by J. M. Adele
I have to get away.
Intending only to take a step back, she found herself flying through the air. The incredible surge of energy, intoxicating and damning at the same time. Some force was alive inside her, altering her humanity. Landing on the roof of a car several yards away, she steadied herself before again zeroing in on her food source. Food source. She was thinking of her boyfriend as if he were a juicy steak.
Oh, my God. I’m a monster.
Lanie started after her.
“Stay there. Don’t come near me,” Shiloh warned.
Using all her strength, she bolted away, not caring where she was going, only knowing that she had to get as far away from Seth as she could, or she would end him. And a world without Seth was a world too bleak to contemplate.
She moved with enough pace to make the cars look like they were speeding backwards, her body almost weightless. She was a mere gust of wind stirring up the fallen leaves and skittering abandoned beer bottles across the pavement. The tiny amount of blood she’d consumed had given her a boost of energy as if she’d dosed up on speed. Imagine if I’d had a proper drink.
Soon, the suburbs of Los Angeles gave way to nature. The farther she got, the heavier her legs became. The air grew thicker until she sensed an invisible membrane that stretched like elastic, pulling her back. Back towards him. She fought against it, arms stretched in front, feet grinding into the earth. But she couldn’t go any farther. Something had a hold on her.
Lifting her feet off the ground she was flung backwards for several miles, over the tree canopy until she landed, spinning head over tail, and smashed into an old warehouse on the outskirts of town.
She coughed and groaned as her injuries awoke. Shiloh pushed to her feet, her arm hanging at an odd angle from her elbow. She lifted and twisted it back into place with a cry of pain, cradling it against her stomach, almost certain it was broken. Looking around, she had no idea where she was, but the elastic membrane pushed at her back, guiding her in his direction. Refusing it wasn’t an option. Even if she’d broken her leg, she would’ve found her way back to him. Her willpower was spent.
Minutes later she jumped through his bedroom window, finding him sitting on the bed. Shiloh’s nostrils flared, the smell of him potent and intoxicating. A tingle in her jaw preceded the elongation of two sharp fangs. She opened her lips to accommodate the sharp points, not giving them a thought because his eyes locked on hers—the greens, yellows, and browns performing a dance just for her. She watched his neck jump in a swallow—the only move he made as he watched warily. Moving to stand between his legs, she adjusted her throbbing arm, wincing at the pain.
He dropped his eyes, concern softening his features, before he scooted back on the bed, giving her room to move over him. When her knees were either side of Seth’s hips, his arms came around to embrace her, chest to chest. Angling his head, he offered up his neck, and she wanted to cry. He didn’t know the sacrifice he was making. How could he love her that much that he’d risk repeating her fate?
What kind of animal am I that I’d even contemplate doing this to the boy I love?
His pulse drummed out a beat, the scent of his blood begging her to feast. To embark on an illicit, irrevocable dance and seal them as one.
Her voice trembled. “I might kill you. Or turn you into a monster. But I don’t think I can stop myself.”
“I don’t care. Take it.”
She struck selfishly at his neck, dooming him to her will. She only hoped she could stop in time.
Liquid ambrosia poured down her throat, seeping into her cells and arousing a bliss purer than his touch alone had ever done. She drank in great sucking pulls, moaning as he grunted. Her fractured arm began to burn and she broke away, shocked to find that she could move it again. His blood held healing powers. She wanted it all. She shoved his back flat to the bed, slamming her hands either side of his head as she lowered her lips to his bleeding throat.
Click.
The door.
Who dared to interrupt them?
She pulled her fangs from his vein, whipping around to glare at the intruder.
Sister. Lanie.
The bloodlust loosened its hold as she watched her sister drop to the floor, a knife lying beside her. Spinning her head back to see Seth with a blood-stained shirt, eyes fluttering in a bid to stay conscious, the heavy weight of guilt and disgust crushed her to the bed.
What had she done?
Bland
“Come on, Lanie, wake up.” She patted her sister on the cheek for the millionth time, knowing that she was the last person Lanie wanted to see right now.
