“Where are we going?”He settled in the middle seat.
I exhaled and moved myfocus back to the road. “I read your file.”
“And you believe me,right?”
“I don’t fullyunderstand some of it, but aye—” I met his gaze in the mirror. “—Ibelieve you.”
He relaxed,practically sank into the seat, his head hitting the backrest.
“I want t’show itt’Heather. She’s the only one who might be able to explain what itall means. However, she moved t’London two years ago. So, we’regoing t’her. The ferry is at nine-thirty p.m. We should reachHolyhead at eleven-forty-five, and then it’s a five-hour trip toLondon. But at this time of night, we might be able to make it infour.”
Seven hours give ortake. I could only hope it would go swiftly as small talk had neverbeen a strength of mine.
“Either way, we shouldbe at hers before five a.m.”
“Do I have t’go backin the box?”
“Only while we’re onthe ferry.”
Only while we werearound other people. Being locked in a car wasn’t ideal, but itwould at least contain him and mean everyone travelling would besafe. I had no idea if he knew his own strength, if he would beable to break the door off my car or claw his way out of the floor.I had no idea if his thirst was sedated, or when he had last fed. Ihad offered to find him a hare as there were always plenty runningaround in the forest bordering my family’s land, but he had gaggedat the idea.
I had never seen aVampire retch before, well, without the tendrils of smoke escapingtheir mouths due to the silver I had just shoved down their throat.It was odd.
“I will see if I canfind you some clean clothes on the journey.”
“I could really dowith a shower. Don’t want to scare the poor girl.”
“Believe me, Heatherdoesn’t scare easily.”
She had seen morefreaky shit in her twenty-one years than most people could dreamof, but then, hadn’t we all.
“Will she try t’killme, once she figures out what I am?”
No concern or fearaccompanied his words. His gaze was on the side window, and hesuddenly seemed lost in thought.
“Maybe, but she ismore like you than y’think.”
Heather had been theclosest person my family had known to almost be a Vampire. She wasone fatal ingredient away, as had been her mother. In so many ways,Alexis had been more dangerous than any Vampire; she had been anInfected, and they were unpredictable. Yet, my father had let herlive in our home, her and Heather. I have no idea if Alexis andSofia had had to put up a fight for the protection. I could recallthe odd whispered discussion between my parents about my cousins,remember one huge argument that had occurred—my father had offeredto put Alexis out of her misery.
“My life has neverbeen my own, but you can bet your arse my death will be on my owndamn terms. Not theirs, and not yours. This family’s having nothingmore from me.”
She had ended her ownlife when she’d known she couldn’t carry on. I often wondered ifHeather would ever reach that point? How did she cope, being soclose to the creatures she killed? The creatures that were thecause of both her parents’ deaths, the cause of her issues?
“She mightsympathize.”
“So, you’re telling meshe’s actually a man?”
A sigh escaped me. Andjust like that, he was back.
“That was anotherjoke.”
“It wasn’t funny.”
He snorted. “Sheesh, Iremember you having a better sense of humour.”
“And I remember youalways thinking you were funny regardless of whether I agreed.”
My chest tightened atthe sight of him rolling his eyes and huffing. So normal. SoNathan. He seemed so ordinary, so relaxed. Not like any Vampire Ihad encountered before.
How many times haveyou carpooled a Vampire? How many times have you had the chance tohave a normal conversation with a Vampire? How many Vampires wereonce your friend?
Reality was startingto catch up. My grip on the wheel tightened.
What was I doing?Driving around with an unrestrained Vampire in my backseat? Takinghim to England with me?
“Wait, are y’tellingme your cousin’s a Vampire?”
His question brokethrough the whirl of thoughts. My brow furrowed as my focus movedback to the overhead mirror.
“And you wanted t’killme.” He crossed his arms across his chest. “A tad hypocritical,don’t y’think?”
Was it?
“She’s not a Vampire.”But she’s not far off being one, and never had I thought of killingher. She had never given me any reason to consider doing such athing. “She’s a born Infected.”
And more dangerousthan the Vampire who is looking at you like you have just given hima maths equation to answer.
“Yeah, that’s rightover my head.”
Heather was a trainedkiller. Plus, a born Infected. Without Sofia’s special mocktails,then Heather would be worse than a Vampire, wouldn’t she? What ifshe had gone loco? What if she had given in to her thirst? Shewould be grieving and … God, could I kill her, if it came down toit?
“You a-you remember Itold you how Vampires are created?” I turned my attention to theroad ahead. “A person is bit by a Vampire and then they have todrink their blood?”
“I remember veryclearly, which was why I was baffled when that didn’t happen to me.Thought you had been telling fibs.”
“They seem t’havefound another way of creating Vampires.”
“Why would they wantthat?”
Great question. Whycreate Vampires differently? Why had Heather survived? Why were therules suddenly changing?
I shook my head andtook a deep breath, needing to concentrate on the conversation wewere having instead of the one going on in my head.
“I don’t know, buthopefully, we can find out. When a Vampire bites a human, they givethem their virus. Now, if the Vampire doesn’t baptize the humanwith their blood, then only one stage of the creation is complete.We refer to humans with the virus as Infected. Basically, the virusis breaking down their body, and if left, they can go insaneand—”
“So, it’s normal forpeople t’go insane if they have this virus?”
“Well, it’s not theirfault. The virus wants t’be fed so it’s the need for blood whichactually causes the human t’go insane. I mean, think about it.You’re human, and you want t’drink blood, it’s gross and wrong, butyou can smell it and hear it gushing in people’s veins ... in
