IF I THOUGHT I HAD BAD nightmares before, they’re ten times worse now.
As good as I feel – thank you, Hunter – the vicious nightmares that plague me haunt me even when I’m awake. I jump and jerk at every minor sound or movement in the corner of my eye.
‘You’re so jumpy,’ Alex comments, moving around me in the kitchen, his arm brushing against mine. We had a long discussion last night, mostly with me in tears and his arms wrapped around me as I made a mess of his shirt. I ended up falling asleep laying on his chest, both of us tangled on the lounge. It feels a little awkward now, like we crossed a line that I never intended to cross. ‘You okay, after what happened?’
‘I’m traumatised,’ I bite back, a little snappier than I meant to. ‘He hunted me down and almost killed me. I don’t think I will forget that any time soon.’
I have never felt so conflicted about something in my life. If anything I despise vampires more now. The lack of power and control we have over basically any situation with them is terrifying, and infuriating. I have no idea what to think. One hunted me down and almost killed me, and another one saved me. I don’t know how I can hate the creature, when I also immensely appreciate one at the same time.
Or maybe Hunter is just different . . .
‘I’m going to fucking kill Brax.’ Two spots of colour rise in his cheeks as his jaw clenches. Slamming his fist down onto the kitchen counter, he whirls to face me. ‘I should stake him. If he wants to be a vampire that bad, he can die like one.’
Silently, I blink at Alex, a little shocked at his outburst.
‘I can’t believe he led me out there to die . . .’ I trail off, wrapping my arms around myself, goosebumps splintering uncomfortably across my skin as I think back to the moment when I realised I had made a very big mistake.
In my head, I painted vampires as evil, ruthless creatures with no soul or sense of humanity. I forgot that they are just like humans. Some radical and extreme, meanwhile others are just . . . normal. In their case, perhaps the average vampire is more evil than not, but I can hardly assume every single one of them is like that. No more than I can safely assume that every human is good. Especially after last night. I wouldn’t want them to assume that about us.
‘I’m sorry that I wasn’t there for you. Splitting up was a terrible idea.’ Alex’s soft voice draws me out of my head.
‘I’m alive. That’s the main thing.’
‘I can’t believe these things are walking around in plain sight and the general public know nothing about it,’ Alex says.
‘People are busy. Some people believe it. Others don’t want to.’ I take a long sip of water and lean my hip against the counter. ‘And it’s done now. We can’t waste time regretting things.’
My mind wanders to Hunter. What do vampires do when they aren’t feeding? And stalking around in the middle of the night? He seemed so normal. If I passed him in the street, sure, his striking appearance would have made me double take, but overall, I would never have guessed anything was peculiar about him.
‘Can you handle this?’
My eyes snap toward Alex. He’s watching me. ‘Yes.’ I nod. ‘I’m a little shaken, but I’m fine. I can do this.’
He steps in front of me, placing his large hands on my shoulders. His long hair falls over his face, and I feel myself tensing even further at his proximity. ‘This is all up to you. Say the word, we go back and move on with our lives.’
I’m shaking my head before he finishes speaking. ‘I am not leaving without answers.’
He nods. ‘Okay.’
‘Okay,’ I reply, sounding more confident than I feel.
Pulling me to him, he wraps an arm around me, pressing his lips to my forehead. Hugging him back, I hold on a little tighter than I normally would.
We lounge together for a while, watching a movie. I can’t stop thinking about Hunter. The way his hands gripped me. How his lips felt on mine. How his tongue would feel lapping over my skin, and other places. I shiver at the thought. This must be some after-effect of the blood-sharing. It must be. I’m not attracted to a vampire.
I hate them. I hate them for what they did to me, and what they have done to my sister. It makes me sick that I can’t stop thinking about him.
That I want him.
Alex is snoring softly when the credits start rolling across the screen. I switch it off and gently place a pillow underneath his head. He rolls toward the back of the lounge, burrowing into it. I pull the blanket over him and turn off the light.
When I sink into bed a few moments later, my eyes are heavy and sore, exhaustion seeping into my bones, making everything feel heavy.
Large, veiny arms snake around me. Tight, secure. Protecting me. Providing strength and warmth when I need it most.
‘You’re thinking about me,’ he whispers against my ear, his breath spreading over the skin of my neck.
Slowly, he wraps my hair around his hand. He leaves hot, wet kisses down my neck, to my collarbone. He shifts so that we are facing. His eyes, black as coal, bore into mine with an intensity that hits me like a wave.
‘I can’t stop thinking about you either,’ he whispers, voice like silk, curling around my body, drawing me closer to him.
Leaning forward, his arms cage me in. He is everywhere, invading my space. He is all I can see. All I can breathe.
‘You’re mine.’
With a gasp, I reel into a sitting position. The room is pitch black. I’m struggling to draw breath and my heart feels like it’s lodged in my throat.
His voice. His touch. It felt so real.
On shaky legs, I get to my feet. The cold night air blows over me, but I welcome it. I need to cool down, my skin is a sweaty mess. I whip my head towards the window with a sudden, alarming, clarity. It was closed when I went to bed, now it is slightly ajar. The curtains flap against it. I hesitate for a moment, enjoying the wind kissing my skin, before I hastily slam it shut and peer down into the darkness.
My heart drops to my feet.
Black eyes blink up at me. A shadow falls across his pale skin as he steps back into the darkness, disappearing into the shadows.