4

4 

Ian’s POV. 

I could hear the heartbeat of different people. Some fast, some normal, some oddly slow. I could smell the blood. Hot, running. Fresh. Just how I liked it.

I closed my eyes, trying to shut everything out and just enjoy the music and whiskey. I couldn’t feed. Not now. I had my fill just a few days ago and feeding now will not be the best option. It might only attract attention to me. I had a way of attracting attention to myself anyways.

Running my hands through my hair in frustration, I inhaled deeply and the smell of hot, fresh blood clouded my senses. Gritting my teeth, I downed my shot of whiskey and rubbed my face. The bartender came over to me, looking at me with suspicious look. “Do you need anything sir?” He asked.

“Another glass,” I answered.

“But sir, you’ve been drinking for a while and I suggest you take water first. You’re going to have a terrible hangover tomorrow,” he told me.

I stopped myself from narrowing my eyes at him. Did he think I cared? Did he think an hangover was going to affect me in any way? I don’t even have hangovers at all. I was a vampire and I had high alcohol tolerance.

I zeroed in my eyes on him and said in a low voice. “Get me a bottle of whiskey now.”

He went still, then nodded once before turning around in a robot like movement to get my drink. I rolled my eyes. These humans. So easy to boss around.

I closed my eyes, inhaling and exhaling rhythmically. The bloodlust was almost getting too hard to control. Fuck. I shouldn’t even be in a place where there are these much people. Thank God I had some semblance of control. If it was a newbie that was here, then I was pretty sure that he’d have killed all the people in here.

I opened my eyes and looked around. The bartender had dropped the bottle next to my class and now he was watching me suspiciously from afar. He must have been wondering why he gave me the bottle without any reasonable explanation.

I shot him a fight smile and raised my glass at him mockingly. He just narrowed his eyes at me then looked away, finally attending to other customers as he should.

I downed my drink in one go and looked around. My eyes caught a flash of long, straight, red hair and then it was gone.

I was starting to focus on my drink again when the scent of cherry and vanilla hit me, then someone slid onto the bar stool next to me. A female. The one with the cherry and vanilla scent.

I accessed her. From her neat and manicured, polished toe nails up to her smooth skin and thighs, to the tight green dress she was wearing and the way her hair cascaded down her shoulders to her waist. Red hair.

She had pretty captivating green eyes and cherry red full lips. She had small nose and the tiniest dots of freckles on her face.

She had the kind of mesmerizing beauty that piqued my interest and that happened very rarely.

And she was staring at me.

“Hi,” she said. She had a bright voice. Both that wasn’t bothering me. What was bothering me was how close she was. How I could scent her. How I could already smell her blood.

I gulped and forced a smile. “Hey.”

“Are you here with someone?” She asked instantly. I raised a brow, amused. She was going straight to the point. I liked that. My smile turned effortless now.

“No, I’m not,” I answered, shaking my head slightly.

“And then I hope I’m not bothering you?” She asked tentatively.

I shook my head. She wasn’t. She was actually entertaining me now. Keeping my focus elsewhere and not on how I longed to rip out the throats of the humans here. “You’re not.”

“Cool. I saw you sitting lone and I thought I could come keep your company,” she answered, tucking her hair behind her eyes and smiling shyly at me from beneath her long lashes. It was hard to tell if they were natural or an extension.

“I appreciate that,” I replied.

“So are you from around here or you just came down here to drink?” She asked, sipping from the glass of margarita she was holding.

I shrugged. “Why are you asking?”

“I’ve not just seen you around,” she answered, shrugging casually while she looked away. But her heart was beating fast. I could smell the anxiety and nervousness coming off her in waves.

“So you know everyone that leaves around here then?” I asked, raising a brow.

She looked at anywhere but me, red coloring her cheeks. The margarita was finished.

“You want something stronger?” I asked.

“Yes, please,” she answered, nodding eagerly. I couldn’t compel the bartender to bring her a bottle so I had no choice but to give her out of my bottle.

“Thanks,” she answered and took a sip before making a face. “Whiskey?”

“Yes. First time?” I asked, even though it was already too obvious that this was her first time taking this.

“Yeah,” she answered truthfully. “You look very handsome.”

I raised a brow s the side f my lips tugged upwards. “Really now? Is that so?”

“Yeahh,” she answered, nodding severally. “You caught my eye and I decided I couldn’t just let an handsome guy like you go to waste like that. I had to make my move.”

“Hmm. Is that so now?” I answered, raising a brow and then I smirked. “So you came here with… naughty intentions on your mind?”

She bit her lips and I could tell that she was considering her options. I accessed her again. I could tell that she was legal. So I didn’t have to worry about her age or any shit like that.

“I guess we’ll just have to find out,” she answered slowly, pursing her lips a bit.

Hmm. Interesting. This was just the kind of distraction I needed.