Duncan nodded. “I know, but we’re not outside and I’m not very good at it, yet.”
“No, that’s not what I mean,” I said. Then, I grabbed the back of Duncan’s head and pulled him towards me, kissing his lips. He answered me hungrily, wrapping his arms around me, pulling me in closer.
“Oh, for the love of God,” grumbled Nathan. “This isn’t the time or place for you to start making up. Get a room or something.”
Duncan was practically groaning as I kissed him in the booth and the noise in the diner seemed to quiet down considerably. Soon there was an uncomfortable silence.
“Stop it,” snapped my brother. “This is fucking embarrassing.”
I pulled away. “Look at his eyes,” I breathed. “Nathan, look at them.”
Duncan’s eyes were smoldering and burning yellowish-red with the familiar fire of vampire lust. There was nothing human about it.
“Holy shit,” whispered Nathan.
“That’s not all,” I told my brother. “He can probably fly like the wind and he’s fast… so… fast, Nathan. He even took on Ethan yesterday.”
Duncan grinned. “Yeah, I held my own pretty good. Of course, Ethan is hundreds of years old, and obviously, I have a lot to learn about being a vampire.”
“You mean a Roamer?” I said.
Duncan shrugged. “Whatever the hell I am now.”
Nathan put his fork down and stared at us, unhappily. “Okay. You’ve got my attention, now. What else you got?”
Chapter Nineteen
We decided to drive to Caleb’s house to talk to Celeste. Duncan still claimed he didn’t know anything about Susan’s death but ventured that she might.
“So, where did you get the blood to feed?” I asked Duncan, after we’d settled back into Nathan’s car. “It’s pretty obvious that you fed.”
“Yeah, so fine, I fed,” he said, looking out the window of the Mustang. “I had to.”
“On who?” asked Nathan. “You didn’t kill anyone, right, bro?”
He shook his head. “No.”
“Well, then how did you get it?” I asked, still thinking about Susan and how he’d attacked me earlier. I wasn’t certain that he even knew if he’d killed anyone after that episode.
Duncan ran a hand over his face and then turned back to look at me. “Listen, I didn’t kill anyone, okay? I wouldn’t kill another human being. Ever.”
“How then?” I asked, crossing my arms under my chest.
“I went to Club Nightshade,” he mumbled, turning back towards the window. “There are a lot of willing girls hanging out there, ones that will do anything you want. It’s pretty dark and disturbing, actually.”
“You hooked up with a chick at Nightshade last night?” laughed Nathan. He stuck a knuckled fist out towards Duncan to smack. “Way to bring it, Dunc!”
Duncan ignored his fist. “It’s nothing to be proud of. In fact, I didn’t even want to feed, but I was weak and if it wasn’t for Celeste, actually, she was the one who dragged me there.”
“Celeste,” I muttered. “She seems to enjoy dragging you to all kinds of places.”
Including her bed…
He shrugged. “Yeah, well, I can’t argue the fact that she did save my life. After your buddy, Ethan, attacked me.”
“He’s not my buddy,” I snapped. “Besides, you had sex with her three times. Twice, before you were even injured.”
Duncan turned back to look at me. “I told you, I don’t even remember the first two times. I swear to God, I really don’t remember anything.”
“I have to go with Nikki on this one,” chuckled Nathan. “How can you not remember being in bed with Celeste? I mean,” he shook his head. “Come on.”
“She’s a vampire,” he answered. “Obviously, she can manipulate people to do whatever she wants.”
“What about you?” I asked. “Can you manipulate people to do your bidding now?”
He turned back around and smiled devilishly. “I don’t know, care to find out?”
From the look on his face, I knew he wasn’t joking around. I could feel my own face heat up.
“Duncan, who do you think killed Susan?” asked Nathan.
He turned to him. “I don’t know. I suppose it could be any of the vampires living at Caleb’s. Celeste says the others are getting antsy and much more volatile.”
“She told me they don’t like to stay in one spot for too long,” I said. “I wonder how Caleb works that out, being a cop and all.”
“I’m sure he’s very convincing at his job interviews,” said Duncan.
“How many vampires actually live out at Caleb’s?” I asked.
“Seven, I think, including Caleb and Celeste,” said Duncan.
We drove the rest of the way in silence and I tried not to think of Ethan, but it was next to impossible. I hadn’t even realized how much I’d wanted him, until today. Now that he’d basically stabbed me in the heart, I felt hollow and ashamed of my own weaknesses. I should have known that crushing on someone who wasn’t even human was setting myself up for certain doom.
As if reading my thoughts, Duncan turned around. “Are you doing okay, Nikk?”