Person? More like creature from some bad horror movie. She should just disappear again. But this time it would be permanent. Glancing over at Seth as he slept on the bed, she remembered the membrane forcefully dragging her back to his side and knew it would be impossible to leave. Maybe there was a cure? Maybe it was reversible? How long would it take to find a way to stop this? How many lives would she endanger? The only way she could make sure her family were safe was if she ended her own life. But there was also the possibility that she’d just turned Seth into a bloodsucker. If he was a danger to her family . . . She shrank away not wanting to think about it.
Crouching in the corner, she hugged her knees, waiting for one of them to open their eyes. Neither of them moved an inch, apart from the subtle rise and fall of their chests. It was the change in Lanie’s pattern—a pause before her chest moved faster—that alerted Shiloh to her sister’s return to consciousness. Still, she didn’t make a move.
“I know you’re awake.’
Lanie’s hand twitched, probably searching for the knife she’d been holding.
“I put the knife away. You won’t be needing that. I’m not going to hurt you. I’m not . . . thirsty . . . anymore.” Unfolding her arms, Shiloh pushed to stand.
Lanie rolled away and squashed her back to the door, ready to run.
“Wait. Listen!” Shiloh should’ve let her run, but if she did it would confirm the worst—that Shiloh had lost everyone and everything she cared about, and she desperately wanted to cling to the speck of hope she had flickering inside.
Her sister flicked a glance at the bed. “Is he dead?”
Shiloh shook her head. “No. He’s just sleeping.” Or unconscious.
“Are you sure about that?”
Crossing my fingers over here. “Yes, Lanie.”
Reaching behind, her sister twisted the door handle. “Is he like you now?”
“I don’t know.”
Lanie curled her shoulders forward, pushing her spine farther into the barrier behind her like she wanted to ghost through it. “I’m sure you’ll understand if I don’t stick around to find out.”
Please don’t leave me. “Wait, Lanie. I know you’re right to want to run. I don’t know if I can trust myself with others, but I do know you’re safe with me.” She winged it, dragging out the logic as she spoke, hoping it made some sort of sense. “Think about it. If this happened to me when I was abducted, then I’ve been a m—onster . . .” She hated that word. “. . . this whole time. I haven’t attacked anyone until now. I never craved anyone’s blood until I smelled Seth’s. Something about him pulls at me, and I can’t escape it. I felt it before, but it’s been worse since my return. The only time I’ve been in control was when he was near. When I touch him, I feel . . . euphoric.”
“What if you’ve turned him into a freakin’ vampire and now you need to find some other juice box to suck on?” She bit her lip and pulled the door open. “No offence.”
Vampire. A shudder skittered along Shiloh’s skin, and her jaw tingled as if reminding her the new additions were still there. It was a definite possibility. Lanie’s concern landed a big boot on the tiny flicker of hope she’d been stoking, but it refused to die. There had to be a way.
“I don’t know how this works. But I can tell you that I still feel that tug towards him. I can still scent his blood and hear his pulse, an
d it calls to me. Yours doesn’t.” That was the truth. She didn’t know why. Or if it would continue to be true. But for now, that truth was all she had.
Lanie dropped her hold on the handle, irritation momentarily wiping the look of fear from her features. “What? Am I not juicy enough?”
“Seriously? You are so competitive. Worse than I was. Sorry, but I’m just not that into you.”
Crossing her arms, Lanie chewed on her lip. “How do I trust you? You might just be saying that to get me to stay so you can sample the O-positive.”
“If I wanted your blood, I wouldn’t be able to stop myself. You saw me just now.” God, she wished her sister hadn’t witnessed that. Pain throbbed in Shiloh’s temples as she realized Lanie would never scrub that from her brain. Shiloh had drained Seth until he’d lost consciousness, for Christ’s sake. How could she have done that? She didn’t deserve to live. “That wasn’t me. That was an animal.”
She was in the witness stand pleading insanity.
