Blood Born (7 page)

Once we reached the house, Chance left me standing on the ground just below the porch as he clambered up the steps and fished a key from above the door. He had to lean into the door a bit to get it to open, and when it finally budged, a plume of thick dust billowed across the air. Chance waited for the cloud to settle before stepping inside. I stood patiently until he came back out.

“Okay,” he said, popping his head out the door. “Come in.” Though I didn’t really want to, the rapidly dropping temperature outside was slowly clawing at my skin. So I nervously climbed the steps and went inside. I think my nervousness was due in part to the immense hunger I was feeling. Yeah, blood hunger. It sucked.

The outside of the house looked like a palace compared to the inside. Every surface was streaked with black grime and dust. More spider webs littered the corners, some even with spiders still in them. I made sure to keep a watchful eye on them just in case any decided to attack. Even being half vampire, I still hated spiders with a passion. As far as furniture, the place was almost barren. A rotten sofa was pushed against the far back wall of the great room, a very tiny wooden chair was lying on its back on the floor. A small table with a broken leg and some ratty sheers partially hanging around the windows completed the look.

“Nice,” I said with as much sarcasm as I could muster given my fatigue. “The Hilton Hotels should take a cue from this place.” I was growing less and less surprised by the ridiculous things I was remembering. I hoped I wasn’t being too offensive, but I was really too tired to care. Of course, I had never seen the inside of a Hilton hotel—or
any
hotel that I could remember—but I doubted they looked anything like this place.

“I know it’s bad,” Chance said, sounding defeated. “I’m sorry. I said it’s been in my family forever. I didn’t say we used it. But at least we’ll be safe here.”

“What do we need protection from?” The thought had just occurred to me that we killed the only vampire in the area; apparently I could smell when one was near. So unless the locals were planning a torch-wielding field trip out this way, I couldn’t imagine what we were being saved from.

“I don’t know,” Chance replied. “Better safe than sorry, I guess.” He sounded so much older when he said that, like a mother telling her child to buckle up before leaving the house. “I can’t let anything happen to you.” He moved closer to me as he spoke, that weird tingling in my skin coming alive again.

“Are you cold?” he asked, his hand resting on my shoulder.

“No, I’m fine.” He stopped touching my arm and, though I was grateful, I felt a twinge of longing; I did my best to force the feeling out of my mind.

“Good,” Chance said with a tiny smile. He began pacing the room, occasionally glancing out the window facing the clearing.

“What are you looking for?” I asked after the third time he peered through the Swiss cheese-like curtains.

“Nothing.” His answer was stern and shrouded in mystery. Another lie. Why was he keeping so much from me? I felt the fury climb my neck and fight its way into my head. It was strong, that anger, much stronger than I could remember—not that I could
really
remember getting mad before. I wanted to leap over and strangle him until he told me what he was hiding; I laughed instead.

“What’s so funny?” Chance asked, pulling himself from the window to look at me. Falling rays of afternoon sun were bouncing off his tanned skin, almost like he was glowing. I caught myself staring far too long and had to look away.

“Nothing.” I tried to sound as secretive as he did before, hoping it would be obvious to him; it wasn’t. He simply turned back to his pacing and waiting. “So when are we going back?” I asked after a couple more peeks out the window by Chance.

“Soon.” This time he crossed the entryway into the other large room spanning the width of the house, immediately looking through those windows as well.

“You know,” I said, raising my voice to make sure he could still hear me. “These one-word answers of yours are starting to get old.” He didn’t respond, slowly moving around the room before coming to stand in front of me. “I’m going to need better than that.”

“And your questions are starting to get annoying,” he finally answered, his intensely green eyes never leaving my face. The two of us stood there motionless, staring at each other like we had done so many times since I woke up in that coffin. I couldn’t help but feel the draw between us, like two magnets being pulled together, and I wondered if Chance noticed it too. I couldn’t understand it, really. I had no idea who this guy really was, or what he was doing helping a vampire. But something inside was telling me it was okay to trust him. I was having a hard time listening to the voice, but it was there nonetheless.

