Page 45 of Big Dix

“Goodnight, Adair. In the morning, Hollen will be awake, and all of this will seem like a dream.”

George grinned as he backed out of the room.Vampires aren’t the only ones who can hypnotize someone.

Chapter Nineteen

Munro

He’d never thought there would be a day that he hated the scent of tea. Calming blues and the smudges of black leaves had nothing on Hollen’s scent that still lingered.

Munro paced the kitchen, glaring at Sean every time he moved past the empty sink and counters. A whole night had been ruined, food put to waste and expensive steeps poured down the drain. He couldn’t give a shit.

Hollen’s words kept resounding in his head. Were they done? Would he ever see him again? It didn’t seem like it. And he couldn’t pinpoint the second it all went wrong.I should have kept my teeth to myself.

Sean ignored him as he swept by again, prepping for tomorrow’s menu while sighing over the loss of today’s. He flipped through a worn book, white pages faded to yellow and spots with dried moisture crinkling the page.

No one had returned after Munro had kicked them out the door, a few stragglers quickly turning away when they saw the empty interior. No one had questioned him, and he wasn’t sure if that was worse.

There was no Rhys at his side to point out the obvious flaws in whatever plan he’d been fooling himself with. There was no one to hear him out—a thousand at his command, but not a single ear at his disposal.

“If you keep pacing like that, I’m going to get dizzy,” Sean didn’t look up from his notes, squinting at the lines of a recipe before scribbling a few words next to it.

Munro growled under his breath, the sound thudding in his chest. He wasn’t sure if it was anger or guilt coursing through him, but it turned his stomach, every scrap of food around the kitchen souring as he looked at it.

“With that kind of growl, it sounds like we now have werewolves in the kitchen. I never thought I’d see the day.” Sean rolled his eyes. “The kid will be fine as long as you keep your pointy teeth away from him. What’s the issue?” He let out a deep sigh. “He’ll come back.”

Will he?An ache seized his chest. “He was afraid of me.” He paced the length of the kitchen again. “Rhys has had him in his hands before, ready to rip his throat out, and he wasn’t afraid then. I stopped an entire room of vampires from feasting on him…”

“You’re a scary guy.” Sean let out a sigh. “I used to be scared of you, too.”

Munro leaned against the wall, shuddering against the cold. Sean had shown up like a whirlwind one day when his family had settled in town, pitching Munro his idea and not taking no for an answer. There was no way he’d ever been afraid.

“He was so weak.” Munro lowered his head into his hands. “It was only a few sips, but I lost myself for a moment. I don’t remember taking more, but what if…” He trailed off, biting his lip. His canine sliced through the skin of his lip easily, the sting grounding him. It was healed in an instant, but not before copper bloomed over his taste buds.

Hollen’s taste was so mingled with his own that it was hardly noticeable. It didn’t stop him from running his tongue over the spot, seeking more, even after his skin was knitted closed.

“I know it’s easy for you guys to get carried away sometimes, but you didn’t kill him. For what it’s worth, I’ve never seen you lose control.” Sean turned, grabbing a bowl and a handful of spices.

Munro shook his head. Here he was, the oldest vampire in the world with family stretched across the continents, and he was taking advice from someone he could eat. His chest pulled tighter, his breath catching in his throat.

“Have you guys considered that it might be because of George?” asked Sean. “I don’t know much about the whole situation, but I feel like that could be hard on a guy.”

Munro blinked, every bit of guilt sharpening into pure rage. That name was something that needed to be abolished off the planet. Children would need to be renamed, and adults would have to flee because otherwise they were risking his wrath.

“What doeshehave to do with it?” asked Munro. He clenched his fist, trying not to let another growl escape. When he heard that name, he pictured a man not so different from himself, his hands on Hollen’s naked skin and sharp words in his mind. No time would be too soon to end him.

Sean shrugged, turning away. “It was just a thought. Forget I said anything. It’s Hollen’s business, not mine.”

No.Munro snapped, closing the space between them and grabbing at Sean’s white uniform top. With a growl, he spun Sean around, baring his fangs as he leaned in. Sean’s heart fluttered, pulsing blood through the delicate veins and arteries in his neck. It bloomed against the surface, thudding with each beat.

He never saw Sean’s fist coming. His jaw sparked with pain as Sean threw the punch directly against his teeth, the skin of his knuckles bursting open as they scraped against the sharp points. Blood rushed between them, tainting the air in seconds.

Sickly cilantro, so thick that it was as if a bushel of the plant were in his mouth, rushed into Munro’s throat as he reeled back, gagging at the overwhelming taste. He choked, his stomach clenching as his body instantly tried to reject the liquid that could never be called sustenance.

He went to his knees, the lingering taste pushing drool from his lips.

“Sorry, boss,” said Sean, shaking out his hand toward Munro and sending the putrid drops flying. Tea and spices ceased to exist as everything was coated with the essence of such a vile weed.

Sean grabbed the nearest dish cloth, wrapping it around his hand. “I didn’t expect you to get up in my space like that.” He didn’t seem that sorry, a small smile on his lips as he wrapped his hand tighter. “But I’m going to fight dirty if you are. I’m assuming you have the same gene every vampire does that makes cilantro taste like soap? Betcha didn’t know I make sure to eat the stuff every day.”