Page 37 of Thirst

She freezes, her mind going berserk. She's terrified and intrigued at the same time, and I'm so glad I'm able to read her thoughts. Otherwise, the unknown would drive me mad.

“I can't believe I'm about to say this,” she whispers before speaking louder. “Okay. You do it.”

I lick my lips as satisfaction worms through my veins.

“We’ll have to remove these,” I say, gesturing toward her panties.

She nods, mentally in awe of herself.

I place the knife on the bed and use both hands to grab her panties at the sides. As I slowly pull them down, she lifts her ass off the bed so I can slip them underneath and continue them on their journey—such a sensual, sexy movement it makes me hard for her when my focus is supposed to be the crimson in her veins.

Once the panties are gone, I lift the knife again. “I need you to sit up. Put your back against the headboard.” She does as commanded, her breath shuddering as I bring the blade closer. “Are you ready?”

She lets out a loud, long breath. “Yes.”

Aaliyah pinches her eyes closed just as I slowly dig the tip of the blade into her skin and drag downward. I draw a thin red line that comes to a stop just above her vagina. She lets out a soft moan of agony before I stop and sit back, marveling at my work … and waiting. Slowly, crimson liquid follows the path of my cut, seeping out of the wound from top to bottom, inflaming my thirst like kindling to a fire.

The plan is to be easy. I tell myself over and over again in my head—be easy. With a glance up at Aaliyah, I’m granted permission by a slow head nod, and I bite the inside of my lip as I lower myself onto my stomach, my face only inches from the new wound. Blood glides down her beautiful brown skin, coming to a stop at the hood of her clitoris and spreading out in two directions around it. Suddenly, I feel a thump in my chest.

My heart just beat.

I'm a vampire. My heart doesn't beat, which is why the blood in my veins is so dark it’s nearly purple. I've gone over a century without feeling a heartbeat, yet I recognize the feeling. Seeing her blood made my heart beat, and that one beat floods my body with tension and pinpricks. The thirst roars to life, the intensity of it like standing next to a jet engine. As I feel myself beginning to tremble, I glance up at Aaliyah again, who nods a second time.

Consent.

I don't want to look like a madman, so I fight against my shaking muscles and go slow.

Be easy.

Be easy, Amari.

I open my mouth and place my lips directly over her clit. Aaliyah croons out a beautiful moan, and I want to revel in it. But when the blood hits my tongue, her moan fades away, drowned out by the jet-engine-scream of the thirst. My eyes widen as I suck the blood and feel it slide down my throat. It slithers into my stomach … my vision zooms in rapidly while zooming out at the same time … and my world explodes.

Stars detonate across my vision like I'm staring at the creation of the universe, and I lose all sense of control. Aaliyah looks down at me, but I can't hear if she's saying anything or moaning in pleasure. My mind becomes a cacophony of blistering sounds as I slide my mouth away from her vagina and clamp onto the wound itself, desperately sucking it to pull out more and more blood. I swallow what I can, but it’s not enough. I need more, and I lose my sense of self as my fangs elongate behind my lips. I can't stop it, even when I feel Aaliyah’s hands on the sides of my head. Is she trying to pull me off of her? I don't know. All I can think about is the blood. All I am is the thirst.

My mouth opens as I turn my head to the side, eyeing the meaty part of her inner thigh. Surely she can see what I am now, but it barely registers, and what does register isn't enough to stop me. The tsunami wave of thirst crashes over me, and … I bite her. My fangs sink into her inner thigh, and hot blood gushes into my mouth.

I gulp it down, pull after pull. Swallow after swallow. I completely lose control and have no idea where I am or what I'm doing until the roar fades into the background and is replaced by the ticking of a clock.

Tick. Tick. Tick.

I stop gulping the blood as my eyes regain their focus, and what I see shocks me. Aaliyah is frozen, her eyes wide as she looks down at me, her hands on the sides of my face.

Tick. Tick. Tick.

After a final gulp, I pull away from her thigh and realize what I've done, yet I'm unsure of what’s happening. She's not moving, but not because she's dead.

Tick. Tick … tick … tick.

The clock is slowing, and when I turn around to look at the flames of the electric fireplace, they've stopped shimmering.

Tick … tick.

The ticking comes to a stop, and I'm confused. It’s as if I paused reality like I did at the club, but I didn't do it. I stand, and the moment I get to my feet, a feeling of euphoria overtakes my body and my head drops back until I'm staring up at the ceiling. Warmth caresses me from the inside out and my mouth drops open—my fangs on full display, thick veins covering my limbs like vines. Now I am frozen, too, stuck in an endless tremble I can't break free from. My muscles quiver while I stand there, overtaken by a high I've never encountered before, and just as I think I might break free, I feel myself being lifted up. First my torso, then my legs, then … my feet leave the floor.

I begin to float.

Under normal circumstances, I’d be thrilled by this development. Some vampires have the ability to fly, but it’s usually reserved for the older vampires. If I wasn't high, I’d be excited, but I can't control this flight. My body rises from the floor and keeps going up until I hit the ceiling. My back flattens against it, and I look down on my paused room. Aaliyah is still stuck, now reaching for nothing with both hands. The fire is still unmoving, the clock no longer ticking. I should be afraid of what’s happening, but Aaliyah’s blood has me in a bliss-filled stupor, and I stare blankly at the scene I've caused as my body begins to spin. Slowly, I become a ceiling fan above my frozen victim, spinning around until I'm dizzy but too inebriated to truly feel it.