group as they passed by but turned back to the bar when they all got in the same car.
“Alright, I’ll come in after you with Michael,” Tanish said, placing a hand lightly on Michael’s shoulder.
“Great,” Joseph said gruffly, smiling ironically and shouldering Chad forward into the bar.
Michael watched them disappear into the laughing crowd. He could see Joseph talking, but Chad seemed to be having trouble hearing him over the booming music.
“How is your head?” Tanish asked loudly.
“Oh,” Michael said, cringing, “I’m fine.”
“I can see that,” Tanish said, gesturing toward the bar, “Chad isn’t going to have as much trouble as you will with turning.”
“Why not?” Michael asked.
“I don’t think it was a very powerful vampire who turned him. It takes a strong vampire to make a strong vampire,” Tanish said, scrutinizing a man leaving the bar alone. “He hasn’t had a huge jump in abilities like you have. Apparently he got excited because he could smell his magic markers without taking off the caps,” Tanish said, dark eyes twinkling in the florescent green light.
Michael hadn’t even thought of that. Someone had turned him. Someone had done this to him.
“Let’s go,” Tanish said, ushering Michael forward.
Michael swallowed hard, but obeyed, stepping inside the bar.
While Michael was nearly knocked down by the smell of alcohol, Tanish did a quick look around. It seemed to Michael he was looking for something. That something turned out to be the darkest corner with the drunkest woman.
A brunette sat alone in a corner seat, smiling to herself and draping her many gaudy necklaces around her beer bottle. She seemed to be a forgotten member of the bachelorette party. Tanish gestured for Michael to follow.
“Hi,” Tanish said, flashing a charming smile at the 30-something loner when he reached the long corner booth.
“Well, hello, handsome!” she said loudly, laughing behind her hand. “I just said that.”
“Where are your friends?” Tanish asked, sitting next to her and putting an arm around her shoulders like they were the oldest of friends. Michael hovered on the edge of the table, feeling he was supposed to sit down but also feeling he had no intention of sitting down.
“Huh?” she looked around wildly, “Oh, no! Ha! I guess they were done! I’m not done!” she proclaimed defiantly, taking a huge gulp of her drink.
Tanish gave Michael a thumbs-up as she drank.
Michael’s stomach was doing flips. Tanish had decided to kill this woman, just like that. How could Michael warn her?
“What’s your name, girl?” Tanish asked, his dark eyes shimmering.
She giggled, then snorted, then took another drink.
Tanish eyed her exposed throat as the bottle went up, and the shimmer in his eyes turned cold. Michael watched in horror as his posture went from flirtatious to threatening in an instant. The arm that had been draped casually over her shoulder tightened, and she choked on her drink a little as he pulled her close to him.
He brushed the hair away from her neck, two white canines descending toward her exposed throat.
“Get them out of my bar!”
Tanish jerked around to see who had spoken. His eyes turned back to brown, and his canines vanished instantly.
The bartender was holding Chad by the collar of his shirt, and a bouncer was crashing through the crowd toward them.
Without a word to his would-be meal, Tanish stood and pointed Michael to the front door. “Meet us around back,” he ordered.
Michael didn’t bother walking. He ran from that scene, relieved to be out of there.
He found a dark alley around the right-hand side of the bar and entered it cautiously, shaking with nerves. There was a pile of garbage bags and a stack of crates on the opposite wall. He glanced at the dingy back door of the bar and sat on one of the larger crates.
He had to make a conscious effort to slow his breathing.
“Alright, I’ll come in after you with Michael,” Tanish said, placing a hand lightly on Michael’s shoulder.
“Great,” Joseph said gruffly, smiling ironically and shouldering Chad forward into the bar.
Michael watched them disappear into the laughing crowd. He could see Joseph talking, but Chad seemed to be having trouble hearing him over the booming music.
“How is your head?” Tanish asked loudly.
“Oh,” Michael said, cringing, “I’m fine.”
“I can see that,” Tanish said, gesturing toward the bar, “Chad isn’t going to have as much trouble as you will with turning.”
“Why not?” Michael asked.
“I don’t think it was a very powerful vampire who turned him. It takes a strong vampire to make a strong vampire,” Tanish said, scrutinizing a man leaving the bar alone. “He hasn’t had a huge jump in abilities like you have. Apparently he got excited because he could smell his magic markers without taking off the caps,” Tanish said, dark eyes twinkling in the florescent green light.
Michael hadn’t even thought of that. Someone had turned him. Someone had done this to him.
“Let’s go,” Tanish said, ushering Michael forward.
Michael swallowed hard, but obeyed, stepping inside the bar.
While Michael was nearly knocked down by the smell of alcohol, Tanish did a quick look around. It seemed to Michael he was looking for something. That something turned out to be the darkest corner with the drunkest woman.
A brunette sat alone in a corner seat, smiling to herself and draping her many gaudy necklaces around her beer bottle. She seemed to be a forgotten member of the bachelorette party. Tanish gestured for Michael to follow.
“Hi,” Tanish said, flashing a charming smile at the 30-something loner when he reached the long corner booth.
“Well, hello, handsome!” she said loudly, laughing behind her hand. “I just said that.”
“Where are your friends?” Tanish asked, sitting next to her and putting an arm around her shoulders like they were the oldest of friends. Michael hovered on the edge of the table, feeling he was supposed to sit down but also feeling he had no intention of sitting down.
“Huh?” she looked around wildly, “Oh, no! Ha! I guess they were done! I’m not done!” she proclaimed defiantly, taking a huge gulp of her drink.
Tanish gave Michael a thumbs-up as she drank.
Michael’s stomach was doing flips. Tanish had decided to kill this woman, just like that. How could Michael warn her?
“What’s your name, girl?” Tanish asked, his dark eyes shimmering.
She giggled, then snorted, then took another drink.
Tanish eyed her exposed throat as the bottle went up, and the shimmer in his eyes turned cold. Michael watched in horror as his posture went from flirtatious to threatening in an instant. The arm that had been draped casually over her shoulder tightened, and she choked on her drink a little as he pulled her close to him.
He brushed the hair away from her neck, two white canines descending toward her exposed throat.
“Get them out of my bar!”
Tanish jerked around to see who had spoken. His eyes turned back to brown, and his canines vanished instantly.
The bartender was holding Chad by the collar of his shirt, and a bouncer was crashing through the crowd toward them.
Without a word to his would-be meal, Tanish stood and pointed Michael to the front door. “Meet us around back,” he ordered.
Michael didn’t bother walking. He ran from that scene, relieved to be out of there.
He found a dark alley around the right-hand side of the bar and entered it cautiously, shaking with nerves. There was a pile of garbage bags and a stack of crates on the opposite wall. He glanced at the dingy back door of the bar and sat on one of the larger crates.
He had to make a conscious effort to slow his breathing.
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