Page 56 of Dark Obsession

“People who want to feed them,” Demetrius said. He swallowed hard. Memories of the Halloween attacks in Parson’s Hollow flashed through his mind. Vampires biting people out on the street. The cook being bitten behind the Hollow Leg, and the vampire going after Amelia. Cody being lifted into the air and taken away by Xavier.

Cody had turned to him on the couch, and Demetrius saw the blood drain from his face. Cody lightly touched the tiny scars on the side of his neck, but his eyes were unfocused, and Demetrius didn’t think he even realized he was doing it. Then Cody looked to Zenona.

“Is that true?” Cody drew in a sharp breath. “Is that what you’ve been doing?”

Demetrius’s hands started to shake, and he curled his fingers into fists to keep them steady.

“No, I…” Zenona’s words faded out as she leaned forward, almost doubled over. A long span of silence took over the room until she finally started speaking again.

“I felt a strong connection with Michael. Stronger than I’d experienced with anyone before. I don’t know if it was because he had my blood, or if we connected on an emotional and intellectual level.” She gave a quiet, stilted laugh as she wiped her cheeks dry. “Maybe it was all of it. And he was brave.” She glanced up, then away. “You know. You saw what he did, how he tried to stop it all. How he…” Her throat worked as she swallowed, and tears coursed down her face. “How he died. When that happened, it felt like a large piece of me went with him.” She cleared her throat and shook her head. “I’m not explaining it very well, but at that time, and in the weeks that followed, I felt like I’d lost everything.”

“Why didn’t you talk with us?” Cody’s voice was quiet, almost wounded. “I would have listened.”

A small, rueful smile curled one corner of her mouth as she looked at him. “Would you have? After everything you went through?”

Cody didn’t answer.

“Did you miss the connection?” Demetrius asked. “Was that what you were searching for at the bar?”

She lifted one shoulder slightly. “Maybe. I don’t really know. I think I wanted to feel special again, you know? To know this huge secret and to move among people outside society’s norms. People who are usually so much older than me, who have experienced history, not just read about it.”

“You were a human in a vampire bar, offering yourself up,” Demetrius said.

Her expression tightened. “It wasn’t like that. I went there for connection. For community.” She stopped suddenly, dropping her gaze.

“Do you want to become a vampire?” Cody’s face was blank, almost like he was in shock.

“No!” Her denial was sharp and immediate. “I don’t want to become a vampire. But I…I don’t know. I understand them, I guess. I feel comfortable around them. And Marlowe runs the place well. She has rules.”

“Rules?” Demetrius repressed a scoff. “Like what?”

“Rules to keep us safe. The bar is a safe space for them, and for those of us who want to help them.”

“To feed them.” Cody’s voice had an accusatory edge to it. “Do you know how dangerous that is? You’ve already been bitten. If one of them is too hungry and drinks too much, you could turn.”

“It doesn’t work like that, and you know it,” she protested. “And Marlowe wouldn’t allow that to happen.”

“How can you trust any of them?” Cody demanded, his voice rising.

“Because I loved one of them!” Zenona shouted. “Okay? I was in love with Michael. And he was in love with me.”

Cody shot to his feet. He rounded the couch and paced behind it, his hands in fists and his jaw clenched. “People are vanishing. Annie’s probably already been turned. It’s happening all around us, right now, despite Marlowe’s precious rules.”

“Okay, okay,” Demetrius said, looking between them. “Everyone’s tired and on edge, and fighting with each other isn’t going to help.” He checked on Cody. “You okay?”

Cody grunted and waved a hand as he prowled behind the couch, glaring at the floor. Demetrius returned his attention to Zenona. Her lips were pursed, and she had one leg crossed, her foot jiggling in the air.

“Tell us about Marlowe’s rules.”

She glared. “Why?”

“It will help us understand, okay? Please?”

She shifted in the chair, foot still moving. “There are two nights a week devoted to it.”

“The feedings,” Cody said. He’d stopped and stood near Demetrius, holding tight to the back of the couch. “You can use the word.”

“Fine, the feedings are limited to twice a week. Humans who want to donate are only allowed to do so once a week. Vampires and humans are not allowed to meet up outside the bar in the nights between.”