Blood Born (2 page)

“I’m the guy trying to help you.”

“Thank you,” I said, barely above a whisper. “But I want to know what’s going on.”

“Okay, okay,” he said, turning away. “I’ll explain.” He stood still with his back to me, the powerful glow of the moon casting a haunting light on his muscular arms and wide back. Wisps of his hair danced in the frigid breeze flowing across the cemetery. Under different circumstances, the moment would have been magical. “But you’re not going to like it.”

“Try me,” I said, pulling my eyes away from him. I didn’t have the luxury of daydreaming about the two of us lying together in a tangle of bare skin. I had to find out why I had been buried when I wasn’t dead.

“Well,” he turned to look at me, his face stern and worried. “Technically you were dead. Sort of.”

“
What
? What does that even mean, ‘sort of’? I was ‘sort of’ technically dead?” I was more confused now than when I woke up in the coffin, and I didn’t think it could get any weirder than that.

“You were bitten,” he said. I could tell from his expression that he was worried I was about to freak out on him. I didn’t. There was no point. The realization of what had happened to me was already filling the gaping holes in my mind.

“
Bitten
? By what?” There was only one way a person could be bitten by something, die and wake up again. Never would I have imagined it could actually happen, that it was
real
, but there was no other explanation. I didn’t need to hear his answer—already knowing what it would be—but I waited for Chance to speak, just to confirm what I suspected.

“A vampire.”

2

A vampire,” I stated, my voice flat and dull. “Of course.”

“You knew?” The surprise in Chance’s voice was genuine. He moved in close behind me. So close I could feel the heat pulsing from his body.

“No. But once you said I’d been bitten, what else could it have been? It’s the only thing I know of that can bring a person back from the dead.” I knew as I said it how ridiculous it all sounded. I was bitten by a vampire? How was that even possible? Vampires didn’t exist. And how did I even know about vampires with no memory of anything? The mounting questions were starting to take their toll on me; the dull headache I had earlier came roaring back, pounding against my temples with the strength of a thousand fists. I could feel Chance just behind me, could feel his eyes glaring at me. I could also smell his blood, sweet and intoxicating and
inviting
, flowing through his veins in syncopation with the loud drumming of his heartbeat. I had to fight the urge to taste it, swallowing the lump that had risen in my throat.

“I’m impressed,” I heard him say. The deep timbre of his voice fell in with the rhythm of his heart; the moment was almost too much for me to bear.

“What do you mean?” I finally opened my eyes and turned to face him. He stood wide-eyed and looked confused. The large vein running up his neck was pulsing beneath his skin, and I felt a sudden tingling in my gums.

“I just thought you would’ve been, I don’t know, shocked or freaked out or something. You know, a
normal
human response. I definitely wasn’t expecting calm.” His face held an honesty that was sweet. But I wasn’t really in the mood for sweet.

“So you think that since I’m a girl I’m supposed to always get upset or freaked out?” He was taken back by my harsh words. I felt a surge of power over him and didn’t let up. “And I guess since you’re a guy you’re always tough and calm and can handle anything, huh?”

“That’s not what I’m saying.”

“So what
are
you saying?” I felt a rage building inside me but couldn’t stop it. I didn’t want to stop it. I wanted to get mad and lash out and make Chance as scared and unsure and as freaked out as I was.

“I just meant that most people would have had some sort of reaction to finding out they had just been bitten by a vampire.” His voice regained some of the confidence it held earlier. “Most people would’ve reacted to finding out vampires are
real
.”

“I’m not most people,” I threw back.

Chance smiled. “No, you’re definitely not.” The anger building in me quickly dissipated, leaving a calming peace in its wake. I suddenly felt like myself again, whatever that meant. I walked away from him, once again feeling embarrassed and out of place. I crossed the cemetery and stood next to the gaping mouth of my open grave.

“So I’m a vampire,” I said with conviction. Hearing those words out loud almost made me laugh. I mean, if ever there was a sentence you didn’t expect to say, that would probably be it. “What happens now?” Chance stared at me, unmoving. “Do I have to give up garlic? Wear SPF 5000 to go out during the day? Trade burgers for blood?” That last one felt the most accurate. I didn’t know too much about vampires—or if I did I couldn’t recall anything—but I knew they had to drink blood to survive.

“I don’t know.” Chance’s words surprised and confused me.

