Like mine.
“What, is this some weird power play? There’s no need to do any of this. He’s all yours.” I glanced at Desi and shook my head. All the memories of our year together flashed before my eyes in one small moment, causing my eyes to water, and a single tear to fall and slide down my cheek. I sniffled and wiped it away. I looked down at my thumb and shivered.
I was crying blood.
Was I dying? My hands began to shake and I stepped back.
“I’m going home, don’t come find me.” I looked up one last time at Desi. Despite knowing what he did, and how hard he broke my heart, it still called for him. But I was better than that. I was no one’s second choice.
“Everybody on the ground!”
The room erupted in screams and loud smashes of plates and silverware as people scrambled to crouch. I turned slowly, putting my hands up. I looked toward the men that had come in with Aleida. I had a weird feeling about them from the moment they came in. Their blood smelled sour.
“I said, get down!” one of them shouted to me. Something, I couldn’t explain what, told me I would be fine. He could shoot me, and I’d survive. But Desi, the human, wouldn’t.
The human?
Where did that come from?
“Scout…” Desi’s voice was edged with panic. “Aleida, what is going on?”
The vampire men held guns, pointing directly at us.
Vampire.
While it was an absurd concept, somewhere deep in my soul, I knew I was right. All of us except Desi were vampires. Everything was coming together in my mind. My eyes, my fangs, my aversion to the sun. I very much wanted to drink Desi’s blood. Of course that’s what I was. The men shouted again and I came to. Aleida put her hands up along with us.
“I have no idea,” she said slowly. “Bradley, what are you doing?”
“It was a long game, pretending to like you,” one of the men said. “But it was worth it. We’re going to take down both the Linotti and Amato lines tonight.”
“You can’t do that!” she screamed. “That’s a death sentence. You can’t kill us. Bradley, put the gun down.”
There were three distinct clicks from each gun and my blood chilled. They were going to kill those two. I couldn’t let that happen.
I moved, and that caused them to shoot. The booms were so loud everyone in the diner screamed. I threw myself over Desi, but I wasn’t fast enough. He dropped to the ground with a hole in his chest. I felt an explosion of pain as something entered my back, and I collapsed nearby. More shots rang out, and Aleida dropped next to Desi.
No!
No, this couldn’t be happening!
Please!I pleaded to a god I wasn’t sure existed. If there is someone to listen to me, save Desi. Don’t let him die. And then, I heard a voice in my head.
“Care to make a deal?”
