“Did we know each other before all this?” I stared into his eyes; eyes that held truth I couldn’t see.
It felt like forever before he finally said “No,” adding “And I’ve told you all I can,” as he quickly looked away. “Let it go, Ava.” The two of us stood motionless in the middle of the hallway. Other kids weaved around us, some bumping into me as they rushed to class before the tardy bell rang. The building could have been on fire and I wouldn’t have cared. I was too focused on Chance and the fact that this complete and total stranger was possibly risking his life to help me, a nobody without a past who wanted nothing more than to sink her disgusting fangs into his neck.
“I can’t do that, Chance. I’m sorry.” I, too, had to look away before I gave in and did what he wanted, before I said to hell with everything and stopped asking questions. I didn’t want to forget about what was really going on, to pass over the fact that he wasn’t telling me the truth. I tried my best to ignore it for now and focus instead on the good, honest part of him— the part that joined forces with a monster like Aldric to help save my life. But it wasn’t going to be easy; I still wanted to know what he was hiding. “But,” I went on, “I won’t push you to tell me. I’ll wait for you to do it on your own.”
“Then be prepared to wait a while.” His words were cold and bitter. Why was he being so secretive? What did he have to hide? What was really going on between him and Aldric? More questions without answers, the story of my life since last night. I hated not knowing what was happening all around me, not having a clue who the people supposedly helping me really were. Could I trust them? I had no idea. Did I really have any other choice? None I could think of at the moment.
Obviously satisfied that I was dropping the third degree—at least for now—Chance continued down the hall toward our next class. I dodged a sprinting cheerleader and her bouncing pony tail and fell into step behind him. I made it less than ten feet when my senses were flooded with an increasingly familiar and all-too-enticing aroma.
The undeniable, sweet-as-hell scent of blood.
There was a vampire very close by. And it had just killed a human.
5
. KILLING TIME
I had no clue how I knew a vampire was near, I just did. Kind of like how Chance just knew something was wrong with me when he saw my face.
“What is it?” he asked, his body tensing and that tasty vein running his neck flexing along with his muscles. I tried but really couldn’t speak. The smell of blood was so intoxicating my mind was floating. I couldn’t focus on anything except my bloodlust. I wanted some so badly, but at the same time the thought of it repulsed me. I hated myself at the moment.
“Vampire.” I managed to get a single word out between bouts of blissful nausea. Thankfully Chance understood its meaning. He spun very slowly in a tight circle, surveying the school hallway that had mysteriously become a ghost land void of other students.
“Not in here,” I managed to say after semi-controlling my thirst. “But close.” I forced my eyes to focus on Chance’s face. His controlled determination was refreshing. Knowing he was there for me—that I didn’t have to go through this alone— made me feel better.
“Let’s go.” He grabbed my hand (again, that intense heat) and practically dragged me toward the large, metal doors at the end of the hall.
“Wait,” I interjected, reluctantly pulling my hand from his. He stopped with a firm grip on the door handle and turned to look at me, anxious nerves lighting his face.
“For what? We have to stop it.”
“What about class?” It was a dumb response, I know. But it was the only thing I could think of saying to keep Chance from going outside. The truth was, I wasn’t quite ready to kill someone. I knew I had to, but actually going through with it was something I wasn’t prepared to do.
“Ava,” Chance said, stepping away from the door and moving in close to me. “You have to do this. This is how you get your life back. All of it.” Somehow he seemed to know exactly what was wrong with me. He took my hand again and gave it a firm but gentle squeeze. His eyes never left mine. “I’ll be right there with you. I promise.” That was the one thing that bothered me. I still didn’t understand why he was so willing to help me basically commit murder. Why did he care?
“Okay,” I said, though it barely came out a whisper. Every cell in my body was on fire, every nerve alive and very aware of what was about to happen. My breath was ragged and coming in short spurts and I didn’t exactly know why. I’m sure it mostly had to do with the fact I was about to kill a vampire (or at least try) but part of it had to be the fact that Chance was more than willing to go into a fight right beside me. I did my best to ignore that last part.
