Eat Me

ChapterNineteen

JustinPOV

It took everything inside me to leave her there and walk away. I wasn't blind. The guy in the window was the same one that was at the club with her. The infamous Warren, I could only assume. It may have only been brief - his face peeping out from the window above - but I could already tell he wasn't human. Human eyes didn't turn onyx like that.

I sparked up another cigarette and stood outside her place for a solid ten minutes, waiting for him to show his face again. No doubt, if I was in his position and I saw me walking her home, I'd have the balls to come outside and confront me. I guess he was too p***y to do that.

I made my way over to Izzy's to grab a bite to eat and maybe someone to stick my d**k in - I hadn't decided yet. Nathan had rudely awoken me this evening and I hadn't had time to feed before rushing over to check if Cassy was OK.

Fucking Nathan. If I didn't need him to set up a meeting with Ronan, I would have torn his throat out then and there.

In no time, I arrived at the club. It was a normal night here, girls clung to the arms of the vampires that had chosen them, some already fangs deep on one of the many sofas.

The same red-headed beauty I'd last fed on was working, her legs open as she sat in the same chair I had previously. Her eyes locked on me the second I entered, the vampire between her legs none the wiser that she was more interested in what I had to give her than him. Too bad for her, I wasn't looking for a casual arrangement, seeking a different flavor for the evening.

I knew what I wanted when I saw her, perched on another girl's lap.

I waved Izzy off as soon as she had seen me enter, halting her footsteps toward me. She watched intently as I stormed across the room, leaving me to my business.

"You, come with me," I grabbed ahold of the girl's arm, yanking her off the lap of the vampire she was with.

"What the f**k, Justin?!" Beverly yelled.

The vampire who I'd stolen her from stood up from her chair, ready to fight. She wasn't nearly as old as me, and probably lacked the intelligence to know that if she fought me, she would die trying.

I stopped, my hand still clasped around Bevs' arm, and glared at the woman in question.

"Did I look like I was finished?" She growled, fangs bared.

"I didn't ask," my fangs elongated, itching to rip her limb from limb.

Beverly tried to wriggle from my grasp, earning her a glare that froze all movements.

"You smug prick, thinking you can go around and take whatever you want."

By now, her outburst had gained an audience, vampires and their meals interested in the coming fight. Izzy didn't condone fighting in her club, it was supposed to be a safe haven for our kind. Yet she knew not to intervene if someone pissed me off. She wouldn't be happy, but she'd let it slide, sitting idly by with a drink in hand until I was finished.

"Go wait for me by the bar," I ordered Beverly, releasing her so I could get this over with. Slowly, she backed away, fear prominent in her eyes.

Turning back to my opponent, I looked her over, laughing lowly at her feeble attempt to look intimidating. "You know it's too late to walk away now," I said, rolling up my sleeves.

The b***h pulled her long black hair up into a ponytail like she was about to scrap in the playground. Amatuer.

"Oh, don't worry, honey. I'll make it quick for you," her Cheshire cat grin was cute at best. I couldn't wait to watch it fade when I tore her head from her shoulders.

She moved first, lunging toward me, whilst I stood there, unbothered. Who would have guessed she would make the first move? Her painted talons aimed for my heart, a move she'd probably thought she'd mastered. Wrong.

My arms flew out in front of me, both my hands cementing themselves around her wrists like a vice. Sweet, sweet fear glistened in her eyes, such a sight to behold.

I was stronger. I was her worst nightmare. I was something she wasn't expecting to face. I was the devil incarnate.

I tightened my hold on her, moving our bodies closer like chess pieces in play. "You were saying?" I whispered, our faces inches apart.

When she registered what a grave mistake she had made, it was too late. Fangs burning with desire, I sank them deep into her jugular, biting down until my top teeth met my bottom. When I ripped my fangs away, dropping her arms from my grip, her hands flew to her neck, and a gurgling scream broke free. I spat her flesh on the floor and licked my lips.

The white silk blouse she was wearing could only soak up so much blood.

A crowd had formed around us. Those who had missed the start were all eager to catch the ending.