This time, I was the one who initiated our close proximity, moving to stand next to him. “You don’t know?” I repeated. “Why don’t you know?” The scent of his blood was making me lightheaded.

“Why would I know?” he asked, confused again.

“Because you’re the one who did this to me!” I stepped away from him then, suddenly furious that he was denying what he did.

“You think
I
bit you?!” he snapped back, smiling and very close to laughing. “You think I’m a vampire?”

“Aren’t you?” I couldn’t tell if he was lying or not. At that moment, it really didn’t matter.

“Can’t you smell me?” he asked, his voice much calmer and softer. “Can’t you smell my blood?”

“Yes.” One simple word. That was all I could eke out as Chance moved forward, stopping only inches from me. He was doing it on purpose. I cleared my throat and tried to ignore the pulsing vein in his neck. “Yeah I can smell it.”

He smiled wickedly. “Then I’m human,” he said, almost whispered. “So no, I
didn’t
do this to you.” With that he moved away and I felt my body shudder in his absence. I was mad at myself for letting him get to me so easily. I made a quick vow to put a stop to that ASAP.

“How is me smelling your blood proof that you’re human?”

“Because if I were a vampire, you wouldn’t have looked at me that way.” His eyes were like knives, carving their way into me with fierce precision. I wanted to look away but couldn’t.

“What way?” I asked, getting madder by the second that he was being so smug.

He flashed that crooked smile again and said, “Like you wanted to bite me and have a taste.”

I
did
want to taste him. He was right. And he
knew
it. That really pissed me off. “Don’t worry your pretty little head,” I snapped. “I wouldn’t bite you if my life depended on it.”

“No? Well, we’ll see how you feel if that time actually comes.” The tone with which he said the words scared me, almost like he knew that one day I would, in fact, have to drink his blood to survive. The thought both made my stomach turn and my mind swim in dizzying euphoria; I disgusted myself.

“So if you didn’t do this, then who did?” I had to move the subject away from the idea of me biting into his muscular neck. My life, or
un
life, already had enough problems; the last thing I needed was to attack a stranger, hot or not. I caught a glimpse of Chance’s eyes as he turned away from me. A tiny sliver of fear was hidden there. It left as quickly as it came, but it was there nonetheless.

“I can’t tell you,” he said, crossing the cemetery away from me.

“Why not?”

“Because it’s not my place.”

“Not your place?
Not your place!
” I was getting madder with each passing second. “That’s ridiculous. You dig me up and tell me I’m a vampire but suddenly it’s not your place to say any more?”

“I never said you were a vampire. I said you were
bitten
by one.”

“There’s a difference?”

“Yes, there is.”

“So I’m
not
a vampire then?” I watched Chance’s body rise and fall as he took a deep breath before turning to face me.

“Not technically,” he finally said, worry littering his words.

“Can you stop being so cryptic?” Trying to ignore the smell of his blood and pry information from him at the same time was starting to unnerve me.

“Sorry.” He lowered his eyes then quickly brought them up to meet mine. I felt my face burn.

“Just say what you mean.” I fought to ignore my flushed cheeks.

“I mean you’re not a vampire. Not
exactly
.” Chance had a sorry-I-don’t-know-how-else-to-explain-it look on his face, the dimples in each of his cheeks prominent. The sight of him made my heart beat faster.

“Okay,” I said, breaking free from our moment by looking away. “I don’t claim to be an expert, and my memory is unreliable right now to say the least,” Chance half-smiled at me. “But if a vampire bites a human, doesn’t the human
become
a vampire?”

“Not if the vampire doesn’t want you to,” he finally responded. “He has all the control.”

“
He
?” I asked, happy to finally be getting even the tiniest of information from him. “So it was a
he
who did this to me?” This time, no matter how much his eyes and scent and muscles were drawing me in, I refused to look away from his face. “Who was it?”

“I’ve already told you, it’s not my place to say.” My level of frustration was rising with each breath I took. Why wouldn’t he just answer the question? What was he hiding?

“Fine,” I replied through gritted teeth. “I get it. Not your place to tell. Whatever.” I took a deep breath to calm down, then added “Then who’s place is it?”

“Mine.”

The voice rose from the weighty fog like a monster, startling me, and I spun around to find the source. There, standing on the opposite side of the open grave, tall and dark and looming, was who I could only presume to be the vampire that killed me.

