He’s right. I can guess, and the second that I let my imagination run wild with it, I know I’ll regret it. I have to keep myself composed for the sake of my sanity, and possibly my survival. He hasn’t killed me yet, but that doesn’t mean he won’t later on. There’s a strong chance he doesn’t want any witnesses to what he is or what I’ve seen.
“Let’s put a pin in that, okay?” After all, ignorance is bliss.
“Fine by me,” he says with a shrug.
“So, you brought me back home,” I continue, jumping back to my first question, “but that doesn’t explain why you’re still here.”
“I’m here because we made a deal.” He leans forward in his seat, elbows propped on his knees. The point of his chin rests on his folded hands. Long, white, beautiful fingers tangle together. It’s a simple pose, but it feels precise and alluring. I find myself leaning in, too, even though there’s more than ten feet between us. It’s like he oozes appeal, and with a face like his, I’m sure he got himself into trouble daily.
All of my favorite books about vampires note their beauty, but somehow underplay the danger of that. The way he’s looking at me is nothing short of unnerving, yet arousing.
“A deal,” I repeat. “And what kind of deal was it?”
“It was simple. I heal you, you help me.”
Help him? How am I supposed to help a vampire who’s fresh out of a century long imprisonment? That’s a huge deal! Then again, given our circumstances, I’m sure anyone in my position would have done the same. When I stop to consider that, I realize the only other living person in the room who could have intervened was the one who tried to kill me in the first place. And he was now dead, so I guess I got the better end of the bargain.
“Define ‘help,’” I say.
“It’s quite broad, I’ll admit.” Gray closes his eyes. “The last time I was awake, it was still 1924. I am mostly well-adapted to new situations, but this time… help is necessary.”
“I think I get the gist of it,” I say and let out a long breath. Being cryptic must come with the territory of being undead.
“Then you understand my position, yes?”
When Gray opens his eyes again, I’m struck by the fear I see in them. It catches me off-guard. One hundred years is a lot, and plenty of major things have happened during that time. Hell, mychildhood was riddled with progress. I saw dial-up become Wi-Fi.
It’s clear that I’m not seeing this from his perspective, because when I think about it, the culture-shock alone would be enough to make my palms sweat.
“So, I help you, and then what? You leave?” I push. “You go back to terrorizing people?”
“What does it matter what I do when I’m gone?” he asks seriously.
“Excuse me if the idea of a vampire running loose around the city isn’t all that appealing to me. I’ll work on fixing my moral compass to better serve you,” I say with a little too much attitude, even if my point is justified. He can’t exactly be mad at me for calling him out when he just admitted to doing awful things prior to his century-long visit to church camp.
But I’m mistaken. He’s angry. In fact, he’s so angry that he blurs over to where I’m sitting and cages me in with his body. I lean as far back into the seat as humanly possible, too afraid to move. He’s scary fast.
“Better that you do,sweet cheeks. And fast,” he says, baring his teeth. “The sooner I know the world, the faster we can be rid of one another. Understood?”
I don’t say anything. He really could kill me. And the worst part? It would be quick. With the way he moves, I would never see him coming. Knowing that drains what little defiance I have left inside of me.
“I’m willing to beg,” he rasps, moving away from me. There isn’t a trace of anger left in his expression, but the fear remains. “That’s how desperate I am.”
Swallowing my own fear, I finally speak. “Okay.”
“Okay?” he echoes. “You’ll help me?”
I nod, recalling his words to me from last night. “But only because you asked sonicely.”
As I hit the switch, the basement light flashes on. Usually, I only come down to do my laundry, or escape the crazy heat in the summer when my AC can’t handle it. It’s a nice basement. Half-finished with a cozy little room setup to the left and a tiny bathroom with some storage to the right. When I was younger, it was the place my mother would come to crash after a long night out getting drunk or high.
Now, though? It’s where Gray’s been hiding this whole time. I guess I ‘gifted’ the space to him once we made it back in one piece. It’s just one more thing I don’t remember about my early morning blackout.
“So, is memory loss a common thing with vampires?” I ask, taking the steps one at a time.
From behind me, Gray says, “After a feeding? Not that I’m aware of. You seem to be incredibly sensitive to my blood.”
“Oh, so I’m just special,” I say with a little too much sarcasm. At the bottom of the stairs, I turn and meander toward the back where there’s storage. Among Christmas decorations and old dishes, there are some boxes packed away with clothes frommy granny’s late boyfriend, Henry. He passed away almost two years ago, and stubborn woman that she is, she never gave them away.
