Page 92 of Benjamin and the Thief

A scent hit her first, before she could see who it was. It was different from the scents she’d encountered so far: the scents of vampire hybrids like Benjamin and Maya’s daughter, and that of a pure-blooded vampire like Maya and Brandon. This was entirely different. It was overpowering, potent, and drugging. Inside her body, she felt a change coming over her. Her vision tinted red, and she felt her jaw ache as her canines lengthened slowly, while her hands turned into long, sharp claws. She stared at her hands in disbelief. How could a scent do this to her?

She ripped the door open fully and stepped into the main area of the clinic, a circular space with a nurses’ station in the middle and treatment areas around its perimeter. Her eyes shot to the entrance, where two men had just entered. The double doors fell shut behind them.

Her brother stood only a few yards away from her, dressed in a dark suit, not the prison garb she’d become so used to. Next to him was Benjamin.

“Santiago,” she choked out. “You’re free.”

Her vision clouded, and she felt hot tears stream down her cheeks.

“Catalina, it’s really you,” he replied and hurried toward her, his arms wide to hug her.

When she felt his arms around her and buried her face in his chest, she was assaulted by his strong scent. It wasn’t perfume or aftershave. It was the scent of his blood. His human blood. That’s what had caused her transformation.

“You’re alive,” he said into her hair, his voice breaking.

His heart pounded against his chest, and she could hear it as if somebody was using a megaphone to project it to a crowd. She lifted her head, and her face touched his neck. Instinctively, she inhaled the scent of blood that was stronger now. Hunger twisted her stomach into knots, while a shudder charged through her.

Looking over Santiago’s shoulder, she noticed Benjamin approaching. Her lips peeled away from her gums, ready to still the hunger that was now almost unbearable.

“Catalina, no!” Benjamin called out. “Santiago, step away, now!”

She felt Santiago move, but she was holding on to him now like a favorite toy she wasn’t willing to part with. Not without a fight. But before she could drop her mouth to her brother’s neck and sink her fangs into him, he was ripped from her, and she suddenly found herself facing Benjamin, her brother safely behind his broad back.

“You don’t want to do that, Catalina.”

“What is happening?” Santiago asked, his voice shaking.

“She wants your blood,” Benjamin explained. “Go into the room just behind us, the one with the observation window, and lock the door from the inside. Don’t come out until I tell you it’s safe.”

When Santiago followed Benjamin’s command, his scent lingered, but it wasn’t as strong anymore. Slowly, her claws turned back into hands, but her fangs remained extended. The hunger was still there, strong as ever.

“You need to feed,” he said and went to a large refrigerator.

He pulled a glass bottle from it, unscrewed it, and handed it to her.

She recognized the bottle. “So it wasn’t tomato juice, was it?”

He shook his head. “Drink, it will help.”

Slowly, she set the bottle to her lips and took a sip. Her body recognized it as human blood. How, she didn’t know. But her instinct was to drink it. She emptied it completely within seconds, then put the bottle on a counter.

“Better now?” Benjamin asked.

Tears threatened to overwhelm her again, now that the worst of the hunger had subsided.

“I almost attacked him. Like I attacked you…”

“It’s hard to control at first,” he said with a gentle smile. “I’m so sorry.”

This was her chance to tell him what she needed to say.

“No, you shouldn’t be sorry. You saved my life. You did the right thing.” She wiped away her tears. “I have to apologize for running out on you. I should never have doubted you. I should have given you a chance to explain.”

“I’m sorry you had to find out this way. Had I only had the courage to tell you earlier…”

He sighed, and she took a step closer, hesitating. There was so much that needed to be said between them, but she also realized that this wasn’t the time or the place.

“We both made mistakes,” she admitted. “Please help me so I don’t make another one.”