Page 36 of Fangs with Benefits

"I absolutely love it here." I beam. I've only been here a matter of minutes, and already I feel like Manhattan is pulsing in my veins.

Treyton smiles and closes his eyes as he inhales the city air deeply. He reaches for my hand and I do the same thing—breathing in the crisp, cool air that has a hint of human-generated smog. Whatever happens next, I am glad that we're here together.

When I open my eyes, Treyton is grinning, and his eyes are glowing.

"I wonder if that glow is ever going to go away," I remark as I marvel at how handsome he is. "I kind of like it, aside from the part about it making you extra predatory."

He laughs a little but then adopts a more serious expression as he takes both of my hands and faces me.

"Blair, Iama predator, but not to you. If my eyes continue to intermittently glow for the rest of time, and if my natural instincts and emotions are heightened because I've tasted your blood, then so be it. Here in this city, I can't think of any better place to have a bit more energy and edge on my side."

He's right. We aren't in Boston anymore, and there is no peace to maintain or restrictions to obey. Here in this wild city, we can be who we want to be, and if that means a cosmic witch with a glowy-eyed vampire boyfriend, then that is exactly what I want.

"Where do the factions live?" I ask, wondering if the boroughs are set up similarly to how they were in Boston.

"There are no factions here," he says to my surprise.

"But then how—"

"Everyone in New York City justlives. Humans, vampires, shifters, Fae, you name it—the city belongs to everyone."

"But don't they fight?" I ask in awe.

"Sure, but the humans fight amongst themselves too. It's no different here. The main thing that separates the good and the bad is the amount of money and control that people in positions of power try to leverage over each other. Aside from that, the supernaturals in the city here see no reason to be divided. Factions don't exist here. No one needs them."

20

BLAIR

Ican't believe that it's been three months already since Treyton and I came to New York together. Everything felt like it happened in such a whirlwind, and our days and nights have been a mix of utopia and living on the dangerous edge of the new life we've created.

And Iloveevery minute of it.

"You know, you can't be reckless forever," I tease as Treyton kisses me on the tip of my nose after returning to our apartment from what appears to be a rather volatile outing. His knuckles are cracked open and there's a sizeable bruise on his cheekbone that is turning three different shades of purple.

I lift my forearm, flashing a glimpse of my ink again—as above, so below—and work a bit of magic with my fingertips to rub over his wound. Instantly the purple lightens and the swelling eases.

"Who says?" He grins. "I'm immortal, remember? That means I can be reckless as long as my heart desires."

"True." I laugh. "But don't you ever need the help of some of the other vampires here?"

"No, I can do what needs to be done on my own. I don't need a clan weighing me down. I prefer it this way, where I can call the shots. Besides, the Manhattan clan is a bunch of stuffy elitists, not unlike the Boston clan. I'm good to steer clear of all that and live outside the lines by my own terms."

I smile because I actually couldn't agree more.

Treyton is back to thieving, and he isdamn good at it. He's taken me on a couple of runs with him and he is impeccably agile and unbelievably swift. He vexes anyone who tries to catch him, whether him or supernatural, and within the first week of our being here, word has spread that Treyton was back in the city. His reputation truly does hold weight here and that means that those who needed his help rejoice, and those who have a score to settle with him started planning their next moves. But regardless of what comes at him, Treyton is a force to be reckoned with.

"It's tiring work, you know," he says as he sits down beside me in our apartment and joins me for a drink.

"What is?"

"Trying to restore financial power to the impoverished of Manhattan. It hasn't changed much in all these years. The ones who live on the streets, and in the rundown apartments on the outskirts of the city's center, are still falling between the cracks while the upper-class people look the other way. It's not right."

"That's whyyou'rehere." I smile at him.

"Yeah, I know, and I love being back. But it's frustrating that I'm the only one helping them."

"Hey, what do you mean?" I say with a small frown. "I'm helping too!"