AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I thought it was my own fault. Lots of girls dated their professors and bragged about it. I didn’t want to be like those girls.” I shake my head to lose those old thoughts. “In retrospect, I should have called the police, or at the very least, told my parents what had happened.”
“You still could.” Oliver’s eyes are as black as night with his pupils blown up as if it’s pitch-dark rather than afternoon in a bright library.
I touch his fisted hand. “There’s no point. Markham died two years ago in a car accident.”
“He deserved a far worse death.” Putting down his glass, he takes my hand in both of his. “You never told your parents, even after Markham’s death?”
I shake my head. Before he can tell me what I already know, I say, “Your turn. How did you come to live here? I expect details, Oliver.”
A bit of blue returns to his eyes. “I was left at a school for orphans in Maine when I was about a year old. There was no note or communication with or about my parents. Of course, I have no memory of a time before the orphanage.”
Morris clears his throat just outside the library before entering with a tray of sandwiches, fruits, and small cakes. He places the tray on the coffee table. “If you need anything, I’ll be in the kitchen.”
Neither of us move to take anything from the tray, but the interruption seems to have stopped the story. My chest aches with the idea of him being abandoned. “You stayed there for five years. What was that like?”
He shrugs. “Lonely, scary. They didn’t know how to deal with my nature. By my fifth year, I was locked in a room on an upper floor, with food slipped in through a window at the bottom of the door.”
“What the hell? What kind of a place locks children up?” The extent of my outrage is far beyond hearing an old story. I want to take action, take revenge.
“You can’t blame them. I bit several people.”
“A lot of children bite when they feel vulnerable. That doesn't excuse abuse.” I will find out where this place is and expose them for the monsters they are.
Oliver’s low chuckle brings me back to the present.
“Why are you laughing?”
“Because you’re angry over something that happened more than twenty-five years ago and was not my caretaker’s fault. I am the monster. I wasn’t vulnerable, Brigitta, they were. I could have killed someone, and I’m thankful it never got that far before Wentworth found me.” He closes his eyes and draws a long breath that expands his broad chest.
“I don’t understand.” Suddenly, I’m not sure that I want to.
“The orphanage reported me missing, but they knew where I was. They were relieved to have someone take me off their hands.”
My instinct says to back away, but I lean forward. “Why?”
“Because I’m a vampire, Birgitta. I need blood to survive.”
ChapterSix
Oliver
Iexpect her to run, but she sits perfectly still, staring at me with her mouth agape. “You mean you had some kind of blood deficiency or anemia?”
Of course, she wants to explain my existence with logic. “No. I mean, I’m a monster, a vampire. I don’t need food or water. Though I do enjoy a good bottle of wine. I can’t survive without fresh blood.”
She stands and backs around the chair. “You’re some kind of sociopath, and I’m so fucking stupid; I let you lure me here with clues and good looks.” She rushes toward the door.
I use vampire speed to reach the door before her but only stand there without touching her. I don’t want her to leave or be afraid, but how can she not run from me? “I’m not insane. The last thing I want is to harm you.”
“How did you do that?” She points to the space between the sitting area and the door, which I traversed in a blur.
“Vampires can move at speeds so fast we appear to be flying. It is one of the few near truths in myths about us.” Inwardly, I cringe at some of the others.
“I saw you in the sun yesterday and today.” She backs away until the bookshelf stops her.
“That is a myth. We are not harmed by the sun, but we need little sleep, so vampires often find it easier to feed at night.” Even though she looks half terrified and half dismissive, telling someone what I am is wonderfully freeing.
“So you bite people and drink their blood?” She pushes her hair behind her ears, then thinks better of it and pulls the short blond locks forward again.
