“So what if I am? All I want is for you to stop kissing another guy, and you are the one who keeps the fight going by not doing what I say. It’s only Dante.”
“It’s got nothing to do with Dante or kissing anybody. It’s just your new expectations of me. You heard what Ryan said out of the blue about my ‘friend at T.’” She made air quotes with her fingers. “It’s obvious Dante knows something about him. Dante was only trying to warn me because he cares about me, that’s all. But for argument’s sake, let’s say I do bow down to you and do what you say. When is the next new order expected? A few months? Years? I thought I was in a relationship, not a dictatorship. What is it going to take for you to finally cut me some slack?”
“Simple. Don’t see Dante anymore.”
“That’s unreasonable. I can’t do that.”
“Yeah, I thought so. Hope the sex was good for you.” Matt got into the car and drove off, leaving Alex stunned.
What the hell just happened? she wondered. She rubbed her face with her hands, shaking her head in disbelief and anger.
*
Lauren returned to the bathroom in a daze, followed by the male vampire. She knew him for what he was now. She couldn’t struggle. There was no point. Any thoughts of fleeing were gone when they’d threatened Alex’s life. Lauren had managed to get the truth out in a small way, at least. She had never said those three words to anyone, but she could never have meant them more. It was a thank you for the years of friendship, an apology for countless things, and lastly, the goodbye she knew she would never get to say.
The male took Lauren’s wrist and reverently smelled her hand, running his long nails up and down her arm. The female did the same to her neck and jaw, planting pecks of kisses as she went. Lauren trembled, still disbelieving her senses. The male took the lead, biting her wrist, holding her arm in place. Lauren screamed. He’d been right. This hurt like nothing she’d experienced before. The female clamped her hand over her mouth and pushed her head to the side so no noise escaped. Like a snake, the female lashed out, biting Lauren’s neck and holding on. Lauren heard the dull crunch of the fangs and could feel the female actually drink her blood, hearing the sickly wet sound of it being swallowed down her throat.
She became aware of her surroundings again only a few moments later. Her breathing was out of rhythm and her eyes stared upwards, but Lauren could barely see. She could not move at all. She heard Ryan in the room. He seemed to be filming everything. She felt weak; so tired.
The vampire couple knelt over her still. The male presented his hand to the female, as she in turn did the same with hers. They each used a fingernail to slice Lauren’s and each other’s wrists. The vampires took an arm each, and pressed Lauren’s wrists underneath their own.
Both sets of cuts poured blood into her open wounds. Her jaw opened and closed slowly, tasting nothing but air and a hint of the tangy blood travelling directly to her heart. The rest of her body lay as still and cold as lead. Ryan shuffled around to Lauren’s head and held the camera above her face.
“You’re watching history here, subscribers,” came Ryan’s whisper. “What you are about to see has never been captured on film. I know it looks strange, having her arms moving as if by their own accord, but I assure you there are two other people in this room right now. And if this turning is successful, Lauren will be leaving us very soon. She will evaporate before your eyes…yet still be right here in the room.”
Lauren felt something burning and tearing at her insides, as the light from the ceiling lamp grew dimmer and dimmer. The bathroom was plunged into sudden darkness and Lauren felt death close her eyes.
But this wasn’t how death was supposed to be. Where was the light? Where was her grandmother to meet her? There were no angels here; there weren’t even demons. Lauren felt forsaken and alone.
“And there you have it,” Ryan said, into the lens, to all his subscribers that had paid to see this. “She’s gone.”
Chapter Twelve
What Goes Around…
Alex cursed under her breath, the night air picking up. She wrapped her arms around herself in a desperate attempt to warm up for her long walk home.
In her rush to get to Ryan’s she had not taken anything with her. Besides her keys before running out the door.
She looked up at the long, dark stretch of road. “Fuckety.”
Several street lights were out and she couldn’t even see the main street from here. She didn’t know this area at all, but if she could find an open pub she could hopefully ask directions, or at least use a phone and call a cab.
About fifty metres further along, Alex spotted a combi-van that had seen better days, its back doors open, with four men of various ages standing or leaning, laughing and smoking heavily. By the guitars leaning against the doors, it didn’t take much to tell they were in a band. Maybe they were going to or coming from a gig? She didn’t like the idea of approaching them in the middle of the night, but then she chided herself for being needlessly paranoid. Taking a deep breath, she asked in a loud voice, “Hi, uh, excuse me? Could you tell me where I might find a bar around here?”
“Yeah,” one said. “You
