#11

“He killed people?”

“What do you think? He was a vampire that never killed people? You have to wake up and smell the coffee, my dear. Your great-grandmother, Elizabeth, had a gift and  you have one too. You see, you are exactly like her, except you’ve been blocked.”

“Blocked?”

He drank from his beer and glanced around the bar. “This place is a real dive. I have to show you around. Your city has some cool bars and you choose this one?”

“I like the music.”

“That’s the only thing it’s got going for it,” Tommy looked back at me. “Yes, where was I? Blocked…and try to take a lucky guess, who has blocked you?”

“Don’t tell me, Alexios!”

He put his hands together and clapped, “Ladies and gents we’ve got a winner!” he said his blue eyes smiling at me as if he was a comedian.

“What’s wrong with  you? Is everything a joke to you?” I said angrily.

“Is everything so serious to you? You have to loosen up, Ellie, do you mind if I call you Ellie?”

No one has ever called me Ellie before, he had my head spinning with all his information. His eyes widened and he smirked. Man, his good looks threw me off. I played with my hair nervously.

“Are my looks distracting you, Ellie?”

“You are really obnoxious, Tommy. Who said anything about your looks?”

“I see you like my name,” he laughed.

“I never said that!” Shit I forgot he read minds. Block out everything, I said to myself.

“Ellie, you are quite a spitfire” he took a sip of his beer, and finished it off. He winked at the barmaid and gestured for another two. “Drink up,” he said to me.

I took a few sips trying not to think of anything then I asked him, “How could Alexios block my gift?”

“Alexios was on a mission when he met you. It wasn’t an accident. He was acting and playing a game with you because only a vampire’s presence could make Elizabeth’s spirit guide impenetrable.”

“How about when he left for all those years?”

“Didn’t he send you something? His words and scent have a magical spell around you. It is as if he is surrounding you. He left because he was head over heels for you. No longer valuable. A love-sick puppy,” Tommy rolled his eyes and gestured with his index finger to gag. “He was told to keep on sending you words, your lovely love letters you cherish so, you have to fuckin’ burn them. Stop reading them on the bus. He did this so your bond could not disconnect, and your gift be revealed to you.”

“This sounds absurd. Wait up, how do you know I’ve read his letters on the bus? You’ve been following me?”

“Ever since you’ve been wearing the bracelet I gave you, are you thinking about Alexios as much?” He ignored my question with another question. He was a fast-talker.

“Come to think of it, no.”

“You see, the connection is starting to wear off, thankfully,” he looked at my shoes out of nowhere and up my body to my face. I felt self-conscious and moved in my seat slightly. Everything Tommy said was insane, but somehow made sense. “You really should try to dress up. I’m sure you would look amazing in a dress. Why do you cover your body?”

“That’s none of your business! How I dress or what I wear shouldn’t concern you!”

“Ah, my sweet Ellie, that’s where you are wrong. I am here to catch that lying Casanova of a boyfriend you have, and you are my bait.”

I stood up and looked for Dima. She caught my look and got up. I nudged my head to her toward the exit door, shaken up. “Tommy, go fuck yourself!”

His jaw dropped and immediately his blue eyes twinkled. He stood up and hovered over me, he curtsied like I was some kind of duchess and said, “I had a lovely time talking to you, the pleasure was all mine, obviously, and now I’ll take my leave and go fuck myself, but just so you could know, I really think a dress would compliment you, but you look beautiful in anything you wear,” and he walked away before I got a chance to. I wanted to walk out on him!

He followed me? Alexios was on a mission? I had a gift? What the fuck?

Dima rushed over to me, “What was all that about?”

I looked at my friend Dima and felt my knees go weak, my head dizzy and then blackness.

I hit the hard floor to the tune of Depeche Mode’s, World in my Eyes.