Free Because the Night (The Night Songs Collection) by Kristen Strassel Page A

vampire etiquette.”
    I flipped through the pages, trying not to feel overwhelmed between the tiny outfit and the giant book full of recipes in front of me. Lennon started setting up the bar for business. I watched her, taking mental notes as she worked. “So, how long have you worked here?”
    “Almost three years.”
    “How long have you been, a —” I struggled to remember the world.
    “A morph? About two years. I’ve been in Vegas for five years. I dated Simon before he joined Immortal Dilemma, have you met him?”
    “No.” All I knew was Simon played bass. I didn’t care about anyone but Tristan.
    “Good guy. But he changed, obviously, when he joined the band. Became a vampire. I supported him, it didn’t really freak me out that he wasn’t alive anymore. But the drugs and the blood got to be too much for me. You seem so sweet, I don’t know how you can handle Tristan, to be honest with you. He’s ten times worse than the rest of them. He thought he was untouchable when he was alive. Now he
knows
it.”
    I stared down at the bar and traced a finger along the shiny surface. “To be honest, it’s hard to see him like this. I knew he had problems back when we first met, but he didn’t act like that with me. Now, I never know what to expect when I’m around him.”
    “Yeah. And you never will. There are no consequences for him now.” She fixed her lipstick before she continued her story. “So after Simon and I broke up, I got out of the scene for a while. Tried to straighten out, be normal. But I got sucked back in. I craved it, you know? I
wanted
the blood. I couldn’t believe it. My boyfriend now, Jacey, he’s in Fire Dancer. Have you heard of them?”
    It sounded familiar. I nodded.
    “He’s such a sweetheart. They’re much more focused on the music. I mean, I don’t expect anything serious out of him. I know better than that with these guys. They have to feed. I have to look the other way. But I’m enjoying what I’ve got while I’ve got it.”
    I thought about that statement for a moment. Maybe Lennon had it right. Maybe I should just take what Tristan was at face value. Not expect anything else.
    “So, are all the vampires the same?”
    “What do you mean? Of course not. That’s like asking if all snowflakes are the same. Everyone is different.”
    “That’s not what I mean. I mean, do they all have the same vampire traits?”
    “I think so.” Lennon seemed puzzled about my question.
    “I just want to know what happened to Tristan, but I’m afraid to ask him.”
    Lennon sighed. “That doesn’t surprise me. From what I hear, Tristan fought becoming like this.”
    A chill ran down my spine.
    “I didn’t think he’d still be in denial.” She added, her eyes cast downward.
    “Well, what do I need to know?”
    “Basic vampire stuff. They can’t go out in daylight, they’re stronger and faster than regular humans, the blood gets them off, but they really feed off of energy.”
    Jack appeared seemingly out of nowhere, shocking me back into reality. “So, how are you doing, Callie? Feel like you’re ready to work tonight’s shift?”
    “I’ll give it my best.” I was still wondering what I had gotten myself into, but I was up to the challenge.
    Patrons began to trickle in and fill the booths around the perimeter of the bar. Lennon and I worked it out so I took the orders, and she showed me how to make the drinks. So far, you’d never know we were the only humans in the room. Nothing seemed different than a regular bar.
    “I’m kind of surprised.” I confessed once everyone had been taken care of. “It’s really quiet in here. I expected something out of the ordinary.”
    “You haven’t seen anything yet. It’s still early.” Lennon winked, the movement exaggerated by her false eyelashes and thick eyeliner. “The nice thing is, since vampires don’t die, they’ve had a lot of time to make money. Most of them are loaded. They like you, they share.”
    Even