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“JESSE?” I WHISPERED.
Grimacing, he rubbed his temples. “I can hear your heartbeat!” he shouted. “It’s driving me crazy.”
Poor Jesse was dealing with demons I couldn’t even begin to understand, but I knew helping him confront them on a deserted beach probably wasn’t a good idea. I took long, slow steps back. I needed to get back to the house, where I could get some blood for him so he wouldn’t try to take mine.
“There’s plenty of blood in the fridge,” I said. “C’mon.”
“I can’t come with you,” he pleaded. “I can’t...be near you right now.”
“Jesse...”
He threw his head back and screamed. I knew he couldn’t fight it; he was losing to the inner monster, the unstoppable beast that dwelled inside him. He struggled to hold the darkness at bay, but it seemed it had already consumed him. I didn’t want to leave him in that condition, but I knew there was nothing I could do to help him.
“Taylor,” he said, his eyes wild with hunger and fear, “run!”
I immediately took off, running through the sand. I could hear his growls and snarls from behind as he fought to keep himself from attacking me. I had never been so scared in my life, except maybe when Drake had me. I didn’t dare to look back. I just kept running through the deep drifts, hoping Jesse wouldn’t pounce from behind and pierce my flesh with his teeth.
Finally, I turned the bend and spotted Julie sitting on the porch. “Julie!” I shouted. “Get in the house!”
“Huh? What’s going on?” she asked frantically.
“It’s Jesse! He turned.”
She stood. “You’re kidding, right?”
Gasping for breath, I shut the door and locked it. “Nope.”
“You think a locked door is gonna keep him out?” she asked nervously. “No, wait. I don’t think I wanna know the answer to that.”
I met her gaze. “We’ve gotta find him some blood...and quick.”
Suddenly, fists pounded on the door.
I jumped. Part of me wanted to let him in, but the other part knew that if I did, I might be ripped apart.
“Taylor!” he yelled. “Let me in!”
“Not a chance!” Julie shouted. “You’re a monster right now, Jesse!”
He snarled. “Blood! I need blood now!” he said. Then, a second later, his voice became more threatening and demanding. “Open this door, or I’ll break through the window!”
I could hear the anger and rage flowing from him, the demon that raged inside of him. I knew that wasn’t my Jesse, and I knew that what he’d become wouldn’t hesitate to fiercely attack us. In a panic, I searched the refrigerator, but all of the blood we’d placed on the bottom shelf was missing.
“Well?” Julie asked.
“It’s not there,” I said.
“Did he move it?”
“No, I don’t think so.”
“Then where did it go?” she retorted.
A shiver slid down my spine. “I-I don’t know!”
“That’s it. I’m calling the police,” Julie spat.
“What? Why? You’ll just alarm every single witch and werewolf, alerting them to our location. Are you crazy, Julie? Put the phone down!”
“You’re right. I guess we’re dead either way.”
“Not yet, we’re not,” I said.
Her eyes bulged in fear. “The way I figure it, we’re about to be ripped to shreds, or we’ll be stabbed in the heart on an altar. Neither sounds very good to me.”
Jesse continued to pound on the door. I knew he was holding back, because he could have easily ripped it off the hinges. He had an insatiable thirst for my blood, but he was trying so hard to keep from quenching it.
“Loverboy’s gonna kill us, Taylor,” Julie said.
“He only came back to the house to get his blood. He doesn’t want to hurt or kill us.”
“Maybe the nice Jesse we know came back to get his blood supply, but that beast inside of him is ready to devour us.”
“We just have to give him blood.”
“And where are we supposed to get it?” she asked.
“I’ll give him some of mine,” I said.
“What!? Now you’re acting crazy. He won’t be able to stop,” she said with a gasp. “He’ll kill you first!”
I started to walk to the door, but my friend roughly grabbed my arm.
“No! Don’t you dare open that door!” she shouted. “The last time you let him feed, he almost didn’t stop.”
“We have to calm him down. I don’t know any other way.”
“Taylor, you know as well as I do that opening that door is a death sentence!” she yelled. “I thought we were trying to escape death, not invite it in.”
“The longer he has to wait, the more agitated he’ll get. He’ll break down that door and kill us in two seconds flat if we don’t do something.”
“So you wanna try to calm the beast?” she asked.
“That’s the plan.”
“That’s a stupid plan. I say we break a couple legs off the wooden chairs in the kitchen and—”
“Talk about stupid plans. Killing my boyfriend really doesn’t work for me.”
“And getting killed doesn’t work for me!”
“Jesse,” I said through the door, “I’m gonna open the door and let you feed on me, just enough to stabilize you till we can find more blood.”
Julie begged me not to do it, but I knew if Jesse didn’t feed, he’d become a ravenous beast. We had to stop his hunger before it got worse. Then, there’d be no way they could escape from him. He was a paranormal creature, and if he wanted blood, there was nothing we could do to stop him.
Suddenly, the pounding on the door stopped.
Julie looked at me as her eyes widened with fear. “It’s a trick,” she said, grabbing the car keys.
I grabbed the baseball bat I’d seen in the closet earlier. My heart was beating so hard, and my hands shook as I walked to the door. If we could just get to the car... The trouble was, Jesse could outrun a car. He could trace huge distances in seconds. I knew he would try to hold back and would do everything in his power to fight the demon within, but I didn’t know how long he could keep those animalistic instincts at bay. Regardless, we couldn’t just stay there, like sitting ducks.
I cautiously peeked out the door, and Jesse wasn’t there. “Huh?” I said, looking back at Julie.
She clutched her heart and took a step forward.
Adrenaline coursed through my veins as I stepped outside. When the porch creaked, I almost jumped.
Julie’s eyes widened in the darkness behind me.
I gazed around my surroundings. The waves were still crashing against the shore, and a warm breeze blew through my hair. Slowly and cautiously, I took another step. Fear suffocated me, and I could barely breathe. My heart leapt at a shrill sound that penetrated my ears. I stilled my breathing and listened, trying to pinpoint exactly where the sound was coming from.
“What is that?” Julie whispered in a terrified voice.
I strained to hear more, keeping my senses on high alert.
Suddenly, all was still, except for the gentle stirring of the wind and waves.
“Let’s go back inside,” I said.
“Isn’t it safer to get outta here?” she replied.
“It doesn’t matter which way we go, because he can get us either way.”