“Truth.”
“That’s unfair. I chose dare.”
“And I never choose dares,” he returned. “It’s asking for trouble, and I’m not the adventurous type.”
“What kind of adventures have you never tried that everyone seems to enjoy?”
“Traveling, clubbing, partying until dawn and coming home stupid drunk. Vacations and whatnot…what?”
“Boring,” she declared, her mouth dropping open. “You live a boring life.”
“So do you.”
“Touché.”
They toasted to it and continued drinking in companionable silence, tossing some questions here and there but mostly watching younger folks coming in later in the night. When the crowd began to grow rowdy, and one started looking at Alexa like she was a meal—which made him want to tear some limbs—Edmund sighed and stood up…and swayed. Confounded, he hissed.
“I don’t get drunk.”
Alexa stood up, too, relatively more relaxed than he was but with a faint light of cloudiness in her expression. “My cousins sell their beer in different markets. Two for your kind: the regular one and the special one.”
“They found a formula to get us drunk?” he accused, then was very impressed.
“I don’t think you are drunk. Just buzzed.”
“Well, this buzzed vampire thinks we had enough and should call it a night.”
“Sure. You are right.”
“But I insist on walking you home. Either that or we are staying here until you let me.”
She rolled her eyes but chose to leave, hands on his arm to keep him steady when he stumbled on a big obstacle—
“Watch that pebble.”
“Are you laughing at me?”
Alexa didn’t laugh but grinned. “No. Come on. I would take you to your studio, but I feel like it’s an argument in the making.”
“It is. I’m taking you home.”
He stumbled some more, but so did she. He suspected it was because of him. Her holding his arm turned into them leaning on each other, with him struggling to keep most of his weight off her smaller frame. When they finally stopped, his gaze fluttered up to a building in a quiet neighborhood, one known to be too filled with guards and night activity for any menacing creatures to lurk about.
“Fancy.”
She shook her head. “It’s home away from home. It’s big enough for the three of us when we need to get away from the noise. A huge family’s comforting, but…”
“Yeah. I understand.”
Gray eyes peered at his cheeks. She smiled. “Your cheeks are pink. Mr. Pale Guy is gone.”
“I would sue your cousins if I didn’t know it would make you very angry at me. I saw Ms. Angry Lady, and I don’t want my shoulder dislocated.”
She sighed. “He likes to rough people up. He had it coming. Nowyou…are you sure you can make it home without getting ambushed?”
“So what if I’m ambushed?”
“Well, look at yourself…”