Tenth Grade Bleeds

couldn’t resist placing a small kiss on her pretty cheek, still moist from tears. And then another, on the smooth, pale skin of her jawline. And one more, just one, as he inhaled her sweet, irresistible scent, on her neck. He could taste the salt of her tears as he placed each kiss, and when he kissed her neck, they flowed into his mouth and over his tongue. They weren’t salty anymore, but sweet, like her scent, like her. And she tasted… so… good.

Vlad’s jaw tightened, bracing her neck against his jaw even tighter. He knew he was drinking from her, swallowing mouthfuls of blood, but he couldn’t stop, no matter how he tried. He swallowed and swallowed, feeling terrible that he was feeding from her, but not caring that he couldn’t seem to stop. He couldn’t recall when he’d started. The kiss on her neck, he surmised. But there was no stopping, no walking away now. There was just her blood and his hunger. Nothing more. Nothing else seemed to matter at the moment.

Vlad slipped his arms around her, cradling her body as she trembled, then weakened into his embrace. Her heartbeat was fluttering against his chest, each beat sending a splash of crimson onto his tongue. And he swallowed, drinking it down, so much better than anything he’d ever tasted before. He wanted more, so he took it, ignoring the fact that her heart was rattling at a dangerous rate, that he was probably killing her, that she was a human and he’d vowed not to do exactly what he was doing right now, never, never, never. But he was doing it. He had to. It was so sweet and tasty and filled his muscles with an energy he’d never felt before. And she tasted… so… good.

And finally, his belly was full, but Vlad kept drinking, just to taste her, just to have her blood coursing through him just a little bit longer. The idea that she was dying sent an excited chill through him… and that’s when Vlad’s stomach clenched. He shoved the girl away from him, not caring that she was going to fall onto the hard pavement, only that she’d be away from him, and safe… safer than she was in his arms. His fingers were trembling, a twisted blend of fear, excitement, and insatiable need. His face felt warm and flushed. His feet refused to remain still, so Vlad paced the alley, his dark eyes locked on the nearly unconscious girl lying next to the Dumpster.

He’d almost killed her.

He’d almost taken her life, all because he couldn’t control his hunger.

And what had set him off? The taste of her tears? Vlad retched at the thought.

It had been too easy. He’d gotten too close. And it could never, ever happen again.

The girl stirred, as if waking from a dream. She sat up, bruised from her fall and weak from Vlad’s feast, but the glazed expression in her eyes said that she likely didn’t recall exactly what had happened. She rubbed her neck and stretched, looking around the alley in confusion. When her eyes met Vlad’s, he took a step back, as if the distance would help.

It wouldn’t.

He knew that, just as sure as he knew that the only thing keeping him from crossing the alley and drinking the last of her blood until she’d slipped into death’s arms was his dire fear of enjoying such a terrible, disgusting act, his utter terror of himself.

Snow blinked at him, still dazed. “Vlad?”

Vlad swallowed hard, the taste of her crimson still on his tongue.

“What happened? Did I fall?”

Vlad paused, then nodded slowly.

Then, because there was nothing more that he could do, Vlad turned and walked away, down the alley, down the street, until he was blocks away from the club, from the girl with the salty sweet tears, from the part of him that he couldn’t bear to be near. Along the way, he tried once again to reach Otis with his thoughts, but Otis still wasn’t answering, so Vlad kept his head down and walked until he’d found a pay phone. He dialed Henry’s cell number, cursing Nelly for not letting him have one, and waited for the rings to cease. Finally, they did. “Yeah?”

Vlad licked his lips, took a deep breath, and squeezed the phone closer to his mouth. “Henry? I need your help.”

He could almost hear the irritation in Henry’s breath. For a long time Henry didn’t answer. When he did, his voice was tense. “What makes you think I’ll help you? Going to order me to?”

“Henry…” Vlad’s eyes brimmed with tears. “I just fed on a human.”

And he broke. The sobs came quickly, his body shook. And his stomach, so full of irresistible blood, ached as it had never ached before.

Henry’s tone softened, once more the friend that Vlad had always had, once more his loyal drudge… but more, he was Henry. He was Vlad’s number one. “ Tell me where you are. I’ll be right there.”

19 THE OTHER’S GOLD

HENRY’S ROOM WAS DARK, LIT ONLY BY THE GLOW of the moon through the open curtains. Vlad was sitting on Henry’s bed, trying desperately not to look at Henry, who watched him from his desk chair across the room. They hadn’t spoken since Henry had pulled up in Greg’s car. It had been a long, quiet drive.

Henry would probably catch hell from his brother for taking the car, but Vlad was pretty sure Greg wouldn’t clue their parents in to Henry’s theft-or his driving without a license. Some secrets were important to keep. Luckily, Greg recognized that. Even if he had no clue what Henry’s secret was. Vlad gripped the edge of the mattress, trying to get ahold of his insatiable thirst.

Henry ran a hand through his hair and sighed. “Do you want to talk about it?”

Vlad’s eyes moved to his friend’s neck. Otis was right. There was nothing like feeding from the source. And now that Vlad had had a taste, he knew he would always yearn for another. He gripped the mattress tighter and forced his eyes away. “Not yet.”

Henry nodded thoughtfully. “Hungry? I can run to your house and grab something.”

“It’s not that. My stomach is full. It’s just…”

“You want more.”

They exchanged understanding glances, and Vlad eased up on the mattress. He looked at Henry. “It’s like I just realized that paradise is all around me, lurking in the veins of people. It’s wrong. I know it’s wrong. But it’s all I can think about right now. As if the moment I swallowed that girl’s blood, it woke up this thing inside me. This hunger. This… beast.”

Henry stood and Vlad winced, blurting out, “Don’t come any closer.”

Henry hesitated, then crossed the room anyway and sat on the bed beside Vlad. “You won’t hurt me, Vlad. I know that.”

Vlad wanted to believe that, but he just wasn’t sure. “I don’t. Not anymore.”

Henry went quiet for a while. After a long time, he whispered, “Did you kill her?”

Vlad licked his lips, the taste of her blood still, incredibly, on his tongue. “No. But I wanted to.”

The image of Snow’s sweet face floated at the front of Vlad’s imagination, followed shortly by the feeling of his fangs as they’d sunk into her pale flesh. Vlad broke, and hot tears streamed down his face. “Oh God, Henry! I’m sick. I’m a monster. Joss was right!”

Henry shook his head adamantly. “You are not a monster, and my idiot cousin couldn’t have been more wrong. You’re just…”

He looked at Vlad, as if trying to determine just what exactly Vlad had become. Finally, he shrugged. “Well, I guess your needs are just changing.”

Vlad dried his eyes on his sleeve and took a deep, shuddering breath. “Otis mentioned that. Before he left. He told me that if I didn’t start feeding on humans, I could become a danger to the people I care about.”