“What are you doing here?” It came out angrier than I wanted.
“I live here.” He raked a long glance at me. “What happened to you? You look terrible.”
Hell. His pulse pounded in my ears. It was music.
I licked my parched lips, gazing at his neck. His smell wasn’t as good as Miss Harlowe’s but not repulsive either. “I’m not well.”
“So I see.” He came closer, but I held up a hand, stopping him.
“Don’t. I’m contagious.” I couldn’t tell him I wanted to drink his blood, could I?
He frowned. “What disease did you catch?”
“Something bloody.” If I bit him and drank my fill, he wouldn’t survive. He was too thin and weak.
His features hardened, giving him an older and stronger air.
“What is it?” I touched my neck.
His intense gaze made me uncomfortable. He stared at me without blinking as if he wanted to see inside my skull. “Show me your neck.”
I did as told so he would leave me alone.
His reaction was to leap back and gasp.
Good. He would stay away.
“It was supposed to be a myth,” he whispered.
“What?”
He shook his head. “You’ll think I’m an idiot.”
“Don’t worry. I already think that.”
He shot his gaze at the ceiling. “I’ll be back in a moment.”
He took a few coins from the box and left.
I sagged onto the bed and pulled the tattered curtain that separated the bedroom from the kitchen. When someone was with me, I wanted to attack them, but when I was alone, I wished to be close to a human and hear a heartbeat. Perhaps there was no point in questioning my sanity. Perhaps my condition wasn’t a mere disease.
Darius returned a few minutes later. The smell of blood was painful.
“Let’s see if I am an idiot.” He handed me a plate filled with a bloody, raw piece of meat.
I didn’t need to think. Instinct dominated me. I devoured the steak, licking the blood off the plate. Sweet relief washed over me. The hunger and the pain in my throat were still there, but they were bearable. My mind was clearer, and energy flowed through me.
Darius leant against the wall. “Who is the idiot?”
“You know what’s happening to me?”
“I have a hunch. A crazy, impossible hunch.” He put his flat cap on. It was too big for his head, and it slipped down to his nose. “I need to do some research to understand how to help you.”
I licked another drop of blood from the plate, not ashamed of how much I liked it.
“Alex, listen to me.” He strode towards me, his voice so serious I had to pay attention. “If you feel sick again, have another raw steak. I bought four. They’re in the larder. But do not, for any reason, leave this room and bite someone. Is that clear? Your soul depends on that.”
His words were like a punch to my stomach. In the span of a second, I went from shock to incredulity to dismissal. My soul? What could he possibly know about that?
