Chapter 38
R ivers of blood. A figure in the dark, with blue eyes. I’d seen him before, knew his curly hair, his olive skin. He approached me with a smile filled with hunger.
“Carlos.” I tried to back away.
“Feed,” he whispered. “You’ll feel much better.”
He towered over me, his eyes pulling me in. I couldn’t look away.
“I know you think you don’t want this,” he said. “But there is already a hunger in you, a longing. This is what you’ve been waiting for. Feed. Complete the change, be with Matteo, forever.”
Matteo.
I woke up alone, the hunger worse, a deep pain growing.
“Matteo?” I called out.
My apartment was silent, but those around me weren’t. I pulled the blanket over me, hoping to go back to sleep in the warmth of my bed. The whole experience was confusing and painful, and I just wanted it to be over. I didn’t feel like myself, everything was dreamlike, and the constant beating of hearts hurt my head. I wanted to feed one minute, and remembered I didn’t want to be a vampire the next. The moments of wanting to feed were increasing.
I heard a beep and sat up. My phone ! Climbing out of bed I soon found it in the kitchen. There were messages of ‘Feel better’ from Lilith and Mia.
I opened one from Dan. Sorry I missed you at the gym today. I hope you’re okay.
“No, I’m not okay, I’m hungry,” I grumbled. Then I smiled. If I asked him to come over, he wouldn’t hesitate. I sent him a quick reply and waited.
His response was as eager as I knew it would be. On my way . Something in me, a small voice told me I shouldn’t be doing this. I shrugged it off as I waited for Dan.
His knock sounded and I almost flew at the door. Forcing myself to slow down, I let him in and smiled.
“Dan, I’m happy to see you,” I caught his scent, breathing it in deep. “Oh, you smell so good.” He was so close, him and his blood.
His eyes widened. “What’s wrong with your eyes? They’re red.”
Damn, I’d forgotten about that. His heart pounded, and the spike of fear enticed me forward.
“Why are you here?” Matteo demanded from behind him.
“It’s Dan,” I said, beaming at Matteo.
“You shouldn’t be here, Dan,” my vampire grumbled.
Whatever this bond was between us, I could feel Matteo dip into my mind.
“This human thinks he can lay claim to you?” He growled and pushed Dan into the room, closing the door behind him. “She’s mine.”
I couldn’t see anything beyond the red haze, Dan, and the smell of fear. I drew forward, hoping Matteo would let me feed.
“Why did you invite him here, Quinn? You cannot be around humans, especially those you know.” Matteo’s tone rang with anger.
“You were gone,” I complained. “I’m hungry.”
He grabbed my chin, lifting it. “It’s worse, isn’t it?” Deep regret glinted through his eyes. “I’m sorry, mi amore .”
“What’s going on?” Dan asked. “Is she okay? She looks high. Why are her eyes like that?”
“You know I cannot allow you to do this,” Matteo told me, his eyes red. “As much as I want to, I gave you my word.”
The fear emanating from Dan made my teeth hurt, and Matteo reacted. Instead of telling him not to move as he’d told me, he said one word. “Run.”
Dan knew he’d walked into something he shouldn’t have, and he did run. But he had nowhere to go. Matteo stalked him, no longer resembling anything human in his movements. I followed, drawn in by instinct.
Dan faced Matteo from the far end of the room. “Please, don’t hurt me,” he begged .
His heart pounded, and I was sure he’d peed himself a little.
It sunk in that Dan was about to die because of me. I vaguely acknowledged the thought that he wouldn’t be there if I wasn’t so desperate to put a stop to my hunger. But I said nothing as Matteo sped across the room, pressing Dan into the wall. I hadn’t seen him hunt before and was fascinated. He held a hand around Dan’s throat and leaned in.
“The idea of sharing him with you is tantalising,” Matteo said. “But his desire for you is enough to make me want to rip him apart. It’s best you stay where you are.”
“Quinn, help me,” Dan managed to say, before Matteo struck.
His action was smooth, everything about him predatory. The scent of blood filled the room, and I stepped forward involuntarily.
“He did nothing to me,” I said finally. “He’s here because of me, but he never touched me. He has no claim to me, and he knows it.”
It felt like forever before Matteo responded. “You brought him here. Because you were hungry. You didn’t want anything else from him?”
Dan fell to the floor as Matteo turned to face me, fresh blood on his chin.
“I saw him as a way to escape the pain,” I said.
Matteo lifted Dan. “She’s just saved your life, but she’s more of a danger to you than you realise. Go. Forget you were here.” His arms were around me, holding me as I tried to get to Dan.
“Why does it hurt so much?” I cried, unable to tear my gaze from Dan as he stumbled past.
“This is what hunger is. It’s what it becomes for us if we don’t feed,” he said, gently.
“You feed every day. To avoid this.” I shook my head. “I can’t take this anymore. Can’t I just sleep until this is over?” I clung to him.
He smiled. “Come on, we’ll go to bed.”
I let him pull me towards my bedroom and stopped at the door. “Don’t leave me alone again.”
“Don’t worry, I won’t, not this time. I was stupid to leave you the first time.”
In bed, he wrapped me in an embrace. “This is how vampires get their reputation,” he said. “To sleep all day. Close your eyes. I’ll be here when you wake up.”
“I just want to look at you,” I said. “My very own vampire.”
He smiled. “You said something when Gabriela was here. Do you remember what you said?
I remembered. “That you were mine.”
“Do you know what that means in our world?” His eyes shone.
I sighed. “Why would I know? I was just annoyed that she was there, and she had her hands on you.”
“You laid claim to me,” he murmured, his fingers brushing back my hair.
I could tell that it delighted him, but it only confused me more. “I still don’t know what that means.”
“It means I belong to you,” he declared.