Chapter 10
Jordan
Kate is naive to think a vaccine is possible, but I don’t really have the heart to burst her bubble.
Truthfully, I’m not offended by her questions. My issue with them is that they dredge up things I’d rather not think about.
It ultimately doesn’t matter, I guess. Neither I nor the beast wants to let her go, even though I’m unsure what the long game is here. For once, I think I’m okay with going along for the ride.
I sit on the edge of the bed after tying her down, which she doesn’t bother fighting me on. The beast likes her willingness.
I shove that from my mind as she peppers me with rapid-fire questions. It’s like her mind is never quiet, her words nearly tripping over each other to get out first.
Some of what she asks is benign, like where I’m from, but the questions about the beast make me feel anxious.
She seems to sense that, though, so she dances around it. “Why did you take me?”
“It’s complicated.” I sigh.
“That’s not good enough.” She shakes her head. “I deserve to know. Why me?”
I weigh the pros and cons of telling her the truth. Will it frighten her? She’s already frightened by me, so what’s the harm in her being afraid again?
I roll my shoulders and say, “While I can talk and seem to have control over myself, the virus is still in me. I call it the beast—it lurks in the back of my mind, ready to take the reins whenever it feels like it. It can operate my body however it wants. And when I saw you—smelled you…” I push the rest of the words out.
“The beast took over. I thought it would make me bite you, but it didn’t.
Instead, it had me take you and bring you here. ”
Her eyes search mine. “Why did it make you do that?”
“I don’t know. Maybe it wanted me to have a companion, I have no idea.” I inhale deeply through my nose, letting her soft scent wash over me, pleasing the beast.
She ponders my answer for a moment, her eyes going distant. It’s not a lie, not really. Still, I try to ignore the guilt that settles under my skin. Telling her that the beast most likely wants her because we find her attractive would freak her out. It’s best she doesn’t know that part.
When her eyes focus again, she pushes forward. “Do you think you’re ready to tell me more? I don’t want to upset you like last night.”
The guilt at lying now feels even stronger after her show of kindness. “Not yet.” I swallow the nerves climbing up my throat. “There’s a lot that happened that I’m not sure I can face.”
Something like concern and sympathy swirls in her forest eyes. “I understand.”
The blood in my veins feels thick. I don’t deserve her sympathy.
Despite the circumstances, she sleeps. Her body must have given out and demanded rest.
Mine, on the other hand, is wired as I perch on the end of the bed, drinking her in. Her scent drifts to me, wrapping around me like a warm blanket.
It’s intoxicating, and I salivate the longer I stay with her.
I want more.