“Then answer them and I’ll stop asking,” I said, doing my best to keep my eyes locked on his, even though what I wanted to do was look away to break the awkward feeling in the pit of my stomach. This time it wasn’t just the scent of his blood that was getting to me. It was
him.

“I’ve given you all the answers I can, Ava. Trust me.”

“Those are you three favorite words, huh?” My anger toward him was starting to take over again, pushing the other feelings aside. “Trust me, Ava, you keep saying. But why? That’s what I want to know, Chance.
Why
am I supposed to trust you?”

“Because what other choice do you have?“ Before I had time to answer him, a deep shiver scurried up the nerves in my back. My head jerked and my eyes flew open. I watched Chance’s face register what I was thinking. I had no clue how he could tell what was going on inside my head, but somehow he knew. Though I didn’t have to say it, I didn’t bother stopping the words.

“There’s another vampire. And it’s right outside the house.”

7

It’s just Aldric,” Chance said after looking out the window. He stepped over to the door and opened it, letting Aldric walk inside.

Aldric looked very different in the daylight. He was still attractive, but his features were softer, more subdued. The paleness of his skin was still there, but somehow he appeared flushed, which was really weird seeing as how the blood flowing through his veins was dead. And though he had already said that vampires could easily walk around during the day, I couldn’t help but think that he should be sleeping in a coffin somewhere.

“Hello, Aldric,” Chance said very cordially. His demeanor was much more confident than it had been in the cemetery. Last night he had been scared and timid; today he was bold and stood tall. I marveled at his impressive size. If anyone could give a vampire a run for its money, I would bet on Chance.

“Chance,” Aldric simply said. The two exchanged looks that hid something. I suspected it was about me, of course, but didn’t say anything. What would have been the point? It wasn’t like these two were very forthcoming with information. Aldric crossed the room swiftly, stopping inches from me. I could smell the rotting blood in his body and it turned my stomach.

“Hello, Ava,” he said, barely above a whisper. He took my hand in his and kissed it gently. Though his touch was ice cold, there was a mysterious warmth behind his lips. “I see you’ve been a very busy girl.” Those oddly-warm lips curled into a smile, revealing two tiny lumps in his gums. His fangs. I wondered if
my
smile was as creepy.

“Sorry,” I responded, not really knowing what to say. Did I say, “Yes I have been, and thank you for noticing?” I wasn’t privy to what the correct response was when someone commented on your killing.

“Please, don’t apologize. You were wonderful. I only wish I had been there to witness your first time.” He said ‘first time’ like I was driving a car, or walking. Very calm for talking about me killing someone (though technically I didn’t; Chance did).
He’s a killer, Ava. Remember that.
The voice was whispering inside my head, and though I knew it was impossible, I caught Chance glaring intensely at me. Had he put those words in my mind? Was he speaking to me without actually
speaking
? I brushed the silly idea from my head and focused on Aldric.

“I didn’t do it,” I said dryly. “Chance did.” I hadn’t intended on telling him the truth, but there was something about him that got under my skin. I had no intention of being nice to the man/monster that made me the way I was. I kept my eyes locked on his, the two of us in an old-fashioned stare-down. I fought hard to win, and after nearly thirty full seconds of silence, Aldric smiled again and broke our gaze.

“That’s fine,” Aldric answered. “A kill is a kill I suppose.”

“You suppose?” I asked timidly. “Does that mean you don’t know? Was that girl’s death in vain?” Just the thought of it repulsed me, made me physically ill.

“Relax, Ava,” Aldric said calmly. “It counts.” I hadn’t realized I had tensed up until I felt my shoulders relax. Chance’s kill counted. Ninety-nine to go. Yahoo.

“So tell me,” Aldric went on, stepping away from me and perusing the room. “How was it?” Was he serious? Was he actually asking me if I enjoyed it?

“How do you think?” I snapped back, suddenly mad at his coldness.

“Well I would assume there was a plethora of emotions you experienced, much like I did my first time.” He kept his back to me as he spoke, his eyes scanning the filthy room. I watched his lithe body glide over the hardwood floors, his feet touching so lightly he appeared to be floating. “Of course, that was a very long time ago.”

