Chapter 25

Standing in front of the band’s bus, I’m faced with an uncomfortable new reality: apparently, I’m now scared of tour buses, thanks to my last memorable experience on one that didn’t end so well. I can’t bring my feet to move another step, because I’m riddled with anxiety and can’t seem to overcome it. Chris told me that the band was going to resume their tour, since they only had a couple of dates left, and he wanted me to see them play. Then he brought up the real reason that I’m now standing here–I’m safer if we’re constantly on the move since the further away from Oliver we are, the better.

I called Elijah on the way here and caught him up on everything that happened with Oliver and Hannah, and that I needed to leave. He was upset about me leaving, but more upset that Oliver decided to play volleyball with Hannah’s head at my house. I cringe at the thought. No matter what my feelings were towards Hannah, no one deserves that. The fact Oliver believes that I’d welcome such a “gift” makes bile rise in my throat. I don’t want to think of what other presents he plans to offer me, or who else might lose their head along the way. A shiver surges down my spine at that wicked perception.

Dear god, I hope Elijah understands why I have to leave. I hate to withdraw from him like this, especially after the concert massacre, but I promised to text him every single day, and he agreed to do the same. I made sure to tell him to stay in his house at night, that vampires need to be invited in. None of this would be necessary if it weren’t for the fucking vampires that have invaded our damn lives.

Scowling, I stand here, frozen, breaths caught in my chest as I stare at the bus. Benji and Cade load the bus with equipment and luggage, Tyler is on a mission to grab me some food while everyone packs up the bus. Bash apparently went for a bite of his own in preparation to not feed for the twelve hours it’s going to take to get to Michigan since, according to Chris, he “only feeds on things with first names.” Once again, I’m trapped in a moving bus full of vampires. Thrilling.

Chris’ voice breaks into my terrified internal ramblings. “You know that you can get on now, right?” He stands in front of me, looking far too amused.

I draw in a nervous breath. “Yes. Yeah, I’m very much aware of that, thank you for that. I’m pretty sure you remember how my last tour bus adventure went, right? So excuse me if I’m just a tad… hesitant.”

Chris chuckles. “Nothing like that is going to happen again, little kitten.”

“You don’t know that,” I say with a glare.

“And if it does happen, then what did I tell you?” He steps closer to me, his chest almost brushing against my breasts. “I promised you I would keep you safe, and that’s exactly what I’m going to do.”

I pout my lips at him. “Promises can be broken.”

“I don’t break mine.” He tilts his head as his eyes flick to my pouty bottom lip. “You better fix that pout before I bite those luscious little lips of yours, kitten,” he growls.

I let out a soft gasp, my thighs tightening at the visual. “In your dreams,” I respond sweetly, my feet finally deciding to move me towards the door.

“You sure you grabbed everything out of the car, Dani?” Benji asks.

“I’m sure.” I give him a shy smile. I don’t really know much about Chris’ friends, but if they’re anything like him then I’m pretty sure they won’t try to eat me. Hopefully.

Slowly, I trudge my way up the bus steps and walk into the main seating area, blinking at how dark everything is. The lights inside are blazing, but the only color I can see is the cream-colored leather couches lining both sides of the room. Everything else—from the carpet, to the walls, to the updated kitchen appliances—are some shade of black. My god, these men are so emo.

There are two flat-screen TVs, one on top of the other, mounted on the wall of the main living area, with an Xbox hooked up beneath them. Vampires play video games? Well, they play music, too, so I guess it isn’t that far-fetched. The counters, a beautiful black granite that I would kill to have in my own house, are scattered with guitar picks, a liquor bottle in the shape of a skull, and a set of rock glasses with death’s head moths on them. There are a few black pillar candles in various stages of melted, and at least one black washcloth dumped untidily on the counter, and what looks to be a Grim Reaper statue with skull-covered black boxers draped over its scythe. Dear god, I hope those boxers are clean.