“Let’s go.” Chance kept my hand locked tightly in his, and as we headed out the doors and sprinted across campus, my mind drifted away from the lurking vampire and went to the tiny current of warm electricity I was feeling from him. Did all guys feel that way? I had no clue since I couldn’t remember ever touching one before Chance, but somehow I doubted it. Chance was obviously different than most guys—all guys I was willing to bet. Maybe his extremely warm body temp was nerves or something. Maybe he wasn’t always like that. Either way, it was weird. And unsettling. And kind of nice. I forced that last thought out of my head and focused on the impending death I was about to cause. As we crossed the frozen, brittle grass toward the white-capped trees, I was worried we would be spotted by someone and reported to the school principal. A quick glance over my shoulder revealed only a few windows looking out over us, so I felt confident we hadn’t been seen. I finally exhaled as we came to a stop just inside the forest.
“Where to?” Chance asked, clearly on edge but ready to strike. He was feverishly scanning the woods, searching for my soon-to-be victim. I closed my eyes, allowing the bloodlust to take over. I felt the intoxicating scent of human blood slither through my body like a venomous snake, wrapping around my organs and refusing to let go. The smell was so strong, so powerful; I hoped it would serve as a guide.
“Follow me,” I said, opening my eyes. I wasn’t exactly sure where the vampire was making its kill, but the aroma of free-flowing blood was strongest in one direction, so I made the snap decision to follow it.
“Whoa,” Chance said, his voice full of nervous surprise. He stood motionless, staring down at me.
“What?” I asked, confused by the look on his face. He was ogling me like I was some sort of freak. I mean, I was a freak, but I didn’t think I looked like one.
“Your eyes,” he answered, almost in a whisper. His face was twisted with confusion, much like you’d see on someone at a county fair trying to guess the number of jelly beans in the jar.
“What’s wrong with them?” He was really starting to freak me out. For a second I actually was able to ignore the blood calling out to me. At that moment, I was only concerned with why he all of a sudden seemed repulsed by me.
“They’re glowing.” He moved closer, studying my eyes like a map. He brought his hand up to my face, and my first instinct was to pull away, but I didn’t. I let him brush over my eyes with his hand, flinching at the jolt of his touch. He moved to the skin on my cheek, all the while keeping his gaze locked on my eyes. “Amazing,” he added after a few more seconds. When I realized that I actually could have stood there forever with his hand caressing my face, I jerked away. Chance didn’t seem to notice so I played it off.
“Uh, thanks,” I said when I couldn’t think of a better response. “Now let’s go.” I took off in a slow sprint, Chance fast on my heels. I followed tiny, nature-made pathways slicing through the thick brush of the forest, ignoring the tiny nicks I was getting from briers and thorny vines that jutted out in my way. I was solely focused on finding the source of the blood. I let the smell of it guide me, hoping I was going in the right direction. I had to see it for myself, see if I would want to drink it as badly if I actually saw it spurting from the neck of a human. I would occasionally glance over my sh
oulder as I pounded through the woods to make sure Chance hadn’t fallen behind. His face showed signs of fatigue, but he was keeping up perfectly; just one more mysterious thing about him.
We made it to the edge of a small clearing deep in the woods before I came to an abrupt stop. My entire body locked and I instinctively threw my arm out to my side. Chance nearly fell down when he hit it.
“Wait,” I whispered, my voice so low even I had trouble hearing it. Thankfully Chance had enough common sense to know that’s what I meant when I stopped him. He stood tall and rigid next to me, the only movement the rapid rise and fall of his heaving chest. I noticed that I wasn’t breathing hard at all—apparently another benefit of my new life as a monster. I crouched down low, my senses precisely focused. I could actually hear everything: Birds in the trees; crickets and mosquitoes busily toiling away at their respective duties; the labored breathing and thrumming heartbeat of a human in distress. My ears perked up and I became rock-solid still, not even allowing myself to breathe as I listened to the sound of death slowly creeping in.