What a cop out. It was you. You’re the animal.
Shiloh cleared her throat.
Lanie’s eyes roamed Shiloh’s features for an eternity before she spoke. “Maybe it’s because we’re sisters. Our blood is too similar.”
“Maybe.” That would be perfect.
“That’s not gonna save me from him, is it?”
Damn. “I don’t know if you need to be saved from him, yet. I’m trying to figure out what to do. I should stay here and watch him. Can you cover for me with Mom and Dad?”
“Oh, yeah, sure. I’ll just tell them you’re on vampire watch.” Lanie’s eyebrows took a hike upwards.
“Not funny.”
“We need to find out who did this to you, Shi. There’s at least one more out there. The whole of L.A. is in deep vampire shit if there are more of you.” She put her face in her hands and scrubbed up and down. “I cannot believe I’m having this conversation.”
“Neither can I.” The insanity plea wasn’t all that outrageous.
“I want to get the bastard who did this to you, but there’s no way a human is going to win in a vampire fight. I saw the way you leapt through the air and zoomed off like a superhero. You’d be cool if you didn’t . . .” She pointed a finger at her teeth, “. . . you know.”
“Suck on juice boxes?”
“Yeah, that.” Threading her fingers in front of her chest, Lanie ran her tongue along her braces. “I’m scared.”
“Me, too.”
Lanie nodded and awkwardly crossed her arms again, apparently not knowing what to do with them. “I am glad about one thing.”
Shiloh’s heart leapt, hope swelling with it. “What?”
“I’m glad you don’t find me juicy.”
Barking out a laugh, Shiloh replied, “You’re bland. Like boiled cabbage. I want to vomit just thinking about it.” She tried on a smile.
Lanie’s eyes popped. “The grin would’ve worked better without the fangs.”
Shiloh’s attempt at humor slipped off her face and fell to the floor. “They’re not out.”
“Yeah, but I know they’re there.”
Swamped by a sudden sadness, she looked away, her eyes stinging. Her own sister feared her.
The door handle rattled as Lanie took it in her grip again. “I can’t be here when he wakes up.”
“I know. Go now.”
“Be careful.”
“I will. Go.”
Lanie slipped through the door, her footfalls echoing down the stairs. Shiloh went to the window and watched her sister run across the street and disappear through their front door, doubting she’d ever walk the same path again. The realization turned her heart to lead. Turning back to Seth, her lead heart fractured down the middle at the possibility of losing him.
She loved her family.
She lived for Seth.
Sitting on the edge of the bed, she placed a hand on his arm. His skin burned under her touch. Sweat beaded on his face. The blood-stained shirt was a billboard of accusation she itched to rip off, cleansing him of her sins. His puffs of air tickled her fingers as she trailed them over his chin, the contact still providing the hum of euphoria she craved from him. That had to be a good sign. They still had that connection. Whatever happened, maybe he’d run away with her. If he felt the same pull towards her as she felt towards him then he wouldn’t be able to resist. They had to go. It was for the best.
With a deafening roar, he flipped her on her back and had her pinned to the mattress. She didn’t have time to react before he’d struck the vein in her neck, his fangs going deep. Locked tightly in his arms, she couldn’t move other than slamming her eyelids shut, and flaring her nostrils to drag in air.
Her mind thrust her back in time, unlocking her memory of the attack at the pool. This was exactly how it had felt. The sharp stab in her neck. She’d thought it was a knife or a syringe. But, no. It had been a pair of fangs. Her attacker was so fast she hadn’t seen them coming.
This time, she knew what was happening, and who had her in his hold. And this time, she didn’t feel like she was drowning in her own blood, and the fire that had accompanied the first strike didn’t return.
This time, she was letting her lover take what he needed. And damn if it wasn’t exciting to have Seth inside her in this new way.
