Twice Bitten (Love, Lust & Magic #1)

Pruitt

“It’s funny. No matter how badly I destroy these college dives, it’s like I can always somehow convince whoever is behind the bar to make me another drink,” chuckled Uriah as he took a seat at the table where fumed. He placed a drink in front of the football player as he silently nursed his own.

“Wouldn’t have anything to do with some kind of vampire compulsion trick now, would it?” scoffed in response. He folded his arms across his chest as he scowled in Uriah’s general direction.

“That’s not any way to talk to the guy who just bought you a drink,” Uriah shot back. “You never were one for manners.”

“And I’m going to guess that the reason you’re now suddenly wearing a shirt is because you compelled it off of some dumb jock’s back?” was referring to the new threads Uriah was now boasting.

“Bingo,” Uriah replied as he leaned back in his chair, tugging at the collar of his new black shirt. “I figured I would at least wait until I was done mopping the floors with you before I snagged one. You know, so I wouldn’t dirty the poor fella’s V-neck.”

“A saint amongst the undead,” murmured as he took a big swig. Anything to numb the pain of being with this asshole , he thought to himself. He only realized his mistake after someone replied.

?Hey now, watch it , ? Uriah’s voice filled his head. ?You keep on forgetting that the reason you don’t hang out with me anymore is because we have some kinda unexplained telepathic bond bullshit.?

?That’s how I know you would’ve broken that freshman boy in two if I didn’t stop you , ? shot back .

?Is that before or after I ravage him?? asked Uriah.

“Probably both,” said aloud.

“Speaking of,” Uriah cleared his throat after tossing back the whole of his drink, “what’s up with my little tricks working on everyone in this town except him?”

“Do you mean the smooth guy act or the vampire compulsion?”

Uriah seemed to miss the point. “Are you saying these college girls think I’m smooth?” He looked around the moderately busy bar with fresh eyes.

“No,” rolled his eyes.

“Fine. That brings me to another point, then,” sighed Uriah. “In all my years of being a vampire—and there’s a lot of them—not once have I ever gone gay.”

nearly spit out his drink. “ What? ”

“Okay, okay, fine,” continued Uriah. “Might have been some freaky open love stuff in the seventies, maybe. Beyond that, it’s hard to remember. You know, we never get a chance to talk anymore, but my memory beyond my time here in Mystic Hollow is a little foggy. It’s almost selective. You get that, too?”

“According to others, um, of our persuasions ,” spoke guardedly, remaining hyper-aware of passing groups of collegiate partiers, “sexuality becomes a lot more fluid once you turn. It doesn’t matter what you are—werewolf, vampire, or demon—whatever darkness that enters you when you change is said to cancel out that whole set-in-stone human sexuality thing.”

“Well, fuck. Call up Kinsey and color me gay!” Uriah threw his arms up in the air and pounded his fists on the table. “Actually, no. Don’t. Uh, Regina really wouldn’t like that. Well, actually, maybe she would. ”

“Ah, so it’s true,” massaged his temples. “You’ve got yourself a trashy vampire girlfriend?”

“That I do, my pal,” responded Uriah as he snapped his fingers in the air. “She’s cool. I mean, I’ve got to get her to work on controlling her appetite and all, especially with school starting up again, and I can’t stand being around her for more than, you know, one day a week, but yeah.”

Almost like a servant, the bartender—an out-of-place, petite older woman with silver hair and an array of colorful scarves—appeared with two more mixed drinks in hand and placed them on the table. “Here are your drinks, Oh Gracious Good-Looking One,” she said as she acknowledged Uriah. Turning to in almost a robotic fashion, she added, “And, as requested, a doggie bag for this one.”

Before could react, the bartender disappeared, leaving only a small plastic bag behind her.

“Damn, grandma!” Uriah instantly burst into a fit of laughter. He could tell his joke didn’t go over well with his drinking companion. “Come on, man, lighten up. That was a good one. Sure, I compelled her to do it, but still. Now, what about your girlfriend, the Ice Queen of Mystic Hollow herself?”

rolled his eyes. Long identified as one of the university’s top athletes, ’s name was just as synonymous with football locally as it was with his cheer captain girlfriend. “I’m literally her for-show-only boyfriend, if that wasn’t already obvious.”

“Well, at least you can tell your grand-puppies your testosterone-fueled sports career yielded at least one trophy then. I mean, come on, you’d think I compelled the entire town to think you were actually good with a ball or something. Maybe good with balls— as in plural —though, eh?”

’s narrowing eyes served as a warning to Uriah.

“So, what is it, then? Magic? ” asked Uriah. “I mean, the thing with the freshman.”

“Are you talking about our—keyword, our —seemingly supernatural attraction to Griff?”

“You mean Gibb?”

“ Griff ,” sighed . “And I don’t know. To the best of my knowledge, I haven’t encountered magic in Mystic Hollow since…”

“Since?”

was silent, lost in a futile attempt to concentrate. ?What’s happening?? It felt like a dozen voices were trying to drown out his own internal train of thought. ?It’s like something is preventing me from remembering. Didn’t you just say something about a foggy memory??

?I think the humans call that Alzheimer’s , ? replied Uriah. ?I thought you were supposed to remain a dashing, studly twenty-one-year-old forever??

“I am,” said with a faint growl of frustration. “It’s like someone is?—”

“Using magic against you?”

Uriah and turned to see the bartender had once again returned to the table.

“Can we cut it with the compelling bullshit, Riah?” groaned as he massaged his temples. “It’s getting old.”

Uriah’s only response was a look of bewilderment. ?I only asked her to bring out the last round, plus your little baggie.?

“I agree, werewolf,” the bartender said to , a pointed tone in her voice as she looked from him to Uriah. “It’s time for the vampire to cut the shit.”

Suddenly, the bartender grabbed hold of both of the men and pinned their wrists down against the table’s surface. “Maybe this will get you two to stop destroying my bar.”

“Wait, what!?” cried out .

“Hey, now, Grandma of Green Gables, we can clear out,” Uriah whimpered.

“When magic veils make recollection weak,” chanted the bartender, “show these fools what it is they seek. Revelare!”

and Uriah only had enough time to look each other dead in the eyes before a bright light engulfed the table, the force of which sent them both flying out of their seats.