The Bartender's Vampire [COMPLETED]

Chapter Two - Got Your Number

Clawd's gaze focuses on Draculaura as the bar begins to clear out. Heath's dancing with the vampire, keeping her distanced from the other men in the bar. Clawd appreciates the effort his best friend puts into keeping the girl from going home with any of the other guys. 

Soon, the only three monsters left in the bar are Heath, Draculaura, and Clawd. Heath has a hand between Draculaura's shoulder blades as he leads her to the counter, where Clawd's standing. 

"Thank you," Clawd says quietly. 

Heath smiles. "No problem, man." He tips his head forward. "Night, Clawd, Draculaura," he says. 

"Night, Heath," Draculaura says. She turns toward Clawd as Heath walks out of the bar. 

"You, uh, live at the campus, then?" Clawd asks. 

She nods. "Yeah. Why?" 

"I wanted to know if you'd let me walk you there," he says. 

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah. It's dark outside. I thought you'd feel better if someone was walking with you," he says. 

"I-I'd love that," she says quietly. 

"Great." He rounds the counter and holds out an arm. 

Draculaura smiles, stepping forward and looping her arm through his. "You are... tall," she says, stating the obvious.

Clawd chuckles as he walks with her to the door. "It helps that you're kinda on the short end of the spectrum," he says. 

"I would assume so."

He pulls open the door and twists the lock before stepping outside. He flips off the lights in the bar and closes the door. He turns the doorknob several times to confirm that the lock has, indeed, engaged. 

Beside him, Draculaura sighs. "No one's ever offered to walk me back before," she says quietly. She squeezes his arm. "Thank you."

"Don't worry about it." He glances down at the delicate little vampire, a frown set deep on his dark face. "No one's ever walked you back to campus before?" he asks. "A pretty girl like you?" he asks. 

"Nope," she says. "But a vampire gets used to it, eventually," she says. She laughs softly. "And thank you for the compliment. Very nice of you, Clawd," she says. 

He can't help but love the way his name sounds on her tongue. "It's no problem, really. Just gotta make sure you get where you're going, safe and sound," he says. The walk to campus is quiet and calm, relaxed. Draculaura's head rests against his arm as they walk. Her heels echo against the sidewalk. The sound is quite daunting, but that's only because Clawd's hearing is better than that of other monsters. Every time her heels click on the sidewalk, it's amplified in his ear drum. 

In the housing building, the pair walk to the room Draculaura shares with Clawdeen, Clawd's younger sister. "Well, this is my stop," Draculaura says, her hand resting on the doorknob. 

Clawd nods. "That it is," he says quietly. 

"Would... it be all right if I asked Deenie for your number?" she asks. 

Clawd's ears perk up at this thought. "Yes, of course."

She smiles faintly, her fangs just grazing her bottom lip. "Awesome. I'll text you," she says. 

"Great. Thanks." 

She nods. "Thanks again for walking me back." 

"You're welcome." He nods once, slapping a hand against his thigh. "Goodnight, Draculaura," he says. 

"Goodnight." 

He turns and heads back down the hall. When he makes it to his own dorm, his phone vibrates in his pocket. It's a text from an unknown number. 

Got your number. Talk to you later, Clawd. 

He feels himself smile as he types up his reply. 

Sounds good, Draculaura.

He stares at his phone for a moment, wishing that it was acceptable to tell a vampire that she was his mate. He knows, however, that this would be wrong. Instead, he tosses his phone onto his bed and heads for the bathroom to take a much needed shower.