Vampires existed. Ihad seen far too many fangs, too much blood, and a bunch of otherfreaky shite over my stay to not believe that this brand of fictionwas cold, hard, un-bleeding-believable fact, but I was one. Evidentby the pinch in my gums or the stab of my canines against my tongueevery time I smelled blood; evident by the fact that I no longerhad a beating heart, no urge to breathe or eat, or even to go tothe toilet. And as sexy as Hollywood made Vampires out to be ...the reality was a total turn-off.
The click-clacking ofheels echoed in the corridor, announcing that the red-headedshe-devil was about to pay me another visit. Her last visit with aspiked blood cocktail had almost killed me, but sadly, fate haddecided to spare me and just gift me with the mother of allhangovers. A Vampire with a hangover—who’d have thought such athing would be possible, but Christ almighty, it was nasty blood.Well, not nasty. Different, energetic, intoxicating, and freakingpainful. It sure as hell burnt my insides. It was like being onfire and yet having a sledgehammer hitting your head at the sametime. The messed-up part was that I liked it, because it was theclosest I had felt to being human in ... days, weeks; I had noidea.
My focus shifted tothe open doorway as the click-clacking ceased. Instead of theredhead, an entirely different demon stood in the doorway.
“Smells liketrouble.”
“So, this is what thealternative solution to our evolution looks like.” She wanderedinto the room with a predatory grace, circling me and my newnursemaid. “I must admit I expected ... well, something a littlemore impressive.”
I cocked my eyebrow atthe Spanish she-devil as she came back into my line of view.
“If you really wantt’be impressed, then fetch me the harmonica from my backpack, I’mknown for having a very talented mouth,” I gurgled through thestill-flowing course of blood and as best as I could through thedeath grip of my new friend who didn’t look like he was going torelease my cheeks until I had finished the drink he had broughtme.
“You are Irish.”
Her laughter rangthroaty, with a delightful edge. She gave off an air of carnaldelight, and the way the light curved around her shape as shepaused by my right ... curves in all the right places. The longer Istared at her, the sharper my sight became, adjusting to the lightand shadows surrounding me. This Vampire was beautiful, every bitthe image of the temptress from the Christopher Lee versions ofDracula. She had a fantastic rack, dark, long hair, big,almond-shaped eyes, and full lips ... my dick twitched.
Just the blood,Nathan. Just side effects of this stupid blood.
Elle had nevermentioned that drinking blood could make you as horny as a bleedin’schoolboy, but then again, maybe she didn’t know everything.
“Or maybe thesickos lace the stuff with Viagra for cheap thrills? Either way, itmight be an idea to stop devouring her with your eyes before yourjeans become a tent and you start drooling.”
My gaze shot to thecorner, to the petite, slender, auburn-haired thirteen-year-oldleaning against the metal wall. One strap of her denim dungareeshung loose, a three-quarter-length top beneath, moss green to matchthe Converse she sported. She was too vibrant and solid, like asticker stuck to a black sheet of paper; she was too obvious, tooout of place to be real. You’re too young t’know what Viagrais.
“How many times dowe have t’go through this? I’m not actually this age anymore. I’mjust a figment of your sad little imagination, you nutjob.”
She—the real Elle—hadonce told me that victims could go a little crazy after beingturned, become recluses, or blood-thirsty murderers. I just hadn’trealized imaginary friends were one of the benefits of being fuckedup in the head.
“Oh, they’re not.You’re just special, Than.”
“How delightful.” Thefemale Vampire slid up alongside my nursemaid. Her hand landed onhis arm, and with that simple gesture, he released my face andexited the room.
I opened my mouthwide, stretching my aching jaw, only to regurgitate as the tubeslid farther down my throat. “Why am I here?”
“Surely, you havefigured that out by now?”
“Apart from being toldI’m a Vamp, which I kinda guessed since I have no heartbeat but nowhave fangs, Red and Skinny have done nothing but feed me blood andprod me with needles.” I gulped, swallowing more blood from thetube, wishing I could spit it out, but it was too far down mythroat to even try. “If I’m one of you, then why aren’t Ifrolicking around this place with you all? Why am I being keptlocked up? I’m hardly dangerous.”
“That is obvious.” Shemoved closer. “But the reason you are in here is because you arenot technically one of us.”
“So, I’m not aVampire?”
“Jesus, Than,you’re dead and yet you’re talking. Of course, you’re a bleedin’Vampire.”
I could be azombie.
“Please don’t tellme you’re crazy enough to believe zombies actually exist?”
What’s crazy aboutit? Vampires are a myth just like zombies, but guess what, there’sa freaking Vampire standing right in front of me. So, who knowswhat else might be out there? And wasn’t that a terrifyingthought? Vampires might not be the only piece of folklore thatwalked the Earth.
A throaty laughescaped the female. “You are proof that our kind can be created ...differently.”
“Well, I alreadygathered I was an experiment.”
“And a fairly cuteone, at that.” She plucked the tube from my lips and slid it frommy throat. “And sadly, the only one left living in this place.”
I gulped, forcing theremaining blood in my mouth to vanish. “That depends on yourdefinition of ‘living’.”
“Well, mobile then.”She brought the tube to her own lips. A disgusted grunt sounded atthe back of her throat. “No wonder you are reluctant to drink.Stored blood is dreadful.”
“Yeah, I’m not againstdrinking it because it’s stored blood. The whole drinking any bloodin general is freakin’ disgusting.”
“You only feel thatway because you are a new-born who has yet to conquer yourconscious, or at least that is what the good doctor’s notes say.”She slipped the tube between my lips, and despite my so-calledconscious, my teeth closed lightly over the plastic, holding thetube in place. “But you will lose that once
