Page 52 of Bleed

“Cynical,” she counters, frowning. “But then again, you’ve never trusted love stories.”

“Because there are very few real happy endings,” I mutter wryly. “I have every confidence you’ll get yours, though.”

She folds her arms, arching a dubious brow. “Uh huh.”

“What? I do,” I insist, hooking my arm through hers. “James knows I’ll stake his ass if he breaks your heart.”

As if on cue, James cuts me a glare from across the room.

Damn vampire hearing.

Taylor covers a laugh while I grin unapologetically back at him, winking.

“C’mon, I need a drink,” I say, tugging her toward the bar.

She goes willingly. Probably because she’s already hit her limit of being beyond touching distance from James.

Lovesick idiot.

Two glasses of smooth whiskey later, we’re seated at one end of the long table while the kitchen staff begins bringing out the first course. Taylor and I make respectable attempts at eating our salads as the vampires mostly push food around their plates and pretend to participate in normal society.

The whiskey settles warm in my stomach, taking the edge off the lingering irritation from the car ride and leaving me pleasantly loose around the edges. Not quite drunk yet, but close enough that what little filter I have evaporates entirely.

By the time the main entrée arrives– a chicken dish that looks like it was ripped straight from one of those absurd cooking competition shows on TV– Taylor and I are carrying most of the conversation while James and Elliott contribute the occasional comment from behind their brooding vampire personas.

At least until the conversation shifts toward the bond. Then Elliott’s attention sharpens so abruptly it’s almost startling.

“Any further developments with the telepathy?” he asks, eyes darting between James to Taylor behind the lenses of his glasses.

Yeah, because on top of everything else, now they’re apparently reading each other’s minds.

“He’s better at it than me,” Taylor admits, blushing a little as she spears a bite of chicken with her fork.

“The human mind is just easier to slip into,” James reasons, his hand sliding across the table until it settles over hers. “I’ve had centuries to fortify my mental shields, darling. The fact that you can get in at all is a testament to our bond’s strength.”

I watch their fingers intertwine automatically, a soft smile curving Tay’s lips as she gazes back at him adoringly.

Elliott reaches for his wine glass, subtly leaning away as he draws his arm back so it doesn’t accidentally brush mine. For some reason, the contrast between our side of the table and theirs irritates me.

“How does the bond thing actually work?” I ask, realizing I’m the only one here who still doesn’t fully understand whatever ancient blood bullshit is tying these two together.

I mean, I know the basics– that Taylor’s blood supercharges James’ vampire abilities and she gets to share in some of those traits to a lesser degree– but there’s a lot that still confuses the hell out of me.

“We’re soul-tied,” Taylor replies, as if that’s a totally normal turn of phrase.

“Yeah, but how?” I press.

“That’s what we’re still trying to determine,” Elliott murmurs.

I glance his way. He’s leaning slightly forward now, one forearm resting beside his plate, eyes bright with interest. Typically, dragging information out of him feels like prying open a bank vault. Now he’s suddenly volunteering it, and while the urge to point that out is strong, I resist.

“Bonds like theirs were thought to be extinct,” he continues. “Or even just a myth. The secrecy of our species doesn’t lend itself to thorough record keeping, so I’m still researching, trying to uncover everything I can about the viniculum sanguinis.”

“The what?”

The ghost of a smile tugs at the corner of his mouth. “The blood tie.” He takes a small sip of wine. “They say long ago, every vampire was bonded to a human counterpart. A single source for sustenance and power.”

“So what happened?” I ask. “I mean, the bond makes Taylor immortal, right?” I gesture toward her with my fork. “So if the stories are true, shouldn’t there be a bunch of other immortal humans running around out there?”