Bloodlust

I had to practically run to keep up with her and the tall, scarred vampire whod watched my torture. "Youll need someone to show you around," she explained, pausing only slightly. "This is Buxton," she said, grabbing the elbow of the vampire with the long scar.

We walked down street after street until we neared a church with a tall spire.

"Were here," she said, turning sharply to enter a wrought-iron gate. Her boots echoed against a slate path that led to the rear of a house. She opened the door, and a musty scent greeted me. Buxton immediately walked through the parlor and up a set of stairs, leaving me and the young female vampire alone in the darkness.

"Welcome home," she said, spreading her hands wide. "There are plenty of spare rooms upstairs. Find one that suits you."

"Thank you." As my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I took in my surroundings. Black velvet curtains fastened with golden rope blocked every window. Dust motes floated in the air, and gilt-framed paintings covered the walls. The furniture was threadbare, and I could just make out two sweeping staircases with what looked like oriental runners and, in the next room, a piano. Though at one point this must have been a grand house, now the soiled walls were cracked and peeling, and cobwebs draped over the gold-and-crystal chandelier above us.

"Always enter through the back. Never draw back the curtains. Dont ever bring anyone here. Do you understand, Stefan?" She looked at me pointedly.

"Yes," I said, running a finger along the marble fireplace, cutting a path in the inch-thick dust.

"Then I think you will like it here," she said.

I turned to face her, nodding in agreement. My panic had subsided, and my arms no longer trembled.

"Im Lexi," she said, holding out her hand, allowing me to raise it to my lips and kiss it. "I have a feeling that you and I will be friends for a long time."

Chapter 10

I awoke next as dusk was settling over the city. From my window, I could see the goldfish-orange sun sinking low behind a white steeple. The entire house was silent, and for a moment, I couldnt remember where I was. Then everything came back: the butcher shop, the vampires, me being flung against the wall.

Lexi.

As if on cue, she glided into the room, barely making a sound as she pushed open the door. Her blond hair was loose around her shoulders, and she was wearing a simple black dress. If looked at quickly, she could be mistaken for a child. But I could tell from the slight creases around her eyes and the fullness of her lips that shed been a full-grown woman, probably around nineteen or twenty. I had no idea how many years shed seen since then.

She perched on the edge of my bed, smoothing back my hair.

"Good evening, Stefan," she said, a mischievous glint in her eye. She clutched a tumbler of dark liquid between her fingers. "You slept," she noted.

I nodded. Until Id sunk into the featherbed on the third floor of the house, I hadnt realized that Id barely slept in the past week. Even on the train, Id always been twitching, aware of the sighs and snores of my fellow passengers and always,alwaysthe steady thrum of blood coursing through their veins. But here no heartbeats had kept me from slumber.

"I brought this for you," she said, proffering the glass. I pushed it away. The blood in it smelled stale, sour.

"You need to drink," she said, sounding so much like me speaking to Damon that I couldnt help but feel a tiny pang of irritation–and sorrow. I brought the tumbler to my lips and took a tiny sip, fighting the urge to spit it out. As I expected, the drink tasted like dank water and the scent made me feel vaguely ill.

Lexi smiled to herself, as if enjoying a private joke. "Its goats blood. Its good for you. Youll make yourself sick, the way you were feeding. A diet made exclusively of human blood isnt good for the digestion. Or the soul."

"We dont have souls," I scoffed. But I brought the cup to my lips once more.

Lexi sighed and took the tumbler, placing it on the nightstand next to me. "So much to learn," she whispered, almost to herself.

"Well, we have nothing but time, right?" I pointed out. I was rewarded with a rich laugh, which was surprisingly loud and throaty coming from her waif-like body.

"You catch on quickly. Come. Get up. Its time to show you our city," she said, handing me a plain white shirt and trousers.

After changing, I followed her down the creaking wooden stairs to where the other vampires milled about in the ballroom. They were dressed up, but all looked faintly old-fashioned, as if theyd stepped out of one of the many portraits on the wall. Hugo sat at the piano, playing an out-of-tune rendition of Mozart while wearing a blue velvet cape. Buxton, the hulking, violent vampire, was wearing a loose, ruffled, white shirt. and Percy had on faded britches and suspenders that made him look as though he were running late to play a game of ball with his schoolmates.

When they saw me, the vampires froze. Hugo managed a slight nod, but the rest merely stared in stony silence.

"Lets go!" Lexi commanded, leading our group out the door, down the slate path, through zigzagging alleyways, and finally onto a street marked Bourbon. Each entryway led to a dimly lit bar, from which inebriated patrons stumbled out into the night air. Suggestively clad women gathered in clumps beneath awnings, and revelers acted punch-drunk, ready to laugh or fight at a moments notice. I instantly knew why Lexi took us here. Despite our odd attire, we attracted no more attention than any of the other lively revelers.

As we walked, the others flanked me, keeping me in the center of their circle at all times. I knew I was being watched sharply, and I tried to remain unaffected by the scent of blood and the rhythm of beating hearts.