He smiled and took a drag, enjoying the burn at the back of his throat.
“What do you want…Lance?”Oops, almost called him Orlan, but they were pretending that they weren’t filled with poisoned blood.He smothered a giggle.
“Just checking up on my favorite enemy.”He was still several meters away.
Nix’s head felt as expansive as the sky.Maybe this stuff wasn’t too bad.“You got others I don’t know about.Should I be jealous?”
Lance dropped down next to him.Nix offered him what was left of the joint.
“Nah.”
Nix shrugged.“Whatever.”
The waves rolled onto the beach and dragged the sand back into the dark ocean.They sat in silence.Nix took another drag, needing something to do so he didn’t think about how delicious Lance tasted and how he owed him a bite.“I’m going back in the water.”
Lance shuddered.“Don’t you worry about sharks?”
He blew out the smoke slowly.“Sharks are the least of my problems.”He glanced at Lance.Even in the moonlight, he was pretty and golden.“Might be a nice way to go.”
Lance reached out and took the joint.“I’ll wait here.”
“I’ll make good on my threat if you are.”It wasn’t a promise…
“I know.You keep your word.”Lance smiled.His heartbeat was fast and tempting.
It had been five weeks since Nix had tasted human blood.Lance wasn’t human, but he wasn’t quite vampire either, and he was delicious.The pressure in the roof of his mouth built, and he fought to keep his fangs flat.He studied the man who was his enemy, but all he wanted to do was kiss him again.
Sharks were definitely less dangerous.
Nix shrugged off the towel, picked up his surfboard, and went to lose himself in the ink and silver of the ocean at night.His focus was only on the water and board.He’d had to give up so many things he loved when he’d been turned, and this was something he’d refused to let go of.He didn’t care how unsuitable his mother thought it.He couldn’t think of her without hearing bullets cut through the air.Not even the Indian Ocean could drown the sound.
When he got out of the water, his skin was cold, and his bones were solid ice.Nix hoped Lance had left, but he was lying on the beach, watching him as he walked closer.The sand coated his feet, and the breeze made his skin prickle to attention.His blood warmed under Lance’s gaze.His night vision would be almost as good as his.
“I can’t turn you,” Nix called up the beach.And even if he could, that would make Lance a Hadley, and Nix doubted Lance would want that.
“I know.”
Only women could turn males into full vampires, and only the women were fertile.He was nothing; it was Zinnia the Orlans wanted.Yet they couldn’t let him go.
Nix shoved his board into the sand and wrapped his towel around himself like a cape.Trying to warm up.It was really getting too cold for these nighttime jaunts.“I thought you weren’t supposed to get bitten until you were turned.”
“Bit late for that.”
“You should’ve stopped me.”
“I didn’t want to.”Lance fiddled with a shell.“I’ve begun to wonder if I’ll ever get turned.”
“I’m sure when you swan in with me at gunpoint, they’ll blood you in a heartbeat.”He couldn’t keep the bitterness out of his words.
“You aren’t going to let me do that.”
“What gave you that idea?”
Lance smiled up at him.“Because you are a survivor, a fighter.”The smile faded.“And I’m not sure I can.”
“That’s your problem and my good luck.”That didn’t mean Lance wouldn’t call someone to bag and tag him.He squatted down and pulled a bottle of red out of his bag to warm himself up.He twisted off the cap and took a drink before offering the bottle.
“Do you ever have beer?”
