Bloodlust

Come here, I willed, staring into her liquid chocolate eyes.Come to me.For a moment she held her place behind the bar, but then she took a hesitant step forward.Yes, keep going.She stepped forward again, more confidently this time, making her way toward me. I had expected her to look dazed, almost as though she were sleepwalking. But she didnt appear to be in a trance. To any bystander, she could have simply been coming to our table to take our drink orders.

"Hello," I said when she reached us.

"Dont break eye contact," Lexi whispered. "Tell her what you want her to do now." Sit down,I thought. And, almost instantly, the girl wedged herself between me and Buxton, her thigh warm against mine.

"Hello," she said unblinkingly. "Its the strangest thing, but suddenly I just knew that I needed to sit here with you."

"Im Stefan," I said, shaking her hand. My fangs elongated, and the sides of my stomach knocked together. I wanted her. Badly.

"Dont embarrass us," came Lexis final words before she turned from me to face the band. It was clear that while she wasnt condoning any of my subsequent actions, she wasnt necessarily condemning them.

Invite me outside, I thought, placing my hand on the barmaids thigh. But even as I thought the words, I glanced at Lexi, breaking my connection with the girl.

The girl shifted, pulled her hair up, then dropped it down on her back. She glanced at the band, rubbing her forefinger on the rim of a glass.

Invite me outside, I thought again, refocusing my attention fully on her. Sweat prickled my temple. Had I lost the connection for good?

But then she gave a slight nod. "You know, its awfully loud in here, and I want to speak with you. Would you mind if we went outside?" she asked, staring at me.

I stood up, my chair scraping against the floor. "Id like that very much," I said, offering her my arm.

"Bring her back alive, boy, or youll be answering to me," said a voice so low that I wondered if Id imagined it.

But when I turned back, Lexi merely smiled and waved.

Chapter 11-12

Chapter 11

Outside, I let the girl lead me away from the drunken crowd and toward a side alley beyond a bar called Calhouns.

"Im sorry," she said breathlessly. "I dont know what came over me. Im usually not so fresh, its just that–"

"Im thankful for it," I said, interrupting her. She shivered, and I put my arms around her thin frame. Instantly, she pulled away.

"Youre so cold!" she said in an accusatory tone.

"Am I?" I asked, feigning nonchalance.You want to kiss me, I thought.

She shrugged. "Its okay. Its just that Im sensitive to temperature. But I know a way we could both warm up." She smiled shyly, then raised up to her tiptoes. Her lips pressed against mine, and for a moment, I allowed myself to enjoy their warmth and feel the girls blood race through her veins as she gave herself over to me.

Then I lunged for her neck.

"Ow!" She protested, trying to push me off. "Stop!"

You will succumb, because if you do that, I’ll let you live, I thought, using every fiber of my being to compel her at this crucial moment. She gazed up at me, confusion in her eyes, before she fell back over my arms, her face a mask of sleepy satisfaction. I took a few more sips of the blood, all too conscious of Lexi and the others back inside. Then I dragged the woman up to her feet. Id been careful. The holes Id made in her neck were tiny, almost impossible to see with human vision. Still, I adjusted her scarf around her neck to cover them up.

"Wake up," I whispered softly.

Her eyes opened, the gaze unfocused. "What where am I?" I could sense her heart beating faster, sense her ready to let loose a scream.

"You were helping a drunk customer," I told her. "You are free to go. I was simply making sure you were okay."

She snapped to attention, her body relaxing. "I apologize, sir. Usually, the patrons dont get so rowdy at Miladies. Thank you for assisting me. Ill give you a whiskey, on the house," she said, winking at me.

I walked into Miladies beside her, and was rewarded with Lexis slow smile from the corner table.

Good job, boy.

I followed the girl until she safely resumed her position behind the polished wood counter of the bar.

"Whats your poison?" she asked, whiskey bottle in hand. She looked pale, as if she were coming down with a slight cold. Meanwhile, her blood was warm in my stomach.

"Ive drunk quite enough, thank you, miss," I said, as I took her hand and brought it up to my lips, kissing it as tenderly as Id marked her neck.

Chapter 12

The following evening Lexi knocked on my bedroom door. She wore a black coat and matching trousers. A cap hid most of her hair, save for a few blond tendrils that fell loose and framed her face.

"I was proud of you last night," she said. I smiled, despite myself. It was surprising how quickly I took to seeking Lexis approval. "How much did you take from the barmaid?"

"Not too much. But I wanted more," I admitted.

A look I couldnt quite decipher passed over her face. "I used to be like you, you know. But the more you feed from humans, the hungrier you get. Its a curse. But there are other ways. Have you hunted for animals blood?"

I shook my head no.

"Well, luckily for you, Im going hunting now," she said, "and youre coming with me. Put on dark clothes and meet me downstairs in five minutes."

I shrugged on a dark, military-looking jacket Id found hanging in the closet and raced downstairs, loath to put off hunting with Lexi for even five minutes. While I bristled at Buxtons comments about how inexperienced I was, when I heard it from Lexi, I was only eager for a lesson on how our kind survived.