Hunter

25. How to be Bad at Flirting

There you are.

I batted my eyelashes seductively, a smile playing across my lips as I made direct eye contact with the woman leaning against the bar. She mirrored my movements, her tongue caressing her teeth.

Or rather, her fangs.

This was a game I was very familiar with. I held the vampire's gaze as I lifted up my glass and sipped, licking my lips as I pulled it away. Flirting from a distance was, of course, only the first part of my plan. Soon, I'd act like I'd managed to gather up the nerves to go walk over to her, conjure up my best vocal flirtation skills then, hopefully, lead her out into the alley to make the killing strike.

Indeed, this was a dance I'd moved through over and over again, the tactics almost always the same - though the circumstances this time were quite different. For one, Isla Roy wasn't really a target. From what I'd managed to glean, she was particularly well-behaved for a vampire, especially since she was Christian Roy's younger sister.

For another, it was always Opal who stood beside me during these missions. Not Rebecca.

Not that I minded the werewolf's company. Rebecca's acting was brilliant, playing the role of my innocent, wide-eyed friend whom I probably dragged out here for a bit of fun and release.

"What is happening?" she muttered now, her eyes darting between Isla and I like she was watching a ping pong match, her eyes glued to the ball, waiting to see who'd slip up first.

A good question. The same one that's been racing through my head for years. At the university campus, watching an eighteen-year-old Elijah step into the sunlight; what is happening? That same day, witnessing that same boy rip apart my dad; what is happening? Cedric, leading me to the safehouse as the city began to fall into chaos around us; what is happening? Being ambushed by vampires, Kenny's death, Mom shouting at me to run, losing my brothers...

What is happening what is happening what is happening?

And here I am, seven years later, still without an answer to that simple question.

I didn't allow any of these thoughts to show in my expression; I kept my eyes fixated on my target, even as my smile grew at Rebecca's question.

"This is why I insisted you get out more," I said to her. "You need to meet somebody. Rebound. It will help you get over Zachary." I almost winced at the name that popped out of my mouth. I couldn't help it. Whenever I thought of ex-boyfriends and past relationships, Zachary was the first name that popped into my head. Needless to say, the boy who the name belonged to came with the thought.

I brushed away the hint of a memory, nodding my head toward a man standing a few feet away from Isla. "Go talk to him."

Rebecca blinked. "What? No! I - I couldn't."