Just next to the kitchenette is a seating area with a small table, where a familiar-looking man is focused on his laptop that is sitting in front of him. He glances up as I step in the room, giving me a warm smile. “Hey, Dani.” I stare at him for a second until the memory of a tour manager named Todd returns to me. I should have guessed he would be here too.

“Hey, Todd.” I give him an awkward wave. “Nice to see you again.” Jesus, I don’t know what to say.

If he thinks it’s strange that I’m here, looking like a runaway, he doesn’t let it show. “Likewise. I don’t know if Chris said anything, but he sleeps in the master bedroom. I’m assuming you’ll be joining him? I told Benji to put your stuff in there.”

I can feel my cheeks flush scarlet at the idea of sleeping next to Chris. If I don’t sleep there, though, then where am I going to sleep? In a bunk with a bunch of strangers? Strangers who also happen to be vampires? “Um, I’m not sure yet. I’ll go take a look.”

“No problem. Make yourself at home.”

Home. This is definitely not like my home. My home is cozy. This bus, however, is just strange. All of these men just share these small living quarters for months on end while they’re on tour. And now I’m the only girl. God, I bet they smell. Those pillar candles in the kitchen aren’t going to do the trick. I’m going to have to pick up some candles, and Lysol. So much Lysol. And I probably need to stock the fridge with food, too. I doubt vampires stock the kitchen with human food.

While I’m making my checklist of things to get, I turn to the fridge. It’s large and new. It’s weird to me that they would update this if they’re not using it. Curious, I tug on the door to see what was inside. The door opens silently, and I let out a gasp as I see stacks of blood bags, like they use in hospitals for transfusions. So disgusting. How did they even get all of this? I shut the door quickly, and continue exploring my new home.

I stroll past the kitchen. To my right, there’s a decently sized bathroom with a full walk in shower, toilet, and sink. Beyond that is a door separating the main area from the sleeping areas. This is almost exactly the same layout as Oliver’s bus. My skin prickles with unease at the realization, but I keep walking.

Past the door, both walls are lined with bunk beds. There are clothes everywhere, strewn across the floor, dumped on the beds, and even hanging from the rails guarding the edge of one of the top bunks. I snort. Men. Another door, pulled mostly closed, sits just beyond the bunk beds.

I continue back in the direction of, what I’m assuming, leads to the master. I open the door and peek into Chris’ room. All black, mostly. What a shocker. My bags sit on top of a bed that is definitely large enough for both of us to sleep in. My mouth goes dry at the thought. But do I want to do that? That might cross a line that I’m not willing to step over.

Glancing around the room, I see small closet doors on one wall. Although the room isn’t a complete mess, it isn’t super neat either. Some clothes are laying around, but not too much I can see. Guess Chris travels light.

Through the open door at the back of the room, I can see a second bathroom. I breathe a sigh of relief that I don’t have to share one toilet with six men. Hopefully, Chris will let me have it to myself.

“I see you found our room, little kitten.”

I jump at Chris’ voice, and turn to see him leaning against the door frame.

“Our room?” I ask.

I can tell the exact moment that he decides to stop messing with me because his face softens. “If you want me to, I can take the couch since there aren’t any free bunks for me. You can sleep in here alone. If that’s what you want.” He crosses his arms while observing me.

I let out a sigh and ignore his statement, and his sad puppy eyes. I have plenty of other questions to fill the space. “Where am I going to put my clothes?”

“So eager to get your stuff moved in, huh?” And the charming smile is back as he walks over to one of the closets.

“No. I just don’t want them to get all wrinkled.” I grumble. I’m so not used to this. The flirty vampire that I can’t seem to stay away from, the unexpected tour adventure, the murderous ex-boyfriend.

Chris snorts, popping open the closet door. “Okay, well, you can take this closet. It’s not super big but you can put your clothes in here.”

“I brought two bags. How is that all going to fit?”