“I doubt my experience was anything like yours,” I said. Aldric stopped pacing the room and finally turned to look at me.

“Really?” he asked with an inquisitive smile. “Other than the fact that you didn’t actually kill the vampire, our experiences were very similar. Did you not feel scared? Excited? Like you were on fire and couldn’t wait to attack, but at the same time hating yourself for what you wanted to do?” He moved toward me as he spouted his questions. Though I couldn’t see him, I felt Chance tense with anxiety. “Am I getting warm?” Aldric’s voice was low and sinister, like he was getting pleasure out of seeing me squirm. I struggled to appear unaffected by his intimidating ways.

“We may have experienced the same feelings,” I said, reluctantly agreeing with Aldric. “But there’s a big difference in my first and yours.”

“And what might that be?”

“I didn’t choose to kill.” I stared at Aldric as I said it, hoping to get under his skin.

“So you assume that I did? That I
wanted
to be a vampire?” I could tell by his words that Aldric was showing a part of himself that the rest of the world never got to see. It was brief, though. He was back to his usual domineering and annoying self in a flash. “Next you will say I like the taste of blood.”

“Don’t you?”

“Very much.” His face grew serious, his eyes even more intense than usual. “But I didn’t always. I had to
learn
to like it. To survive.” I felt a tiny nerve twitch in my face, and I was afraid Aldric would see the uneasiness I was working so hard to hide. I figured sarcasm was the best way to diffuse the situation.

“A true blood sucker. Shocking.” I did my best to keep a straight face, to show him I wasn’t backing down. He smiled wickedly and moved toward the door.

“As fun as this is,” he said, “I have to be going. I need to make sure someone’s mess has been cleaned up.” He had already opened the door and was standing on the porch before my mouth opened and words fell out.

“Wait,” I said, a bit too loudly for such an empty space. The word bounced off the dingy walls. Aldric stopped abruptly and turned back around, his face smiling.

“Yes, Ava?” It was like he knew I was going to stop him from leaving. I hated that he had such power over me. The last thing I wanted was to turn to him for advice or answers. But I had no other choice. It wasn’t like I had a “vamp friends” section in my phone book.

“I have more questions,” I said calmly.

“And I will do my best to answer them.” He opened his stance a bit, like he was ready for me to pitch a baseball at him or run and jump in to his arms. It was the most human thing I had seen him do since we met… And it really creeped me out.

“Why do I get angry so easily?”

He smiled at me. “All of your senses are heightened now, Ava, as you are obviously aware since you were able to track that vampire through the woods.”

“I wasn’t tracking it. I just, I don’t know, I wanted—“

“You wanted blood.” Our eyes locked, a mutual understanding between us. We were monsters, one in the same. I was like him in every way, and I hated it.

“I could smell it. Over everything else, I could smell it. Like nothing else existed.”

“Yes,” Aldric said softly. “I completely understand.” And I knew he did. I knew that he more than anyone else understood what I had felt when the scent of that girl’s blood invaded my mind. He had been living those feelings for centuries. “ But a keen sense of smell is only part of it,” he went on. “Your emotions have also intensified. Anger, jealousy, rage; all of them will seem much more severe and overpowering.”

“How do I stop it?”

“You can’t. You simply must learn to control it. That will come with time.”

“Easier said than done, right?” The sudden feeling of dread swallowed me, filling my mind with doubt. No way was I going to be able to survive this new life.

“As is everything worth doing, yes?” Aldric half-smiled again, though this time it felt more sincere. Not genuine, of course, but honest. Which was saying a lot coming from him.

“So what else isn’t true about you? Or,
us
?” Even lumping myself together with vampires in word only made me cringe.

“Well, let’s see,” he said, his eyes wandering as he collected his thoughts. “We are not allergic to silver, crucifixes or garlic. We don’t turn into bats. We don’t have to sleep in coffins, though I suppose you could if you wish. And we definitely do not sparkle. Get the idea?” He took a couple of steps toward me before adding, “Nearly everything you have heard about us is fiction, Ava.” The way he tried to sound like my friend or something was really unnerving; I quickly moved on to more important stuff.

