Chapter 3

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Pete and Jack were sitting in a casino together, having gone to Las Vegas for a little bit to avoid the drama that had plagued New Orleans. They were sitting at a blackjack table, a mixture of paranormals and normals surrounding them and watching as the table appeared to be in their favor. Stacks of chips sat in front of the two men, as well as countless empty glasses that were previously filled with beer.

A devious smirk was plastered onto the vampire's face as everyone anticipated his move. He observed everyone's gaze for a moment before leaning in and telling the dealer, "Hit me."

The dealer pulled the top card off of the deck and placed it down on the table.

Twenty-one.

The crowd erupted into cheer, Pete adding all of the chips in the center of the table to his and Jack's collection. Jack gave his newfound friend a pat on the back, proud of him for his victory.

"Wow, Pete, you're so good at this game," A random girl commented, twirling a piece of her hair around her finger and looking at the vampire with eyes filled with lust.

"Yes, you truly are."

Pete's posture straightened as the speaker's voice sounded eerily familiar. He and Jack slowly looked back and saw Patrick standing behind them, his arms crossed over his chest and an unamused expression marking his face.

"It's not fair what you're doing though," The younger of the two tacked on.

"I can't enjoy anything, can I?" The bass player questioned while grabbing his chips and walking away.

"What are you doing here, Pete?" The singer inquired as he followed his friend over to the cashier's booth, where he placed all of his chips down and pushed them towards the gorgeous woman behind the glass.

"I'm having fun," He answered, leaning on the counter and meeting the clan leader's gaze, "Something I haven't done in a while. Why don't you join me sometime? I mean, do you remember how much fun we used to have?"

"That was before I had a daughter."

"One you didn't even want," The bassist coldly reminded him, "And Ash didn't stop you from gambling, Patrick. You'd leave her with Rachael for weeks on end, staying here to get away from the life you didn't want to live."

Patrick rolled his eyes. "Pete, I didn't come here to talk about my life and or to have fun again. I came here because...I need you."

The vampire scoffed. "That's a first."

"Look, this demon thing-"

"No." Pete stopped him right there, done with the conversation before it even started. He'd gotten Patrick back, and that's really all that mattered to him. Now he was just going to go back to his reckless habits. "I don't care what you have to say about that thing. I don't want to know what it's up to, and I definitely don't want to be a part of anything concerning the demon," He expressed to the vocalist while patiently waiting for the cashier to count up all the chips he had.

"But I need you!"

"You don't need me, Patrick. You never have."

"There have been plenty of times that I needed you, but you were too selfish and self-absorbed to help me. For example, right now."

"Look, keep your pity party to yourself, okay? Jack and I are here for a reason, and that's not to worry about whatever's going on in New Orleans. So you can either join us in our next round at the MGM Grand, or you can book your flight out of here because we're not leaving."

"Peter, you may not have responsibilities, or you may not want to accept them, but Jack has to. He has a pack-"

"Hold up. Did you just call me Peter?" He snapped, "You know I don't like it!"

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