“I think he’s waking up.” Luca sounds relieved. Wait. Why is Luca relieved?
I yank my head up, blinking to adjust my eyes to the darkness. “Alistair, it’s okay,” Celine says. “Everything’s okay.”
The lamp turns on, and I flinch away from the bright light, hissing as my body registers the boiling agony in my eyes and throat. “W-what?” I demand.
“Easy, Ali,” Luca whispers. “Deep breaths.”
“Not sure that’s a great idea,” Celine mutters.
“What happened?” I demand. The scorch in my throat hits a new, devastating level.
“You jumped Celine and started gnawing on her neck.”
Revulsion consumes me as I see exactly what he means. Celine’s skin is red and chafed, with the shadow of a bruise forming. I hear a choking sound and realize it’s coming from me.
“You didn’t break the skin,” Celine says. Her voice is soft and gentle. She’s trying to avoid spooking a wild animal. Caged by the sun, I’m the wild animal—a danger to her, exactly as I feared.
Leaning over Celine, his body tense, Luca positions himself as a shield between us.
He doesn’t trust me anymore.
My eyes dart to the clock, then to the window. It’s almost seven-thirty—the sun is setting. Twilight is painful, but I have no choice. I’ve got to get out of here.
Blindly, I sprint from the room.
Ciprian jumps up from the couch, his black eyes sharp as he gets between me and my way out. I snarl and shove past him, slamming the door in his startled face.
Then I’m running. Down the stairs, across the parking lot, into the nearest alley. I run without thought. Each step takes me deeper into the seedier parts of the Fringes. Heat from the fading sun presses against me, but I ignore it, running at random until the smell of freshly spilled blood yanks me in the opposite direction.
I follow it blindly, greedily sucking in the scent of wet copper.
It doesn’t smell as good as Celine’s neck, but there’s a lot of it. As I get closer, I hear the unmistakable sound of fists pounding against flesh. Someone is taking a beating. I should turn around and head to my apartment, but... I can’t.
For the first time since I was turned, my starving body overrules my brain. Internally, I scream, but I can’t stop. Then I spot the source of the blood: three grimy supernaturals. I recognize two of them as members of the local shifter gang; a gang I’ve refused to work with in the past. They’re despicable. Predators.
But my fangs are bigger.
I tear through the tallest one’s neck before any of them see me. He dies easily and tastes terrible. I toss him aside and turn on the second. This one struggles. My fangs do more damage because of it. His blood tastes metallic—better than his friend’s—but far from good. When he goes limp, I drop him to the pavement, glancing at the guy he was beating up.
Eyes glassy and unseeing, a knife protrudes from his chest. I cock my head to listen, but the only heart beating in this alley belongs to me. I growl softly. Their deaths weren’t enough—I need more. I’m so thirsty. But... why? How?
Between the two gang members, I drank a gallon of blood, yet I’m thirstier than ever, and... My stomach roils. A brutal cramp folds me in half, and I fall to my knees.
Then I vomit fountains of blood.
Again and again and again and again. My body purges until the only thing left is bile. Fear and shock clear my bloodlust quicker than a slap to the face.
With one arm wrapped around my middle, I stumble to my feet, trying and failing to quiet my growing terror.
I’m starving. Dying of thirst. Slowly and painfully. I told myself the bagged blood was tainted. A bad batch. But this was fresh—straight from the vein, and I just painted the street with it.Why can’t I drink blood anymore? Am I damned like Mum thinks?
Questions roll around my head a mile a minute as I stumble to my apartment.
I manage to text a cleaner to take care of the bodies. It will cost me, but I’m in no condition to deal with them myself.
I can’t pretend any longer. Something is terribly wrong with me. Something I’ve never heard about happening to any vampire, turned or born.
Until I know what it is, I need to stay the fuck away from Celine and Luca.