“How can I sense other vampires?”

“That is one of your many new gifts. You will learn and perfect them all in time.” Aldric’s human-like aura faded fast, and he quickly turned back to creepy dead guy. “Your sense of smell has been enhanced leaps and bounds. The vampire you killed today was very close in proximity. Perhaps too close. You should be thankful for the girl wandering the woods. Without her, he no doubt would have made it to your school, and the death toll would have been far greater.” The sincerity behind his words earlier had now moved to his eyes, deep behind the venom that swirled there. I knew he felt indifferent about humans, so why was he saying I should be grateful more of them didn’t die?

“I can’t be happy an innocent girl died because of me,” I interjected, self-deprecation drenching my words.

“The vampire killed her,” Chance spoke from the back of the room. “Not you.” I looked up and into his eyes and saw that familiar warmth, that compassion that always seemed to be telling me to pull myself together.

“Don’t worry about that,” Aldric continued. “As time progresses, you will hone your sense of smell and be able to find them before they get anywhere near you.”

“So should I be drinking blood so I can fight them?” The thought repulsed me, made me feel like an alien in my own body. I hated the idea, but at the same time, it was all my mind could focus on.

“As I’ve said, you don’t have to,” Aldric started. “And of course there are alternatives. But nothing will give you the strength that comes from human blood.
Fresh
human blood.” I’m sure he meant right from the neck. I tried to imagine sinking my teeth into a piece of human flesh and nearly fainted. Even though I had wanted to taste the girl in the woods, now the thought grossed me out. I
so
was not cut out to be a vampire.

“What alternatives?” I asked, praying he would say there was a pill or something I could take. I highly doubted it, but I was hopeful.

“Blood banks are always an option,” Aldric said, walking back into the room and clasping his hands together. He reminded me of a preacher giving a sermon, though I doubted he could even step foot in a church. Doing so would probably set him on fire or something.
And probably me too, now
. Another thing I hated about myself. “It’s not as vitamin-enriched as drinking it fresh, but it serves its purpose. And of course, there are animals.” He stopped walking and turned to look at me. “But really, Ava, do you think you could pick up a poor, defenseless animal and drink its blood? I can’t picture it.” He crinkled his forehead just above his nose, like he smelled something rotten.

No way could I kill a defenseless animal. Of course, I couldn’t bite a human, either. I was down to only one option. “So do I just walk into the hospital and ask for a few pints of O Negative?” In any other scenario that would have been funny. Standing in the middle of a rundown house talking to a vampire about drinking human blood somehow took the humor out of it.

“In a manner of speaking.”

“What if I get caught?”

“You are much more cunning than you realize, Ava. Another benefit of the new,
enhanced
life I have given you.” He made it sound like he had turned me into a superhero. I supposed in his eyes he had. “You have the ability to make people do whatever you want them to do. Humans are very susceptible. You just need to learn how to make it happen.”

“I don’t want to do that,” I said, getting angry. “I refuse to be a villain. That’s not me.” I planned on revolting against the vampire side of me. Well, other than having to use my super strength to kill other vampires; I didn’t have a choice there.

“Your choice,” Aldric said, sounding defeated. I released a tiny smile. “But do remember that the day will come when you will need one of those gifts to save your life.” He briefly glanced over at Chance before turning back to me. “Or the life of someone you care deeply about.” I cringed at his implication. “Not knowing what to do is difficult to overcome.” I could tell he was speaking from experience, his words drenched in pain. I allowed a full second of sorrow for him to enter my heart before I squashed it. I forced myself to remember that he was a killer. He would just as soon take a person’s life as he would save it. He was heartless, and no matter how sweet he spoke or how sad and broken he looked, I couldn’t forget that.

On the other hand, he had a point. My life was different now.
I
was different. Whether I wanted to face the reality or not, the fact remained that I was a vampire. And I was going to be stepping blindly into a world that could easily get me killed. The smart thing to do would be to learn all I could to help protect myself—and others. I didn’t want to do it, and I was positive I would hate myself worse the more I accepted my vampire side, but it was the right thing to do. I took a deep breath, exhaled slowly and turned to Aldric.