“Stay here,” I told Chance as I stood back up. He didn’t protest, remaining perfectly still. I could sense, however, his reluctance to let me go out into the clearing alone. His concern gave me the strength I needed to face what I had to do. I decided during my run through the woods that I would look at the challenge Aldric threw in front of me from a different angle. Instead of seeing it as killing people (technically vampires, but still people in my eyes) I would look at what I had to do as saving the lives of innocents. If I could hone my skill of sensing vampires, then maybe I could track and stop them before they attacked. Maybe then I wouldn’t feel so terrible when I had to kill. Maybe.
Very carefully, I stepped into the last patch of brush, mindful of where I placed my feet. I didn’t want to snap a downed tree branch and alert the vampire of my presence. I knew I was already going to have a hard enough fight on my hands once I stepped into the clearing; I at least wanted the element of surprise on my side. As I drew closer to the open field, the vampire and its victim came into my line of sight. The girl being fed upon was barely a teenager, and from the looks of her outfit and hygiene, she was most likely a runaway. Suddenly my mind was bombarded with images of girls and boys in similar attire, each one dirtier and more unkempt than the next.
What the hell was that? Are those memories? Do I know those children?
I had no idea, but didn’t have the time to worry about it yet. I forced the images to the back of my mind and turned my attention back to the girl being fed on by the vampire. Her hair was a very dirty blond with large knots all over. Her clothes were ragged and thick with dirt and stains, her feet were bare. The top of her filthy shirt was drenched in her own blood, which pulsed from her neck with each beat of her heart. I found myself licking my lips with want. Very quickly—almost too quick for me to control—I leapt from the woods and charged toward the vampire like a stampeding bull. He abruptly turned away from his victim and crouched into an attack stance. Though I was moving at lightning speed, I was still able to get a very good look at him.
His face was sunken in and overly pale, his skin practically hanging on his bones. Dingy, matted hair fell into his eyes, which were a fiery orange, almost like they were glowing. Just like mine. It didn’t take a genius to figure it out; glowing eyes must have meant I was hungry. I tucked that piece of info away and pushed forward.
I was on the vampire in less than a second. I was grateful he was small and rather weak; it really helped me get him to the ground. He fell back into the soft, thick grass, and the two of us rolled around like frolicking dogs during mating season. The vampire kept trying to butt heads with me, his long, sharp fangs searching for my neck. I swung my fist hard and fast, making contact with his face just below his right eye. His head shot backward, temporarily dazing him. I was able to reposition myself around his waist, finally pinning him to the ground. Of course, he was back in full fight mode in a millisecond, fangs fully extended and a primeval growl coming from his throat. I grabbed hold of his wrists, feeling hard, sinewy muscles I couldn’t see. He was strong, regardless of his size. He kept trying to roll me off of him, but luckily I was stronger. I threw his arms back, pinning them against the ground.
Now what, Ava? I had him down, but had also inadvertently rendered myself useless. If I let go of his arms to try and punch him or something, I had no doubt he would rip my throat out. I tried pulling his arms together above his head so I could hold them with one hand, but he proved too strong. I was stuck.
Just then a large piece of pointed wood came whizzing past my head, plunging deep into the vampire’s chest. Dark, smelly blood shot into the air, narrowly missing me. I watched as it pumped out of his chest and poured over his sides, turning the grass beneath him from a lush green to nearly black as it spread. The vampire screamed in agony as the life (or unlife) poured out of him. In shock, I could only sit there straddling him, watching intently as his screams slowly faded and the glow in his eyes was distinguished. After only a few seconds, there was nothing left but a bloody corpse. I quickly looked up, the piercing sunlight momentarily blinding me. I waited for my eyes to adjust before gasping.
There stood Chance, breathing heavily and clutching a bloody chunk of wood against his chest.
6
. HERO’S LOT
I couldn’t speak. I couldn’t move. All I could do was watch Chance, with his powerful, menacing glare at the now dead vampire beneath me. I watched as his chest moved in rhythm with his breath and his hands twisted tighter around the blood-soaked stake. I saw a rage behind his eyes unlike any I had seen before. I was part vampire, apparently the most lethal weapon on Earth, and I was terrified.
