“How about I drive you home?” he offered as he took the nearly-empty water from my hands and took a siphimself.
I smiled at him and nodded. “That would be amazing, yes. Thank you.” I chugged the rest of my water and put the empty glass on the bar, and he wrapped his right arm around me and pulled me in for ahalfhug.
“Alright. Let’s getyouhome.”
11
Ifelta soft hand graze my cheek and I nuzzled into it in response. Opening my eyes slowly, I took a few long seconds to gather my bearings. I looked to my right through the glass window of a car and made out the faint lines of my apartment building. And then I turned to my left and saw James smiling at me, his eyes sympatheticandwarm.
“Oh shit,” I said quickly, shaking myself awake. I must’ve fallen asleep on the drive back to London, and I didn’t even remember the car ride. “I’m so sorry I fellasleep.”
“It’s okay. You were obviously extremely tired.” James smiled and tucked a strand of my hair behind my ear affectionately. “Why don’t you go up to your apartment and gotobed.”
I yawned sleepily and nodded and unbuckled my seatbelt. “Thank you so much for the ride home, James. I seriously owe you one.” I opened the door and then paused, turning back to him. “I’m so sorry I walked out on you this morning without saying anything,” I said. I really did feel bad, especially given the fact that he’s been so nice to me today and even drove me home after knowing full well what I was doing with othershifters.
“Don’t mention it,” he said. “I mean it, don’t even think on it. I was happy to see you again tonight.” He then reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a pen. “Here. I can give you my number. Call me anytime.” He reached out and pulled my hand towards him, writing his phone number on the palm ofmyhand.
He then squeezed my hand and let it go, pushing the unlock button on the car door. I smiled and leaned over to kiss him on the cheek and thanked him again. I then turned to push myself out of the car to make my way sleepily up into my apartment to catch up on some much neededsleep.
I couldn’t quite wrap my brain around what happened today and even this night. Now I needed some serious time to process everything. For now, though, my priority was sleep. And taking a really hotshower.
Before entering the front door of my apartment building, I turned and waved as James pulled his car away and drove down the street and disappeared. Not that I knew many people in London, but he was only person I knew that actually hadacar.
Siebel, my landlord, just took the tube everywhere, and I wondered if he had a bunch of money. I shook the thought from my mind as obviously it didn’t matter. I turned back towards my door and unlocked it and slowly made my way up the winding three flights of stairs to my apartment. I was surprised for a moment when I found my door unlocked, and then I remembered the events of the morning. I shook my head in lieu of my stupidity of so willingly following two vampires out of my apartment. It all ended well, I guess, and from the ache I felt between my legs, I figured the adventure was at least worth it. Tonight would be one for the books, that wasforsure.
I stepped into my apartment and pulled by the door closed behind me, locking it with a click. Not that the lock would keep out vampires, but the feeling of security at least made me feel better. I immediately pulled off my sweater and my pants and walked into the bathroom and turned on the shower as hot as it would go. As soon as the small room filled the steam, I stepped under the burning hot water and let it wash over me. The heat burned my skin, but it felt good. I loved the way it ran down along my body, washing away the evidence of my little escapade at the club. I lathered my loofah with soap and scrub my body almost raw, and it feltincrediblygood.
I surprised myself tonight, and I couldn’t help the smile that spread across my lips. Maybe this new me wasn’t so patheticafterall.
When the water began to run cold, I stepped out of the shower and toweled myself dry. I want to my bedroom and pulled on a pair of baggy grey sweatpants and a black tank top, before getting into bed and curling up sleepily. I reached for my phone that I left on my dresser and saw that it was nearly 4 o’clock in the morning. I shook my head in disbelief and then quickly saved James’ number in my phone before the ink rubbed off. Then I turned the phone off and put it in the topdrawer.
I was exhausted, but there was no way I was going to be able to sleep with the memory of everything that happened flooding into my mind. At least Erik’s chatter had subsided somewhat, and I could focus on my own thoughtsfornow.
I sighed when I realized sleep wasn’t going take me, so I reached for my laptop on the floor next to the bed. I flipped open the computer and opened the web browser, and typed into the search bar the names of my missing colleagues. A series of news articles came up discussing the disappearance, but they didn’t provide me anyupdates.
After leaving the force so abruptly, and refusing to make contact with anyone since then, I knew for a fact that they wouldn’t be happy if I reached out to them now. I had abandon ship, and it was an unforgivable act. They probably assumed I’d be dead by now, but seeing as my name didn’t appear on any of the news articles, I doubted that theycared.
I flipped through a few of the articles that I had already read as a knot began to form in my stomach. I knew everyone assumed them to be dead, but I at least hoped that there were people still looking. I still had little memory of that night when Erik bit me, and it’s even more confusing how I ended up back home, perfectly safe. Something must’ve happened to my colleagues that night, and now that I had enough time on my hands and a new sense of identity, might as well see what I could do tofindthem.
I sat there staring at the computer screen idly for a while, and the chatter began to pick up again in my mind. And I then had a thought. Of course, Erik would know what the hell happened to my colleagues. He was probably the one responsible for their deaths. Or worse, he might have them hold up and using them tofeedon.
The sickening feeling shot through my body and I shuddered. Anger then welled up in my mind, and it wasn’t my own. Eric must’ve felt my thoughts and I sensed hisreaction.
“Yeah, you better damn right be talking angry. Bloodsucking murderer,” I said through gritted teeth. I then leaned back in bed and pulled the blankets overmyhead.
“I didn’t murder your friends,” a voice spoke back in my mind. I flung the sheets off me and set up in a jolt of fear. I looked around me and my heart raced, but there was nobody there. And sat extremely still and realized the voice had come from my head. “Erik?” Ithoughtback.
“Yes,” the voice sounded again. The voice was all too familiar as I just heard it in person that very morning. Goosebumps appeared on the arms and a shiver went up my spine. My skin grew cold as I realized the implications of what had happened. He could hear my thoughts, and now he could speaktome.
“How the fuck are you talking to me right now?” My heart beat loudly in my chest as I waited for him toanswer.
“I’m not exactly sure,” he replied. I waited for him to say more, but my mind wentquiet.
“How long have you been able to read my thoughts?”I waited a few moments and no answer came. “Answer me,vampire!”
“I don’t know,” his voice hissed. “I’ve always been able to sense you, but only now can I hear your voice inmymind.”
“Why is this only happening now?”Again another long silence. “You better fucking answer me, I swear to God, Erik, I’m gonna come over there and stab you with a stake in the heart.” Anger built up inside of me as I heard him laugh. “It’s not fuckingfunny.”
