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Another round of knocks sounded off behind Kenji.

“Let’s go before I have to fuck Benji up.” Kenji signaled to Tahji with his hand on the door.

I couldn’t explain the sadness that took over me as I watched Kenji walk out the front door. I wanted to beg him to stay with me. It felt like it was too soon for us to be away from each other. I sighed, resting my head on the glass on the side of the door. I watched as Kenji, Benji, and Tahji disappeared into the night. I thought it was the night. The way Idyll was, it was always dark, and really, the only way I could tell the time was by looking at a clock. Kenji claimed the daytime hours were brighter than the night. It all looked the same to me, and I wondered if I was going to be able to go out in the sun again myself. Kenji hadn’t explained much about us being mated besides that I would live longer. I had so many things to ask him. Kenji needed to hurry up and bring his ass back.

Turning around, I leaned my back against the glass window. This was insane. I was mated to a vampire I’d only known a week, and this was the only way I wanted my life to go. If you would have told me a few days ago I’d be proclaiming my love to Kenji and letting him fuck me, I’d call you a liar. But here I was, happily wearing his mark. Life was crazy, but as long as I had Kenji, who cared?

Tap! Tap!

A light knocking at the door caught my attention. I debated if I should open the door. Kenji didn’t tell me not to. I figured if anyone was knocking, it had to be family because they were the only others who lived on the compound. Fuck it. I opened the door to Regina’s stale face. I inwardly groaned. I didn’t like her. She low-key tried to call me fat without saying it. I contemplated slamming the door in her face. Instead, I just stared at her, matching her condescending facial expression.

“Mmm, I thought Kenji was home,” Regina said, her eyes running over me disapprovingly.

“He’s not here,” I replied dryly.

“I can see that.” She paused, scrunching up her face. “Very clearly.”

“Can you? Can you clearly see this?” I smartly asked, sticking my middle finger up.

“Childish. Just give Kenji this.” Regina scoffed, forcing a piece of paper into my hand before turning and walking away.

I didn’t bother looking at the paper, just tossed it to the ground. Fuck her and that paper.

Chapter 19

Kenji Touré

We could have driven, but it was faster if we flashed over here. Flashing was the fastest way for vampires to get around. It was even faster than flying, but flashing took a lot of energy, and if you flashed too much or tried to go too far, you’d deplete your energy and would have to sleep for a day or two. Luckily, we didn’t have to flash too far out. It took us about fifteen minutes at flash speed, which meant it would be at least an hour’s drive in the car. The entire flash over here, I thought about how this shit could play out. I didn’t see Dante being involved in anything major. At most, he probably was illegally stealing human blood for some underground vampire shit. Dante didn’t seem like the type of vampire who was connected enough. The three of us stood outside the run-down house at the address Quinny had given me.

“Who the fuck lives here?” Tahji asked with his top lip curled in disgust.

“I guess Dante’s bitch ass does,” I replied, unsure as I looked at the run-down house.

Most vampires, unless they were addicted to Blood Rock or rogue, would never step foot inside a house that looked like this. Vampires could be bougie as fuck, and I really wondered if Dante stayed here or if he just gave Quinny this address. The two-story brown brick house looked like it hadn’t been lived in for years. Mortar had crumbled from between the bricks, leaving gaps along the walls, and dark water stains stretched beneath the upstairs windows. A few panes were cracked, while others were covered with crooked plywood. The front porch sagged on one side, its wooden railing missing several slats. Overgrown weeds crowded the steps, and a rusted gutter hung loose from the roof. The front door looked worn out, its peeling paint exposing splintered wood underneath. There wasn’t any grass in the yard, just a bunch of dry dirt. No vampire I’d ever known would live in this fucked-up-ass house. Vampires took pride in where they lived. We kept shit neat inside and outside of our houses.

“We finna stand out here staring at this jank-ass house, or are we going in?” Tahji said with excitement in his eyes. His wild ass liked anything that meant he might get the chance to fight. Tahji was still in that wild phase of life. He had a good hundred or two years before he calmed all the way down. I glanced at my brother, shaking my head. He was finna be on some bullshit. I could see it in his eyes that he wanted a reason to put his hands on anyone.

“You think we should try to look in through one of the windows?” Benji asked.

Tahji and I both gave him a screw face. I wasn’t putting my face up to the nasty-ass windows. Them bitches looked as if they hadn’t been cleaned in at least a hundred years.

“Who finna put they face by that fuckin’ window, Benji?” I kissed my teeth, scoffing at his dumb ass.

“Shit, you. Yo’ soulmate is the one who sent us to this dirty mutha fucka,” Benji replied. “We don’t know who in that bitch or what they got going on in there.”

“Benji, let me find out you scared you gon’ get yo’ ass beat.” Tahji snickered, picking at Benji.

“Right, it wouldn’t matter if it was fifty mutha fuckas in there. I know I’m fucking up any vampire who walk up on me.” I chuckled as a small grin formed on my face. I couldn’t pass on fucking with Benji. He made that shit so easy.

“Aye, fuck both y’all,” Benji muttered, flipping us off. “I ain’t scared of shit,” he spat, heading up the fucked-up stairs that led to the front porch.

His extra ass lifted his foot, kicking the door off the hinges.

“He does the most,” Tahji said, and I nodded in agreement as we both followed up behind Benji.

The house looked more fucked up close. There was trash all over the porch. Something looked like it had been chewing on the side of the house. It was a big hole that let you see into the structure of the house.

“You smell that?” Benji said, standing in the doorway.