“I don’t … oh!” Hit by a sudden pain unlike anything she’d ever known, Sara doubled over. She groaned deep in her throat as agony spread through every nerve and fiber of her being. “What’s happening to me?”
“You need to feed.”
Feed! Wide-eyed, she looked up at him. “I can’t do that.”
“Yes, you can.” He bit into his wrist and held it out to her.
Sara licked her lips as she stared at the dark crimson blood oozing from the shallow punctures, closed her eyes as the scent of it seemed to infuse her very pores. When had anything ever smelled so good?
“Drink, Sara. It will ease the pain.”
Feeling horribly self-conscious, she took hold of his arm and lapped at the blood like a kitten with a bowl of fresh cream. The taste was intoxicating, and she let out a soft cry of protest when he drew his arm away.
“That will hold you for a short time, but sooner or later, you’ll have to hunt, because you can’t survive on my blood.”
Hunt. The very thought sent a shudder through her. It sounded so primitive, so barbaric. How could she feed on other people? She certainly loved the taste of vampire blood, but would she like the taste of human blood as much? What was it Travis had said? Once you taste it, you really don’t want anything else. Would she feel that way, too?
“Would you like to go for a walk?”
She blinked at him. “A walk?”
He shrugged. “It will help clear your mind.” He gestured at the chair in the corner. “I brought you a change of clothes and some other stuff.” Rising, he moved away from the bed. “I’ll wait out here,” he said, and closed the door behind him.
Sara stared after him. She was a vampire. She knew it. She felt the difference—the other-worldliness of it—with every breath. And still it seemed impossible. A distant part of her mind held to the hope that she was in bed, dreaming. Even though she knew she wasn’t.
Blowing out a sigh, she stood and began to dress.
Sara’s gaze moved quickly through the darkness. It was like seeing the world for the first time. Her vision was amazing. Colors appeared as bright in the night as they did in the light of the sun. She could make out the numbers on a license plate a mile away. Her hearing was just as acute. She heard a leaf fall to the earth, the beating of a moth’s wings, the cry of a baby two blocks away, the mother’s lullaby as she comforted the child. And, over all, the incessant beating of human hearts—a siren call she was reluctant to answer.
Walking beside her, Travis squeezed her hand. “You’re going to have to give in sooner or later.”
“I know.” She could feel the hunger like a living thing inside her, gnawing at her vitals, demanding to be fed. Travis’ blood had eased the pain but did nothing to ease her thirst.
“Travis, what happened to Jason Bowman?”
“Overstreet killed him.”
“And the other vampires?”
“They’re dead, too.”
“Poor Olivia,” Sara murmured. “She loved him so much. I wonder what she’ll do now.”
“Get out of that town, if she’s smart. Make a new life for herself and her kids.”
Sara nodded.
They walked for an hour. Sara was aware of Travis watching her. He knew what she was going through. It hadn’t been that long ago that he’d been turned. Even knowing that didn’t really make her feel any better. She could only help herself. Her decision made, she said, “All right, let’s get it over with.”
Holding tight to her hand, he willed the two of them to a town some miles away. Although it was late, it was Saturday night and the sidewalks were crowded with couples and families.
When they came to a nightclub, Travis guided her inside. “See anyone that looks good to you?” he asked as they headed toward the bar.
“What do you mean?”
He twitched one shoulder. “Sometimes you’re drawn to a particular person. I’m not sure why.”
Sara glanced around. Couples and small groups occupied the booths that lined the walls. Several men and women sat at the bar. Most of them seemed to be alone. How was she supposed to choose one? And if she did, how was she to get him alone so she could —she grimaced—bite him?
“It’s easy. Just concentrate on your choice, then speak to his mind and he’ll come to you.”
“He will?”
“Trust me.”
She focused on the man sitting on the last stool. He was well-dressed, in his late twenties, with long black hair. She stared at the back of his head, willing him to come to her, but nothing happened. “I must be doing it wrong.”
“It takes a little practice.” Travis spoke to the man’s mind. A moment later, he slid off the bar stool and walked toward them. Taking Sara’s arm, Travis said, “Come on. He’ll follow us.”
Once outside, they walked to the end of the block and turned left into a parking lot. Travis led the way to the far corner, away from the streetlights. When he stopped, the man stopped beside him, his expression blank, his arms at his sides.
Sara stared at Travis. “I don’t think I can do this.” But even as she spoke the words, the scent of the man’s blood was calling to her, over-riding her revulsion. Taking hold of his shoulders, she rose on her tiptoes and sank her fangs—oh, lordy, she had fangs—into his neck.
She closed her eyes as she tasted human blood for the first time.
Once you taste it, you really don’t want anything else.
Oh, Travis, she thought, feeling almost giddy. You were so right! It took her a moment to realize Travis was tugging on her arm.
“Sara! Sara! That’s enough.”
“Just a little more.”
“You don’t want to kill him, do you?”
Alarmed, she pushed the man away, then grabbed a fistful of his shirt to keep him from falling face down on the pavement. “Is he going to be all right?” she asked