Adjusting his grip on her arms, he rested on one elbow. His low growl vibrated through her neck as he pressed his pelvis into the cradle of her thighs. His pulls at her neck intensified, infusing her blood with a lust that had her lifting her hips to grind against him. He reached down and lifted her dress, then yanked off her panties. He didn’t wait for permission before he unzipped and plunged into her heat. The drags at her neck in time with his thrusts at her core swamped her. He was everywhere. There was barely a part of her he didn’t touch. One hand traveled up to her face. He slid one finger in her mouth while the rest gripped her jaw. The other hand made its way under her to squeeze handfuls of her thigh in his grasp. His heavy weight pressed her to the bed. Shiloh’s breathing became shallow and the panic she’d felt any time they were apart now rose because of his overwhelming command of her body. She wriggled her arms out and pulled his hand off her face. A howl ripped from his chest as he circled her wrist, locking it above her head.
“Seth,” she rasped.
His head reared back. His fangs tore from her flesh, and she cried in pain. Glazed eyes, swirling with red and black, glowered at her before sharpening their focus as recognition dawned. Launching his body backwards, he landed in the corner of the ceiling, hands and feet anchoring him to the walls like a spider as his chest surged. Blood dripped from his fangs and chin, adding a fresh coat to the splash of red across his shirt. His shorts were spread open, exposing his unsatisfied manhood as it pointed at her accusingly.
She sat up, holding a hand to her throbbing neck. He watched her, his face draining of color, making it seem as though the red dripping from his chin was his own. Like he’d sprung a leak. He stiffened, looking around the room before dropping to the floor with a thud.
Shiloh didn’t make a sound. She moved her legs inch by inch until her feet could touch the floor, preparing for escape or pursuit. Whatever he decided his next move was, she had to be ready.
Him Again
Lifting a hand, his fingers poked at his fangs, confirming the nightmare she’d trapped him in. Neither of them had had any control over their thirst for each other.
“You turned me.” His tone was less accusation, more statement of fact.
“I did. I warned you. I’m so sorry.”
“You’re sorry? Shit, Shiloh. I just attacked you and you’re apologizing.” Seth’s shorts fell past his knees as he stood. He looked down as he tugged them up, securing the zipper. “I didn’t know what I was doing. Are you okay?” He zeroed in on her neck.
Shiloh lifted her chin, feeling around to find that the marks from his fangs had healed. “Yes . . . are you?” Slamming her eyes shut, she shook her head. “Stupid question. Of c
ourse you’re not. Sorry. I would say that I didn’t know what I was doing to you before, but I did. I just couldn’t stop myself. Please don’t hate me.”
“I don’t hate you, Shi. I took the risk because I didn’t want to lose you. The way you took off, it freaked me out. I’d do anything to keep you.”
“Yeah, like volunteer for a set of fangs. Now both our lives are ruined. I can’t go back to my family. I just spent five minutes trying to convince myself and my sister that she was safe with me. But now you’re—we’re predators. We have to leave.” She shot to her feet.
“Whoa, wait a minute.” He dragged a hand through his hair, his eyes pleading. “I just fed from you. That means we should be able to keep each other satisfied. Maybe we can hide this from them.”
“We can’t put them at risk.”
“If you disappear again, don’t you think they’ll have the cops crawling all over the state, if not the country, looking for us? I’ll be suspect number-one in your kidnapping. Do you seriously want to do that to your parents and me when all it might take to have a normal life is some self-control and a regular feeding schedule?”
It sounded so simple, but she recalled the raging thirst that had clawed at her throat and seized control of her mind and body. And he’d just experienced the same. How could she be sure another person wouldn’t invoke their bloodlust?
“Maybe. But I don’t trust myself after what I just did to you. If it wasn’t for Lanie I might not have stopped. I nearly killed you.”
He paused, his face hardening for a beat before smoothing out. “I knew the risk.”
“You invited the beast. Stupid.”
Thunder crossed his features, but he quickly covered it with a grin. “I’m stupidly in love with you.” He enveloped her in his arms. “We’re going to stay and pretend nothing has changed. I promise everything will be fine. Do you trust me?”