“Sorry for the mess,” Chance spoke softly, practically falling over each word. “I was going to clean it up but I—”

“Became distracted,” the vampire interrupted, staring me down as he spoke. Chance winced like a scolded dog. “It’s fine,” the vampire continued. “You accomplished the most important part.” His eyes never left mine, and I realized that he looked much closer to my age than the ancient, Dracula-type corpse I had been expecting. I suddenly found the moment funny. I couldn’t remember my name or where I came from, but a fictional character from an ancient book and movie popped right into my head. Talk about stress. I glared at the vampire, the glow of the moonlight casting shadows across his face, making his appearance more model-like than walking-dead-like.

“How are you, Avaline?” So
he
knew my name, too. The night just kept getting stranger and stranger. The vampire’s voice was like warm liquid, flowing into my ears and instantly soothing me. I suddenly felt as if none of this horrible night had ever happened.

“Fine,” I said, my eyes fixated on his. Even if I had wanted to—and I didn’t—I couldn’t have looked away. His eyes were hypnotic. I stared into them, the bright amber gold clear as day even from across the foggy cemetery.

“He’s compelling you.” Chance’s deep, sexy voice whispered over my shoulder, and like a faucet being turned off, my mind rose from its trance-like state.

“Very impressive,” the vampire said, his smile as brilliant as Chance’s. “Very well done, Avaline. A perfect jumping-off-point, as they say. Looks as though you’ll be a fast learner.” His voice stood out to me with its old world sound, a sharp contrast to his youthful, urban looks.

“What’s impressive?” I asked, my mind still hazy from being controlled.

“How quickly you were able to free yourself from my thoughts,” the vampire spoke. “How you forced your mind to ignore what it was being told to do. Not an easy feat, my dear.”

“I’m not your ‘dear.’” I had to fight the urge to puke all over myself.

The vampire simply smiled. “Forgive me for not introducing myself,” he continued. In less than half a second, he was inches from me, my hand now resting in his, a wry smile on his face. My mind hurt trying to process what it had just seen—him moving as fast as lightning. “My name is Aldric Kruger. Please, excuse my rudeness.”

“What rudeness?” I snapped back. “Forgetting to tell me your name? Or killing me and stuffing me in a box in the ground?” Apparently I was oblivious to the fact that the undead man standing in front of me could kill me faster than I could blink my eyes. Somewhere in the back of my mind I knew it, but the unbelievable events of the night kept the realization at bay. It was like the filter in my brain had been disarmed and I was free to speak my mind. Aldric’s smile faded a bit, my words obviously having an effect on him. He quickly recovered with a tiny laugh.

“Be very careful, Avaline. Do not let my youthful looks fool you. I’m over a thousand years old, and I could rip your head from your shoulders without thinking twice.” Even as he said the words I didn’t believe them; something told me Aldric didn’t believe them either.

“Do it and I’ll kill you.” Chance’s voice caught me off guard. I spun to look at him, and what I saw scared me. His face was twisted in to a gnarled expression of anger and rage. His arms were taut at his sides, the muscles rippling beneath his skin. His fists were tightly coiled and beating against his legs.

“Really?” Aldric said with a hint of surprise in his voice. “Well, Mr. Caldon, I must say you never cease to amaze me.” Aldric was mocking Chance now. Somehow I knew that Chance would be dead before he could even get close enough to Aldric to kill him. “But perhaps you should heed the warning given to Avaline, my friend. It is in your best interest, believe me.”

“I am not your
friend
,” Chance said through clenched teeth. The anxiety evident in his body seemed to intensify.

“Your title really is irrelevant. You will do as I say.” Aldric only glanced in Chance’s direction, his body firmly planted in front of me. I focused on his eyes, which seemed to burn with anger toward Chance. My heart fluttered with worry. Apparently, Aldric could sense my uneasiness.

“Look what you’ve done, Mr. Caldon,” he said, turning his attention back to me. “You’ve upset Avaline.” He paused a moment, then added, “Apologize to our guest.” I wanted so badly to take my hand back and run away from Aldric and Chance and my newfound-but-unwanted life. I wanted to go to sleep and wake up to find that all of this had been a horrible nightmare and I was back to being normal. I closed my eyes for a moment, hoping that when I opened them, my dream would come true. It didn’t.