Chapter Fourteen

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Chapter Fourteen (Newell)

My head was still spinning and I could still taste Xed's blood in my mouth, making my fangs tingle at the intense flavor of his blood. I still felt cold and the bitter winter wind was stinging my cheeks, until a shadow fell over me and I peered up past my hair, eyes narrowed before I relaxed at the sight of Xed standing there, looking down at me.

And even though his expression was stoic, I could see the emotional turmoil in his eyes. I still struggled to believe that someone like Xed would be concerned over me. And for some reason, seeing those emotions in his eyes... reminded me of something, but again, the more I reached for it, the more it ran away and I was left in confusion.

"I'm not going to apologize for biting you," I told Xed at last when he hadn't said anything for ten minutes, "I was sleeping." Xed cocked his head at me, eyes searching my face before he averted them. He got a strange look on his face for a moment that made me narrow my eyes in suspicion. He'd been acting awfully odd the past couple days. It made the nagging sensation at the back of my mind even more prominent.

"Well," Hunter said, coming around to stand beside Xed, who ignored him and continued to stare at me, "You didn't destroy my car, so good thing. For you. Wanna explain to me why you went rabid and attacked your gubby? Which, by the way, I don't recommend you do again because next time, I won't hesitate to shoot you in the head." I shot Hunter a sour glare, but I understood his paranoia, so I didn't comment on it.

"I don't know what happened," I told Hunter bitterly, "I just remember falling asleep... and then I woke up to Xed's hand in my mouth. And the more I try to remember, the more I forget. It's been going on since we got back from the yakuza." Hunter frowned, hooking his thumbs into the loops on his pants as he leaned against the side of the car.

"Did they inject you with anything suspicious?" He asked. I hesitated at that. They had shot me full of oni blood, but oni blood wouldn't cause that sort of reaction. It was like drinking battery acid, so it just burned and stung my mouth. Surely it wouldn't result in memory loss, and the attack on Xed? What had I been dreaming about that I would attack him like that? While Xed and I disagreed on things, I did not hate him, surprisingly. He was one of the few people on the planet that I trusted. It appalled me to even think of it.

Xed had followed me of his own free will. He could leave at any time, and I always waited for the day when I would wake up and the space beside me would be empty, but it still hadn't happened. Even now, after I had wounded him, he was more concerned with what was happening to me than the fact that his hand was still bloody as it took its time healing.

I tried to think back to my time with the yakuza, but much to my dismay, things began to cloud over. I scowled, focusing hard on how the mission had gone, but I was only snagging bits and pieces. I vaguely remembered being in a cage, but I lost the names of the yakuza members, even the bidder who attempted to purchase me. I remembered tasting tea, I remembered Nori's philosophical conversation, but everything else...

"I can't remember," I said at last, making Hunter cock his head curiously, "I mean, I can't even remember what happened when I was with the yakuza." Hunter raised an eyebrow.

"Maybe old age is getting to you? How old are you anyway? Three thousand years--"

"I'm eighty," I snapped in irritation, running a hand through my hair before slumping back against the car seat, laying on my back and glaring up at the ceiling of the car, "And no. My species is exempt from brain deterioration. If anything, it's the opposite. The longer we live, the more we obtain. This shouldn't be happening."

"Well, whatever it is, we need to figure it out before you do it again," Hunter explained, "You could end up attacking someone else. And by someone else, I mean me and I'm not real fond of getting bitten by a vamp."

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