Her feeling of content shattered as she felt a prickle on her neck. A shiver raced down her spine and somehow she knew Seth had just walked through the door behind her.
Seth couldn’t believe his eyes. There she was, sitting with the same two women she’d been with the night they met. From the slight glimpse of her profile, he could see she was smiling as she began to nod in time with the music. Since the night she’d left him, Willow was never far from his thoughts. At first he wondered if maybe he was simply imagining her thanks to his all-consuming desire to see her again.
Standing perfectly still, blocking the entrance, he ignored the band as they played on the stage. He didn’t care how many people they brought into his bar—or that he was preventing people from entering. He only cared about the one woman he couldn’t take his eyes off of.
He’d tried to reenter her dreams after they were interrupted, but for some reason, he had been unable to find her again. He knew he could enter her mind, but refused to do that. Entering her dream was one thing. Dreams were just subconscious images that could be easily manipulated. Breaking into her mind, reading her thoughts to find out where she was or if she missed him as well, felt wrong. She should at least be able to feel safe in her own mind. And he had already betrayed her trust enough.
Still standing there, he wondered if he should approach her. What would her reaction be if he did? She was so upset when she left…so distraught when she found out what I am… Maybe I should just leave her alone…
As he watched Willow, her spine stiffened. The smile left her face and she acted as though someone had just thrown ice water on her, ruining her fun. It was as though she could feel him watching her. It made his decision for him. I’ll just leave her alone in peace. Willow has made it clear that she does not wish to be with me any longer. Now all I can do is hope she doesn’t reveal my secret.
His shoulders sagging, Seth walked over to the darkened corner where he typically sat and ordered a drink while waiting for Jason to arrive.
Unable to take comfort in the music, he gulped down the alcohol before the waitress could even set it on the table and ordered another to be brought to him.
He was on his second drink when he spotted Jason. As Seth watched, Jason approached Willow and squatted beside her. Instead of pushing Jason away, she spoke to him. Thanks to the Night Crawlers, there was too much noise for Seth to hear what they were saying.
Seth’s teeth lengthened and the beast that had raged inside of him the last week roared to life. No man would touch his sweet Willow while he simply sat around and watched. His grip tightened on the table until he heard the first telltale creaks warning it was about to break.
No, his rational side tried to reason. She left you. It isn’t as if you can run over there, beat Jason until he’s black-and-blue then throw her over your shoulder. You can’t just stake your claim on her like you could’ve in the Middle Ages!
Why not? the beast inside asked, its voice guttural. Doesn’t she at least owe me something? A chance to apologize, maybe a small sip from her? My hunger has not been sated since she left. Am I supposed to simply starve until I can no longer remember her taste?
He sat there, battling with himself to gain control of the beast within. Finally, Jason stood and walked over to join him.
“I hope I haven’t kept you waiting long,” Jason said as he sat.
Instead of answering, Seth simply growled into his drink. He wasn’t sure if it was directed to his friend or himself. His eyes narrowed as he caught a faint trace of Willow’s scent coming from the other man.
“I can see you are in another good mood,” Jason said sarcastically before ordering a soda from the waitress. “I didn’t know the Night Crawlers were playing tonight…”
Seth grunted in response and tossed back the drink the woman had just placed in front of him in one long swallow. He didn’t care what the band did. It didn’t matter if there were a dozen people or more than a hundred in the room. He was only aware of one woman. But she refused to be near him.
As another song began, the too familiar ache spread through his stomach again. He’d been careful to drink before he entered the bar, but yet again the blood had not satisfied his thirst. No one tasted as sweet as Willow did. No one else had been able to ease his thirst, no matter how much he drank. He’d come damn close to draining the last few people from whom he’d drunk.
“Seth, you have got to get over this. Whatever happened between you and that girl is over, you need to stop…”