabbing Lenore’s hand and leading her into the cigar lounge. “Well, he’s occupied.”
Her face lights up. I’m reluctant to leave her. I know it’s crazy to think that any vampire would suddenly decide my mom looks delicious and break all the rules, but like I said, I’m protective. So I wave over Onni, a vampire I recognize as being a pretty good guy, and then tell him to go get Wolf.
I wait with my mom by the door and, a minute later, Wolf appears, a sight for sore eyes if there ever was.
“Wolf, can you do me a favor?” I ask, handing him the trays of appetizers. “Or rather, my mom a favor?”
He grins down at my mom. “Of course I can, mama bear,” he says, his nickname for her. “Anything for you.”
My heart grows incredibly warm. The relationship Wolf has with my mom is pretty special. Adorable, really. All the boys in the house treat her like she’s their mother, meaning with respect and love most of the time, and occasionally a bit of mischief. Wolf especially adores my mom and I love to see them together. I think it’s because Wolf lost a lot of his family at an early age, though he never really talks about it, and my mother makes a fabulous substitute.
“She’s insisting I go back upstairs but I want to enjoy the party,” my mother complains to him, chin raised in defiance.
“I’m not insisting,” I quickly say, looking to Wolf. “But I feel like it’s dangerous if she’s down here.”
“You’re down here all day long,” she says to me, hand on her hip, going into full mama bear pose. “I don’t worry about you.”
Both Wolf and I snort in unison. My mom worries about me every chance she gets. It’s one of the drawbacks of being so close. I’ve never not lived with her, which sounds embarrassing when you’re my age, but so far that’s just the way things have gone for us. It’s always been the two of us against the world.
“Well, if it makes you feel better,” Wolf says to me, his eyes dancing in amusement, “then I’ll gladly accept the role of your mother’s bodyguard for the next while.”
“What about the feeding room?” I ask him, jerking my head toward the metal door at the back.