Chapter 12
I did not expect to wake up in my bed. The events of the gallery washed over me, and I sat up. Still wearing the clothes from the gallery, I stripped them off and pulled a robe around me. As I walked into the lounge, my eyes fell to the guitar case. At least now I knew how it had ended up on my balcony. He’d probably flown or something. Fear gripped my heart. A vampire knew where I lived and probably wanted my blood.
I pressed a hand to my neck, looking for bite marks. Nothing. That didn’t mean he wouldn’t try. Tears streamed down my face as the realisation hit me.
“Oh my god, I’m going to die.” I panicked. I’d attracted the attention of a vampire and had quickly been drawn to him. I couldn’t deny I’d felt something in that first meeting. Or the second.
I headed towards my kitchen, needing a glass of water. I flicked the light switch, bright light filling the room. An uneasiness prickled at the back of my neck, and I recognised the sound of my door sliding open. Heart pounding, I grabbed a knife and turned around. With slow steps, I moved towards the living room. He stood there on my balcony, watching me. I froze, and he came towards me.
“Stop,” my voice trembled, as did my hand when I held the knife out in front of me.
“I’m not here to hurt you.” He held his hands up and took another step towards me. “I wanted to make sure you were okay.”
Hysterical laughter bubbled up. “No, I’m not okay, I saw what you are. You’re a -” I shook my head not wanting to say the word. To say it made it real.
He stopped advancing. “Yes, Quinn, I’m a vampire.”
“Are you here to kill me?” My voice verged on hysteria, tears welling up.
I tightened my grip on the knife.
His eyes softened. “No, I could never hurt you, little cantante .” He glanced at the knife. “Can you put that down? It can’t kill me, and I don’t want you to accidentally hurt yourself with it.”
“Not a chance,” I glared, trying to act like I wasn’t terrified.
We eyed each other in silence. I couldn’t move, couldn’t look away. There was a vampire in my living room. A hot one that I was attracted to.
“I saw your eyes, that night,” I said finally. “I thought I was imagining things, but I saw. They were red. That was real.”
“You weren’t supposed to see them. You weren’t supposed to find out,” his voice was soft, calming. “That you have is dangerous. If you tell anyone, she might come for you.”
“Who?” I asked, dread sinking in. He was threatening me, and I didn’t know how to react.
He gave me a smile that made my heart melt. “You don’t need to worry about her. Just don’t tell anyone what you saw,”
“I won’t.” I frowned. “No one would believe me, anyway.” Realisation dawned on me. “You killed him. You killed them.”
“He got what he deserved,” he said, taking another step forward. I raised the knife higher, as if to remind him to stay back. “The things he would have done to you had I not intervened, he faced an easy death. Unfortunately, he stabbed me.”
This was a heavy burden he was laying on me. “What am I supposed to do with that? You killed someone, because of me? You’re the one the police are looking for, and you just made me an accomplice.” I took a step towards him, fear turning to anger. “What about the woman? Did she deserve it too?”
He put his hands down and lowered his head. “I thought she was alive when I left her.” At least he had the decency to look ashamed. “I was wounded, and she had what I needed to heal.”
I forced down the urge to whimper, or cry. “Is that why you’re here?” I asked. “I have what you need? Is this a game of torment? Pursue me, then drink my blood?” My heart raced.
“Please, your fear…” his eyes flashed red again.
Panic bolted through me. I waved the knife. “Stay away.” I threatened.
“I’m sorry, fear is…please be calm,” he seemed to beg.
A strange feeling passed through me, as a soft whisper brushed against my mind.
“What are you doing?” I demanded.
A line appeared in his forehead, his eyebrows furrowed.
“I’m trying to calm you,” he replied. “You can feel that?”
I shook my head as if to clear it. “Are you in my head?” I asked. “How?”
“We can sway humans,” he said. “I have the power to calm you, compel you.”
“Compel?” I gasped. “I dreamed of you last week. But you told me it was a dream. That kiss, was it real?”
He nodded. “It was real.”
He’d licked my throat. The knife slipped from my fingers. I’d had a vampire with his mouth to my throat, probably wanting my blood. I was so attracted to him I probably would have let him. I wondered if I was going to pass out again.
His movement was too fast for me to see. He was across the room, right in front of me, and he caressed my cheek. I couldn’t move. “You don’t have to be afraid of me,” he affirmed. “I will not hurt you. Yes, I hunger to taste you, your blood. But I will not drink from you unless you ask me to. I promise you that.”
This close, I could smell cedarwood and sea, and it had a calming effect on me. But not enough.
“And I’ll never ask you to do that.” I told him, horrified at the thought. “You’re a killer.” All the fight left me, leaving only absolute terror .
He continued to stroke my cheek, his eyes pulling me in again. “You don’t have to be afraid of me,” he repeated. “I’m not going to hurt you, Quinn.”
Calm washed over me. This time I gave in to his sway, and my fear melted away. “I’m not afraid,” I stated.
“I killed to protect you, and I would do it again,” he said. “But you, you have nothing to worry about. I’ve been unable to think about anything else since I heard you sing.”
That wasn’t the comfort that I think he wanted it to be. “What do you want?” I asked.
His fingers were warm, calming as he caressed my cheek, and it took everything not to close my eyes and lean into his touch.
“I want you, Quinn.” His voice was soft, soothing like his fingers. “I want to know you. There was a moment tonight when I know that you enjoyed my company just as much as I enjoyed yours. Was I wrong?”
Is he serious? “No,” I stepped out of his reach. “You weren’t wrong. I enjoyed you showing me your art. In fact, I was looking for you to apologise. I was rude about your painting. But that was before.” I pointed to my teeth and did an imitation of him hissing.
“You won’t see past that. Can you?” His shoulders slumped with disappointment.
“I can’t,” I whispered. “This is too much. Please leave, or I’ll call triple zero.” I hoped he’d fall for my bluff. Explaining that an intruder had entered from my balcony would not be believed easily.
Without another word, he was gone. For the first time since I’d moved to the apartment, I locked the door and closed the blinds.