I NEED TO GET AWAY FROM HER.
I brush a hand through my hair and yank on it for a moment as I pace.
Seeing my brother’s mark makes me feel uneasy. Does she really not know what this symbol is? That she has been branded? Why is she not dead? My brother doesn’t leave his mark on someone without ending their life. It makes no sense.
‘Tell me,’ Raya demands, holding her pale wrist up, shaking it in the air to emphasise her point.
‘It’s nothing,’ I say. ‘Don’t worry about it.’
Her mouth falls open once, then twice, but no words come out. Snapping her mouth shut once more, she takes a step back, looking torn between staying and asking me for more answers, or running for dear life.
‘Nothing?’ she questions. ‘You just told me this was your brother’s mark, and now you say it’s nothing?’
‘Yeah,’ I reply, schooling my expression into a carefully calculated and unreadable look, that even the most well-trained lie detectors would have trouble deciphering.
‘Don’t do this,’ she whispers, suddenly looking much more vulnerable, and fearful, then she did a moment ago when my blood was freshly coursing through her veins, giving her confidence a boost that has most definitely impacted her natural instincts. Even if I did just save her, she should be more scared of me, running, trying to escape, but she is still here, studying me with an open, calm curiosity. ‘Please tell me what you know.’
‘I made a mistake,’ I say. ‘It’s nothing.’
Lips flattening into a line, she nods, seeing the switch inside me. I can’t be the nice guy right now. I need to get the hell out of this situation.
‘Fine. I’m leaving,’ she says, but stays standing where she is, waiting for my response. Waiting for me to try to stop her.
‘That’s for the best.’ I nod.
Scowling, she turns, her dark hair flipping around in an angry arc before cascading down her back and swaying with each furious step.
An ache spreads through my body the further she walks from me.
What the hell is this?
Groaning, I place a hand on my stomach, feeling worse as the distance between us grows. I’ve never experienced something like this after being turned. This makes me feel . . . human.
My eyes widen at the realisation and I let my mind explore the possibility. Has she somehow made me human? It’s impossible, surely. After a quick self-assessment, I confirm that I still have my superhuman eyesight, quick reflexes, and of course, the ever-present hunger for blood.
‘Argh,’ I grind out, falling to my knees, and wrapping my arm around my torso as the intense ache continues.
The burning hole in the pit of my stomach seems to cease after a moment. Not completely going away, but eases enough that I can stand. Bile rises in my throat, and I spit it out onto the dirt at my feet, feeling like I might throw up.
This is not normal.
‘Where have you been?’ A voice asks in a hushed whisper, snapping me back to reality. Raya is back at the house now, and each step she takes causes another fierce ache inside my chest.
I lean back against the tree, my arms still clutched around my stomach as I listen. My mind is reeling.
Who is this girl? Why does she have the mark of my brother? Why is she here?
‘The most terrifying thing happened to me, Alex. You have no idea . . .’ she whispers back, her voice shaking. ‘Let’s get the hell out of here.’
I’m on my feet and gliding out of the woods within seconds. I teeter on the edge. My eyes focus on the friend for a moment. He casts a worried look in her direction as they anxiously wait for an Uber.
Her back is turned to me and I realise I long for her to turn around. She was so fragile in my arms. Weak, doll-like. Her slender arms sway as she paces, quietly recapping what happened to Alex. There’s blood all over her dress. Some of it is fake, some of it hers. It’s difficult to tell the difference unless you’re someone like me.
Her friend wraps his long arms around her, and I tense, watching with narrowed eyes. Studying him closely, I make out his midnight black hair, but his face is hard to see with all the paint and makeup of his costume. He certainly isn’t a threat to her. If anything, quite the opposite.
I step out from the shadows, basking in the moonlight. I love the moon. It makes me feel calm. It shines down on Raya’s pale skin, making her look like she’s illuminated from within, emphasising how small and precious she is. The urge to go to her and protect her almost sends me to my knees.
Alex and Raya get into the car the moment it pulls up in front of them. As she closes the door behind her, I’m struck by a sudden and violent ache as blood spews from my mouth. I groan as I empty my stomach onto the grass in front of me.
‘Dude, are you okay?’ a random party-goer asks, stumbling toward me, squinting.
‘Get away,’ I moan, clutching my stomach.
‘You need some water?’
I’m flying toward him before I realise what I’m doing. Since I just emptied out my blood supply, I’m hungry. Really fucking hungry. My teeth sink into his neck. I’m not gentle and he howls in pain. I haven’t bit anyone like this for years. Sobs wrack his chest as I take more than I should, as though I’m trying to punish him for something I don’t understand.
My insides curl in repulsion. Yanking my teeth from his throat, I stagger back, looking down at my trembling hands and ghost-white skin. The blood rises in my throat and floods my mouth, tasting like poison. Gagging, it sprays from my mouth in an inky, black wall of darkness.
‘What the fuck?’ I moan, feeling pain everywhere.
What is happening to me?
