Page 7

Everything in me screamed the opposite but my words betrayed me and my body fell in line. Of course, I’m leaving. I left your ass. I’m never coming back. This shit is over. I moved back in that night.

“What’s wrong with me, Shae?” I ask after I shake off the thoughts of that strange night.

“I don’t know. Maybe that nigga put a root or something on you. You know that shit is real,” she says seriously with raised eyebrows.

“You know I don’t believe in that.”

“Just because you don’t believe in something doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist or isn’t real. I’m telling you that it is and I know someone who can tell if he did.”

“You sound too serious.”

“Because I am. Think about it. Why else can’t you leave him? You know he ain’t shit. You are not happy and you keep saying you two don’t belong together. But yet, you stay. Hell, even tonight. No matter how late we stay out, you will drag your tired ass back to that condo. That’s a root.”

Refusing to believe what she says is even a remote possibility, I shake my head and say, “It’s just me. I need to shake this off and leave.”

“No. We are going to talk to Keyshauna. She’s an ADA in the courthouse. Her mother owns that witchy store downtown, Circe’s Circle. The one where my momma gets all her teas. They’re witches.”

“I’m fine. I’m going to leave,” I assure her.

“You’re not and I’m going to talk to her about you.”

I don’t have the bandwidth or the desire to even consider what she’s alleging because it’s crazy…too crazy. Roots? She can’t be serious! Langston and roots? Nah…Hoping to change the subject and put this conversation to rest, I turn and hug her.

“I love you,” I utter as we embrace.

“I know. I love you too.”

“Then what about this bar? I thought you needed to go out for work. I can really use a good drink.”

Shae places her hands on my shoulder, staring into my eyes for a moment as if she’s looking for something. After a beat, she flashes me a wry smile.

“We can go.”

“Good. What time do we need to leave?”

Chapter

Four

Another twenty-four-hour shift is over, I’m on my final day of my two days off and back at Blood Lust. After last week, I told myself that I was going to chill on Blood Lust for a minute. I stayed away yesterday but came tonight.

It’s a cool ass spot but I’m really not a crowd person. I just like to be solo dolo sometimes, but here I am, up in VIP, scoping shit out. I spotted Amadi earlier but he disappeared when I gave the server my attention to order a drink.

The whole vamp scene—fucking and feeding all around the club and the spectator part of it—just gets to me sometimes. I get it; vampires are alluring. Humans who don’t fear us want to be up close and personal and will do anything to be in that position. Shit gets wild as fuck in here because of their fascination with us.

Bruh, where you at? I communicate.

In some pussy, he responds.

His response causes me to shake my head and chuckle. His wild ass ain’t going to change for shit.

When the server returns with my glass of Henn Black, I take a sip then relax on the black leather sofa. Three of my usuals are here tonight, but real shit, I’m not interested. They frequent Blood Lust a little too much for my liking and I spotted a fresh bite mark on one of them. Although my interaction with my normals is limited to just feeding here, I do not share; so I’m removing her from my list.

Just when I reach for my glass of Henn, a heightened sense of awareness floods me and I sit all the way up. The sensation is followed by an interesting but alluring scent of coconut, cocoa butter, and I don’t know.

What is that?

Who is that?