The moment his teeth sink into her veins, fire rushes through her body and pain, unlike anything she has ever experienced before. With every mouthful of blood, he takes, her knees grow weaker. Anya can’t believe that this is really happening. Vampires aren’t real! She can see his reflection in the mirror, and she didn’t invite him in. All those myths were lies! What is happening? Rage flows once more through her body and her hands begin to heat up. Another fit of anger and she fights, the towel falls from her hair and her long black hair drops around her shoulders.
Caius jerks as though realizing something is wrong. Katie has wavy blonde hair. “I’m not Katie!” She groans. When he tries to release her, Anya reaches back and grabs his black hair, holding him tightly in place. Shock flickers in his mind, and this time, it is her laughter echoing in his mind.
“Not Katie? Then you’ll be my dinner!” He snarls enraged that he didn’t sense she was the wrong one. He sucks harder, pulling more of her blood into his mouth.
Fury replaces fear, as Anya seeks her own rage and fuels it. Fangs erupt in her mouth and her body heats up. Her eyes begin to glow an amber color. Anya moans with desire as the scent of his blood assaults her.
Caius watches her in the mirror and before he can release her, she spins with a supernatural speed, sending her towel falling to the ground. Naked, she wraps her arms and legs around his body and rips at his throat with her new fangs. His scream of pain fuels her desire, and she latches onto the pulsing wound and drinks deep. The metallic taste of his blood enhances her lust, and on the third swallow, Caius is able to cast her away from him, across the hall, and into a wall. Weakened by her attack, he stumbles through the doorway clutching at the raw, bleeding wound.
Anya slams into the wall, destroying the sheetrock and slides down to the ground in a pile of white dust and debris. The blood in her system burns its way through her body and she falls to the ground, clutching her stomach. Weak from the blood loss she can only glare at him as he slams into the wall in the hallway.
“What are you?” he demands. Too dizzy to move, Anya stares at him and the room goes sideways.
“I’m a tour guide,” she whispers and passes out.
Caius stumbles away, trembling, sick and weak. ‘Who is this human? Scratch that, she is definitely not human. Possibly half-vampire, but that doesn’t explain why his insides are on fire.’ Her blood, something is wrong with it! Must go! “It burns!” His body is being destroyed!
Travelling through the small house, he makes it out the front door before throwing up black blood into the garden. Sweat pools on his forehead and his head pounds. The wound in his neck is not healing. He launches into the air and flies through the darkness, desperate to get to safety. Struggling to make it to the protection of the forest, he tumbles through the air and into the underbrush below. He tunnels into the healing soil, shocked that he has had to resort to such an ancient method. Vampires don’t go to ground unless they are near death. “Tour guide,” he whispers before he welcomes oblivion.
A few hours later, Anya becomes aware of the cold. Shivering on the hall floor, she opens her eyes in utter darkness. Sitting up, she pushes up off the floor and flinches when she sees she is naked and surrounded by broken sheetrock and wood. The back of her head is aching from the force of the impact. Anya drags herself to her feet and into the bathroom, stumbling to the mirror. Her body is stained with red and black blood! Confusion and terror flicker as she remembers the vampire. Her neck shows no wounds, only bright purple and green bruises, in the mirror.
A vampire bit her! Her horror explodes, she grabs her T-shirt and pulls it on over her head and jerks her jeans on. Was he still here? Anya listens and to her astonishment, she can hear everything. The sound of her heartbeat is so loud in her ears, it is like a base drum beating in her chest. “That means I’m not dead yet,” she reminds herself. When she concentrates, she can tune it down with a thought. Pushing beyond the fluids in her body, Anya hears only the sounds of the house, the wind in the trees, and the insects of the night.
Caius is gone. “Caius?” His name was Caius and she could hear his thoughts. He was after Katie! Why? “Oh, God,” she has to get away! She jerks on a coat from Katie’s closet and grabs the spare key, Katie keeps it in her dresser drawer. Her Mini Cooper is out back, and Anya doesn’t think twice about taking it. Christian will help her! She throws the car into reverse and slams on the brakes. “What is happening?” The driveway is illuminated as if in daylight and the car lights are not on! “I can see…,” she whispers. Slowly she inches the car forward and turns on the headlights. Wiping at tears, Anya floors it and takes off in a shower of gravel.
Anya flies through the streets of Dublin. The sound of abused tires and the howl of the engine echoes from quiet buildings and alleyways. She turns down the street towards Christians flat, she is trembling, confused and terrified. “What is happening? Vampires aren’t real, are they?” She rubs at the sore spot on her neck and still finds no wound. The minute she remembers that she bit him back she has to pull over to the side of the road to compose herself.
Dropping the vanity mirror, she stares at