Reaching forward, I pressed my fingers into the sides of her head, smiling as I gave a forceful twist and pull. A satisfying crunch echoed throughout the room, and her lifeless body dropped to the ground like a sack of potatoes, head still clasped between my fingers.

Like moths to a flame, the crowd had edged closer to get a piece of the action, not a vampire around without their fangs on show. I threw her head into the crowd and the room vibrated with s****l energy. Who doesn't love a good bloodbath?

Izzy clapped her hands, jumped off her seat and walked over to me. "OK, everyone, you've had your fun. Go back to screwing or draining whoever you were before this." She placed her hand on my shoulder, "And you, good luck with whatever you want that one for," she pointed to Beverly, looking shell shocked at the bar. "You've traumatized the girl, and made a f*****g mess on my floor."

Fucking hell.

"Bev," I called out as I turned away from Izzy. Her slightly glazed eyes met mine; the first time seeing one of us kill another, I imagined. "Come."

I kept walking, moving to a more discreet table where we wouldn't have anyone listening in. She followed and gently sat, her mind elsewhere. I, on the other hand, sat comfortably, one leg over the other, sated after my kill.

"You want something to drink?" I needed her full attention and something strong would bring her head back out of the clouds.

"I'm good," she whispered, picking incessantly at her nails. "Are you planning on killing me too?" Her voice was below a whisper this time but still audible.

She was afraid of me. I mean, she had every right to be, but if I wanted to kill her, I would have done it already. I would have walked into her place the other night and drained her dry. Then I'd have more of a reason to finish off Nathan - not that I needed a reason.

"Look at me," I softened my tone. I wouldn't get anywhere with her being locked away in her thoughts. Her head lifted from her trembling hands. If only for a second, I needed her to see I had no ill intentions for her.

"I'm not going to kill you, Beverly. I'm here because I need a favour."

My pride almost got the better of me. Every fiber of my being screamed at me to walk away, convince Cassy that I was there to protect her and that she had no choice in the matter. Deep down, however, I knew I'd have more of a chance if I had help from someone close to her, someone she trusted. Even if it killed me to ask for help.

"You need a favour from me," she scoffed. "I just watched you slaughter that woman because you didn't feel like doing the normal thing and ask to talk to me. I've seen it hundreds of times. Men like you don't ask for favours, they take whatever it is they want without fear of consequence."

In a way, she had a point. I could force Cassy to stay with me, kill the people after her and then let her live out her life as a live-in open bar in my house. She would owe me for saving her life, and over the years, maybe she could be trusted to go outside in the daytime and come back home to me at night.

Christ, I even heard how insane that sounded. A pet wasn't what I was looking for, and stupidly, I cared about what she thought of me.

"Listen to me, someone is willing to pay a hefty price to get their hands on Cassy."

"What do you mean someone wants her? For what?" She abruptly stood, as if she could storm out into the dead of night and save her friend. It was ballsy and I commended her for it. Too bad, she'd be easy pickings the second she stepped into my world.

"Sit your arse down," I sat forward in my chair. "Its being handled but I need your help to speed things along. Get me an in with Cassy. It'll be safer for her if she's with me and I can't exactly walk up to her and tell her that."

A whirlwind of emotions crossed her face, starting with anger and ending with confusion. Eventually, she sat back down with her questions for me dripping from her lips.

"Oh what, and I can? I can't exactly hand her to you on a plate. Plus, even if I could, how do I know this isn't some bullshit ploy to get to her?"

One word. "Nathan."

Her eyes lit up. "Nathan." I knew dropping his name would not only instill some sort of trust from Beverly, but it would also piss Nathan off for getting her involved. "What about him?"

I gave her the run-down of what Nathan had told me, what line of work we used to do, and a rough backstory of how we knew each other. Of course, I left out my seething hatred for the guy and the reason for it. It wasn't her business to know.

By the end of it, she had done a one-eighty and had agreed to help by getting me some time with Cassy, solely based on the promise I would keep her safe. If Nathan was the one bringing the information to light, to her, his word was golden.