Chris’ snort has grown into hard laughter. “My little kitten. You shall have the other closet then as well, your Highness. Anything you want, it’s yours.” He drops into a dramatic bow.

I’m rolling my eyes, but a soft giggle escapes me anyway. Okay, so I’m being a little extra.

“She smiles? Consider me shocked.” Chris backs against the wall next to the open closet door, holding my gaze.

Our touching moment is interrupted by a knock, and Tyler’s head poking around the door. “Hey, Dani. So I have no idea what you like to eat, and, uh, Chris was super vague. He just said chicken tenders and cheese?” There’s a shit-eating grin on his face that’s too big to be anything but mocking.

“That’s not all I said, dude!”

“It definitely is.” Tyler turns to me with his infectious smile. “What an ass, am I right?”

I snort. “Yeah, he’s quite an ass.” I look over at Chris, who’s staring at me with a wide grin.

“What did you actually get, you jackass?” Chris asks Tyler, playfully.

“Honestly? A bunch of random shit.” Tyler glances at me. “Chris just gave me his card and told me to go wild at the grocery store. I stocked up the fridge and got, like, fruit and dry food that you can just grab and go. Sorry, I’m not up to date on human food. And I don’t know what human Dani likes to eat, because Chris is useless and didn’t tell me shit.”

An outraged sound emerges from Chris, but I ignore him. “Human Dani? Really? Also, please tell me you didn’t put the food next to your blood bags.” I make gagging noises.

“Yeah. Human food for human Dani.” Tyler wiggles his eyebrows at me. “But I definitely moved the blood bags.”

“Okay. Well, thanks. I appreciate the gesture for my delicate human needs.”

“Anytime.” He nods at Chris. “We’re taking off in five.”

Chris salutes him and Tyler leaves, shutting the door fully behind him.

Now, what to do about the sleeping situation? I can’t just let Chris sleep on the couch on his own damn tour bus, especially because I’m pretty sure he’s taller than the couch is long. I gnaw at my lip in uncertainty. The way things have been heating up between us, I’m worried I’ll get lost in my desire for him. Even though I can finally admit to myself, that’s exactly what I want. But something inside of me is stopping me from taking that step. I want to trust him. I just can’t.

“You got any other questions, kitten?”

Yeah, but I kind of forgot them in the extreme internal conflict about our living situation. But I do have a random thought. I need to ask Chris about the eye thing. “I have a random question. About your eyes.”

He gives me an incredulous look. “My eyes?”

“Yes, your eyes. Not your brown eyes, though. I mean, when you get all angry vamp face. Yours are yellow, but Oliver’s are orange. And Amanda’s are red. What’s up with that?”

Chris tsks at me, but he looks proud. “You finally asked.” He smiles at my grumpy growl, rolling his eyes. “Vampires are actually emotion-based creatures, believe it or not.”

I put my hand on my hip and raise my brow at him in disbelief. “Come on.”

Chris puts his hands up. “I swear! The eye colors tie into the vampire’s emotional state. Follow me here, kitten.”

I gesture with my hand for him to continue.

“As I was saying, vampires are emotional. Once you die and become a vampire, all of your senses are heightened. Even your physical strength. It’s like when you turn, everything about you as a human is amplified by like a million. Vampires feel everything you feel, but on a much deeper level than humans can comprehend. The good news is we have a way to alter our emotions as well, especially if things become too overwhelming for us, which happens a lot. So, we can partially suppress them or shut them off completely so we feel basically nothing.”

“Alright, okay, you’re all very complicated. Fitting that the emo boys become overly emotional vampires.” I joke, wrinkling my nose at him.

“Ha ha, you’re so funny.” There goes the dimple, causing me to go weak at the knees.

“I know,” I say, fluttering my eyelashes at him playfully.

His eyes darken at my playfulness. “My feisty little kitten,” he says, biting his lip and staring at me with longing. I shake my head subtly, and the expression of lust on his face simmers down, but doesn’t vanish completely. “Anyways, the eye color will tell you if the vampire is feeling something or not.”

