Read Online Destiny by Celia Breslin - Free Book Online

better to reveal that while hiding the more dangerous secret.
    I ate a piece of hamachi nigiri, then followed it with a sip of sake before I spoke. “Alexander was acting odd during our video chat the other night. Secretive. Said he’d be incommunicado for a while. And he’d text me.”
    My girls made appropriate groaning noises while their faces scrunched in commiseration.
    Claire patted my arm. “Fool doesn’t deserve you, honey.”
    “That’s it,” Gen growled. “I’m kicking his ass for you.” She smacked her fist against her palm.
    I waved away her offer. “You can’t. He’s in Italy. And if there’s any butt kicking to do, I’ll do it.”
    She gave me a hard stare despite her tipsy status. “I thought he was a stand-up guy. I thought you guys were tight.”
    “We were, I mean we are tight, it’s just… I don’t actually know what’s going on.” I frowned. “Maybe I should call him.” I pulled my phone from my handbag.
    “No!” Claire and Gen exclaimed and dove for my cell.
    Claire snagged it first, stretching her arm over our neighbor’s table—an easy feat in this intimate restaurant—and before I could stop their amusing tussle for my technology, said tiny tech escaped her hand and clattered to the other table.
    Gen and Claire froze. I hazarded a look at our neighbors, two men and two women.
    The young women had a Goth thing going on with their ink black, stick-straight hair, double hoop lip piercings, bright red lipstick, white face powder, and heavy eyeliner around sky blue eyes. The Goth girl farthest from us fingered her black lace choker and gave me a flirty head tilt and smile while the other one narrowed her eyes and flared her nostrils, mouth set in a grim red line, giving off one hell of a hostile vibe. Jealous? I barely resisted a bemused eye roll.
    Their male friend gave us an appreciative once-over while running a beefy hand over the pointy tips of his black and red Mohawk. When done with his inspection, he gave us a cheeky grin and puffed out his muscled chest, stretching the skull and cross bones on his black T-shirt.
    Oh boy. I choked back a laugh and focused on the man seated directly next to me.
    He kept his gaze fixed on the window, his sake cup hovering near his too-red lips. In a classy black mandarin collar tuxedo shirt and custom fit black slacks he seemed out of place with his three young punk-meets-goth companions. After setting down his cup, he drew in a breath. A pulse of power hit me on his exhale.
    Vampire.

Seven
    How had I failed to notice this vampire sooner? He must have blocked me. Add to that my preoccupation with Dixon and pretending happiness for my friends and the result—oblivion.
    Hell. Now I had to manage an unknown vampire. Friend or foe?
    The waiter returned with a pale pink sake bottle. Gen accepted it from him then jerked her head at the vampire, a mischievous gleam in her eyes. “Hot vamp,” she mouthed at me. “Flirt with him.”
    Of course, she’d see this as an opportunity to get back at Alexander. “No,” I mouthed back.
    Claire, sporting a sly smirk, jerked her head at the vamp. “Yes.”
    I fought not to blush. My friends were not subtle. At all.
    I cleared my throat. “Hi. Sorry for the flying technology. Would you hand it to me?” I noted their green sake bottle, quarter-full. “Your next bottle is on us.”
    The vampire faced me. In profile, he seemed cute enough but full on… Whoa. A pretty boy.
    Dark eyes, liquid brown like blackstrap molasses, gazed at me from beneath unbelievably thick lashes. His smallish nose twitched as if he scented me. Twin dimples appeared below his high cheekbones as he smiled, red lips glistening—with lip gloss? I caught a flash of straight white teeth before his too perfect, almost feminine bow mouth hid them from view.
    Such a delicate looking man, but, as with all vampires, looks deceived and power came in packages of varying size. This package looked like a twenty-something pretty boy with