Collapsing onto my back, I heave, the dark sky above me blurring. When all the blood is out of my system, I stumble to my feet. I heal the wounded drunk beside me and convince him he never saw me. It hurts to use the coercion when I’m this weak. I don’t even know how well it will work because of it.
Rushing home, I stagger through the front door, a trembling, hot mess. Hot is a feeling vampires do not experience, and I’m growing increasingly concerned by the second.
‘What the fuck?’ Theo exclaims, a human girl half-naked on his lap, his girlfriend nowhere to be seen. He shoves her off him like she’s nothing and she squeals as she thumps across the floor. He is by my side in an instant, helping me up.
‘Something’s wrong,’ I whisper. ‘Really fucking wrong.’
When I wake, it’s dark. Blinking, I slowly peer around the room. Cold towels are draped over me. Theo is leaning against the wall, gazing out the window. His head snaps to me as though he knows I’m awake. Relief floods his face.
He’s by my side in an instant. ‘Hunter,’ he breathes my name, shaking his head, looking like he hasn’t slept for days. He reaches for my arm. ‘You scared the shit out of me.’
‘How long have I been out?’
‘Two days.’
‘Two days?’ I exclaim, reeling to a sitting position which only causes my head to spin.
Flashes of memories bombard my mind. Staying up all night, trying different blood bags, different humans. Trying to get any blood to stay in my system.
‘You don’t look good,’ Theo says, frowning down at me. ‘I think you’ve been poisoned.’
‘Surely it would be out of my system now, if I were?’ I groan, voice still raspy.
Theo shrugs, looking clueless. ‘I don’t know. You’re not looking any better and you can’t feed. I’m at a loss.’
‘I’ve never heard of this.’ I shake my head.
‘Talk me through it again,’ he says, pulling up a chair and sitting on it. He leans forward, digging his elbows into his thighs, clasping his hands together. ‘You were out walking. Your normal track?’
‘Well, I change it up all the time, but a track I’ve walked plenty of times before.’
‘Sure. And then what?’
‘I heard running, screaming – a hunt taking place. When I got there, it was a vamp I’ve never seen before. He was sloppy and inexperienced. There was a near-dead girl in his arms. I gave him the opportunity to walk away. When he didn’t take it, I killed him.’
‘How?’
Holding my hands out, I mimic the twist motion before striking my hand forward. ‘Neck snap, and stake.’
‘And then you saved the girl,’ he says slowly.
‘Yeah. She drank from me.’
Theo rocks back and forth, a crease appearing between his brows. ‘How much did she drink?’
‘A lot,’ I admit, rubbing my jaw. ‘And . . .’
‘And what?’ he demands.
Swallowing, I look away from his piercing eyes. ‘Things got heated. We . . .’ I exhale loudly, sinking back against the pillow and cover my face with my hands. ‘We drank from each other, and got a bit . . . touchy.’
Heavy silence stretches between us.
‘She drank from you, and then you drank from her?’ he asks.
I keep my face covered, not wanting to see his expression right now. ‘Yes.’
‘Fuck, Hunter,’ Theo growls, and I peer through the cracks of my fingers, seeing his storm fury eyes. ‘The old vamps always say to never bloodshare like that.’
‘They do?’ I question in surprise, never having heard such a thing.
Theo rolls his eyes. ‘If you actually spoke to another vampire, you’d probably learn a thing or two.’
Sighing, I don’t reply, not wanting this to escalate into an argument. I don’t have the energy for it.
‘You said you had some sort of reaction to her leaving?’ he asks.
‘That’s when it started. I felt . . . motion sickness? Do you remember that feeling, from when you were human?’
Theo nods. ‘You can’t have felt that.’
‘I’m just saying that’s what it felt like.’
‘None of it makes sense. Vampires giving a human blood isn’t all that uncommon.’
‘I know.’ I sigh, feeling weary and exhausted, despite having slept for two fucking days. ‘I tried to feed on someone, to replenish my strength. That’s when the vomiting started. And the shakes. Like nothing I’ve ever felt.’
‘I know a guy. An old vamp. He might have answers.’
I shrug. ‘Worth a shot, I guess.’
‘Do you want to try and feed?’ Theo asks, looking concerned.
My stomach turns at the thought of consuming blood. Raya’s face spears in my mind. That’s the blood I crave. I jolt in surprise at the thought of her. I push the want – and need – away immediately.
‘I don’t want to go through that again,’ I insist, trying to stand, but feeling too weak to do so.
‘You know what happens when you don’t feed.’ Theo gives me a pointed look. ‘I have seen vampires enter that crazy state of mind. It messes with you, and a lot of vampires don’t recover from it. Mentally, I mean.’
‘Speak to your friend first. I’ll try later tonight. See how it goes,’ I persist, resisting the urge to groan in pain.
Theo frowns again. ‘Okay. Sure.’
Laying back, I place the towels back over me. Theo stands and draws the curtains closed.
‘Don’t die on me,’ he warns, narrowing his gaze, and jabbing a finger in my direction. ‘Also, I don’t want you to go full loon. There is only room for one psycho in this bromance.’
Smiling weakly, I close my eyes. ‘I’ll try not to.’