But like I said, only one or two spots. I didn't want to waste it, after all.
But I'll have to be careful for another reason.
If I take too much from Adam, he'll weaken, and though he could call room service and have a couple of pints sent up, I'm anticipating him asking to drink from me. Fair's fair, I imagine him saying. But last time his fangs were anywhere near my neck wasn't too pleasant an occasion. I'm not scared of him anymore---I think. What's he going to do? Kill me twice over? But there are some experiences I have no wish to remind myself of if I can help it. Just yet.
"Nathan?" Adam's voice has that inflection, the rise at the end which makes my heart sink. He wants something. "I have a favour to ask."
"Yes?" Not an agreement, merely an urge for him to continue, to get it over with. "What do you want now?"
"Nothing terrible; don't sound so scared! Jesus."
"Whenever you put that voice on, it's always something untoward." I roll my shoulders, working out a kink. We're almost unbreakable, but hours of relentless fucking will throw up a few muscular niggles now and again.
"Not this time." He sits up straight, meaning business. And he doesn't take his eyes off me.
"When we're done here..."
I look sideways at him. "When we're done here what?"
Adam pauses for a second before telling me what it is that's on his mind. "I want to come and see where you live."
Chapter 13
"THIS IS QUITE POSSIBLY the closest thing to insane I have ever done." I stop outside my front door, my head spinning. I should have known this was a bad idea. Well, I did, right from the start. But I'd let Will persuade me. I'd let curiosity take me to Vlad's. Or maybe Adam was right, and it was guilt. I'd lied to him for years, and as the image of myself as a truthful, honourable man crumbled, I gave in.
"Besides have hours of violent, hot sex in a hotel room with the guy who nearly killed you years back, thereby releasing decades of pent-up anger and sexual tension, you mean?"
One hand holding the key in the lock, I let my head bow for a moment. "Stop it, Adam."
Behind me, he laughs. "Stop what?" He grabs my backside and tries to give it a squeeze. "This bloody overcoat; why do you have to still dress like a soldier?"
"Because I am one."
"You were classified as missing, presumed ---"
I straighten up and look over my shoulder at him.
"Never mind," he continues, giving a casual shrug. "You won't listen anyway."
Maybe that's all it takes. To resurrect oneself from the dead, appear in Adam's life again, bugger him senseless, then shoot him a dirty look. That's all that was needed to get him to fall in line, to shut up when he goes too far.
"Okay, okay." He shows his palms in mock --- has to be mock---surrender, and I get on with unlocking the door.
"How long have you been living here?"
Adam asks, looking around himself, even up at the ceiling, as if this is a cathedral, not a vampire-friendly basement flat in a town far away from where he's been living lately.
"A few years."
"Fuck." It's almost a whisper. "I still can't believe..." His gaze darts everywhere---at the wallpaper, the carpet, the light fittings. "All this time..."
"Only a few years, Adam." I settle my travel case by the wall, underneath my coat rack. I can deal with the unpacking later. Laundry and returning my toiletries to the bathroom can wait. I use toiletries? Oh yes. Being dead doesn't stop one wanting to be clean and to smell nice.
"No, I meant..." At last, his gaze meets mine.
"All this time, you were alive, and I never knew."
He strokes a hand down a patch of wallpaper. It's not flocked or even woodchipped. Nothing to it; just flat, two-dimensional paper pasted to a wall.
"Living in a house like this."
I'd planned to give him a guided tour of sorts, or rather, felt that that would be the polite thing to do, but Adam wanders off on his own, and I follow along as if he's the tenant and I the visitor.
"Your bathroom's immaculate," he comments.
It's now I realise I have no idea where he lives, what his everyday (everynight?) life is like. But now isn't the time to ask. And if I do ask, it'll open up a dialogue; this will start to look like a regular thing which I want to carry on.
Which I don't.
He's only here out of politeness on my part.
To show a little faith in him, which is still far more than he deserves. Okay, you tried to kill me.
I can't say all is forgiven, but let's try to get over it. This is where I live now. Good day to you; have a nice eternity.
"Mine's not got a window either. I live in a deadblock."
Deadblocks are tenements specially built for vampires, as opposed to one like mine, which is adapted, but not purpose-built. Against my better judgement, I'm impressed.
"You're putting down roots where you are?"
He's less likely to move if he resides in such an apartment block, whereas I could up sticks and find somewhere else without too much trouble.
There's Alyssa to think of, of course, but we could keep in touch by phone and email. I trust her; she's the only person I'd want to maintain contact with if things with Adam get difficult and I need to skip town.
"It's handy, not having a window in the bathroom. Means I didn't have to get blackout blinds. I've seen some have theirs blocked up, but bricked-up windows in certain areas? Nah."
Adam shudders at some