“Stand up,” he said firmly, his voice unwavering. I did as he said, stepping away from the vampire but too afraid to stand next to him. His eyes remained fixated on the bleeding corpse, tiny tears forming in the corners. I wanted to calm him down, tell him to relax and breathe. Instead, I simply reached out and put my hand on his. After a few seconds, he released his death grip on the stake and I plucked it slowly from his hands. The horrid smell of the vampire’s blood dripping from it turned my stomach. Apparently the blood of the dead was nowhere near as enticing as the blood of the living.
“Are you okay?” He asked me, finally turning away from what he had done. He immediately began running his hands over my face and arms, searching for any signs of distress.
Suddenly uncomfortable, I quickly pulled away. “I’m fine,” I lied. Physically I was good, but totally messed up every other way. My emotions were going haywire, anger mixed with fear mixed with sympathy. And my mind would never be right. I mean, the closest I had ever come to seeing someone die was watching death scenes in movies and on TV (yeah, TV memories were back in full force). Real life death was much worse. Bloodsucking vampire or not, watching him die was painful. Even though I didn’t really consider myself a vampire—not yet, anyway—I felt a small pang of guilt for what I had done. In some weird way, it felt like I had just helped kill my brother or something. It actually hurt. “What about you?” I asked. “What the hell was that?” Chance looked at me as if hearing me speak for the first time.
“What was what?” he asked back, seemingly confused by my question.
“Um, that whole ‘vampire killer’ thing you just did. Where did that come from?” I kept my distance from him, suddenly scared of what he might do to me, the other vampire in the woods.
“I told you I was here for you, Ava. I meant it.” He snatched the wooden stake from my hand and chucked it into the woods over my head.
“You didn’t say you’d kill for me, Chance.” The breath in my lungs suddenly felt very heavy and thick like fog. I couldn’t catch my breath. I was about to have a panic attack if I didn’t calm myself down. “Listen,” I said after taking a few deep breaths. “You need to tell me exactly what’s going on. I can’t take this any more.”
“Take what?” Chance turned and walked away f
rom me, clearly unwilling to talk. I had no intention of letting it go and was quickly on his heels.
“I can’t take any more of you hiding stuff from me. This is my life, my mess to fix. And you’re trying your hardest to keep me in the dark about what you’re up to. It ends now.” I planted my feet in the tall grass to emphasize my point. Chance smirked and almost laughed, obviously finding my behavior funny. “Don’t make fun of me, Chance Caldon. I’m dead serious.”
“Well you’re going to be dead period if we don’t get out of here. That whole screaming vampire thing doesn’t sit well with people, you know. I’m sure the cops are on the way.” I was fuming at his total disregard to my demand for the truth, but he was actually right; the last thing I needed was to be seen standing over a dead body.
Or possibly two.
“How is she?” I had nearly forgotten about the bleeding girl still leaning against the tree behind us. Chance apparently had too, practically jumping across the field to get to her. He slowly lifted her thin arm to check her pulse.
“She’s alive,” he said after a few seconds. “But barely.” He ripped the sleeve from his shirt, revealing a taut bicep muscle rolling beneath his tanned skin. He took the piece of fabric and wrapped it around the girl’s neck, trying to subdue the flow of blood. I watched as he scooped her into his arms, cradling her body against his. Even though she had just been attacked by a vampire and probably wouldn’t survive, I felt a twinge of something—Jealousy? Anger? Chance moved past me, and the smell of her dying blood sent me in to a rage unlike anything I had ever experienced. It completely blinded me to reality, engulfing my mind and becoming my only purpose, my only reason for being. I couldn’t stop myself. I lunged forward, pouncing on Chance’s back like a killer cat. He stumbled then fell, spilling the girl onto the ground. I quickly jumped over him, landing right on top of her.
The tumble had caused Chance’s makeshift tourniquet on the girl’s neck to slip, exposing a pair of gaping holes still oozing blood. A sharp, numbing pain raced across my upper jaw as my gums split open, revealing a pair of razor-sharp fangs. I flicked the tip of them with my tongue, tasting the potent liquid oozing from them. Venom. It didn’t matter that what I was doing was sick, or wrong, or would forever damn me to Hell. All I cared about was putting my teeth into the flesh of her neck and feeding. I wanted to taste her blood. Bad.
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