“Let me guess, yellow is the good guys. Red is evil, bad guys?”

Chris licks his lips, a chuckle rolling out of him. “Essentially, yes.”

“You just keep trying to make me think you’re the good guy,” I comment with a smile. I’m not being entirely serious because there’s a little part of me that already knows, deep down, that he’s a good guy.

“You should.” He clears his throat. “So yes, red eyes mean the vampire has shut off their emotions completely. They feel nothing other than hunger, lust, and anger. They’re typically the strongest among us. Orange is like the middleman, and it’s unusual to see. And it’s why Oliver confuses me.”

I rear back in surprise. “He confuses you? That’s rich. But why?”

“Yeah. He confuses me, because he has emotions, at least partially. He still feels remorse, although not as strong as he would if his eyes were yellow. He can still feel every emotion, but on a lesser scale. The thing about Oliver is that he acts like he’s shut off his emotions entirely. It’s strange. Unless… was he always like this?”

“Are you asking me if my ex was a homicidal maniac when we dated?” I ask sarcastically. “No, I don’t think he was. I feel like I would have fucking noticed that.”

“Okay, fair enough. It’s just strange, is all I’m saying.” He goes quiet when I step towards him.

“Let me guess the next one.” He waves a hand for me to go on. “So you have yellow eyes. And that means you feel everything, but it’s really amplified.” He stills when I quip, “Is that why you’re so needy and aggravating?”

He’s in front of me, hands gripping my arms before I can even finish my question. “Is that what you think, little kitten?” he growls from deep in his chest.

“Sometimes.” I correct, my cheeks heating at the feel of his thumbs caressing my upper arms and my body pressed against his.

His dimple makes its grand appearance once again. “I think you like it. I think you like that I’m needy and aggravating. But let’s get one thing clear, kitten. I’m only needy for you.” he says, words lined with a seductive edge.

I gasp at his admission. He’s getting bold, and I think, no, I know, I have no defenses against him like this. “Ok, mister nice vampire, I would like to go to bed now.”

“Okay.” He purses his lips and looks deeply into my eyes. “Just let me grab some stuff, and I’ll head out to the couch.” The bus jolts to a start, the sudden jerking movement sending me off balance. The only reason I don’t drop to the floor is because Chris is still holding on to me, steadying me. Keeping me safe against everything, even rogue buses.

Once I’m steady, Chris lowers his hands and turns to grab clothes from one of the closets.

“Chris,” I whisper, so low that the only reason I know he hears me is because of his heightened hearing. “Stay.”

He pauses at the closet, his muscular back tense before he turns around rapidly to stare at me. “Do you really mean that?”

“Yes.” I incline my head slowly. “Please stay. Just… just no touching. At all. Ever.” I say, as sternly as I can. I don’t believe my own strict tone, and I doubt Chris does either, but at least I tried.

The grin that spreads across Chris’ face is wide as he jumps onto the bed and pats the mattress next to him, inviting me to come to bed.

I shake my head, not even trying to suppress my snicker at his silliness. “I need to get ready for bed first.”

Chris rolls his eyes at me playfully. “Hurry up, little kitten, or I’ll get lonely.”

“Oh no, we can’t have that, can we?” I remark dryly as I dig into my bag for my pajamas and toothbrush. I have no idea what I’m doing here anymore, but I’m trying to logic it away anyways. I’m rolling with the punches, and trying to make sense of my new life.

Chris and I are just friends. That’s it. Nothing more. Friends can share a bed together. Elijah and I have done it plenty of times. Totally normal. Ugh. I’m not convincing anybody, including myself, with this tired song and dance. I know this is a mistake, but I can’t let him sleep on the couch. That would be wrong of me. It’s fine. I’ll just sleep at the edge of the bed on the totally opposite side. No big deal at all.